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by robocat 2468 days ago
1. New Android phones are different: Android 9 was redesigned to make security updates by Google a lot easier. I have been buying Nokia which are getting good security upgrades/updates (and cost a few hundred USD).

2. Browsing on Android remains secure e.g. Android 4.4 is still getting Chrome updates (I think Chrome is generally more secure than Safari anyway). iPhones become insecure to use when they stop getting updates because the browser is not updated.
2 comments
robocat 2468 days ago
Note: nice recent article "Google can’t fix the Android update problem" https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/4/20847758/google-android-up...

I didn't know: "starting with Android 10, a new initiative called “Project Mainline” will mean some of the plumbing inside Android can be updated directly via the Play Store."

Nice graph showing that Nokia is really good at updating their devices (and also shows how abysmal most Android manufacturers are at updating versions!). That said, I haven't got Android 10 yet (although I might get it since it is a Nokia and I am still within the 2 year upgrade window).

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kevin_thibedeau 2468 days ago
The problem with HMD-Nokia is that most have a perma-locked bootloader. Otherwise, very nice phones.
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robocat 2468 days ago
Yeah - I used to only buy phones with an unlockable bootloader. But I found that I didn't actually ever install open source firmware (I have, but I don't trust the security).

Aside: the Android 9 security update feature is Project Treble. However apparently it doesn't make that much difference for many brands/networks because Google doesn't control the updates directly: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3306443/what-is-projec...

However, my Nokia has been getting security updates quickly enough for me. And I love dual SIM when travelling.

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