I'm not one of those people who can just buy a phone and use it. I have to unlock it, flash it, de-google it and customize it before first use. I don't changes phones often, but my 2019 phone is slowly dying.

Here's my whole new setup with a Sony Xperia 1 V:

https://battlepenguin.com/tech/...

I still own Samsung Galaxy S III.

Apart from having to purchase a new battery roughly every 1.5 year due to bloating, the phone works just fine.

If you de-google, can you use google maps? That is the one app I need.

@Demolishun You can use Lineage+microG (or any other ROM that supports microG) and Google Maps will work.

I just use Google Maps in Mull (Firefox mobile fork) when I need it. Maps will even prompt you to add a shortcut to your homescreen to open the web version. It works well enough for me, but your mileage may vary.

HERE maps and OSMAnd~ do work without Google services.

@D-4got10-01 oh man, I had a Samsung Galaxy S I used for a while. It's in my big list of every phone I've ever had:

https://battlepenguin.com/tech/...

@djsumdog Damn.

A piece of history right there.

I think I might've had access to the phone at work ages ago.

The humble beginnings of the Android phones.

They've come a long way.

I’m a Apple fanboy 🤡

Oooeeh, I leave the smth important as a phone alone from my shenanigans. That think must just work! Phones are so amazing these days. They really do last years! I think way longer than the producers actually like :P My phone isn't only quite old, it's also blazing fast. But, for my ten year old laptop the same. We're on a point that the basic stuff just can't go faster and devices keep working.

Btw, my phones should have now better camera's and stuff than my old lumia had. But in reality, if you watch the video's. I actually never saw a phone with lumia quality, not even in the dark. I have no idea how camera specs work but the lumia one is like a professional film camera. I only believe that a phone is better if i saw it in real life.

The problem is it's no longer an option not to use the fuckin spyware apps like linkedin, google and facebook crap because you need what'sapp to chat and google maps is still the best maps software.

I use youtube vanced to say goodbye to ads and all sponsorhship poopoo and custom ROMs more of a way to extend my phone's lifecycle.

last time i've unlocked bootloader for Xperia, it deleted the DRM keys for photo processing bcs i was too inexperienced to do a DRM backup first :X

also "adb shell pm uninstall --user 0" ftw. makes a living with stock bearable as you can disable most of the bloat