Intrusive Ads: Does Buying A Xiaomi, Tecno Or Infinix Smartphone Worth It?
While some people may think that one of these three brands is superior to the others, from the perspective of user experience, Xiaomi, Tecno and Infinix phones are all birds of the same feather.
First off, they all have a custom user interface – a custom skin – that runs on top of Android OS. Xiaomi has MIUI, Tecno has HiOS, and Infinix has XOS. Each of these skins add various useful features and tools that users enjoy. Each is also distinctively different from what stock Android looks like. And all 3 brands are budget-centric brands. That means, they produce smartphones that cost less than what the competition offers.
As you can see, all three brands have a lot in common. And none of these is the problem that I have with them. But they are part of the similarities that exist between all 3 brands.
Other Similarities Among Xiaomi, Tecno and Infinix Smartphones.
But there is something they also have in common, and that is a huge problem for not just me, but also many other smartphone users – advertising. Smartphones made by Xiaomi, Tecno and Infinix run ads – pop-up ads, ads in the notification shade, ads that appear while switching between apps, ads in all shapes and sizes.
It is downright annoying and intrusive. These ads interfere with the user’s flow. They are distasteful, and that is putting it mildy. When someone says that they prefer Xiaomi to Tecno, the first thing that flashes through my head is, “You prefer Xiaomi’s annoying ads to Tecno’s annoying ads?” It is like stepping out of the pot into the coal. It is a matter of going from one painful experience to another.
When a smartphone has ads implemented in it, it impacts on your data consumption, it impacts on performance, and it impacts on the users mind. It may not look like a big deal, but it is a really big one. This is the one reason I dislike Opera browsers now. Once you install one on your phone, obstructive ads and intrusive notifications become a part of your experience on your phone.
ALSO READ: HarmonyOS: Everything You Need To About The New Huawei’s Operating System
Smartphone custom skins like MIUI, HiOS and XOS that inject ads into the user experience of their host phones are abusive, as far as I am concerned. As far as I am concerned, the only Tecno, Infinix and Xiaomi phones that really interest me for personal use are those with stock Android. They lack the manufacturer’s custom skin and so do not have those pesky ads that we all hate.
One thing I hate about XOS is the inclusion of intrusive ads. I do not know who thought this is a good idea but I find it annoying. For anyone planning to buy this phone, I would suggest you download a third-party launcher and my favourite if Nova launcher. It will help avoid some of those annoying ads that you definitely don’t need.
We are so bombarded with intrusive ads everywhere. As a blogger, I create, publish and share content for free, and implement ads on this blog and others to generate income. I can understand that. When I read other blogs and see ads everywhere, I understand it. Someone has to pay for the free content, so ads are understandable in that situation, as long as they are not obstructive.
But I pay to purchase a smartphone. Whether it is a budget or premium smartphone, there is an exchange of money. Why should I have to endure intrusive ads after paying for the product? Too bad.
Which is why no matter how great or beautiful the innovation that I see in a Tecno , Infinix, or Xiaomi smartphone, no matter how excited I am about one super feature or the other, I almost always stop myself from taking the step of using one as my personal daily driver.
I will not be subjected to more ads than I am already on a device that I look at and use hundreds of times daily. And I know that a lot of users of those phones find those ads problematic. How? Many tech blogs have articles that provide tips on how to remove those same ads from Xiaomi, Tecno and Infinix phones.
In an odd twist, Tecno Mobile Kenya’s Twitter handle even shared a video showing how to stop the obstructive ads on their own phones:
Those ads THAT COME ON your phone? How to stop them? Please watch below. pic.twitter.com/pts3Xi3xMU
— TECNO Mobile Kenya (@TECNOMobile254) September 24, 2018
There is such a thing as a product that just works out of the box and that does not irritate you or annoy you in any significant way. That is the kind of product that I am most inclined to spend my money on. None of that distasteful interference from ads for me.
Like I stated earlier, Xiaomi, TECNO and Infinix smartphones are birds of the same feather. Your opinion is welcome to disagree.
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