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A few people in my circle have asked why I haven’t written about how to install Gcam app on your Android phone, etc, etc. Knowing that I am a lover of great smartphone cameras, it probably has them bewildered, even if only mildly. Here is why I do not think that installing the Google Camera app brings any practical benefits to you any more.
What is Gcam? Google Camera is a camera application developed by Google for Android. It is popularly abbreviated to Gcam. It is the default camera app on Googel Pixel smartphones, which have had a good run in the photography department in the last few years. Naturally, Android smartphone owners looking for better photo capture on their phones turned to installing extracted and tweaked versions of the Gcam app.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus camera
My first experience with Gcam was with the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus . I installed the latest compatible version for the phone with excitement. The S9 Plus is in itself a good camera phone – one of the best in its time. Surely, using Gcam on it would produce better pictures; right?
I was disappointed to find out that it didn’t work that way. The S9 Plus’ default camera produced better photos. In addition, the app crashed more often than not, and I finally gave up.
Next, I experimented with Gcam on Huawei P30 , another top camera phone of its time. Again, I did not get any impressive results. More often than not, the P30’s default camera app did a better job than Gcam.
The third and last time I gave Gcam a try was on the Nokia 6.2 just a few months ago. Sometimes, the Google Camera app produced better photos; at other times, it produced worse ones. It was always neither fully here nor there.
As you can imagine, I eventually decided that Gcam was not the way to go. Perhaps in my own case, I installed it on camera phones that were already top-of-the-line (with the exception of the Nokia 6.2). But I think there is more to it than that. Let me explain.
Want to install Gcam app on your Android phone? It might be a waste of your time
There is more to smartphone cameras these days than just the app. For example, Huawei P30 has a triple camera configuration, but the Gcam app was designed to work with a single camera lens on Pixel phones.
A lot of software engineering goes into making it work that way. When you install it on a dual camera, triple camera, quad camera, or God forbid, a penta camera smartphone, there is no way it has been optimized for those more complicated camera configurations. Yes; smartphone cameras have become terribly complicated .
No matter how much tweaking is done on Gcam, it will not be optimal for many multi-sensor cameras in the market. Even after Google has developed a multi-sensor version, there will still be issues.
For example, the main lens in the Pixel 4 is a 12MP sensor. The Gcam app has been developed to squeeze out the best from that. But you install it on a phone with a 16MP, 32MP, 48MP or 64MP sensor. Do not expect it to deliver the best possible photos and videos for those.
Even where the megapixel count is the same, what of the aperture and other variables? In my opinion, if you have been wanting to instal Gcam app on your non-Pixel Android smartphone, do not bother. It isn’t worth the trouble most of the time. You are better off buying a superb camera phone and just using that.
Lastly, Google’s Pixel phones have since lost the coveted top spot among the best cameraphones in the market. In 2019, they weren’t even in the top 5, and now in 2020, it gets worse.
Do Not Install Gcam App On Your Phone; Get One Of These Phones Instead
In summary, while there has been a lot of buzz among photo enthusiasts wanting to install Gcam on their Android phones, developments have overtaken any benefits that used to bring. If you really want a top-of-the-line cameraphone, here are the top 10 (and number 4 is really affordable compared to the others):
- Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G
- Honor V30 Pro
- Huawei Mate 30 Pro
- Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition aka Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro
- Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
- Huawei P30 Pro
- Oppo Reno 10x Zoom
- Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
My source for the above list is Dxomark . Why? They do more extensive cameraphone testing than anyone else on the planet at this time. As a smartphone reviewer, I have also found my experiences with cameraphones to be in line with their verdicts.
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro penta camera
Most of the above smartphones are pricey, no doubt, but the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro is the best value for money there, costing €480. Right now, it is the only non-flagship smartphone with a 5-star camera. You can also get Huawei P30 (not the P30 Pro) for around $500. Solid cameras cost money, I am afraid, and you just have to splurge a little if you want one.
You can check out my Huawei P30 review and my Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro review . If you cannot afford one of these phones in the $500 range but want a good camera phone, check out reviews to see which phones have the best cameras within your budget. There is something for everyone.
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Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
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Yesterday, a friend buzzed me up. He was shopping for a new smartphone and wanted me to recommend one. He wanted a non-Chinese smartphone brand. I will reproduce a small chunk of our conversation here for context.
- Friend : Bros…You are the master of this game. That’s why I want to ask you.
- Me : Shoot.
- Friend : Please, recommend me a phone of between $240 and $250 and with good battery life.
- Me : Are there any brands you don’t want?
- Friend : I do not want most of the Chinko (Infinix, Gionee) aside TECNO and Huawei. I can even extend budget to $320. I am tired of always charging.
Motorola Accompli 008: long before arrival of the iPhone and the droids
So, I did a quick audit, and having eliminated all Chinese brands, I was left to pick a phone for him from Apple, Nokia, and Samsung. Those were the only non-Chinese smartphone brands left standing.
