[Request] Cell Phone that isn't a scam

Submitted by chevron-preplan-29 t3_yyudid in BuyItForLife

I am looking for some very cheap smart phone, running Android, that isn't a scam. Not being a scam in this case means that the phone is built to last. Of course, some parts of a phone — such as the battery ­and charging port — can't last due to chemical and mechanical wear respectively, so these parts are simply easily replaceable in a non-scam phone. There is also the concern of software being no longer updated, so a non-scam phone has robust third party options for software, such as lineageos or grapheneos. A non-scam phone is also upgradeable, so I can, for example, buy a new 5G modem and maybe antenna to add 5G support to my existing phone without wasting money on a whole new phone if I am happy with the existing feature set. Lastly, a non-scam phone makes no attempt to restrict what code I run on my phone, violating fundamental ownership rights. This means that anything that has to run IOS is out as one can't easily run apps that Apple finds unprofitable on such a phone, and some corporation's profit margin has absolutely no business determining what I run on my phone that I paid for and own.

Every single phone that I have had has had numerous issues within only a few years of buying it. I am only okay with spending money once I have a phone if there's a new feature that I want, and even then it must be the minimum that is technologically possible. For example, I'd have been okay with buying a 5G modem and/or antenna to swap into an existing phone when 5G came out, but I don't want to constantly be buying a new phone. I am sick and fucking tired of it, in fact. I don't want to pay for a new phone regularly. I don't want to pay for costly repairs regularly. I don't want to deal with restricted OEM parts. I don't want to have to fight with customer support people and contact a god damn lawyer to get a faulty repair (that I was forced into not doing myself because of parts availability restrictions!) made right. I just want to buy a phone, then have a phone, not have a phone subscription.

Which phone should I buy to be done with the scams, and be the last phone that I buy?

I'd get the Fairphone, but unfortunately I live in the backwards hypercapitalist shithole that is the United States so it's not available and even if I managed to get it it doesn't properly work on US carriers. If there's some third party modem or something that can make it work on US carriers though, then that'd be a strong option.

0

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

BoilerButtSlut t1_iwwq2k7 wrote

>cheap

>Lasts a lifetime

Yeah, good luck with that.

You can get phones that last a long time but they certainly are not cheap.

The upgradability idea you have for radios is not possible. That is a limitation because of how sensitive modern radios are. You have to certify with identical environments and surroundings.

17

BornAgainSpecial t1_ix4ehf9 wrote

Why would a phone that lasts a long time not be cheap?

Why would I need a modern radio that has been "certified"?

The OP is asking for normal things that people want, not this bizarre stuff.

0

BoilerButtSlut t1_ix5uk6w wrote

A smartphone that lasts a long time is not going to be cheap. It costs more to make something more durable.

My response was about "swapping antennas" to upgrade to 5g. Cellular radios don't work like that. That's not possible. There are a variety of technical and regulatory hurdles that prevent that from working.

2

chevron-preplan-29 OP t1_iwx4kve wrote

I'd pay quite a lot, as much as some of those absurdly priced flagships go for, if I had some sort of legally enforceable guarantee that I won't need to ever buy another due to breakage, like a contract with a very solvent company for a lifetime warranty. I say cheap since I doubt that I'm going to get anything resembling not a scam, so I'd rather minimize the damage.

−5

DavetheHick t1_iwwftsg wrote

>> Can't find what you want.

>> Hypercapitalist hellhole.

Well... bye.

12

chevron-preplan-29 OP t1_iwwgd46 wrote

Yes, products being made only if they're profitable is a huge problem with how we organize our economy. Perhaps it would be better overall if we had some unprofitable products, but noooooope some billionaire's bottom line is more important! Sounds like a hypercapitalist shithole to me. If it was just this one issue then whatever, but it's time and time again in every part of my life I am forced to organize my life around some billionaire's, or if I'm lucky millionaire's, bottom line. Fuck that shit.

−11

mildOrWILD65 t1_iwwidsu wrote

So, imagine asking a question similar to this, 15 years ago, and getting a phone that matched your requirements.

Would you still be satisfied with the capabilities of such a phone?

Some things, by definition, cannot be BIFL because technology changes so much, at least in our experience. Computers are another good example.

11

chevron-preplan-29 OP t1_iwwmlml wrote

Sure, perhaps I might not be. But, I'm totally fine with buying new products if they genuinely are better. What I have a problem with is being forced into buying new products regularly when I am happy with the older technology. A 15 year old phone is too old, but a 5 or 10 year old phone perhaps isn't. I just want to watch videos, browse social media, make phone calls, and send/receive text messages. I don't care about the aesthetics, it being thin, having a fancy camera, etc. I don't need the latest and greatest to do any of the things that I actually care about. If I get a phone that matches my requirements, and then 15 years from now some advancements take place and I want a new phone while my old one still works perfectly, I'll do that and have no problem with it.

