Thread

There's a high chance of devices being sold with GrapheneOS preinstalled in 2027

322 points · 144 comments · Cider9986

Cider9986 · 1790097482 · focus · HN ↗
The upcoming Signature 27 will be announced today at the Snapdragon Summit. It has been teased by Motorola on their socials and will likely release in the US because they've posted about it on US social accounts.
The 2026 Signature, in the UK, is $1460 USD. In Brazil it is selling for $1230. The Pixel 11 pro XL, which the Signature beats on hardware in practically every way sells for $1300 on Google's website.
It looks interesting... I didn't love the 2026 design [1] but it looks better than whatever this is. Here's pictures:
<a href="https://xxcancel.com/moto" rel="nofollow">https://xxcancel.com/moto
<a href="https://x.com/moto" rel="nofollow">https://x.com/moto
[1] <a href="https://www.motorola.com/gb/en/p/phones/motorola-signature/signature/pmipmje43mf?pn=PBAB0000GB" rel="nofollow">https://www.motorola.com/gb/en/p/phones/motorola-signature/s...
1. asdff · 1790097993 · focus · HN ↗
  Flagship phones are so damn expensive for what you are getting. I just buy whatever is the current iphone SE which is usually around $300 for the top storage sku when I show up to buy it a couple years after release. At my current burn rate $1300 would be like 20 years spend on phones for me.
  1. SoftTalker · 1790098540 · focus · HN ↗
    That's also what I buy with Apple now. When I was using Android I'd buy a cheap "Moto G" for maybe $150 brand new. Never understood dropping a grand or more on a mobile phone.
    iteria · 1790099458 · focus · HN ↗
    I keep my phone until the security updates stop. I buy top of the line phones because cheaper one suck. I tried a cheap phone and it used to lock up all the time. These phones are crappier than my obsolete top of the line phone. There has got to be a middle ground between 1K flagship phones and cheap sub-$200 phones, but I swear I can't find it.
    I just keep buying phones with way more features than I desire just so that having too many apps open at once or going to the wrong Javascript laden web page doesn't slow my phone to a crawl. I just tell myself that at least I only replace my phone every 5 to 7 years. If it wasn't for work, I'd keep them longer, but the OS has to be patched for work stuff to be on it.
    asdff · 1790099576 · focus · HN ↗
    >There has got to be a middle ground between 1K flagship phones and cheap sub-$200 phones, but I swear I can't find it.
    In my experience this is literally the iphone SE. Look at the chipset, its no slouch.
    jrochkind1 · 1790099646 · focus · HN ↗
    Moto G Power is the cheap phone that hasn't sucked for years. I've bought many been happy. The one time I tried a Samsung, it was a mistake.
    but they bumped up prices significantly a few months ago due to chip prices or tarrifs or who knows what, it's not so cheap anymore.
    bossyTeacher · 1790111003 · focus · HN ↗
    Do you get security updates with these old android phones?
    SoftTalker · 1790133783 · focus · HN ↗
    You do for a few years usually. Not as long as flagship phones but they're about 1/10 the price.
    ahartmetz · 1790237871 · focus · HN ↗
    For 3-5 years depending on model for the $300 Motorola phones.
    SoftTalker · 1790099929 · focus · HN ↗
    > If it wasn't for work, I'd keep them longer
    I think if work demands a better phone, then work should be buying you a better phone.
    drnick1 · 1790102005 · focus · HN ↗
    > There has got to be a middle ground between 1K flagship phones and cheap sub-$200 phones, but I swear I can't find it.
    The Pixel phones are precisely that, and they are the only phones supported by Graphene for now. The a-series is a particularly good value and I am posting from one.
    autoexec · 1790112343 · focus · HN ↗
    I'm impressed you can get them with headphone jacks. It's too bad they don't support memory cards too
    [deleted] · 1790153926 · focus · HN ↗
    [deleted]
    microtonal · 1790099862 · focus · HN ↗
    Cameras of flagships are still significantly better than a $150 Moto G. If you are using a smartphone in place of a camera and like good-quality photos, it's worth the money. That said, flagships can last many years as well.
    I update pretty frequently, but all the older devices get used by family members, etc.
    SoftTalker · 1790100056 · focus · HN ↗
    The camera is probably the least important thing on the phone for me, but yeah if photos are important to you then that might rule out the cheaper tiers of phones.
    microtonal · 1790100444 · focus · HN ↗
    Yeah, people have different needs. One of the nice things with GrapheneOS on Pixels is that you can even pick up the latest Pixel 10a for ~400 Euro (and older models even cheaper) and it will still have what Google calls a flagship chip, but more importantly all the nice security stuff like the Titan M2. For a mid-range phone it also has pretty ok cameras.
    I hope that a few years down the line there will also be great midrange Motorola phones with GrapheneOS support. But they have to start somewhere.
    armadyl · 1790114286 · focus · HN ↗
    Tbh this is up to Qualcomm more than anything. Pessimist in me says that they’ll gatekeep the security features to higher chips in order to max out profits.
    microtonal · 1790147831 · focus · HN ↗
    Depends on what e.g. Mediatek does I guess. So far only Tensor and Exynos had the required security features, but I don’t think you can buy either chip when you are an OEM.
    asdff · 1790101666 · focus · HN ↗
    The camera has actually been getting worse now that they bake in AI smoothing to muddle details. I think we hit the sweet spot already going forward.
    bityard · 1790101706 · focus · HN ↗
    I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who thinks smartphone prices are just absolutely crazypants right now. I can't envision paying more for a phone than I would for a (gently used) workstation-class laptop.
    Over decades of buying Android devices, I have yet to pay more than $300 for one. The one I'm using was actually free in exchange for buying a year of T-Mobile prepaid credits. No, it never was the fastest thing on the planet but it makes calls and runs the apps I want.
    fmajid · 1790109633 · focus · HN ↗
    Have you priced a workstation class laptop recently? They’re over $3000 even with a paltry 32GB RAM
    Miniaturization costs, and I would expect a flagship phone to cost at least as much as an equivalent CPU/RAM/storage laptop. The cost of miniaturization, modem, camera and OLED more than balances the bigger screen and keyboard/trackpad.
    [deleted] · 1790113285 · focus · HN ↗
    [deleted]
    dcminter · 1790102342 · focus · HN ↗
    Also using Moto G-series phones for a decade or so now. Seems I have more junk (gambling apps, linked in, etc.) to scrub off them each time though.
    I could see myself splashing out on a more expensive phone if it were less locked down - so probably never. However I don't play games and as a Gen-Xer my laptop is where the rest of my digital life lives; it makes sense that those for whom the phone is their primary device would prioritise it more (especially with somewhat predatory financing).
    franczesko · 1790103789 · focus · HN ↗
    The only reason why I've decided to pay 500+ (for the first time in my life) for a flagship device was for a better camera and storage, as I wanted to have good quality photos of my kids.
    That said, I will keep on replacing the battery until the circuit board itself turns into ash
    hirako2000 · 1790105432 · focus · HN ↗
    An old Samsung S10 takes stunning pictures. Mid range phones at 300 USD are incredibly good at taking shots.
    But our appreciation keep getting skewed because flagship phones make leaps forward.

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