Any specific models in mind? I would love to run vanilla linux on my phone. Checking ebay, I see a few with 2GB (like UMI ZERO MT6592T), 4 would be really nice.
I picked up a lenovo knock-off with the aforementioned chip and 4GB of RAM on-board for $120CAD over a year ago on aliexpress. Chinese knock-offs add an extra layer of security-by-obscurity that government actors would have difficulty with.