Google's Android Smartphone Evolution!

In this article let’s know everything about the journey of Google’s Android-powered Smartphones.

Google did not manufacture any smartphones until 2016. But has released many smartphones from 2008 till 2015 in partnership with other smartphone manufacturers.

What basically is Android?

Android was designed to serve as an advanced operating system for digital cameras. Android was founded in 2003. Later Google brought Android in 2005 and unveiled its first commercial Android project in 2007.

But Google’s first phone was commercially released in 2008, 1 year after the first iPhone release. It all started with Android 1.0 (2008) and now after 12 years, Android from its initial release is on Android 10 (stable release - 2019).

Under each topic, there are 3 Paragraphs,

First Paragraph tells unique things about the Phone.
The second Paragraph is all about Device Specification.
The third Paragraph is about features that the Android version brought in.

2008 : T-Mobile G1 - The First Android Smartphone

T-Mobile G1 was a partnership between Google, HTC and T-mobile. This phone was running on Android 1.0 and shipped with a Mini USB charger. The phone had a slide-out Qwerty Keyboard. The phone had an App Market for downloading required applications. The phone missed a headphone jack, instead used the same Mini USB port for audio via headphones. The phone got video capture and playback support through OTA update [to Android 1.5(Cupcake)].

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 3.2" 320 × 480 pixels LCD display, a 3.1MP rear camera and was powered by Qualcomm MSM7201A chipset (ARM11 CPU) and backed by 192 MB of RAM, 256 MB internal storage (expandable up to 16 GB), and a removable 1,150 mAh battery.

Android 1.0 included features like pull-down notification, home screen widgets, Android Market (for downloading applications) and some other features.

2009 : HTC Magic

Google now manufactured its second phone with the help of HTC. The phone was running on a newer Android 1.5 (Cupcake). Google instead of a slide-out keyboard used an on-screen keyboard which was a new feature included in Android Cupcake. Also, the phone felt handy with slimmer chassis.

Talking about the specifications, the phone had a better display than its predecessor, spored a 3.2" 320 × 480 pixels LCD display, a 3.2MP rear camera and was powered by Qualcomm MSM7200A chipset.

Android 1.5 included features like support for capturing video and playback, an on-screen keyboard, allowed copying and pasting texts and some other support. Later came Android 1.6(Donut) with CDMA support and a Quick Search box.

2009 : Motorola Droid

Google in partnership with Motorola launched its third phone in the same year when HTC Magic was launched but came with newer Android 2.0 (Eclair). The sluggish system UI (Moto Blow UI) ruined the entire Google Android experience.

Talking about the specifications, the phone had a better display than its predecessor, spored a 3.7" 480 × 854 pixels LCD display, an improved 5MP rear camera but came with TI (Texas Instruments) OMAP 3430 chipset and a Micro USB port.

2010 : HTC Nexus One

Google chose its prominent partner HTC to manufacture the first Nexus phone. This was the first phone to feature pure Google software, without any other UIs or interfaces. The phone was running on Android 2.1 (Eclair). The phone was a best-in-class smartphone, but Google’s idea of selling phones online failed!

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 3.7" 480 × 800 pixels AMOLED display, a 5MP rear camera and was powered by a first Gen Qualcomm S1(1 GHz Scorpion) chipset. The phone also had multi-touch support and a 3.5mm Headphone Jack.

Android Eclair (2.0 and 2.1) included support for GPS, Google Maps navigation, added HTML5 support(redesigned browser), enhanced Speech-to-Text and a refined lock screen.

[Additional] 2010 : HTC Desire Z / T-Mobile G2

The successor of T-Mobile G1, the T-Mobile G2 came with a better hinge mechanism, but it wasn’t released under Google’s Android smartphone. The phone was running on Android 2.2(Froyo). The phone had support for 720p video recording.

Talking about the specifications, the phone had a better display than its predecessor, spored a 3.7" 480 × 800 pixels LCD display, an improved 5MP rear camera. The phone was powered by Qualcomm MSM7230 chipset and had a Micro USB port.

Android 2.2 brought in Hotspot support, PIN lock(in addition to Pattern lock) and refined Android experience.

2010 : Samsung Nexus S

Samsung Nexus S is a successor of HTC Nexus One. Google chose Samsung for its new Nexus line-up instead of HTC. The phone had an optical trackpad. The device shipped with Android 2.3(Gingerbread) on top of it.

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 4" 480 × 800 pixels Super AMOLED display, a 5MP rear camera and a VGA front-facing camera but had Samsung’s own Exynos 3 chipset.

