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
    11·
    6 months 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
    7·
    6 months 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
      1·
      6 months 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 Like even if they keep graphene up to date the phone will still be outdated (and therefore vulnerable) at the kernel/hardware level?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
        2·
        6 months 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

  • Eugenia@lemmy.mlEnglish
    6·
    6 months 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.

  • pH3ra@lemmy.ml
    4·
    6 months 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
      2·
      6 months 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.

  • s38b35M5@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    6 months 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
    3·
    6 months 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.

  • zod000@lemmy.ml
    2·
    6 months 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.

  • Corgana@startrek.website
    21·
    6 months ago

    The Pixel 5 is not much more expensive and is still a great phone with good battery life and good camera, and the last Pixel small enough to used one-handed. It also has wireless charging which is missing on the 4a.

    If your friend isn’t gaming or doing anything CPU-intensive the P5 is what I would reccommend today. Everything afterwords has been an incremental upgrade for significantly more money.

  • Dark_Dragon@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    11·
    6 months 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
      12·
      6 months 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.comEnglish
    11·
    6 months 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.

  • toastal@lemmy.ml
    37·
    6 months ago

    Pixel 4a was one of the last in the Google lineup with a headphone jack (5a being last). The OEM lost its way after that. This enough to not recommend their devices as far as I am concerned.