My Android phone that I’ve had for several years just died forever and I am currently without a phone (other than Google Voice on my computer).
I’m in the US. Carrier is T Mobile. I understand I’d have to place my order through a third party.
Things I care about: All of the above, as long as I can do my work.
I have the budget.
Things I do regularly:
Make phone calls.
Check my email.
Text messages.
Signal
Podcasts and Audiobooks (I’m currently going nuts trying to do chores without my normal audio stimulation). I need Audible and I need some app that will let me keep all my subscriptions and Patreon benefits.
Magic Arena.
Lemmy (I currently just use it in a browser, last time I tried Jerboa it was super buggy)
ChatGPT app.
I also “Hey Google” all the time. I’m not sure what the state of deGoogled voice assistants is. If I could “Hey ChatGPT” it would be orders of magnitude more useful than “Hey Google.” Losing voice assistance isn’t a deal breaker, but it’s something I do use frequently.
Probably 40% of my phone use is Magic Arena and 40% is podcasts and audiobooks. Then probably 5% is “Hey Google, set an alarm for 5 minutes / OK Google, set an alarm for 6:00 AM.”
Google Services I need for work… but I’m willing to hack my way around to get them, as long as it’s possible.
Google Voice (non negotiable, sadly).
My work email is through Google.
My work video conferences are through Google Meet.
My work calendar is through Google and my phone gives me 10 minute notifications before a meeting.
I would like to degoogle as much as possible, but these are work requirements, and my ADHD brain can’t handle having two phones (one will get left uncharged / lost / never turned on and the odds are that will be the work one).
Unfortunately what you’re looking for doesn’t exist. We all have been down this journey. There was some hope a few years back with Purism reviving dreams of a linux phone, but they shit the bed and now there is no viable alternative outside the big two.
Fairphone 5 will support all of T Mobile’s 4g bands, but only half of the 5g bands. This means that it will have lower 5g coverage than a US phone, but it will have as much 4g coverage as any US phone using t mobile. Based on your use cases, I don’t think there will be too many problems if your phone doesn’t get 5g speeds. Remember that most ppl didn’t have 5g just 3-4 years ago and people were able to do everything that you’re planning on doing with 4g networks.
Try to buy it from a place with a return policy so you can return it if your home or work doesn’t have service with a compatible band.
If you are going to look into alternative OSes, consider degoogled androids over linux phones as you seem to need some android specific apps. Most degoogled androids have the ability to install Google apps with something called microg. For voice assistants, you might be able to install Google voice using microg or choose an open source voice assistant like this one: github.com/PoCInnovation/Elivia-AI. I don’t use voice assistants much, so I’m not too sure how well those work.
Fair phone is awesome but keep in mind it uses a very slow IoT CPU, the Qualcomm QCM6490. I don’t know how intense MTG arena is but check reviews for comparisons before buying if that’s a big part of your phone needs.
It is, but its big advantage is aftermarket software support.
GrapheneOS in particular only supports pixels due to their security features, and is (almost) entirely disinfected. It’s about as private as you can get without resorting to a Linux phone or pager.
The default android installation is, but you can delete it and install another OS onto it. Which is something you can’t do on Samsungs and most other manufacturers.
Indeed. But I was responding to above who recommended Pixel. If you don’t need the features you get from full Pixel series, I recommend the A series since it’s a lot cheaper.
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