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Essential's VP: at Google, we were bummed that Android has to go 'through the Samsung lens'

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By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Nov 21, 2017, 5:21 AM

Essential's VP: at Google, we were bummed that Android has to go 'through the Samsung lens'

Rebecca Zavin, who is now a vice president of software engineering at Essential, but used to work in developing Android's hardware stacks for Google, recently sat down for an interview, and revealed some pretty interesting tidbits. Among the comment that they are working on getting Android 8.0 Oreo on the Essential Phone as soon as possible, and bringing the phone itself to more global markets in due course, was hidden this gem:

We’ve always thought about building something that’s premium materials and hardware.

There’s a race to the bottom on the little guys, and there are some big guys, like Samsung, but they’re always with a point of view. When I was with the Android team, it was always kind of a bummer that most of the world was experiencing it through the Samsung lens.

We try to stick to what the user’s need by building something that has the same attention to detail and quality from a hardware perspective, but that doesn’t have that strong point of view from a software experience.

In a nutshell, it must be frustrating for Google's Android devs that the fast and efficient (albeit not that visually slick) mobile operating system they are constantly developing, is hidden underneath the Samsung Experience UI for a lot of users in the most globally visible markets. Granted, the new interface on Samsung's phones is a big improvement over previous editions, but it still brings with it a certain amount of overengineering that the lean Android team usually sniffs at.

source: Android Authority

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.