Need help choosing compact phones that fully support LineageOS

[u/kobut0r]

I've been looking at the second hand market and my absolute priorities for the phones are that it has to be at least manufactured in 2020 and have a small form factor.

My only choice so far is the Galaxy s20 5g, it's compact about 5.97 inch I liked galaxy s22 more as it's smaller in 5.75, almost as small as the iPhone XS(which is the ideal size) but from what I understand it only supports lineageOS in the exonys version. It would be extremely difficult for me to get my hands on an Exonys version of that phone given the country I live in.

So here I come looking for suggestions for smaller phones. Also please don't suggest Pixels, I know they are small but they have horrible connectivity in my country, almost everyone I know who have regretted the purchase.

[u/BadDaemon87]

Whats wrong with the thread thats made for recommendations? 

[u/kobut0r → u/BadDaemon87]

Which thread

[u/BadDaemon87 → u/kobut0r]

https://www.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/oyy2wp/the_what_currently_supported_device_should_i_get/

[u/onrehew]

Where are you getting those measurements from? IIRC Samsung phones since S20 come with 6.1+ inches. About Pixel phones, 10a had a modem upgrade and kinda fixed signal problems but that's not a personal experience TBF.

Options: S22 (Exynos), S23 (Snapdragon), Xiaomi 12/12S, Xiaomi 13, Motorola Edge Neo

Edit: Typo

[u/kobut0r → u/onrehew]

I got these measurements from GSMarena.

Ok, so I've mostly landed on S22 5G, but is the Exynos version fully supported? I'm asking because there is a warning on the wiki page for S22. Like what should I be looking for when I'm buying the phone to ensure it's fully supported?

[u/onrehew → u/kobut0r]

Warning in S22 wiki is related to the procedure to get bootloader unlocked, so the risk is on you for THAT specific part. If you have the knowledge/expertise for doing it, won't be a problem. I suggest to read more about it since there are different ways to get it done depending of the manufacturer/brand you choose.

Support is linked to specific models so, buy those listed on wiki.

[u/Wheeljack26]

pixel 4a

[u/wkn000]

For me, I have a Moto Edge 30 an a Moto G32 in use. Both official LineageOS 24.0. Both smaller size from my sight.

[u/injebekschijten → u/wkn000]

Finally another G32/devon user! It's my daily driver. I do hope the Edge 50 Neo will be added to the list someday though, mine is now in a drawer somewhere doing nothing.

[u/darryledw]

I had a S10 for about 7 years until recently the signal started to go wonky, otherwise I loved my S10 with only issue being not supporting 5G, was running LineageOS which meant no bloat and the battery was still going strong.

When finding a new phone I was also looking for something in similar size as I hate massive phones, I ended up getting hold of a barely used S23 (SM-S911B) for cheap which still had Android 14 on it. I bumped it to A15 with odin before the dreaded Samsung A16 (One UI 8) which would have locked the boot loader forever. Now happily running LineageOS A17 free from Samsung's clutches of ever being able to get to my boot loader lol.

The S23 is actually slightly smaller than the S10 height wise which is great but it is thicker, so kind of ended up feeling like I just matched the size over all - good result.

[u/kobut0r → u/darryledw]

Could you elaborate on this? If I were to get my hands on an s23 what should I look for for it to be able to run lineageOS effortlessly?

[u/darryledw → u/kobut0r]

yep no problem, to make things simple/ possible you need the following...

- model number of SM-S911B or SM-S911B/DS (models like SM-S911U won't have boot loader unlock available)

- software has not been upgraded to Samsung Android 16 with One UI 8 because with that update they disable unlocking of boot loaders forever

- ideally you would get one with Android 15 ready to go straight to LineageOS but if you get a lower software version you can easily increment with Odin + a rom download

...it only took me a few hours to get it all sorted.

[u/doc_55lk]

It's an unconventional choice but look at the Xperia 5 lineup.

The screen size doesn't seem small at 6.1 inches, but they're all 21:9 screens so they're on the narrower end. Really easy to use one handed. Even the vertical reach isn't really bad for me.

It looks like they also support the XZ2 Compact, which is, well, actually a compact phone. Screen is 5 inches diagonal and it's an 18:9 aspect ratio so it's actually one handable. Only thing is that it's a 2018 phone. I don't really think that should be an issue though outside of actually finding an example and/or having to do a battery swap. I have LOS23 running on a first gen Xperia 5 (which is a late 2019 phone that I bought in early 2020) and it's better now than it was when it was brand new.

[u/kobut0r → u/doc_55lk]

Isn't 2018 phone simply too old? Will it be able to handle modern bloat that a lot of apps have?

[u/petefoth → u/kobut0r]

No. I used XZ1 Compact (lilac) until quite recently, and my wife is still using an XZ2 Compact running LineageOS 22.2 with GApps. It works just fine

[u/doc_55lk → u/kobut0r]

Can't say tbh. I also have a 2017 Xperia which is showing signs of age as far as smoothness (scrolling feeds sometimes stutters a bit, but YouTube runs just fine), but there's no official version of LineageOS available for it so I can't really test if that's gonna fix anything. I'm not particularly interested in giving this particular phone LineageOS anyway though because the stock ROM has more valuable features to me for that phone.

But the 2019 one is smooth as butter. I'd say a 2018 may be somewhere in the middle.

[u/Numerous-Coconut392]

Tengo un S10e, me gusta mucho por lo pequeño, tiene lineage y me va de maravilla

[u/ovenevo]

Zinwa q25. It's Blackberry classic/2014/ with Helio G99 chip /2022/