Someone will ask, “What of Motorola?” Motorola used to be an American brand but now belongs to Lenovo, which is Chinese. So, there’s that. And what of Blackberry? Well, it is still a Canadian brand, but when last did anyone here see a store selling a Blackberry phone? Aha. I cannot remember when last I did.
- The Swing from Europe to China
- List of Chinese phone brands
- Made In China, but not Chinese
- What phones are not made in China today?
- Which cell phones are not made in China?
- Mobile phone brands in the USA
- Is there an American-made cell phone?
- Are any smartphones made in Europe?
- The best non-Chinese phone brands
- A non-Chinese Smartphone Brand in the Future?
- In Summary
The Swing from Europe to China
Years ago, most mobile phone brands were European: Nokia, Siemens, Ericsson, Alcatel, etc. While there were brands from elsewhere, it was Europe that dictated the trends and had the numbers. But things soon began to change, and today, we are at a point where European smartphone brands are an endangered specie. As a matter of fact, some of the best smartphones in the world today are made in China.
Nokia is the last major European brand standing, though there are other smaller brands in operation all over the EU. Samsung and LG are Korean, and Apple and Google are American.
List of Chinese phone brands
It is a good idea to list out Chinese mobile phone brands at this point. It is a long list, so I will cover only the major brands.
- Huawei
- Honor
- Xiaomi
- Redmi
- Poco
- OPPO
- Realme
- Vivo
- TECNO
- Infinix
- itel
- Gionee
- BlackView
- ZTE
- OnePlus
- Nubia
- Lenovo
- Motorola
- TCL/Alcatel
- Coolpad
- Meizu
The above are the top Chinese mobile phone brands in the world. Their devices are not just made in China; the origin of the brands is Chinese.
Made In China, but not Chinese
I expect people to respond and point out that most modern smartphones are made in China. That is true. But it is still not the same thing as those brands being Chinese.
All three of them have design and software input from their home bases. The labour force that put iPhones together may be Chinese, but the heart and soul of that phone is unmistakably American.
So, no; Apple iPhone is not a Chinese smartphone. Neither are Nokia and Samsung smartphones. But many of their models are made in China. If you want to know which phones are not made in China, the next section answers that question.
What phones are not made in China today?
The big question is, are there any current cell phones not made in China today? If they exist, which ones are they and where are they made?
2021 update : Note that if you are hunting for smartphones not made in China, you are going to search hard and long. But, yes; cell phones that are not made in China exist. I can point you in the right direction.
In October 2019, Samsung closed its last mobile phone factory in China, though it later outsourced production of some models to a handful of China-based manufacturers in 2020. Sony also closed its China factory months earlier. Some Apple iPhone models are now also made in India, though a large number are still manufactured in China.
So, where are Samsung phones made now? We know for a fact that Samsung (and Sony) smartphones are not made in China any more. For Samsung, most manufacturing happens in Vietnam, and some in South Korea and India. Sony phones are produced in Japan.
Librem, a US firm, makes its Librem 5 USA phone in the United States of America.
And there is ASUS , which has production facilities in Taiwan. Lastly, LG also makes its phones in South Korea.
Update : In order to lower production costs and stay competitive in the market, both Samsung and LG made moves to outsource 20 to 30% of their smartphone production to Chinese ODMs. ( source ). As such, some LG and Samsung phones are now indeed manufactured, once again, in China.
Here is the full list of phones that are not being made in China right now:
Which cell phones are not made in China?
Below are a few phone brands that have some or all of their products produced outside of China.
- Samsung – Vietnam, India, South Korea. Samsung outsourced about 20% of its production to ODMs in China in 2020. Check out the latest Samsung phones .
- Sony – Japan. Check out the latest Sony Xperia phones .
- ASUS – Taiwan.
- LG – India, Brazil. LG outsourced about 20%-30% of its production to ODMs in China in 2020 . 2021 update : LG has ceased production of mobile phones.
- Purism – The Librem 5 USA is manufactured in the United States of America.
- Xiaomi – Some units are made in India for local consumption.
- Motorola – Similar to Xiaomi, some of Motorol’s inventory is manufactured in India.
- Apple iPhone . While a lot of iPhones are made in China, some are now also produced in India.
We also know that some Apple iPhones smartphones are also not made in China. Some of Apple’s production happens in India.
LG, Motorola, and Samsung also have mobile phone manufacturing plants in Brazil, but production in the country keeps reducing and may be brought to a halt eventually, if that hasn’t happened already.
The important thing is to note that manufacturing locations can change over time. Always check the latest model’s origin if this is a key factor in your purchase decision.
Mobile phone brands in the USA
There are scores of mobile phone brands in the USA. They include Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, OnePlus, BLU, CAT, TCL, and Alcatel. But none of their phones are made in the USA. Most are manufactured in China, and some in Vietnam, India, and other Asian countries.
