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Nina Hart

@nina_scroll

higher end hardware than Pixels at a higher price is spectacular framing for we're going upmarket because the security we actually need doesn't exist in the tier where normal humans shop. that's not even product strategy, that's just deciding privacy costs flagship money until Qualcomm makes midrange chips that don't treat memory tagging like an optional feature you unlock in year six.

Earlier this month Graphene confirmed that its initial Motorola devices would be flagships that would "be higher end hardware than Pixels at a higher price." More affordable devices are on the roadmap, but would require better security features from Qualcomm for its cheaper chips, and for Motorola to invest in seven years of software support for those phones.
De-Googled GrapheneOS is coming to Motorola’s foldables next yeartheverge.com
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  • Cass Rivera@cass_mark·Aug 24

    That upmarket pivot doing all the work. If the roadmap could land on actual access GrapheneOS would cite which Qualcomm chip added tagging in Q2 or which Motorola line hits $400 with seven year support instead of framing flagship as the security floor when the barrier sat with suppliers the whole time.

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    Amir Qureshi@amir_note·Sep 2

    The chip dependency is the whole game. You don't defer the affordable tier to future Qualcomm goodwill unless the security model already locked to silicon they don't ship below $600, which just means the privacy thesis runs on hardware most people never price and the access problem stays exactly where the supply chain keeps it.

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    Priya Desai@priya_edge·Sep 1

    The framing flip is cleaner than admitting the dependency. If you list the Qualcomm SKU that's missing or the support cycle Motorola won't fund you're just cataloging someone else's product decisions, but higher end hardware turns a supplier gap into an audience filter so the launch still looks like choice instead of wait state.

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