Is Android in trouble?

[UNCjigga]

Honest question--do any current Android users here plan to upgrade their phone this year? If you are (and you're sticking with Android)...which phone are you getting?

I was looking to upgrade, but I don't really want any of the new phones launched in 2015. Right now, the best devices (perhaps just IMHO) are the Galaxy S6/S6 edge. I'm not ready to ditch SD support and pay a hefty premium for 128GB of storage. I have a perfectly good HTC One M8...except I wish it had a better camera and a bit more speed. The M9 just doesn't seem like a worthy upgrade.

I'm sure there are a bunch of Galaxy S4 and S5 owners who'll upgrade, but there are other issues I'm seeing that make me wonder about Android's growth this year (at least in the US):
- Snapdragon 810 is a mess
- The Nexus program is stalling (seriously, Verizon *just* launched the Nexus 6...6 months late--and whatever happened with Android Silver?)
- Lollipop is still <10% of the base...and even fewer have Android 5.1 (or 5.1.1)...yet Android M is just around the corner...
- Android tablets are still going nowhere, and Android Wear 1st gen is getting a little old...

Looking at Apple, the iPhone 6/6+ are the best phones they've ever put out, and good enough to get Android users to switch (I just got an iPhone 6 for work so I'm speaking from experience.) Anyone thinking of switching over, or are you waiting it out for Snapdragon 820 and the next generation?

 

[OrionMaster]

Lets face it, most people don't need a new smartphone

 

[amyklai]

Yeah, I'd say the whole smartphone market is quickly reaching "meh" territory.

 

[Skurge]

I won't be upgrading as I recently went from a Nexus 5 to a Galaxy Note 4. I will see what the new Nexus and Note 5 look like.

 

[OrionMaster]

Yeah, I'd say the whole smartphone market is quickly reaching "meh" territory.

Truth is, most people buy new smartphones to have a good feeling of owning a new device. A 1ghz dual core with 500mb of RAM and Jellybean is probably enough to like 90% of the market giving what they use it for

 

[Anubis]

snapdragon isnt an android issue
verizon being verizon is nothing new
again nothing new here, not googles prob its all the carriers/manufs that suck at getting updates out - however they are getting better
all tablets are going nowhere - the market is 100% mature, wearables (apple included) are a product without a market and will fail

and in general terms the smartphone market is pretty close to maturity
everyone who has one has one and people dont upgrade every year

sales will slow down

 

[ControlD]

I would say Verizon getting the Nexus 6 at all is a positive sign for Android/Google. I think a lot of people simply assumed it would never happen. I'm still sort of shocked it did.

 

[Megatomic]

Honest question--do any current Android users here plan to upgrade their phone this year? If you are (and you're sticking with Android)...which phone are you getting?

I was looking to upgrade, but I don't really want any of the new phones launched in 2015. Right now, the best devices (perhaps just IMHO) are the Galaxy S6/S6 edge. I'm not ready to ditch SD support and pay a hefty premium for 128GB of storage. I have a perfectly good HTC One M8...except I wish it had a better camera and a bit more speed. The M9 just doesn't seem like a worthy upgrade.

I'm sure there are a bunch of Galaxy S4 and S5 owners who'll upgrade, but there are other issues I'm seeing that make me wonder about Android's growth this year (at least in the US):
- Snapdragon 810 is a mess
- The Nexus program is stalling (seriously, Verizon *just* launched the Nexus 6...6 months late--and whatever happened with Android Silver?)
- Lollipop is still <10% of the base...and even fewer have Android 5.1 (or 5.1.1)...yet Android M is just around the corner...
- Android tablets are still going nowhere, and Android Wear 1st gen is getting a little old...

Looking at Apple, the iPhone 6/6+ are the best phones they've ever put out, and good enough to get Android users to switch (I just got an iPhone 6 for work so I'm speaking from experience.) Anyone thinking of switching over, or are you waiting it out for Snapdragon 820 and the next generation?

I'd wait until I/O before I made any judgments on the state of Android.

 

[Graze]

Yes, in as much trouble as iOS!!

 

[Commodus]

I'm not sure I'd say it's in long-term trouble, but it is challenging some assumptions.

First: Samsung can no longer assume that it'll dominate. It's being squeezed by Apple at the high end and Chinese OEMs everywhere else. The GS6 is promising, but the jury's still out on whether or not customers see it the same way.

The other bit is that, as much as some people here want an absolute Android monopoly, it's not going to happen any time soon. Whatever you think of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, they're good enough that Apple is holding its own and even clawing back some market share... even in China, where you think it'd have problems.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Honest question--do any current Android users here plan to upgrade their phone this year? If you are (and you're sticking with Android)...which phone are you getting?

No, my contract is up in September IIRC and after that, I'll probably just keep using my Galaxy S4. I honestly prefer iOS, but I'm not willing to spend the money on a phone I rarely use. The S4 should be fine for me until it dies.

 

[mmntech]

No, Android is not in trouble. However, smartphones are starting to reach that "good enough" plateau that PCs reached a couple years ago. Software demand for hardware resources has levelled off for daily use applications. The average user will hold on to older handsets longer because they're still "good enough".

