In regard to why I’m in this forum, the short version is to disrupt groupthink and reduce misinformation/disinformation. The reason I dislike Purism is that, IMO, the CEO (Todd Weaver) constantly pushed misinformation mingled in with PR … combined with them not honoring their refund policy (if you can’t trust them to honor their promises, should you trust them at all?).
I think the word “better” is too simplistic — what is better for one person may not be better for another. All of the choices in regard to “privacy and security” will require work from the user (the “learning curve”). Also, in regard to alternatives with “similar privacy and security” … it depends on your threat model. All alternatives that I’m aware of take effort/knowledge/experience on the part of the user.
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One could examine SailfishOS on a supported device (Sony “Open Devices”). Sailfish is not completely FOSS. Also, the Open Devices still depend on drivers from Android. The experience, though, is traditional Linux.
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Personally, I’m choosing a Pixel phone (7a) and installing GrapheneOS. I, perhaps, have a different threat model than you, but I think of it as a flexible and secure choice that allows me to manage my privacy.
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If you aren’t troubled with Purism’s behavior, a Librem 5 an OK choice. It will require work on your part for it to be useful. It’s similar to the Pinephone, but the Pinephone would probably require more work on your part to keep it updated/working if you don’t already know/understand Linux. Only these two choices have a removable battery (as far as I know). But removing the battery or Hardware Kill Switches are not necessary for my threat model.