Ask HN: Are there any viable Android phones for a power user to buy nowadays?

Posted by gooob 1 day ago

i have a pixel 4, and it looks like i might be stuck with this phone forever if things keep going in the same direction (hopefully they don't). the pixel 4 isn't bad, but even on this i don't have the level of customization that i had back in the day with cyanogenmod etc. on my note 3 or epic 4g touch.

here are some requirements that i can think of:

    - not huge. small enough to use with 1 hand

    - able to root and install custom OS without too much difficulty/annoyance (the manufacturer doesn't actively try to stop you from modifying your own device)
    
    - able to use mint mobile

    - has a trackball (like the htc hero, that thing was fuckin awesome)

    - possibly some hardware buttons

Comments

Comment by d3Xt3r 9 hours ago

I reckon your best bet would be the Unihertz Jelly Star[1] - it has a 3" screen, which is comparable to your old HTC Hero (3.2"), and you can run a LineageOS GSI on it. Oh, and it has a programmable hardware button, 3.5mm jack and a frikking INFRARED PORT to control TVs etc!

Sadly no trackball, but no modern phone has one anymore.

[1] https://www.unihertz.com/products/jelly-star

Comment by antinomicus 11 hours ago

On the trackball requirement alone you’re SOL haha. Confusing request, given that pixel 4 doesn’t have one. I think you’d have to go way back to the nexus one for a trackball. I miss those days.

Comment by mikewarot 9 hours ago

I've got a Motorola Power G 2024, the cheapest unlocked phone I could get. You can root it, and I use it with Mint Mobile. I've got a VAX/VMS 11/780 that I can run inside it thanks to SimH and Termux. It's not a "power user" phone, per se, but it's amazing what $200 will get you these days.

Comment by satvikpendem 17 hours ago

If those are your "requirements", especially the last two, then no, no phone would work for you. For the first three, you might look into a Fairphone or one that can run GrapheneOS, perhaps the newest Pixel.