• ChapulinColorado@lemmy.world
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        1 hour ago

        They are also way too small in terms of storage given that they don’t support external cards (Apple is similar). Google/Apple definitely want buyers to also buy their subscription storage services or pay the high premium for the next storage level.

        I’m on an XR right now and it feels older, but still very much usable. I wish companies offered options to only get security patches instead of having to buy new phones every few years, that’s the 1 thing I hope Google keeps around and doesn’t walk back in the future.

      • JigglySackles@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        The cost of buying a pixel is the only thing stopping me. I don’t have enough to replace my aging phone with much of anything, let alone a pixel.

        • zalgotext@sh.itjust.works
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          5 hours ago

          You can save quite a bit by getting a refurbished Pixel - looks like the cheapest “Google certified” option (so it comes with a 1-year warranty) is a 6a for $250, which is nearly half off MSRP. I’ve been using my 6a since launch, so it’s been going for 3 years now and I have no desire to upgrade.

          You can definitely get cheaper smartphones, but $250 for a 6a feels like a pretty big bang for your buck.

          • 10001110101@lemm.ee
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            5 hours ago

            I used Swappa to buy my last phone. Not certified, but much cheaper. The condition of phones is “graded,” and the sellers have an incentive to keep their reputation on the platform high. I had good luck, the one time I used it, at least.

        • tripflag@lemmy.world
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          6 hours ago

          in that case I would feel comfortable going with a refurb like theloweststone mentioned; pixels are the only(?) android devices which let you swap out the bootloader in a safe manner, so even a phone that’s been in shady hands should be fine if the boot hash matches. And if you know another person with graphene you can do the attestation just to be certain.

          but since the future of GrapheneOS is slightly shaky at the moment, I’ve looking at alternatives for when my current device inevitably bites the dust – fairphone and pinephone both look like decent choices at first glance. It’s an unfortunate situation but just gotta roll with it!