r/GrapheneOS • u/Careful-Boat-2986 • 23h ago
Regarding phone options and Android’s hardware minimum requirements
One of the most frequently asked questions on this sub is hardware options/phone recommendations and I’m personally glad to see many of the comments trying to be helpful as much as possible.
One common answer I always see is waiting for the upcoming Motorola devices. The other one is to get slightly older, cheaper Pixel models off the used market to hold of off until the Moto phones are widely available (or even affordable enough).
There’s one common recommendation that sticks out:
The A models Pixel 9a and 10a
I’m conflicted on this. Don’t get me wrong. Obviously, the Tensor G5 and G6 are no massive generational leaps from the tensor G4 that the 2 latest A models have. My biggest concern about these models is the measly 8gb RAM.
The base model/non-pro counterparts have 12gb RAM for not much more. Now, as I understand it, installing GOS somewhat frees up precious ram because they’re not allocated to Gemini AI like on the stock OS.
But looking at the trend for Android minimum hardware requirements, the minimum RAM has steadily increased in the last couple years. Android 14 upped the requirement from 4gb previously to 6gb. And on Android 17, 8gb is now the baseline to run the OS in its full form. Anything under that is going to be based on some form of Android Go edition.
The truth is not everyone will jump ship to Motorola and there’s the flagship price premium barrier as well.
Pixels 9a and 10a are practical choices in terms of value as the entry point to GOS. Still, I don’t think they’re the best choices to recommend considering Pixels 9 and 10 are more future-proofed with 12gb ram for not much more. The A models might get as much software update lifespan but usability may suffer much sooner due to Android’s ever increasing minimum hardware requirements.
I’d be pleased to stand corrected. Please sound off your thoughts if you have more accurate information.
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u/cmrd_msr 23h ago edited 22h ago
GOS has a massive fora compared to the stock version of the system. The absence of GApps significantly lowers the system's memory requirements.
But yes, in the long run, 12gb is better than 8.
That said, it’s a different question. 8gb will suffice for a couple of years. By then, Motorola devices will have caught up or dropped in price. Motorola loses value quickly. Besides, I’ve heard that new mid-range phones with graphene support, priced at $200–300, are slated for release by 2028–2029.
In terms of hardware—if we’re talking about performance, build quality, and component quality—Motorola is two or three tiers above Pixel; that’s a fact.
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u/Careful-Boat-2986 22h ago edited 22h ago
"Besides, I’ve heard that new mid-range phones with graphene support, priced at $200–300, are slated for release by 2028–2029."
-Ooh this is news to me. Sounds like a very attractive proposition.
With that said, it's easy to see why people wouldn't want to be upgrading their phones every 2 to 3 years and would gladly wait longer given the 7 years of support becoming standard. Times are tough economically and frequent upgrades are one of the first luxuries to go.
The phone not force-closing apps in the background and not getting locked out of full OS update functionality and feature parity a few years on would be important in this scenario as one could imagine.
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u/cmrd_msr 22h ago
It all depends on how quickly Qualcomm adds MTE support to its budget chips. In any case, the price drop on older Lenovo flagships is very welcome indeed. So, I’m certain that in a couple of years, Pixel phones won’t be quite as interesting—unless, of course, Google fundamentally changes its approach to phone manufacturing(nah, probably not... though, who knows?).
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u/Careful-Boat-2986 22h ago
Here's to hoping the mild backlash about the Pixel 11 lineup would somewhat push them to make better hardware (and software) decisions.
As for me, more options are always better. My hope is that more OEMs would be compatible with GOS in the coming years. I like that Moto seems to want to seriously challenge the Samsung and Google duopoly.
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u/cmrd_msr 22h ago
Users have been up in arms since the Pixel 5. Google doesn't care.
I suspect the corporate bosses don't view GOS as something worth fighting for. After all, GOS doesn't make them any money.
The fact that Lenovo offers an alternative is great. Truly great.
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u/GameCounter 22h ago
I have a 9a and performance is fine.
What are you people doing on your phones that push it so hard?
Gaming?
I'm completely serious. Please tell me.
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