this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2026
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GrapheneOS is definitely great. It doesn't support faceID however. I don't know how much you need it for other apps, but if you just need it for security, it's a completely unreliable technology. A password/pin is much stronger. With faceID, someone can unlock your phone with a simple photo, or even while you sleep. I've seen police use faceID to unlock people's phones when the people deny to unlock it for them, by just pointing it at their faces.
Apple's faceID is actually a bit more secure, because iPhones have extra sensors to recognize when the phone is being fooled by a photo. Google-based faceID is just based on the camera, so very easy to fool.
On the other hand, GrapheneOS has much better permission settings, which can provide much stricter or looser control on individual apps, which is a much more significant security feature than Apple or Google OS.
If none of this is practical for you, then you basically have no choice but to go Android. Although technically you could have a device for your banking needs on Android, and a device for personal use on Graphene. I've also heard it's possible to turn some android phones into dual booting devices (running both OS and switching between then 2 by restarting the phone), but I've never seen it done.
You don't have to stick to Google's Android OS though. There's CalyxOS which is open source and free (for the most part). It's still Google-based, but it gives you the possibility to get rid of the most serious Google spyware/adware, and has better security options. No FaceID here either.
LineageOS is also a pretty good alternative to Graphene, but I hear it's less functional (but more user-friendly to install). Still, you can set it up to connect to Google services, which would enable you to run any Android app probably. By default gets rid of all of Google's spyware/adware. Also no faceID.
A pricier (and perhaps riskier) option is to get a Fairphone device, which is a completely de-googled phone, fully repairable, and its OS is compatible with almost any Android app (and also able to run iOS apps). The only catch is that your service provider might not actually work with that phone for some reason. I've heard this is a particular problem in the US. I don't understand why this problem exists.
For your laptop, I'd recommend Arch Linux if you are a beginner. It's got a similar UI to the standard OS (Windows, Mac), it has extra features to enhance usability for people not familiar with Linux systems, and it's got great support for running Android apps natively on your PC. However, it doesn't come in 1 package. You will need to get the base OS, and then you install add-ons to it, depending on your needs. So it will take some time to research and then set up.
If you want an all-in-one package and don't mind about flexibility then Ubuntu is the way to go for beginners. It's real easy to learn and use, and it has similar features to Arch (but just takes a bit more effort to set up anything not natively built in). If your work involves coding and you know your way around Linux, then I'd recommend a more advanced build, like Red Hat.
Thanks for detailed answer comrade. I don't know much about Linux, all my life stuck with the Apple eco-system. What would recommend to buy as a device like phone and laptop? Should I just install Linux over my macOS?
i installed Asahi Linux on my old MacBook that my last job let me keep works great
I dont have much experience with Macs, but I believe you can install Linux on it, though it depends on the model and components. Macs are notorious for breaking other OSs installed on them if you dont handle some things with care (like leaving alone the MacOS partition on your hard disk so Apple can be happy every time it wants to force an update down your throat), so definitely do some research based on your model and components, before doing anything else. The process to install varies depending on your Mac device.
Linux has many different iterations designed for specific purposes and situations, and I think there's a couple of them specifically designed for MacBooks. Asahi comes to mind, but I haven't tried it myself.
Otherwise, any Windows laptop will work. Dells, Lenovos and HPs in my experience are pretty good bets with decent hardware and affordable price. Depends on your usage. If your laptop comes with Windows 11 (it most likely will), then be sure to wipe them off, as they can also mess with your Linux installation. Dell has been trying to release Linux laptops on and off. Their new Linux XPS model is said to be pretty decent (but pricey at 1500-3000 dollars).
I have Ubuntu on an old HP 255 G8 Notebook and Arch on a newer Lenovo ThinkPad T14 G3, and I am pretty happy with them.
Generally, stir clear of laptops that have Nvidia graphics cards, as they often dont vibe well with most Linux. Also, people say that Intel CPUs tend to work better with linux than AMD, but I've seen 0 difference.
You are mixing up Arch Linux with a different distro (probably Linux Mint). Arch is none of those things, but a great choice if you are technically minded. Linux Mint is a good distro for beginners.