Is it worth waiting for the new OEM’s?

Morwendara

The GrapheneOS developers have no plans to stop supporting existing and future Pixel devices. They have repeatedly stated their intention to support these devices for their entire lifespan.
The main reason why GrapheneOS is considering working with other OEMs is because of concerns about future Pixel generations. The GrapheneOS team anticipates that future Pixel devices may not meet the project’s requirements (https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices), including support for alternative OSes.
That’s why GrapheneOS has started discussions with several OEMs to build devices that will natively meet their security standards. This is a strategic move for the future, to provide GrapheneOS users with reliable and secure devices in the long term if Pixel is no longer a suitable platform.
Therefore, buying a Pixel 9 Pro now does not carry the risk of premature end of support from GrapheneOS. The project will continue to support all officially released Pixel models.

Sorry if the text seems confusing. I am not a native English speaker, this post has been automatically translated.

nicholasj7087

Thanks for the helpful replies. I have further questions:

Can you reinstall google OS on a Pixel to sell the phone? (This means if Android fully ruin the AOSP then I can just sell the device)
Do you think GrapheneOS will pick a model (for new OEMs) that has good quality cameras/mics for content creation? Like the Pro versions of Iphone/Pixel/Android (Pixel 9/10 pro has 42mp front camera, perfect for content creators!!!)?
The Samsung stylus would be an amazing addition as well.

Foggy

nicholasj7087

Yes you can flash stock Android. It's the same procedure as flashing GOS just from a Google website not the GOS site.
I think it's been stated they are looking at a 'flagship' device so it sounds promising from a camera/video perspective. But there are a lot of unknowns at this point and it may not be within their control.

As usual, there are no guarantees as to what the future holds. But there's a good selection of existing devices (new and used) which are supported today and will remain supported for years which means there is likely a phone you can buy today that meets your needs, until we discover what lies in the future

nicholasj7087

If GrapheneOS can create an epic content creating phone, this is where the cool younger generations get involved!

freezet

nicholasj7087 I hope you mean young educated people that study or have proper jobs and not those self indoctrinated social media slaves that contribute to rotten brains.

Blastoidea

nicholasj7087

What the hell is an “epic content creating phone”?

spl4tt

nicholasj7087 Well if a Pixel Pro isn't enough epic, i don't know what is. We already got extremely great cameras and hardware

nicholasj7087

freezet All are welcome. It would be good to help ‘social media slaves’

MEGAbyter

freezet I hope you mean young educated people that study or have proper jobs and not those self indoctrinated social media slaves that contribute to rotten brains.

I absolutely loved this response. These so called "content creators" and "influencers" are accelerating the downfall of humanity and that is not hyperbole.

nicholasj7087

Blastoidea I think obviously it is about good cameras, microphones, photo/video editing apps. There is scope for plenty of innovation in this region, which GOS could choose to explore

Blastoidea

nicholasj7087
Somehow I don’t think that is the purpose of GrapheneOS, or the sorts of things the developers should be spending time on.

krillmat

freezet

I hope it will be sony being a fanboy after having used the xz2c for the longest time, obv it will not be sony but they also support a lot of dev work

chinook

freezet haha, no way, OMG.

Sony drops support for flagships in about 2 years? I love my old Xperia 1 Mk2, amazing piece of hardware, great launcher, but damn, they let me down.

Phone was released in Feb 2020, and the last security update is June 2022.
They offered SINGLE major version upgrade (A11->A12).

freezet

chinook they also support sailfish, but yeah I know they have a bad support reputation

https://docs.sailfishos.org/Support/Supported_Devices/

secrec

nicholasj7087 My question is, is it worth buying a Pixel 9 Pro now or simply waiting for the new OEM’s? I need a new phone immediately, and I fear there is a risk of the updates not lasting 7 years due to the Pixel’s future reduced compatibility with GOS.

New OEM's.... GOS has been talking about this for YEARS, and there's still nothing. Until there is actually a concrete device available, there is no point in worrying about it.
Pixel 9.... is supported by GOS. PERIOD.

Honestly though, if at all possible, you should wait to see how GOS handles Pixel 10.

Grapi

It would be fantastic if someone could fork GrapheneOS into a variant like "Unsecured GrapheneOS", allowing users to bypass certain hardware restrictions imposed by its security features and install it on any device that generally supports alternative operating systems.

It's a real shame that such an option doesn't exist, because GrapheneOS offers many benefits beyond its renowned security. Missing out on those advantages simply due to hardware limitations feels like a significant drawback.

dc32f0cfe84def651e0e

Grapi I second this.

chinook

spl4tt Seriously. The only downsides for me is the lack of SD card slot and it not being waterproof.

Viewpoint0232

spl4tt Pixel Pro isn't enough epic, i don't know what is

I want (my personal wishlist):

decent hardware & camera
good battery life
unlockable bootloader
not too big (no bigger than a standard iPhone / less than 150 mm height)
SD card reader
headphone jack
easy to repair yourself (e.g. battery, screen)

The Pixel line of phones fail in #2, #4, #5, #6 and #7. Now I know that others might not care about these things too much but for me personally the Pixel is not "epic" and the only reason to consider buying it is GrapheneOS support.

Meanwhile, Sony phones offer all of these except #4 and #7; Fairphones offer all except #4 and #6; but of course both don't meet the security requirements for GrapheneOS.

harp

chinook it not being waterproof

What do you mean by "waterproof"? Actual Pixels are IP68 certified. I don't know common Smartphones with a higher "waterproof" certification.

spl4tt

Viewpoint0232 #2 I don't know what you're doing with your battery, but mine is pretty fine.
#3 there literally is the normal "pro" pixel that is "just" 6.3" - the standard iphone size.
#5 and #6 yes.
#7 You can literally buy pixel parts on ifixit and google has released a repair manual for each of their phones. I don't think you ever tried a pixel repair, because it's as easy as it gets with a normal phone. Screen breaks? It's a 10-15min process of fixing it yourself. The only hard part is the glue, but ifixit sends you everything to solve this issue.
It's obviously not as easy as a fairphone, but at least the pixel is a proper phone.

I'd say the only real bad points about pixels is the headphone jack and the sdcard slot for your case here

chinook

harp ip68 is more like dust or water "resistant". At least this is how Google calls it. Water resistant, not waterproof. If you gently lower the brand new smartphone into the sweet water it should survive it. If you try to use it in the shower, it will likely not.

It's worth noting, that water ingress voids the warranty.
It's not waterproof.

Also there's several smartphones with IP69, but nothing I'd personally use anyway as well, so... :)