Dear Android Clients — the proud and few:

I just want to let you know that Google has come out with a new Android phone (directly) that brings back memories of its great Nexus phones from 2013 and 2015. Back then Google had a line of phones called Nexus. They were middle of the market priced phones (sub $400) but they were very aspirational. I think they were a good alternative to the iPhone. Google deviated from the plan in 2014 by releasing a huge Nexus 6 phone that was made by Motorola. It’s hard to remember this, but Google actually owned Motorola for a few years. 2015 brought us the Nexus 5X and its larger brother the 6P. Unfortunately, they did not keep the Nexus line going and have been going with a high end Pixel line of phones since late 2016.

A few weeks ago — Google gave us a glimpse of the glory days. They released a Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. They are priced a lot like Nexus phones at $399 and $479 respectively. They are being sold directly by Google and by major carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile. These phones have a great camera and retain the traditional headphone jack. Google will support them with software updates for 3 years, which is a better guarantee than you will get from almost any Android phone maker.

Other lower cost Android phones for 2019 that I like are the Moto G7 or G7 Power from Motorola (motorola.com). The Power has a huge battery if you like that sort of thing. Both phones are priced under $300. Skip the G7 Play. It is less capable than the other two. Unfortunately, Motorola does not make a guarantee about updates. So for just a little more $$ it seems like that Google Pixel 3a is a better deal.

I don’t have a lot to say about Android devices these days because 90% of my clients use iPhones for their smartphone. I have to stay invested in this market because these are the clients that are going to regularly have me come out and help them with phone issues in significant numbers. In my heart though, I am with you. The Android platform was my first entry way into the smartphone world back in 2010. I think there is more flexibility to do tasks in multiple ways with Android. It’s more computer like than the iPhone in that regard. I miss my favorite Android app – Doggcatcher.

Android 9 is the current version these days. Not all older phones will upgrade to this version. When Google releases a new version of Android, the Google devices get it right away, also some devices that are branded Android One will get it promptly (like newer Nokia phones). The better Android phones will guarantee security updates for a period of time, like 2 or 3 years. Sadly, because there is not uniformity among Android device manufacturers, certain phones will never get the updates they need.