I’m using a Pixel 6 Pro right now, and I’m looking around to see if there are any good phones. However, I have heard that there are ads in the newer flagship phones (Samsung, Xiaomi). I am willing to spend around USD$750 on a new phone, but I just don’t want any crazy ads or preinstalled apps like Facebook. Are there phones that don’t suck nowadays? I can buy a phone that is sold in the US, Canada, or EU.

(I don’t want to go through menus to disable ads (Xiaomi), and I’m currently looking at phones other than the Pixel lineup to see if there’s a better option for me)
(I also don’t want to mess around with custom bootloaders/systems, I rely on Google services way too much)

EDIT: If it wasn’t clear enough, I am not looking for things like GrapheneOS or LineageOS or others, I am looking for a phone and judging based on the stock system on it.

  • catculation@lemmy.zipEnglish
    16·
    2 years ago

    Their ads are mostly self promotion and bloatware apps. In my device I had to turn off notifications for most of the pre installed apps.

    • aleph@lemm.eeEnglish
      914·
      2 years ago

      A pre-installed app is not an ad, though.

      Plus pretty much of of them can easily be disabled.

        • sramder@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          2 years ago

          I’m still pissed my Google TV has a Netflix button and I pay for and use Netflix… and that shit is “integrated” so deeply it still loads up in the background even… anyway.

          Do people really rationalize this crap away?

            • sramder@lemmy.worldEnglish
              1·
              2 years ago

              No idea what a CCeGTv… oh, no, this is an NVSwGTv ;-) But that’s a super solid point! I was actually paying for it up until they got greedy, just objected to the button. But now that I can uninstall it there’s a 95% chance it won’t be able to launch in the background.

              Now I just need to sharpie over the logo, and my mind will be at peace 🤤

                • sramder@lemmy.worldEnglish
                  2·
                  2 years ago

                  Word :-)

                  I actually have, but even with the device rooted and buttonmappers special ADB command run somehow, and only sometimes, Netflix creeps into the task switcher.

                  The button reliably launches Plex every time, so as far as I’m concerned it works just fine.

                  Someone suggested uninstalling the Netflix app and I’m sure that would sort out the last bit of it. But I was actually still using Netflix :-)

        • aleph@lemm.eeEnglish
          11·
          2 years ago

          I have a flagship Galaxy device and there was nowhere near that many. As I mentioned before, the budget Samsung devices are much worse than the flagships when it comes to bloatware.

          In any case, the subject at hand is not bloatware (which is undeniably bad - no argument from me) but ads. Not the same thing.

      • sramder@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        2 years ago

        Splitting those hairs! Weather™ app telling me there’s a story about the weather in Apple News™ isn’t technically an ad either, but really it is. Nobody should have to disable this kind of bullshit… it shouldn’t happen in the first place and it serves no purpose other than to annoy people.

        It’s unacceptable to spend thousands of dollars on something that serves you marketing content.