5 min read
Local smartphone brands have been deemed, by our public, as the economical way of getting hands on a smartphone. Numerous smartphone brands have produced phones that are inexpensive and yet, provide the ‘Android’ experience. These local brands have started to gain popularity owing to the ‘low-cost’ factor that is associated with their smartphones. Some individuals have even argued that these local smartphones are as good as any other smartphone by Samsung or Sony. However, this is one side of the picture. The question that really comes to our minds here is: Are these local smartphones actually worth it?
What exactly is it that makes these phones so much more affordable than other smartphones that have seemingly similar specifications? The answer is ignorance. We often tend to ignore certain characteristics that smartphones by popular brands such as Samsung excel at while these local smartphones don’t. Let’s take a look at these characteristics:
1. User Interface
The user interface is an essential feature of any smartphone. However, this is also an aspect that is commonly overlooked by people when they are considering their smartphone options. A user interface should be clean, simple, and interactive. The problem though is that the local smartphones are none of these to be specific. Let’s take a page from Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. The interface is appealing, helpful, and easy to understand and use. It comes with its very own added features that make every Samsung smartphone so much more productive. There is a style and finesse to the user interfaces that are provided by smartphone brands such as Samsung and Sony. This is one aspect that local brands need to work very hard on.
2. Bloatware
Bloatware is basically software that is useless. If we have a look at the phones that are produced by our local brands, they are filled with bloatware. Personalized App Stores, Game Stores are some common example of such applications that are completely useless and yet they are always a part of these smartphones. Keep in mind that these applications cannot be uninstalled. So, you’re basically stuck with these useless applications hogging your phone memory. On the other hand, smartphones by brands such as Sony have minimal bloatware. They do have pre-installed software such as a browser and calculator but these are applications that actually come in handy.
3. Processor & GPU Model
Another aspect commonly ignored by individuals is the processor model. Everyone seems to be concerned about the processor speed rather than the processor model. Though the speed is important, the processor and GPU model holds more value. The reason is that an outdated processor model just doesn’t perform well enough as newer models. Many of the local smartphones may have processors that have the same speed as other high-end phones but they lag behind in the processor model. The processor and GPU models that these smartphones have to offer are older, outdated ones. These processors, regardless of their speed, do not perform as good as the processors found in phones by Samsung or Huawei.
4. Build Quality
Even though most smartphones now only feature plastic bodies, there are several other aspects that need to be considered in build quality. These include the feel and rigorousness. The smartphones produced by our local brands have the feel and touch of cheap plastic whereas other international budget smartphones such as the Moto G or Lenovo A7000 have ergonomic bodies that just feel good in the hand.
5. OS Updates
This is a key factor when considering any Android smartphone. The two things that you need to consider regarding OS updates are availability and frequency of the updates. Our local smartphones are quite poor in both these aspects. Currently, the latest version of Android is Marshmallow (written as Android M). Most smartphones that are being launched by the local brands these days are either running Android Lollipop (the previous version of the OS) or KitKat (an even older version of the OS). The problem with locally produced smartphones is that, despite running outdated versions of Android, they still do not get regular OS updates (or any updates for that matter). This is perhaps the most significant drawback of every local smartphone. Who would want to buy a new smartphone every year just for getting a taste of the latest version of Android?
6. Customer Service
An area of concern for most local brands is their customer service. It has been reported to be poor and unhelpful by almost everyone that has tried to get something fixed. This, along with the absence of online support (in form of troubleshooting guides), are the two primary areas where the international smartphone brands have a clear margin over our local smartphone brands.
Taking nothing away from our local smartphone brands, they have made applaudable efforts in the smartphone arena. Local brands such as Rivo and Voice have definitely played their role in improving the local market for smartphones. At times, they have produced some very decent smartphones while at other times, they have produced smartphones that have been simply mediocre. The above aspects are things that need to be looked upon by our local brands. These are the primary reasons as to why brands such as Samsung, Huawei, Sony, and Lenovo, have the edge over them.
