Hey guys, I’m looking into buying a refurbished Google Pixel 5 (I have couple of options between amazon and other stores), however I’m not entirely sure about the longevity of a refurbished phone.
Positive reviews are often left by people who just bought the phone, but most of the negative reviews I found were from people who used it for more than couple of months and it concerns me.
Price is good, I’m looking specifically into a Pixel 5 because of the size which is much smaller than my Galaxy Note 9 that I find really uncomfortable to use.
Thank you!
I haven’t done much reading into it, but something to consider is there was a post just recently that I saw someone mentioning that their pixel 4a was becoming unsupported very shortly. You may want to see when the scheduled EOL for the 5 is as that might influence your decision if that is sooner than you’d be hoping for.
Am I naïve for thinking that manufacturers stopping support for devices, then claiming it affects your safety, is just to sell more phones?
I always buy refurbished, currently running an S9 and I’m not even sure if it’s still supported. Recently retired a Nexus 10 from 2012 and had zero security issues in a dozen years
Am I naïve for thinking that manufacturers stopping support for devices, then claiming it affects your safety, is just to sell more phones?
Yes you are.
Vulnerabilities are constantly being found in the software stack used by Android, if you are running vulnerable software you’re increasing the likelihood of some malicious app (or website, file, etc…) taking advantage of the vulnerability. The consequences of vulnerability vary from being able to fingerprint your device when it’s not supposed, to escalateling privileges to root or even kernel mode. Although the later are significantly rarer.
and had zero security issues in a dozen years
That you know of… If the vulnerability is successfully exploited, the likelihood of you noticing are close to zero.
You could always flash a custom ROM to install the latest security patches, but you would still be missing the security updates for all the closed source components (such as the bootloader, device drivers, etc…). Not to mention all the security implications (good or bad) that comes with installing custom ROMs.
The consequences of vulnerability vary from being able to fingerprint your device when it’s not supposed, to escalateling privileges to root or even kernel mode
I’ll not pretend I understand the consequences 😂
What does that mean for the average user?
From tracking your to full access of your phone and capable of doing anything without you knowing it or lifting a finger.
Tracking me happens all the time. Also I’m old but tech savvy so I’d know if someone had any access to my phone.
I’m still not sure what I should worry about?
I’d know if someone had any access to my phone
This is really a bold claim. How or why makes you so sure of that?
If the attacker/app manages to get some application running in the background as root, how would you know that they had access to your phone?
To expand on the points mentioned above as well, although you may not be concerned by someone tracking your phone, something like root access is a concern. When the other commenter mentioned someone having access to your phone, it doesn’t mean unlocking the screen and moving it around, it means they have the ability to run commands at the highest privilege level at which point, an attacker can do basically anything.
Find ways to export biometrics? Idk, probably, set it up to forward all requests to a man in the middle server? Almost certainly.
To say “if I can’t see it, it can’t be compromised” is definitely a naïve stance in my opinion. Whether this is being done intentionally by companies to sell more phones? Well… I don’t think many people would argue the contrary
A good example though for iphones is an sma that triggers an exploit that escalates access and allows the entity to install their software that monitors and controls your phone is possible. It even deletes the test. So the end user does not know. It’s used and purchased by governments. I’m sure there are 0 days on Android that would do similarly.
They could steal all of your logins. This includes things like bank accounts. Your phone could be used as part of a botnet to commit criminal acts. They could shorten your battery life and use up your data plan by mining crypto in the background. You know, just like any other compromised computer.
I personally think they do it to sell more phones. They could support their phones for much longer as evidenced by Lineage
I don’t know about selling more phones, but it’s definitely a profit angle. I’m not sure if using a phone without security updates for that long is a good idea. It’s one of those it works until it doesn’t, and you’ll be regretting it very much when it doesn’t.
I love my current pixel 5. Ive had it for several years now, and the size is really nice. My battery is starting to show wear and the charge port doesn’t connect very well, although I probably just need to give it a good cleaning.
