Level1 please help me decide on whether to have the battery replaced or to just get a new phone.
I currently have a pixel xl 1st gen. it runs android 10 and works good. only problems are the battery is pathetic. the battery estimate programs guess 55% of original capacity but it seems worse than that when using. the only other issue is I had problems with the usb c port. I have not had them in a while but put a wireless charger under the case so it has not had much use.
I will probably have the battery and usbc port replaced while they have it open. estamate is $100.
or i but the new pixel 4c when it comes out at $400.
Give me some reasons on why to go one route over the other.
I’d do a new battery and install lineage. Lineage uses very little background services vs stock and therefore less battery. My moto z3 play only has a 2950 mAh battery but it can stay running for 3 days no issues because I have lineage.
Sometimes it’s not worth sticking money into something so old. My worries is I stop getting updates. We are already past the date that they said they would support to.
It was cheaper to fix my care than buy a new one but i’m starting to regret that decision.
Android 10 is getting security updates for years… If you really want new features you can buy a new phone a year later and get every penny out of those 100,- bucks in usage time.
If you are happy with the device overall … why switch?
Depends on the device. I’ve stopped trying it and now use Android One on a Nokia device. I am interested in the next cheapo Pixel though.
It shouldn’t. Once you install the Google stuff it is basically the same experience. It only makes sense (to me) to run lineage without google though. Because … well, it’s a pixel. If you want pure Android with Google you don’t need to do anything.
Nope. Just like an OS in your computer kinda. Gotta flash a recovery, then use the recovery to flash a rom. Theres a billion and a half tutorials to look up, but for the pixel phones its probably the easiest as they are already unlocked.
Regarding the price: depends on for how long you’re willing to keep your phone after the upgrades. If spending 100$ on repairing it means that you’ll be keeping that phone at least one or two years longer sure, go for it. But if there’s something else that’s about to break or it’s used and you’re looking for an excuse to buy a new phone don’t repair it.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is only for the OS. The phones hardware and theirfor firmware is unsupported so isn’t likely to get security updates for those specific parts.
I think Eden is right, the vendor is responsible for merging their own code per-device with the base Android code.
One important benefit of Lineage is that you can continue to get updates after the vendor drops support. Not all phones are supported forever, but I think the Pixel 1 user base is pretty big, especially among phone modders. At this point Lineage and other custom ROMs should be pretty polished as well.
Smart phones have firmware. Do you think arm and other chips aren’t any less effected by security bugs in software that sits directly on the hardware layer than x86?
Firmware is always missed out in these considerations. It is a huge risk? Not compared to a badly written browser stack perhaps. But it’s still a risk that you need to decide on when running unsupported hardware.
More specifically as far as I understand (and I haven’t updated my knowledge on this recently) one of the reasons android suffers from lack of support is that the firmware is provided by the chip manufacturer who almost immediately drops supports a year or two after a chip is released.
You can keep a chip secure when you don’t have the source code to implement into your product and it’s illegal to do it yourself.
Totally, yes. I was just thinking about it in competition to the original Android version but I fully agree with you. Lineage is a great way to get more life out of older devices.
No, Mr. Smartypants and to drop a full on ackchyually on top there are X86 smartphones.
But firmware isn’t separate from security updates, is it? Aren’t those combined files?
Huh, makes sense.
Personally I would not hesitate using unsupported and potentially insecure devices simply because … well, it is a constantly connected, positional aware mic, camera and sensor array in your pocket that you don’t have real control over. So my mind goes “this is insecure the moment I turn it on” anyway. xD
Get a new battery and replace it yourself, but be prepared to get a new phone (back up your shit).
Also if replacing it is anything like an iPhone, do it outside (after letting the battery run as low as possible), because if it’s taped down there’s a good chance of mangling the battery on removal, resulting in magic smoke and a cool glowing hand warmer. Rip it out like a bandaid and toss it like a hand grenade.
I’ve replaced an iPhone battery before, it was a pretty peaceful experience compared to what you describe. It probably depends on how far gone the battery is, but I never came close to damaging the cell. Granted I’ve only done it once.
I would recommend against doing repairs outside. You wouldn’t want to get dirt or pollen inside the phone, and a good work surface is indispensable. Something level, without cracks, so you don’t lose any tiny screws. I suppose working near a door to the outdoors with an empty trash bin at the ready would be okay.
Just be careful with the flat-flex cables. I’ve torn the interconnect jacks off of the cables before—not fun. You can either fix it with an SMD rework station (for me, not a chance) or buy a fresh cable/cable assembly off amazon.
