Asklemmy

I recently picked up a Fairphone 4. I got it mostly because of the removable battery and easy repairing, but it's nice to know I'm supporting a manufacturer that cares about sustainability.

I use GrapheneOS on Pixel.

Apple might turn evil? They have always been evil, and goole is evil to. Try a free android distro like CalyxOS, GraphineOS, LineageOS or /e/OS. This is not a complete list.

Pixel 6 Pro running GrapheneOS, which I got a couple months ago. Pixel phones are the only ones compatible with GrapheneOS, otherwise I would've kept my Samsung phone tbh

Same story as you, afraid of evil corporations, wanting to take more control over my data, so I changed to a pixel 7 pro with GraphenOS.

If you're wondering how buying a phone from Google helps in this you can read the answer in here https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/2989-pixel-phone-vs-samsung-or-others

only Pixels that support alternate OS and allowing them full use/access to all the hardware security features.

iOS because Apple ecosystem is much more convenient and consistent. I do not worry so much about the struggle you mentioned because the EU will fix it (see USB-C, sideoading, more to come)

Currently using a Google Pixel 5 that's running CalyxOS.

Ditched Apple after they initially announced they were going to start screening messages and photos (although they later walked that back). I value privacy, and hence hate Google. But Google do make sole good hardware. CalyxOS allows me to have the best of both worlds... a privacy-centric OS, running on decent hardware that's compatible with any Android app (although you still need to be a little careful what you install from a privacy perspective).

I am aware that more modern Pixel models have been released, but I'm waiting for one that's a little less massive. Every model since the Pixel 5 has been larger than it.

Google pixel 6a with grapheneOS

Apple has always been greedy, in my opinion, but seldom evil.

They are the only major corporation that still makes an effort for privacy (though many people are understandably very skeptical) e.g.

• fully end-to-end-encrypting most of your iCloud data,
• blocking tracking pixels in Mail (not technically correct, but good enough approximation)
• having iCloud Private Relay (something like Tor network) built into Safari
• blocking tracking of your behaviour by anonymising your device
• they even scramble data about your Maps trips, inserting wrong information before they send analytics back to themselves, through what is called differential privacy.

Other reasons I use iOS:

• They offer software updates for >6 years, so I really get great bang for my buck. Total cost of ownership is typically less than other flagship products.
• Integration with their other products.
• General polish, smoothness and ease of use.

I too rely on governments to rein in their greediness (e.g. Right to Repair, having multiple App Stores, etc.)

Google Pixel 4a with GrapheneOS

Android because I like the freedom it provides.

As for the phone I'm using. It's a Oneplus 3 I got a few years back, it's falling apart but I can't afford changing it, so I'll be using it till its last breath.

I have a Google Pixel 2XL running GrapheneOS.

Fairphone 4.
I don't play demanding games on my phone, so I don't need some overpriced flagship device.
What I do need is a consumer-replaceable battery and as many other parts as I can get. This means I can get replacement rear- and front-facing camera, earpiece, loudspeaker, USB port, display, back cover and of course battery. All from the original vendor and replacement can be done by me, armed with only a small screwdriver and maybe a spudger for the display.
Over all this is probably one of the most repairable phones and I bought it hoping it will last me 10 years.

I'm currently running Iodé (Android) but hope to switch to PostmarketOS in the future. Maybe with a detour via Ubuntu phone.

iPhone 11. I agree on the dangers of corps turning evil, but I don’t agree that the solution is to move from ”might turn evil in the future” (Apple) to ”already pretty far in the evil camp” (Google). This is already becoming apparent with the enshittification of Google search. Chromium and Android will soon follow.

Got a Pixel 4a, which i bought because of the support for custom ROMs. Ran Calyx for a while and now ive been running Graphene for about a year and loving the experience

Xiaomi Mi 10T with LineageOS 19 (there's no v20 for it) I bought it because I needed a new one that supports 5G and didn't cost a fortune.

Next one might be a Fairphone 5 whenever it comes out. Or a Pixel with GrapheneOS.

I'm also interested in a mobile that runs Linux instead of Android (see PinePhone). But there're none that have good/current hardware.

