MX Linux Forum

A number of years ago, I switched away from Android because it seemed they had a new security issue every single week. I bought a then brand-new iPhone 6s Plus, which I'm still using. However, my phone case has rotted off, my screen now has multiple cracks and my replacement battery is less than 80% capacity. The final nail in its coffin is that Apple will not issue security updates for it starting wiih iOS 16.

What are you guys using for cell phones and why? Do you have a strong preference for something that works well with MX Linux (my only OS)?

Thanks for any advice!

I bought an unlocked Samsung A10e at Staples for about $170.00 CDN and I use it primarily as a phone and sending the odd text. For all the other things it does, I've got computers and a camera that do a better job.

I am using a moto g power (XT2041DL) because it works with me cell phone carrier "Straight Talk" and connects to the head unit in my car. I don't recall how much I paid for it. I didn't set anything up on the phone because of Gagle being more nosy than my mother and I found cell phones work better that way. I didn't even enter any E-mail because Gagle being . I use the phone as a phone and nothing else. I don't text because typing never works correctly and it's hard to see. Nothing else works on it because nosy Gagle wants permission which I will never Gagle any permission because it's none of Gagle's business. I hate cell phones because the touch screens on phones never work properly and I especially hate the Spyware/Malware on it that can't be removed. There is no Pine phone that works with my carrier or any carrier that works in my area otherwise I would get a Pine phone. I use a cell phone because I can't take a regular phone with me and it can't connect to my head unit even though a regular phone actually works properly unlike cell phones. Motorola cell phones seem to work the best. Samsung cell phones don't work in humid climates and their touch screens are the worst. LG cell phones stylus's break and touch screens are horrible without a stylus. As for Apple, I would never buy any Apple products because they are expensive ripoffs and I despise their annoying high pressure advertising.

Never had a 'smart' phone and hopefully never will. Hate the things. For several reasons: privacy/surveillance issues aside, and the poor battery performance, the sheer impracticality of carrying around a brick in my pocket is a major turn-off.

I use a cheap little Nokia I bought some years ago for about $40, great for calls and texts, and I see no reason why I should switch to a dumb phone.

If anyone says something which implies I'm a Luddite I inform/remind them I use Linux on all my computers, and give them a stick-that-in-yer-pipe-and-smoke-it look.

At any rate, if Klaus Schwab and Bill Gates get their way, the surveillance tool disguised as a phone will be obsolete very soon as everyone will be micro-chipped by 2030!

OK. seems like 2 Android phones to 1 Nokia unspecified phone so far. Seems like everybody mistrusts the phone manufacturers and carriers (rightfully so, IMHO) but haven't come up with a way to do completely without them. I've looked, seems like the only 'dumb phone' types available are years-old obsolete candy bar or flip phones that were abandoned on the shelves of warehouses when 'smart phones' became popular. If you've ever attempted to text more than a couple of words on them, you'll understand my distaste for them. The more modern User Interface (UI) that comes with 'smart phones' comes with horrendous battery life compared to 'dumb phones' and exponentially higher cost. Makes me wish someone made a phone with a modern UI, great battery life and is for voice and text only at a reasonable cost. Haven't found one of them yet. Will accept recommendations, though. TIA

Go for the Apple Iphone SE2020 you will be happy.

@AltTabDelete wrote:

Makes me wish someone made a phone with a modern UI, great battery life and is for voice and text only at a reasonable cost. Haven't found one of them yet. Will accept recommendations, though. TIA

That's why I bought the Samsung A10e. It's the economy version without all the bloat. I'm not a heavy user by any means, but I generally go about 2.5 days before I have to recharge it. I had a MOTOe before this one with similar battery life and I only replaced it because the battery finally died. With labour costs factored in it was cheaper to buy a new phone than replace the battery in the old one.

Just a hint - don't buy anything ancient, providers are shutting down 2G and 3G networks.

If you're looking for a retro phone or just a simple smartphone with decent battery life, take a look at Nokia -> https://www.nokia.com/phones/feature-phones
You may also want to check which (other) phones are supported by LineageOS (=degooglified and debloated android)

Samsung S10E. Works with antiX and MX laptops of mine .

last of the 4g by samsung. I still get updates.

I was going to turn my old blackberry which also worked well using my linux laptops. Into a glorified mp3/mp4/.avi/etc player. Hard drive is a SD card that can go real large.
Blackberry is out of business now and My wife bought me toys to handle what I wanted to do with blackberry. Like the Samsung S10E.

So it sits on a shelf.

markol wrote: Sun Jun 12, 2022 12:00 pm Just a hint - don't buy anything ancient, providers are shutting down 2G and 3G networks.

I had to replace my (still working) phone because of this.

the main issue will be, that your provider will shut-down your 2G and 3G networks.
and even your 4G will be gone, in the next few years.

thus, even your old dumb phone, will cease to work, eventually.
& YES .. you can still get an dumb phone, on the new network,
at least at this point in time.

Mauser wrote: Sat Jun 11, 2022 12:21 am ... because of Gagle being more nosy than my mother ...

I prefer to call it Goolag

AltTabDelete wrote: Sun Jun 12, 2022 9:12 am ... 1 Nokia unspecified phone ...

Ah ok, it's a RM-1187, bought it about 4 years ago and liked it so much I got another as a spare which I haven't used at all as the first one is still going strong.

Eventually I guess I'll be forced to part company with it when the older networks are phased out but hopefully by then something like the Librem will make the transition more palatable.

I have been gifted a Samsung A8. Works just peachy. Yeah, smartphone, and I like that since these days one can book taxi rides via an app (I hate talking on the phone, being quite deaf might have something to do with that haha). My next phone will also be a Samsung, having had a few other lower brands, not going back down there.

And it is connected to google. I don't care. At least I have someone following me

markol wrote: Sun Jun 12, 2022 12:00 pm Just a hint - don't buy anything ancient, providers are shutting down 2G and 3G networks.

If you're looking for a retro phone or just a simple smartphone with decent battery life, take a look at Nokia -> https://www.nokia.com/phones/feature-phones
You may also want to check which (other) phones are supported by LineageOS (=degooglified and debloated android)

It's ironic that providers are shutting down 2G & 3G networks; there are places I go where the only connectivity to this day is only '1x' if you can remember that far back (thank you Verizon). Let's not even mention the lack of 5G feature phones.

Asked my Mom today if she had any of her old feature phones left; I'll have to double check back with her. She has never had a 'smart phone' and refuses to try one. Security by obsolescence?

The Wife just bought two Motorola Moto G tracfones from HSN for $59.99 each 1500 minutes / 1500 texts / 1500 MB data good for up to a year which is all we need we don't live on the phone or text much or do social media so they work well for us.

https://www.hsn.com/products/motorola-m ... a/20276450

You guys have given me a lot to think about. Thanks!

My $25 MyFlip tracphone works with bluetooth file transfer, and as a hotspot (tethered) for my MX machines. $99 service 1 year plan. It has a strange OS based on Firefox OS. Best bang for the buck, imho.

After it is all said and done, I need the functions that I use every day on my current iPhone 6s Plus too much to give up. Bought an iPhone 13. Still gonna try to keep a low profile, but that gets harder every year. For example, my bank has only one brick-and-mortar location a thousand miles from me. I'll call this solved for me, for now.

I switched to a Pixel. I can unlock the bootloader & install CalyxOS instead. It basically neutralizes the spying part of Google. You might want to give them a look. The price tag for them doesn't sound so bad if you factor in how many years of use you can get out of it. I objected for a long time about buying a device with a cost equivalent to a mortgage payment. This from someone who used Blackberry devices until they became just another Android.