Updates for 3A XL
Yes there is a big difference to GOS on legacy 3rd Gen devices and those still being provided production releases.
Last Update for 3rd Gen:
Putting out another 3rd gen extended support release mostly to ship the final set of 3a / 3a XL changes they released not really a security update.
Current situation regards Sandboxed Play Services on 3rd Gen:
It should still work but it's unmaintained now.
EOL/ESR State of Play:
They've been missing important privacy/security patches since November 2021 and are insecure regardless of which OS is used. We provided extended support as a mix of harm reduction and a way for people to try GrapheneOS on older devices. Both reasons have faded away as useful.
It's no longer really a good preview of GrapheneOS since it's not Android 13.
Thank you very much for explaining!
So with limited cash, I have to buy the cheapest Pixel 4 series to have full GOS support.
Does the entire 4 series still receive firmware updates from Google?
- Edited
Falcon ideally you want something still in production, if not plausible then the 4a/4a5G are your targets, the 4a5G shares more in common with 5th Gen than 4th and could receive longer than minimum stated support.
Check here for more info:
https://endoflife.date/pixel
If you are looking at the best VFM (Value for Money) option then the 6a is hard to beat as you won't need to spend again in a years time, you actually won't need to spend again for a minimum half a decade.
The Pixel 6a is a budget device with the same 5 years of guaranteed full security support from launch as the flagship 6th generation Pixels. It also has the same flagship SoC as the higher end devices, the same main rear and front cameras as the Pixel 5 and a rear wide angle lens matching the flagship 6th generation Pixels. Compared to the 5th generation Pixels, it has 5 years of full security support remaining instead of less than 2 years and the CPU is 2x faster. We strongly recommend buying the Pixel 6a rather than trying to get a deal with older generation devices. You'll be able to use the Pixel 6a much longer before it needs to be replaced due to lack of support.The Pixel 6a is a budget device with the same 5 years of guaranteed full security support from launch as the flagship 6th generation Pixels. It also has the same flagship SoC as the higher end devices, the same main rear and front cameras as the Pixel 5 and a rear wide angle lens matching the flagship 6th generation Pixels. Compared to the 5th generation Pixels, it has 5 years of full security support remaining instead of less than 2 years and the CPU is 2x faster. We strongly recommend buying the Pixel 6a rather than trying to get a deal with older generation devices. You'll be able to use the Pixel 6a much longer before it needs to be replaced due to lack of support.
Falcon Yes but if you are short on cash, buying a Pixel 4 is not the best option as the Pixel 4(XL) are EOL in weeks and the Pixel 4A in less than a year. You'll be forking at least 150$ for a phone you'll use less than a year.
The Pixel 6A is currently on sale for 349$ at the google store which you can pay in 2 years at 15$/m if you need to.
If you are in the EU, it's sold for 400€ instead. This phone will last you 5 years.
My real situation is this:
I have Pixel 3A XL, but after the above information it is better to sell it.
I have very limited funds now and I have to buy the cheapest model that must have full support for 6 - 12 months. It will probably be 4a. After this time I will have funds for any other.
I live in Eastern Europe and I do not have the official Google distribution in my country, so I have to look for eBay :(
Thank you very much for helping all friends!
Cheers!