Anyone know if any cheap dumbphones or feature phones are deGoogled (or can be)? I'm currently using an Android-based flip-phone, but want to eventually find a good one to replace it with. One without nosy nellie Sundar Pichai onboard, hopefully under $200, and with as few apps as possible. All I'm after is 'talk' though I can suffer 'text', but absolutely nothing else.
I looked at a few, but was not impressed. Someone on another forum suggested Sunbeam F1 Dandelion....unless anyone has some caveats or better contenders, I'll probably go with it. No text, no internet, and no Google Play Services or API layer is mighty tempting.
@Uitlander have you looked at this https://de-googled.com/collections/best-selling/products/google-pixel-4a-with-graphene-os? or one of their other phones?
@Uitlander, A cheap dumbphone/ feature phone is quite different to a degoogled smartphone up to $200. What would you like best, a dumbphone/ feature phone, or a degoogled smartphone? Offered by de-googled shop as mentioned by Bertazzoni, the 'cheapest' one is still $248. If you would go for a dumbphone/ feature phone, you could buy one for about $50. Myself, I still own a Nokia 105 (2015 model) dumbphone/ feature phone. I have been looking for a replacement, and thought the Nokia 110 4G was a good replacement, but I found it missing settings that the Nokia 105 has. I recently bought a replacement keypad cover for my Nokia 105, and I hope to use it till 2025, when 3G support ends. If you are not 'spoiled' by the Nokia 105 like I am, you may find one of the current dumbphone/ feature phone models to your liking, for instance the Nokia 110 4G or 225 4G. Definitely a lot cheaper than a degoogled smartphone.
Nokia 225 4g is a great phone. Good battery life and good features for a dumb phone. You can do conference calls, record a call, text with pictures and it has a good radio. But the disadvantage is compatibility. I don't know where you are from but in USA it only works with T-mobile based networks despite claiming that it is unlocked. I know that because I have this phone and with Tracfone when you do a call it always go back to 3g and I have some trouble receiving text and picture messages because of it. I had to buy a Sunbeam F1 to have 4g
I'd prefer both...a dumbphone with no means for Google or Fakebook to penetrate it...which I assume means zero internet capability. No GPS would be an added bonus, as would real buttons (like on a flip phone) so I would not have to relearn to use a phone from scratch. I'm no technomage, so I'd want it ready to go out of the box (no fiddling with installing another OS or crap like that). Installing the card thingie is likely my limit.
Sorry, too pricey for me...the $200 for the Sunbeam F1 Dandelion is likely my limit, and I would prefer a lot less.
All phones made after 9/11 and sold in the USA have GPS and there is no way to disable it. That was mandated by the US government for all phones made wherever and sold in the US after the 9/11 terrorist attack. I am personally using a Sonim XP3 heavy duty flip that uses a form of android OS, however I never connect it to the internet. I am 81 YO and this phone is very loud so I have no problems hearing the people I talk to, cost $190.00 new.
If you don't want Google on an Android phone, you can just get a cheap device and install LineageOS rom, they support lots of models. A Pixel 4A with Graphenes mentioned here is a lot more secure, but I think they no longer receive security updates. Or get a dumphone of course. Btw, even if you don't have GPS, there is still cell tower triangulation. Not as precise as GPS or course, but active tracking during a phone call for example can get 2-6 meters accuracy.
