this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2023
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It's too bad Android didn't lean more into it's relative freedom. Instead, almost all Android manufacturers have followed Apple's lead closely. I have to believe there'd be a sizeable market for a flagship Android phone with, say, a removable battery, headphone jack, SD card slot, and an easily unlocked bootloader.
They exist, they just aren’t popular because most people don’t care.
They don't exist. Believe me, since I finally put my old LG V20 out to pasture, I've been waiting. The closest thing is the Fairphone, but it doesn't support all US LTE bands.
Bootloader a are usually pretty easy to unlock, it's Safetynet that is the biggest problem these days. Though you can generally sandbox it a little bit with a custom ROM. If, however, you try to keep it stock and have it rooted with Magisk it can be a nightmare depending on the manufacturer.
Aside from maybe the headphone jack, those are all features that enthusiasts want but average consumers don't care about enough to compromise on size, waterproofing or price.
Smartphones depend so much on economies of scale, and a limited pool of cutting edge components, it would be hard to sustain a niche market just for enthusiasts.