General Smartphone Discussion Thread - What phones to recommend and which ones to avoid?

[Lovely Kin]

A question: Would you go to Dubai to attend the release of Huawei's new Pura 80 Ultra?

Probably not, I won't be able to use it when I get back to the US

 

[The Repeated Meme]

Putting the nfc card on the reader is as convenient as putting the phone on the reader. In fact, it's more convenient because you need to go out of your way to set up phone pay.

That's not the argument I'm making. Are you being deliberately obtuse? Do you think having a camera on your phone is just as convenient as having to use a camera separately because they both take pictures?

Why stop there? Who needs music apps? Why not have a separate device for my music, too?

 

[volatile puar]

That's not the argument I'm making. Are you being deliberately obtuse? Do you think having a camera on your phone is just as convenient as having to use a camera separately because they both take pictures?

Why stop there? Who needs music apps? Why not have a separate device for my music, too?

It is illegal for most people to travel without a DL.

 

[User names must be unique]

I've have a one+ nord 2, three years old now, it's the most expensive phone I've ever bought at £350 (bought unlocked fuck contracts) and in retrospect it wasn't worth it. It's pretty good but it's not £200 better than a more budget phone imo.

I now think mid-range phones are a retard trap/Goldilocks pricing

I'm looking at buying a new phone and like a retard to a flame I'm once again drawn to the mid-range option, the Nothing phone 3a pro. it looks so dumb and the lights on the back are pointless but at least the dedicated AI bullshit button is supposed to be re-bindable without rooting.

I just really want something with optical zoom, every other decent looking option is at least 50% more on price for seemingly marginal gains.

 

[Moon Pie]

I just want a few things when my current secondhand Samsung Galaxy S20 FE dies:

Expandable storage via a microSD card slot (requirement)

User serviceable battery

3.5mm audio port

Unlockable bootloader and support for an OS that isn't riddled with Google slop or at least let's me segregate it like GrapheneOS used to (Pixels are fragile and lack expandable storage, Plus GrapheneOS got infested with troons IIRC)

Used to be common 15 years ago. Even my old Samsung Galaxy Avant had most of that. I had 2 Pixels, but both were lost due to shitty hardware (1 was actually killed by a shitty "authorized" repair, fuck 1st party phone repairs). I'd like to have an idea of what to get before my Galaxy dies. I thought about the Fairphone 4 or 5 with their modular designs for ease of repair and I believe the bootloaders are unlockable by default. Don't know of any other good new ones, the alternative is a cheap used phone with LineageOS.

Late as fuck but moto g 5G - 2024, moto g84 5G, moto g34 5G, and g45 5G, moto g52, moto g42, and moto g32 all meet your criteria and are supported by Calyx OS. You have to email Motorola to get a key to unlock the bootloader, but otherwise it's easy peasy to flash.

 

[The Repeated Meme]

So apparently, I didn't know this at the time because it's been a while since I rooted my phone; but apparently wallet not working on root is HUGE, ongoing issue; and there are basically 5 solutions:

1. Use Tsupport Advance module to update the leaked keybox (unreliable because they keep getting revoked)
2. Find and spoof a private fingerprint since Wallet only cares about legacy device integrity check (impractical, google banned 95% of known working fingerprints) so it's technically possible but finding one that passes legacy device check is basically impossible
3. Buy a private keybox. This is the most realistic solution if you want to remain on root and have wallet working. This is what I did. They are relatively inexpensive. However they expire after 11 months and you have to get a new one. You also have the option of buying one with a longer validity, but they are more expensive.
4. Unroot, flash stock, relock bootloader (basically give up root for wallet) or
5. Stay on root and forget about wallet.

So you do have options available. But man..what a pain in the ass. The next time I get a phone I don't think I will be rooting it. 99% of the things I use root for can be accomplished with Shizuku; I wouldn't be giving up that much. But I'm not going to replace this phone for a long, long time. Hopefully..we'll see.

I'm going to keep buying keyboxes and spoofing for as long as I can. You know what else is funny: you can't use wallet if your security patch is too old, even if you have a locked bootloader, so having an unlocked one, while it's more of a pain in the ass to maintain, I can spoof the security patch and keep getting new keyboxes basically as long as I want; assuming they're still available to buy. I might consider buying a 7-year long keybox..but they're pretty expensive..may be worth it in the long run if they offer some kind of 'bulk discount' as it were.

Late as fuck but moto g 5G - 2024, moto g84 5G, moto g34 5G, and g45 5G, moto g52, moto g42, and moto g32 all meet your criteria and are supported by Calyx OS. You have to email Motorola to get a key to unlock the bootloader, but otherwise it's easy peasy to flash.

Moto is pretty solid. They aren't the fastest, though. I debated between them and OP, I went with OP cause their newer devices are really fast.

 

[Bogan]

So I've had an iPhone 8 I bought second-hand in 2019 for AU$500, but I'm starting to run into issues with Apple's abysmal software lifespan. Something as simple as adding custom ringtones or using .mp3 files for alarms isn't possible anymore. Not without paying subscriptions to Apple Music anyway.

So now I'm looking at what to replace it with. I've looked at the Pixel 9a with GrapheneOS, it's currently AU$700 and is supposed to be supported for the next 7 years.

Are there any better options? And are there any major problems such as incompatible apps or features with GrapheneOS?