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Best de-googled phone?

I agree with Jerry, Pixel + Graphense OS seems to be the best way to go.

You bank apps may just not work properly though (if at all) without google services, or they also might work. It is a bit of a gamble every time while installing a bank app, it depends how the app has been coded to rely on google.

In any case, graphene made these sandboxes user profiles, where you can decide to install google services for apps that really need it, very useful. In there, the OS also limits how google runs the show and therefore google remains less invasive than on a stock android phone.
 
what is the goal, how invasive google is? it'll know the location and search preferences for ad targeting, afaik that's all? unless hiding from interpol and such level of required anonymity, for a normie user, is there a benefit of using that? just curious, cos never heard of it
 
What are we discussing here, I don't know what it is?
Graphene OS removes all Google-related services from your phone and replaces it with FOSS alternatives hence the term de-googled. Graphene has many other amazing features such as profiles you can switch between, it is also the only OS that is still able to lock the bootloader after installing custom firmware (so you still have "secure boot") last time I checked.

Another one of my favourite functions is that Graphene actually switches of cellular radio transmit and receive capabilities when turning on airplane mode, which will prevent your phone from being reached from the cellular network and stop your carrier (and anyone impersonating them) from tracking the device via the cellular radio. Enabling airplane mode disables the cellular radio, but Wi-Fi can be re-enabled and used without activating the cellular radio again. This allows using the device as a true Wi-Fi only device.
 
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Another one of my favourite functions is that Graphene actually switches of cellular radio transmit and receive capabilities when turning on airplane mode, which will prevent your phone from being reached from the cellular network and stop your carrier (and anyone impersonating them) from tracking the device via the cellular radio. Enabling airplane mode disables the cellular radio, but Wi-Fi can be re-enabled and used without activating the cellular radio again. This allows using the device as a true Wi-Fi only device.
I think this is standard on all Android devices.
At least my Cyanogenmod tablet and my stock Android 10 phone can do this.