Device recommendations

Syncrossus

Hello everyone,
I need a new phone and I'm very interested in using GrapheneOS, but none of the Pixel phones suit my needs. As I understand it, some other devices can also be used with a little bit of work so I'd be grateful for recommendations.
My main issue is I've been using a 5.8" screen (smaller than all the Pixels' AFAIK) for the past 4 years and it's far too large to use in one hand even with a decent screen-to-body ratio. My previous phone had a 4" screen which was big enough for me. After having tried an iPhone mini, I think 5.5" is my limit.
As far as other specs go, I'd like something with at least 6GB RAM, 128GB storage (or less if expandable) and a Snapdragon 625 or better. I'm thinking this should be enough for a little bit of future proofing, bearing in mind I don't use my phone for anything super intensive.
I'm in the EU and the carrier should be unlocked.
I'd be grateful for any recommendations! I'm not afraid of tinkering, but the easier to set-up with GrapheneOS the better!

mythodical

I don't think you're likely to get much advice here, as the Pixel is the only supported device. Most phone vendors won't even allow you to unlock the bootloader these days.

dcd-graphenediscuss

Okay, GrapheneOS only runs on the Google Pixel. I have a Pixel 5a 5G, a Pixel 6a, a Pixel 6, and a Pixel 7 Pro. On all my phones, I have done everything possible to optimize battery life. (I'll detail that in another post.)

BEST PHONE FOR OVERALL BATTERY LIFE
The Google Pixel 5a 5G has a very large battery, 4,680 mAh and its CPU is rather slow (read - doesn't consume a lot of battery) compared to the Pixel 6, 6a, and 7 Pro. With my extreme battery optimization, the phone has a very slow, steady drain whether I'm using the phone or not. Just sitting doing nothing, the phone loses about 6% per day. Under minimal use, the phone lasts right at 72 hours (3 days) with 8% battery remaining. Under regular use, I can squeeze out right at 48 hours (2 days). Under heavy use, the phone lasts about 28-30 hours. My son, a HUGE YT viewer, reports that after about 10 hours of continuous YT videos, his phone has about 20% battery remaining.

BEST PHONE FOR MINIMAL USAGE
After the most aggressive battery optimization I could do, the Pixel 7 Pro is the hands-down winner in my minimal usage scenario for longest battery life at 74 hours. That said, whenever I use an app like YouTube or NewPipe, Signal, Phone, browser, among others, many times I see the battery deplete through usage(!). For example, I watched a 23-minute YT video and the battery dropped 2% during that time.

Pixel 6 and 6a*
I'm currently installing GrapheneOS on these phones and will report on these in a week or so. I'm just tired of installing 117 apps(!), configuring them, optimizing their battery, and then logging in to each app. UGH! I can say that with the Google Pixel 6, it was a pig on the battery. In my typical install with aggressive battery optimization and my minimal use, the phone lasted right at 40 hours or so.