would you wait for the Grapheneos-Motorola phone or buy a new pixel now?
from selfmate@lemmy.zip to privacy@lemmy.ml on 15 Aug 08:21
https://lemmy.zip/post/69723226
from selfmate@lemmy.zip to privacy@lemmy.ml on 15 Aug 08:21
https://lemmy.zip/post/69723226
There is no date of arrival for the motorola yet. I only read beginning of 2027. That could also be delayed. And if it is a phone with underwhelming specs, I wouldn’t want to buy it either. But buying a pixel now means not buying a motorola soon.
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It’s nice to have some other choices but, given all the current legislation suddenly appearing about requiring vendors to identify users, I think there’s a good chance Motorola is rethinking this decision.
Only on motorola flagships afaik, so no way in hell.
I like the idea of graphene, but I would never buy a google phone to degoogle, because logic. I already own a low end motorola, I’m not a fan of the brand.
I’m hopeful. I want my next phone without Google or Samsung - and I really hope Motorola will deliver their promises.
And also that the upcoming phone have to have an extendable storage for me to buy. It is my main principle - unfortunately I had to give up on headphone jacks…
Maybe, but probaby not gonna budget friendly, because of GOS hardware requirements for security and we all know how overprice a Pixel phone is
I am waiting for now, for me, since I already have a phone. That said, if it’s the difference between zero connection and the status quo, I would just buy something now. The status quo is better than nothing at all. But once Graphene’d Motorola comes out, it’s a no brainer purchace for anyone who wants to own their device in deed and not just on paper.
Motorola hasn’t released a good phone in decades and I wouldn’t expect them to get this one right.
Google and their fans are a bit insane considering the new Pixels are giving iPhone 11 performance at iPhone 17 Pro pricing. And you still pay with your personal data. Make it make sense.
If you don’t trust Apple, I’m really not sure what to tell you. You could get s handheld Mac… or you could take your chances with something far less reputable and hope. Nothing and OnePlus seem promising, but they also seem to under-deliver. I’d also be looking into the “Linux phones,” though I think those are just Android in disguise since they run Android apps?
At some point, you’re gonna get a cheap smartphone and not care what it runs because you don’t put any personal data on it, you just use it as a hotspot for a laptop running Linux, and you make calls through some web service.
To the Linux phone point: They are real, not just disguised Androids. Most mobile distributions make use of Waydroid, a containerized Android. Also there’s Android Translation Layer. Jolla uses its proprietary AppSupport.
They aren’t. They use something like Wine to translate the apps.
What if I told you that some people aren’t gaming on their phones at all and couldn’t care less about the performance?
I would tell you you’re preaching to the choir. I’m not gaming on my phone.
Still, if I’m paying iPhone 17 Pro prices, I better be getting iPhone 17 Pro performance. I’m looking at the Pixel 10/11 Pro and I’m looking over at my Galaxy S10 and thinking “what’s the difference”?
If you couldn’t care less about the performance, save a few hundred bucks and get a mid-ranger. Or just throw more money at Google. Your money, not mine. I didn’t earn it. I’m just saying “make it make sense.” Which they can’t.
It does make sense. You just don’t know what you’re talking about. Like I said, there’s more to a phone than just performance.
I am precisely doing that since my xiaomi drowned last month. Got myself a spare/ secondary phone that happens to be my primary at the moment. It has another feature I wanted to try: an eink screen, black and white, easy on my eyes (model: bigme hibreak).
I am happy with my decision :) it’s like a digital detox in its own way… Most of my app consumption was
text > sound >> video, and the latter doesn’t look bad at all anyway, so… here we are. Only some content received via Whatsapp but I use the web version at my pc most of the day (e.g. videos of my family or photos from friends)Same situation (current phone is dying) so I’ll be watching this thread as well, sorry I cant contribute with an answer
I’m thinking of waiting for the actual specs of the Motorolla to make a decision, I don’t want to give Google my money so a refubished Pixel is my other option
If you want GrapheneOS without funding Google, why not get a secondhand Pixel?
I’ve had to accept that I’m too careless to have expensive phones, and I don’t need new hardware, so I’m staying at the oldest supported pixel and upgrading in that area second-hand. Currently I have a pixel 6a (with a cracked screen…), but might move to a pixel 8 next year. Somehow I wish I could support Fairphone, but I keep reading things like people having issues with it and I want my phone to “just work”, and graphene has been great for that.
I second this post. I’m stil on Pixel 5 accepting the risk that comes with it. But why should i get rid of a working phone. This is insane. We are creating so much waste just to fuel the capitalists extravagant life. This is why i cant wait to see linux on phone. It will mean dumping Google forever
This is what I did but you do need to be careful with it - in the US ar least you can’t unlock the bootloader on a Verizon-issued pixel which are very common. Always ask the seller where they got it from, since most wouldn’t be technical enough to check the bootloader for you
This is very important and deserves its own post. Resellers typically either don’t specify or don’t know if the bootloader is unlockable on a Pixel so the buyer has to find out for themselves. Sadly “Unlocked” in an eBay post often refers to the carrier rather than the bootloader. Thanks for mentioning this!