To give a concrete example of this working properly, I have some 25 year old computers sitting in my basement that still work as well as they did the day I bought them (mostly, a few easily swappable consumables like mechanical drives are bad). I could probably even install Linux on them to make them secure, but I still daily drive a modern computer from like 2019 or so. Given that it's a desktop that I can build myself due to better availability of modular parts, it hasn't fallen apart or suffered any such problems, so I am free to keep it for as long as it does what I need or want. Eventually, I will upgrade in some way, but it's my choice, and I don't need a whole new computer since I can just upgrade the specific parts that need it.

−2

ActualYogurtcloset55 t1_iwwqt57 wrote

Unprofitable products? Generally an unprofitable product is something no one wants.... Similar to the phone you are describing.

4

chevron-preplan-29 OP t1_iwx4h3s wrote

No, an unprofitable product is one where the product doesn't serve to extract the most money from someone else. Who doesn't want a phone that they can buy once and then never buy again? I'd also like a streaming service that just has every show (and even more so than the phone, who wouldn't?!), without that bullshit where you need a musical chairs of services just to watch stuff, but that doesn't exist since it is more profitable for each IP holder to make their own service.

−1

FollowJesus2Live t1_iwzra3j wrote

Go to Cuba or north Korea. See how many great products they're producing

3

BornAgainSpecial t1_ix4evsd wrote

No, he can stay right here in America where our government spends far more per capita than Cuba and North Korea combined.

1

FollowJesus2Live t1_ix4h20w wrote

It's nice when your capitalistic system creates such a massive surplus that you can have Communists dipping into the cookie jar, and STILL maintain 10x better quality of life.

Cuba and NK wish they could blow as much $ as the radical leftist Communists in the American government

2

BornAgainSpecial t1_ix4fooz wrote

New York Times runs at a loss. So does Impossible Burger. When something isn't bound by the market, that's when you start getting the agenda driven stuff. Woke corporatism is what's making people unhappy. It's the lack of capitalism. You're not even legally allowed to buy a car that doesn't costs $1,000 per radar in the bumper for a fender bender.

2

regaphysics t1_iwwomoz wrote

Dunno I’ve experienced the opposite. Pretty much every phone I’ve ever had I replaced because technology grew, not because the hardware failed. Pretty sure my iPhone gen 1 would still be fine if I replaced the battery.

I replace every 4-5 years because the technology has advanced, not because the phone was poorly built.

6

fabian_boesiger t1_iwyf5el wrote

Check out Fairphone. Components including battery can easily be replaced. guaranteed software support for at least 5 years.

4

BornAgainSpecial t1_ix4gl42 wrote

5 years? That's nothing. Is there any phone that doesn't give at least that?

I honestly believe the soy devs need to go to jail for making things artificially slow. What did they change in 5 years that makes it so that when you click an icon on the screen it's no longer instantaneous? The original Windows from 30 years ago could register a click without delay.

1

fabian_boesiger t1_ixeuv9l wrote

Although I agree with your sentiment, I don't think it's directly the fault of the OS devs. As devices get more performant, software frameworks tend to get more bloated. That's not exactly the same as making things artificially slow.

For the web for example, we first had plain HTML -> JavaScript -> JQuery -> React, and in every step, older devices keep having more trouble running things smoothly.

1

Broad_Olive1037 t1_iwz0m8k wrote

I've been using Xiaomi Pocophone F1 128GB since it was released and it was 1/4 of the price of the equivelant Samsung Galaxy or Apple iPhone with similar performance. The only noticeable downgrade from those was the screen and camera. I am not sure what the newer models or prices are but if the Pocophone F1 is to go by then it could last 3-5 years without showing much age. I can't vouch if your data isn't being stolen by the chinese government though :). Lastly, I've been able to install apps like AdGuard with no issue at all so if you want to modify with your own code i don't think that would be a problem. After 4 years of ownership and countless waist high drops, the only recent issue i've had is my charging port can be a little tempremental.

​

Also Quote from the Wiki about the Pocophone F1: "There is a very active software modding community for the Poco F1 and there are a huge variety of aftermarket custom ROMs or operating systems for the end user to install as they wish (after the user unlocks their bootloader)."

2

BornAgainSpecial t1_ix4e130 wrote

Apps that Apple finds unprofitable? They banned Gab when it was the number one seller. They don't care about profits. They care about censorship. This is a socialist system, not a capitalist one, less yet a "hypercapitalist" one.

Otherwise I agree and want the same phone as you.

2

LaserLala t1_iwxlid3 wrote

Have you looked into the Nothing Phone 1?

1

BornAgainSpecial t1_ix4hbyr wrote

I just looked it up and it sounds pretty woke. Why would I want to pay for a "50 MP dual camera"? They couldn't even put it off to the side. They had to put it in the screen. No headphones jack either. Come on.

1