yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[General Questions and Answers] GeTex:
All Pixel devices are carrier unlocked, there are no carrier locked variants, some are bootloader locked but thats really a US market and EE problem from what I hear. My Experience with Android 10 is security updates are pushed based on the base OS version(revision #) and at least all google devices have no issue with this, i can't comment on custom rom build

Huawei spying claims have some truth to them but no more than other carriers. On the comment about apple, they do not "leak" user data but they sate within their own terms that they harvest user data for "purposes of improving the software, and providing a better user experience" whatever that's means, google has similar wording in the Android OS itself. I've like my Huawei devices so far, Ipart of the advantage of running custom software and roms is you can compile it yourself with the source, meaning you know exactly what the device is running, and spying should become minimal concern outside of google apps, which you could always run ubuntu touch, or a google-less system. it's one of androids best qualities is the fact you can write an entire OS from scratch if you wanted and be sure every app you either wrote or compiled yourself and that you did almost everything in your power to prevent spying.

The Xiaomi spying i'm familiar with and i think thats what turned me off to them, although I could Custom OS those devices as well if i needed to.

I ordered a 4a recently when my Pixel 1 died, if you can get one, i think you'd be happy, that is, if you can get one

My ipad 2 hasn't recieved updates in years being end of life. Lucky your mini does
[General Questions and Answers] Blombardo:
There is a paid service on XDA somewhere - hidden - from one of its users who has samsung proprietary tools that can unlock the bootloader even on locked verizon usa snapdragon s20 series phones... I haven't found the actual email or many reviews so provide you a link however.. I'd be willing to pay the 150 if I like the phone...

I realize I can't get all that I want - so in effect I'm going to have to have one made to my specs - which is my goal... to partner with a company that has the ability to help engineer and manufacture a phone for me... Thats the only way I will get what I want. lol

Edit; found the paid service:

[CLOSED][Android][UNSAMLOCK] Bootloader Unlock for Samsung US/Canada Devices

Important notice: If you are already updated post February 2021, do not update to April 2023 security update (XXXXXXXXXXWCX) or later. Examples: G998USQS6EWCA, N986USQU4HWD1. Samsung has patched the bootloader unlock again on those updates...

xdaforums.com
[General Questions and Answers] Fytdyh:
How about using the Samsung fold? It isn't exactly a keyboard, but it could the next best thing.
[General Questions and Answers] Blombardo:
I'm a mobile tech - I carry 3 phones and a couple computers with me everywhere I go with a van and a bunch of toolboxes for various jobs. I might be hotspotting a video conference call while programming a new server- while updating firmware on a security system or who knows what... I work for four large banks, 10 large food chains, multiple hotels and countless other businesses as a subcontractor so my job varies... I might be working on a dos based monochrome monitor CNC machine at a steel mill today and who knows what kind of security system tomorrow...

Finding laptops are also getting very hard in todays world when I need physical connections that are just disapearing in the race to sell skinny stuff...

I'm getting tired of carrying 3 phones everywhere; o I forgot my verizon Mifi also has to tag along... but I need a strong signal and not many phones here in the usa have dual sim card ability so I run att / verizon and a sprint so I have signal everywhere.

When you video conference with someone who you can not understand - it's handy to type back and forth in the chat... without a physical keyboard on your phone you loose too much screen real estate on these conferencing apps... and carying a separate keyboard for your phone is not handy.. though I do carry keyboards for servers and workstation jobs; lol
[General Questions and Answers] Blombardo:
Thanks. its an.. interesting looking phone..

But it has no SD card support which is a dealbreaker. The world will end before I buy a phone that doesnt have an sd card... I gave up my removable battery.. might have to give up the h eadphone jack.. but I make money based off of images that are saved to my phone - and if my phone breaks on a job.. that means I dont get paid... unless I have a memory card I can rip out and recover...

(climbing cell towers - working on tops of large buildings... holding a phone up to video conference someone in a windy day... its happened before and will happen again) Even a mil spec phone can't survive a drop 20 floors down...

