Don't Judge All Of Android By The Worst Of Android
K. Scott Brown / Android Authority
This year hasn't been good for Android. Two recent reports from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) show that more people are switching from Android to iOS. The agency reports that most of those people, 53 percent, leave because of "pre-existing phone issues." In other words, users were not satisfied with the performance of their Android smartphone and decided that iOS is more convenient.
In other areas of technology, such a conclusion may make sense. For example, a Garmin smartwatch would be much better for avid runners than something like a Fitbit. However, the Fitbit may be better for those who don't exercise but want to track their overall health. Trying one of these platforms and deciding whether you prefer a different ecosystem doesn't mean the underlying platform is attractive; it just means it doesn't suit your needs.
What worries me is that people are switching from Android to iOS because of "early phone issues" because at least some of those people didn't get the best out of their Android phones. Instead, they might experience a worse Android and skip that bad experience. It saddens me to think that there are smartphone users who think the platform as a whole is terrible, having predictably terrible experiences with phones that were never intended to be good examples of what Android can be.
The Android ecosystem is incredibly large.
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
There are three main levels in the world of Android phones. At the top you have expensive premium models ranging from $700 to $2000 that offer superior hardware and regular software support (mostly anyway). In this case, you have a mid-range phone. The price of these phones varies between 300-700 dollars. Often users cut back on basic features they may need (like wireless charging) while keeping the core features they need most (like a fast processor). After all, budget phones under $300, with cheap hardware, rarely updated software, and other perks, should be kept as low as possible.
In each of these three tiers, you'll see dozens or even hundreds of phones released each year. Plus, I can name tens of billion-dollar Android phone companies, each putting their own stamp on hardware and software. In other words, the Android experience can vary greatly depending on the company you bought it from and the phone it comes from.
Understanding the world of Android requires a lot more than just using a budget Android phone.
All of this means that the old adage "if you've seen one, you've seen them all" doesn't apply to Android smartphones at all. To get a full understanding of the platform, you need to use many different phones from different OEMs to understand the best and worst of Android.
This is very opposite of how iOS works. There is no budget tier in the iOS world. The iPhone SE (2022), Apple's latest "cheap" phone, costs $429, which puts it well in the middle. Similarly, the cheapest phone in the iPhone 13 series costs $799, making it a premium model. To get anything under $300, you need to buy a used iPhone. Then again, Apple takes so long to update its phones (six years on average) that even a used iPhone that costs less than $300 will get a new iOS for years before it becomes obsolete.
Other than that, all iPhones are the same. There are no skins for iOS like Android. No other company makes an iPhone, so every iPhone is created by Apple's own design team. The old adage mentioned earlier applies to the iPhone. if you've used one, you've used them all.
As for if someone tries Android on a $300 budget and fails, then yes; any iPhone would be much better. There are no questions. But does this guy really feel Android and what can he do? In general. This is one of the problems facing Google, especially given how easy it is to find Android madness.
Finding the worst of Android is easy.
Ryan Haynes / Android Authority
Android is accessible to everyone on any budget. Even the poorest people in developing countries can get their hands on an Android phone, some of which cost less than $50. This is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it's great that everyone is going. Smartphones are essential in our connected world, and it's amazing that Google's open source operating system has leveled the playing field so that not even the slightest advantage is left. On the other hand, all these cheap phones are draining the Android brand. What's more, it's much easier to find the cheapest and worst Android phone on the market than it is to buy an iPhone or a premium Android phone.
For example, an American consumer today can walk into a T-Mobile store with empty pockets and walk out with a new budget Android phone. At the time of writing, you can choose from ten Android smartphones with no deposit (and most importantly, no iPhone). All ten have an MSRP under $300. We've reviewed a few of them at Android Authority , like the OnePlus Nord N300, and found that they're good enough for the money you're willing to pay. However, our reviews of these types of phones consistently talk about how nice it would be to have something a little more expensive, let alone premium flagships.
Finding a cheap Android phone is as easy as visiting a carrier store. You don't even need to exchange anything.
But for those who try to spend as little as possible, how is it possible to spend absolutely nothing? Why choose a phone that requires a down payment or trade-in instead? The Nord N300 has a good camera, a decent battery, a working screen, and can make calls, send texts, and download apps. What else is needed?
This user certainly understands why other phones charge more when they stop receiving software updates, physically break the phone due to poor design, or are constantly frustrated by a low-quality screen that fades in the sun. Whereas their iPhone owner has none of these problems. Is it closing? Android is bad, but iPhone is better. This person will be one of the 53% of new iPhone users featured at the beginning of this article.
It's unfortunate that one of Android's biggest strengths, its accessibility to everyone in the world, is also its biggest weakness. I just want people to look at Android phones the way they look at other things, like video games.
Android is like video games. must be caught
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
I know it might seem weird to talk about video games in a Worst Android article, but bear with me. There is a big problem in the world of video games right now. hot garbage AAA games open for $70 each unfinished. We've seen this recently in two high-profile games: Redfall (a first-person shooter from Bethesda) and Lord of the Rings. Gollum (adventure game from Daedalic Entertainment). Both games received terrible reviews, and the backlash was so strong that the developers issued an official apology.
Two upcoming horror games won't spoil people's perception of first-person shooters or third-person adventure games. Likewise, it won't stop people from buying future Bethesda or Daedalic games if those games do well. They definitely won't stop you from playing video games. Gamers consider these horror games to be an exception in a brutal industry.
You can't boycott a video game or game studio because of a bad reputation. This should also be the case with Android phones.
This is how I want everyone to look at Android smartphones. Like video games, there are too many phones released every year that aren't enough. But just like in video games, there are some really great releases every year. Either way, you need to know how to hunt to find what works for you.
Can you imagine someone opening up Steam and randomly selecting a game to buy and run? The chances of running into something bad are very high, as many things in the Steam store are not very good. Are we porting Steam to another platform? Of course not, because Steam is still the best way to buy PC video games. You just need to understand how to use it.
Android is exactly the same. You need to understand how it works to find the right one for you. Yes. it takes more work than buying an iPhone, which is much easier. However, that doesn't mean Android is bad. It just means you won't find a device that suits your needs. You can't base your Steam review on Redfall, and you can't base your Android review on the free budget phone you got from your carrier. The worst thing about Android is its reason for giving everyone a smartphone. But this phone shouldn't be the standard by which the entire ecosystem is judged.
