@rl_dane I get where you’re coming from with Fairphone, but I think the MrMobile review explains it well regarding the camera hue (green images) and general polish. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiDu9ngFljAFor me, Fairphone falls into that same expensive experiment category as Linux phones. They are great in theory, but frustrating in daily practice.I have decided that if I’m going to have a smartphone, I want the best tool for the job. I have been reading/watching reviews of the S26 Ultra and I like what they have done with it. What is interesting is how much Samsung is leaning into a manual mode for users like us. You can actually toggle off most of the Galaxy AI features in the settings.It isn't perfect, but I think I can make it work.Instead of a broken experience with deGoogling it with ADB, I can just disable the "AI Now Bar"and Gemini natively. Then, use the Privacy Display, the new screen (hardware) that prevents side-angle viewing, which is a massive win for privacy without any special software. And, keep the data processing local only (there’s a toggle for that now), so no data ever leaves the device to be processed for AI.It feels like it might be a sovereign way to own a flagship: buy the most over engineered hardware available and then turn off the parts that get in the way. It is a 7 or 8 year phone that won't feel like a compromise.The crappy part of it, for people like us, is there is no perfect solution. I am sure some privacy purists would scoff at my idea of getting a flagship phone, but I think this is one area where, unlike with a Linux computer, we can't have our cake and eat it too.
