Currently have an iPhone SE. Looking for an Android phone replacement.
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Gonna need more info chief.
Budget?
Battery life requirement?
5g necessary?
micro sd slot?
Headphone jack?
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Also use case: Are you going in as a privacy enthusiast or regular tech enthusiast?
Samsung literally released a new phone (Galaxy A51) to combat the current release iPhone SE 2020.
As others have said, WAY more info needed. Budget, use case, size of screen, and heck your location is important - no point in someone recommending EU phones when you’re in the US and vice versa.
It also might be helpful to know why you are switching iOS → Android. What are you looking for on a non-iPhone? SD slot? Multiple physical SIM? Do you plan on running OEM Android, or do you intend to flash to LineageOS, GrapheneOS, or even potentially homebuilt AOSP yourself?
Pixel 4a also comes out this months (supposedly). Probably one to look at too.
~$500
idk
no
no preference
yes
it’s an old iPhone SE
Preferably same screen size if not smaller
sick of big ass phones
Open source OS
so I don’t have to deal with annoying mental psychological tics and warfare in the software (Primary reason)
idk the difference on/for OEM android and other options -For now let’s just stick with more basic stuff
Is that USD? CAD? EURO? AUD?
I am not really deep into phones, but I will say this:
If music is any priority for you, stay away from Nokia.
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If you are concerned about sneaky/creepy behaviour from Apple, I see no reason not to be concerned about similar behaviour from your OEM and/or Google.
While all builds of Android have far more open source components than iOS, which only has the kernel open sourced, there are still many parts of a “normal” Android OS that are proprietary.
Most of this proprietary code is related to Google Play Services, which many apps rely on. For a while, even the open source messenger Signal was reliant on Google’s Firebase Cloud Messaging (previously Google Cloud Messaging). Additionally, Google has been replacing many of the previously open source default applications with slightly more feature-rich proprietary alternatives:
There is also SafetyNet, which detects tampering such as rooting. SafetyNet is basically allowing Google to do remote code execution on your device to see if it looks fishy. Its design is similar to some anti-cheat systems in how it reports back information about what is running on your device.
The above is still just “stock” Android, your phone manufacturer (OEM) might include all sorts of proprietary code of their own that does who knows what.
I mention all this because if you actually want an open source device you have control over, you will probably want to look at phones supported by LineageOS or GrapheneOS. Keep in mind, in exchange for keeping your soul running an actually open source OS, some apps may refuse to run; LineageOS’s page about SafetyNet gives the example of Netflix and Android Pay being unavailable, but I have also heard that banking apps and games like Pokemon Go are also reliant on SafetyNet.
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Sheckles
USD
Had a Samsung Galaxy A10e for less than two seconds if that helps.
Was a complete piece of shit phone.
The software lagged and crashed and I couldn’t even update it.
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Thank you.
Any particular reason?
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I used to be an adventurer like you and then I took a nokia to the ears…
My last 2 phones were Sony. And you know Sony, that company, that IMO makes extremely high quality everything. But then their phone died and I needed a new one.
I bought Nokia 3.1. There wasn’t any SONY available in my price bracket at the time and I needed a new phone pretty much the next day…
It have no music player to speak of. The SONY comes with sony walkman branded.
The headset it comes with is beyond atrocious. The sound coming off those earpods makes me wanna cry.
The sound quality coming out of the phone is atrocious. I have a Sennheiser cheap earpods. I bought them when my SONY earpods died. There was a noticeable drop in sound quality moving from the Xperia to the Nokia.
And music is pretty much what I use my phone for.
So if the music is any priority - no Nokia.
Also I would like to point out the sony stock earpods they gave me with the last two SONY phones were better sound quality than my aftermarket 15 or so euro Sennheiser ones I have now.
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OP the upcoming Google 4a might be the phone for you, great bang for buck, will retain 3.5mm jack, less bloat than other Android builds, and I will never buy Samsung again as well.
Typically the Nexus and Pixel line receive great Lineage OS support as well, so if you want to leave stock android and delve deeper into a till-foil hat, there are options.
Can I get a phone without bloatware
Define bloatware-
But generally speaking buying unlocked phones lack bloatware. Buying service provider versions of the phones usually have bloatware. I have an unlocked OP6, no bloatware to my standards. Buying a Verizon version, likely will have bloatware. Some unlocked phones might have bloatware, IMO Samsung comes to mind as an offender.
Also another interpretation of bloatware- persistent or non-persistent. Usually an unlocked phone will let you un-install most any app. Some phone’s lock in the bloatware and its impossible to un-install. Samsung was in the news for a while where some of their phones had facebook and it could not be removed. It made teh news when FB has been falling from grace + people figuring out you don’t even need to be logged into the app for it to create a profile on you, try to figure out who you are, gather bluetooth beacon data etc.
An unlocked google 4a should not have “bloatware”, unless you consider g-apps bloatware, in which case two options:
-
put on your learning hat, search a lot of the threads here where many members have chimed in how rooting phones, installing tools, outputting logs etc to check the privacy/phoning home stuff etc. Explore threads such as:
De-Googlifying - my journey
And threads on flashing to Lineage OS or other ROMs witout G-apps. -
put on your tinfoil hat, buy a pinephone.