Running a Pixel 6 with default OS right now.

Will change to GrapheneOS when it's no longer supported.

Why did I choose it? Because there's no real choice besides Android in the phone world. Apple won't let me install the things I need and is unnecessarily expensive. Plus, the camera is really good.

FairPhone 4 because it is the only phone with removable battery and LineageOS support.

Pixel 7. I bought it with the intention of flashing it with Graphene OS or something along those lines but I enjoy the Pixel features so much that I've left it stock.

I use Sailfish OS on the Sony Xperia 10 III.

I choose the OS because I wanted a phone OS which would get updates for a long time, which sailfish has a good track record of and I wanted one which ran linux so that I had the normal things I'm used to on the desktop like systemd, pulseaudio, bash, rpm, etc. I did need it to run android for a couple of banking apps and sailfish provide a pretty decent android support layer. It's worked really well, the biggest drawback I'd say is that parts of it are not open source and they're kind of doing their own stuff so while some things do work like KDE apps, other apps would take a lot more effort to get working (gtk apps for example).> Fairphone

I hate all mobile operating systems because none of them is able to provide me the level of control I have on my Linux desktops and laptops. But there's nothing I can do about that, so, at least, I bought the best phone on the market - S23 Ultra. It's a lovely device, I just dislike Google. Thinking of de-googling it somehow. F-Droid and Galaxy Store can work as Play Store replacement but I still need Google Pay and so on :/

If only Ubuntu Phone wasn't canceled.

I kinda fear that Apple might turn evil and start banning apps from the app store

I don’t know what rock you’ve been living under, but I’ve been using iOS since day one and Apple has been banning apps left and right this entire time. Most just don’t make it on in the first place. Sometimes they sneak hidden features in though like so: https://www.imore.com/game-boy-emulator-sneaks-app-store-disguised-messaging-app

CalyxOS on a google pixel.

Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!

Easy installation, just unlock the bootloader and enable adb in settings and plug into a computer and run the installer.

CalyxOS is set it and forget it. It will update itself seamlessly unlike other free Androids and unlike stock Androids. No maintainacnce. Support will likely continue after the manufacturer kills off your device.

Automatic updates and one click installs from f-droid. On calyx its even easier to install free as in freedom apps than it is to install the garbage on Google play.

You can still run your shitty non-free apps from google play (using the aurora store, a free as in freedom app to download google play apps from google play) if someone is forcing you to install their crap.

I just got Pixel 7. I always disliked those Android versions modified by the manufacturers with preinstalled bloatware and tons od weird features I just never intended to use. I envied more consistent and "seamless" experience Apple users got on their iPhones. However, I didn't want to enter the Apple ecosystem for many reasons like price, moral issues, etc. The Android experience on Pixel is pretty much how I hoped it would be - much cleaner than other brands.

Yeah, I know Google is not great either but TBH I'm mostly stuck with them so instead of sharing my data and money with Samsung and Google, I can share it only with Google. Pixels have a big advantage of having the best support when it comes to custom ROMs so if I ever decide to cut ties with Google as well, I can do that relatively easily.

Fairphone 4 running /e/OS. I love the modularity, quality and robustness. Just the fact that if I drop my screen I can just replace it for €80 using my own hands.

/e/OS is still in development, which you sometimes notice, but I love its privacy focused aspects. It is decoupled from Google, includes a tracker monitor and blocker, an appstore that can download apps from the Google Play store anonymously and best of all the developers do deliver. All their releases are well tested.

The only thing I struggle with are in app purchases. If they use the Google Play platform they just won't work.

I bought this phone from Murena, which is a branch of the /e/Foundation that sells devices with /e/OS preinstalled.

Android. Pixel 7. Because it's a pretty close to stock experience and Pixels get updates the quickest and most frequent updates compared to other Android phones.

