Switching phones in 2022
2022-05-12
My Galaxy S9+, bought in 2018, is in a sorry state. Both the bixby and power buttons have fallen off (requiring tactical application of superglue to re-attach), the handset speaker has lost roughly 75% of its volume (yes, i’ve cleaned it extensively, no dice), the 3.5mm jack only works at certain angles, and the awkward Android version timing means that it has no 5g nor VoLTE support - meaning T-mobile will effectively cease to support the phone this summer. I’ve never before owned a phone which has so thoroughly fallen apart and become borderline useless.
It’s time for a change. So what’s next?
Goals
- Unlocked international phone, 5G with US bands. T-mobile uses n41, n71, and both mmwave bands. For LTE, 2, 4, 12, 66, 71
- It needs to be supported by Lineage. This means today, in May 2022, not "i’m sure it will happen someday". I can build it myself, but I really don’t look forward to having to write all the support myself.
- I really want a 3.5mm jack, and replaceable battery would be superb (the trick with batteries is that usually by the time you need to buy one, they’re no longer for sale, though - so some kind of warranty would go a long way)
- It needs reasonable specs (camera, screen - probably snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100)
- It has to last. I seem to be an outlier in that I keep my phones for a minimum of 3 years each - at least until some compelling hardware upgrade brings me to the table.
I’ll add that I’m not particularly fond of notches or curved edges. They’re not dealbreakers, but their upsides are questionable at best.
Let’s get to it.
Top Line (what i chose)
Sony Xperia 1 III. It has a flat screen, jack, dual sim + microsd, excellent camera and speakers, builds for Lineage, Snapdragon 888, and all the 5G support i need. I got it on Amazon for $1,200, which is a lot, but it absolutely lives up to it.
I run Lineage 19.1 and NikGapps on it, and there are no concessions to be made. I’m very pleased with this phone, and fully expect that this has broken my 9-year-long affair with Samsung Galaxies.
Unconventional Phones
Let’s start with the phones that everyone would expect me to get.
Fairphone 4
5G : 2/2 no mmwave
4G : 4/5
3.5mm : yes
edges : no
lineage : kinda
cpu : SD750G
Pretty much exactly what I want - but they’re only sold in Europe. You can get them in the US, but you don’t have reliable access to replacement parts. Not a perfect long term option. It’s also a bit underpowered, and is mediocre in just about every category.
Teracube 2e
Also on-paper a great option, virtually the same as Fairphone 4, but without 5G.
Librem phone
A Linux phone also sounds ok on paper, but questions immediately get raised about how useful it could really be without the Android superstructure sitting on top. A thread from last year asks "Is Librem 5 good yet?" to which one of the popular comments starts with "No." and describes firmware shortcomings and software incompatibility.
I’ve looked at installing things like Postmarket or Ubuntu Touch on my Galaxy s3, and found the experience to be largely painful and not particularly worth the trouble - this is from someone who runs Linux daily on both work and home computers. It’s bad. The Librem experience seems pretty poor when a trustworthy reviewer just can’t find positive things to say about it.
Also no 5G.
Pinephone64
Same boat as the Librem in pretty much every respect.
Conventional Phones
Name brand flagships. We’re going to have to start sacrificing some goals here - notably replaceable batteries - but there’s got to be something out there.
Sony Xperia 1 III (pdx215)
5G : 2/2 no mmwave
4G : 4/5
3.5mm : yes
edges : no
lineage : development
cpu : SD888
There are a few Xperias, but I’m lumping them together because they all share a common characteristic - they’re basically Sony cameras shoved into phones. This is a good thing, because most modern phones are trying to employ multiple cameras (to questionable effect) and throwing in layers of DLSS to try and make pictures look better without actually capturing better images. That’s not a trend I’m much of a fan of, though my camera requirements are pretty thin compared to most. I don’t even take a picture every day.
The Pro-I is way too much camera for me, though it is tempting. The mid-range options all suffer from too many concessions to really shine. The Xperia 1 III sets itself as the best Sony has to offer. And it’s good.
As a note on the models, the BC62 is the US version.
