What is a good non-Apple phone to get?

Yeah, so my phone is pretty much breaking and I need a new one. My mom convinced me to upgrade from my iPhone 8 to an iPhone 15 because we got a really steep discount, but goddamn I fucking hate this phone. I’m still using my iPhone 8 just because I really can’t stand the 15 at all, and the 8 was already a downgrade from the phone I had had before.

Well, I’ve wanted to get out of the Apple ecosystem for years and I think now might be the time. I feel okay about it since I really did get this iPhone 15 at a really nice discount so it’s not the hardest loss (also I’m pretty sure I can still return it, but even if not). But I know nothing about non-Apple phones. Is it possible to get a Xiaomi phone in the USA? Does Samsung still have issues with their phones exploding? Any insight is appreciated.

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You could try Google pixel with a custom rom.
- As much as I loath Google, this has been my MO since forever. Google's branded phones were originally targeted at developers, allowing you to unlock the boot loader and flash different versions of the OS for compatibility testing. This includes the ability to install third party firmware like LineageOS (among others) which strips out a lot of the proprietary Google shit but maintains compatibility with most Android applications. They started marketing them directly to consumers when they rebranded from Nexus to Pixel, but it still serves the same role in the application development ecosystem and the bootloader can still be unlocked trivially. On other phones, this process varies from trivial to practically impossible. Most phones distributed by the carrier will be locked down to some degree.
  Whichever phone you choose, I recommend checking the LineageOS compatibility status and reviewing the instructions before purchasing.
- Yeah, any of the latest gen Pixel phones with GrapheneOS or LineageOS should be good for not being spied on by any corpos by default.
- Do any of those support expanded storage with an SD card?
  
  not since the nexus one in 2010. Your data belongs on their servers, not local storage

I've been using Google Pixels with GrapheneOS ever since the first Pixel and never regretted it. Does mean you need to buy Google stuff but:
a. you can buy it second-hand
b. not any worse than Apple
If you really want to avoid giving big tech companies your money and don't want to buy a Pixel second-hand for whatever reason, the FairPhone might appeal to you. You can install degoogled OSes on it too, so you're not locked to stock Android.

If you're looking at Xiaomi anyway, look at getting a OnePlus. The 13 just came out, but the 12 and 12r are very good phones.
The 12 has all the US WiFi bands, I'm not sure about the rest. Its the best phone I've ever owned. The 12r has significantly more custom ROM support.
They sell them direct to US markets through their website.
But thats the main issue with importing a Chinese version of those phones or importing a Xiaomi is that your signal will be terrible when everyone else is fine. Then some carriers may have trouble activating the phone for you.
I really don't recommend buying a phone without US carrier support or WiFi bands to save yourself a lot of trouble.
The main problem with Google is their phones are objectively worse hardware wise to just about every other brand at the same price, whereas their cameras are really good and they lean hard into AI software and are very custom ROM friendly.
Samsung doesnt explode anymore but has frequent camera issues (look for Banana gate) and is very locked down. They have excellent hardware and their expensive phones lean into the stylus.
- banana gate is much less funnier than it sounds. It's just a weird banana shaped blur.
  I thought it would be related to how their software will accidentally add fake enhancements to moon-like objects, except it now makes every banana look like SpongeBob hentai.
- I was with you at first when you mentioned OnePlus until you started recommending against Chinese phones in general for some reason
  But thats the main issue with importing a Chinese version of those phones or importing a Xiaomi is that your signal will be terrible when everyone else is fine.
  I have a OnePlus 11 5G and my signal is fine. Admittedly, I had to contact my MVNO carrier directly to find out what APN to enter in order for data to work properly, but that is specific to the MVNO, not my phone.
  Then some carriers may have trouble activating the phone for you.
  It sounds like you've bad a bad experience. Carriers that require you to activate your phone are unnecessarily giving you extra hurtles, and this issue is generally limited to big carriers whose users don't know about MVNOs/don't know any better., Any respectable carrier will let you just insert your SIM card, maybe input an APN, and call it a day.
  I really don't recommend buying a phone without US carrier support or WiFi bands to save yourself a lot of trouble.
  My OnePlus 11 5G reception and Wi-Fi support are excellent, and I really don't recommend counting out all Chinese phones because you, personally, weren't able to get them working
  The main problem with Google is their phones are objectively worse hardware wise to just about every other brand at the same price
  Agreed, Google's hardware is subpar, but that is a Google-specific problem. OnePlus cameras are better than iPhone cameras.
  
  I wasn't recommending against Chinese phones at all. And I made the mistake of assuming OP/anyone reading was in the US, when they might be from Europe or elsewhere where the phones work fine.
  But you can find a lot of other people experiencing poor reception issues with imported phones. It isn't just me.
  I said I have a OnePlus 12 and its great. But it has full band support because OnePlus makes domestic versions of phones in other markets.
- Damn thanks for this answer. Yeah I really really want to go with Xiaomi, but that was my worry, that it’d be difficult to get working in the US. I’ve been researching people who have been able to use it in the us, but being that I sort of just need a phone at this point since this one is pretty much dead, I don’t really have the time to figure all that out.
  Unfortunately I think I am in the end going to stay with Apple. One of my main issues with the 15 was that I found the screen very difficult to look at, even with low brightness. After poking around online it seems there are other people who have this issue, and it seems to have something to do with an OLED screen vs the lcd screen I have now. Apple does still have phones with an lcd screen (the se) so I think I’m just going to do with that.
  However oneplus is also recommended for people with issues with OLED so I think right now I’m just going to stay in the Apple ecosystem, and then just try to be proactive about keeping my tech updated next time so I’m not trying to replace my phone when it’s pretty much broken, and probably go with oneplus. I’d prefer a Chinese phone anyway. Staying with Apple rn is just easier for my situation though.

13 comments