What a 2016 phone
So, it's a Sunday afternoon and the household stuff is (mostly) done.
Jumping into my drawers, I dusted off that phone, you know, the one that got you into. It was all my own highschooler money, entrusted to some relatively unknown Chinese subsidiary that barely got its first phone out the year prior, but oh boy what a phone it was.
The hero of this post was (still is) the much-loved Zuk Z2 'Plus' (black version), and the spec/price ratio was formidable at the time: the latest SnapDragon 820 chip, 5" FHD screen, 4GB of RAM and a whopping 64GB of storage - more than you'd ever need, all that for (around) a measly 280€. The Zuk Z2 Pro was actually my crush but reality (money) settled me with its little sibling which I would get to love passionately later on. I used that phone for almost 5 years, after which I wasn't comfortable anymore with the spicy pillow the battery had become and the subsequently poor autonomy, but I didn't switch before removing that crappy Chinese Android 6.0 ROM and TWRP'ing my phone around with the help of the incredible (but now deceased) zukforums, and XDA community.
So, now that we're done with the boring intro, what about now, in 2024 ?
It took a couple tries, but it's still possible to flash old (and new!!) ROMs on this phone. Some Android 8.0 ROMs were still around, but it became evident that beside for 2018 icons nostalgia, it wasn't the way to go
The latest (actually last year's) LineageOS is compatible and boot flawlessly, though slowly...
The UI is also on the slow side, but it's nothing to scoff at, for a 2016 CPU. I've seen some way worse 2024 overpriced low-end phones (that costed over that 280€ figure, even when adjusting for inflation)
Google services don't seem to like the old hardware (or LineageOS...), and for some reason I can't install some APKs either.
Nostalgia bonus. In 2024 there is less and less pros (and ways) of going the custom ROM route. When's the last time you used Magisk to install a (supposedly better) audio driver ?
Antutu runs almost as fine as day one... except that since now most of the charger power goes into the spicy pillow instead of the device, the phone actually shut off during the test!
For funsies, let's compare this to my current device (Redmagic 9 Pro):
| Redmagic 9 Pro | Zuk Z2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | ❌ (230g) | ✅ (150g) |
| Fingerprint sensor | ❌ (under-display, but inaccurate) | ✅ (physical,fast and accurate) |
| One-handedness | ❌ | ✅ (and still has a one-handed mode in the settings. 2020's 'legacy' ?) |
| Software support | ❌ (2y, promised) | ✅ (8y and counting, demonstrated) (take that, Google) |
| Exclusive device | ❌ (anyone can buy) | ✅ (hard to find) |
All in all, with some luck (finding a compatible battery) and effort (fixing the google & app install problems - having to use unlocked-bootloader-checking banking apps suck), I could still see myself using this phone in 2024. But realistically, this antique (in terms of 'tech' age) will probably ends its days as WiFi beacon or houseplant humidity sensor hub.
Goodbye, my beloved Z2
You did go gently and proudly into that long night, and will be remembered forever, as the one that got me into.