Will Android One save the reputation of local brands?

Yesterday saw the official launching of Android One in the Philippines and two giant local brands were there to introduce their own version of a low-cost Android One certified smartphone — Cherry Mobile One and MyPhone Uno.

In simpler terms, the Android One Program is like the Google Nexus Program for the mass market (lower C, D and E).

While a lot of people are ecstatic about their release, the bigger and perhaps more important question is will Android One improve the rather unpleasant reputation of local brands?

We look closely and focus on several of the key issues plaguing local brands.

1) Release and Forget Attitude. Most (dare we say 90%) of the smartphone models they release never get to see any updates at all. This issue isn’t isolated with local brands as international brands have the same problem, only that it is very glaring with the local ones.

Android One addresses this problem by putting the responsibility to update the operating system to Google instead of the individual manufacturers. In fact, this is the single biggest advantage offered by the Android One Program.

2) High Return Rate. From buggy handsets to long lines in the service center — these are typical complaints by customers who spend their hard-earned money to buy their very first and affordable smartphone.

Google has reported that the Android One Program has reduced the return rate of handsets for brands who participated in India. The same trend is expected for Android One in the Philippines. The problem is, only Android One handsets will enjoy this improved success rate. All other (90% or more) handsets will continue to earn the same return rate.

3) Customer Service. While we’ve seen local brands continue to expand their reach, increase the number of their service centers, a significant amount of customers are still unsatisfied with their quality of after-sales service. Android One hopes to eliminate that horrendous trip to the service center after 2 months of buying the phone. Sorry but Google will not have any dedicated service centers for Android One handsets. You still have to line up the usual way.

Then, we also look at the promises being offered by the Android One Program.

1) Low-Cost Smartphone for First-Time Users. The Android One Program’s mission is to deliver low-cost handsets to first-time smartphone users. While this is generally the case in most emerging markets that the program has been launched, these existing markets already have affordable handsets for over a year now. Hence, the baseline economic impact of Android One might not be that significant.

2) Better Smartphone Experience. We notice that people are already complaining when they see 1GB of RAM on a Kitkat handset. Perhaps 1GB of RAM on a Lollipop handset will make a world of difference?

We will test this theory once we get hold of an Android One unit and compare it with a similarly-specced Kitkat device. In our experience, the general sluggishness of an Android device (Jellybean, Kitkat, Lollipop) has more to do with the volume of installed and running apps rather than the version of Android it has.

Bottom line. The Android One Program can only do so much to help improve the reputation of any brand, local or international. The Nexus Program has done wonders to HTC (but where is HTC now), as well as Motorola (which has been sold off in pieces). Samsung was the biggest winner, along with Asus but that Google halo effect will not last very long.

In the end, local brands have to do it by themselves. Improve their service, roll-out reasonable and timely updates, and strive for better quality control.

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

13 Comments

AA says:

10 years ago

I have the CM One. Only complaint I have is you cant transfer apps to sd card. Pati camera pics and videos, cannot be automatically saved to sd. Phone memory muna sya then manually transfer to sd nalang using file explorer. Buti na lang 8gb ROM sya.
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clark says:

10 years ago

try this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nextapp.fx&hl=en
chards says:

10 years ago

maiinstall ka ng File Explorer at grant mo ng authorization un explorer app so you can write sa external SD card. di ako sure kung advance security feature ito ni lollipop. un Textra na messenger i replace mo to save battery kasi all black un interface nun. if u use only one sim.
AA says:

10 years ago

Pati pala SMS notifications, di pwede yung quick reply. Email pwede.

proandroid says:

10 years ago

Yes, it is the volume of installed apps that slows down any Android phone that exist. This is true with any OS, even in Windows if you have lots of programs running on the background – it will slow down.

I recently rooted my younger sister’s android phone, as she was complaining it was very slow (no longer have warranty). I’ve installed a root-app that removes apps that automatically run on the background. Now she has a very responsive phone. It is a shame that in Android, you need root to have a functionality similar to MSCONFIG in a Windows-based PC.
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v says:

10 years ago

\\We notice that people are already complaining when they see 1GB of RAM on a Kitkat handset\\

mas problema if the phone says no more space to install programs even if you have a 32 gig micro sd card since some programs dont want to be moved to the micro SD card

Lesson learned, never ever buy a phone with 4gig ROM. At the very minimum, 3-4 gig free space sa internal storage out of the nox
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accel says:

10 years ago

It’ll be the other way around. If the local brands screw up their aftersales services, they may end up ruining Google’s reputation here in the Philippines. Having an up-to-date software on your device is just a part of the story.
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Martin says:

10 years ago

You haven’t explained “Android One hopes to eliminate that horrendous trip to the service center after 2 months of buying the phone.” How will they do this?

Also, you and most of your staff write like sixth graders tbh
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Rex says:

10 years ago

This bit of the article bothered me, too. It’s even followed by “Sorry but Google will not have any dedicated service centers for Android One handsets.”

None of that makes sense.

Tony says:

10 years ago

No. Majority of Filipinos will no longer buy local brands most especially sa mga nakaranas na ng defective na models nila. Most us learned that it was the performance that matters, not the looks.
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miongb says:

10 years ago

I think it will help cm a lot.

But this should be a wake up call to cm. They should up their ante when it comes to after sales support. The nightmare stories, together with my own experiences, damaged cm’s reputation so much.

After all, its still cm who will repair your cm one, not google.
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Beans says:

10 years ago

Durability and after sales service comes to mind as a concern…
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Easy E says:

10 years ago

Maybe it’s Android One’s reputation that will suffer. But i will still give it a try. First time cm user if ever.
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