A pixel 7a with graphene OS. It's a myth that iOS is more secure than android btw. Both are locked down enough to protect against most threats.

iPhone 8. I’ve had it for 5 years and haven’t had a reason to upgrade. Battery is starting to lose a bit of life so I’m thinking about a new battery rather than a new phone.

iPhone 13 Pro, my previous phone was an iPhone 6s which received nearly 7 years of software updates. I don’t know of any Android manufacturer that supports devices for that long at the moment which was the main reason I stuck with Apple.

iphone se, because it was possible to buy refurbished with 3 years warranty for ca 100 euro

Currently own a Sony Xperia 1 IV. Been buying Sony phones for about 10 years now. I can hardly break them even without a case, despite being super clumsy, and Sony actually does interesting innovating things that are useful instead of following trends blindly or relying on marketing.

I run a quite degoogled Android 13 atm. Next phone will be a Pixel however, because I wanna switch to GrapheneOS. Wanting to switch OS is also the only reason I even consider a different brand phone.

Pixel running GrapheneOS. Happy to feel like I actually own my own phone now.

Google pixel for the following reasons:

Smart insights via Google assistant:

1. Bill due soon reminders via Google assistant. It can read my email and remind me of upcoming bills, their amount, who it's too, and when it's due. Sends a notification to the phone.

2. Finance watchlist notification: at the end of each market day it will send me a notification just showing me how my watchlist performed for the day

Phone:

3. Call screening, business calls, spam, and robo

4. Hold for me feature.

5. Phone trees visual

6. Visual voicemail - live transcripts

Google translate:

7. Live translation of audio

8. Translate any sign or text via Google lens

9. Search visually via Google lens

Customization

10. Theme settings independent of device. You can set each app individually. Some apps are better in light mode

Google assistant integration in the phone. Call and text people, reduce volume, paused audio, set volume, google search, turn on flash light etc. You can control features of your phone with your voice. It's fantastic.

It's a really smart, smart phone.

Fairphone 4 since I like the ethics of the phone (environmental, worker conditions etc) and since I can replace parts of it myself. eg swapping battery or even the screen is trivial and cheap. Good enough performance for me but I'm not running anything special.

Google Pixel 6, because it has a guarantee of 5 years of security updates (unlike other Android phones) and I can use Firefox with uBlock Origin on it (unlike iPhones).

I look forward to the new non-Android Linux phones, but it doesn't sound like they're ready for everyday use in the USA just yet. In particular, I've heard that they have compatibility issues with US carriers and their street navigation apps aren't very good. Hopefully that changes soon!

Google Pixel 6a for me, just running the stock ROM/OS. I used to be into trying out custom ROMs but over the years I ended up falling in the "I don't want my phone to randomly stop working while I'm out and need to make a call" stage.

Plus, I actually enjoy quite a few features from the stock OS such as call screening (which reduces spam calls a ton), direct my call, and whichever feature is the one that provides an estimate on the wait time when calling into a toll free line. There's also "Hold for me" which I haven't tried yet but it seems like an interesting idea, but I'd only use it if there were going to be a fairly long wait.

I don't know if those features work on the custom OS options (as I don't keep up with that realm anymore), plus potential stability issues which I've always had on other devices (including previous Pixels) makes me just stick with the default.

Although, on my Pixel 3a XL since I no longer use it as my daily driver, I slapped Ubuntu Touch on it and it seems interesting, though definitely has a long way to go.

OnePlus 8 Pro but I'm thinking about switching to Pixel 7 Pro, or 8 if I wait long enough.

Does anyone have any experience with Pixels? Are they worth it?

Nice try to gain my data ad company!

Motorola One 5G Ace.

After years working in telecom, I'm in the camp of "absolutely no device needs to cost thousands of bucks."

Midrange phones do just fine, and it's borderline criminal marketing that the Apples and Samsungs of the world convince gullible consumers that their 260 dollars worth of parts and labour is somehow worth more than an average mortgage payment.

Galaxy S22, iPhone is too locked down for me.

I went with the S22 because it's decent and looks great, also one of the smallest high-end phones available.

Samsung sucks though, there is far too much bloat you have to get rid off. The Galaxy store also likes to hijack updates from a few of my apps.

I'd say there still is no perfect phone unfortunately. Maybe a Google Pixel that looks like a S22 and has a more scratch resistant screen. My screen already has two scratches just from being in my pocket. They made the glass more drop resistant, but now it still shatters if you drop it and it scratches more easily :-/