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Yes, but the argument IIRC was that Samsung had attained an unassailable position, so Android being open wasn't really making any difference. Instead, in the l

Yes, but the argument IIRC was that Samsung had attained an unassailable position, so Android being open wasn't really making any difference. Instead, in the latest ads that came to my mailbox (snail mail in Italy), I was struck by the fact that most of the advertised phones were from Chinese brands I had never heard of before...

72deluxe 12y ago
I too see many cheap Android devices for sale from noname Chinese brands. But are you tempted into buying them?
- danmaz74 12y ago
  Considering I'm a poor startupper... yes :)
_nedR 12y ago
Are the brands you are referring to, by any chance Xiaomi and Huawei? Here in India at least, these Chinese brands along with Lenovo have pretty much become household names in respect to mobile phones. And they do make good, solid, innovative products at half the cost of their Korean counterparts. From an Indian perspective, It is no surprise that Samsung is bleeding to these (at least in the low and mid segments). What is truly amazing to me is the pace with which the reputation of these mobile companies were built. It took years and even decades for the Koreans (Samsung and LG in electronics, and Hyundai in cars) to be taken in the same respect as the Japanese. The trust and reputation of the chinese brands (in the mobile space at least) were built almost overnight (and sooner in cases like OnePlus). There is certainly a Tom Sawyer effect in play with use of marketing tactics such as invite-only and flash sales.
- castell 12y ago
  The OnePlus invite-only marketing tactics was very successful, from what I heard. Even their reputation seem to be good. Though 5.5" is very big. Most chinese built smartphones are 5" or bigger. There are only three high end flagship smartphones that are below 5" (ca. 4.5"): Apple iPhone6, Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and Samsung Alpha.
  - tw04 12y ago
    Their reputation is good because they spam the internet as part of their marketing ploy. They've got very real, and very serious touchscreen issues that basically every phone will suffer from at some point. And they either don't know how to fix it, or know how to fix it and aren't willing to spend the money to do so. Do a google search of "oneplus touchscreen issue" and let the light of reality shine on your head.
    - castell 11y ago
      Good to know. A workmate owns one. I don't get the huge screen size trend anyway. About 4.5" (iPhone, Samsung Alpha, Sony XPeria Z3 Compact, etc.) is already the physical limit to fit comfortable in many pockets and is certainly big enough. Tell that to most manufactures who produce the mass of 5.5" phones.
      - tw04 11y ago
        Z3c is by far the best phone I've ever owned. I ended up returning it, however, because Sony's version of android sucks. I want a pure android experience (or close to it), and somewhat quick updates. A Z3c with stock android is literally my dream phone. Perfect size, waterproof, great camera, just an all around awesome phone (other than Sony's poor software).
- danmaz74 12y ago
  Actually not, I was very surprised because they weren't either of those - which I already knew, especially Huawei. There were also a couple of Huawei ones, but there were plenty of other ones I had never heard about.

72deluxe 12y ago

I too see many cheap Android devices for sale from noname Chinese brands. But are you tempted into buying them?

danmaz74 12y ago
Considering I'm a poor startupper... yes :)

_nedR 12y ago

Are the brands you are referring to, by any chance Xiaomi and Huawei? Here in India at least, these Chinese brands along with Lenovo have pretty much become household names in respect to mobile phones. And they do make good, solid, innovative products at half the cost of their Korean counterparts. From an Indian perspective, It is no surprise that Samsung is bleeding to these (at least in the low and mid segments). What is truly amazing to me is the pace with which the reputation of these mobile companies were built. It took years and even decades for the Koreans (Samsung and LG in electronics, and Hyundai in cars) to be taken in the same respect as the Japanese. The trust and reputation of the chinese brands (in the mobile space at least) were built almost overnight (and sooner in cases like OnePlus). There is certainly a Tom Sawyer effect in play with use of marketing tactics such as invite-only and flash sales.

castell 12y ago
The OnePlus invite-only marketing tactics was very successful, from what I heard. Even their reputation seem to be good. Though 5.5" is very big. Most chinese built smartphones are 5" or bigger. There are only three high end flagship smartphones that are below 5" (ca. 4.5"): Apple iPhone6, Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and Samsung Alpha.
- tw04 12y ago
  Their reputation is good because they spam the internet as part of their marketing ploy. They've got very real, and very serious touchscreen issues that basically every phone will suffer from at some point. And they either don't know how to fix it, or know how to fix it and aren't willing to spend the money to do so. Do a google search of "oneplus touchscreen issue" and let the light of reality shine on your head.
  - castell 11y ago
    Good to know. A workmate owns one. I don't get the huge screen size trend anyway. About 4.5" (iPhone, Samsung Alpha, Sony XPeria Z3 Compact, etc.) is already the physical limit to fit comfortable in many pockets and is certainly big enough. Tell that to most manufactures who produce the mass of 5.5" phones.
    - tw04 11y ago
      Z3c is by far the best phone I've ever owned. I ended up returning it, however, because Sony's version of android sucks. I want a pure android experience (or close to it), and somewhat quick updates. A Z3c with stock android is literally my dream phone. Perfect size, waterproof, great camera, just an all around awesome phone (other than Sony's poor software).
danmaz74 12y ago
Actually not, I was very surprised because they weren't either of those - which I already knew, especially Huawei. There were also a couple of Huawei ones, but there were plenty of other ones I had never heard about.