5 ms·

This is actually very very bad. Google's lack of focus/vision w.r.t Pixel all but guarantees that Samsung can eat up the whole high end android phone market. Sa

This is actually very very bad. Google's lack of focus/vision w.r.t Pixel all but guarantees that Samsung can eat up the whole high end android phone market. Samsung's desire to stuff so much garbage unto their phones that they are molasses-slow even with the fastest mobile SoCs available to them all but guarantees that for most users, android will remain a huge mess. As an android user, this saddens me.

enos_feedler 6y ago
I think it’s more likely we will see Microsoft and Google taking substantial share of the US Android market over the next 5+ years
- posguy 6y ago
  Isn't OnePlus starting to eat the share that LG, HTC & Motorola once served? They seem to be the only ones that reliably update their software, don't have horrendous hardware issues and consistently have good LineageOS support.
  - enos_feedler 6y ago
    I am sure they will. I just mean over time MS and Google will cut deep into this as well. Portable gaming and TV over 5g will be a bit part of their hardware lineup. This is longer term 5+ years thinking though
- martinald 6y ago
  Yes, I think a Microsoft Android phone could do extremely well. The Surface hardware is good. As someone else pointed out, the real problem with the Android ecosystem isn't so much the hardware imo it is the absolutely appalling software everyone but Google seems to ship (I definitely include Samsung in this). Microsoft could do a good job of this and has the $$$ to throw at marketing (plus could leverage the cloud streaming Xbox stuff).
  - enos_feedler 6y ago
    Agreed. I think leveraging Xbox brand as a gaming service with some kind of gaming enhanced hardware could get them in the door. Partnering with other big US names might be required. Comcast TV over 5g live package is what I am thinking. I just don’t think MS or Google can sit back and watch Apple build out a full ecosystem that pretty much rocks in most measurable ways. Too much on the line for these guys in the US market
- throwbacktictac 6y ago
  Why are google brands[0] featured so prominently on Microsoft's phone. Is it a requirement for phone Android phone vendors to keep google on the homescreen? [0]https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-duo?activetab=overview https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-duo?...
ethbr0 6y ago
Samsung's software design feels like an analogy of Korean corporate structure.
- revendell_elf 6y ago
  And what is Korean corporate structure?
  - cerved 6y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol
- cageface 6y ago
  Samsung's software is really not bad these days. I feel like there's a hint of Western arrogance in the dismissals they get now.
  - ethbr0 6y ago
    "Better" would be a fair summary [0]. The original quip was an application of Conway's law, in that if you have a rigid, hierarchical organization with lots of bureaucracy, you're probably not going to get great software out the other side. At least for consumer devices. You might make exemplary software for other rigid, hierarchical enterprises. It's nothing against Koreans. It's everything against how Korea has organized its corporate culture, even if it's making efforts to change that. [0] https://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-One-UI-3.0-android-11-new-features-review_id129053 https://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-One-UI-3.0-android-1...
selimthegrim 6y ago
What is Sony doing these days?
- bmitc 6y ago
  Making excellent phones that are ignored, like LG was doing.
  - jbay808 6y ago
    Exactly this! I find it bewildering -- they're by far the best in every respect that matters to me, and yet most people I meet are surprised to hear that Sony even makes phones, even when they express interest in mine. SD card, excellent camera, waterproof, durable, excellent battery life, headphone jack, quick, mostly vanilla Android OS, and most of all, the smallest form factor that I can still find in a phone. Their branding is terrible though. Their naming scheme is without any pattern, making it hard to tell which phones are their budget/flagship/new/old models, and so on. And they're hard to even get at all in Canada.
    - NalNezumi 6y ago
      Like most thing Sony the Hardware is good but the Software (and its support) is very crappy though. It looks flashy on the comparison table but falls short in real usage and support, and probably why with more exposure than LG (afaik) they seem to not catch on. I've only ever owned 2 smartphones in my life: Samsung Note2 and my current Sony Xperia XZ. Until now I've never experienced the touch screen go broke after an Software update, and that the temperature limit of the camera set so weird that 10min continuous usage leads to a warning popup (that can be removed without hardware damange, if you root the phone). Their lack of customer support is also not doing it any favour for getting respect.
      - selimthegrim 6y ago
        What has your experience been with the Laredo service center (that I think gets broken PlayStations shipped to it too)?
martinald 6y ago
I dunno. I think Google's new focus on the mid range is where it is at. Got a Pixel 4a 5G and it's a great phone (after the major missteps of the 3 and 4 with their hopeless battery life). To me, I don't see what I'm missing going up from the 4a to a high end Samsung at twice the cost. Maybe a 90Hz display and a slightly faster CPU/GPU, which seem very marginal. I think if Google doubles down on its mid range strategy (again) it's on to a winner. Fwiw I feel similar about the iPhone SE, especially if apple refresh it at some point without a home button and better res OLED screen. Feels we are reaching the end of the S curve on smartphones.
- cerved 6y ago
  pixel market share is tiny
  - kiwijamo 6y ago
    Tiny as a pixel?
- sanxiyn 6y ago
  Pixel is basically irrelevant.
- fomine3 6y ago
  I believe why Google choose mid SoC in 2020 is because of Snapdragon 865 doesn't have integrated modem but requires external 5G modem. It makes phone design difficult and bad for battery life.
- postingawayonhn 6y ago
  While their mid range offerings may be quite good Google still needs a cutting edge flagship to build the brand.
- nl 6y ago
  I had a Pixel 3. Great phone - no battery life issues until 2 years (which was very annoying). Pixel 4a and 5 were very disappointing to me. I could accept the mid-range hardware, but the lack of a camera update and especially better zoom camera options made me abandon them.

