Which Android phone do you feel is the most important/most revolutionary?

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

This might be a bit of a controversial topic, but in the interest of allowing us to share our thoughts with (hopefully) no arguments, I've put up this interesting thread.

Let's take a trip down Android Memory Lane.

We've always been talking about the latest and greatest devices and the best ones currently, but do you still remember some devices that were pretty awesome back then and some were considered revolutionary?

I have my personal list of some Android devices which I feel are both important to both the platform and its manufacturer as a whole.

Here's my top 3

D13H4RD's Top 3 most important/revolutionary Android phones​

#1 - 2013 Motorola Moto X​

Anticipation was high for the device that would be the symbol of Motorola's comeback. While it doesn't have the best specs of 2013, there's something important about it that I'll explain later. This phone is the complete 180 of Moto. Gone was Motoblur and in its place is stock Android Jelly Bean with meaningful tweaks like Touchless Control and Active Display, along with a very Nexus-like design and tasteful customization. However, why I think it's important stretches further than that. Back then, we used to think that specs were (mostly) everything and that phones that don't have the latest and greatest hardware are going to be slow. When the X's hardware was revealed, most of us were disappointed to see that it 'only' had a dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro. However, the X's secret weapon lies in its masterfully-done optimization. The phone may only have a dual-core, but its optimization made it feel like it had a quad-core and kept up with phones like the Galaxy S4 and sometimes, beating it, except in heavier workloads. It was the phone that showed us that specs really don't matter so much and that software optimization and the user-experience matters more, something that we take for granted in today's phone like the LG G4, which has a less-powerful SD808 but has an optimized UX so it doesn't feel slow. It's my top device in terms of importance not only due to that but also showed us that Motorola is not dead.

#2 - HTC One (M7)​

Before the One, many Android flagships were anything but "premium". Many felt rather cheap and didn't feel as nicely polished as the iPhone. That all changed with the One. With a full-metal design, the phone really felt like it was worthy of its price-tag. It was the most beautiful Android phone of its time and also with dual stereo speakers at the front, it was also a favorite for media consumption. Sense also had an overhaul and we now have one of the most polished and optimized Android OEM skins around.

#3 - Samsung Galaxy S3​

This phone defined Samsung today. It was a complete departure from what Samsung had done earlier. It packed in the very best Samsung could offer, including a large 720p AMOLED display, a quad-core Exynos 4412 processor clocked at 1.4GHz (i9300), a great camera for its time and a totally redesigned TouchWiz skin, called Nature UX. It was also filled to the brim with features and to me, it was the phone that truly showed what Samsung is capable of, especially since earlier Galaxy S devices resembled iPhones a little too much. It's still my personal favorite Galaxy S device to this day for that very reason.

The runner ups



#1 - Samsung Galaxy Note series (Note 4 shown)​

The series that showed us bigger could be better. The original had a large screen that although was mocked early on, became normal after a few years. Each and every Note has been a favorite with the Note loyalists, with each and every model improving on not only hardware but also the S Pen. The S Pen turned the Note from a smartphone into a productivity workhorse. The Note 4 is currently my favorite Samsung phone to date, and it's going to take a lot for another Samsung phone to dethrone it.

#2 - LG G2​

The phone that hallmarked LG's first real steps into the big smartphone race. Unlike earlier LG devices, which looked like Samsung wannabees, the G2 featured a clean design that we usually see on Nexus devices and also featured the volume and power buttons on the back for the very first time, which was jarring at first but something that many of us liked as time went on. Every new LG device has a design that's similar and with powerful hardware, the G2 begun LG's smartphone momentum and with the current G4, looks like they've really gone very far.

#3 - LG Nexus 4​

The phone that made the Nexus program more popular than it was and also gave us a relatively high-end smartphone for a really good price. Although its camera sucked, the overall user-experience was excellent and also contributed to LG's new design direction with the G2.

#4 - Sony XPERIA Z series​

Sony showed us that waterproof phones don't have to be bulky and ugly. Following their OmniBalance design, the phone looks and feels very premium and also looks visually appealing and also has a relatively clean design. It's party trick? It's waterproof. Yeah, it can take a dunk and it'll come out as if nothing had happened to it.

