Should I buy a Pixel 6a to immediatly flash GrapheneOS on it?

Mr_Y

I need to buy a new phone (that hopefully I'll keep for at least 4 years, as I did with my current one) and the r/GrapheneOS project captured my attention.
(in case you've never heard of GrapheneOS, it's a privacy and security focused ROM that has many interesting features that I would love to have on my phone, but it's made just for Pixels)

With the budget I have I could buy a Pixel 6a or many other phones in the same price range that have better specs on paper but with similar results (basing these statements on many reviews I've seen around the web that were really enthusiast about the 6a despite its lower specs).

My doubt is: would the 6a be comparable to other phones in his price range even with a custom (even though specific for Pixels) ROM? Or are those happy reviews consequences only of the Google version of Android that's mounted on the Pixels out-of-the-box?
How many of you currently use their Pixels with custom ROMs (such as GrapheneOS)? Are you happy with the phone performance/usability?

PS: Please note that buying a Pixel 6a and not flashing any custom rom on it is not an option for me. The motivation of this choice are beyond the scope of this post (but I'll be happy to discuss them in a different one if you want)

unwat

I've seen many people on here who've said they're happy with their Pixel 6a with GrapheneOS.

Since this is the GrapheneOS forum, we're obviously going to say GrapheneOS is the best option. As opposed to other "ROMs," GOS doesn't have a bunch of flashy, crappy, surface level stuff to make it look more secure. With sandboxed Google Play installed as a regular app, instead of being installed as a system app, you get very close to the Stock Android experience without sacrificing your security, privacy, and stability (as opposed to Microg).

I'd check out the GrapheneOS website. They have tons of information about the OS there. The features page is especially informative, in my opinion, if you're comparing OSs.

abcZ

Power it on with factory OS only long enough to unlock the bootloader to install GrapheneOS on it.

BTW: Your questions are redundant since you're asking them in the GrapheneOS forum.

Privateer

Well, that's exactly what I did.
I read the GrapheneOS site (twice) and some other info I could find. Ordered my Pixel 6a, booted it, upgraded it to current (stock) OS, rebooted it, unlocked the bootloader and installed GrapheneOS. This was about three weeks ago.
With all the reading before I had some understanding about the different profiles. When I had GrapheneOS installed it seemed super easy, made my choice and configured accordingly. Didn't look back. It's stable, fast, great user experience so far.

Mr_Y

I'm sorry if my question seemed redundant, I probably didn't explained myself as I wanted...
I've already taken a look at the GrapheneOS site, I'm a fan of the project (even if I wouldn't recommend it to anyone atm since I haven't tried it yet) and I know you all here on this forum probably are Graphene supporters too.

My question was more about the Pixel 6a as a phone to install GrapheneOS on.
I mean, it doesn't have the fashion specs that the Pixel 6 Pro has, and despite this fact reviewers were enthusiast saying that the software optimization covers the hardware “weaknesses”.
What I'm here to understand is if those software optimizations still exist in Graphene OS and, as a consequence, if using a Pixel 6a with Graphene OS has the same smooth experience it would have with its Stock ROM (for example, the reactivity of the phone during general and more stressful usages, if it turns hot or not, battery life, etc.)

abcZ

Mr_Y These are insanely overpowered phones. No optimizations are needed. GrapheneOS may trade off of performance slightly for security, however, GrapheneOS also lacks all of the useless fluff/bloatware that Gooble adds into their system image, which WAY more than makes up for the tradeoff.

Welteam

Mr_Y As @abcZ said, there is no performance issues with GOS on the P6A. GOS uses the same firmwares as stock OS, so all optimizations done below the last layer are maintained. The only things missing are Pixel specific android features and the Google bloatwares which tend to decrease performance, not increase it.
Some security features, like exec spawning, reduce performance in theory but it's not really noticeable on a pixel 3, let alone the P6A

Aaron

Mr_Y

We've all made the move and love it.

Just pick the form factor you prefer and DO IT! Here's my breakdown:

P6A - I love the handy size and light weight even with the Athlex case, excellent screen, snappy performance, and 2 day battery life. I personally have never used over 4 GB on of RAM on an Android phone.
P6 - slightly better/larger screen, heavier, does have wireless charging. I would carry this phone.
P6Pro - the curved edge screen is a deal breaker for me so not interesting.

Note that YOU MUST GET A BOOTLOADER UNLOCKED phone. Carrier Unlock is not sufficient.

For work I have a locked down Sandboxed Google Play/GSF profile for work (G-Suite company). For Whatsapp I have a another profile (no GSF) since for family communications.

GOS works and works well. If you intend to remain a Minion of the Big Tech / Gov trackers and profilers, then just stay on stock Android. If you want to control how much your are tracked, profiled, influenced in your life and the sense of well-being it brings, then JUST DO IT.

Eirikr70

P6a here with GrapheneOS. Excellent phone, excellent OS. No problem, very satisfied. Never tried P6P but it is overkill for my needs.