I'm on v7 and it's also removed in that version. I blame it on Google's efforts to enforce apps having that new Play store integrity bullshit.

well it's suck... soon many smartphones manufacturer will copy what Samsung does

First age verification, mastercard and visa controlling what people purchase, and now this, there isn't any good news lately.

Hey, at least Hulk Hogan died

The wrong person died! We wanted Trump!

Where have you been the last 10 years? Very few devices have allowed bootloader unlocking, Samsung is no exception with their US market devices.

Man, this timeline sucks.

On the other hand... Year of the fairphone? Maybe year of the Linux phone?

App devs should also be blamed

Not until they use snapdragon elite or the newest flagship

Looks like I'm on v6 and it's not here either.

Why though? Unless you're really into mobile gaming, I don't see any difference in day to day usage compared to more mid-range SoCs.

I so strongly disagree with that. The Snapdragon 7 gen 4 in the Fairphone6 is roughly on par with the Snapdragon 888 from 2020 (S21 series). You couldn’t pay me to daily drive an S21 Ultra, let alone pay 67% of an S25 (a mid cycle phone) for a phone with a 4 year old performance profile. 600$ can be a used S24 Ultra.

Android app devs just don’t optimize their apps enough that I’d be comfortable rocking this phone 3 years from now, which if I did, I’d be using a 7 year old processor at that point. No one in their right mind should have a phone that old.

I agree but Trump's death wont un-open Pandora's box.

The 7G4 is on par in speed with the 888, but it uses a lot less power. And with decent software updates, a Snapdragon 820 is still fast enough for most people (including me).

No complaints regarding performance with a 2018' Poco F1 here. Use better apps.

v7 in the EU, bootloader unlocking is still an option. Might be an EU thing.

I thought that OEM unlocking was removed years ago? That's why I've not bought Samsung phones since the mid-2010s.

They had a thing that would blow a fuse if you unlocked your phone. Did they get rid of that for a while?

Using a Pixel 8a with a Tensor G3, a chip that's regularly called a bit underpowered.

My phone before that had a Snapdragon 765G, another pretty midrange SoC. I couldn't name a single app that isn't running perfectly fluently.

I dunno what apps you are using, but as far as I can see, there just isn't any relevant difference in daily usage between current mid-range and flagship SoCs.

Software is what matters to me, and you couldn't pay me to use a phone to use a phone on OneUI, with, if the current news are accurate, no more path to running anything other than the Stock Rom.

True, just like how shoving a rag in the hole isn't going to stop the leak in the boat, but it may help a bit.