this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2023
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The 4a could stop receiving updates any day now because it's minimum support lifecycle is due to end this month. GrapheneOS will only offer updates for phones still supported by Google, which means you could be on outdated security patches very quickly.
If you want to use GrapheneOS, a better choice (if you can afford it) would be to stretch to the 6a, because that was from the generation when Google started guaranteeing a minimum of 5 years of support. This means that the end of its minimum support lifecycle is 4 years from now so it will be secure for a lot longer.
Here is the GrapheneOS support chart for reference.
Alternatively, you could go with an alternative privacy based operating system like CalyxOS, iodéOS or even LineageOS as they all offer longer term support for the 4a and other older devices. You won't get the additional firmware updates when manufacturer support runs out, but you will at least have recent Android security patches. There's also DivestOS, but I haven't used that myself so I can't recommend it with the same confidence as the other three.
I’m really just looking to spend around $100 on an android.
Where I live the 4a is like $140 used.
I was hoping that GrapheneOS would have longer security updates for the phones.
Maybe you would not know, but do you have any android models you would recommend? I’ll mostly just use it for streaming and a few apps that are not in the US App Store.
Do you really want to use GrapheneOS? If you don't mind using something else, the other operating systems I mentioned support devices for a lot longer. And if you're not using this as a main device for payments, photos, messaging, banking, etc, then there are less risks in terms of security and you could even buy something a bit older than the 4a.
In terms of video streaming, the Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ and Note 9 all have beautiful 1440p AMOLED displays with no notch. I still use a Note 9 myself and it's really enjoyable to watch videos on. I even used to watch movies on it before I bought a tablet. Those three phones have great custom operating system support (no Graphene or Calyx though) and were very popular back in the day so there are lots available to buy secondhand. If you are buying this as a main phone, I would maybe recommend against it due to their age but for a second device they would be excellent (assuming you can find one for close to your budget).
EDIT: I should mention those three phones also have SD card slots and headphone jacks, which makes them even better again as media consumption devices.
Thanks for the recommendation. I guess I do not mind running stock Android, but I would prefer something less bloated. It looks like the s9 is about $70 here, but the s10 is $150-200. Why would that one be so much more expensive?
One year newer I guess. I think there's a 5G model of the S10 too, so that may inflate prices. Personally I think the S9 was a much better phone. It has a headphone jack, SD card slot (which wasn't available on the S10 5G) and no selfie camera notch/cut-out. The S10 series is when Samsung phones started going downhill badly. Though the S10e was a great phone, my partner has used one for the last 4 years. It does have a slightly lower resolution screen and it's small with a selfie camera cut-out, so not quite as good for watching videos.
S10 series all have good custom OS software too though, so not a bad choice either.
Nevermind, I see that there is an s10e. I'll compare those two phones to see if the 10e is worth the extra $20.