New or updated technologies arrive on Android first

Sep 12, 2017 06:44 GMT  ·  By

Qualcomm wants everyone to know that when it comes to innovation, the Android system is the first one to implement pretty much everything new, way ahead of the competition.

It’s not really a surprise why Qualcomm chose to share this information right now, just a day before the launch of a new line of products from Apple. The competition between Google and Apple is an obvious one, but there are others in the background.

Qualcomm is one of those companies that's also in competition with Apple as it makes SoC (system on a chip) processors for many of the Android devices available right now on the market. In fact, the top of the line Android-powered phones are using a Snapdragon solution, so the company does have a vested interest in staying the best.

It's also worth noting that Qualcomm and Apple have been entrenched in legal battles over the years in regard various patents.

Android is always first with new technology

The point that Qualcomm is trying to make in its blog post is that innovations always seems to land on Android devices first, even if that’s not something that most people might know.

This is of course in contrast with Apple products that always arrive on the market with some new fancy technology or feature that’s touted to be innovative. As it turns out, many of the features that do land on Apple devices are already present in the market, on various Android devices.

It’s also true that some of the examples that Qualcomm presents can be contested, especially since they use the expression “Qualcomm reference design Handset,” which is a nice term for a device that’s probably in the works and not on the market.

Some examples of Android being first

The biggest problem of with the Android platform is the immense fragmentation. It can be both a strength and a weakness. It’s possible that some new technology or major update arrives on a new device, but it’s not a known brand and it just goes unnoticed.

Let’s take the example of Augmented Reality, which needs a couple of cameras on the device to get the best results. The first phone to feature it was Lenovo Phob Pro 2. It wasn’t all that successful and the name didn’t help it either.

The first OLED display was used on LG Flex 2, and the first water resistant touch screen arrived with the Sony Xperia Z4. Also, as you might expect, many new technologies and major updates came with the latest Samsung Galaxy S8. You can check all of the in the table below. If you think that Qualcomm is wrong with any of it make sure you leave a comment.

New technologies on Android devices
New technologies on Android devices

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