7 ms·

I am pretty hard on phones. Been using lineage for years now on google pixel unlocked phones. 5a and now 6a. I have found both to have some real durability prob

I am pretty hard on phones. Been using lineage for years now on google pixel unlocked phones. 5a and now 6a. I have found both to have some real durability problems. Are there any good alternatives that are unlocked to use with lineage?

broodbucket 3y ago
I got a OnePlus 9 for this exact purpose and it was good, but not without issues. Same thing as what people said back in the early Linux days - buy what the developers have. Custom Android OS developers overwhelmingly focus on the Pixel, and the hardware is decent enough, so that's what there's an ecosystem for. That OnePlus 9 had some weird issues that eventually got resolved but it took a while. Important to differentiate between an OS that builds for a phone and one that actually works for a phone, but there's not usually a ton of reviews for the latter.
dheera 3y ago
The non-"a" are more durable, I think. Try a Pixel 5, 6, or 7.
pedroaraujo 3y ago
It might be worth to switch to GrapheneOS if you have Pixel phones: https://grapheneos.org/ https://grapheneos.org/ It is a more serious project than LineageOS in the sense that they take security very seriously and they take their development more professionally too. There are no disadvantages to using GrapheneOS compared to LineageOS. You can see a comparison here: https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm
- deng 3y ago
  Note that this comparison is not entirely correct. For instance, LineageOS supports network-based location with UnifiedNlp. Android Auto works fine if you install GApps.
  - Ruthalas 3y ago
    I haven't been able to get unifiednlp working on newer LOS builds. (It worked beautifully on an older device with an older version of LOS.) Do you have a current guide for installing it?
- JeremyNT 3y ago
  Second this. The focus on security from GrapheneOS is a breath of fresh air compared to the (historically) questionable conventions in most of the third-party Android distribution ecosystem. As an example, Graphene even recommends not using Firefox [0]. I actually still do, but I understand their rationale and it's very well presented. The way they explain such things in clear English is very helpful and hopefully indicative of a similar amount of consideration being made elsewhere in the project. [0] https://grapheneos.org/usage#web-browsing https://grapheneos.org/usage#web-browsing
deng 3y ago
As already mentioned, OnePlus is the usual alternative. If you want it cheaper, I also have good experiences with Motorola phones. Unlocking requires you to register, but you can use a throwaway mail account and it has worked for me so far many times. Just make sure the device is officially supported by Lineage, I have very mixed experiences with unofficial ports. Stay clear of anything from Xiaomi. Unlocking is a nightmare and you have to wait weeks to get your unlock code.
- fensgrim 3y ago
  After OPPO/OnePlus merger, things went downhill really fast. IIRC, OPPO did something that ended up alienating some parts of Lineage/ROM developer community in general and the work on supporting newer devices was postponed until couple months ago; also, they've patched up the bootloader relock possibility [0] which was likely good for security considering it was based on some exploit. 0. https://calyxos.org/news/2022/07/06/oneplus-android-12-relock-issue/ https://calyxos.org/news/2022/07/06/oneplus-android-12-reloc...
- uncharted9 3y ago
  I agree regarding Xiaomi. But they are quite cheap devices. Like $300 can get you a pretty decent phone. It's just a 7 day waiting time period and you need a Xiaomi account logged in on the phone for those 7 days. I won't say it's the end of the world.
  - deng 3y ago
    I can only say that I did it with two phones, and every time it was a hassle. On your phone, you need to login with this "Mi account" and grant pretty much every permission there is. Then you need a Windows PC and install a dubious application, connect your mobile and then hope it works, which it might not (happened to me), in which case go to Reddit and find a download link to some older version that still works (it did). First time I needed to wait 2 weeks. Second time, I made the mistake of using the same Mi account and had to wait 4 weeks, because I did not know each time you unlock something your waiting time doubles. If your phone for whatever reason looses the Mi account connection, everything gets reset and you start from scratch. It's not the end of the world, but 300$ will also give you a pretty decent Motorola Moto G phone, which are way easier to unlock (all you need is a mail address, and you'll get your unlock code instantly).
c0l0 3y ago
I try to automatically compile a "recommendation ranking" for currently supported LineageOS devices from the official LineageOS wiki data, refreshed daily. It's available here: https://johannes.truschnigg.info/tmp/lineageos_device_toplist.txt https://johannes.truschnigg.info/tmp/lineageos_device_toplis... I recently upgraded from a used beryllium (Poco F1) with a dying battery to a used, but pristine dubai (Edge 30) and have been very happy with that choice. At least for Qualcomm-based phones, make sure to have the phone's stock ROM provision IP Multimedia Services (IMS) with your MNO/ISP, so that (you increase your chances that) VoLTE/VoWIFI will work also with LineageOS.
Moldoteck 3y ago
for durability -fairphone
- COGlory 3y ago
  Seconded. Lineage works great on my FP4. Switched after killing a 3a, 4a, and 5a.

