These 4 Android telephone manufacturers you forgot about are nonetheless making telephones
In the early days of Android, it appeared like each different week we might see a very brand-new telephone from a longtime tech big. Everyone was taking a stab at it.
But as Android matured, a choose handful of manufacturers grew to become the go-to decisions for many patrons, particularly Samsung, Google Pixel, and Motorola, whereas nearly each different model disappeared from the discourse. Well, because it seems, a lot of these manufacturers you assume disappeared over time are literally nonetheless making telephones immediately, and a few of them are surprisingly good.
The TV model TCL makes Android telephones with shows made to seem like paper
A display screen that does not seem like a display screen
TCL is well-known for its reasonably priced TVs that thousands and thousands of individuals purchase on a whim throughout a Black Friday sale yearly, however do you know that the model additionally makes telephones?
TCL first launched a smartphone below its personal model in 2019 with the TCL Plex. Many thought TCL was very late to the market, as extra established Android manufacturers like LG had been already displaying main indicators of wrestle.
Weirdly sufficient, TCL by no means stopped promoting telephones, which implies there’s nonetheless sufficient demand for the model to maintain making and promoting new ones. And I believe I do know why.
TCL has launched a number of fashions this yr, however by far probably the most fascinating is the NXTPAPER 70 Pro. NXTPAPER is TCL’s model title for its proprietary matte LCD show expertise, which is designed to appear and feel like paper.
While it may appear bizarre to see a contemporary Android telephone with a show that is not OLED, NXTPAPER is surprisingly great for individuals who need a extra snug viewing expertise.
TCL additionally makes NXTPAPER tablets that supply an e-reader-like expertise, however for many who need a smartphone form factor with a totally purposeful Android working system beneath, it is a distinctive alternative.
Sony’s Xperia telephones are nonetheless round for individuals who need one thing completely different
Sony nonetheless makes room for the headphone jack
Sony is an enormous conglomerate that makes all the things from TVs and high-end headphones to the PlayStation. For a really very long time, the model had a robust smartphone division below the Xperia title, which really traces its roots again to the three way partnership between Sony and Ericsson.
Given Sony’s historical past with Walkman moveable audio gamers and its digital camera sensors, it had a novel mixture to supply with Xperia telephones. The model at all times had the most effective on-board audio processing, and the cameras had been at all times strong, even in price range fashions.
Personally, I at all times preferred Xperia telephones for his or her cool blocky design with sharp corners that Samsung was utilizing not too way back with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Although Sony not releases its newest Xperia phones within the US, the model nonetheless sells some surprisingly good midrange and flagship telephones throughout Europe and Asia, with restricted availability in different financial hubs. The model has proudly retained the microSD card slot and the three.5mm headphone jack and turned it right into a key promoting level of its (awfully named) flagship, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII.
HTC nonetheless makes Android telephones, simply not those you keep in mind
A far cry from the times of the HTC One
HTC was one of many biggest and most important Android brands within the early and mid-2010s. The HTC Evo 4G was one among Sprint’s best-selling and most vital telephones in 2010, whereas the Droid Incredible was one other in style Verizon different.
During that period, HTC launched numerous other models that had been particularly in style amongst energy customers and businesspeople.
Before the iPhone 6 outlined an period of smartphone design with its unibody aluminum physique and antenna cutouts, the HTC One M7 and its successor, the One M8, had already embraced an analogous design and offered thousands and thousands of items. Plus, they’d these superior stereo front-facing audio system that had been unmatched for gaming and content material consumption.
As the years went on, HTC continued making fairly respectable telephones, with an enormous give attention to the midrange. Unfortunately, it simply could not sustain with Samsung and Apple, whereas competitors from Chinese manufacturers squeezed it out of the market.
Despite all that, HTC surprisingly hasn’t stop the Android market simply but. While the model stopped releasing telephones within the US in 2018 with the HTC U12+, it nonetheless sells telephones internationally below the price range Wildfire branding. The newest mannequin is the Wildfire E7 Plus, which has a 720p show, a MediaTek Helio G99 SoC, and 8GB of RAM. HTC hasn’t introduced any telephone releases for 2026 to this point.
Needless to say, these Wildfire telephones are a far cry from the heights of the One M8, which matches to indicate simply how a lot the model has fallen from its glory days.
Lenovo nonetheless makes Android telephones, and I do not simply imply Motorola
Lenovo’s Legion gaming telephones disappeared, then got here again
Before Lenovo purchased Motorola in 2014, the model identified for its laptops had a wholesome choice of midrange Android telephones. After the acquisition, Motorola grew to become Lenovo’s principal smartphone model within the US, however Lenovo by no means completely stopped promoting Android telephones below its personal title.
To be extra particular, Lenovo additionally offered Android telephones exterior the US below its Legion sub-brand, which can also be Lenovo’s model title for its gaming laptops. There’s additionally a near-endless sea of Lenovo Android tablets, however that is off-topic.
The loopy half in regards to the Legion telephone’s story is that Lenovo shut the road down in 2023, solely to revive it this yr with the Legion Y70 (2026), proper as we’re in the midst of a RAM scarcity that is forcing different manufacturers to scramble.
It’s unique to China, however due to its unbelievable specs (144Hz 2K display screen, Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC, as much as 16GB of RAM, and an 8,000mAh battery) and roughly $480 beginning value, some folks select to import it and reside with any potential downsides that include it.
The Android telephone market is extra various than you assume
Many Android manufacturers have come and gone over time. Some, like Sony and HTC, was once dominant forces however have now largely retreated to transnational financial hubs, whereas manufacturers like TCL and Lenovo by no means had an enormous presence within the US to start with.
Whatever their story, it is fascinating to see these manufacturers nonetheless making and promoting telephones immediately, typically with wildly completely different approaches to smartphone design and philosophy.
