I bought a Pixel just for GrapheneOS. Can't speak for anyone else.
> What features are those
There's a rather exhaustive list here:
https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices
Some that stand out to me:
> Hardware memory tagging
> Isolated radios (cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, etc.), GPU, SSD, media encode / decode, image processor and other components
> Weaver disk encryption key derivation throttling provided by secure element
Sounds like that's a feature in any ARMv9 processor, which would include current Xperias?
What you've linked is a long list but a lot of the items in it are underspecified and hard to search for. Would be good to be able to know what all these features actually do and why they do or don't exist in other models.
https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2023/11/first-handset...
But. A few years later the usb port is almost unusable.
Also note that, at least for this old phone, Sony updates stopped two years from when the phone was released which is pretty bad, especially as I bought it a year after it was released.
I understand that some people are still upset about headphone jacks. When Apple first pushed that direction, people convinced me to be upset too. But then I broke down, and went on Amazon and realized that quality Bluetooth headphones are plentiful and cheap and only need charging once or twice a month. After trying a pair, I felt silly for waiting so long.
So I'm sure there is SOME audience of people with $500+ Sennheiser headphones, trying to somehow produce an audiophile experience on a cell phone. But the reality is that 99% of normal consumers are better off going wireless and getting the improved water resistance if not better use of space.
I still have two reasons not to switch: Termux and GrapheneOS. Who knows what Google's gonna "sunset" next though? There's already hints that the Linux system calls Termux depends on will be locked away by security policies. If that happens I'm gone.
This year was the first time I seriously considered switching to an iPhone as I watch their hardware keep progressing while Android manufacturers just copy design and slip in terms of specs.
Things like the Lidar sensor show that at least Apple is pushing their devices to do more. Yeah I hate that they eliminated the headphone jack, etc. but Android devices just copy those decisions anyway so they're really starting to feel less like a competitor and more like wannabe iPhones.