I have a low opinion of "out of the box" experiences when it comes to pre-installed software. Phones, routers, PCs. They come loaded with crap that is best blow

I have a low opinion of "out of the box" experiences when it comes to pre-installed software. Phones, routers, PCs. They come loaded with crap that is best blown away. When I get the phone and update the stock OS before wiping it, I don't need to sign into a Google account then, either, and I don't recall it being signed into someone else's, so I don't think regular Android requires it either, though my exposure is minimal so I can't guarantee it. It will try to have you sign in during the setup wizard, but I believe you can hit skip. You may need to skip connecting to the internet first to skip the account thing, I don't know. Maybe best done before you put the SIM in on top of that.