Sony is very ROM-friendly. Main issue is price, which affects active development.
My wishlist is similar to yours, I ended always going with Xiaomi. While their 7 days wait to unlock bootloader is annoying, the ROM scene is very active, with great GCam ports.
My wants:
Seems I can get two of three, but not all three with the latest phones.
EDIT: I currently rock a Oneplus 7 Pro running crDroid 9 (Android 13).
Remember the days when we had the notification led? :(
I cheaped out and got the smaller version of my phone with no led.
Regretted it ever since. Been 5 years and vowed to never do that again. :(
I really want a notification led
You still have ways to emulate it with software… Especially apps or Android 14 that make your flashlight act as one.
I loved the notification LED on my Xperia XZ1, Nexus 5X, and basically all older Android phones.
Ideally I’d like to see an LED along a corner so that regardless of placing the phone face up or down, you can still see the LED.
Sony is very ROM-friendly. Main issue is price, which affects active development. My wishlist is similar to yours, I ended always going with Xiaomi. While their 7 days wait to unlock bootloader is annoying, the ROM scene is very active, with great GCam ports.
I love Sony phones but I don’t see active ROMs for the Xperia 1 or 5 series.
I’m not familiar with Xiaomi. They have a flagship without a hole punch?
I wouldn’t call it a flagship, but Xiaomi 9T Pro is the closest you can get without a punchhole. Plenty of ROMs, and great gcam support.
I’ve had the Oneplus 7 Pro since it came out, which is a rebranded Xiaomi 9T Pro.
Google, maybe Motorola and Nothing. Those seem to be the only choices remaining in the US
https://en-us.support.motorola.com/euf/assets/docs/Bootloader-Legal_Agreement_and_Warning.pdf
Caution : Warranty is voided after bootloader unlock, and Motorola may deny any waraanty repairs.
Google and Nothing phones have punch holes.
I’m not familiar with Motorola’s lineup. What phone do they have without a punch hole?
I don’t think there’s many mobiles without punch-holes. Not in their lineup if I remember correctly