#5 - OnePlus One​

Yeah, I'm no fan of the company, and their current flagship is questionable, but the One did serve a good purpose. Along with the Nexus 4 and 5, it showed us that flagship performance and hardware shouldn't necessarily come at a flagship price. The One was affordable and offered specs that only a Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, LG G3 and other $600+ high-end phones could match. The invite system was a downer but the phone's importance remains.

Okay, I've pretty much bored you with my wall of text, but what's your most important/revolutionary Android?

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Also, a special shoutout to the T-Mobile G1/HTC Dream, the first-ever Android smartphone!

 

[phillynitro]

I would agree with all 3 They changed the game for sure

 

[Rukbat]

I don't think Android even rates among the "top phones". The Nextel i700 was waterproof (not just water resistant - you could go swimming with it), almost unbreakable (I've seen them dropped from roofs to concrete parking lots - and bounce - although I never personally tried to drive over one, but it would probably take it). The StarTac CDMA (Verizon) could get through where no other phone could find a signal.

The best Androids can't compare to the phones we had 10 years ago. (I still use my Motorola V551 once in a while.)

 

[Grumandel]

Ofc the g2
Big battery , full HD display (the 4k is worthless on a smartphone)
Nice ui with zero lag
Fast and a medium-well holded design with buttons behind the device it's something that you don't find easily... and the revolutionary snapdragon 800...all the other snapdragon that came up next were just a bad copy with over hitting issues

 

[Ry]

1. Motorola DROID
If you didn't hear of Android prior to this phone, you knew about it after. Verizon's marketing made everyone (incorrectly) call all Android phones "droids". And I believe it's the only carrier brand that still lives to this day (RIP Sprint's EVO, etc.).

2. Samsung Galaxy S3
To me, this seems like the rocketship that set such high expectations for Samsung year over year. This phone was everywhere and Samsung's marketing was strong. I truly believe this was Android's iPhone in terms of popularity.

3. Samsung Galaxy Note 2
If you thought the first Note was niche, Samsung had other plans. Now 5" to 6" is every OEMs sweet spot for screen size.

4. Motorola Moto G (first generation)
Re-wrote the book on low/mid-tier pones. Now everyone is trying to do the sub-$400 price-point better.

Honorable Mention: T-Mobile G1/HTC
Simply because it was the first.

Everything else is evolutionary.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

1. Motorola DROID
If you didn't hear of Android prior to this phone, you knew about it after. Verizon's marketing made everyone (incorrectly) call all Android phones "droids". And I believe it's the only carrier brand that still lives to this day (RIP Sprint's EVO, etc.).

2. Samsung Galaxy S3
To me, this seems like the rocketship that set such high expectations for Samsung year over year. This phone was everywhere and Samsung's marketing was strong. I truly believe this was Android's iPhone in terms of popularity.

3. Samsung Galaxy Note 2
If you thought the first Note was niche, Samsung had other plans. Now 5" to 6" is every OEMs sweet spot for screen size.

4. Motorola Moto G (first generation)
Re-wrote the book on low/mid-tier pones. Now everyone is trying to do the sub-$400 price-point better.

Honorable Mention: T-Mobile G1/HTC
Simply because it was the first.

Everything else is evolutionary.

I remember the OG Droid.

That one with the sliding keyboard.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

The Galaxy Nexus deserves an honorable mention. First popular Nexus and had a good overall design (Nexus One and S were ugly phones).

Sent from my 6045I using Tapatalk

 

[Laura Knotek]

1. Motorola DROID
If you didn't hear of Android prior to this phone, you knew about it after. Verizon's marketing made everyone (incorrectly) call all Android phones "droids". And I believe it's the only carrier brand that still lives to this day (RIP Sprint's EVO, etc.).

That's also my choice.

I never heard of the HTC Dream when it actually was sold. I learned about it at a later point.

I still remember the Droid ads from Verizon, and the "Droid Does" slogan. In fact, I used the "Droid" sound as my SMS ringtone on the BlackBerry I was using at the time the Droid was a current device.

