Has the most compelling hardware features of any Fairphone yet looks like. Also, quite like the design compared to their previous attempts.
No eSIM though? It does have eSIM.
Also hope the software or rather firmware stuff is good. And would like to see some competent camera review.
Also, gotta say, funny how all the headphone jack die-hards from r/Android ended up here. As every single other comment here currently complains about it missing.
No youre not. Calyx is a joke, sorry. DivestOS may be okay but its still very different from GrapheneOS.
And no tiny custom Android can fix the issue that hardware manifacturers will not supply a single byte of firmware updates after their contract is done.
CalyxOS implements many random 3rd party stuff as if that was their own.
Apart from 2 (QKSMS and Bromite) being unmaintained, installing random apps as system apps (if this is what they do) means a system update may cause data loss for users, when removing those apps. And it has the problem of a way too high goal that can not be reached. They simply dont maintain those apps, so dont ship them.
How much maintenance does a simple SMS app need? What random apps are system apps? Beomite is not installed, not even sure qksms is, but I always use it. Never had a single issue removing any apps. Seems like you’re just very uninformed
They had this on their homepage, advertizing QKSMS and Bromite as if they were project apps. Which they are not.
So either A: they preinstall apps as system apps or B: they have some form of installer that installs them as normal user apps.
You should have as many apps as user apps as possible.
Maybe they changes this idk. But QKSMS is not a simple SMS app like the one that GrapheneOS implements (the old and hardly maintained AOSP one) and Bromite is an unmaintained Browser which is a huge problem. Cromite and Quik are maintained forks.
I am pretty happy with GrapheneOS. Things like separate toggles for internet, or long powerbutton press foe torch are missing.
But you cannot imagine how much effort it is to maintain such a project, and their base is stable, the updates are damn fast.
First stability and security, then features.
Their core OS is minimal on purpose. I use the phone, vanadium (hardened chromium, with JIT toggle, now with adblock, completely degoogled), their attestation app, etc.
Most of the other stuff are random FOSS projects, I dont even use sandboxed play, but if I wanted to I could create a separate user profile and install it just in there.
DivestOS is doing sandboxed microG which is way more secure than unsandboxed, but still tons of effort and will break a lot.
I’ve had Pixels pretty much the whole time since the Pixel 2, I’ve dailied every generation except the OG and the 6a, coincidentally. I’m on the 7 now and really like it after thinking the 6 was hot trash. Out of curiosity, why is the 7 “intolerable”? What makes the 6a better?
This just gets worse and worse, but I still think the lack of sd card slot is the worst thing they never included in the pixel series, and now they are going ahead and fucking with the A series so that it’s barelly any cheaper than the flagship?
Google needs to take a steap back and reconsider it.
The only reason we have $2k flagships is because they have more premium features which people with lots of disposable income would want to buy. But where are these features now? Provided you aren’t shoving extra displays in your device for kicks, everything is ubiquitous (or you’re just paying extra for a SaaS unlock). If Tensor G3 sucks like G2 sucks, that impacts all Pixel 8’s, not just the A.
There’s no more space in the market for an A model and a flagship model. In terms of being the appropriate option for the average person looking for a new phone (i.e what a flagship actually is in principle), the A model is the flagship now.
That’s why the price is increasing - it’s too popular, they’ve realised price is once again the driving factor behind most purchase decisions and are now acting to try and preserve the status quo of people buying needlessly expensive handsets for no reason.
I’m not sure about pixel 8/8a, but I’m typing this on a pixel 7 and it sure ain’t got no headphone jack, Jack. If that was my prerogative I’d be using a budget Xiaomi device
Once again Google finds a way to ruin a good thing. With a $150 price difference between the 8a and main 8 series, I have absolutely no reason to purchase the 8a. There was a time when the A series was half the price of the main series.
When the 7a launched the regular 7 was almost the same price already, so the gap is actually bigger than last year. But I guess they’ll just make the upcoming Pixel 9 more expensive as well to restore the gap again.
I think the article only mentions the prices in the Google store, which are way more expensive than other shops. The Pixel 8 128GB is currently available at 550€.
So the Pixel 8a at 570€ would be the more expensive model.
I’d have thought that the niche for rugged smartphones might be small, but offer a relatively stable profit. What are the other competitors in that market? I know samsung offers some rugged phone, any other major brands?
There is a phone by unihertz but their phones tend to run dated OSes. I have had good lick with what @TheBest said. People either break phones, or don't, it seems.
I mean… a thick case? Thats what I’ve seen most commonly in the field. Old foreman with an old iPhone in an Otterbox that hasnt been cleaned in 2 years.
Yeah i guess a good case makes a phone durable enough for most people and if you want an iPhone that is your only option anyways.
I’d have imagined that a purpose build phone would still offer some benefits. Like operable with gloves, maybe being the ports better protected against things like dust, or they have removeable batteries. Suprisingly i had to learn (after a quick search) that they don’t seem to offer much brighter displays for better visibility outdoors. I’d have thought that could be another feature.
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