Privacy @lemmy.ml Wild Bill @midwest.social 1y ago

What phone brand do you like the best?

*In terms of privacy, customisation, camera quality, and battery time.

For the longest time I have only used either iPhone or Samsung. I plan on switching to Android for the next phone I get, but I find that Samsung phones are often too big for me and put too much energy on camera quality (I don’t take many photos). I have started to look into brands such as Nokia and Motorola, and I would like to know what you guys think of them. Additionally, do you suggest any other phone brands aside from them? My biggest priorities are privacy and long battery time. Bonus if the phone can run LineageOS (I have excluded Graphene as they are only compatible with Pixel phones).

Thank you for any answers. Cheers!

99 comments

I don't get people claiming stock iPhone is private. We literally have very little idea. It's a closed system. It's private if you take Apple's word but all the other manufacturers also have similar claims. Why trust Apple and not them?

On top of that you end up locked into their ecosystem, unable to use most FOSS applications or have cut down versions of them because daddy Apple didn't like some features.
- A friend told me there's no point in stealing them as it's impossible to unlock or wipe them, which would give them the edge at least in that respect. Is this accurate?
  
  Yes iPhones are secure but not private. The two are related but different concepts. I'm not sure what exactly your friend is referring to though.
  
  This is accurate, it is also accurate for (at least some part of) android though... Going into recovery boot requires the phone pin for my mid-range phone. Hell even turning off the phone can be set to require pin or biometric.
casts protect

iPhone
- In regards to stock systems, I agree.
  
  Been stuck in the convenient ecosystem for a while, and I cope by telling myself Apple makes the bulk of its money with hardware and services. Not ads like Google. But if I would start over from zero, I think Graphene OS and Linux would be the way. But migrating the whole family away from our current Apple line up - I dread that challenge.
  
  Eh, you can always start with yourself. Let the rest make their own decisions.
- This made me laugh
The downside of Google Pixels is that they don't have jack connector and sd slot.

But I accepted the deal just to use GrapheneOS (I bought one used on ebay). Sometimes the battery lasts 3 days without being recharged.

People at GrapheneOS should really focus on some brand that cares about users on the hardware side.
- Yup, I honestly don't care about the special features on the Pixel (esp camera), I literally only want it because of GrapheneOS and longer term software support.
  
  I would love it if the GrapheneOS project made their own phone and supported it for a really long time. Maybe coordinate with Fairphone or something, IDK.
  
  Same
- another good place to buy a used one is https://swappa.com
  
  Unfortunately, buying from outside US, although possible, is a pain in the neck. You need agreement with the seller AND use a freight forwarder.
  
  Swappa is a US-based marketplace. Sellers located outside the United States cannot create listings on Swappa. International buyers can buy on Swappa if they provide a US shipping address and use a US-based payment source.
- Which pixel is getting you that battery life? My 6 has been struggling to make it through a day on GrapheneOS recently.
  
  6a. Though I don't use the phone that much, most of the battery is drained by Telegram FOSS.
  
  Here are two old screenshots
  
  Have 6a and I actually got the same battery results as you
For me it has to be Fairphone. They are more expensive than the others to buy new but they are more aligned with openness and free software. They receive updates for a long time, are well supported by CalyxOS, /e/os, Linux mobile OSs etc, are repairable, you can carry extra batteries, usually have an SD card slot and two SIM slots and are more environmentally-friendly than others.
- i second getting a fairphone, but look into a second battery or a power bank for heavy use.
Don't exclude Pixel phones so quickly. They are one of the most versatile for custom ROMs, and they check all of your checkboxes. I love my CalxyOS Pixel 6.
- But no SD card slot. ☹
  
  Or headphone jack
- The pixel 6 is a heavy POS. I like the 4a. Its refreshingly & reasonably sized
What phone brand do you like the best?

(I have excluded Graphene as they are only compatible with Pixel phones).

You're asking this on the privacy mag and intentionally/explicitly exclude the best privacy option with no explanation.

Wtf.
- GrapheneOS isn’t a phone brand.
  
  It might as well be since it only works on Google Pixels.
If privacy is important, a custom ROM is highly recommended or rather mandatory. Most brands have locked boot loader which can't be unlocked immediately without voiding warranty. Some let you to using some bs proprietary software but only after few months. That was the only reason I had to resort to getting a pixel. So look into all the brands available to you and check their policy on custom rooms before looking into the mobile themselves.
- adb debloating is adequate.
  there may be additional steps for LOS privacy.
  
  If you don't remove play service and shit without being unable to use payment apps and other shut, it's not gonna work for majority. Those are worst offenders that have to be removed for privacy.
Sony. They still have a headphone jack.
- Also asus (at least zenphone)
  
  Headphone Jack club
@clark
Google Pixel with GrapheneOS
@privacy
Why exclude GrapheneOS? It's a really good mobile OS, and the creator has given his reasons for only supporting Pixels.
pine64 because freedom.
- You can't just recommend Pinephone.
  It is at best an half baked device. Phone calls are not that good and I had to manually enable VoLTE and flashed a custom firmware on the modem.
  
  I'd love a Pinephone, but that's not happening until it's usable as a phone, meaning:
  
  MMS
  
  decent call audio
  
  reliable wake up from suspend
  
  decent battery life
  
  I don't even care about the camera working, fingerprint sensors, etc. I literally just want a phone that works reliably as a phone with super long term software support.
- it ha physical killswitchs. thats pretty appealing if u need that.
For Privacy?
- Not e2ee. Can be tapped.
  
