There’s also a Leica edition with a dual-tone design and a mechanical zoom ring. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra has finally been unveiled in China as the brand’s...
Its beyond inconvinient. My work requires a login app which works only on android. Plus, Whatsapp for co-ordination, planning and allocation. If you do not have one. You cannot work at all.
I also have a number of mandated programs on my work phone. But work makes no demands that I need to buy a smartphone.
In private life there is even no demand to have a voice line, just a physical address.
Putting aside the login app. The downside would be less networking, connections, and job finding if you do not have a smartphone and WhatsApp. Not to mention digital payments, banking, tickets for trains, bus, etc,. Unless, you want to lose time and be in a queue everywhere.
LinkedIn, banking (web site with a hardware TAN generator), tickets for trains etc. (I always carry a hard copy, it doesn’t need a battery) all work on an open source notebook or desktop.
I never use anything from Meta, but WhatsApp does work in a browser.
Most of my payments are automatic/direct debit. Banking cards come with NFC.
I never use an app if a web site is available.
So, in 2025 in Europe you’re not a pariah if you don’t use a smartphone. Both my smartphone (currently in airplane mode with WLAN on) and my tablet are on GrapheneOS.
Before it was Lineage OS, and before that Cyanogen Mod. My workstation is on Linux, and always has been.
But at what cost?
Tap for spoiler
Im referring to tracking
There’s not a single phone out there that doesn’t track you. You can only choose who is tracking you.
Pixels with Grapheneos don’t. So there IS a choice. Hopefully soon more.
Yeah, there are niche scenarios where tracking is minimal. But for the majority of phones you can buy, you will be tracked by someone.
People who care don’t buy hardware which tracks them. It is an option.
Most people don’t care, and even don’t know enough to care.
You can also stand your ground and refuse to buy till the option is available
Problem is, that you kind of have to have a phone nowadays to take part in society.
I don’t see how it’s true. It might be more inconvenient, that’s all.
Depends on the country you’re from and a lot of other factors.
Its beyond inconvinient. My work requires a login app which works only on android. Plus, Whatsapp for co-ordination, planning and allocation. If you do not have one. You cannot work at all.
I also have a number of mandated programs on my work phone. But work makes no demands that I need to buy a smartphone. In private life there is even no demand to have a voice line, just a physical address.
Putting aside the login app. The downside would be less networking, connections, and job finding if you do not have a smartphone and WhatsApp. Not to mention digital payments, banking, tickets for trains, bus, etc,. Unless, you want to lose time and be in a queue everywhere.
LinkedIn, banking (web site with a hardware TAN generator), tickets for trains etc. (I always carry a hard copy, it doesn’t need a battery) all work on an open source notebook or desktop.
I never use anything from Meta, but WhatsApp does work in a browser.
Most of my payments are automatic/direct debit. Banking cards come with NFC.
I never use an app if a web site is available.
So, in 2025 in Europe you’re not a pariah if you don’t use a smartphone. Both my smartphone (currently in airplane mode with WLAN on) and my tablet are on GrapheneOS. Before it was Lineage OS, and before that Cyanogen Mod. My workstation is on Linux, and always has been.
It only does eather if the phone vendor is an asshole who decided that you don’t own your phone or you are lazy and don’t install a custom ROM
Also, some vendors don’t track by default, such as volla, pine, purism, Sony and fairphone
Sony and Fairphone install standard Google services that definitely track you without asking.