With the writing on the wall and Android becoming a locked down ecosystem this year, I’m planning to transition to a cheap Android phone.Wondering if anyone knows some good safe options that will have many years of security updates.
I’m looking to spend less than $300 and I just want to text, call, and be able to hot spot with it. I’m planning to take my laptop with me more for work and just use my phone to connect to the internet with my laptop, rather than using as many Android apps. My laptop is Linux so I can have much more control and alot of the cool Android apps have Linux counterparts.
I’ve been thinking about using my phone less and I believe that if I move to using my laptop more, then I will spend less time on the internet which would be great for phone addiction and being more present.
I got a Motorola Stylus 5g 2024 for $250. There’s probably newer now, but it’s a decent device with a headphone jack, large battery, SD card slot, and a stylus. It feels similarly decent to my Z fold 4, which was surprising. I thought it would be laggy.
Not to mention esim and a physical sim.
As I know, Pixel 8 gets 7 years of updates, and they are mid, but for what you need, it wouldn’t be a bad choice.
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Different countries use different technologies and bands, so you’ll need to check what works in your country.
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If you want a cheap phone with long support and just want to text, call, and be able to hot spot, your options are either getting a used (or old) flagship (better specs and build quality, fewer years of support) or getting a new entry-level phone (lower specs and build quality, but longer support).
For used flagships, I would suggest older models of Sony or OnePlus. Fairphone or Pixel would have longer support in theory, but the specs and build quality are worse so this rarely matters.
For new entry-level phones, I would suggest Xiaomi’s Redmi or Poco lines. The UI is bad, but specs are good and they are less locked down than most other companies. If you want a better UI, try Nokia / HMD but be prepared for worse specs. Avoid Samsung like the plague.
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Secondhand Pixel -> GrapheneOS if you need locked bootloader (e.g. have family/work-sensitive stuff on phone) or just look on the LineageOS device wiki and find a phone model you like. Best reason to use Android is treating your phone like a computer, reliable background syncing (or restriction), good permission management, going without bloatware saves storage, battery, bandwidth, your personal time and frustration. Termux is basically an operating system, and the stock OS will not let you fully utilize it. If you just want to game get a good Chinese phone if it’s legal in your country & compatible with radios etc.
Secondhand Pixel
This brand has a horrible track record of major hardware fails.
Search ‘pixel overheating’ and avoid those models.
Probably 7 and up would be best area to look.
They all do, except like Xiaomi, it depends on which surveys you look at. I saw some higher early-life failures, but again I said secondhand to avoid giving Google money directly. That’s the GrapheneOS option, or Motorola right. I provided several other options.
I’d look at a used previous flaggship. An Amazon renewed Galaxy S23 would check those boxes.
