Table of contents:

The coolest skins based on Android
The coolest skins based on Android
Anonim

Samsung Experience, MIUI, HTC Sense or Flyme - choose what is right for you.

Coolest Android Shells
Coolest Android Shells

Android is an open source system. And this inevitably entails the creation of many alternative versions. Almost every manufacturer has its own Android - with its own features and chips, designs, icons and applications.

When buying a new smartphone, you have to get used to its operating system. Of course, you can try to install custom firmware to adapt the gadget to your needs. But this activity is not for everyone. So it's better to figure out which Android-based OS you like best before buying another device. Let's figure out what the Android versions are and how they differ.

Pure Android

Pure Android
Pure Android
Pure Android
Pure Android

This is Android as it should be. Its shell is fully consistent with the Material Design style and looks neat and minimalist. A small number of graphical bells and whistles and preinstalled applications guarantee performance and stability.

Pure Android smartphones will appeal to those who love order. You don't have to clean your device of apps carefully installed by vendors.

Android One and Android Go stand apart. Truly pure Android is only installed on Google Pixel devices. The rest of the manufacturers use Android One and do not hesitate to load it with their own services and applications. And Android Go is the version of the operating system for budget devices. Everything superfluous has been stripped out of Go for the sake of performance, and it works quite tolerably even on the slowest devices.

Advantages: updates to devices from Google are released earlier than everyone else. The interface is simple, beautiful and not overloaded with unnecessary functions. The system is very fast, smooth and stable.

Disadvantages: advanced users may lack some features. Plus, pure Android is only installed on Google Pixel devices. In the case of Android One, the release of updates remains on the conscience of the manufacturers.

Samsung Experience

Samsung Experience
Samsung Experience
Samsung Experience
Samsung Experience

Samsung's shell has a long history. TouchWiz has been around since 2009. Then it was developed for Samsung's own platform - SHP. Then, when the green robot began to take over the market, TouchWiz was ported to Android.

Samsung's shell makers have always prided themselves on the abundance of features. Perhaps even excessive. TouchWiz received a lot of unflattering reviews, as it managed to sag even on Samsung flagships - despite their coolest hardware. The company, fortunately, listened to criticism and gradually improved the shell, making the interface simpler and pumping speed. TouchWiz changed its name several times: first it was renamed Grace UI, then Clean UI, and finally Samsung Experience.

Many of the features that first appeared in the Samsung shell soon migrated to pure Android. For example, themes and the ability to place two applications on the screen at once.

A distinctive feature of the Samsung Experience is a bunch of native services from Samsung. For example, the Galaxy Apps store, the Samsung Health fitness tracker, and the Samsung Pay payment service.

Advantages: a lot of functions. Good customization of the shell. Helpful notification bar, Smart Stay, lots of different gestures.

Disadvantages: Samsung's services largely duplicate Google's capabilities and will only be useful to a limited number of users. The native design of Samsung Experience is not for everybody. Lots of pre-installed applications that cannot be uninstalled without root.

MIUI

MIUI
MIUI
MIUI
MIUI

The shell is from Xiaomi, which is deservedly very popular. And no wonder. She is very beautiful. And at the same time, the shell has an impressive number of settings and possibilities.

It can be seen that MIUI was doing with an eye on iOS - even the battery charge icon is somewhat similar. A nice feature of the system is the ability to disable the virtual buttons "Back", "Home" and "View" to free up space on the screen. In this case, the system is controlled only by gestures. And, if you get used to it, it is very convenient.

The native MIUI apps - player, file manager, download manager - are beautiful and useful. When using, there is no desire to replace them with something third-party. Perhaps the only drawback of the native file manager is the lack of synchronization with cloud storage.

Advantages: light weight of the shell and a bunch of third-party forks, thanks to which even those who do not have a Xiaomi smartphone can try MIUI. User-friendly interface, theme manager, settings are much more than in native Android. Plus there is a built-in file manager with an FTP server function, a blacklist of calls and messages, and support for recording telephone conversations.

Disadvantages: no application menu - all icons are located on desktops. Fortunately, they can be hidden in folders. Xiaomi ecosystem gadgets are mainly needed by Chinese users.

EMUI

EMUI
EMUI
EMUI
EMUI

This is a shell for Huawei and Honor devices, the name of which stands for Emotion UI. Huawei is trying to develop a shell that is as easy to manage as possible and claims that you can get to 93% of the phone's functions with EMUI in a maximum of three taps.

The main feature of the new versions of EMUI is a kind of artificial intelligence that maintains the performance of the smartphone at a consistently high level. The system analyzes which applications you use most often and allocates more resources for them. Performance is achieved with intelligent CPU management, memory defragmentation and GPU acceleration with built-in Vulcan support. Huawei arrogantly claims that after a year of use, the smartphone can start working even faster than on the first day of purchase, thanks to optimization for the needs of the user.

Advantages: good optimization. Few built-in services from the vendor - EMUI is tied mainly to native Google services.

Disadvantages: some design elements stand out from the general interface style.

OxygenOS

OxygenOS
OxygenOS
OxygenOS
OxygenOS

This is the name of the version of Android that runs on OnePlus phones. OxygenOS has a very clean and beautiful interface in the spirit of Material Design, and the system launcher resembles Google's Pixel Launcher. OxygenOS differs from pure Android by a bunch of small chips and options in the parameters, with which you can fine-tune the appearance of the shell. The system is somewhat reminiscent of the famous Lineage OS.

OxygenOS has a built-in App Locker that can protect confidential data in applications of your choice using a password or fingerprint. The OxygenOS launcher allows you to fine-tune the appearance and size of icons on the home screen and in the application menu.

Advantages: operational updates. There are no proprietary services imposed by the company - instead, native Google services. Material Design's interface is austere, but beautiful, and all applications - both built-in and installed by the user - look like native ones in it. A large number of gestures.

Disadvantages: some third party app widgets in OxygenOS behave strangely.

HTC Sense

HTC Sense
HTC Sense
HTC Sense
HTC Sense

The proprietary HTC shell has good customization. There is a Themes app that can change the style of your home screen almost beyond recognition. As well as a personal assistant Sense Companion, which can remind you of calendar events, report the weather forecast, serves as a fitness tracker and helps to optimize the performance of your phone. True, this thing is available only in the HTC U series, and its learning capabilities, declared by the manufacturer, in practice turn out to be somewhat overestimated.

Another interesting feature of HTC Sense is the “smartphone compression” function, which has appeared in the new flagship of HTC U11. Squeeze your phone in your hand and HTC Sense takes the action you specified. For example, it will launch a preselected application. The rest of the shell from HTC is very similar to the native Android.

Advantages: funny smartphone squeeze function. Freestyle mode allows you to flexibly customize the look of your home screen.

Disadvantages: The built-in Sense Companion and Blinkfeed apps aren't particularly helpful. Native icons are not for everybody.

Flyme

Flyme
Flyme
Flyme
Flyme

Flyme for Meizu devices has its own pretty design. Beautiful animations and round icons add a distinctive character to the system, although the MIUI influence is making itself felt. Firmware chips - special modes for guests and children, a branded app store and themes, as well as a built-in cleaner and optimizer. The system supports fine-tuning the power and performance of devices with Flyme.

Advantages: the design looks unusual and fresh. Not even the newest smartphones of the company receive updates. Flyme can also be installed on non-Meizu smartphones. True, as always, this will require dancing with a tambourine.

Disadvantages: some built-in applications look clumsy, and the native Flyme store is not needed at all - there is Google Play.

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