Is there an American-made cell phone?
A number of cell phone and smartphone brands used to manufacture their products in the United States of America. These include Motorola in its hey days. Motorola had a manufacturing facility in Forth Worth, Texas.
As at the year 2021, however, all manufacturing of American smartphone brands, except for one, happen outside of the United States. There are no cell phones and smartphones made in the USA any more. All Apple iPhones and Google Pixel phones, for example, are manufactured in Asia.
November 2020 Update : Librem has announced a US version of their Librem 5 security-focused smartphone, called Librem 5 USA. It is made in the United States of America via a US-based supply chain for increased security. This is the only known smartphone that is manufactured in the USA in 2021.
Are any smartphones made in Europe?
Gigaset is a mobile phone brand that manufactures their devices in Germany. For more details about smartphone manufacturing, see my dedicated article: European Cell Phone Brands .
The best non-Chinese phone brands
There are over 100 non-Chinese smartphone brands in existence right now. Yes; over 100. The problem is that most of them are very small players and command a very tiny market share even when combined together.
It would be a tough job listing all of them here, so I am going to restrict this list to those that are the most visible and the best.
Apple is one of the best non-Chinese smartphone brands.
- Apple iPhone – American
- Samsung Mobile – South Korean
- Nokia Mobile – Finnish
- Google Pixel – American
- Sony Mobile – Japanese
- LG – South Korean (now stopped making phones)
- BLU Products – American
- Lava – Indian
- Sharp – Japanese
- Fairphone – Dutch
- Philips Mobile – Dutch
- Yotaphone – Russian
- BQ – Spanish
- Acer – Taiwanese
- Asus – Taiwanese
- HTC – Taiwanese
- Essential Products – American (now defunct)
- Nothing – British
- Cherry Mobile – Philippino
- DoCoMo – Japanese
- Panasonic Mobile – Japanese.
- Afrione – Nigerian
- Mara Phone – Rwandan
- Librem – American
- HMD – Finnish
These are the 20 best non-Chinese smartphone brands in the world today, for your information. Like I said, there are over a hundred of them, some of which you have probably never heard of before.
Because most of them are minority players, Chinese smartphones currently take up the largest chunk of the global smartphone market share. And they are likely to corner more of it in the coming years. But I digress. Let’s return to the focus of this blog post: alternatives to Chinese smartphones.
What phones are not made in China?
A non-Chinese Smartphone Brand in the Future?
Here is the thing: there is a strong possibility that one day, if you do not want a Chinese smartphone, it would mean that you do not want a smartphone at all.
Once upon a time, Motorola was so big and successful in mobile that it was inconceivable to think then that it would be sold one day. Not just sold, but sold to a Chinese company. Yet, it happened. Those of us who lived through Nokia’s hey days could have sworn that there was no way the company’s fortunes in mobile could change so drastically. But we saw it happen.
Samsung is currently struggling against the onslaught of Chinese smartphones – all droids – in the market. It does not look like they will win this battle. What is to stop an acquisition one day? Samsung Mobile as a subsidiary of say Huawei? Preposterous! But history tells us to not say never.
Or Apple in the hands of Xiaomi. Or Nokia in the hands of Transsion. * ducks and dodges stones and sticks * Calm down. None of these scenarios are impossible. If you have been around long enough in mobile, you are used to seeing it.
I watched as the great Ericsson merged with Sony to form Sony Ericsson. At the time, it was Ericsson that had the great smartphones and numbers. Sony was a small-time mobile manufacturer restricted mostly to the shores of Japan.
But after Sony Ericsson struggled for a while, guess who bought out who in the partnership? Sony. The great Ericsson Mobile was swallowed up by Sony. It is sad that Sony is still struggling till today though.
Anyway, you get my point by now. China has a huge and growing army of droids that are taking over the world. At the present rate, one day, all smartphones in the world might be Chinese. Just one day. Nothing is ever too far-fetched.
By the way, I got a recommendation for my friend. I am not telling you what non-Chinese smartphone brand it is. I don’t kiss and tell. * wink *
In Summary
- You will have a hard time finding mobile phones that are not made in China; most cell phones and smartphones in the world today are made in China. Many of the best cell phones today are not only made in China, but are made by Chines phone brands. They are of Chinese origin.
- A few phone brands like Samsung, Sony, LG, and ASUS have no direct manufacturing facilities in China. However, both Samsung and LG now outsource between 20 and 30% of their smartphone production to ODMs in China.
- There are still about a hundred non-Chinese mobile phone brands in the world, but they are mostly small players, shipping low volumes and with limited market spread.
- There are no more smartphones or other kinds of cell phones made in the USA as at September 2020 . In November 2020, the Librem 5 USA smartphone was announced and is manufactured in the USA. It is the only American-made cell phone on record at this time.
Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