Android 2.3 bought big Android refinements like Android stock widgets, improved keyboard, more control over clipboard operations(One-touch word selection and copy/paste), added API support for several new sensor types, support for a front-facing camera, Internet calling and NFC(Near-field communications).

[Additional] 2011 : Samsung Galaxy S2

In 2010 Samsung solely released Samsung Galaxy S2 which had a great display and performance as it had a dual-core chipset. The phone was running on Android 3.0(Honeycomb), so it is included in the list though it’s not a Google Smartphone.

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 4.3" 480 × 800 pixels Super AMOLED display, an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front-facing camera but had Samsung’s Exynos 4210 Dual-core chipset. The phone had 1080p video recording at 30fps via rear camera.

Android 3.0 removed the need for physical buttons instead used virtual keys(buttons) with improved multitasking support. Then came Android 3.1 and 3.2 with slight modifications, that had support for multi-core processor architectures, built-in support for Media/Picture transfer protocol (MTP/PTP) over USB and many more features.

2011 : Samsung Galaxy Nexus

First Google smartphone to come with 720p Super AMOLED display. At that time the UI felt super responsive. The device shipped with Android 4.0(Ice Cream Sandwich). Some versions of this phone came with LTE support (support for 4G).

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 4.65" 720p Super AMOLED display, a 5MP rear camera and a 1.3MP front-facing camera but had TI OMAP 4460 Dual-core chipset. The phone supported 1080p recording at 30fps via rear camera and came with 1GB of RAM.

Android 4.0 bought a refined interface and virtual buttons. Had support for Face Unlock, Data usage analysis, swipe to dismiss notifications, tasks and browser tabs, unified calendar, visual voicemail, also had support for Wi-Fi peer-to-peer (P2P), built-in support for connecting to Bluetooth Health Device Profile (HDP) and also had predictive text option for enhanced typing experience.

2012 : LG Nexus 4

The fourth smartphone in the Google Nexus product family was co-developed by Google and LG Electronics. This phone came with a faster Quad-core processor, Barometer(sensor) and support for wireless charging. The phone had a lag-free experience, thanks to “Google Project Butter” (Google Project Butter is an initiative for the Android operating system to make the OS quicker, smoother and more responsive for users). The device was running on Android 4.2(Jelly Bean).

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 4.7" TrueHD IPS Plus 720p LCD display, an 8MP rear camera and a 1.3MP front-facing camera and was powered by Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro Quad-core chipset.

Android Jelly Beam had three versions 4.1,4.2, 4.3. Android Jelly Beam included Daydream (interactive screensaver mode), Google Now Launcher, External display support, Wireless display, Improved Camera with HDR, Bi-Directional Text and Other Language Support, introduced platform support for OpenGL ES 3.0 (This provided games and other applications with highest-performance 2D and 3D graphics capabilities on supported devices), built-in support for VP8 encoding and many more new features.

2013 : LG Nexus 5

The fifth smartphone in the Google Nexus product family was co-developed by Google and LG Electronics. This phone was powered by a faster chip. The Immersive Mode was introduced that hid all the Navigation Keys, also the phone had a faster eMMc storage and LTE support. The device was running on Android 4.4(KitKat).

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 5" True HD IPS Plus 1080p LCD display, an 8MP rear camera with Optical Image Stabilization(OIS), a 1.3MP front-facing camera and was powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 800(28nm) Quad-core chipset. The phone came with Qi wireless charging and NFC.

Android KitKat brought more changes in modernising looks of android by redesigning the UI, colour scheme, Emojis and features like New media capabilities (Screen recording, HTTP Live Streaming etc). Introduced Full-Screen Apps feature, OK Google search command and built-in support for IR blasters and HDR+ mode for better photography.

2014 : Motorola Nexus 6

The sixth smartphone in the Google Nexus product family was co-developed by Google and Motorola (LG Nexus 5's successor). The phone was running on Android 5.0(Lollipop). The phone spored a big QHD display with less bezels and eMMc 5.0 Storage. The phone failed to impress customers due to high pricing (almost double the price than its predecessor).

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 6" QHD+ AMOLED display, a 13MP rear camera with Optical Image Stabilization(OIS), a 2MP front-facing camera and was powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 805(28nm) Quad-core chipset and supported 2160p video recording at 30fps via rear camera.

Android KitKat brought “Material design” which gave an expanded UI toolkit for integrating the new design patterns easily in the applications, introduced platform support for 64-bit architectures, Support for OpenGL ES 3.1(which provided games and other applications the highest-performance 2D and 3D graphics capabilities on supported devices), RAW image support and Android TV

2015 : LG Nexus 5X

The seventh smartphone in the Google Nexus product family was co-developed by Google and LG Electronics. It was the first Google Nexus product to feature a USB Type-C port. This phone was considered a great value for money, had a great camera and solid hardware for the price. The phone was running on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow).

