I'm Switching Back to Android

01 Dec 2024 | ~4 minute read

A few days ago I wrote about how I was thinking about a switch to the Farephone 5. I've now made a decision and ordered a new phone, but it's not the Fairphone.

Since the previous post, I've received a tonne of feedback from you fine people, so thanks. This sent me down a rabbit hole of research, where I ultimately made the decision to not go with the Fairphone 5. For 3 reasons:

  1. Slow OS updates - Android 14 was released in October 2023, but didn't become available on the Fairphone 5 until July 2024, 9 months later. Android 14 still isn't available on the Fairphone 4, which makes me worry about their longevity claims
  2. Weird restrictions on the OS - If you look at the comments on the first post I've linked above, it seems that Fairphone has made some...interesting decisions when it comes to features; one of things I'm looking forward to having with Android, is more control over the OS. I think Fairphone's decisions here are a step backward in that regard
  3. It's too big - It's a big honking thing. I understand why that's the case, but I really don't like bulky phones. I currently have an iPhone 13 Mini and think it's a really good size, although sometimes I wish it was a tad bigger

So what did I choose?

I ended up going for a Pixel 8. It obviously isn't in the same league as the Fairphone in terms of repairability, but repairs for the Pixel line seem to be relatively cheap, and Google appear to have a much better repair network than Apple.

Google also guarantee that the Pixel 8 will receive updates until October 2030. Given that Google control both the hardware and the software here (like Apple and iOS) I have no reason to not believe these claims.

The Pixel isn't quite as big as the Fairphone, but it's definitely bigger than my current iPhone:

iPhone 13 Mini vs Pixel 8 vs Fairphone 5 size comparison
iPhone 13 Mini vs Pixel 8 vs Fairphone 5 size comparison

As you can see, there's a significant size difference between the 3 phones, but I think the Pixel is a good middle-ground between the my teeny-weeny iPhone, and the burley Fairphone.

On top of all this, I managed to get the Pixel 8 for just £190 thanks to a Black Friday deal and trading in my iPhone. That's pretty bloody cheap! The trade-in they offered me was pretty close to the re-sale value of the iPhone 13 Mini on eBay, so I'm happy with that.

Why switch?

I talked about this a little in the previous post. My iPhone is 3 years old and starting to show its age. But looking at it in hindsight, considering its age, the iPhone is in great condition and I could keep it for at least another 1-2 years, I think.

But in all honestly, I think it just boils down to the fact that I've been on iOS for quite some time now and I fancy a change. I think I was looking for an excuse to switch in my last post. Truth is, I don't need an excuse, so I'm switching just because I want to. 🤷‍♂️

What about privacy?

Honestly, this is a concern. We all know that Google is a shit show when it comes to privacy. Apple is arguably better in this regard, but still far from perfect. I've also done a lot of over the years to de-Google, so this feels like a huge step back.

But right now, I'm at a stage in my life where I'm busy as fuck and I really don't have the time to worry about this kind of thing. I'll continue to use privacy respecting apps where I can, but right, there's far more important things to me and I'm hoping the switch will be fun.

If it becomes a concern in the future, I'll look at alternative Android ROMs, like GrapheneOS, but for now it will be stock Android for me.

Final thoughts

The Pixel is due to be delivered tomorrow, so time will tell how the migration goes and whether I'm happy with the decision. I'll be sure to write an update post about it, covering anything that was particularly difficult.

I have this sinking feeling that there's going to be an app or service that I haven't considered for the migration, and it's going to trip me up. But I'll just have to wait and see.

If you've been through this process, please do get in touch. I'd love to know how it went for you, and how you feel about the decision with the benefit of hindsight.

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