And before you say -- oh just go back and take more images... easier said than done when some sites are on a govt controlled property with 4 layers of security to get through... you're not going back without a lot of red tape... lol
[General Questions and Answers] Fytdyh:
What about the LG G8x Dual screen? And for photo backup, you could set a link to a owned server. Just upload there every time to take a photos. Or whatsapp(or other encrypted app) has an option to send messages to yourself. You could save the photo there instantly, even in the case your phone gets totally destroyed.

Or you could buy a portable micro/mini pc, like this one ( https://liliputing.com/2018/12/gpd-micro-is-a-tiny-299-laptop-aimed-at-it-pros-coming-in-2019.html)

Your phone acts like a camera and hotspot. Every photo you take gets sent immediately to the micro pc.
[General Questions and Answers] GeTex:
I hear what you mean but there is many issues with that

Phones have to be certified by the FCC in the USA because they operate on frequencies that are not public and above allowed power levels for anything unlicensed anyways. This means every one off custom phone would have to go through the FCC approval process and receive a FCC ID AND IMEI. Next comes radio bands, for example, Verizon owns their mmwave band and has the right to control what devices can authenticate on the band, they likely use IMEI checking to prevent capable but non whitelisted IMEI's from accessing this band. This goes for other carriers to some extent, but by far Verizon and what used to be sprint controlled their networks like this and probably still do. You can't just "brute force this" because the tower checks for the IMEI and spoofing/duplicating IMEI's is a federal crime. To add on most carriers are going to VoLTE only, which requires carriers to develop a IMS profile for each and every device individually to make it capable of SMS over IMS and VoLTE, along with maintaining proper E911 support which is legally required. Extra features like Wifi Calling and Video calling would have to be added here as well. You could try and shortcut this by using google voice for everything over data and run a data only radio however.

If you get past all the issues there, you still are stuck with the R&D that goes into a device like a phone which isn't a simple ordeal, and many companies spend hundreds of thousands by the time they are done designing, certifying, and testing devices. If your goal truly is to build a "custom" phone, you might be better off trying to build one using a Pi and attaching a cellular radio to it and making all the software yourself and adding hardware from there, the device would be a brick phone but that's the closest you'd get.
[General Questions and Answers] GeTex:
Why not get a Panasonic Toughbook CF-20for your laptop? Industrial laptops aren't nuking ports the same, just like at Panasonic's Toughbooks and the Getac stuff. Just use a Google-Fi sim since it roams most carriers as an MVNO for your phone?
[General Questions and Answers] PDXZombie:
I've been interested in a new phone and I've been following this discussion about your phone spec requirements. I just stumbled onto the Purism phones - made in USA, user replaceable battery, has SD card expansion slot.

Librem 5 - $799 - https://shop.puri.sm/shop/librem-5/ (Not made in the USA)

Librem 5 USA - $1,999 - https://shop.puri.sm/shop/librem-5-usa/ (Made in the USA)

Blombardo - when you talked about needing a good way to back up photos, it got me thinking about that. I am a contractor and I often will take photos of existing conditions or of work installed to show customers and alleviate some liability for myself.

Because of convenience, it'd be nice to not have to lug around a digital camera for the piece of mind of a phone that could fail, and have difficult data recovery options.

I really like the OnePlus 8T, but maybe my new procedure involves connecting a USB to copy the photos off my phone before I leave a site.
[General Questions and Answers] Blombardo:
I really like the design of that Dual screen phone - though its not 5g (not a dealbreaker) and only 500.ish its cheap... they have another for 1100 I just found that may be better for me; I'll be going down that rabbit hole for a while.. reminds me of my old N9500.

https://www.lg.com/us/mobile-phones/g8x-thinq-dual-screen/specs#iw_comp1552886069288

*So your suggestion is likely a phone I will buy... and play with.. maybe not love and use always but its now on my want list...

Unfortunately I'm even pickier about my PC's... I am forever throwing money at things that are always missing features... I haven't see a laptop that I'd be excited about owning in many years... every time I see a 'good one' its always missing a LOT of things I want... heck cant even get an rj45 port anymore on most of them... yea have fun programming that server with your laptop - and a usb adapter sticking out and over the edge of the tiny table its precariously perched on... (gonna fall off when you bump it for sure now lol)

I've owned mini pc's like that; though I think my favorite was the old 12 inch dell XPS m1210... circa windows XP it had a 3g cell chip - dedicated graphics to play almost any game (on medium settings *part of a series of nvidia chips notorious for overheating and failing.. I've fixed mine 3x at least over the years) - it had a crazy amount of inputs/outputs - a dvd drive - camera that could swivel at different angles different from the monitor - bluetooth - you name it.. if the technology existed back then it was in this tiny machine... packed tight full of awesome tech... I still have 2 that I use randomly for light use aorund the house
[General Questions and Answers] Blombardo:
Good idea; but I really really really NEED a normal phone - that I can use daily - that doesnt annoy me non stop every time I touch it... Really sick of carrying 3 phones around...