 

[Crashdamage]

In order of age rather than of importance...just a few phones that to me represent redefining what cellphones were or could be:

1. Several Nokia candy bar phones - 3310, 1110, etc. Helped make the cellphone cheap, practical and pocketable. Phones for the masses. One of my early phones was a 3210.

2. The original Moto RAZR flip phone. Set a new standard for size and style. Originally $500. I bought one once they came down to $300 and I thought that was a lotta money for a phone. Great phone. I think it's still the all-time top seller.

3. The original iPhone. Gotta give credit when deserved. Not the first smartphone, but the one that put smartphones on people's wishlists.

4. The original HTC G1, aka Dream. What Android could be more important than the one that started it all? When I heard it ran a version of Linux, I had to have one. I didn't care that it was kinda goofy, it was a phone running Linux! I knew for sure I didn't want to get sucked into the Apple trap. I still have my early production G1.

5. The Nokia N900. I was stunned when I learned this was being released. I mean it, I was knocked over. Sure, it was a powerful phone (for the time) with lots of storage. But the killer was it ran Maemi, a real, full-stack Linux distro, with root out of the box. It could multitask like crazy. Made Android look slow and weak and iOS look pitiful. I had to have one, of course. An incredible phone. I still have it.

I sometimes think about what could have been if development had continued. But it scared the hell out of Microsoft and Ballmer, so much that Elop was sent to kill pocket Linux devices. And we see the results. To kill pocket Linux, Microsoft killed Nokia. The N900 scared Microsoft that much. You could say it's both the best smartphone Nokia ever made and the phone that killed Nokia. It's the most important phone that almost no one knew about.

6. The Nexus 5. Set a new standard for price vs performance. To me, all the Android phones and Android versions since the G1 are just incremental improvements, not game changers or something completely new. Only the Nexus 5 altered the concept a little with a new definition of what $350 could buy.

Android since v1.0. Linux since 2001.

 

[LockOnTech]

I would like to say the Nokia N1 tablet, proof that Nokia can make and produce a android tablet. Maybe someday this might be an important piece of history.

 

[Sizzers]

I would contend the humble Moto G.

It brought - and still does - bring an exceptional Android experience to the masses without any bloat or crap on it, fast latest SW updates, and at a price which pretty much ANYONE can afford.

This truly was and is the "Peoples Phone" for Android. Think Volkswagen which means "Peoples Car" - Androidwagen anybody? So just to be pedantic "wagen" is pronounced "var-gen", and Androidvargen sounds pretty good to me!

 

[AndroidddDev]

Yup, it is an honourable mention. It is one of my favs from Nokia!

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

More honorable mentions. This one is for the Nexus One, the first device in the Nexus line of devices.



Also, remember the original Motorola Droid? The one with the sliding keyboard and perhaps the first phone in the well-known series of Verizon-exclusive Droid devices?

If you said yes, then I presume you remember this commercial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnaAQwGcBks

 

[Javier P]

+1 for Moto G 2013. It changed the rules for how to make an affordable phone with a great user experience. Also, for many people having a dual SIM phone it's a necessity and before the G Samsung dominated that market with devices, well, let's say mediocre

 

[mohit9206]

The most revolutionary phones are those that change the landscape of the segment they are introduced in and set a benchmark for others.
As such Motorola Moto E 1st gen comes to mind. It changed the landscape of the budget android phone segment by introducing segment first features like Gorilla Glass protection, 1gb ram, stock Android, good battery life, promise of future android updates, etc.
No other phone manufacturer gave all these features in the ultra budget android phone segment but Motorola did it first and did it well.

 

[LeoRex]

before the G Samsung dominated that market with devices, well, let's say mediocre

Yep.... This is where I give the Moto line huge credit. Even the X... all the way down to the E... it provided users an alternative to the uber-expensive flagships. Previously, if you didn't buy one of the top end phones, or LAST year's top end phone, you ended up with an overpriced, underpowered piece of junk (and that piece of junk most often came with SAMSUNG stamped on the front).

I think all three phone lines (X, G and E) are standing there in lock step as they are all basically three flavors of the same approach.

And from the looks of things, I think this year's Moto G.... the 2G/16G model... will work its way into the conversation.