e.foundation (murena) proposes /e/-OS equipped smartphones : Fairphones, Samsung, Pixel, which benefit of the last LineageOS/Android versions (u for 14, for instance), but also Gigaset, Teracube, Murena, or CMF phones.
The OS-updates for these phones depend of Android updates by the phone manufacturer, and support of Lineage . How many years the proposed phones can benefit of an operational /e/-OS ?
You can check the specifics for individual devices in the FAQβs at the shop
Technically we try to release /e/OS as long as the device can handle it. If you check our supported device list there are devices 8 years old there.
hi, Manoj, thank-you for the hints;
so, I notice that for a daily-use of an e-OS-phone, the βofficialβ version is needed; today, according to the list :
GS290, Murena1, Teracube, Galaxy and OnePlus-N, got a βsβ-level-OS;
what about murena-1 and 2, teracube, galaxy, oneplus, that are not more on the /e/-price-list ? can they have official-βuβ-level-OS ? Is-it important for a daily-use ?
Yes and no I have a OnePlus 6 with the community version of /e/OS U, and it is really stable and my daily driver.
Here is the official documentation for the different builds: Different Build Types
Official
Are built based on source code from the Community build branch which has been released and tested
This build undergoes additional and longer testing cycles
Builds are made by /e/OS using the /e/OS build infrastructure and signed by /e/OS official keys
Official builds have a maintainer
Community
Builds are made by /e/OS using the /e/OS build infrastructure and signed by /e/OS dev keys
Includes the latest /e/OS development code for the device
Is released after testing but may still contain non critical bugs
My βgut feelingβ: Community devices are normally more than stable enough to be daily drivers. The main difference is that devices with official builds also get OTA upgrades, i.e., from one major version to another with the updater app (e.g. from /e/OS T to /e/OS U). On community devices, only /e/OS updates are provided by the updater app, i.e., major version upgrades have to be performed by hand/command line.
My impression is that someone with these criteria should choose a Fairphone 5 or a Pixel 8 because they will also get stock ROM updates and upgrades for a long time. (The Fairphone 5 even has a removable battery.) I am however not sure about the battery life - do you mean whether the battery lasts all day, or how quickly the battery degrades over time?
I would say that the major /e/OS version (i.e., /e/OS S, T, or U) is not that important as long as the corresponding Android version gets security updates. For daily use, the average user should still be happy with /e/OS S. Android 12 (on which /e/OS S is based) is supported by Google and gets security updates.
hi, @Tentos,
thank you for your experience.
So, at a very basic usage, /e/-OS-level-s official or community would be enough, as far as there are some security-updates. gs290-e-os-life
I would like to keep a phone at least 5 years. Here, I look also how to replace the gs290 in the future.
On 2015, I got a firefox-OS-phone, and used-it until 2021, without any updates after 2017, but without problems at a very basic usage.
Now, mobile phones became indispensable advanced smartphones for every-day life.
thanks; Brieuc.
As you have pointed out in the other thread, you may be able to use your GS290 until 2026 - or not, depending on the last update that the /e/OS team is able to provide.
As I have mentioned, you may choose a Pixel 8 or a Fairphone 5 as your next smartphone because both should officially be supported until (at least) 2030 with security updates by their respective manufacturers. An alternative may be other popular smartphones with LineageOS because the chance is higher that they will be supported for a long time by the community.