We are obviously big fans of Google. But we also live in the real world where Google does a lot of unambiguously bad things. If you want to use Android open source without the involvement of its parent company, you have several options. Previously only available in Europe, the eSolutions store now sells Galaxy S9 versions stripped of all Google proprietary software in the US and Canada.
The phones are running / e / OS, a customized version of Android based on the open source projects Lineage and microG. The company began selling phones in Europe with pre-installed software that doesn’t use Google a little less than a year ago – before that, flashing custom ROMs without using Google was basically the only option. Today Galaxy S9 and S9 + sold in the US and Canada for $ 380 and $ 430, respectively. Both are “premium refurbished” so they may show some signs of wear, but they are checked and unlocked.
This is a small selection to start with. In Europe, eSolutions sells these two phones, as well as the cheaper Galaxy S8 and new versions of Fairphone 3, Fairphone 3+ and Gigaset GS290 running / e / OS. ESolutions is committed to providing software and security updates for a three-year period, which are distributed approximately every three months, although the latest version is still based on Android 10. Phones sold in the United States are covered by a one-year warranty, but new (not remanufactured) versions sold elsewhere get two years.
