Side question: what's a good way of getting a GrapheneOS phone?

I have been interested in using GrapheneOS but hesitant about actually getting a Pixel phone. Used phone prices are usually >$300 even for "a" series unless I go back several generations. Whether the device bootloader can be unlocked is also a question. I am definitely not ready to spend $449 on a new Pixel 10a.

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pyrophane 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

This won't help you right now, but GrapheneOS did recently announce a partnership with Motorola, so presumably in a year or so support will start showing up for some Motorola devices.

Side note: I did get the 10a on launch from Google Fi for ~300.

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mystifyingpoi 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Don't buy Pixel 10a, 9a is almost exactly the same thing and still sold new.

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izacus 4 hours ago | parent [-]

10a will get longer support, so why not (unless 9a is significantly cheaper)?

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thrownthatway an hour ago | parent [-]

Isn’t part of the point of wanting GrapheneOS is that the official support periods don’t matter?

	▲	sfRattan 43 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Graphene OS only supports devices for as long as the manufacturer is providing security updates for the phone's firmware. Firmware is binary blob, so there'd be no practical way for anyone else to provide/develop security updates once the manufacturer is no longer providing official updates. Their partnership with Motorola, I think, involves some ability of Graphene OS devs to access/harden/update the firmware, but I'm not 100% sure. Firmware on phones, especially for the baseband processor, often involves a nasty confluence of copyright, trade secrets, patents, and government rules/demands.
	▲	jeroenhd an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		GrapheneOS will stop releasing updates when Google stops supporting a device. They put an emphasis on security and unpatched drivers or firmware (which they can't/won't/don't have the resources to patch) are a major security risk. Luckily, Google's support periods are actually quite long, and very clear (stated on the website on launch date, unlike iOS or even Windows these days).

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neilv 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I answered this in another thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48076522

Basically, buy a Pixel 6 or later (I suggest Pixel 7 or later, since Pixel 6 will be minimal support soon) that you are sure has an unlockable bootloader. The majority you'll see don't have an unlockable bootloader.

Which mostly means either buy direct from Google, or buy one on eBay that already has GrapheneOS/CalyxOS/LineageOS on it or for which the seller expressly says it has an unlockable bootloader.

(IME, don't bother trying to ask a seller to check bootloader, if they haven't already said. Almost no one is going to go through the process to check, the answer is probably no anyway, they might misunderstand your question and answer that it's "unlocked", and they may be tired of people asking.)

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microtonal 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I'd say buy Pixel 8 or later, Pixel 8 is the first version with support for MTE, which is a significant security improvement.

	▲	realjame 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Pixel 8 is also the first generation of Pixels to be officially supported, both security and OS updates, for 7 years (until 2030)

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garciansmith 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

If you have time and the ebay listing is unclear, I would definitely ask. That way if they say you can unlock the boatloader and in reality you can't, you can return it to them as an item "not as described" at no cost.

	▲	neilv 42 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		I tried asking, years ago, with the rationale of I'm not wasting people's time, since they could get more money if they knew about bootloader unlocking. Then I decided everyone who knows about bootloader unlocking would've already checked and mentioned if it was unlockable (but not if it wasn't, since why confuse normal buyers with a fringe thing), and I've never gotten a positive response trying to tell any seller about it, so I think I'm just wasting everyone's time. Your mileage may vary.

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mpol 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

You could wait it out for a bit. There is work underway to support more phone hardware. Which brand was a bit up for speculation.

	▲	Itoldmyselfso 5 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		It was announced a while ago to be Mororola: https://motorolanews.com/motorola-three-new-b2b-solutions-at...
	▲	izacus 4 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		I doubt Motorola will give him a phone cheaper than 449$ though.

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mctt 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I bought a Pixel 7 from BackMarket to test out GrapheneOS. I have previous positive comments and conversations in my account history.

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DANmode 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> unless I go back several generations

Yeah, do that.

It’ll still be the snappiest phone you’ve ever used.

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andrepd 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Refurbished phones are cheap and even going back 3, 4, 5 years you have great hardware, indistinguishable from what you would pay 1000$ new now. 200 or 300$ for a high quality refurbished pixel is really not that bad.