(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
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Popular with privacy-focused users, Android fork GrapheneOS has been limited to select Pixel handsets, but that's set to change in the next year or so.
In comments made on a Reddit post, spotted by PiunikaWeb, a GrapheneOS representative said the company is "working with a major OEM" on devices that will be priced similarly to Pixels.
"The initial devices will have a flagship Snapdragon SoC," the GrapheneOS rep adds. Google’s Pixel products have run on its Tensor chips for many generations now, meaning this will be the first Qualcomm Snapdragon product to support GrapheneOS since the Pixel 5 in 2020.
GrapheneOS wouldn’t say which company it was working with. Some have speculated it could be Nothing or OnePlus, as both allow for bootloader unlocking. It may also be a manufacturer that doesn't sell its devices in the US. On Bluesky, GrapheneOS ruled out Fairphone because it "lags far behind on support for current Android versions" and other security features.
The upcoming device “would be available in a lot of countries since it would be one of [the OEM's] regular devices, but with official GrapheneOS support," the rep says. "Selling devices with GrapheneOS preinstalled would be nice, but wouldn't be required since the regular devices would be supported too, similar to how we support Pixels today.”
Those with current Pixel devices running GrapheneOS will continue to get support until the end of updates for their phones. GrapheneOS is also coming to the Pixel 10 at a later date. Pixel 11 support is uncertain; GrapheneOS has criticized Google for its extended security patch timelines.