In the last few months, I’ve played a lot with leading smartphones from the market leaders. And I’ve focused not only on my go-to device in the form of the iPhone 5, but also spent real time with the Nokia Lumia 920, the Blackberry Z10, and the Microsoft Surface RT in terms of innovative tablets. It’s a good thing to do, as it increases my knowledge and experience of both the innovation goals and dilemmas of the device makers as well as how those design choices in hardware and software marry up in terms of consumer experience. In my day-job, this is a constant point of debate in terms of embracing the BYOD approaches for MDM platforms and determining which ones can work for the enterprise stack and which ones still require roadmap updates in order to work. It also matters in having an opinion which is unique and allows you to cut through the business bullshit crap which fills most large enterprises. What I haven’t said is that in all this time, I’ve also been using the LG Nexus 4 as another premium Android device which comes at a medium price point in UK and international markets.
So overall then, like many of you readers who collect smartphones and tablets, it places us in a great position to understand the markets and take punts in predicting the next wave of innovation and who may hold the keys to dominance. Up to now from a handsets makers point of view there are 2 key players – Apple and Samsung in terms of smartphones, however, this post concentrates more on how much I think Android is closing the gap on Apple hardware and iOS.
LG Nexus 4
Over and above it’s predecessor the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the Nexus 4 reverts to an quad-core Snapdragon chip, a 320ppi IPS LCD screen at 4.7 inches meaning its slightly taller and wider. The largest capacity version comes with comes with 16Gb flash storage, 2Gb RAM and only HSDPA 3G and Wireless N at typically up to 100Mbps link speed.
With GeekBench scores which demonstrate its twice as fast as the Galaxy Nexus and on a par with the iPhone 5 – it suggested to me that Apple’s strategy of premium phones which are now half of its the revenue and profit annually, could increasingly come under threat from the sheer scale of Android via lower end manufacturer devices (e.g ZTE, Huawei, LG, Sony, etc) which can largely replicate the form and function of the iPhone to more markets and more people who can’t afford iPhones. The Nexus 4 is a good example of this. The SIM free version costs just £239 for the 16Gb version. Yes, it doesn’t have LTE, but there are other ways to achieve that cheaply. It’s a solid replacement for the Galaxy Nexus, which as you know a I really liked and has been my preferred device for running, owing to the better audio sonics compared to iPhones (in my opinion).
So high end features smartphone, sold at a medium to lower end price point in the market. Not withstanding the supply issues Google and LG had with the Nexus 4, we’ve also seen that this approach has been taken by other handset makers married up with telco’s provides s a route for device makers to enter the market and see what share of revenue and profits can be made. The reality is that if your not Apple or Samsung, this is a largely futile exercise. Apple’s execution of its premium and high margin approach commands 60% of handset profits, with the other 20-30% going out to Samsung.
However, times are changing and innovation is being applied across the board. It’s easy to say Android has been closing the gap to a large degree on the innovation Apple continues with the iPhone hardware and iOS software. And within that, there are many parts of Android (v4.x) in terms of features which we all know and would like to see executed in some iOS like way when v7 comes out. Added to that, while the hardware on Android devices is good to excellent, it still falls short of the smooth overall polish and great user experience you find with the iOS range of devices (and of course iOS apps).
The reported profiles of iOS and Android users are said to be different. iOS users are said to be more loyal and Android users more price sensitive and responsive to device offers on plans. If you’re an iOS like me, then it’s difficult to move away due to your lock-in to the Apple ecosystem based on a level of dependence on OS X versions of the products which combine with cloud (Dropbox 90% of the time) and social media (namely Twitter and Facebook), all of which might night be on Android or any other mobile platform.
But then, just like serial innovation and the ability to create breakthrough products – something comes out of the gate and you just say – wow.
The HTC One
You can read many of the web’s best reviews on the One when you have a moment and like many product launches its easier to read the first few paragraphs and say “meh, big deal”. But it’s when you get one in your hand and add the optional HTC case on it, do you start to marvel at this feat of engineering.
Combined with the optional case, for me this is the best handset made to date. Gorgeous 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS LCD display, 2Gb RAM, 32Gb storage, driven by a quad-core Qualcomm snapdragon brains. It rounds off including 4G LTE and Wireless AC (link speed on N is already 150Mbps) and for throwing your content around devices around your home, it’s one of the first few to support Miracast streaming capabilities.
I’ve never been a fan of HTC Sense from my annoying days with the Desire HD, but HTC have re-skinned it and you can read up what others think about it. I don’t use it myself, and prefer gaining the near 100% replica of the stock Nexus experience by using Nova as my launcher, combined with Holo locker for the unlock screen and SwiftType for my keyboard.
You may say so what to all that – and you’d be right. But beyond the marvellous size of screen, its feel, the quality case, the Nexus experience – you then get the sound with the Beat audio engine built in for stereo speaker grills at the top and bottom of the screen which work beautifully in landscape mode when watching Netflix movies or just listening to Spotify tracks. From an Apple-centric view, this is what the HTC One excels at, the basic things like picture and sound – done really well. Does that sound familiar?
With a GeekBench score now in the higher echelons of smartphones and a quality variety of apps, it’s no surprise to read that this rate of developing maturity in the smartphone market, encouraged by innovations in user experience is prompting some prominent bloggers to switch to Android as their main go-to device. And I’m not surprised.
So yes, my favourite Android phone is a slight back, but it’s great combination. If there were all the Android counterpart apps to what I use on iOS and OS X, then this would be my go-to device right now.
The next iPhone
With investors continuing to expect insane quarterly numbers from Apple backed off by an enormous expectations of new products, I firmly think Apple has a battle on its hand to retain the top end of the smartphone market. The fusion of iOS and custom engineered hardware makes Apple special. But the company’s challenge and core strategy it to bring to market innovations in the smartphone market which every generation or so, make a jump in innovation and customer value – to enable Apple to control the top end.
iPhone 5S with quad-core chips, wireless AC, 1080p display, a further optimised camera is expected. And of course, it will be their normal twice as fast (GeekBench score in the 3000-4000 range) as its predecessor and it will launch in the autumn. Unfortunately, any which way you look at it, the 4.7 inch screen is what many of us experienced consumers want (despite the design rules Apple applied for the iPhone). With the Beats Audio built in, HTC One has now demonstrated that great audio could now be a now a standard for any premium smartphone.
For me, the HTC One is the best hardware on the market – (I can’t stand the Samsung Galaxy S3 or S4 due to the plastic back). I wish the One could could get the best of Android JellyBean and the forthcoming iOS 7 with it too. Kudos to HTC as you’re well an truly back in the game. I wish you only could apply the sales and marketing muscle of Samsung to get everyone to know what a great phone you’ve released.
And now over to you Apple. With analysis suggesting that iPhone growth may be topping out, they need need to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat. And yes, let it please have a 4.7 inch screen. Apparently it can be done without screwing up the ecosystem.
