When you buy an Android phone, you often look at the hardware specs only, and ignore the software running on your phone. Yet, the Android variant you’ll get also affects your experience. The software your new phone runs tells you volumes about how seamless and secure or even annoying using your phone will be. Today, let’s take a look at this for a change.
Android One
For a “stock” Android experience, you need a phone delivered with Android One. This is the cleanest Android OS that you can find on a phone, with no bloatware, and no extra functions or features. Nowadays, only a handful of manufacturers use it, and only on a few models. Not even Google’s own Pixel phones have it – Pixel OS is itself a launcher with design tweaks and exclusive functions built into it.
Android One phones are famous for getting updates the fastest because there’s no need to alter and customize them. They are free from any bloatware, they have Google Assistant built right into them, and they are secure.
Unfortunately, there are not many phones launched with this “skin” – none of the new phones launched this year have it.
Phones using Android One:
- Nokia X30, G60, G11 Plus, G11, G21, and older models
- Some Kyocera models in Japan
- Google Pixel phones (Pixel OS)
One UI (Samsung)
Samsung is the most popular smartphone maker today. This makes One UI the most used Android skin. Many people love it – but many people hate it as well. The reason: it’s heavy.
One UI comes with the most changes compared to the stock Android experience, adding countless features that make it perfect for power users. On the other hand, it comes with bloatware and can feel kind of chaotic. For those looking for a simple interface with straightforward settings and controls, it can take some getting used to.
Samsung’s One UI gets updates fast, making it one of the more secure Android skins. It’s great for power users who want to control every aspect of their phones but can feel like a burden to those looking for a simple experience.
Phones using One UI:
- All Samsung phones
MIUI (Xiaomi)
MIUI was born out of Xiaomi’s attempt to copy Apple’s iOS. Coupled with its phones built to emulate iPhones, this made Xiaomi phones almost perfect Apple replicas. Recently, the Chinese manufacturer moved away from this toward its own identity. And this year, it’s starting to move away from MIUI in favour of a new skin, Hyper OS.
MIUI feels bloated and slow when compared to the stock Android experience. Plus, it keeps pushing its services instead of those built into the OS, which can get annoying. It also has some issues that the developers haven’t solved in years. For example, there’s no way to turn off the sound the phone makes when you connect it to the charger without tweaking the OS’s system files. It has many features that make it unique but their value is offset by its annoyances. And it doesn’t get updates too fast, which makes it a worse choice for security.
Phones using MIUI:
- All Xiaomi brand phones
- POCO phones and tablets
HiOS (Tecno)
Tecno is one of the most-used phone brands in Africa. The Hong Kong-based manufacturer has feature-rich and affordable phones tailored to the African market. And it also has its own Android skin called HiOS.
HiOS does its best to offer its users a smart experience. It offers more than enough customization features, a security app that performs virus scans, among others. But even with these, HiOS falls short of its big-brand competitors when it comes to security, privacy, and control.
But there’s something HiOS is best at: bloatware. Tecno phones come with pre-installed apps that not only take up space but also bombard you with notifications and ads. Plus, compared to other skins, Tecno’s HiOS gets less frequent updates.
Phones using HiOS:
- All Tecno phones
When you choose a phone brand, you also choose the operating system version – and the experience you get when using your phone. If you value a pure and simple experience, go with an Android One phone or a Google Pixel. If customization and frequent updates are your thing, a Samsung or Xiaomi model can be a great choice – with some caveats. And if you go with Tecno, don’t be surprised by the bloatware and ads – think of ways to eliminate them from your phone before buying it.