Yep I made this mistake but luckily was able to return the phone via backmarket. Was more educated the second buy and am happy with the phone.
Google phone sales don’t even register as change
you’re still supporting google if you still do this via resale value.
and that’s why i’m waiting for motorola
How many GOS users are out there, you think? They have zero impact on the resale value.
How does resale value “support Google”?
i bought a used 8 pro
I’m sitting on my Pixel 8 until I can compare the Moto Graphene phone and the next Fairphone. If I’m going to get subpar performance relative to Apple and Qualcomm, I’m going to at least get a removable battery in exchange. I want wired video out, which disqualifies the Fairphone 6.
I used to really like Motorola but their lineup has really gone down the drain in the last few years. The last Motorola I had was a Moto G100 (2021) and I was reasonably happy with it until the battery started expanding in early 2025. When I tried looking for a new Motorola at that time I didn’t find anything that didn’t have completely disappointing specs, so I went with a Pixel 9 pro specifically for GrapheneOS. It was a really good upgrade. The camera is much better, the battery lasts longer and has fast-charging and wireless charging. I hope I won’t be needing a new phone for the next few years but if I needed one right now I probably wouldn’t go with a Motorola, even if I could keep using GOS on it.
need a phone ? buy a used Pixel ?
Depends heavily on the country. Most used phones in Sweden are sold at MSRP, sometimes even more expensive. Recycling and second hand is very popular, even clothes are more expensive than if you were buying new in stores. It’s just not worth it economically, it’s only worth it if you’re doing it for ideological or moral reasons (e.g. sustainability).
If you have an ok phone now, there’s no need for a new one unless it’s interesting. I’d wait to see about the moto graphene phone. I’m quite happy with low end moto hardware (G series) but they will probably screw up and make the graphene phone a flagship, as someone mentioned.
I’m waiting. Not only because I’d rather use Motorola over Google, but also because I want to wait and see how the EU ID apps will work on GrapheneOS. If it won’t work on GOS (which seems quite likely as of today), then I will ditch the phone as a social medium entirely and only use it for ID, banking apps and other proprietary garbage society forces upon me. I’d relegate my social life to a portable laptop or something, on which I have a far greater control of the software.
I feel you, but don’t get your hopes up about other hardware either. Hardware based attestation could be coming to any and all devices, making it impossible to access any online services that will require a certain hardware.
I swear to God, we’ll all end up using LoRa devices…
Refuse it, ask for a chip card-based solution, which is very feasible. EU will require banks not to ask for smartphones with the PSR.
Unless I needed a replacement now, I would wait. It’ll be the first phone designed with GOS in mind but also Motorola’s recent track record isn’t amazing. I’m also hoping they have multiple phones supporting GOS. If initial reviews aren’t great, then refurbished Pixel it is.
It all depends on how badly you need a new phone. My current Pixel is perfectly serviceable, so I have no problem waiting to see what Motorola eventually has to offer. My current phone will almost certainly suffice until then.
With that said, if my current phone was actually broken or whatever, I would probably buy a cheap/old/used Pixel to tide me over until the Motorola reveal.
Swappa.com for a cheap ass used pixel…typed from my cheap ass pixel with GrapheneOS
iode. I wouldn’t trust Graphene as far as I could throw its founder.
If I just learned of GOS now and didn’t have a Pixel, I would buy an unlocked unit cheap and used now. Motorola have gone quiet about their GOS phone in the months since the announcement. If it ends up flagship-priced, I’d have to settle for a used Pixel anyway.
But since I have a Pixel with GOS that is perfectly usable already, I’m holding out to see what Motorola comes up with. Either way, not too worried about specs since I don’t use my phone that much. Would be nice to have SD card, headphone jack (bonus ease of security points over Bluetooth and dongles), and replaceable battery, but have also learned to (begrudgingly) tolerate phones without those.
FWIW, am using a pixel 7 pro, and don’t feel any need for higher specs. Though I’m not doing any kind of demanding gaming.
For the most part you can’t really do demanding gaming on a pixel. For emulation and playing PC games you pretty much need a snapdragon.
Most mobile gaming people do are with apks through the playstore and flagship phones from 8~ years ago can still run those games pretty much maxed out besides frame rates. Pixel will play your call of duty mobiles and gebshin impact fine.
Even recently I learned termux now allows gpu pass thorough on snapdragon phones from 610+. Most projects I cone across favor the 645 if you don’t have one of the new series. And those chips are ancient and still put up good performance even if it is short lived due to thermals/boosting.
Not saying its not possible or you can’t have a good experience with things like gamecube. I think for most people you really don’t need anything past like a oneplus 5/6 in terms of specs. Just if you wanted to get into fex/switch emulation you are probably going to want to go with a snapdragon device. They have arm based hand helds with dual screens and controllers built in, and just having a dedicated device for gaming might be a better option. Out side of that having a more performant phone has minimal improvements to your average experience, in the play store there isnt much of anything that can really utilize it. There’s maybe 5-10 graphically demanding games, and they where all made to work with phones from 10 years ago.
