Android Police: Android flagships need more competition.

quote:

---

The upper strata of the Android phone market seems a little stagnant lately. There are only a handful of devices at this end of the market, which is normally fine, but the premium phones from which we get to choose are painfully the same, compounding the situation. A lack of innovation is stifling customer excitement..

Android could be exciting. The operating system is available for any OEM to power whatever crazy new ideas they come up with. Indeed, it used to be this way. Remember when Motorola and Nokia and Modu tried to make modular phones? The idea was cool. Android used to be the OS where innovation happened.

Today, it seems the high-end of Android exists solely to parrot the iPhone, by far the greatest competition to Android in places like North America and Europe. Every design is the same: a glass and metal slab with three or four cameras slapped on the back. The foldable line is a bright spot, but even those are beginning to converge, much like the similarities between the leaked Pixel Fold 2 and OnePlus Open. Nothing feels fresh anymore.

To me, the solution is simple: make Android exciting again. Manufacturers, for instance, could make high-end Android devices out of unique materials using a diverse range of bold colors. Or they could jump on the old modular idea and create customizable phones we can upgrade (and collect) piecemeal. Even limited editions could bring back some excitement, like the recent and absolutely glorious OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact phone.

Companies jumped all over AI and are pushing it into everything because it's all they've got. AI is the latest buzzword, but let's be honest, it doesn't blow us away. We want tangible gains.

Camera advancements are slowing down. Some would even say this year's cameras are a little worse than last year if that's even possible. The Galaxy S24 Ultra no longer has the same extreme 10x zoom found on last year's S23 Ultra.

Other valuable features disappeared years ago: removable storage, headphone jacks, and replaceable batteries were once standard on phones. We would love to see them come back.

---