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.
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.
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!
what’s stopping you? was the very first thing I did, don’t regret it for a second – https://ocv.me/b/img/IMG_20230811_121845_049.1ssy.jpg “i’m about to finish setting up my pixel alright” :p
The cost of buying a pixel is the only thing stopping me. I don’t have enough to replace my aging phone with much of anything, let alone a pixel.
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.
When I can afford $250 I’ll keep it in mind. 🙂
i got 8a for 300 thats prob one of the best deals
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.
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!