  Only with physical access, which nowaday nobody does.
second hand Xiaomi + flash Lineage, good hardware for the price, community support
Not under your specs but the Sony Xperia line offers a headphone jack + microSD, can be unlocked, & has flagship specs (1 & 5). The 5 & 10 models are also smaller devices that actually fit in one hand too. This characteristic combo does not come in the other models folks are suggesting. Older models have LineageOS for microG support if you want an ungoogled phone (but beware the stock camera app is trash).
- i loved my XZ2 Compact SO MUCH and then all the carriers in my country simultaneously dropped voice calling support for it. i'm still so salty
  
  Because we need innovation, even if we got on just fine then
Oneplus with lineage os is pretty good but they sorta make it a pain to unlock the bootloader if the phone was not originally factory unlocked.
i daily a Fairphone 4, has neither the best camera nor the best battery life. but it's the most repairable and durable phone i've owned.

i've had extremely good experieces with oneplus phones, dunno about custom ROM support though.

i've also heard good things about modern motorola phones, if the ROM support is there it's worth a shot imo.
- OnePlus 6 and 6T had really broad custom Rom support, it is till now one of the best Phones for linux(pmOS) With some Roms you can even relock the bootloader
  
  I am currently using my almlst 6 year old oneplus6 with lineage OS without any real issues
I just got a OnePlus 12 and this phone is fantastic. Bootloader is unlocked and you can do whatever you want. Battery is amazing. Charger is insane. Camera is more than decent. Price is very reasonable for what it offers.
Xiaomi and Oneplus have some battery beasts of phones.
I like fairphone the best out of all the ones that are currently available, however, my next phone will be a Pixel 8A because grapheneos doesn't support fairphone
- Also no plans to support it. It meets their requirement of long support.
  
  Me too fairphone for the repairability of it and long update support.
  
  Fairphone 4 user here, i love it. but ghost touch keeps coming back, i'm on my second screen now.
I focus on the OS. However, I like the moto phones. I've had mine for 5 or 6 years and I don't have any reason to change.
My assus zenphone is quite good in a compact package and minimal changes to android.

No idea about customisation though.
- Be warned that the latest models ASUS removed the ability to unlock the devices
Samsung Ultra all the way. It has top of the world hardware, software support

AND I can customize my phone the way I want.
As I usually unlock bootloader, I just buy cheap Chinese phones from around 100 bucks, right now I'm using a FreeYond M5 5G. Debloated and rooted. Working like a charm.

Edit: I prefer Motorola over Nokia.
I've asked a similar question not long ago and the consensus was pixel, even though I had already ruled them out in my question.

I still haven't changed phones but I'm leaning on a nothing 2a, since it's reasonably priced for the storage that I want.

However, I've been looking at phones based on the specs I want and check XDA forums and see how active they are, in the hopes I get a phone popular enough that has long term community support
I'm using a SHIFT6mq with LineageOS. It's similar to the Fairphone (expensive, but repairable, sustainable, good Custom ROM support), but it's got a few different design decisions and much higher build quality compared to the FP3 I had before.
Conair was always my favorite
- I've always liked the Stromberg Carlson Fiddleback myself.
Well Nokia is a no no They don't allow bootloader unlock, I would recommend that you check which privacy oriented custom ROM you want to install and check the supported phones they have listed and buy one of those models for installing the ROM
HTC (Wildfire, Desire Z, [rip!]), Samsung (they are/were easy to flash; S3, S5, S7, A5 2017).
I once had Nexus 5 (by LG [rip!]) - I was disappointed, poor quality.

Nowadays, you should have control of a baseband firmware too!
So, looks like the Pixels are the best option.
So I’ve gone back and forth between Apple and Android for the past decade and a half: I currently daily an iPhone 12 mini because I like the UI, size, ease of use, and the fact that I don’t use my phone as a multimedia device. If I could do akin to GrapheneOS or CalyxOS on iPhone I’d stick to it.

In the future once my iPhone breaks or finally becomes obsolete, I intend to go to either a used Pixel or a Fairphone. Both are supported by secure OSs but I also dislike how big both of them are.

TLDR: love iPhones, appreciate Fairphones.
Fairphone and google pixel have unlocked bootloaders
The hardware is wholly unremarkable, but the pixel line supports Graphene. Custom Roms are a necessity if you care about privacy even a little bit, but there are other options.

Unfortunately in many places, illegal searches are the rule, not the exception and as such security is almost as critical. If you need security AND privacy there is simply no substitute.

Motorola hardware looks kinda nice though...
- Be careful with Motorola, here's a Louis Rossmann rant about Lenovo/Motorola sucking, and here's the official unlocking policy and procedure he mentioned. Some specific issues to call out:
  
  need to wait a week before unlocking the bootloader after purchase
  
  you lose your Motorola warranty
  
  you cannot sell or transfer your unlocked device (in linked legal agreement)
  
  That's pretty scummy IMO, and why I'm not interested in Motorola devices. I don't intend to ever use the warranty or sell my phone, but I'm not okay with that being a legally binding agreement.
  
  Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
  
  here's a Louis Rossmann rant about Lenovo/Motorola sucking
  
  Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
  
  I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.
  
  you cannot sell or transfer your unlocked device (in linked legal agreement)
  
  The fuck? There's no way they can forbid doing that, right? Video game publishers would be all over that with physical discs to make it the same as for digital releases.

99 comments