Why Are Budget Android Phones Riddled With Ads, Spam, and Bloatware?

Moto G9 price in India is Rs. 11,499 for the 4GB RAM, 64GB storage variant and after reviewing this device, Android expert Aditya Shenoy joins host Pranay Parab to talk about the software on this phone. We begin this episode by talking about the reasons behind clean software being a rarity on most budget Android devices. Why do you see so much bloatware, so many ads, and spammy notifications on these devices? We answer that question at length, before talking about how phones such as the Moto G9 and the Nokia 5.3 are changing the narrative. We talk about the advantages and disadvantages of shipping stock or near-stock Android on budget phones. Next we talk about the rising smartphone prices in India, where we mention the best phone under 8000 rupees and how the definition of a good budget phone has to now factor the current pandemic.

We talk about how the sub-Rs. 10,000 price segment has been badly hit by this pandemic and whether you should raise your budget to get decent features and if it’s even worth buying any of the sub-Rs. 8,000 phones. We talk about some of the reasons behind rising smartphone prices and discuss whether you should wait a bit before buying new smartphones. Finally we talk about the Moto G9 and what the phone does right in terms of software. The customisations on the device have been appreciated by many, and we discuss what could help other companies offer that kind of clean software as well.

That’s all for this week’s episode of Orbital, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.