Same here, but this is my third go-round. I started with a pixel 3, moved to a pixel 6 pro, and now have a pixel 9 pro. Such a great OS! I love that it give you the option to run sandboxed play services. You can be completely de-googled, or can run sandboxed play services if you have to as a necessary evil, but keep them from hoovering up everything else outside of the specific app you need it for. Kind of ironic that it runs on google hardware. Kind of like the Ukrainians capturing Russian tanks and redeploying them against Russia.

I don't agree. While you may give google some upfront money for hardware, when buying new. Installing a degoogled OS effectively removes that device from their claws. Since their revenue from hardware sales is much less than their real business which is data gathering/surveilance capitalism and advertisement network. In one year your data generates them roughly the amount of the retail price of a smartphone. So even buying a pixel to remove google, makes a dent on them.

Their hardware is atleast more secure and allows unlocking. Which is worth paying for and none other manufacturer even considers. That's the only reason GOS is pixel only. And the reason I would give google some slack. Just a tiny bit of slack.

I mean, in terms of Android phones that the average person (not average Lemmy user) would have access to, it's Google, Samsung, or Motorola. None of those options are particularly spectacular choices, and all give money to a faceless mega corp in the end.

Tho I do miss my Motorola Z2 from back in the day. The attachments were a really cool gimmick, and I used that phone until the bootloader decided to kill itself one day

Aye. This was my first and last pixel. But at least i don't have to throw it away as long as its working. But no options for graphene. Pixels are literally the only androids left that you can actually own and they make it easy.

Hey google, take some mo' my money to.... Degoogle

Not a single GOS pump you can say to me to willingly hand over a single dollar to google. Instant compromise of values