A recent review of technical support calls by UK-based WDS has found that Android devices are more likely to develop hardware issues than devices powered by other mobile operating systems. The year long study looked at over 600,000 support calls found that Android devices accounted for 14 percent of hardware issues. In comparison, RIM BlackBerry devices accounted for just 3.7 percent, the iPhone for 8 percent, and Windows Phone 7 devices for 9 percent.
WDS attributed the higher Android hardware failure rates to the “platform’s fragmentation and adoption across a broad range of OEMs.” With more than 35 OEMS across the world, Google is not able to impose quality standards as effectively as its competitors. Both Apple and RIM control their hardware ecosystems given that they are the sole manufacturers and even Microsoft has minimum hardware specifications.
“Android has been a runaway success and has been instrumental in bringing smartphone technology to the mass-market. Its open nature, coupled with the greater availability of hardware components and a reduction in manufacturing costs has seen some manufacturers bring the price-point of Android smartphones down below US$100,” explains Craig Rich, Chief Marketing Officer at WDS. “However, the Android ecosystem is not without its faults. Many of the factors that have led to Android’s success are driving varying levels of hardware quality into the market, in turn delivering an inconsistent customer experience.”
Issues varied between manufacturers (all nameless in the report). Some had more issues with display failures, others with keypard or button failures, while others faced higher proportions of battery issues.
Source: PCMag.com
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