Howdy folks, I’ve been working on getting more privacy, and I want my phone to be next. I just wish that the pixels and fairphones were cheaper, especially the fair phone. I know grapheneOS can be considered one of the more secure builds, but are there other more budget friendly devices known stateside that can run alt OSs?
The answer is to get a used Pixel. With a bit of looking around you may be able to find some pretty good deals. The Pixel 8a is the sweetspot is my opinion. OEM minimum support until May 2031 and old enough to find at a very good price. But not that old for its battery to very likely be busted.
There’s the PinePhone and Pinephone Pro.
Other than that, there’s LineageOS supported phones
Oh shit I forgot the pinephone, that’s still such a cool device! Thank you for the suggestion!
Honestly, the Pixel is probably your best option. Consider getting it second-hand if you can, or try to snag the Pixel 9a on sale.
GrapheneOS has entered a partnership with Motorola, so maybe a cheaper option from their line of phones will be available in the future.
GrapheneOS isn’t one of the more secure builds, it’s the most secure. A used previous gen Pixel can be had for a very low price. The 10a was also recently released for $500 new. Pixel 9 pro used is around $400. Pixel 8 pro used is around $300. I don’t know if a more budget friendly option exists without a contract.
Ooh that GitHub is solid, didn’t realize nothing phones allowed that bootloader unlock, but damn it doesn’t have the newer ones on there for lineage support. I appreciate this!
Only reason I didn’t go Nothing, was no IR Blaster. Now I realize it didn’t matter cuz FOSS support for it sucks lol. Spoiled with my other built in stuff