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 5.2" FHD IPS LCD display, a 12.3MP rear camera with OIS and HDR support, a 5MP front-facing camera with HDR support and was powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 808(20nm) Hexa-core(like Snapdragon 650) chipset and supported 4K video recording at 30fps via rear camera.

Android Marshmallow had a change in App Menu. The volume controls were even more refined allowing users to change all the system sounds. It also provided support for fingerprint integration and request permission by the application whenever necessary.

2015 : Huawei Nexus 6P

The Eight smartphone in the Google Nexus product family was co-developed by Google and Huawei. Google here aimed at providing better camera and strong hardware. The phone had a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and was running on Android 6.0(Marshmallow). The phone had an attractive aluminium frame.

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 5.7" WQHD AMOLED display, a 12.3MP rear camera with OIS, an 8MP front-facing camera with HDR support and was powered by a power-efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 810(20nm) Octa-core chipset and supported 4K video recording at 30fps via rear camera.

Start of Pixel ERA!

Google was promoting its own line of Android smartphones, Google Nexus to showcase the best Android Experience, until the arrival of Google Pixel. Google with an idea of competing head-to-head with Apple on the hardware and software front, and also with its closest partners like Samsung and Huawei, In 2016 launched its first Pixel Smartphone promoting the phone as both “Hardware and Software” was made by Google.

But some claimed that the first Pixel phone was not actually built by Google, instead, HTC manufactured the phone. But Google marketed their phone with their own name. Google along with their first Pixel device brought some additional bundles like Google Daydream, Chromecast and Google Wi-Fi.

2016 : Google Pixel

Google Pixel had an excellent camera, coupled with stronger hardware and Google’s new image processing algorithms produced some amazing looking pictures. The camera app featured Google’s first HDR+ mode. The phone had a Pixel Launcher which had a similar interface to iPhone’s 3D Touch feature. The phone had an aluminium-glass body, rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and was running on Android 7.1(Nougat) which was specially designed for Pixel phones.

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 5" FHD AMOLED display, a 12.3MP rear camera with OIS and Laser Auto-focus, an 8MP front-facing camera, faster UFS 2.0 storage. The phone was powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 821(14nm) Quad-core chipset and supported 4K video recording at 30fps, 1080p@120/60/30fps, 720p via rear camera and had gyro-EIS for 1080@30fps and 720p video recording. The device was a splash and dust resistant and also shipped with Fast charging 18W USB Power Delivery.

* The higher-priced Google Pixel XL spored a better 5.5" QHD AMOLED display and slightly higher-capacity battery *.

Android 7.0(Nougat) aimed at improving the battery life of Android devices by reducing RAM usage and some background optimizations. A smarter Google Assistant replaced Google Now. Android Nougat bundled Split Screen Option which allowed users to use two apps simultaneously. The notification system and notification toggle were improved. While the 7.1 version was later rolled out to some Nexus phones.

2017 : Google Pixel 2

Google Pixel 2 came out in 2017 with many modifications from its predecessor. The phone had Dual front-facing stereo speakers, IP-67 rating (dust/water resistant) and also supported Fast charging (capped at 10.5W) USB Power Delivery 2.0. The device shipped with Android 8.0(Oreo).

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 5" FHD AMOLED HDR display, a 12.2MP dual-pixel PDAF(Phase-Detection Auto Focus) wide-angle rear camera with OIS, gyro-EIS(Electronic Image Stabilization) for all resolution video recording and Laser Auto-focus, an 8MP wide-angle front-facing camera, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and was powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835(10nm) Octa-core chipset. The phone also had an Always-on display and had eSIM for support for secondary SIM card.

* The higher prized Google Pixel 2 XL spored a better 6" QHD P-OLED display and a higher capacity battery *.

Android 8.0 brought many new features. It allowed activities to launch in Picture-in-Picture(PIP) mode (PIP is a special type of multi-window mode mostly used for video playback), an improved notification system (provided an easier and more consistent way to manage notifications) and other major features like Multi-display support, more multitasking options, native split-screen and many more. Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition) was the initiative to optimise the Android experience for billions of people coming online around the world, making Android a great platform for entry-level devices.

2018 : Google Pixel 3

Google Pixel 3 resembled its predecessor in many features. In addition to those features, we now had 2 camera sensors on the front, IP-68 rating (dust/water resistant), slightly higher-capacity battery(than Pixel 2). The camera produced some excellent looking shots with good colour tones and dynamic range. The only area where Pixel 3 failed to impress is with not-so-good video quality which didn’t match the expectation of the users. The device shipped with Android 9.0 (Pie) out of the box.

