The Confusion
The Android operating system’s version names were always named after a dessert:
1.5 — Cupcake
1.6 — Donut
2.0 — Eclair
2.2 — Froyo
2.3 — Gingerbread
3.0 — Honeycomb
4.0 — Ice Cream Sandwich
4.1 to 4.3.1 — Jelly Bean
4.4 to 4.4.4 — KitKat
5.0 to 5.1.1 — Lollipop
6.0 to 6.0.1 — Marshmallow
7.0 to 7.1 — Nougat
8.0 to 8.1 — Oreo
9.0 — Pie
But starting with Android 10, they decided to ditch the names:
10.0 — Android 10
Hence, it could be really confusing for a layman to understand what Android One is. How is it different from Android 10? I will try to answer these questions in this post.
Android One
Android One is a Google-devised program for hardware manufacturers making Android smartphones. Mobiles under this program are one of the purest forms of Android. With it, you get the best version of Android, right out of the box.
Why Android One?
Android is an open-source operating system. Which means, any manufacturer out there could take the stock OS, tweak it, and then ship new smartphones with that altered OS. The market is filled with such examples:
OnePlus — OxygenOS
Samsung — Experience (earlier called TouchWiz)
Samsung — One UI 2
Huawei Honor — EMUI (aka Emotion UI)
Xiomi Mi — MIUI
Oppo Realme — ColorOS
HTC — Sense
Asus — ZenUI
LG — UX
The problems with the altering of the stock OS:
Too Much Customization
As you can see, due to the open-sourced license by Android, all major manufacturers have customized the vanilla OS before selling the smartphones. This results in a different (and often bad) experience for the users. Samsung especially has a bad reputation for making the OS very bulky and being very slow.
It is also difficult for the app developers to make apps for all these different OSs — especially without any OS-level documentation apart from a doc of stock Android OS.
Delayed Updates
Android updates get delayed because once a new version of Android is released by Google, all other manufacturers are required to change their tweaked OS accordingly, which could take several months, or even a year!
Even No Updates!
Once a device is sold, the device manufacturer has very little motivation to prepare and send an OS update to the user. For these reasons, Google decided to come up with a new program — Android One.
Sundar Pichai’s Brainchild
Android One was started by Sundar Pichai (former product chief and current CEO of Google). Before Android One, it often took at least a year before the latest Android update arrived on non-Google devices. The project was targeted at the Indian market for low-tier devices. Now the scenario has changed because Android One also comes in midrange to flagship phones, deviating from only entry-level phones.
But This Sounds Like Android Go!
Those of you who follow the Android ecosystem may already know about Android Go. And you must be getting confused thinking whatever I just described about Android One — sounds exactly like Android Go! So what’s the difference between the two?
Even though the Android One program had started with low-end devices in mind, it soon grew to mid-range devices and flagships. Android Go program replaces the original Android One program and is specifically for low-end devices. It’s a cut-down version, so it doesn’t have as many pre-installed apps and has deliberately ‘lite’ or ‘Go’ versions of Google apps, like Maps Go and Gmail Go, which are aimed specifically at running smoothly on low-end devices.
The big difference between Android Go and Android One is that Android Go doesn’t come directly from Google — Google sends it to a maker like Motorola, and then Motorola releases it. This also means that Motorola has to release updates and upgrades when they’re pushed out from Google, adding in a delay that isn’t there with stock or Android One. Android Go hasn’t been seen by many in more developed countries, but that will change over time as it picks up steam.
Key Features Of Android One
Google-Controlled Environment
Google has various sets of requirements for phones that want to be Android One-branded, though it hasn’t published these to the public. Unlike the Android Open Source Program, which anyone can take and build upon, Android One has more stringent criteria. Google also goes back and forth with OEMs to make sure the final One devices work well.
Stock Android Experience
It is a guarantee that the smartphone OS under this program is a solid and stable version of Android that’s not loaded with other apps, services, skins, and bloatware (A bloatware is any software that is pre-installed on the device by the manufacturer before you buy it. It is called so because it occupies unnecessary space, and hence bloats your Android). This means no pre-loaded Microsoft Office app or Facebook app, no additional news apps and no changing the keyboard. You do get Google software like Google Duo, YouTube, and Maps — in fact, the full suite of Google services.
Faster And Regular Future Updates
The Android One brand promises regular security updates for three years, and Android OS updates for two years. With an Android One device, manufacturers don’t alter the software at all, making it easy for Google to issue upgrades. That means that if you buy an Android One device on Oreo (Android 8), you should end up with Android 10 over time. You, therefore, don’t need to endlessly wait for your device’s manufacturer to roll out updates, as the manufacturer doesn’t have much to do with the software.
Built-In Google Play Protect
Play Protect actively scans over 50 billion apps per day and uses Google’s machine learning to dynamically prevent viruses and malware. Android One phones come with built-in Google Play Protect, which helps ensure that your apps are secure and behaving as they should.
Optimized For Google Assistant
Android One phones are optimized for Google Assistant, so you can use Google’s helper to hail a ride, text a friend, and do all the things you can do with Assistant on other devices.
Proven Results
Nokia has made a name for itself, being the fastest to update its portfolio, thanks to Android One. So far, Android One runs on more than 100 device models — which means it is going towards success!
Bonus Section
I personally highly recommend buying an Android One program smartphone. In case you or your loved ones are about to buy a new phone, have a look at these smartphones:
Since this article is published around Dec 2019, so the below information is bound to get stale in a few months.
Also note that these recommendations are truly my personal choices, and are not paid promotions.
Latest Top 3 Android One Phones In Around 15000 INR
Motorola One Vision
Pros
Fast charging, Fingerprint sensor, Headphone jack, Dual-SIM, Good screen resolution, Good internal storage space, Corning Gorilla glass screen protection
Cons
No dual-standby for 4G dual-SIM
Xiomi Mi A3
Pros
Fast charging, In-screen fingerprint sensor, Headphone jack, Dual-SIM, AMOLED display, Great RAM, Good internal storage space, Corning Gorilla glass screen protection
Cons
Fast charge adapter is sold separately, Lower screen resolution comparatively
Nokia 8.1
Pros
Fast charging, Fingerprint sensor, Headphone jack, Dual-SIM, Good screen resolution
Cons
Less internal storage space, No corning Gorilla glass screen protection
That’s all for now :)
Please clap for the article if you feel you’ve learned something new today!
