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2 days agoI would never go with Samsung as a conscious choice for custom ROMs, mostly because all well-supported devices are pretty old, which means lower chance of getting something in a decent state for a reasonable price used, that wouldn’t require immediately swapping the battery already. Not to mention the Knox eFuse which means losing functionality when flashing a custom ROM. I’d argue a used Pixel is a better option, the 7 Pro can be had for relatively little money and is still a good phone.
Instinct gang! I got an Instinct 2S Solar after being fed up with "smart"watches with 1-2 day battery life, now I get 10-14 days realistically even when frequently training with GPS. I’ve also returned to Gadgetbridge recently and it’s an OK experience, minor bumps here and there, but definitely something I can daily drive in exchange for having control over my data.
What I find nice is that the Instincts don’t need the phone to see all data and can function pretty much autonomously - everything important can be checked on the watch itself. And the watch itself is so rugged (among other things, it has a 10ATM water resistance vs 5ATM for a lot watches, and pretty much all of the WearOS/general smartwatches like Huawei), I don’t have an issue taking it for swimming, which is very important for me.
I just wish there were more watches like Instinct that would also match the functionality these series have. But unfortunately, looks like most people prefer fancy displays over a watch being practical and not needing to charge it as often as your phone.