I own a couple older toughbooks... I've bought various cool things over the years... they just have such a crazy asking price... I generally buy things THAT expensive -- broken - and fix it myself to save a buck.. or a few thousand;lol

Getac? never heard of them. Thanks for the tip. looking them up now;

Thats a couple suggestions of companies I've never heard of.. WAY TO GO; thats what I'm talking about! lol
[General Questions and Answers] Blombardo:
Nice to see a company filling the niche' category... I have customers worried about being spied on and those Librem phones may be a good suggestion for them.

Unfortunately for me -- I get 1099'd from a few hundred companies a year - a lot of them use proprietary android (sometimes ios) software that is required to interface with their devices... I couldn't risk using a linux offshoot with an android emulator and hope that it would work when my livelyhood is on the line... if it was a personal phone using standard common google apps; and the occasional game that millions of others play that MIGHT the emulator .. maybe...

I can't see paying an extra 800.00 just for properly sourced stuff from the USA.. personally I'm not worried about being spied on; lol

Cool phone though; I've got them noted down to learn more about later.

Thanks.
[General Questions and Answers] GeTex:
Google tried the modular phone idea already and scrapped it, there a few issues surrounding it, mostly components aren't typically the same size since as time goes on, electrical requirements change, you could make a phone like this but like my joke about the brick phone, it truly would be the size of an 80's satellite phone

Project Ara - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

On the note of the IMEI, it's considered an electronic serial that is specific to the device hardware, since this is what the phone gets it's IMS profile from. Legally only the manufacturer and any legally authorized agents(repair shops, refurbishes) may touch the IMEI. None of the boards are sold to the public with a blank IMEI, they are all sold pre written, specialized tooling from qualcomm for example is needed to change this. In theory if your device failed and you did a low level chip repair that had a blank since its just the raw chip, you could imprint your old one, granted you are supposed to destroy the old chip to verify it cannot exist 2 at once. For legal reasons of this forum i cannot describe this any further but as a ex repair tech for a unnamed repair chain authorized by samsung, i've seen when it's done since legally they can do that, according the the law itself

(18 U.S. Code § 1029)

I suggested the laptops to help in aid of your quest to finding a better balance and solution, since the toughbooks and Getac stuff typically still have RS232 ports for example, my CF-19 MK8 is rather newish, has a 4G lte radio, 1 RS232, a VGA, RJ11, RJ45, 2 USB, a Mic and Headphone port, GPS. stuff like the CF31 can be even better with i/o ports
[General Questions and Answers] anant jain:
I am really confused between these phone and was hoping you guys can help me out.I cannot wait as my s9+ is broken.

I saw a lot of reviews and it seems 8 is better than the 8t even tho the other one gets better hardware but a lot of bugs.7t pro is a good phone too, software wise sorted too but that popup camera is holding me back as i hope to use this phone for 3 years and have seen popup cam go bad on 2 phones in 1.5 years.

8 is an obvious choice then but really confused bout the cameras,if you can shed some light on it that would be great.

Would really appreciate if you could help me out here
[General Questions and Answers] Fytdyh:
Ultron 8 has a very good camera. Ultron 8t has almost the same camera, only a few differences. also, check this thread, maybe will help you really choose ultron 8

OnePlus 8T vs OnePlus 8: what's changed with the new OnePlus phone?

What do you get with a T?

www.google.com
[General Questions and Answers] Indra sweet heart:
Yes
[General Questions and Answers] shampow:
Hello, I have a rather small budget (~$250-300) and what I'm looking is:

Headphone jack, easy BL unlocking and active ROM developing.

