Let’s first look at two news items. The first is that ASUS has just launched the ZenFone Live L1 in Indonesia. This device features a 5.5-inch IPS full-screen display with a resolution of 1440×720 pixels, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, and a 5MP front camera and a 13MP rear camera, with a battery capacity of 3000mAh;
The second is a new Meizu model M810L, which has just passed FCC certification, and this product is positioned to be priced lower than anyone could imagine.
In fact, whether it’s the ASUS ZenFone Live L1 or the Meizu M810L, their biggest feature compared to the smartphones we are familiar with is that they come pre-installed with Android Go.
Simply put, Android Go is a streamlined version of the standard Android O (8.0) system, consisting mainly of three parts: a lightweight Android system, Google Go series applications, and a Google Play Store designed for low-end devices, ensuring smooth operation on devices with 1GB or even 512MB of RAM.
In other words, Android Go is tailored for ultra-low-cost smartphones priced below 600 yuan. However, this is not entirely accurate, as Android Go may not be promoted domestically; its primary battleground should be in underdeveloped countries and regions like India and Africa, aiming to seize the opportunity during the transition from feature phones to smartphones and from 3G to 4G phones.
So, what are the differences between Android Go and the Android O we are familiar with?
Well, first of all, don’t expect Android Go phones to run games like “Honor of Kings”. The Snapdragon 425 level low-end processor, with 1GB or even 512MB of RAM, will make you question your life choices. The main tasks for these phones are still quite basic, such as browsing Facebook, watching online videos, and searching for information online…..
In terms of system structure, there are also many changes in Android Go, such as changing the original “stacked” multitasking interface to a more “tiled” style closer to Android 4, as the latter consumes less memory.
At the same time, Android Go has also eliminated a series of resource-intensive features such as split-screen, floating window display, and multi-user support, and some complex graphical effects will also be disabled. Additionally, Android Go has optimized the system’s underlying management, mainly focusing on memory and storage management, such as more sensitive running memory management strategies, ahead-of-time compilation of some system services to reduce memory usage, and optimization of the executable files of applications, etc.
In summary, it’s good to know about Android Go, but don’t expect it to bring significant changes to the domestic smartphone market, as it’s not suitable for domestic users. On one hand, Android Go requires the installation of customized apps, but the Google Store is not accessible in China. On the other hand, even Android phones priced at 599 yuan are already equipped with 2GB of RAM and octa-core processors, and the hardware configuration has long been “over the standard”; you wouldn’t want to pay for a phone with lower specifications at the same price, would you?
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