Here are some of the things we like about the xel that we hope to see in future premium phones. In exchange for giving up a dedicated button to open the app drawer, you gain an extra app in the bottom dock. I’ll take five apps in the dock over four any day of the week. It’s just as fast, just as simple, visually cleaner more appealing. But it doesn’t give up an ounce of functionality. Using Smart Storage, you can clear out old apps you no longer use, photos videos that are backed up no longer need to be stored locally, as well as clear out the downloads folder of old items. is giving xel users access to support representatives 24/7 directly in the Settings app via text or phone calls. Those who call in to support can share the screen of his or her device for advanced troubleshooting; no appointment required. Samsung already has its Samsung+ app to accomplish this, but more vendors need to make this a reality. And Samsung would do well to simply bake this into the Settings, rather than require yet another installed app. Better yet, you can delete the apps instead of just disabling them. Samsung—the biggest smartphone maker in the world—seems to not have the same influence over carriers to limit bloatware. Or maybe it doesn’t feel pressure, because everyone does it, the carriers will kick over a few bucks? It’s time to follow ’s lead. It’s not just Samsung, all the usual Android players bend to the will of the carriers. If we want this stuff, we’ll get it ourselves. Come on, let’s put an end to bloatware. etty please? xel users gain an added option of using the fingerprint reader as a sort of limited trackpad. Right now it’s limited to swiping down across the reader to show the notification shade—again making single-hed use easier—but hopefully this is something we see implemented in things like Twitter apps or Chrome for scrolling through timelines webpages. Android makers will need to implement Android 7.1 supporting hardware in order to take advantage of the feature, but since they’re all taking our advice moving finger print readers to the back of the phone, that shouldn’t add too much more work. And while we’re at it, they should follow ‘s lead by putting all “gesture” controls under a single menu in Settings, with clear explanations. No more spreading this all over the Settings, or in separate apps. Somehow, Apple gets to release major updates to all its phones on all carriers it’s not the end of the world. In fact, carriers are thrilled to sell you an ione. At least found a way to persuade Verizon to commit to releasing software updates at the same time releases one for unlocked devices. Instead of reading news that the AT&T Galaxy S7 ge is getting Nougat, leaving users on a different carrier asking “at about me?” phone makers need to work with the carriers to streamline the update process. If an update is released for a device, it needs to be released across all carriers at the same time. And updates need to l much sooner after issues an Android update. ‘re not saying anything new, but perhaps has got the ball rolling on this for all Android partners. otos is where it’s at. ’s unlimited photo video storage at full resolution for the xel line is something all device makers should implement ASA , HTC, Samsung, Moto: Make a deal with to bring this feature to all devices. Apple, if you happen to stumble upon this, you need to copy this feature too. Give ione users unlimited iCloud oto Storage. But you know what? Those small thoughtful additions to the overall experience add a playfulness that makes using the xel fun, it’s integrated across various apps aspects of the device starting the moment you turn on your new phone. This doesn’t apply to Samsung, who has had to trim down on the amount of playfulness in its devices over the past couple of years, but Moto offer up what I think is a rather bl take on Android. at we want to see from Android makers is mindfulness. Show that you care enough to make the experience better without slowing anything down. Sometimes, polishing the basic stuff is worth more than piling on new features. acing the fingerprint reader on the back of the phone means you can hold it naturally, still have access to the reader. It’s quick, painless, something all Android manufacturers should do. It also limits the ways you can use your device. You can’t place it flat on a desk without it wobbling. uldn’t you rather have a device sans camera bump that’s a tiny bit thicker, but with a bigger battery no bump? I sure would. You can sculpt the edges to make it feel thinner in the h if you have to. And yet, when you actually use it, it certainly feels so much faster than every other Android phone you’ve ever used. can’t explain exactly why, except to say that has probably spent a lot of time optimizing all parts of the xel’s software stack. From touch latency to device drivers, cache sizes to polling rates, tweaked it all. Android manufacturers, go do likewise. Don’t be satisfied with whatever libraries drivers your SoC vendor (like Qualcomm), camera vendor (like Sony), or storage vendor gives you. rk with the OS, the firmware, the drivers, everything. Compile, test, measure, re-compile. Ultimately, we don’t care that the phone we buy has the longest bar on a benchmark chart. care that when we ask it to do something, it does it right away. That we can instantly switch apps, scroll smoothly through any page, that all of our swipes, taps, pinches, slides are met with instantaneous feedback. Combined with a simple elegant interface design, this is what makes the xel feel good. It’s not the kind of “checkbox feature” you can easily market, but believe me, reviewers will take notice, word-of-mouth from customers will be worth it.