Unfortunately, Google will only push security updates until this October. Third-party OSes like Calyx or Graphine will keep the open source components patched as long as they can, but they can’t fix any bugs in the proprietary pieces.
Although its definitely more expensive, I keep thinking about grabbing a refurbished pixel 7 or 6, since google promises 5 years of security updates.
Went from pixel 5 to fold, same things happening to my 5 Fold besides thickness is a really good small phone form factor. Very slightly shorter, which pixel 5 was slightly too long for m, and slightly wider so I can one hand reach top an the opposite side with the fold.
I was just about to write pretty much the same comment. I’m dreading getting a new phone, they’re all so large.
The Pixel 5 is my favorite phone I’ve used so far. Sadly the EOL for security and software updates is October 2023. Pixel updates
Great phone, good battery life, although I think there is an issue with Android 13 that shortened it some, not confirmed. I would be more concerned with the security and OS updates ending this October. Unless you intentions are to replace the OS with a Linux based one;
- LineageOS
- GrapheneOS
- CalyxOS
- e.foundation
Pixels are excellent choices if you go the Linux route, almost all of them are supported. Lineage and e.foundation use degoogled OS versions which means the google services are replaced with microg allowing you to still use all your favorite apps from the app store…and still get updates for the linux os and the apps.
How finicky is installing custom roms on refurbished Samsung phones or android phones in general usually?
I usually avoid refurbished phones even though the flagships offer better performance and value compared to buying the midrange and budget phones but the lack of software updates are something I’m concerned about. That said, if there was a more clear recommended OS to install I’d be willing to give it a try.It’s not hard once you unlock the bootloader. That’s usually the most PITA part. Once you get past that stage it’s no different in difficulty as installing Windows on a computer.
The only downside is if you need Safetynet. I used to use Lineage on a Xiaomi Mi 5 and it worked great 99% of the time. The 1% of the time when Google updated Safetynet and Magisk (or I) didn’t update to get around it, it can be annoying, especially if you need to use banking or payment apps during that moment. The latter happened to me when I was trying to board the subway. XD
I’ve bought nothing but refurbished phones and tablets ever since my first of any of those a decade ago and they never broke.
You save so much money with a refurb, it’s ridiculous.
Me too, always from the manufacturer or someone reputable like Backmarket. If you buy the higher priced ones, they’ve likely come from someone who buy a new phone every year; they’re barely used and a third of the price
Was looking into buying Pixel from Backmarket as well! How was your experience with them and their phones?
I’ve had four now over five years with no probs. But like I said, buy the top end ones
Has anyone tried Swappa? Any luck there?
I bought a refurbished pixel 5 about 3 months ago! It’s been working great so far, basically new condition when i got it. The battery is better than my last phone (Xiaomi mi 9t) in it’s last days, but i have no idea how it compares to when it was new. Pixels seem to have great after market OS support, so I wouldn’t worry about it not being supported in the near future. I installed Lineage OS right away and it works like a charm. Let me know if you have any questions!
Really interested in how the 90hz display holds up. I’m not playing games or anything so I don’t care about the performance in GPU heavy tasks, however I expect for the system to run flawlessly 95%+ of the time, including some 3rd party apps like Telegram YouTube (primarily ReVanced).
Thank you!
I’m used to 60Hz screens, and i don’t really notice the higher refresh rate. It’s maybe a bit smoother when scrolling, and I think it’s pretty consistent between different apps. I might make a little experiment where i turn it down to 60 for a day and see if i notice anything!
I bought a refurbished Pixel 5 from Amazon months ago… looks brand new and works great.
I only buy referb phones because there is no reason to spend $$$ on a brandnew phone. I got a used Pixel 5 a year or more ago and its been great!
When buying Pixel know that you can install Lineage OS and that more than takes care of all your software support concerns.
Who’s doing the refurbishing? My own experience is that if the refurbs come directly from the manufacturer it’s usually safe.
Pixel 5 is the best Android device I’ve owned before moving onto my current iOS device.
Battery life would be my concern since it’s probably degraded depending on how much it was used
Often, refurbished phones have had the battery replaced. Good idea to check the seller’s details if possible.
