You don’t like every phone unless it’s made by Samsung

This week was filled with Android smartphone news, which all featured high-end devices from familiar manufacturers that the Android community either liked or had positive ties to. OnePlus told us when to expect the OnePlus 10 Pro in the US, Motorola Let’s review Edge+ (2022) And they launched it, and nothing has provided early details on their first device that will arrive this summer.

But while we got a little excited about the idea of ​​bringing a bunch of new high-end phones to market, it’s clear that few of our readers care. In fact, this is Android now. If a Samsung phone wasn’t high-end, or we got to that point about a month after Google released their phones and problems started piling up, the Android world in the US wouldn’t care. I’m really starting to get sad.

To be clear, this isn’t a Samsung post as much as the rest of the industry. Samsung dominates here in the US because they make great phones in different sizes and at different price points. They update their phones better and longer than anyone else, update specs, often improve in ways that others can’t (or don’t), and run without all the issues that seem to plague many other phone makers. I understand why you love Samsung phones.

This post is about the rest of the industry and how they need to bring things together.

We used to live in this Android space where many important players were doing their own thing. Samsung has forever dominated, but HTC has been a household name for years, Motorola carved out its space on Verizon, LG has dabbled in success, Google had both the Nexus and Pixel lines that still excite people on some level, and OnePlus caught the eye Enthusiasts who wanted it all on a tight budget. But now, only Samsung is getting the attention and everyone seems to be ignoring it.

If you scroll through the news posts we wrote this week on those new devices or check out our Twitter replies and reddit threads, it’s nothing but “no!” And the “yawn” And the “I don’t trust Motorola” accident.

why? LG and HTC are gone, so one would think that Motorola, OnePlus, and Google would try to grab the spaces left by those missing names. Unfortunately, Motorola has mostly disappeared outside of its mid-range offerings that I can’t even keep track of. Their lack of commitment to updates has certainly turned off a number of potential customers, and their limited releases that include Verizon mostly don’t help either.

For OnePlus, they decided a few years ago that they were on the same level as Samsung and that was a mistake. Endless price increases followed by questionable software decisions, sporadic updates roll out, cameras that just can’t keep up, and truly obnoxious marketing schemes have done damage.

And for Google, the Pixel line has been hit or miss over the years, but the Pixel 6 line was supposed to be everything. The phones have been released and Google has really struggled with the software on each of them, probably because of its Tensor chip, but that’s still no excuse. As much as I love both phones, I’m not going to sit here and deny that the first few months of their availability were a frustrating mess for many who own one.

As for nothing, I’m not sure why the interest doesn’t exist. Maybe it’s because fake and limited ear headphones were put up for cheese to create annoying annoying people. Maybe it’s Carl Pei’s goofy zen style or it all feels like a reboot from the OnePlus playbook. Whatever the case, the chatter surrounding Nothing Products about these parts isn’t very positive.

The thing is, I’m not sure how any of these companies could make such a comeback. OnePlus will have to abandon all efforts to make a profit and abandon OPPO, Motorola will have to really start trying in many ways it hasn’t been in years, and Google will have to launch a phone without problems because of it in the first months. I think nothing stands a chance of making a move, assuming the pricing is correct and they’re doing something interesting like they’re beeping their first phone. There’s also OSOM, which makes the 2022 edition of the Essential Phone with potential.

So while many of you are fine once you buy your next Samsung Galaxy phone, I certainly am not. I will continue to point out the flaws of other phone makers. I would also remain optimistic about companies that would like to try it, such as Nothing’s Phone (1) and the upcoming phone from OSOM. I’ll give Google credit for using the chips in their own way and hope the second round leads to a smoother launch. If we don’t, we’ll all end up stuck with One UI… meh.