Frustrated By Android Fragmentation? Just Buy The Nexus Already [Opinion]

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Frustrated By Android Fragmentation? Just Buy The Nexus Already [Opinion]

July 10th, 2012 androidoholic Leave a comment Go to comments

If you’re an Android geek, you’re probably ill of conference about Android’s “fragmentation” problem. If you have a non-Nexus Android phone, you’re probably even sicker of traffic with it. We’ve listened promises from Google time and time once again , but it’s time to punch the bullet and agree to that for us Android geeks, the Nexus is the usually phone value buying.

Put simply, Android’s fragmentation complaint may be summed up by seeking at the iPhone: When a new iPhone refurbish rolls out, every newer-than-two-years aged iPhone owners can design to ascent at the same time. They may not all have the exact same underline set-e.g., the iPhone 4 won’t have the new turn-by-turn navigation forthcoming in iOS 6-but they’re at least on trial to be

Unfortunately, Android is different. With Android, you have multi-part manufacturers receiving Android, tweaking it with their own UIs and modifying it to fit a ton of not similar devices. The complaint is, the gadgets do not obtain program updates as shortly as Google releases them, and in a lot of cases, they do not obtain them at all. Android manufacturers have gotten worse at gripping up with updates over the past year, too. Only 50% of you even have Ice Cream Sandwich -even reduction if you bonus law ROMs-and Jelly Bean is already out in the wild. We protest about this all the time, and nonetheless so many of us have abandoned the many without doubt solution: just obtain a Nexus.

For the of you who do not know, Nexus is basically Google’s iPhone. They have full manage over the hardware and software, advance out with a new Nexus every year or so, and refurbish all recent-ish Nexus phones with the ultimate chronicle of Android as shortly as possible. The Milky Way Nexus is the ultimate Nexus phone, existing on multi-part carriers and already

One of the most appropriate things about Android is that you have your collect between tons of not similar handsets-some large, a few small, a few with styli, a few with earthy keyboards. Many have their own UI on tip of Android, that brings additional features to the device (which are infrequently good, and infrequently God awful). The selection is nice, but by shopping one of these phones, you make one large sacrifice: updates. You may obtain them, but they aren’t guaranteed, and you of course won’t obtain them in a timely fashion. When shopping a non-Nexus phone, you should purchase it formed on what the phone is similar to out of the box and ponder any program updates you finish up getting are an interesting bonus. we unequivocally can’t put it improved than Matt Buchanan did over at Buzzfeed:

You might purchase a new phone that’s omitted something, thinking, “It will obtain better.” No, it won’t. If we were to discuss it you one thing about shopping technology, it is this: Buy something since you similar to what it is correct now, not since you regard it’s going to obtain better, or that one day it’ll be what you unequivocally longed for it to be. It’s type of similar to marrying somebody and considering you’ll change them and they’ll obtain better. They might. But they probably won’t. Over time, you’ll just loathe them even more. And yourself, at least a little.

Now, in the box of Android, it may not always be this dramatic. In fact, many phones are flattering overwhelming when they advance out-like the Samsung Milky Way S III, that is rising this week . Is it great phone? Sure it is. but it’s already out of date compared to the Milky Way Nexus, a phone that came out scarcely 7 months ago. It’ll probably obtain Android 4.1 at a few point, but you’ll be watchful awhile-and we’ll already be median to other chronicle of Android by then.

Because Google has so sufficient more manage over the Nexus phones-and since they do not have producer UIs and other roadblocks-having a Nexus means you obtain updates roughly as shortly as Google releases them. They won’t stay present forever, of course, but if an refurbish is coming, you’ll be the initial to have it. Not usually that, but you’ll have more steady ROMs, improved rooting methods, and all around an simpler time hacking and tweaking your phone, all since developers have more to work with. Plus, you do not obtain sealed bootloaders similar to you do on other phones, inclusive that hailed Milky Way S III .

The downside, obviously, is choice. You no longer have a mass of not similar gadgets to select from; instead, you’re predictably shopping the one phone that comes out every year, done by the same people that make the program (sound familiar?). It may not be as fun as selecting your own phone, but it does have its advantages: you do not have to attend to the “should we wait” subject , and you’re flattering sufficient on trial to have overwhelming hardware if you purchase it at let go time. Heck, the Milky Way Nexus is still a flattering overwhelming phone, hardware-wise-and frankly, I’d rsther than have regular Android updates than an additional 0.2 GHz in my phone’s processor.

I loathe Android’s fragmentation as sufficient as the rest of you, and someone needs to do a improved job of regulating the problem-whether it’s Google the manufacturers, or the carriers. But until that happens, there’s no reason for us Android lovers to woe ourselves by shopping marginally improved phones and scapegoat the capability to obtain updates and have an easy hacking experience. The next time you’re in the marketplace for a new phone, disregard your spur of the moment to emporium around and just obtain the Nexus-you’ll be a lot happier in the end.

Title picture remixed from Adchariyaphoto .