Which modern phone can do encryption and LineageOS/root?

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madduck

51 posts

Master Geek

#237537 6-Jun-2018 14:30

Hey folks,

With the Librem5 still months away, I'm afraid I have to get a new phone to replace my dying Galaxy, which I've been running Google-free, and rooted for years. It's my understanding that the new Galaxys (8 and younger) make it practically impossible to avoid Google, and/or root them without disabling functionality like SSD encryption and the smart-card/secure-enclave functionality.

So I'll need to get a different phone, because I want root, and I absolutely will not get tied up in the Google tangle. There are plenty of older phones out there which run fine with LineageOS, but I'd like to get a modern phone with modern features (i.e. fingerprint, good camera, various sensors, reasonable speed and storage).

Does anyone have any recommendations for phones to get? I'm travelling a lot, so I could procure the phone from anywhere, really.

Thanks,

martin

thewabbit

127 posts

Master Geek

ID Verified

#2030935 6-Jun-2018 15:04

Check the devices on the LOS page: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices

The S9 has a LOS port: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/starlte

Also, if you find a device you like, check out the corresponding XDA forum for that device, often there are a number of other ROMs to try. In sayign that, i'm not 100% sure that using another ROM will remove you from the Google ecosystem.... it's still android after all...

d3Xt3r

688 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#2030985 6-Jun-2018 17:25

I wouldn't recommend recent Galaxy devices due to:

- The "7 day jail" issue
- Permanent voiding of warranty (hardware eFuse is tripped)
- Permanent loss of Samsung features causing a loss in resale value of the device

I had to sell my Note 8 because of the above reasons.

Given your requirements and situation, I would recommend any recent OnePlus device (5 / 5T / 6), and the reasons for that being:

- Rooting does NOT void the warranty
- Easy to unlock the bootloader (fastboot oem unlock)
- No unlock code required, no wait time or "jail" issue
- Easy to restore to full factory (official firmware and instructions hosted on the website)
- Qualcomm SoC is well documented, easy to restore your partitions via engineering mode if you accidentally soft-brick your device
- Excellent compatibility with LineageOS and other AOSP ROMs
- Excellent compatibility with open-source root (Magisk; no bootloop issues unlike Samsung)
- Large number of kernels and mods to choose from
- Decent camera quality via Snapdragon camera on AOSP ROMs
- High-end specs (6-8GB RAM) + very active developer community = device will be relevant for many years, great bang for buck
- Reasonable price for near-flagship specs
- Global LTE bands + Dual-SIM = excellent choice for travellers

madduck

51 posts

Master Geek

#2031289 7-Jun-2018 10:35

d3Xt3r:
Given your requirements and situation, I would recommend any recent OnePlus device (5 / 5T / 6), and the reasons for that being: …

Hey thanks a lot for that. the 1+1 6 has been recommended to me in another channel just now too. I think that's a great lead.

Yabanize

2350 posts

Uber Geek

#2031318 7-Jun-2018 11:01

madduck: Hey folks,

With the Librem5 still months away, I'm afraid I have to get a new phone to replace my dying Galaxy, which I've been running Google-free, and rooted for years. It's my understanding that the new Galaxys (8 and younger) make it practically impossible to avoid Google, and/or root them without disabling functionality like SSD encryption and the smart-card/secure-enclave functionality.

So I'll need to get a different phone, because I want root, and I absolutely will not get tied up in the Google tangle. There are plenty of older phones out there which run fine with LineageOS, but I'd like to get a modern phone with modern features (i.e. fingerprint, good camera, various sensors, reasonable speed and storage).

Does anyone have any recommendations for phones to get? I'm travelling a lot, so I could procure the phone from anywhere, really.

Thanks,

martin

iPhones are free of google :D

madduck

51 posts

Master Geek

#2031325 7-Jun-2018 11:11

Yabanize: iPhones are free of google :D

Yes, and also free from choice :D

I am also surprised by how often and easily they break, and then there's the whole ecosystem (no headphone jack etc.), in addition to the fact that I can't just run apps that Apple hasn't deemed appropriate for us. In some ways, Apple might be better at privacy (who knows…??), but in others, they are worse than all of the lot.

elbrownos

109 posts

Master Geek

#2034118 12-Jun-2018 08:40

I'm running LineageOS with root on a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X.

It cost $190 landed from Aliexpress with 3GB RAM / 16GB ROM, Snapdragon 625, fingerprint reader, reasonable camera.

I can honestly say this phone has never even hiccupped. I would not hesitate to buy another cheap Xiaomi phone.

Having said that, I wouldn't use a Xiaomi if I couldn't replace the OS.

d3Xt3r

688 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#2034830 13-Jun-2018 09:30

elbrownos:

I'm running LineageOS with root on a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X.

It cost $190 landed from Aliexpress with 3GB RAM / 16GB ROM, Snapdragon 625, fingerprint reader, reasonable camera.

I can honestly say this phone has never even hiccupped. I would not hesitate to buy another cheap Xiaomi phone.

Having said that, I wouldn't use a Xiaomi if I couldn't replace the OS.

Unfortunately, for recent models Xiaomi has made it unnecessarily difficult - you have to wait for 360 hours (15 days) before you receive your unlock code. Also, unlocking the device requires running the proprietary, closed-source Xiaomi app on Windows, something Linux folks in particular don't like doing (I guess you could set up an isolated Windows VM just for this, but is it worth all this hassle?).

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elbrownos

109 posts

Master Geek

#2034862 13-Jun-2018 10:17

d3Xt3r:

Unfortunately, for recent models Xiaomi has made it unnecessarily difficult - you have to wait for 360 hours (15 days) before you receive your unlock code. Also, unlocking the device requires running the proprietary, closed-source Xiaomi app on Windows, something Linux folks in particular don't like doing (I guess you could set up an isolated Windows VM just for this, but is it worth all this hassle?).

That's a shame, I was planning on getting another Xiaomi in the future.

The other good thing about Xiaomi phones is they usually have enormous batteries (mine is 4000 mAh).

I did have to use the Xiaomi software to unlock it (I use Linux Mint but have a Windows partition just for things like this) but only had to wait 48 hours, which I thought was bad enough. I guess if you're not in a hurry then the 15 day wait isn't too much of a problem.