i got a pixel 8a used for cheap. installing grapheneOS was a breeze and took less than 10 minutes following their guide (i watched a youtube video in advance as well, but did not factor in the time.)
installed f-droid and aurora and have access to all apps i need, avoiding what i need to avoid :)
i still have my one plus with google services and apps like whatsapp that i will slowly transition away from. my biggest problem is that i can easily switch to communication apps like threema and signal (and have years ago) - but the sad truth is that many of my contacts are still on whatsapp
I’ve been using Graphene for 2 years on a (at the time) $400 Pixel 6 Pro - I’m sure you can find a cheap Pixel 6, 6a, or even 6 Pro, to try it out. The 7 might also be in that ballpark now?
I ran e/OS on an old OnePlus for a year, quite close to GrapheneOS and mostly just as free of Google. There are plenty of options out there to run a degoogled Android these days.
But yes, running GrapheneOS on a brand new Pixel Pro right now, couldn’t be happier.
I want to get into grapheneOS, but am not ready to buy a >$500 Pixel phone to try it atm.
i got a pixel 8a used for cheap. installing grapheneOS was a breeze and took less than 10 minutes following their guide (i watched a youtube video in advance as well, but did not factor in the time.)
installed f-droid and aurora and have access to all apps i need, avoiding what i need to avoid :)
i still have my one plus with google services and apps like whatsapp that i will slowly transition away from. my biggest problem is that i can easily switch to communication apps like threema and signal (and have years ago) - but the sad truth is that many of my contacts are still on whatsapp
I have a very similar story about moving from a OnePlus to a Pixel 8A. I am using fenced google play for now, ill check out f-droid and aurora.
To the OP of this comment thread, I got the phone for $450 (open box, new) from a Canadian company (Swiftronics).
I’ve been using Graphene for 2 years on a (at the time) $400 Pixel 6 Pro - I’m sure you can find a cheap Pixel 6, 6a, or even 6 Pro, to try it out. The 7 might also be in that ballpark now?
I was mostly looking to get one of the 7, 8, or 9 models, since grapheneOS plans to support those for the next 7 years
It’s actually starting with the 8 unfortunately. If you’re willing to go used you can probably get an 8a for ~$400.
https://grapheneos.org/faq#recommended-devices
A quick local search shows quite a few sub-$300 used Pixel 7, youmight be able to find something in that range?
I ran e/OS on an old OnePlus for a year, quite close to GrapheneOS and mostly just as free of Google. There are plenty of options out there to run a degoogled Android these days.
But yes, running GrapheneOS on a brand new Pixel Pro right now, couldn’t be happier.
Good news! Some pixels are available for less than that.
The pixel tablet is ~$300 and also runs GOS