HN Explorer

Ask HN: Privacy Friendly Smart Phone?

13 points by ssahoo ↗ HN
I don't trust Apple on my data privacy anymore. Just partnered with worst offenders just for AI namesake. Samsung and Google are doing the same forcing to login to use the phone and handover all data to their cloud. What remains as choice if you still like quality smart phone but not made by these major brands?

14 comments

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lcnPylGDnU4H9OF
Two brands come to mind, though I can't speak to the quality of either since I've never owned one.

https://puri.sm/

https://pine64.org/devices/pinephone/

LorenDB
I'd be wary of buying from Purism. While they have great (stated) goals, they have a track record of not shipping devices on time, etc. etc. Not to mention the Librem 5 is $1K for a chunky phone with just 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage.
weikju
The Pinephone meanwhile is underpowered and barely functional. The Pro? Barely functional still.
xethos
Even on (outdated) Mobian stable (that is, Mobile Debian), my Pinephone Pro is fast and stable enough to be my daily carry. And has been for some time now.
LorenDB
I'd suggest getting an Android and flashing a privacy ROM like /e/OS, GrapheneOS, or LineageOS. These all remove all Google-specific parts of Android and replace them with homebrew solutions as needed.
ssahoo
Thanks! That's what I am aiming for. Wondering which android fork is more stable these days.
johnea
I ran LineageOS for years and was very happy with it.

Bought a phone recently with /e/OS preinstalled, haven't been that happy with it actually. I keep threating to flash it with lineageOS, but haven't mustered the initialtive yet.

Of course none of the OS choices are going to affect the massive loss of privacy involved with logging into goggle. If you still use a goggle acct, all privacy is lost.

captainmisery
I'm using a Pixel 6a with GrapheneOS for about 18 months now. Love it. No need to login to Google. Putting GrapheneOS on the phone took 5 minutes.
ssahoo
Amazing. Thanks! Will give that a shot
ThePowerOfFuet
Google Pixel with Pixel OS wiped and GrapheneOS installed in its place.
Citizen8396
Ironically, a Google Pixel with GrapheneOS installed on it.
elseleigh
Prrivacy is important. I kept using my Blackberry Z30 long after its demise had been signalled. I then moved to SailfishOS on a Sony XA2+, which I ran with until late 2023. Unfortunately as I get older, larger phones become less usable, and the full Sailfish experience isn't available on any truly small phones. So ... after a lot of research and with my fingers and toes crossed, I bought a Jelly Star from UniHertz and flashed it with LineageOS without Google.

It's been a revelation. The phone is superfast and very capable. Any concerns about the three inch screen size were quickly erased, and I have the convenience of a phone that fits in any pocket. Flashing a Google-less OS and using non-Google apps and services has been a good fit with the Linux environments I run everywhere else.