Hello privacy, hello GrapheneOS
I tried to hold on to my Xiaomi smartphone as long as possible (6 years in total) but last week it fell out of my hands, crashed on the floor and now the screen is dead. °[x.x]°
I hate it when things break. A repair didn't pay off as the Xiaomi was stuck at Android 11 and reached its EOL a long time ago.
I am following the development of GrapheneOS since years and I really like their idea of a privacy- and security-focused phone, therefore it was easy to decide which phone to buy next as the OS only supports the Google Pixel series.
The newest Pixel 9 was a no-go for me as it is too expensive and I didn't want to spend that much money on a phone.
Additionally I don't plan to give Google any money and so I would only buy a used phone.
I settled with a Pixel 7 for 200€ which I found in a shop selling refurbished phones (the Pixel 8 was 350€ but not that much better).
Looks a bit like the Zune HD
Three days later I am successfully running GrapheneOS (based on Android 15) on my new refurbished Pixel 7.
The flashing process is quite simple thanks to the great tutorial on the GrapheneOS website. It connects to the phone via WebUSB, unlocks the bootloader and flashes the new ROM.
The home screen does nothing look like in the screenshot – this is the Minimo launcher I've installed on it. Apart from that it looks and feels like a regular Android 15 phone.
You can also install Play Store and Play Services (sandboxed) if you need to. I needed to so I could install my banking app and a few other apps I could not find on F-Droid or on the web.
The best part is replacing privacy-invasive apps from big corporations with FOSS alternatives. I have already started this process with my Xiaomi phone and am trying to complete it here. That will take a while and is not convenient in all circumstances but it's the only way for me to go forward.
I never thought I could have that much fun with a phone once again.