54
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) by SharpieThunderflare@lemmy.ca to c/android@lemdro.id

Hey folks, looking at getting a new phone. My current one is a Pixel 3a XL. Love the phone but it's starting to show its age and most importantly, has not had a security update for a long time.

My priorities:

  • Long software support. I want to get as long as possible out of this next one.

  • Decent cameras. Mainly for landscape shots when hiking or whatever. The astrophotography mode on my pixel is also pretty neat and is like to have that option.

  • Price. Ideally I don't want to spend much over $600 US. I'm fine getting a return or even used in hood condition phone off eBay, but I can't stomach paying over $1000 for a phone.

  • I'm interested in running a custom ROM. Graphene, Lineage, /e/is, anything. Not a deal breaker if I can't.

  • Finally, probably the hardest one to find with am of the above; a headphone jack. I greatly value the ability to plug into any car, speaker system, etc without dongles or bluetooth (ew).

My candidates so far:

  • Asus Zenfone 11: Meets most of my desires except Asus software support is reportedly awful, and of promise feature updates for 2 years and security updates for 4. Being a year old already that greatly reduces an already short window. Also probably has a locked bootloader and limited support with ROMs. Has a headphone jack and a decent set of cameras, and I've seen refurbs on eBay for $600.

  • Pixel 9(pro?) Has everything I want (updates, cameras, grapheneos, price is ok) except no headphone jack. Might be able to DIY a case with an adapter built in so I can charge and use the jack at the same time? If anyone has experience with that I'm super interested in hearing about it. Have a 3d printer.

I know some of the budget Samsung phones have jacks, and the Moto G power, but I'm leery of getting something too budget when I want to use it for years to come.

I've seen Sony phones mentioned. Very expensive. How's the software on those? Cameras good?

Anyways, thanks for you're time if you read this. Going to be doing more reading. Really wish Asus had better software policies, otherwise that would be an easy pick.

Edit: Thanks for the thoughts, folks! I'm leaning heavily towards getting a newer pixel, either the 9a or 9 pro XL (refurbished). Probably will wait until after this year's is announced for any price drops or whatever.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] smeg@feddit.uk 3 points 16 hours ago

Lots of people only have a phone and still want to play games

this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2025
54 points (96.6% liked)

Android

20012 readers
239 users here now

The new home of /r/Android on Lemmy and the Fediverse!

Android news, reviews, tips, and discussions about rooting, tutorials, and apps.

🔗Universal Link: !android@lemdro.id


💡Content Philosophy:

Content which benefits the community (news, rumours, and discussions) is generally allowed and is valued over content which benefits only the individual (technical questions, help buying/selling, rants, self-promotion, etc.) which will be removed if it's in violation of the rules.


Support, technical, or app related questions belong in: !askandroid@lemdro.id

For fresh communities, lemmy apps, and instance updates: !lemdroid@lemdro.id

💬Matrix Chat

💬Telegram channels / chats

📰Our communities below


Rules

  1. Stay on topic: All posts should be related to the Android OS or ecosystem.

  2. No support questions, recommendation requests, rants, or bug reports: Posts must benefit the community rather than the individual. Please post to !askandroid@lemdro.id.

  3. Describe images/videos, no memes: Please include a text description when sharing images or videos. Post memes to !androidmemes@lemdro.id.

  4. No self-promotion spam: Active community members can post their apps if they answer any questions in the comments. Please do not post links to your own website, YouTube, blog content, or communities.

  5. No reposts or rehosted content: Share only the original source of an article, unless it's not available in English or requires logging in (like Twitter). Avoid reposting the same topic from other sources.

  6. No editorializing titles: You can add the author or website's name if helpful, but keep article titles unchanged.

  7. No piracy or unverified APKs: Do not share links or direct people to pirated content or unverified APKs, which may contain malicious code.

  8. No unauthorized polls, bots, or giveaways: Do not create polls, use bots, or organize giveaways without first contacting mods for approval.

  9. No offensive or low-effort content: Don't post offensive or unhelpful content. Keep it civil and friendly!

  10. No affiliate links: Posting affiliate links is not allowed.

Quick Links

Our Communities

Lemmy App List

Chat and More


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS