this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2024
237 points (87.4% liked)

Technology

59187 readers
1991 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

While flagship smartphones boast impressive features, spending $1,000 is not a prerequisite for a satisfying Android experience nowadays. If you’re in need of a new smartphone and have a budget of approximately $200, there are numerous excellent options available. Surprisingly, some of the best Android phones under $200 come equipped with features like 5,000mAh batteries, multi-lens camera setups, and the promise of extended software updates.

We thoroughly evaluate various Android phones to ensure optimal performance without encountering unexpected issues down the line. If we were to recommend one Android smartphone in the sub-$200 price range, it would be the latest addition to Samsung’s lineup, the Galaxy A15 5G. Boasting a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED screen, a sizable battery with 25W fast charging support, and more, it offers a compelling package. Alternatively, consider Motorola’s Moto G Play (2024) for a straightforward yet functional device.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

Do note that although custom ROMs helps provide OS updates, it does not help with any firmware updates to your phone parts as those are vendor released. Once they stop providing those updates, it is no longer secure

I have a OnePlus 3T (2016) that is running Android 11 custom ROM. I use it mainly for some games and browsing. I would never use it as my main phone or use banking apps there though. Don't want to risk all of my data on there.

That's why GrapheneOS only supports phones that are still officially updated.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (2 children)

When you say "it's no longer secure", can you point to an actual vulnerability on older hardware and what the exploits are?

We keep hearing how unpatched phones are not secure but I'd like to hear more about what the actual risk is.

Millions of people use older phones that haven't been updated for years, yet it seems to me that scams are more about social engineering than exploiting software vulnerabilities on phones.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

You might like this website! It's quite an interesting website to go through :)

https://www.cvedetails.com/

Though to be fair, majority of every day people probably aren't getting their phones hacked. And not every hardware has known vulnerabilities, at least from what I've seen on the website. Also, I don't know if it's true, but I heard that for a lot of exploits, the person needs the phone physically.

Not really my field of expertise though

[–] [email protected] -2 points 8 months ago

Right?

Show me some stats where this is demonstrated to be a problem.

I run OLD versions - current phone is Android 9.

I've had 10x more problems caused by system updates than anything else, let alone "being insecure".

[–] [email protected] -1 points 8 months ago

That is definitely true. Once the vendor stops putting up those patches, it does become quite problematic. So as long as you keep your Android up to date as best as you can and primarily use open source software and ad blockers, you should be alright in most cases.