My first Android phone was the HTC One M8. I got it because at the time it made my iPhone 5 look like a chump. Bigger screen, unrivaled stereo front speakers, much more internal storage you name it.
I also got the LG G series after that because I loved that the battery was removable (I ended up with an enormous aftermarket battery pack that lasted 3.5 days of constant use) and the buttons were all on the back of the phone.
I got the Essential PH1 because the ceramic body was nice and the promise of the 2 pin magnetic accessory port was really neat (only a 360 camera was released for it but still).
I got a Pixel 4a because every Android phone at that point was a 6 inch rectangle with side buttons and a fingerprint reader but at least it was cheap and still had a headphone jack.
I’m glad to see flip phones returning because I think it is giving Android back what has always been its biggest advantage to me which is unique hardware features.
Personally, the HTC M8 speakers with the button layout of the LG G4 would be an intsa-buy for me to this day.
What kind of hardware features have you guys fallen in love with over the years and what do you value or would like to see return?
It’s not hardware on Android I want. I want pure Android on these phones. All these overlays and additional OS bits from these companies highlights why they aren’t good software companies.
Back in the day Microsoft cracked down on overlays like HP Personal Page. Some bitched about it, but it was absolutely necessary. Google needs to do something similar.