C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
While I always welcome more competition in the Android smartphone market, one key player I haven’t been so happy about is Google. At first, I was interested to see what Google could do and the potential that more stock Android smartphones could offer.
But over time, that interest has turned into concern — to the point that I actually wish Google didn’t make smartphones. This isn’t due to the hardware itself or even Google as a company, but rather Google’s position as the primary developer of Android.
Are you glad that Google makes smartphones? 328 votes Yes. 74 % No. 15 % I don't really care. 11 %
It incentivizes Google to make Pixel-specific features
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Over the past few years, many Android manufacturers have focused more on differentiating their devices on the software front rather than hardware. This incentivizes people to keep buying the latest smartphones even with extended Android update support and iterative hardware updates.
For example, one of my frustrations with Samsung is the company’s practice of keeping certain features, like Now Brief, limited to later devices, even if older models have the hardware capable of supporting them.
Google isn’t exempt from this. It has showcased impressive hardware over the years, but I don’t think it has escaped the pressure to sell more devices by emphasizing certain software features. Since it has its own line of smartphones, the incentive is to roll out improvements to its own devices rather than Android in general.
This is demonstrated by the sheer number of Pixel-exclusive features and apps that seemingly aren’t tied to hardware limitations.
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