I was tempted by Arc. Intel drivers always “just worked”, but they are just slow. Arc didn’t address the problem like I’d hoped, and AMD really got their shit together in the last 5 years or so.

I can vouch for this. I run completely unrooted GrapheneOS and no app has ever failed a safetynet test. Banking apps and Pokemon Go work just fine.

I’ve never had issues with LineageOS either, but this is before the hardware attestation days.

My priorities:

1. Blocking ads and protecting privacy.

2. Being able to accomplish the task on my phone.

Literally every phone has its priorities out of whack and I have to fix it myself.

I’ve got a 6a and I ended up rolling my own DoT server so that it would adblock, but also resolve to servers in my own country.

I also moved to GrapheneOS. The only Google stuff that broke was Google Wallet’s tap payment thing. Reportedly even Android Auto is supported now.

Oh - my kid just got a Motorola G84. It was a very cheap handset for 12GB RAM and no ads so far. Very close to stock Android too.

That’s the vibe I got from it. It took longer to activate the app than it took to get a card out of my wallet. It had the potential to fail if my battery was flat. Google could track my shopping habits.

So, that’s a pass.

I’m running it. Bank apps and Safety net things (like Pokemon Go) all work. Aside from Android Auto, Google Pay refuses to work.

So, there’s no downsides.

Actually, Google Translate didn’t play ball when I tried it. I miss that one.

My second device is a bank card. Easy.

I threw a 1TB aftermarket SSD in my XBox One S and there was absolutely no attempt to stop me.

The loading speed in Fortnite tripled.

Nothing makes me cringe more than kids who buy an Apple device and pretend they own it.

Standard xbox controllers have sticks that are soldered on in about 10 places each side. They are a total pain to replace, and the PCB will fail after 2 or 3 replacements.

At least the switch uses ZIF connectors. They tiny and fiddly, but it’s way better than an hour wielding a soldering iron.