Which Android devices to buy?

Getting Started Newbie Questions
#1

Hi there,

I’ve just finished my first iOS game and would like to port it to Android straight away but I need some advice on which devices to target and buy for testing.

For iOS it was simple: I have an iPhone (3G) and iPad 2, and that covers all the screen ratios for iOS - with ad placement being the biggest pain, to be honest, to get displayed right on both iPad and iPhone.

Now I want to start on Android but I have no idea which device is a good ‘benchmark’ to start with, with there being so many different devices, both from a screen ratio standpoint, and pure processing power. For iOS it’s simple: the lowest device that is supported in the new builds is the iPhone 3GS, so I just make sure it runs smoothly on that, and all other devices will work even better under iOS, because they are faster.

So, what is a good Android phone and tablet to target, to make sure I can reach to biggest audience? And additionally, what are the Android screen ratios I should best take into account?

I know there is no definitive answer to this but all advice is welcome.

Thanks,
Thomas [import]uid: 70134 topic_id: 24783 reply_id: 324783[/import]

#2

I bought a Galaxy Nexus last month, a good choice. [import]uid: 134810 topic_id: 24783 reply_id: 100470[/import]

#3

For a mid level Android device something like the HTC Incredible S is a good option. There’s also the Sidekick 4G but if you have an iPhone to test on you have that screen covered so it may be redundant.

I mostly work with iOS so my experience with android is limited but that’s just my 2 cents :slight_smile: [import]uid: 52491 topic_id: 24783 reply_id: 100518[/import]

#4

I picked up a refurbished Kindle Fire. I’ll use the simulator to get the screen ratios right and the fire to do any hardware testing.
[import]uid: 19626 topic_id: 24783 reply_id: 100559[/import]

#5

…something ive been thinking of as well.

@Robmiracle, do you find that the simulator is pretty accurate depicting android devices (screen and behaviour)? any issues you may have noticed? i’m thinking of following your route and buying a kindle for android hardware testing, and simulator for the rest…im just a little concerned about to deploying to an untested product (ie an actual android phone)

thanks

niko [import]uid: 34595 topic_id: 24783 reply_id: 100567[/import]

#6

If you want to implement and test the Google Play In-App Billing (equivalent to In-App Purchase on iOS), you’d need Android device that is not Kindle or Nook.

That said, from what I hear on Forum, Kindle and Nook are better market for monetizing the app/game. (It’s not based on my experience, but only stating what I’ve heard.)

Also note, I’ve seen graphic rendering issue with Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet (while this problem does not exist on other Android devices that I checked, and it may not be a problem with Nook Color.) It’s something to do with a driver bug shipped with these devices.

IMHO, nothing beats testing on real device, and I really wouldn’t ship my app/game without having at least seeing it working as expected on target device. (I know, it’s costly, thus painful, but it would be even more painful if you find out after you ship that the app/game works but looks horrendous and ends up earning nothing other than some negative ratings.)

Naomi [import]uid: 67217 topic_id: 24783 reply_id: 100607[/import]

#7

It seems like testing on a lower end android and getting a game to run well on there seems to pan out when you push to more capable devices.

I have a droidx,a samsung galaxy s,kindle fire, droidx2 and a droid1 and 2.

I know someone who works in mobile industry, so I get these phones at complete random times. He moved up to a higher position, so that has ended :(.

If I got something to run on the droidX it seem to run better on everything else in that group (especially the kindle fire, that thing runs pretty well already).

The problem though is there are 170 variations (at least) of configurations for screen sizes, ram, cpu speed etc etc. I found it so bothersome that I dropped it all together at this point.

After I release, I figure I’ll revisit for now I just hate dealing with it.

ng [import]uid: 61600 topic_id: 24783 reply_id: 100629[/import]