> Be careful with Xiaomi MIUI Android phones removing security manager related apks (that run apparently as root/system) can break the phone and you need to reset via fastboot or so - Learned it the hard way.

Good point. I specifically avoided removing anything that I didn't understand its function or wasn't sure if it could be deleted. Perhaps I should include your point as a warning in the essay as well.

> However the gallery app still uploads to Xiaomi servers without consent for some filters - overall it's my last Xiaomi. Lineage might work fine but I wanted to avoid all the complications of unlocking bootloader.

This is prolly my last Xiaomi as well. Are there any phones you're considering switching to next?