enos_feedler 6y ago

I think it’s more likely we will see Microsoft and Google taking substantial share of the US Android market over the next 5+ years

posguy 6y ago
Isn't OnePlus starting to eat the share that LG, HTC & Motorola once served? They seem to be the only ones that reliably update their software, don't have horrendous hardware issues and consistently have good LineageOS support.
- enos_feedler 6y ago
  I am sure they will. I just mean over time MS and Google will cut deep into this as well. Portable gaming and TV over 5g will be a bit part of their hardware lineup. This is longer term 5+ years thinking though
martinald 6y ago
Yes, I think a Microsoft Android phone could do extremely well. The Surface hardware is good. As someone else pointed out, the real problem with the Android ecosystem isn't so much the hardware imo it is the absolutely appalling software everyone but Google seems to ship (I definitely include Samsung in this). Microsoft could do a good job of this and has the $$$ to throw at marketing (plus could leverage the cloud streaming Xbox stuff).
- enos_feedler 6y ago
  Agreed. I think leveraging Xbox brand as a gaming service with some kind of gaming enhanced hardware could get them in the door. Partnering with other big US names might be required. Comcast TV over 5g live package is what I am thinking. I just don’t think MS or Google can sit back and watch Apple build out a full ecosystem that pretty much rocks in most measurable ways. Too much on the line for these guys in the US market
throwbacktictac 6y ago
Why are google brands[0] featured so prominently on Microsoft's phone. Is it a requirement for phone Android phone vendors to keep google on the homescreen? [0]https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-duo?activetab=overview https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-duo?...

ethbr0 6y ago

Samsung's software design feels like an analogy of Korean corporate structure.

revendell_elf 6y ago
And what is Korean corporate structure?
- cerved 6y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol
cageface 6y ago
Samsung's software is really not bad these days. I feel like there's a hint of Western arrogance in the dismissals they get now.
- ethbr0 6y ago
  "Better" would be a fair summary [0]. The original quip was an application of Conway's law, in that if you have a rigid, hierarchical organization with lots of bureaucracy, you're probably not going to get great software out the other side. At least for consumer devices. You might make exemplary software for other rigid, hierarchical enterprises. It's nothing against Koreans. It's everything against how Korea has organized its corporate culture, even if it's making efforts to change that. [0] https://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-One-UI-3.0-android-11-new-features-review_id129053 https://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-One-UI-3.0-android-1...

selimthegrim 6y ago

What is Sony doing these days?

bmitc 6y ago
Making excellent phones that are ignored, like LG was doing.
- jbay808 6y ago
  Exactly this! I find it bewildering -- they're by far the best in every respect that matters to me, and yet most people I meet are surprised to hear that Sony even makes phones, even when they express interest in mine. SD card, excellent camera, waterproof, durable, excellent battery life, headphone jack, quick, mostly vanilla Android OS, and most of all, the smallest form factor that I can still find in a phone. Their branding is terrible though. Their naming scheme is without any pattern, making it hard to tell which phones are their budget/flagship/new/old models, and so on. And they're hard to even get at all in Canada.
  - NalNezumi 6y ago
    Like most thing Sony the Hardware is good but the Software (and its support) is very crappy though. It looks flashy on the comparison table but falls short in real usage and support, and probably why with more exposure than LG (afaik) they seem to not catch on. I've only ever owned 2 smartphones in my life: Samsung Note2 and my current Sony Xperia XZ. Until now I've never experienced the touch screen go broke after an Software update, and that the temperature limit of the camera set so weird that 10min continuous usage leads to a warning popup (that can be removed without hardware damange, if you root the phone). Their lack of customer support is also not doing it any favour for getting respect.
    - selimthegrim 6y ago
      What has your experience been with the Laredo service center (that I think gets broken PlayStations shipped to it too)?

martinald 6y ago

I dunno. I think Google's new focus on the mid range is where it is at. Got a Pixel 4a 5G and it's a great phone (after the major missteps of the 3 and 4 with their hopeless battery life). To me, I don't see what I'm missing going up from the 4a to a high end Samsung at twice the cost. Maybe a 90Hz display and a slightly faster CPU/GPU, which seem very marginal. I think if Google doubles down on its mid range strategy (again) it's on to a winner. Fwiw I feel similar about the iPhone SE, especially if apple refresh it at some point without a home button and better res OLED screen. Feels we are reaching the end of the S curve on smartphones.

cerved 6y ago
pixel market share is tiny
- kiwijamo 6y ago
  Tiny as a pixel?
sanxiyn 6y ago
Pixel is basically irrelevant.
fomine3 6y ago
I believe why Google choose mid SoC in 2020 is because of Snapdragon 865 doesn't have integrated modem but requires external 5G modem. It makes phone design difficult and bad for battery life.
postingawayonhn 6y ago
While their mid range offerings may be quite good Google still needs a cutting edge flagship to build the brand.
nl 6y ago
I had a Pixel 3. Great phone - no battery life issues until 2 years (which was very annoying). Pixel 4a and 5 were very disappointing to me. I could accept the mid-range hardware, but the lack of a camera update and especially better zoom camera options made me abandon them.