Hi,

A friend wants to degoogle his phone, so I suggested the OS I’m currently using. The one we can’t talk about… He wants a small/compact phone, so I suggested pixel 4a (not buying second hand though), but I’m afraid that planned obsolescence may kill the phone rather soon. What’s your opinion?

Cheers and thank you for your help,

  • foremanguy@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    I think it’s a bit too old, if you want to stay in the pixel ecosystem maybe try to grab a 6, 6a or 6 pro. They are around $250, and they are great!

  • ben_dover@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    4a is end of life already, so no firmware updates from Google. GrapheneOS has legacy builds available for it but doesn’t recommend using them, and they might go away anytime soon

    get a used device which is still properly supported, don’t buy brand new e-waste

    • Misk@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I have a 4a running graphene and I love it but after 3+ years the battery life is shot. I really didn’t want to buy any of the new pixels because they are all too big and I hate big phones. I was thinking of just buying a new 4a and installing graphene again (because got forbid making a phone where you can just swap out the battery in this day and age) but are you saying this would be a bad idea at this point? Like even if they keep graphene up to date the phone will still be outdated (and therefore vulnerable) at the kernel/hardware level?

      • ben_dover@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        yes and P4a is already one major GOS/Android version behind, it’s only getting “extended legacy support” releases. i.e. security fixes are merged and backported where possible, but it’s overall not the best setup and they recommend to switch asap.

        I’m pretty sure GOS will drop Android 13 (and therefore P4a) as soon as they release Android 15, since the team won’t be maintaining three major Android versions.

        CalyxOS ported Android 14 to P4a, so you might squeeze an additional year or so out of it if you switch.

        I’d either replace the battery in the old P4a, or get a newer model with 7y software support. But buying a new 4a is probably not your best possible move

  • Maxe@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    I’m using a 4a right now which I bought last year, refurbished. It’s a great phone and has a headphone jack. If you’re concerend about updates, install an alternative OS. If you want to degoogle that should be the path anyway.

  • Eugenia@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    You can install LineageOS or e/OS on it (instead of Graphene, if that’s too controversial), and then the 4a is a good phone to use.

  • s38b35M5@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I bought a used Pixel 5 in Feb for my daily driver. Replaced my Pixel 3 only because the power button was flaky. They both still run great. By my standards, getting two years out of a phone I paid $150 for is better than getting three years out of a $700 phone.

  • GolfNovemberUniform@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    It goes for like $80-120 in my country. For the price it’s an interesting deal but it’s extremely old so GrapheneOS won’t support it. I think you can still find something like LineageOS or crDroid but tbh it’s too old for a new daily driver. Lack of firmware updates will kill custom ROMs due to incompatibility with new Android versions eventually (and most likely very soon).

    Compact phones are dead now and the last ones don’t even seem to support degoogled custom ROMs. You’re out of lack with that.

  • floofloof@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    Used Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 7 and 7 Pro can be found for reasonable prices these days. One of those in good condition would be a better buy because you’ll still get security patches for a while. Last time I looked, the third party OSs for Pixel phones only supported them for as long as Google did.

  • pH3ra@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Writing from a 3 years old 4a running CalyxOs: the phone is a perfect choice if you want a small sized phone with a 3.5mm jack and that gets constant updates. The camera might be a little better but I don’t take many pictures so I don’t mind.

    • ben_dover@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      the camera is amazing, but you need to use the Google Camera app for it to take advantage of all the Pixel magic. 3rd party camera apps will yield lousy shots comparatively.

  • AnxiousDuck@feddit.it
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    1 year ago

    Can someone explain to me under what circumstances would using an old phone be risky (under a common reasonable threat model)?

    • tty5@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      No security fixes once the device reaches end of life. For pixel 4a end of security updates was 10 months ago. That mostly is a problem with malicious apps - there were some privilege escalation bugs in those 10 months - but sometimes you get a banger that can get exploited by simply loading a page or opening an image.

      • ReveredOxygen@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        Wouldn’t those be typically handled at an OS level? If you’re using an OS that actually gets updates, you’re only vulnerable to attacks at the kernel or driver level

        • tty5@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          If you are on stock software on EOL device you are not getting os updates either.

          Also a bunch of recent vulns were in SoC specific stuff - outside os.

      • AnxiousDuck@feddit.it
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        1 year ago

        I get it about malicious apps but what about just using mainstream apps and surfing the web with adblockers?

  • zod000@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    I am far from unbiased as I just switched back to my pixel 4a from my new Sony Xperia. I think the Pixel 4a is a flat out GREAT phone, full stop. It is perfectly sized IMO, has been very reliable, good battery life (though at this point I should look into replacing the battery), and it has a headphone jack. That being said, picking it as a new phone now essentially means going with a custom rom and hoping it stays supported. That’s fine and all, but it’s not something most people want. Just to be clear, the xperia isn’t a bad option per se, I only switched back because the phone came carrier locked when it was supposed to be unlocked and the carrier it was locked to was uncooperative so I refunded it.

  • Dark_Dragon@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    Umm one question by the way , why use Google phone to degoogle? There are plenty of good Android phones out there right?

    • OhYeah@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      While it is ironic, the pixels are easy to unlock the bootloader and have good support across lineage, calyx, and graphene. Been using one to degoogle for awhile and would recommend them

  • Imprint9816@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    Pixel 5 is end-of-life and shouldn’t be used anymore due to lack of security patches for firmware and drivers.

    I understand if your friend is on a budget and simply can’t afford a non EOL phone but, they should really consider a 6th gen Pixel or better if they care at all about their data security.