The killer is that Lineage is still very early on this device. It seems only one person is working with it, and hasn’t posted since last month around this time. I’d worry that he stops updating, and I’d be dead in the water.
Worse, it has a very short lifespan of security updates (meaning it’s probably going to get pegged down and never receive a meaningful android version upgrade), and it’s $1,300, which is pretty pricey. It seems like the absolute nicest phone, but the lack of software is going to be a tough sell.
OnePlus 9 Pro
5G : 2/2 + mmwave
4G : 5/5
3.5mm : no
edges : yes
lineage : yes
cpu : SD888
You know i’m desperate when I’m evaluating a Chinese phone. But it’s alright, because it has fantastic band support - being the only phone here that supports mmwave.
It’s a contestant, but user reviews generally indicate that it’s not a great successor to previous OnePlus phones, so there’s some utility that might leave something to be desired.
Not to be ruled out.
Google Pixel 5a
5G : 2/2 no mmwave
4G : 5/5
3.5mm : no
edges : yes
lineage : yes
cpu : SD765G
I’m notoriously interested in privacy, so a Google phone is probably a surprise here. But, if any company is going to have great technical compatibility it’s Google.
However, of course, no jack and forced battery. It also has the weakest processor of any flagship. It’s a device worth bearing in mind, but probably not to be preferred given Google’s tendancy to index everything it can.
Samsung Galaxy S21
5G : 2/2 + mmwave
4G : 5/5
3.5mm : no
edges : yes
lineage : no
cpu : SD888 / Exynos 2100
My last three phones have all been Galaxies. S3, S6, S9+. I’ve soured on it over the years, as they made flashing progressively harder, and the hardware has gotten worse. But, it’s worth considering.
S21 doesn’t have Lineage yet, and it’s not close to happening. Only just recently has TWRP been released for it. There are some experimental ROMs that work, but i’m partial to RR or Lineage, and i’m not excited to go shuffling through unfamiliar ROMs.
Aside from that, it has no jack, forced battery, though its band support is excellent, even including mmwave. It’s worth considering, but with poor software support and Samsung’s decreased hardware quality over the years.
Asus Zenfone 8
5G : 2/2 no mmwave
4G : 5/5
3.5mm : no
edges : no
lineage : yes
cpu : SD888
Like the Xiaomi, these came out a year ago in the spring of ‘21, which means they launched on 11 and upgraded to 12. No jack, forced battery. Lineage works. It’s a little small (~6").
Would need to read some more about user reviews.
Motorola Edge S
5G : 2/2 no mmwave
4G : 5/5
3.5mm : yes
edges : no
lineage : yes
cpu : SD870
The Motorola Edge is both the 2020 and 2021 US model. You’re looking for Motorola Edge 20 series, with Pro being the only realistic option. Ignore Edge S, Moto One 5G Ace, and plain Edge - they’re either old or international.
Unfortunately it doesn’t feature Snapdragon 888 (it uses 870), so it’s a little behind the times on hardware. But it has no curved edges, and has a headphone jack.
Xiaomi
The F3 / X3 / Mi 11x are all the same phone, just for different markets. They’re are a bit old - launching in March 2021, and that means they launched with Android 11, and only got upgraded to 12 that winter. Usually phones don’t make it more than one android version upgrade, so that sounds iffy. And of the phones that have 5g support, these have the worst band range so far. Not at all worth considering.
Nokia x100
5G : 2/2 no mmwave
4G : 5/5
3.5mm : yes
edges : no
lineage : fully locked bootloader
cpu : SM4350
I’m not really looking for a budget phone, but $250 for a decent phone had me intrigued. Nokia has always made interesting phones, but their choices since the 2010s have been questionable. The Lumia was winphone only (rest in peace), and now they evidently don’t even design their own phones. "ODM" (whitelabel) phones are all they sell, with their actual manufacturers being a chinese consortium.
But otherwise its attractive: flat screen, jack, reasonable perf, ok camera, not sure about that processor; but this could work right? Well, its now not unlockable. Nokia pulled a Sony PS3 and locked the bootloader. Cool.
This would be a phone I’d only have for a year before happily ditching for a new flagship.