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 5.5" FHD+ P-OLED HDR display, a 12.2MP dual-pixel PDAF(Phase Detection Auto Focus) wide-angle rear camera with OIS, gyro-EIS(Electronic Image Stabilization) for all resolution video recording, an 8MP wide-angle front-facing camera with PDAF and a second 8MP Ultrawide camera. Auto HDR feature was included. There is a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and the phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845(10nm) Octa-core chipset. The phone supports QI Wireless Charging and Fast charging 18W USB Power Delivery 2.1.

* Pixel 3XL had all same specs except it had a 6.3" QHD display and came with a slightly higher-capacity battery *.

Android Pie brought some notable visual changes to the user interface. It replaced the regular 3 buttons(recent, home, back) with a single pill-shaped button that performed the same task that the three buttons did. Google introduced the Digital Wellbeing feature which helped to track individual app usage time, the number of phone unlocks and many other things. Adaptive Battery feature was also introduced in this version.

2019 : Google Pixel 3a

Google wanted its hold on the mid-range smartphone market. So they released Pixel 3a with the same Flagship grade camera present in Pixel 3. The phone’s Camera output was considered great considering it was a mid-range phone. The device was running Android 9.0 (Oreo) out of the box.

The phone spored a 5.6" FHD+ OLED display, a 12.2MP dual-pixel PDAF(Phase Detection Auto Focus) wide-angle rear camera with OIS, an 8MP wide-angle front-facing camera. There is a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and the phone is powered by Qualcomm’s mid-range Octa-core processor Snapdragon 670 (10nm). The phone supported Fast charging 18W USB Power Delivery 2.0.

2019 : Google Pixel 4

Pixel 4 is an excellent device. It had features that no other smartphones had. But the rear camera setup didn’t have an Ultrawide lens, which, considering the phone's price, felt a little disappointing. But it had a very highlighted feature, Motion Sense (for Visual Controls and In-Air Gestures). The device shipped with the latest Android 10 out of the box.

For more information on Google’s Project Soli: The Tech Behind Pixel 4’s Motion Sense Radar, visit- https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/15/20908083/google-pixel-4-project-soli-radar-motion-sense-explainer

Talking about the specifications, the phone spored a 5.7" FHD+ P-OLED HDR 90Hz refresh rate display, a 12.2MP dual-pixel PDAF(Phase Detection Auto Focus) wide-angle rear camera with OIS, gyro-EIS(Electronic Image Stabilization) for all resolution video recording, a secondary 16MP Telephoto rear camera with OIS and 2x optical zoom. On the front, the phone had an 8MP wide-angle front-facing camera, a TOF 3D sensor (Depth/Biometrics sensor). Auto HDR feature was present here. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855(7nm) Octa-core chipset. The phone supports QI Wireless Charging and Fast charging 18W USB Power Delivery 2.0.

* Pixel 4XL had all same specs except it had a large 6.3" QHD display and a higher capacity battery *.

With Android 10 there was an end of navigational keys (buttons). The gesture navigation feature was introduced with Android 10. System-wide Dark Mode benefited devices with an LED panel to save some battery.

Peeking into some major features offered by upcoming Android 11

(Source : Android Developers)

Hinge angle sensor and foldables

Android 11 makes it possible for apps running on devices with hinge-based screen configurations to determine the hinge angle by providing a new sensor and a new Sensor Event that can monitor the hinge angle and provide a measurement in degrees between two integral parts of the device.

Chat Bubbles

Bubbles was an experimental feature in Android 10 that was enabled through a developer option; in Android 11, this is no longer necessary.

5G visual indicators

Various 5G icon display solutions for different carriers are provided by this new API. The supported technologies include the following:

LTE
LTE with carrier aggregation (LTE+)
Advanced pro LTE (5Ge)
NR (5G)
NR on millimetre-wave cellular bands(5G+)

Privacy

Android 11 introduces a large number of changes and restrictions to enhance user privacy.

Biometric authentication updates

To help us control the level of security for the application's data, Android 11 provides several improvements to biometric authentication.

Improved IME transitions

Android 11 has improved transitions for input method editors (IMEs), such as on-screen keyboards.

GNSS antenna support

Android 11 introduces GNSS antenna support, which makes it possible for the application to make more use of centimetre-accuracy positioning that the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) can provide.

Low-latency decoding in MediaCodec

Android 11 enhances MediaCodec to support low-latency decoding for games and other real-time apps.

TechnHigh