The dominance of the Android operating system in our lives is no secret. From smartphones and watches to uncommon places like smart fridges, automobiles and laptops, Android is everywhere. This ubiquity combined with wafer-thin profits and heavy competition makes it difficult for smartphone manufacturers to innovate and differentiate their products.
So that leaves the manufacturers with only the software to differentiate themselves.
Now custom smartphone skins are not new and have been around long before the Android OS. However, custom skins are often panned for the following issues.
- Design inconsistencies
- Too much bloatware
- Missing features (App drawer, battery status, notification swipe)
- Memory management and slowdowns
- Too many bugs
- Slow or no updates
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But while we are generalising the issues in skins, let us go deep in them and look individually at what makes each skin tick and what are the flaws in them.
Stock Android―the way Google meant it to be
Well, before we can even begin our voyage into the custom Android skins, its only fair we look at what exactly stock Android really is. Stock Android is the very essence of Android with only a few Google Apps bundled along with the Play Store. Now, this is how Android is released to every manufacturer to which they add their embellishments. Google’s own hardware devices right from the very first Nexus smartphones and tablets had this unadulterated version of Android (no matter which manufacturer was chosen as a partner).
But, as we said before, stock Android bundles only the bare minimum of what's needed for a good experience. This meant that in its initial days the stock operating system did not have as many features as the competitors used to carry. Over the years, Google has anointed the operating systems with a lot more stuff, but it still lacks in comparison.
Common features lacking are basics like app manager, gesture support to the more requested features like Multi Window support (which was added in 2017) and a system-wide dark mode (which is still a work in progress). Listed below are just some of the features that stock Android lacks but custom UI’s support.
- Bulk app uninstalls
- Scrolling screen shit support
- Custom icon pack and font support
- System-wide theme and dark mode support
- One handed operation
- Network speed indicator in the status bar
- Manual mode and time-lapse support in Google camera
- Native call record
- App Locker
- Dual app support
- Customisable navigation buttons
While a lot of these can be remedied with a quick app download, it does make sense to have them natively from the software provider. These missing features are exactly the reason why a lot of the smartphone buying public tilts towards custom experiences.
In the present scenario, however, even Pixel smartphones do not use the stock version of Android. Well, they do use stock Android, but with a set of features exclusive to them. From the Nightsight camera feature to Playgrounds AR stickers app to the phone related Call Screen and Duplex apps are just some of the apps exclusive to the Pixel line.
Samsung TouchWiz UI-Colours, features and a lot of bloat
Probably one of the most common and certainly the most hated UI amongst Android purists, Samsung’s TouchWiz UI has been around since their early Android phones and much before that). Useful productivity features have been at the forefront of Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, from the likes of the multi-window support (amongst the first to have this feature), game launcher, download booster, S-Pay and more. While these are some genuinely great features Samsung’s aggressive memory management, poor update track record and childish design language have let users down.
But with assistance from Google, Samsung eventually toned down TouchWiz to the Grace UX we saw gracing the Note 9 and S9+. Recently, they even announced their new design direction―the One UI which makes for a much easier user experience for tall aspect ratio phones and brings in a new night mode for the system-wide dark theme. While it still isn't stock Android, the changes are much more meaningful. Will people love it? Only time will tell.
Xiaomi MIUI: Community, customisation and imitation
Not many know that Xiaomi’s first product in the market wasn't a smartphone or a power bank but a custom skin for the popular devices of that time. The ethos of it was customisability and useful features for consumers. But like Samsung, there are some core niggles that plague MIUI, from its memory management issues, weird notification handling and an overall buggy nature of the software. However, if you do look closely at the present day MIUI (version 9 and 10) the improvements to battery life and the sheer camera-centric features (portrait modes on single sensor cameras of all budgets) are the reason why people flock to it.
While the initial versions of MIUI faced flak for their iOS similarities, the latest MIUI 10 does try to create its own identity. Another great thing about MIUI is the company updates even phones that are over two years old. They do not always get the latest version of Android but do get new MIUI features.
EMUI: Emotion, usefulness and overburden
EMUI, short for Emotion UI, is Huawei's (and Honor) take on the Android UI. Although similar to other Chinese manufacturer skins, it has one differentiating factor―the presence of an app drawer. While this is not something to rave about, it is more intuitive than having a screen filled with apps. More than just the usual customisability features Huawei also prides on some of their unique AI and GPU Turbo features (made possible by their in-house developed processors) that are baked into the OS. Sadly for Huawei, their custom skin has always received poor reviews from users due to performance issues and inconsistent design. Their EMUI 9 does try to improve upon a lot especially in terms of memory management and battery, but even then it just doesn't feel like a modern Android UI.
LG UX: Different but conflicting
LG as a manufacturer has never shied from making bold decisions. While everyone was ditching the headphone jack, LG was adding a capable Quad DAC to theirs while still keeping the venerable headphone jack. As the trend shifted to depth sensors for bokeh, LG went in their own direction with wide-angle sensors. This being different approach can also be seen in the software. LG UX (previously called Optimus UI) has some core functionality that LG users may prefer like the Dual Screen mode, Always on display, Floating bar and more. Many of these are useful features, but they do not really feel premium in design and the whole UI is often a mess as it often goes against Material Design.
The others: LG, HTC, Sony, Oppo, Vivo and more
While HTC and Sony both had really heavy skins in the early days of Android, their bloatware along with their sales have dwindled down to an acceptable level. Despite being custom skins, both HTC and Sony's offerings manage to look stock-ish with only a few feature addition and some visual changes. These two manufacturers certainly head in the right direction when it comes to skins.
Oppo and Vivo, on the other hand, are amongst the perfect candidates when it comes to the worst custom skins. Their Color OS and FunTouch OS are marred with missing features, bloatware, too much of an iPhone influence and in general poor performance.
Manufacturers that do it right
Motorola, Nokia and more: Refreshing change
But while there are the many who go beyond what the norm is, they are a few smartphone makers who believe in purity with just a sprinkle of extra. Motorola has long ditched its horrendous Moto Blur UI and was, in fact, one of the first large smartphone manufacturers to embrace stock Android. Even under the leadership of skin and bloat happy Lenovo, they have managed to stay on the light side. They have meaningful additions like Moto Display, Moto Actions and Moto Voice.
Nokia is another dark horse in this segment being the only manufacturer that has all their phones be a part of Google’s Android One program. This means stock android, fast and regular updates and no slowdowns.
Razer and Essential are two other innovative manufacturers who have vehemently stuck to stock Android on their smartphones.
But right at the beginning, we did say that stock Android lacks certain features even today, and here we are telling that its the right thing. While a stock experience is better than custom, here is the solution if you truly want the best of both the worlds.
Oxygen: The elixir to our problem!
OnePlus’ Oxygen OS right from the word go has taken the middle road when it comes to stock Android and customisability. It remains one of the few custom skins that is visually similar to stock Android while still maintaining some excellent customisability features. Theme, Accents, App locker, Gesture control, Reading mode, Gaming mode and Parallel Apps are the most loved little touches added by OnePlus to their skin. Despite being custom, OnePlus in the recent time has been quick with updates as well giving you truly the best of both worlds.
To conclude, there are not one but multiple, different custom routes that manufacturers have taken to set their devices apart. While some are subtle, some change too much, some are just right. Ultimately, it is for the customer to decide whether customs skins are an abomination or a true differentiator.