So... Apple pokes holes in anti-fingerprinting measures by design, as a feature.
https://www.finnvoorhees.com/words/banned-iphone

The original Nougat wallpaper had stars, see you later.

It's quite different from the most recognizable version.

The starry one is at:
https://github.com/aosp-mirror/platform_frameworks_base/blob/d9f91827a9c6b0537b18d6e29873ae70b2d0bba6/core/res/res/drawable-sw720dp-nodpi/default_wallpaper.png?raw=true

Removal commit:
https://github.com/aosp-mirror/platform_frameworks_base/commit/38fdd605c83addeb9d52e1ab01958dbf7ee5742b

A not so far fetched conspiracy theory:
It may be be a fingerprint sensor, just not acting as one.
(iPhone 16)

They actually made it look jumpy, this suggests against a granular sensor (if true irl)

Meanwhile in comments of a channel actually distributing a Spotify mod with malware...

https://securelist.com/necro-trojan-is-back-on-google-play/113881/

No lie detected 😆

Chinese RN14P+:
OV50E main, IMX355 ultrawide, S5KJN1 tele

Global RN14P+:
S5KHP3 main, IMX355 ultrawide, OV02B10 macro, no tele

Sorry for few edits, had to consult about the naming. Not surprised that there's a catch with HP3 comeback, it's too good.

Indian unit will be equal to Chinese in this aspect

Well, what can I say... That means the global unit is downgraded. HP3 is a lovely sensor with massive feature set, very granular noise, it serves great as a main camera, but in no way it's able to replace a tele. Not with a color filter array that makes it a 12.5MP Bayer in the end. And for that, you'll pay twice the Chinese price, as always.

I wrote a post during a cold, so it could be foggier than it needs to, but regardless of that, you may want to read it.


What Google has against custom ROMs and root?
There's a lot of cheap takes one could have about it, but they're basically: "No one likes our freedom of choice! It's against the financial incentive not to force us to consume more by having to buy new phones more often!".
As much as this may be the case with motivation of individual OEMs, the interest of Google is quite different. But it's so much in your life that you probably already forgot about it.

GMS.
What exactly your ability to pass hw attestation on uncompliant device means to Google? It means that projects like microG stand a chance to reproduce the same user experience as bootloader locked GMS devices. And that obviously threatens Google's pocket. The better it gets, the higher the volume of GMS-less devices sold commercially. Of course, there are players like Huawei and alternative OS projects. But if you want to buy a phone, here and now, that gives you uninterrupted access to bank apps and McDonald's coupons... That's exactly the whole point.

This topic is wide, from deprecation of AOSP apps, to other means of forcing the device to run GMS with Google account. To avoid an anti-trust, each of the app owners need to opt-in into the lockdown of their userbase on their own. Their ignorance in turn achieves the goals of Google.

To be fair, passing PIA with MEETS_DEVICE_INTEGRITY while on microG would already achieve a lot. But Google is future-proofing, successful eradication of usable leaked keyboxes is something that would take away a big part of commercial viability from a microG device. In a way, I may exaggerate and maybe the people behind PIA and anti-sideload don't even think about microG, but about the anti-features themselves. But if it grows enough, they will. It's something they'd quickly realize if they slow their pace.


Tldr: custom ROMs aren't an issue to Google, but their needs overlap with the needs of alternative ecosystems. Fighting the latter harms the first.

It's a shame that Pixels suck in major ways, because look at it (9 Pro). It's hard to find a device that would pack the camera array so densely under the island. The supposed Vivo X200 Mini won't be so kind and employ a typical big circle instead. An ergonomic "camera flagship" remains as a rare item to have. In my mind, I'm only able to name two current considerable devices that seem ergonomic to me: OnePlus 12 and Moto X|Edge 50 Ultra. And they're far from compact.