this is my main reason why I don’t want to switch to a new flagship from the Google pixel 4a. It’s not supported by google anymote, but it still runs smoothly with GrapheneOS (custom ROM), and I swapped the battery for a new one from iFixit and it just works! Maybe you can consider a Google Pixel 8a, at least it’s not as huge as other flagships
In December I finally bought a phone to replace my 3a. I did it mostly for the battery life, although I did actually buy a replacement battery for the 3a and have all the necessary tools to install it. It wouldn’t be my first time replacing a cellphone battery.
I was window shopping and the Oneplus 12 became fairly discounted at the end of last year.
Honestly, the overall experience really isn’t that different than my old 3a. It’s not like newer versions of Android are adding revolutionary features these days and if you’re running a custom ROM, odds are you’re on a newer version of Android anyway.
Nice things:
Two days worth of battery life with my usage patterns. Even with a fresh battery, my 3a wouldn’t last this long
Something like 4x more RAM means that apps are usually in the state I left them in when I come back to them, whereas on the 3a they had usually been forced to free up resources and not all apps deal with that well
The telephoto lens is nice to have, but none of the built in cameras are a substitute for my dedicated camera for things that are moving and/or things are far away
The screen mounted fingerprint sensor is very convenient, but that’s a placement thing. Some people liked the 3a location, but I didn’t personally
Unless you are taxing your processor, an upgrade will be incremental. At least that was my experience.
I somewhat regret the larger phone in that it’s a bit harder to handle one handed, but most on screen keyboards have a one handed mode to deal with this. I had a pop/ring type holder on my 3a, so gripping one handed isn’t that big of a deal.
this is my main reason why I don’t want to switch to a new flagship from the Google pixel 4a. It’s not supported by google anymote, but it still runs smoothly with GrapheneOS (custom ROM), and I swapped the battery for a new one from iFixit and it just works! Maybe you can consider a Google Pixel 8a, at least it’s not as huge as other flagships
i got a 3a, I hate it.
In December I finally bought a phone to replace my 3a. I did it mostly for the battery life, although I did actually buy a replacement battery for the 3a and have all the necessary tools to install it. It wouldn’t be my first time replacing a cellphone battery.
I was window shopping and the Oneplus 12 became fairly discounted at the end of last year.
Honestly, the overall experience really isn’t that different than my old 3a. It’s not like newer versions of Android are adding revolutionary features these days and if you’re running a custom ROM, odds are you’re on a newer version of Android anyway.
Nice things:
Unless you are taxing your processor, an upgrade will be incremental. At least that was my experience.
I somewhat regret the larger phone in that it’s a bit harder to handle one handed, but most on screen keyboards have a one handed mode to deal with this. I had a pop/ring type holder on my 3a, so gripping one handed isn’t that big of a deal.
Also writing from a pixel 4a… Where you get that rom from bro? By the time I heard of the project, they didn’t have roms for the 4a on their website.