I expected this to at least mention the pine phone, the librem, or the Ubuntu phone (which was charming). It’s just about de-googled android and how it doesn’t work very well due to how everything depends on google play services
When I wrote it, from the options you mentioned, only Ubuntu phone existed and it was after Canonical abandoned it. So in 2019 it really felt like Android was the only option.
> ...de-googled android and how it doesn’t work very well due to how everything depends on google play services
Even that aspect is wildly overblown in my experience of using Google-free Android devices for the last 12 years. Yes, the thing will prompt you to install some Google-thing because it supposedly does not work without it - there are currently two such notifications on one of my devices telling me so. The thing is, nearly everything I throw at the device works even though some things complain about the supposed lack of Google services. I click away the warning if it appears and just use the software, this includes e.g. BankID - a Swedish electronic ID provider - and similar apps. I do not have microG installed on my main device either, I just forego on using Google services altogether.
All in all I think the current situation with de-Googled Android is quite useable. If ever some mobile thing comes along which more resembles the way software is installed on personal computers - i.e. install Linux or BSD of choice, add required software, configure accounts and you're in the game - I might move to that but until such a time I'll keep on using AOSP-derived Android distributions in combination with self-hosted services.
> All in all I think the current situation with de-Googled Android is quite useable.
It is, mostly. So far, I've still been able to reject having a Google account on new phones. Then I delete the "first time" app Google sticks on there, disable Google services, install F-Droid, and use only F-Droid apps.
Does that still work? It's been three years since I started a new phone?
Yes, that seems to work still, I recently configured my wife's new Galaxy S21 FE and had no problems telling Google and Samsung to take their accounts to where the sun don't shine.
