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Tired of the quality/performance

B

bonerp

Android Expert
Over the last few months I have a nexus 7 with poor screen sensitivity, a Sony Z tablet with screen flickering which sony couldn't even repair, just replaced by a z2 tablet where the screen sensitivity is also very poor on top of it being laggy.
In addition I'm on my 3rd note 3 since September due to hardware problems.
Why are android devices such poor quality?? If I had an apple tablet or Windows tablet with these errors I'd be really surprised. None of these devices are cheapies!
Sorry I'm a die hard android user but the problems are starting to push me elsewhere.
 
Maybe it's just bad luck for you? I've had Android devices lasting for years without any hardware problem. Sometimes people just get the bad apples in the barrel. If you feel going Apple or Windows would lessen the chances of you getting lemons, no one here would stop you.
 
Whatever your bad experiences I don't think it's reasonable to compare (say) a Nexus 7 with a similar Apple (or Windows) tablet without looking at the price difference. Whether a Nexus 7 is a cheap tablet is subjective, but objectively it's much cheaper than any Apple or Microsoft equivalent.

Personally I have no issues with the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 I currently own or with the Motorola Milestone I used previously. Of course I sometimes wish the screen was as good as an iPad but then again I didn't pay iPad prices...

'Nuff said.
 
Are any of these devices under warranty? I've had great success with both HTC and Samsung with fixing issues like those (for free).
There are always going to be lemons, and usually that's always you only hear complaints and not "this phone is working great!". :)
 
I've only ever had issues with a Kyocera Rise I got for $30 out of contract, and a Nexus 10 that Samsung repaired after three months of asshattery... I think you may have really, really badl uck
 
I can understand your frustration and disappointment. I do think it's a little unfair to lay this at the feet of Android, and I do think you have been the unfortunate recipient of what they call in the automotive trade "lemons".

I've had warranty issues with top brands and flagship models including Apple and Windows devices. These are complex devices made under exacting standards. Any small deviation can cause major problems later. No amount of QC can prevent this.

If the perception exists that there are more quality issues with Android devices, perhaps it's because there are more Android devices overall and that the range of models is everywhere from low budget to cutting edge.
 
lunatic59 said:
If the perception exists that there are more quality issues with Android devices, perhaps it's because there are more Android devices overall and that the range of models is everywhere from low budget to cutting edge.
Click to expand...

Very true.

If instead of "Why do Android phones have more issues than Windows phones" we ask "Why do white sheep eat more than black sheep" the answer remains the same: "Because there are a lot more of them" :-)
 
I suppose part of the point I'm making could possibly be the variety of devices and part of the problem could be because manufacturers customise the core android os to suit their own purposes. Also is this the reason apple only do pretty much yearly releases whilst the Android firms ie Samsung and Sony all rush to produce updates to their products on regular basis then had etc release fixes upon fixes to correct bugs?
I've sent one of my tablets to Sony for repair and it came back with a long list of components replaced, switched it on and the same problem was there! Looks like they hadn't even tested it.
Partly my point also that manufacturers aren't helping keep quality high.
 
Third Note 3? in my experience (keep in mind i'm a mechanic so my phone gets dropped, exposed to grease, dirt, grime, engine oil, etc) it just happened to be the one Android product that i can hold onto for a few years and be happy. battery life easily on par with an iPhone (finally, took them four years) and a perfect screen, fast UI, and apps that even out-innovate Google (thanks Samsung!).
 
Actually Samsung does yearly releases, just for different variants. For example, the main Galaxy S line usually comes out April or May, with the Note line coming out at September or October. Similar to Apple's yearly cycle.

Anyway, it would also depend on the repair center in your case. Practice of the manufacturer is actually to just give a local business credentials to prance around saying it's the official partner for repairs of this company for this country. For example, in my country the official repair service for Samsung and a few other brands is a company called MemoXpress. You don't bring your phone to Samsung.
 
I've owned:

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 -2010
Samsung Galaxy Tab10.1 -2011
Samsung Galaxy S2 -2011
Samsung Galaxy S3 -2012
Samsung Galaxy S4 -2013 until now.

The only one that gave an issue was the X10 with its USB port failing, but SE were quick to get DHL to pick up my X10, send it to a repair center, get it repaired and bring it back within a week repaired after I tweeted them my issue.
I did get my GS4 repaired within 2hours but that was after I dropped it hard about 8-8.5ft and the display began to flash now and then, but this was my fault, other than that it has been smooth sailing, I broke my GS3 by mistake on a nite I'd rather forget, but again, my fault, it was such a solid phone, I had planned on keeping it an extra year.

Still have my GS2, and I gave away my X10 early last year, owner is still happy with it despite it being on Android2.3.3.

I've thoroughly enjoyed my time on Android and am currently waiting for the Galaxy Note 4, that said, like any OS, Android does have its ups and downs, I've had frustrating days but I've had that to with iOS on my iPad and Windows on my laptop.

WRT Software updates, Samsung have done a great job and I am thoroughly impressed by TouchWiz incredible functionality, although again it does have its downs here and there, so far it hasn't failed me.
 
The ipad we have where I work has terrible screen responsiveness compared with my android devices so don't count on it. LOL! Better luck to you in the future.
 
I'm waiting for the note 4 too. If they do the rumoured three sided display I'm out.
I'm currently torn between the new tab s and an ipad air. I'm android, so in no rush to buy an ipad. But I certainly won't be buying another Sony tab.
I looked at the tab pro..... 10.1 looks good. But with the new one due in days I'll wait. Maybe I'm unlucky.
 
bonerp said:
Also is this the reason apple only do pretty much yearly releases whilst the Android firms ie Samsung and Sony all rush to produce updates to their products on regular basis then had etc release fixes upon fixes to correct bugs?
Click to expand...

Actually this a good thing, that they release fixes sooner than waiting a year. One bad thing with Apple is right this one. If the bug isnt serious (Apples point of view), then you need to wait to get the fix until they relese their "big update" (which usually contains lots of fixes). I think that this is Apples policy to keep low profile and Apple doesnt relese minor fixes because they want to show that everything is ok and they dont need to fix bugs "all the time" (but they exist) like other companies do.
 
Sony are unusual in that they do release new flagships more than once a year. As Chanchan noted, most manufacturers refresh their individual lines annually, just they have more lines than Apple and don't refresh them all at once (as Apple did with the 5s/5c last year, prior to which they only ever had a single iPhone line anyway).

Apple also tend to tie new "major" software releases to new hardware releases, and actually it's not at all unusual for those to be followed by bugfix releases. Since Android OEMs don't control the OS they don't have the option of doing that unless they decide that they are going to hold all of their main hardware releases until Google feel they are ready with the OS update.

In my family we've only ever had one Android device develop a fault, and that was fixed quickly under warranty. My first Macbook Pro needed more than one warranty repair though, and is the only laptop I've ever needed to use the warranty with. That wouldn't justify my concluding that Apple have a particular problem with QC, though it does provide a simple answer to people who claim that Apple never have problems (not something I'm accusing anyone here of saying).
 
bonerp said:
I'm waiting for the note 4 too. If they do the rumoured three sided display I'm out.
I'm currently torn between the new tab s and an ipad air. I'm android, so in no rush to buy an ipad. But I certainly won't be buying another Sony tab.
I looked at the tab pro..... 10.1 looks good. But with the new one due in days I'll wait. Maybe I'm unlucky.
Click to expand...

Have you looked into the PadFone X?
 
You're associating hardware issues with the software the device is running.

Honestly, they don't have anything to do with one another.
 
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