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newbie question about android upgrade

Z

zinkozom

Lurker
Hi guys
till a week ago i had an iphone (run over it with the car) and i was sure that android phones sux, i was wrong iv seen that i can buy a phone a Chinese phone that is more powerful than iphone and less expensive and even look better.
But the phone that i want come with android 2.3 and i really have no idea what is going on with android.
is it possible to upgrade manually from 2.3 to 4.0 or any other version ? what is the difference between the versions ? can any phone support higher version then it have ? does android version support specific phones or its like ios that work on 3-4-5.

thanks
 
I agree, don't buy a Chinese 'clone' phone. No support, no upgrades, possible no warranty.

Android OS upgrades are dependent on many factors. This is the reason there are so many articles about Android fragmentation. Some of the issues are:

Google: When Google releases a new Android OS it may not be able to function properly on older existing hardware. Yes, I know people have run ICS on a G1, but it's not a good experience.

Phone manufacturers: HTC has Sense, Samsung has Touchwiz, Motorola has Moloblur. These are "faces" that each phone manufacturer adds to the Google OS to differentiate themselves from the other manufacturers. When Google releases a new OS, each mnfgr has to get the OS from Google and then incorporate and improve on there "face" for the new OS. That takes time.

Carrier: Each carrier has the option to refuse to allow a phone to be used on their system. The decisions may be based on many things, but it usually comes down to customer experience. Remember people don't say "I have a crappy phone", they say "I have a crappy Verizon phone", etc. A carriers good name is on the line with each and every phone they sell and upgrade. So when a phone mnfgr says "Here's an upgraded OS for the X phone", a carrier has the option to examine the new OS, test for bugs, functionality, etc. and determine if they want their customers to use it. Apple has to go thru this gauntlet also with each new phone or OS upgrade.

One more note on OS upgrade. If you want the latest and greatest, find a phone that is rootable and has a large developer base. There are many phones out now that are running Jelly Bean right now even thou it has only been officially released on a couple of devices. Rooting allows you more access to customization, including changing the OS on your phone.
 
i understand
thanks for the info guys
but the cheap phone im talking about is not a clone, you guys make it sound realy cheap hehe, its actually more expensive then iphone 5 that been sold in usa. in my country the lowest price of iphone 5 is 1300$+ and htc samsung motorola also start from 1000$ and up
i dont know if its the same for phones but lets take a known brand pc that cost a lot but in the other hand i can get the same specification for less money from less known company.
its OPPO Finder the 2 latest versions 1 of them have 2.3 version and the second have 4.0
2.3 is good ? lots of difference from 4.0 ?
i just dont want to be disappointed from the version cause the phone is really great.
i most use my phone for searching the web, facebook, WhatsApp, games, gps
 
zinkozom said:
i understand
thanks for the info guys
but the cheap phone im talking about is not a clone, you guys make it sound realy cheap hehe, its actually more expensive then iphone 5 that been sold in usa. in my country the lowest price of iphone 5 is 1300$+ and htc samsung motorola also start from 1000$ and up
i dont know if its the same for phones but lets take a known brand pc that cost a lot but in the other hand i can get the same specification for less money from less known company.
its OPPO Finder the 2 latest versions 1 of them have 2.3 version and the second have 4.0
2.3 is good ? lots of difference from 4.0 ?
i just dont want to be disappointed from the version cause the phone is really great.
i most use my phone for searching the web, facebook, WhatsApp, games, gps
Click to expand...


2.3 (gingerbread) was a decent OS. But 4.0 is far superior.

A 2.3 phone will still be able to accomplish all the things you need. The make and model of the phone you've chosen will determine the level of support and its ability to upgrade to a higher OS.
 
OPPO is a good company. I have one of their up converting DVD players (DV-981HD) which has a better picture than my BluRay does with DVDs. Do they make good phones? I'm not sure. I've seen their phone on the internet, but I haven't researched it. And unfortunately we do not have a subforum for OPPO phones here mainly due to a lack of demand. Google is probably the best place to get more info on the Finder (upgrades, rootablilty, etc.) But if they are starting off with 2.3, I doubt you will every see 4.0 or higher.
 
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