Same here on a 7A, which is slower than the pro version. Although OP should know that the 7 series is stopping support in 1-2 years: grapheneos.org/faq#device-lifetime
7a user here. I think the device is getting slower and I have very minimal apps installed almost none aftermarket. Only 2 extra profiles set to run only when active. Minimal background usage and still its slowish. The battery is decent still so long as it’s used like a phone and not browsing much or on dimmer brightness. It’s ok.
I think ram and cpu are the same on 7,7a, and 7pro. It’s just camera, battery, screen, and misc that differ I think.
You’re not missing anything whatsoever. I got a great deal on a lightly used Pixel 10 Pro and other than the telephoto camera lens (which is admittedly nice) there is literally no functional difference I notice day to day from my previous Pixel 7 (not pro).
Aside from how the phones actually compare, I think it’d be good to show there is a market for a factory graphene phone. I want companies to see the difference (financially) when they start taking privacy and other pro consumer ideas seriously.
If you understand what graphene is for and you need that then you wont wait.
Even if you don’t understand what graphene is for or if you need it and are trying to make a decision: graphene on new and used pixel phones works as expected now. It has been tested and proven against many different intelligence and surveillance apparatus. Motorolas new phone may not come out at all (it’s more likely than you might think!), may not end up supporting graphene (or graphene may not end up supporting it!) or it may have serious flaws that need to be addressed (it is a new hardware platform after all!).
If you need it now don’t wait.
I will wait for Motorola.
If they’re saying beginning of 2027 I’d wait, unless you need a phone sooner.
Is its bootloader unlockable, or locked to Graphene? Graphene seems to be trading freedom for ‘security’.
The 10 pro still has graphene support. It’ll be on sale here in a little while because the pro 11 is launching (same with their other variants, I think). Unless we get a for sure launch date for the graphene moto phones, I’d pull the trigger on a new pixel.
Has there been any rumor of Google stopping GOS?
GOS came out with a statement detailing the continuation of Pixel support.
grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/114670995130379882
grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices
They say it’s harder and harder to get AOSP and the Pixel 11 series have an upgraded ‘more secure’ proprietary chip set so they are unsure how long they will be able to continue support.
Man, that’s such a bummer to hear. If only there was a Linux alternative.
There are Liux alternatives they just need a lot more work though before they could be used as a daily driver.
Oh there is! …jolla.com/…/jolla-c2-true-linux-smartphone
Keep your eyes peeled. Maybe this is going to be the zero-point for main stream Linux phones. I’ll have mine on Tuesday!
A Pixel. I don’t want the first generation of Moto/GOS. The 2nd or 3rd year should have fewer bugs.
I just got a used pixel late last year and have been using that.
Is the pixel actually worth buying? I have an iPhone 15 Pro and I’m kind of interested in buying a $200 pixel 8 off of eBay.
I have the 10XL pro. Its fine. Camera is solid, nothing else stands out. Some apps have ads, like te gallery offers to print pictures for you. Battery life is bad. A lot ofshit tier apps taking up space, pixel this and google that.
Worth it for gOS.
oh def I have been daily driving a pixel 10a sense the 10a was launched with graphene os installed day 1 never going back but when motorolla comes out with graphene ill probably buy one then dont have google account anymore
I’ll on the opposite side: will the Moto GOS be more affordable than a Pixel one? It seems they’ll go the way of the Signature and beyond
What specs do you need? The cheapest GrapheneOS compatible phone you can get for before the Motorola release is a Pixel 6a, or 7/7 Pro if you need better specs. I use a Pixel 6 Pro and the specs are fine if it weren’t losing support in October. If you want more longetivy get a Pixel 8.
Dont buy a pixel new. 11 pro is underwhelming anyway, weak af
wait like a month and the pixel price will go down to like 600 dollars. that’s what I did for my pixel 10.
Buy it now if you’re ready to make the switch. That timeline sounds a bit optimistic. Last I heard Motorola had confirmed they’re working with GOS on bringing a phone to market, but no release date has been announced, unless I’m mistaken.
It’s a great OS. IMO, it works better than most OEM Android OS’s, aside from a handful of quirks and a few app issues. I get that buying a Pixel seems antithetical, but it’s really just a hardware “shell” for GrapheneOS.
Even if the Motorola GOS phones arrive as soon as you hope, keep in mind it’s an initial launch. It may not be as smooth or stable as the current Pixel GOS experience.
I have a Motorola that runs Android 15. It would be great if GrapheneOS would work on it.
Honestly however releases a flip phone on which I can install GOS
Neither. Either get a used Pixel supported by Graphene on the second hand marketplaces, or flash whatever other device you have already with a degoogled AOSP ROM (e.g. crDroid, Lineage, /e/, Iode), or alternative mobile OS (Ubuntu Touch, Sailfish, Droidian, Mobian, Plasma Mobilrle, PostMarketOS) that is compatible with it.