Any ideas? can be a 2019 2020 model too I guess.
[General Questions and Answers] NegativeImage:
Currently have a Samsung note 9. Im on first net, a division of at&t.

I want a new phone that I can root, degoogle and defacebook. I dont want a screen any smaller than what I have. I would actually probably even like going up to a 7" screen.

Must have USB c connections, removable SD card that doesn't format itself every time you drop your phone, a >good< camera, headphone jack

I play a handful of games, mostly idle stuff.

Thoughts? Recommendations? Oh, and under $1k US
[General Questions and Answers] amartsg852:
My current phone is realme 1 ^GB/128 GB + 128 GB microsd -- 4*A72+ 4*A53-- 3950 mAH

My last phone was Samsung Galaxy note 3--:sneaky: used until it died then used it as a zombie

I do heavy multitasking on my phone and use is for my profession. I receive around 40 calls/day + play RPG -- never FPS. We have very poor and erratic internet in my area -- from peak time (6pm to 9pm ) you cannot load any site except you tube. youtube also will not play video at any resolution.

requirements in a new phone

4 BIG cores+

8 GB RAM+

256 GB Storage + Micro SD card OR 512 GB storage+

3.5 mm jack+ or a phone below 100$

5000mAH battery or better

Budget 600$ (INR 40000)

USB -C charging. 10 W is good enough

Region India

Need to buy now because my charging port and battery is going.
[General Questions and Answers] JamesCaywood:
Hmm weird I heard before it would never have root lmfao probably bc its so old now 💀

What would be the best like updated phone to get to root for Verizon ? Like that is maybe a year old or less
[General Questions and Answers] kksent:
Phone for my girlfriend - Budget 150$ - Currently she is using Samsung J3.

So i really want to find something decent for about 150$-200(maxx) for her but i don't know what to choose. She has too little storage what makes her crying (16gb) and sometimes she complains about picture quality.

What the phone needs:

Storage atleast 32gb

SD card slot?

Headphone jack

3gb+ ram

5'' (mightbe slightly more but her hands are tiny)

Not 2nd hand (prefer atleast sort of warranty for her)

I am out of the loop for current phone standards. I am using Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and i am satisfied despite the fact that my internal speaker stopped working after 2 years and can't make calls properly - I would recommend her somekind of Xiaomi but maybe my bad experience should make me change my mind..?

What would you recommend? I guess having android 10+ is difficult but would like to hear your thoughts :D
[General Questions and Answers] Raiz:
Oooh I see, Verizon locks bootloaders too, so if you ever buy a new phone I strongly recommend an unlocked phone. Pixel in terms of updates are the best because they get updated first. And they're also a breeze to root. There's also a good community behind it, the phone isn't gigantic so to me the google pixel 5 would be a match
[General Questions and Answers] nihitthakkar:
Today, mobile phones are essential part of our life and to buy one is a very complicated part as there are many options in the market.

Its totally up to the individual person to select the phone for purchase. It is because everyone has different interest and needs.

Purchase the phone that fulfill you needs.
[General Questions and Answers] iXaidyiu:
I have been quite out of the loop of software updating and reviews for phones for now and my now Galaxy S10 has served me for about two years now and the battery really have shrinked a lot and often would die or overheat easily within daytime.

I am now considering moving on to either the Sony Xperia 1 II which I can get my hands on with only around $750 in local stores or the S21 for $650 and $750 respectively on the 8+256GB config for non-plus and plus version locally.

Having said that my question, or drawback, for both sides of the coin is that there is a downgrade in resolution if I go for the S21(+) and possibly lack of a font changer on 1 II, last generation chipset and also possibly a short software support life given the state of Sony is in now.

To be honest I don't think 865 and 888 would be made much of a difference to me and I think the form factor and the look of the Mk.II is really much better than S21. But the lack of font changer (which means stuck with the ugly Roboto) and software support also are very important to me.

Which should I choose or maybe even some of my view made was wrong?
[General Questions and Answers] JamesCaywood:
Alright does it play games good ? I play phone games alot lol
[General Questions and Answers] galaxys:
Agree with OnePlus which can handle gaming, but not sure about Verizon selling it...
[General Questions and Answers] Raiz:
Yeah Oneplus phones (I got the 8) runs games flawlessly
[General Questions and Answers] iPuhhh:
Currently I have a honor view 10 for 3 years.

