Ask Lemmy

Lemmy users be like: I built my own phone

Any smartphone, they're not that different and all have the same weaknesses. They're pretty fragile, don't have battery-life and they have lots of bloat and functionality that's gate-kept behind sign ups and cloud accounts

I'm using a Pixel 6, mostly because I like stock android. Not spectacular compared to their previous phones though, notably they used to be the only major company that still had headphone jacks, but that is no longer the case.

Google pixel so i could put graphene os on it.

Galaxy S10. Still rockin the headphone port.

Buy a refurbished or new in box flagship phone from a couple years ago. I paid like 1400$ for a Sony Xperia 1 III but now 2 years later it's like 500$, refurbished with a warranty. It's great value considering most phones brands don't change much in only 2 years and you still get a pretty cutting edge device.

I am on an iPhone 12 mini, I expect to keep it for another two or three years.

There are VNC and SSH apps in the appstore for Linux access.

If you live in the US and want something on a budget, I recommend last year's Moto G Stylus 5G (the 2023). You can find it for around $250. For the price, you get:

• More than adequate performance, especially at this price point (Snapdragon 6 Gen 1).
• Adequate RAM (6GB)
• Lots of storage (256GB)
• Decent cameras (50MP + 8MP UW)
• Great display (120Hz FHD+ IPS LCD)
• Great battery life
• Headphone jack(!)
• MicroSD slot(!!)

Redmi Note 9 Pro with LineageOS 18.1 (Android 11).

Stay away from Xiaomi's phones if you plan to use the stock MIUI Android they come with. My SO has a stock Redmi Note 11S and MIUI is the biggest piece of bloated instrusive shit that I have ever seen on a phone.

Pixel 7, but for me I always look for a phone with stock Android and a good camera. Usually any of the Google Pixel phones covers that well.

Bought myself a Pixel 6 used a while back. Been very happy with it

Just switched from an iPhone XR to a 15 pro. Hope to get another 4+ years out of it.

I only switched because my SUV’s CarPlay and wireless charger turned the XR into a no-working hot plate after an hour. The 15 pro still gets as hot but doesn’t seem to shut down. I blame ford.

Fairphone because I want it to last 5+ years without any annoying repairs.

Pixel 6 Pro with Graphene Os. You have to make a few concessions when it comes to ease of use, but the privacy and security is top notch.

I use a pixel 8. If you care about security or privacy, GrapheneOS simply has no substitute.

Battery life lasts about a day and a half. Performance is solid, camera is solid, and it has an AMOLED for active display.

The cheapest piece of shit Samsung make because I break phones. I work outdoors in all weathers and I use my phone alot. I go through on average one a year and I dont want a broken or lost phone to ruin my month.

Still using my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, for me it's perfect.

Continues to be up to date, hardware and software wise.

I'm currently using a Samsung S21, but once this thing eats it I'm done with Samsung. I'm sick of the OS updating and installing 6-7 garbage programs on my device without my consent.

I'm going to get a Nokia G42, just buy it outright and be done with the payment plan model. Nokia actually teamed up with iFixIt so I can do service on my own phone without needing to go through Verizon. Easily replaceable battery so I can buy an extra one and have it for when I'm traveling. SD card slot! Headphone jack!! And it's only like 1/4 the cost of a flagship.

It also runs vanilla Android.

Unfortunately... Samsung is the only "normal" choice compared to others in my country... Other brands shipped adware, or just straight up shows ads on lock screen. I'm not joking. Samsung does it too unfortunately, though not as aggressive. Also I noticed after the year 2020 their midrange model has gone worse.

I miss Sony Xperia. I wish they didn't leave my country.

Pixel 4a. Was the only smaller phone at the time except for one of the Samsung ones but I'd rather have stock Android than the bloated crap from Samsung. Not a fan how big smartphones have gotten.

I'm on the Samsung A54 right now. I had one too many times using Google devices which decided to suddenly die on me (Nexus 5x, Google Pixel 4a) and Internet mummers seem to hint that newer Pixel devices seem to be continuing that same lack reliability. I have an older Samsung tablet that is still working (better described as something that just won't die) so I decided to try the Samsung world of things to see if I can get the reliability I desire. So far, so good.

Curious about the Google device issues? The Nexus 5x worked great until it just died for good one night. The Pixel 4a worked great until it "turned off" at night making me miss all my alarms and requiring me to turn it back on. Now it is a coin toss if it will stay on overnight or just turn off for no reason making me miss all alarms. Apparently it can turn off when you are not using it which is a bit concerning for a device that should receive phone calls and sound alarms...

One plus nord n30. Bought it because it was relatively inexpensive and reviewed well. I'm happy with the purchase thus far.

Still holding onto my Samsung Galaxy Note9

It has an excellent built-in stylus with a headphone jack and expandable storage to boot. Nothing that's come out since feels like an upgrade, only various sidegrades.

Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro

It was an easy choice as it's the only modern devide with removable battery and a headphone jack. I would've gotten Fairphone but no headphone jack - no buy.

Pixel 6 pro.

get an empty can with some wire attached, connect a second can to the end of the wire and provide your intended contact with said second can.

You might ask on c/android if you're not after an eyephone. I now use a Motorola G Stylus 5G 2023, good value at $250 imho. Big screen, fast compared to what I'm used to, good battery life, battery apparently not too hard to replace, headphone jack, SD slot, NFC, 256GB flash, 6GB ram, decent cameras (main, front, and wideangle macro, no telephoto). The main missing "flagship" features that I can think of are wireless charging and USB-C video out. Main complaint everyone has is too few software updates, but meh. I would probably buy this again if I needed another phone right now. The pen (stylus) isn't great but it is handy for poking small UI elements or typing when I'm tired, so I use it more than I expected to. Samsung's S pen is supposed to be better though.

Heads up: the 2024 version of the entry level model (G Play) is out and it's an ok upgrade to the 2023 version, but they removed the SD slot, which makes me wonder if they will do the same in the other models. With 256GB on board I guess the card is less important than before, but it is nice.

I found the sweet spot on the Samsung A34. It has the things I want, but it isn't flagship expensive and it has guaranteed 4 years of updates plus another year of support.

I'm a Pixel fan. Between the whole family, I think we have almost every generation.

I'm leaning towards samsung again because of DeX and an absurdly high battery life in a couple of their phones, but samsung don't seem much better than apple as a company

I still have the pixel 6 pro, I want it to last until at least a pixel 10. I treat it like an appliance, I'm done with custom roms

I have my old oneplus 6 on my desk as a postmarketOS test device