broodbucket 3y ago

I got a OnePlus 9 for this exact purpose and it was good, but not without issues. Same thing as what people said back in the early Linux days - buy what the developers have. Custom Android OS developers overwhelmingly focus on the Pixel, and the hardware is decent enough, so that's what there's an ecosystem for. That OnePlus 9 had some weird issues that eventually got resolved but it took a while. Important to differentiate between an OS that builds for a phone and one that actually works for a phone, but there's not usually a ton of reviews for the latter.

dheera 3y ago

The non-"a" are more durable, I think. Try a Pixel 5, 6, or 7.

pedroaraujo 3y ago

It might be worth to switch to GrapheneOS if you have Pixel phones: https://grapheneos.org/ https://grapheneos.org/ It is a more serious project than LineageOS in the sense that they take security very seriously and they take their development more professionally too. There are no disadvantages to using GrapheneOS compared to LineageOS. You can see a comparison here: https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm

deng 3y ago
Note that this comparison is not entirely correct. For instance, LineageOS supports network-based location with UnifiedNlp. Android Auto works fine if you install GApps.
- Ruthalas 3y ago
  I haven't been able to get unifiednlp working on newer LOS builds. (It worked beautifully on an older device with an older version of LOS.) Do you have a current guide for installing it?
JeremyNT 3y ago
Second this. The focus on security from GrapheneOS is a breath of fresh air compared to the (historically) questionable conventions in most of the third-party Android distribution ecosystem. As an example, Graphene even recommends not using Firefox [0]. I actually still do, but I understand their rationale and it's very well presented. The way they explain such things in clear English is very helpful and hopefully indicative of a similar amount of consideration being made elsewhere in the project. [0] https://grapheneos.org/usage#web-browsing https://grapheneos.org/usage#web-browsing

deng 3y ago

As already mentioned, OnePlus is the usual alternative. If you want it cheaper, I also have good experiences with Motorola phones. Unlocking requires you to register, but you can use a throwaway mail account and it has worked for me so far many times. Just make sure the device is officially supported by Lineage, I have very mixed experiences with unofficial ports. Stay clear of anything from Xiaomi. Unlocking is a nightmare and you have to wait weeks to get your unlock code.

fensgrim 3y ago
After OPPO/OnePlus merger, things went downhill really fast. IIRC, OPPO did something that ended up alienating some parts of Lineage/ROM developer community in general and the work on supporting newer devices was postponed until couple months ago; also, they've patched up the bootloader relock possibility [0] which was likely good for security considering it was based on some exploit. 0. https://calyxos.org/news/2022/07/06/oneplus-android-12-relock-issue/ https://calyxos.org/news/2022/07/06/oneplus-android-12-reloc...
uncharted9 3y ago
I agree regarding Xiaomi. But they are quite cheap devices. Like $300 can get you a pretty decent phone. It's just a 7 day waiting time period and you need a Xiaomi account logged in on the phone for those 7 days. I won't say it's the end of the world.
- deng 3y ago
  I can only say that I did it with two phones, and every time it was a hassle. On your phone, you need to login with this "Mi account" and grant pretty much every permission there is. Then you need a Windows PC and install a dubious application, connect your mobile and then hope it works, which it might not (happened to me), in which case go to Reddit and find a download link to some older version that still works (it did). First time I needed to wait 2 weeks. Second time, I made the mistake of using the same Mi account and had to wait 4 weeks, because I did not know each time you unlock something your waiting time doubles. If your phone for whatever reason looses the Mi account connection, everything gets reset and you start from scratch. It's not the end of the world, but 300$ will also give you a pretty decent Motorola Moto G phone, which are way easier to unlock (all you need is a mail address, and you'll get your unlock code instantly).

c0l0 3y ago

I try to automatically compile a "recommendation ranking" for currently supported LineageOS devices from the official LineageOS wiki data, refreshed daily. It's available here: https://johannes.truschnigg.info/tmp/lineageos_device_toplist.txt https://johannes.truschnigg.info/tmp/lineageos_device_toplis... I recently upgraded from a used beryllium (Poco F1) with a dying battery to a used, but pristine dubai (Edge 30) and have been very happy with that choice. At least for Qualcomm-based phones, make sure to have the phone's stock ROM provision IP Multimedia Services (IMS) with your MNO/ISP, so that (you increase your chances that) VoLTE/VoWIFI will work also with LineageOS.

Moldoteck 3y ago

for durability -fairphone

COGlory 3y ago
Seconded. Lineage works great on my FP4. Switched after killing a 3a, 4a, and 5a.