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Android will be 10 years old this week, marking a full decade of the world's most popular mobile operating system. Initially envisioned as a physical key-driven BlackBerry experience, Android would evolve after the full-screen iPhone launched in 2007 and has become, over time, Apple's biggest competitor in the mobile business. Over the past 10 years, we have seen a wide range of strange and wonderful Android phones, thanks to the fact that unlike Apple, Google is happy to license its software to other hardware manufacturers.
Join us as we reduce five of our favorite Android handsets, explaining why they were so important.
HTC Dream / T-Mobile G1 (2008)
Released on September 23, 2008, this was the first Android device – and my boy did it. The operating system did not get rid of its love for the physical keys and the phone came with a distinctive sliding keyboard that you had to use to launch text at launch. . It also had no 3.5mm headphone jack, forcing users to insert an adapter to use their headphones. YouTube support was also missing at launch, and the phone's 320×480 pixel screen – big for the time – seems a little pathetic by modern standards. However, despite its delicate appearance, the G1 is a great success and paves the way for future Android phones. He sold a million units in the first six months and served as an effective demonstration of the power of Google's operating system. Although many critics found errors in the hardware, they were very appreciative of the software, which was more customizable and adaptable than any other before it.
Google Nexus One (2010)
Although the G1 was designed with Google input, it was still an HTC device. His spiritual successor, the Nexus One, was still manufactured by HTC, but this time, Google was much more involved in the design; the phone featured a strong Google brand and a sleek metal body was clearly intended to compete with the high-end iPhone. The distribution was slightly fumbled, Google trying to sell the phone directly to consumers via its website, but ultimately, the Nexus One achieved its goal: it was considered a point of reference that other Android phone manufacturers could use to make their own devices. launched with the latest version of the mobile operating system, a tradition that has continued until nowadays. The Nexus series would include the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus manufactured by Samsung, as well as the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 manufactured by LG. The Nexus 5X and 6P were the last two phones before Google switched to its Pixel 'brand.
Samsung Galaxy S (2010)
Samsung was an early supporter of Android, but it was not until 2010 that the company earned gold and became one of the leaders in the industry. The Galaxy S was probably the first "desirable" Android phone; It was super slim, looked great and had a superb Super AMOLED display that was leading the competition. It has also introduced one of the most stylish UI skins ever seen on Android so far; TouchWiz could have a bad reputation in 2018, but the way it gave its own identity to the Galaxy S in 2010 was the key to the success of the phone. An impressive 25 million Galaxy S phones have been sold, making it one of the first superstars of the Android scene, and Samsung's annual Samsung Galaxy S update is one of the most most important of the smartphone calendar.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (2011)
While this may not be the success of Sony Ericsson, the Xperia Play is without a doubt one of our favorite Android phones of all time, simply because it offered something that no other device could on time: appropriate game controls. The sliding joystick has turned the handset into a full-fledged portable gaming console, and Sony Ericsson has backed it with a range of PlayStation classics such as Wipeout, Ridge Racer and Jumping Flash. Other developers have taken the bandwagon – Gameloft being perhaps the most remarkable – and have made their games compatible with the physical interface of the phone. To top it off, the burgeoning retro gaming community that grew up around Android was producing emulators for virtually every vintage system, allowing you to play Mega Drive, SNES, Game Boy, PlayStation and even N64 games. Unfortunately, the strange appearances of Xperia Play have discouraged many casual mobile users and there has been no attempt to produce a follow-up, which is a shame, as it is still a fantastic little phone, even by the standards current.
OnePlus One (2014)
The very definition of "disruptive", the goal of OnePlus is to get things moving in the arena of smartphones – and its first phone has certainly done so. With flagship specifications for a fraction of the price, the OnePlus One cost about half the cost of the Galaxy S5, which had a very similar power level. It also came with the Cyanogen operating system, one of the most popular Android forks of the time, which gave it an edge over the competition. Unfortunately, OnePlus decided to use an "invitation-only" order system intended to make the phone exclusive, but that made it difficult to acquire a phone that most people simply have abandoned. Fortunately, the company has since abandoned this approach and the OnePlus 6 – the latest addition to the lineup – was launched this year for rave reviews.
Google Pixel (2016)
The death of the Nexus line has made many Android purists sad, but what Google has done was arguably superior; The Pixel Series would serve as Google's flagship lineup and would ignore the low-cost approach already popularized by Nexus phones, such as the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5. The Pixel has used premium materials and high-end internal equipment the most aggressive movement of the company against the Apple iPhone series. By participating in all elements of production – from hardware to software – Google has adopted Apple's approach and designed a device that worked perfectly. The Pixel line has evolved with the superb combined Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL and Google is ready to announce the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL next month.
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