Which Android Brands Should You Pay Attention To In 2022?

By Author: Gracee smith
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Samsung and Google dominate the conversation around Android, but dozens of players worldwide contribute to the broader Android ecosystem. Chinese phone makers like OPPO, Xiaomi, and Vivo are increasingly focusing on western markets, and Amazfit and Mobvoi are doing the right things on the wearables front. With Android 12 rolling out to more devices and flagship phones in the coming months, there’s much excitement in the Android ecosystem for 2022. Xiaomi does in the budget section and what the foldable has in store.

OPPO, OnePlus, and Vivo
OPPO, OnePlus, and Vivo had a great BBK 2021, continuing their strong performance. OPPO started things off in style with the Find N, a creased foldable that gives an early look at what’s possible in this category over the years.

Last year, OPPO and Vivo dominated sales in China, but they also did well in global markets – especially in the West. Both brands focus on a huge retail distribution network to drive sales – like Samsung – and they have managed to increase their market share in regions such as France, the UK, and Germany following the exit of Huawei.

OPPO ...
... has many interesting products. The Find X5 is likely to launch towards the end of the 1st quarter, powered by the manufacturer’s first custom chipset. It offers decent camera benefits, with OPPO making significant progress. The mid-range Reno series has delivered a few exciting phones over the past 18 months – it forms the basis for OnePlus Nord.

For its part, Vivo is betting big on the mid-range segment. The color-changing V23 series is official in India and should make it to other markets. Vivo’s high-end X series phones didn’t get as much attention. Still, the Chinese brand is doing many interesting things around video recording, with the X70 series adding a third-gen gimbal camera system and Vivo’s custom imaging module.

OPPO and Vivo will continue to dominate China while garnering a good market share globally. The main hurdle for these 2 brands has been software, but ColorOS 12 is one of the most refined interfaces, and Vivo’s Funtouch OS is expected to be replaced in 2021.

For OnePlus, the manufacturer’s status as an OPPO sub-brand means it owes much to the Nord series – especially with the Nord N portfolio in North America. OnePlus managed to sell 10 million phones in 2021 for the 1st time in a year, which is on the back of solid sales in the entry-level and budget sections.

Still, it’s rolling out flagship devices – the OnePlus 10 Pro has been officially announced – but this year, the focus of OnePlus will be moving forward with the Nord series in North America. And with ColorOS being used as the default software on its phones, it has lost its distinction with OxygenOS and is now primarily a budget player.

With OPPO and Vivo unwilling to enter North America, OnePlus is the default vessel for BBK in this region, and we’re seeing what it looks like with the Nord N series – the revamped entry-level OPPO phone.

Xiaomi
Xiaomi had a great year in 2021, with the Chinese manufacturer overtaking Samsung as the world’s biggest phone brand for a few months. The sales growth was mainly down for budget models in the Redmi Note series but has focused on the mid-range with Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Lite, Xiaomi 11T, and several rebranded POCO phones. With the Mi 11 Ultra and its ridiculous cameras, the Mi 11 series fared well against the best Android phones.

By 2022, Xiaomi aims to continue that momentum. It’s doubling down in key regions like India – already releasing mid-rangers like the Xiaomi 11i with 120W fast charging – and it’s solidifying a place in western markets. Like its BBK rivals, Xiaomi was a big beneficiary of Huawei’s decline and is now looking to expand its gains.

The Redmi Note 11 series should go a long way in furthering Xiaomi’s goal this year. The Xiaomi 12 series is expected to debut globally by the end of Q1 – roughly the same period as the Galaxy S22 – by Xiaomi, aiming to distribute on several fronts.

Xiaomi sells many products that aren’t phones, including TVs, fitness bands, smartwatches, security cameras, Android TV streaming boxes, and gaming monitors. It sells most of these ecosystem products outside of China.

Amazfit
Amazfit is now the world’s 3rd-largest wearables maker, and the title is well-deserved. The brand went from strength to strength behind value-focused smartwatches in 2021, and it needs to do the same this year if it wants to stay in that position.

Amazfit will likely continue to roll out new models in its value-focused smartwatch series instead of focusing its attention on the lucrative wireless earbuds category. Amazfit’s superior product is its $50 fitness band, but the GTR 3 and GTS 3 smartwatches have done extremely well since their debut in Q3 2021. A large part of this was software, with Amazfit refining its software somewhat.

Honor
Honor is now a standalone entity – which has distanced itself from Huawei – and while the brand made some early progress in its home market last year, it hasn’t been able to keep up with that momentum. For 2022, Honor will have to show it can stand on its own – especially against its Chinese rivals.

Honor’s budget phones sold a lot for the brand. The best thing to do with a solid portfolio of devices and Honor is gearing up for a busy launch window. It releases its 1st foldable phone, with teasers indicating a similar design to the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Nothing
Nothing generated much excitement before the launch of its in-ear (1) wireless earbuds, and the brand is using it as a starting spot for its wider ambitions. Carl Pei has mentioned that Nothing will make a range of ecosystem products, and while he hasn’t publicly confirmed it, a phone is certainly on the cards.

There’s little in the way of information about the 1st phone from Nothing, but I hear a launch for late 2022 is on the cards. This is very interesting given Pei’s history at OnePlus, and we’ll have to wait and see if he can do Nothing but something similar. The OnePlus’ decision to use ColorOS as software on its phones, there’s a lack of options for Android enthusiasts for a high-end phone with clean software, and if he plays his cards right, nothing can fill that void.

Source:https://nort0n1.com/blog/which-android-brands-should-you-pay-attention-to-in-2022