I need an Android device for archival purposes, it has several requirements and I would appreciate any suggestions. I’ve done some research myself, but I would appreciate it maybe you know of something I haven’t discovered.

Requirements:

  • Must fit inside this Faraday pouch, or a different one that is of a similar price, and is both water and fire proof
  • Must support an open OS (Degoogled, rooted Android ROM or Linux - both support touch interfaces, Kiwix, and storing and viewing files)
  • at least 256GB internal storage to store the files
  • at least 8GB RAM for running local AI models, preferably nearer 16GB
  • Good battery life, since it will stay inside the pouch most of the time and I don’t want to have to take it out to charge it every day
  • As cheap as possible

I have no other requirements, it doesn’t even have to have a camera, let alone a good one.

Thanks for all your help!

  • WilldrickEnglish
    90·
    2 months ago

    It will make the search even harder, but I’d recommend to add “removable battery” to the list.

    • Dark_DragonEnglish
      30·
      2 months ago

      Yep that’s what i was thinking. He would have a exploded battery in few years rather than a archival phone.

  • JASN_DEEnglish
    61·
    2 months ago

    Could you extend on the “archival” parts a little? What would your daily(?) use look like?

    • JackGreenEarthOPEnglish
      10·
      2 months ago

      Storing Wikipedia (using Kiwix), various media files (TV shows, movies, books), an LLM (using Layla Lite if Android, Jan if Linux), Stable Diffusion (SDAI if Android, Krita with AI Diffusion if Linux), and if there’s enough space left some games, and then putting it in the case so it’s safe in the event of an EMP/Solar flare

  • Sb93English
    61·
    2 months ago

    Used pixel from swappa.com and install graphene os . can have all that for under $200

      • huginnEnglish
        40·
        2 months ago2 months ago

        Pixel 7 comes in right at 200 on swappa and has 8gb ram. Pixel 7 pro has 12gb and is around $50 more.

      • LostXOR
        10·
        2 months ago

        GrapheneOS can be rooted, though they don’t recommend it as it’s bad for security. For an archival device I imagine security isn’t a big concern.

        • JackGreenEarthOPEnglish
          10·
          2 months ago

          If you meant Single Board Computer, that seems like a whole class of devices. What specific model would you recommend?

          • jaredEnglish
            50·
            2 months ago

            Raspberry pi would be a good place to start.

          • liveinthisworldEnglish
            20·
            2 months ago

            Just use any cheap one that you can find that runs Linux well. There’s 100s of them I’m sure you’ll find your pick

            • JackGreenEarthOPEnglish
              10·
              2 months ago

              Are you sure I’ll find one with my memory, storage, and size requirements? And I didn’t specifically list that I wanted a touchscreen and chassis rather than a naked motherboard, but I do indeed want that.

                • JackGreenEarthOPEnglish
                  10·
                  2 months ago

                  It should be able to move around, if that’s what you mean, easily, as a desktop wouldn’t fit in the pouch or be simple to use. I’d prefer a touchscreen so I dont have to put a keyboard in the pouch, but it doesn’t have to be a phone. It could be a small tablet.

  • youmaynotknowEnglish
    10·
    22 days ago

    You’d do well by looking into the higher-end Fairphone 5.