in that case I would feel comfortable going with a refurb like theloweststone mentioned; pixels are the only(?) android devices which let you swap out the bootloader in a safe manner, so even a phone that’s been in shady hands should be fine if the boot hash matches. And if you know another person with graphene you can do the attestation just to be certain.
but since the future of GrapheneOS is slightly shaky at the moment, I’ve looking at alternatives for when my current device inevitably bites the dust – fairphone and pinephone both look like decent choices at first glance. It’s an unfortunate situation but just gotta roll with it!
zalgotext@sh.itjust.works 21 hours ago
You can save quite a bit by getting a refurbished Pixel - looks like the cheapest “Google certified” option (so it comes with a 1-year warranty) is a 6a for $250, which is nearly half off MSRP. I’ve been using my 6a since launch, so it’s been going for 3 years now and I have no desire to upgrade.
You can definitely get cheaper smartphones, but $250 for a 6a feels like a pretty big bang for your buck.
DrunkAnRoot@sh.itjust.works 20 hours ago
i got 8a for 300 thats prob one of the best deals
10001110101@lemm.ee 21 hours ago
I used Swappa to buy my last phone. Not certified, but much cheaper. The condition of phones is “graded,” and the sellers have an incentive to keep their reputation on the platform high. I had good luck, the one time I used it, at least.
JigglySackles@lemmy.world 18 hours ago
When I can afford $250 I’ll keep it in mind. 🙂
masterofn001@lemmy.ca 15 hours ago
I got a pixel 9 for $240 CAD via carrier promotion in Canada.
I held out getting a new phone as long as I could and they offered a new pixel 9 for $5 per month for 24 months
Not to trade in after 24.
It’s mine. For 5$ a month.
When I received it I didn’t turn it on for a week.
Read as much as I could to decide that Google would only ever see the single boot to enable developer mode and enable OEM unlock to flash graphenos.
It seemed intimidating, but the process to install is very smooth.