Why OEMs shouldn't make stock phones (don't blame the carriers)

[patfactorx]

Why doesn't anyone realize that making a pure stock phone is basically trying to compete against the Nexus line. That's a problem because that OEM will also never be able to keep up with the Nexus when it comes to updates because Google is always going to push out its own update the fastest. A stock phone would basically be a poor man's Nexus and carriers have little incentive to push a phone where they can't upsell the customer on a bunch of extra services.

You also can't argue with sales. The Nexus is NEVER the best selling phone on any carrier. With all the smack the Droid RAZR has gotten from the Verge staff it remains the best selling phone by far on Verizon.

There are also advantages in coming up with custom software

• Better plugin to a media ecosystem (Kindle Fire)
• Innovative software (Motocast, Moto smart actions, Moto Universal Inbox)
• Rethinking of core apps (Cyanogen Music Player)

If you still don't believe me. Here are some phones who tried to do stock and were not blockbusters:




G2 T-Mobile

G2X

Kyocera Echo

 

[twalkbox]

Re: Why OEMs shouldn't make stock phones (don't blame the carrier

I agree it wouldn't make sense for the OEMs to compete with the Nexus. There's no point in making a GNex clone. But that in and of itself shouldn't rule out the value of having another 'stock' phone if it can be differentiated, for example by hardware specs, form factor or services. Not everyone will want a huge 4.65" screen even if it is 720p with 300+ppi. Some might want one with a qwerty keyboard, or a better camera sensor, or bigger battery. Some might not even like the industrial design of the GNex itself.

Just take a look at the 3 phones you've listed - they offer different specs and form factors. Why they haven't been successful I don't know. One can only guess, especially with the G2 T-Mobile because HTC has been a popular brand. But I think it'd be fair to say that they haven't failed purely for being poor relations of the Nexus. It's have to be a combination of many factors like carrier availability/loyalty, brand perception/recognition, timing of release (the G2X was bested soon after by the Galaxy SII if I'm not mistaken) and maybe also because the stock Android UX was not as polished pre-ICS. Also from what I've read the Droid RAZR has been more heavily promoted by Verizon over the GNex.

You raise a good point about carriers wanting to upsell services. I'd argue that they could use these other stock Android handsets for that purpose and should leave the GNex the hell alone as a pure Android device (NFC and all). Yes, these other phones would no longer be 'pure' Android devices because they would come with bloatware apps but they would still offer a 'stock' Android experience. That and quicker upgrades compared to phones with OEM-customised UIs would still be worth having wouldn't it?

Android is about choice right so why shouldn't there be more stock Android handsets?

Tell me a phone looking like the one at the following link running stock ICS with almost zero bezel isn't sexy.
http://www.xperiablog.net/2011/11/2...on-to-use-st-ericsson-novathor-u8500-chipset/

 

[mikeisnowonfire]

Re: Why OEMs shouldn't make stock phones (don't blame the carrier

I can't argue with you guys, it really wouldn't make any sense from a business standpoint. To play devil's advocate for the sake of conversation though, let's say manufacturers decided to make stock smartphones. I think a point and time is going to come very soon where we as a consumer get sick of all the bloatware and the crap they keep adding to our phones (ruining them and making them run less effectively) that you will see a company or two try to put out stock smartphones and try to subvert carrier bloatware to see how the consumer responds to it. I think if the phone manufactures can find a way to drive down their phone prices and sell them at a fairer price unlocked directly to the consumer, it might make for some interesting debate.

(But all of this is merely conjecture)

 

[kirksucks]

Maybe they could pull it off if they did 'light' version of their roms. For example, when you get an htc, Sense being on it makes you feel like you have an HTC. So how about Sense light. Like stock android loaded with sense widgets. Changeable and removable of course.

The biggest complaint from me tho isn't the rom but the bloat that carriers shove down your throat. If they made the bloat deletable it would make a lot of people happy.



Sent from my unrooted DInc2 via Tapatalk

 

[DroidDavi]

I think there should be other vanilla android phones. Its not a bad thing. The only reason I think there hasn't really been more is the fact that oem's want to set themselves apart. As far as the 3 listed phones the G2 took for ever to come out I gave in a bought my vibrant before it came out. The g2x was horrible and had a million issues and as far as the last one I don't know anything about that one. But rest assure if the released the Samsung galaxy s 3 with ics it would fly off the selves just like the other galaxy line

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

 

[tony bag o donuts]

Re: Why OEMs shouldn't make stock phones (don't blame the carrier

The echo looks like a cheap nintendo ds lite......
The first one the form factor looks top heavy with the slide out keyboard.

Perhaps the design of the phone played more of a role.

 

[CharleneTX]

Re: Why OEMs shouldn't make stock phones (don't blame the carrier

My first Android phone (coming from a Blackberry) was the T-Mobile G2. It was a piece of crap. I rarely got any signal at our house even though the map said I was in a 4G area. Every time I traveled through Houston (going in and out of 3G/4G) it lost the data signal. The phone couldn't handle the switching; T-Mobile told me I needed to re-boot every time I changed areas! It constantly dropped calls. I *really* wanted to like the G2 and gave them several opportunities to fix the problem -- changing the SIM card, swapping out the phone, etc. At the time, the service plan on T-Mobile was better than anyone else's in my area. I returned it and ended up with the Spring Epic 4G.

--Charlene

 

[tropper]

Re: Why OEMs shouldn't make stock phones (don't blame the carrier

OEM a don't make phones for the geek community, they make em for the dumb masses who don't know out don't care what it runs just a long as it runs ooh pretty

 

[tony bag o donuts]

Re: Why OEMs shouldn't make stock phones (don't blame the carrier

OEM a don't make phones for the geek community, they make em for the dumb masses who don't know out don't care what it runs just a long as it runs ooh pretty

What? I guess autocorrect went nuts?