Now I want to buy a new phone for 2-3 years.

I would like a phone up to 750$ with an excellent camera (i'm interested in both photos and videos),

good battery life (to last for the whole day, if there is more, it's great),

120 hertz, bright screen with good resolution,

with good hardware (sometimes I like to play games) and software

Currently I choose between

OnePlus 8 Pro

Xiaomi Mi 11

Galaxy S20 FE

Can anyone recommend something and share their experience of use.

Thanks.
[General Questions and Answers] badlydrawnface:
I want to buy an unlocked phone within the 150-200 dollar range that is compatible with lineageos and works with cdma carriers like verizon.
[General Questions and Answers] Tsukazu:
Hey, I want to buy 2 phones (1 for me and other for my girldfriend but we share the same requisites so here it goes)

Budget 1000 euros

Main attributes:

- Autonomy (long life battery under use for many many hours) - we dont play games

- Very good camera (I love to take pictures so we want a top camera)

- Speed (a smartphone that we can rely on in 2/4 years)

We have always been using Samsung and we would like to avoid iPhone honestly. I have mac at home for work but I dont want to take advantage of the mac ecosystem because I dont like it at all.

Being very biased the best option I see is the Samsung S21 Ultra 5G since I have discount that I can apply to buy the 256GB model at 950 euros.

Given that what do you think?

The other options I have on the table are:

S20 Note Ultra 5G

S20 FE 5G

OnePlus 9 Pro

Note: I have a Samsung A70 and she has a Galaxy S7.
[General Questions and Answers] DeirdreRoberts:
What can you say about the last iPhone?
[General Questions and Answers] quintapole:
Hey, I am looking to buy an android smartphone for about 200 to 300 Euros (Germany) but the main requirement I have is that it has a LED notification light. I also want to avoid Chinese brands because I am unsure about the Google Play Store situation.
[General Questions and Answers] DubbaThony:
Hi all,

My OnePlus 5 (non-T) is getting dated and Im looking into replacements... You could argue it's good enough but chip is not keeping up anymore that well, screen has multiple burnins, I should replace battery and audiojack as that got mildly used up.. I dont think patching it up is worthwhile, so...

Im looking into mission impossible.. Im trying to find old-style new-age phone if that makes sense, let me write down what do I have in mind:

What do I need:

screen - must be AMOLED, 5.7 or bigger, some reasonable resolution if any 90hz+ exists thats sweet bonus (but not strictly speaking a need)

chipset - Im aiming high-end - snapdragons - 865 to 888 or so. Prefered snapdragon over anything.

ram - at least 6 gigs, but preferably more

hard no-go for punchholes / notches

battery must suffice for heavy daily use

internal storage 64 should be enough

Not LG - I had few and at one point or another and each of them was pain in the back in some way.

Stuff that many care about but I literally couldnt care less:

cameras - I dont care, can be even desoldered, zero-argument for me, just signal Im dropping cash into drain (have to pay for that)

screen/body ratio, weight, etc - As long as weight is sub half kilo Im good.

thickness etc. -As long as it's not literall brick that wont fit my pocket Im good (as far as I am concerned 2 sandwitched spica-s are a-OK. No, really. I even appriciate heft of phone but thats just me)

All that is fine and good and easy to find what I would want.. but than goes my requirements that are much harder to hit and for life of me I cant find phone for me with them.. And all of them are basically must-haves:

1. Audio jack. lack of it is strong blocker. usb - audiojack is dirty workaround that I will hate but if Im left with just that... what can I do... Thats actually reason I ask here..

2. No weird stuff like Knox - let me swap my ROM w/o warranty loss. AFAIK only OnePlus and Xiaomi are OK on that territory.

3. Availability of custom stuff - I mean not obscure phone that I wont find proper ROM for. (magisk, xposed, root are must-haves for my daily driving with clear SafetyNet)

Also there is nice to have but I really doubt I can find anything from this day and age that can do this..

virtual or physical buttons (like my oneplus 5 for example). Physical > Virtual > software

TL;DR

Im looking for high end (or top-of-the-line) phone WITH audiojack, and not hostile against rooting / modding manufacturer (warranty) that isn't LG