This is really a post seeking @final 's advice, but I'm happy to hear anyone's opinion.
I have been running my Pixel 7 since late 2022. It has been my daily driver, and has still been holding up very well. Yesterday I took a nasty fall in the rain and really bashed the screen. I feel terrible. It had no bumps and bruises to speak of until now. It still functions, but it's tough to see everything, and I know it is approaching the end of Graphene support soon.
My question:
Get a recent newer pixel or wait for the Motorola?
sorry to hear about your fall, sir. You OK?
Screw the phone... be careful out there: the world is slippery!
I'm fine. Thanks for asking. I can't believe I'm fine. I was getting out of my car with my two dogs in a torrential downpour. We live in a completely dark area with no streetlights. My small black dog got loose and took off. I reached back and fell ass backwards. I thought: " OK, this is it. The beginning of the end. Broken hip, head injury. Classic senior finale." But no. Slight back pain, two dogs staring at me wondering why I'm on the ground, and a smashed pixel.
Now you know the trick to getting your dogs to come back.
Glad you survived the ordeal.
Thanks. Winter is coming, so I have to practice my falls more.
Oof. Having both fallen plenty of times (I know knee replacement surgery's in my eventual future), and also experienced the "joy" of chasing a small dog down a street, I'm glad things are okay on both fronts (if not for your Pixel).
Thanks. Getting old sucks.
super underwhelming! Could have at least been for something cool... like rescuing the dogs from something, climbing a ladder or a mountain, doing acro yoga in the park etc.
I could make up a better story.
Wait for Motorola. It's "coming soon."
I think (and have some insider information), most probably it will be released next month.
I can hang on a while longer.
You should for sure. Moto has been working with Graphene and I believe graphene will feel much better on the moto.
Just think of it pixels and moto are both now manufactured in india...moto being exclusively an Indian company.
Will they also have sat connection to starlink like the new T-mobile?
"moto g power" is interesting, the product line is specifically made for large battery and still accept sim cards. Unsure if they work great with Graphene tho. If yes it might be something for me as well
I picked up a pixel 8 a while back. I haven't used it much tbh because of the size.
Make phones smaller again.
id just get a used pixel 7, i wouldnt rely on the motorola phone being released on time. Those kinds of hardware releases always have delays, sometimes significant.
So there's another option if you want to run Graphene, not just pixel? What's the beneftis of the Motorola?
Graphene will not be using pixels much longer. Google is locking them down. Motorola is the new partner, but the phones aren't available yet.
Having a Pixel 6a I have been thinking the same recently.
My personal conclusion is go with what you need.
Example: I don't need a good camera as I have a GoPro, I don't play games so I don't need lots of memory, so for me it will be probably the 8a or the 9a from second hand shops.
If you also just need a map, a good battery, a browser and lightning network apps, I think Pixels are good enough.
Avoid Pixel 11 though.
If you want to promote their partnership I would say go for Motorola.
FWIW I've got a cheap Moto as a daily, no graphene obvs, but for 75 bucks and 128gig it's v. Cool, had a Samsung before but that had a bug in the screen that made it unresponsive
I'd definitely look at the Moto in regards to graphene when they roll out Digi ID to access play store, not a thing yet but you know it's coming
I plan on it. Ill wait until it's available. I don't use play store or the sandboxed graphene google apps thing. I rely on APKs and Obtainium.
Have you tried CalyxOS imho it's in no way inferior to Graphene and there's some more phone brands on which you can install.
I think there is a comparison of the two somewhere on SN. If I'm not mistaken, @final has discussed the two also.
I got a pixel 9 last year and have been happy with it. Not a huge chunk but works nicely with Graphene.
Watching this thread closely.
Get the Motorola. You’ve been on Pixel since 2022 switch it up. the Moto brings a fresh feel, great battery, and clean software. Losing Graphene support sucks, but unless you’re hardcore about it, the trade-off is worth it just to try something different. Variety is good.
Security researcher here (Tor-only LN node operator). Pixels are still the only sane choice for GrapheneOS — the OS is purpose-built around Titan M2's hardware attestation, and the Auditor app can cryptographically verify the boot chain against a second device.
Three things most guides miss:
If you plan to run Lightning/Tor tooling on it: owner profile for daily use + a separate user profile for anything financial. Profile separation beats any 'secure folder' on iOS and stock Android.
Used pixels can be had pretty reasonably off eBay, can always dump it back there once Moto arrives