Re: Alternate OS for LG V20?

On 6/12/25 12:10 PM, VanguardLH wrote:

Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
>

VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:

I don't want the network hardware in the phone slowing me down more, so
I just might start looking at new phones again.  Or, even wait until 6G
becomes mainstream with its higher frequencies which means high
bandwidth and much lower latency.  Alas, I don't know if I can stand
using my old phone for another 5 years, or more.  Rooting and a new OS
aren't going to change cellular radio hardware, or make faster the CPU.
I could be beating a nearly dead horse trying to mend my old phone.

 Yes, I think that's the way to approach it - you can put effort into making
the software new but if the hardware is getting old then it won't help.  I'd
suggest looking for new/used/refurbished phones that are a year or two old -
with 7 years of support that only drops you down to 5 or 6 years, but the
price can be cut in half or more.

I've had a few renewed (used-refurb) tablets over the years and have had
 good luck with them. I was mainly worried about getting one with a worn
 battery but never had a problem. My latest toy, a renewed Lenovo Chrome
 tablet, has a diagnostics screen built into the OS and reports the battery
 health at 97% with the cycle count at 11 so it appears I've perhaps once
 more lucked out.

A problem I've read about with "renewed" or "restored" phones is the
buyer ends up with a bricked phone after a couple months.  They are told
that the phone was reported lost or stolen, or somehow the prior owner
reported a loss of their phone.  The phone got on some "bad" list, so it
got disabled.  The new owner gets screwed.  Neither the seller nor the
phone maker will resolve the issue.  Also, used is too often abused.

The main issue is if the old phone has some hardware feature you love but
doesn't exist on newer phones - then it's harder to 'upgrade' to something
that's worse than what you had before.  But eventually the pain of trying to
keep the old going outweighs the draw of the old hardware.

I love that the batteries in the LG V20 are user serviceable.  Batteries
are chemical, so they wane in capacity over time, and then become
unusable or dead.  Not when you can replace them.  There are no new
phones with replaceable batteries.  You can crack open the case to
unsolder the old battery to insert a new one, but that voids the
warranty as well as the seal, and you risk the phone in the surgery.

All the phone and tablet replacement batteries I've installed over the years
 came with plugs. No soldering needed. Unsticking the glue was the main
 problem. My current Galaxy S10+ phone is 5+ years old and the original
 battery is still working fine for my light use. I could get a replacement
 battery including installation tools for under $20US (Amazon) when it
 fails, but since the phone's last update was a year ago and it still claims
 the software is up to date, I may pass...

Lithium batteries have a lifespan of 3 to 10 years.  There are always
manufacturing defects.  The phone makers want you buying more phones.
Replaceable batteries eliminates the only self-degrading consumable of
the product.  Well, other than the OS itself as updated or newer apps
demand later versions of it.

I don't miss my phone breaking into 3 pieces (battery, battery cover, phone)
 when dropped so really don't mind having an internal battery. And I think
 for many folks when the battery fails the phone is obsolete anyway. It
 certainly will be so in my case...