Is it? It costs more than any (bar-style) iPhone. This is priced less than the Oppo X9 Ultra and Vivo X300 Ultra, similarly to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, and priced more than the Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max and Google Pixel 11 Pro XL –the problem is the subsect of people who are happy paying this price and cares about privacy are abysmally minute.

I appreciate your candour and time given to the response. The (superior) alternatives in respect to the given objectives were given as these were also concerns shared by me and at the time of my personal search they were the top contenders. Napster I recall eliminating early due to bountiful issues and subpar features, however I admit their state in 2025 is unknown to me.

At day’s end, the goal of the ideal is never summited by the well-worn path of least resistance. Our thoughts whisper “at least it’s better than XYZ” so that our conscience, though we know it a lie, is lightened. But I’m blathering on the piracy Lemmy so I can be ignored.

Music is actually one thing I will always pay for. I use Apple Music because they pay artists more and they offer better quality.

If paying artists and hi-res audio are your primary metrics, why not Tidal or Qobuz?