What used phone should I get to try alternative OS?
What used phone should I get to try alternative OS?
Hi everyone,
Having successfully left windows for Linux (Fedora) a few years ago, I thought I’d the same for my phone.
I have a professional iPhone 13 provided by my employer, but I have an old Samsung GT-I8730 lying around.
Sadly, there is apparently nothing (except stock Android) that I could easily install on it.
So I’m kind of looking for a cheap second hand phone that I could get for my birthday in order to try to have a degoogled and deappleified private phone (I’m now using my work iPhone for everything).
What phone should I buy for max 150.- (around 180$) second hand?
Also what OS should I try to install on it?
To be honest, I’m really a rookie in the phone world and I’m not even sure if I’m looking for a degoogled Android phone (/e/os, lineage, graphene) or a linux phone (Ubuntu touch, KDE mobile).
It would be important for me to be able to daily drive the phone. Listening to music and using my banking apps on it would be important features.
So I’m looking for advice regarding all of this and I’m thankful in advance for your help.
Fairphone with e/OS.
A 2nd hand Fairphone 4 should also have good support for Ubuntu Touch, so might be worth considering.
You need to first investigate what kind of protections your banking app has, as that will be most likely the largest issue with anything non-stock Android.
Chances are that your banking apps will not work on any OS that isn't maintained by Google.
GrapheneOS has a sandboxed Google Play that works fine with any banking apps I've used. You can also move them to a work profile to segregate them further and still used them.
In my experience it works with most, but one of mine recently decided to implement the "Play Integrity API" which broke it on GrapheneOS
Pixel is hard to beat. You can get a 5 for about $170. Run Lineage, DivestOS, or Graphene.
Pixel5 appears EOL with GrapheneOS though the 5a may be fine ?
https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Devices
If you want Linux on your phone. But Android is probably easier to use. Something like LineageOS or /e/ works pretty well. I'm not sure what kind of phone to recommend for that.
I bought my pixel 3axl for $105 and threw Ubuntu Touch on there.
OnePlus 6 or 6T would be the best phones that you have a chance at actually finding if you want to run postmarketOS.
Do you know if these could run something like graphene os or /e/os?
I would want to end up on a Linux phone OS, but I’d also want to have as much choice as possible.
/e/ os works on oneplus 6, tested myself. Isn't graphene only for pixels?
@CalcProgrammer1 @Dariusmiles2123 and then the #PocoF1
What phone should I buy for max 150.- (around 180$) second hand?
e.foundation by means of Murena sells phones with /e/os installed. Cheapest currently at discount about $200 but is out of stock last time I looked. e.foundation did sell refurbished phones (and does ?) but the price were always over $200 I think.
Heads down, oneplus6T. Been sold is and stable for roms. Does have a notch at the top that could bother people
A supported, older Pixel will have the best support for to install alternative Android distros. But to alternative OSes in general (not just android), it gets a bit more complicated and you need to check if the pixels are supported by all or not.