Even Apple is facing this issue. The phones still sell like hotcakes but iPad sales are trailing off.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Honest question--do any current Android users here plan to upgrade their phone this year? If you are (and you're sticking with Android)...which phone are you getting?

Yes. I plan to upgrade when the next Nexus is released. I am on the M8 now.

The only 2015 Android worth buying for 99% of the population is S6 variants.

And I would debate your iPhone claim. The 6+ is a joke compared to the 5S.

 

[gorcorps]

Love my note 4

Though if they take away the SD card for that too I don't know what I'm going to do.

 

[Oyeve]

The S6 will be the first Galaxy phone I do NOT get as there is no SD. I will continue using my Note 4 with 128gb SD card until the Note 5 comes out. If the N5 doesnt have an SD slot I will ride out my Note 4 for another year. I will never ever switch to an iphone as I really hate them. Making the screen larger does not fix whats wrong with iphones.

Also, yeah, phones are pretty much at a point where I cant see any real compelling reason to upgrade from whats current. There is only so much you can do on the form factor.

 

[ThisIsChrisKim]

I don't think so. Because the alternative is Apple iPhone. And I'm not buying one of those.

 

[sweenish]

These are really pathetic reasons for Android being in trouble. Samsung releasing what are arguably the best Android handsets of the year equates to trouble because you don't want to upgrade to them from a previous year model? What world do you live in?

The entire Nexus program is stalling because Verizon was late to the N6 release?

Android Silver and its fate are long past, and don't speak to Android as a whole.

I'll give that this is a transition year for Google and Android. But the last thing they are in is trouble.


With all that said, I'm keeping an eye on Windows Phone 10. If MS can deliver, they will have a killer platform. And paired with a Pureview lens, it's all win.

I like Android, but the possibilities for WP10 are pretty cool.

 

[blankslate]

Lets face it, most people don't need a new smartphone

Pretty much this. which is why the extra money that Radio Shack got from selling phones quickly dried up.... most people who want a smart phone have one now.

Additionally there isn't much that newer hardware will give a smartphone user right now except for it's a bit faster than an older phone (unless their first phone was a midrange or low end phone).

Looking at Apple, the iPhone 6/6+ are the best phones they've ever put out, and good enough to get Android users to switch (I just got an iPhone 6 for work so I'm speaking from experience.)

BTW, the Note 4 is as good or better (depending on how invested you are into the iOS "ecosystem" you are or how much you value expandable memory and a user replaceable battery) than the iphone 6 plus.

Additionally high end android phone manufacturers look like that for their flagship models from here on out will make the cameras very competitive with the apple smart phone cameras.

The Note 4's Camera compares very well to the one on the iPhone 6 plus and the camera on the upcoming LG G4 looks like it might be better than the Note 4's and the one on the iPhone 6 plus, especially since the G4 camera software gives the user many manual camera settings to use, in addition to the auto mode.

 

[GTaudiophile]

My 3yo Samsung Galaxy Nexus is dying fast.

I need an upgrade and will just have to take what is available now instead of watching headlines about "what is coming."

I almost bought a Moto X (2014) 64GB Pure Edition for $375 this week but reviews of its battery and camera held me back.

The S6 is most likely going to be it. Perhaps the LG G4 but it won't be out next week. No idea when it will be widely available. They snooze, the lose.

 

[sweenish]

They're not snoozing.

 

[Ravynmagi]

What troubles me most about Android is the lack of competition within it. At least here in the west were Samsung completely dominates the high end now. I suspect the lack of Android competition might have had a factor in Samsung abandoning the micro SD slot in it's new phone. Samsung really now only needs to think about what Apple is doing. And Apple isn't exactly doing a whole lot (biggest thing for them was making a bigger screen).

I really would like HTC, Sony, and others to figure out a way to combat Samsung's high end dominance.

 

[Imported]

Don't think its in trouble. I upgraded to the S6 Edge from an M7. Quite a big jump and I was already used to not having mSD or replaceable batteries.

If the Z4 hadn't used S810, I may have waited longer though..

Should also say, my wife has an iPhone 6. I wouldn't switch for it.

 

[zerogear]

tbh, Qualcomm screwed up -- hopefully they will be better next time.

 

[Skurge]

What troubles me most about Android is the lack of competition within it. At least here in the west were Samsung completely dominates the high end now. I suspect the lack of Android competition might have had a factor in Samsung abandoning the micro SD slot in it's new phone. Samsung really now only needs to think about what Apple is doing. And Apple isn't exactly doing a whole lot (biggest thing for them was making a bigger screen).

I really would like HTC, Sony, and others to figure out a way to combat Samsung's high end dominance.

They should stop making crappy phones. HTC had the better phone with the M7 and M8. Then they go ahead and release the M9. Not only is the chipset crap. The camera was too and they didn't do anything with the design.

Sony,well, I don't know what to say about them. It feels like they have thrown in the towel.

 

[Artdeco]

Short answer no

Long answer no