I am pretty hard on phones. Been using lineage for years now on google pixel unlocked phones. 5a and now 6a. I have found both to have some real durability problems. Are there any good alternatives that are unlocked to use with lineage?
I recently upgraded from a used beryllium (Poco F1) with a dying battery to a used, but pristine dubai (Edge 30) and have been very happy with that choice.
At least for Qualcomm-based phones, make sure to have the phone's stock ROM provision IP Multimedia Services (IMS) with your MNO/ISP, so that (you increase your chances that) VoLTE/VoWIFI will work also with LineageOS.
It is a more serious project than LineageOS in the sense that they take security very seriously and they take their development more professionally too. There are no disadvantages to using GrapheneOS compared to LineageOS.
You can see a comparison here: https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm
Do you have a current guide for installing it?
As an example, Graphene even recommends not using Firefox [0]. I actually still do, but I understand their rationale and it's very well presented. The way they explain such things in clear English is very helpful and hopefully indicative of a similar amount of consideration being made elsewhere in the project.
That OnePlus 9 had some weird issues that eventually got resolved but it took a while. Important to differentiate between an OS that builds for a phone and one that actually works for a phone, but there's not usually a ton of reviews for the latter.
If you want it cheaper, I also have good experiences with Motorola phones. Unlocking requires you to register, but you can use a throwaway mail account and it has worked for me so far many times. Just make sure the device is officially supported by Lineage, I have very mixed experiences with unofficial ports.
Stay clear of anything from Xiaomi. Unlocking is a nightmare and you have to wait weeks to get your unlock code.
0. https://calyxos.org/news/2022/07/06/oneplus-android-12-reloc...
First time I needed to wait 2 weeks. Second time, I made the mistake of using the same Mi account and had to wait 4 weeks, because I did not know each time you unlock something your waiting time doubles. If your phone for whatever reason looses the Mi account connection, everything gets reset and you start from scratch.
It's not the end of the world, but 300$ will also give you a pretty decent Motorola Moto G phone, which are way easier to unlock (all you need is a mail address, and you'll get your unlock code instantly).
Try a Pixel 5, 6, or 7.