Possible switcher: Android OS updates?

[Jakobben]

I

 

[Stuntman]

I

 

[Jakobben]

You get a notification if there is an alert. You then select that notifiction and it takes you to the screen where you can download and install your update. If you dismiss the notification, you can go into your settings to check for updates. If there is an update, you are prompted to download and install the update. Usually, the update will involve an auto reboot of your phone and your phone will be down while it reboots and installs the update.

Ok, that sounds easy enough

Google releases new OS versions for Nexus phones. Other manufacturers actually modify the code to add their own features and services. Phones have different hardware components, so the code needs to be modified to either work with and/or be optimised to use those components. In a sense, they have a different version of the OS because of these modifications. When Google releases a new OS, the different manufacturers need to take this code and incorporate it with their own modifications. That is why any non-Nexus phone will get updates later than Nexus phones.

Key Lime Pie has not been released yet and there is very little info regarding it. As far as I know, no hardware requirements have been released about KLP. Without any information, it is impossible to know which phones will be able to support KLP.

Does it happen that the newest high-end phones do not support the next update version? From iOS I'm used to knowing that the next version can run on hardware at least a year or two old.

I have the SGS3. I think I got the Jelly Bean update maybe 4-5 months after the Nexus.

Good to know, thank you!

The Samsung phones seem to come with an SD-card slot to expand your storage. The Nexus does not. Samsung has their TouchWiz UI that comes with their phones. It does have features that does not come with the Nexus phone.

The latest HTC One phone has good reviews for its front facing speakers. The sound comes at you instead of out the back of the phone. HTC has its own Sense UI which also has different features that does not come with the Nexus phone.

It is more personal preference whether you like one skin or another or no skin at all. They all have their advantages. You may or may not like them or find them useful.

There are also hardware differences. The camera module is different with the various phones. The Galaxy S4 has more megapixels. The HTC One has bigger pixels.

Ok, so the best to do would be to compare specs and go to a store and compare design - I hear they are all very good phones.

It depends on what type of customisation you want to do. All Android phones are already very customisable. If you want to or need to install custom ROMs, it is probably more difficult with non-Nexus phones because they may have a locked bootloader. For the really advances customising options, I'll leave it for others to give more detailed advice.

I don't want risk anything. Can the S4 be customized so much that the UI might almost look like HTC Sense? Not that I prefer one or the other, just wanted to know more about the degree of customization possible without risking anything...

I generally recommend that most users should just not root their phone and use it as is. Coming from an iOS device to Android, I believe you will find even the basic customisation options without needing to root to be a very rich experience. You can install custom launchers if you don't like the look of the UI. There is a risk to rooting and installing custom ROMs. The process is not trivial like installing an app.

I'm not going to root it, but thanks for the advice.

I think that you will find any non-low end Android phone will suit your needs. My recommendation is to get one of the flagship devices. It would have a similar price point to an iPhone and you will get a rich set of customisation options out of the box or just installing apps.

Yeah, high-end would be the way to go for me. S4 (maybe nexus edition?), HTC One or Nexus 4.

Thanks!

 

[iTzKPanda]

Does it happen that the newest high-end phones do not support the next update version? From iOS I'm used to knowing that the next version can run on hardware at least a year or two old.

High-end devices (or flagship devices) usually get support for 2 years or 2 OS upgrades. For example, my Galaxy S2 was released in 2011 and the final update was released this year. It came out with Gingerbread (Android 2.3.something), then got ICS last year (Android 4.0.4), and this year it received JB (Android 4.1.2).

Ok, so the best to do would be to compare specs and go to a store and compare design - I hear they are all very good phones.

That would be recommended, yes.

I don't want risk anything. Can the S4 be customized so much that the UI might almost look like HTC Sense? Not that I prefer one or the other, just wanted to know more about the degree of customization possible without risking anything...

I would assume there would be. If you root your phone, you can head over to the XDA forums where developers there should have a theme/custom ROM that look like Sense. I know there's a Sense 5 theme for the Galaxy S2, so there should be one for the Galaxy S4 in the near future, if it hasn't been released already.
The degree of customization on Android phones is incredible.

 

[chanchan05]

The degree of customization on Android is incredible. Just check out what others did here:
http://androidforums.com/android-themes/4425-post-your-android-desktop-167.html

 

[Stuntman]

Does it happen that the newest high-end phones do not support the next update version? From iOS I'm used to knowing that the next version can run on hardware at least a year or two old.

The flagship devices will likely get the most updates. They tend to be the most popular phones and have the best hardware that can run future releases of Android.

Ok, so the best to do would be to compare specs and go to a store and compare design - I hear they are all very good phones.

This is the best thing to do. Also, keep in mind that coming from iOS, you will find the experience rather foreign. There are some subtle and not so subtle differences that may cause some frustration for you. I felt the same type of frustration as an Android user when using an iPhone. These differences my not be discovered until you really start using the phone for what you want to do with it. You will only be able to explore so much at a store. You will likely not be able to start installing apps and other such more personal things at a store demo model.

I don't want risk anything. Can the S4 be customized so much that the UI might almost look like HTC Sense? Not that I prefer one or the other, just wanted to know more about the degree of customization possible without risking anything...

HTC will not release anything official that will allow you to install on other non-HTC phones. They want you to buy their phones if you want their UI. There are unofficial ways, but it would involve rooting your phone and installing some custom ROM. Doing so is non-trivial and will offer some risk.

There are a variety of other ways that you can customise your phone without having to root. A simple way is to install a custom launcher. I use Nova Prime Launcher. You can look up launchers at the Google Play Store web site. Apps on the play store will have pictures and video of the app, so you can see what is possible.

I'm not going to root it, but thanks for the advice.

I would say that most people will not need to root their phone.

 

[Jakobben]

Thanks all for the valuable information!

I've been doing some online reading on this and found some points that make me hesitate going the Android way. I want a phone that is "better for me" than the iPhone. However, looking at the Nexus 4, HTC One, S4 and Note 2 it feels like I need a mix to be happy... I like the stock Android from an updates perspective, the HTC one for design, the S4 for size and Note 2 for battery life, S Pen and that cool dual window functionality (S4 has this as well).

Is it likely that the dual window functionality will come to stock android (as an app or whatever)?
Is it likely that Samsung will release Touchwiz as an installable skin on the Stock Android Edition S4 so you could switch if need be?

 

[Stuntman]

I've been doing some online reading on this and found some points that make me hesitate going the Android way. I want a phone that is "better for me" than the iPhone. However, looking at the Nexus 4, HTC One, S4 and Note 2 it feels like I need a mix to be happy... I like the stock Android from an updates perspective, the HTC one for design, the S4 for size and Note 2 for battery life, S Pen and that cool dual window functionality (S4 has this as well).

Each phone is made by a different manufacturer and they have different things to offer. You will have to decide on a phone by phone basis if you feel any of them is better for you than the iPhone. I don't think any of the top end phones is better than any other (including the iPhone) in every way. There will always be trade offs with each phone including the iPhone. If there is no single phone that you feel would be better for you than the iPhone, perhaps you should just stick with the iPhone.

Is it likely that the dual window functionality will come to stock android (as an app or whatever)?

As far as I know, only the Samsung phones have this feature and it appears to be exclusive to them or to TouchWiz. I have not heard of anything that would indicate that the dual window feature may be coming to other Android phones.

Is it likely that Samsung will release Touchwiz as an installable skin on the Stock Android Edition S4 so you could switch if need be?

TouchWiz is not an app or launcher that you can install on stock Android. It is much more integrated within Android. It is Samsung's customised version of Android for their phones.