GrapheneOS’ first Motorola phones will be flagships that cost more than Pixels

Calvin Wankhede / Android AuthorityTL;DR GrapheneOS says its first Motorola phones will arrive in 2027 as high-end flagships that will cost more than Pixel phones. The platform says lower-end devices will take longer to qualify because Qualcomm’s cheaper chipsets don’t currently offer the same level of security and long-term software support. GrapheneOS also plans to have its Motorola builds ready alongside major Android releases, but it will need to host and maintain its own AOSP repositories. GrapheneOS is getting ready to expand beyond Google Pixel phones in 2027, but the platform has now revealed that its first Motorola devices won’t be affordable alternatives. The privacy-focused Android project says its initial Motorola devices will be flagships with higher-end hardware and higher prices than comparable Pixels.In a response to a user on Mastodon, GrapheneOS explained that it’s starting with flagship phones because they offer the hardware and security features needed to meet its stringent requirements.Lower-end phones will take longer to qualify because of how Qualcomm manages software support and security features across its chip platforms. GrapheneOS says the latest Snapdragon flagship platforms currently offer the strongest security capabilities. It also expects Motorola to eventually pay for longer software support on its non-flagship devices before those phones can meet its requirements.This gives us a better idea of what GrapheneOS’s long-awaited expansion beyond Pixel phones will look like. The project previously said Qualcomm’s progress on hardware security is one of the reasons Motorola support is becoming possible, while its latest comments make clear that Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon platforms will play a key role in the first devices.GrapheneOS is also planning to make the transition to new Android versions more seamless on Motorola hardware. The project says it plans to prepare its releases early and have everything ready to go when major Android updates launch. It expects to be able to push its code to its own repositories for major Android releases, although it will need to host all of the relevant AOSP Git repositories itself.The platform still hasn’t revealed which Motorola phones will be the first to officially support GrapheneOS, so we don’t know much about the hardware right now. But its latest comments make it clear that the first GrapheneOS-powered Motorola phones won’t come cheap.Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before posting.