Hot topics

The top 11 worst Android smartphones ever created

a
© Samsung

The versatility of the Android definitely has its downsides: between design miracles, hardware monsters, and software breakthroughs there have been a ton of complete losers in all aspects of a smartphone. In fact, some of these should have no right to even exist when we look at them a bit closer. In this article, we highlight the lows of the Android world and present to you our top 11 list of the worst Android smartphones ever to grace the market.

teaser worst smartphones
Phone-flops: some of the worst Android failiures.  © NextPit/Hersteller

 

Note: taste and personal preference does come into play a bit in this list, but in most cases the verdict is quite clear: the candidates are either ugly, useless, or just downright bizarre.

Samsung Galaxy Ace

If you’re a masochist, the Galaxy Ace might be right up your alley. The middle-class smartphone from Samsung had no redeeming qualities about it: a small display with a bad resolution, a miserably camera, constant crashing, and just an all-around weird design. The Ace is one of the best examples that not everything Samsung touches turns to gold as this phone was a giant turd.

Samsung Galaxy Fit

Yet another example coming from Samsung? Here we go. It should also be noted that the Galaxy Fit was actually released in 2013. With Android 2.3 on board and a the display coming in at a measly 240x320, it couldn’t even break out in the beginner market. The name Fit was also a horrible play on words, or just a bad joke from Samsung: the smartphone itself was about as fit as a pensioner in a wheelchair and as useful as a rotary phone.

a
Galaxy Fit (left) and Galaxy Ace (right). Samsung didn't hit the mark with either phone. / © Samsung

HTC Wildfire

The best way to stop people from trying to use your smartphone, just give them your Wildfire. They will despair and swear off smartphones for the rest of their days. The device is indeed a smartphone though, but everything that makes Android a pleasure to use is turned into pure torture with this device. Anyone who has ever attempted to determine their location via GPS or browse the browser on their Wildfire knows exactly what I’m talking about.

htc wildfire
Smartphone or torture device? The HTC Wildfire. / © HTC

Sony Xperia Play

Did you want a smartphone? How about if we told you your smartphone could be a controller too? Taking notes from the Nokia NGAGE, Sony aimed for the gamer community with this one and missed the mark. A good idea that crashed and burned due to faulty controls, lack of processing power, and a small selection of games. Also, the voice quality was absolutely abysmal. At least the Xperia Play put a demise (for now) into the smartphone-controller hybrid.

play
An unsuccesful mixture of controller and smartphone, the Xperia Play. / © Sony

LG Optimus L3 II

Launched in the summer of 2013, the Optimus L3 II looks like it was pulled from the early days of smartphones. You might think it was a joke, but this thing was the real deal. With a display resolution that reminded you of playing with your first Game Boy back in the 1990s, the chassis of the phone was equally as thick and the hardware was on the same level. Even for the low, low price of $150 dollars, I don’t think you’d wish this smartphone on your worst enemy.

LG Optimus Vu

Once again, LG makes the list. This device cannot be taken seriously if only for it’s absolutely weird dimensions. LG tried to break the normal aspect ratios with this device and tried to bring a 4:3 device to the market. The result? A strange looking device that just doesn’t feel or look right.

optimus vu l3ii
Small or large, these two LG smartphones didn't make the cut. Optimus L3 II (left) and Optimus Vu (right). / © LG

Panasonic Eluga

Did you know that Panasonic tried to make a smartphone? Yeah, that was a fun time. The Eluga was a pretty desperate attempt by Panasonic to gain a foothold in the ever-growing smartphone market. The idea itself was good, the design was appealing, and it was one of the first waterproof smartphones that actually looked okay. In practice, however, the Eluga had poor hardware, a lousy camera, and an absolutely horrible battery. Plus, had you heard of it before now? As such, Panasonic retreated from the market and have yet to return.

eluga
A good idea followed by a bad implementation: Panasonic Eluga. / © Panasonic

HTC ChaCha / HTC First

The idea of a Facebook phone had been looming for some time and despite high hopes, there was never anything good that came out of the idea. The HTC ChaCha was probably the first to attempt the idea in practice and spawned a sad Blackberry wanna-be phone that failed terrifically. Then, in 2013, came the HTC First and despite initial sales being mediocre, it crashed and burned shortly afterwards. While the Facebook integration was seen as a step forward, it was in reality holding users back and the market quickly realized that: Facebook Home and Facebook phones have quietly gone back into hiding.

htc chacha first
Both Facebook phones, both flops by HTC. / © HTC

Motorola Flipout

A smartphone with a flip out physical keyboard was a nice idea, but not really practical. The Flipout offered a square (?!) smartphone with a low-resolution display and “twist up” keypad. Sure, it looked intriguing, but poor hardware combined with a lousy camera, a battery that could barely hold its own, and horrendous display made it so the Flipout flipped-flopped out of existence.

motorola flipout
Square and impractical: the Motorola Flipout. / © Motorola

HTC Evo 3D / LG Optimus 3D

Smartphones with 3D displays and 3D cameras were, for a period of time, the next big thing. However, they disappeared just about as quickly as they arrived on the scene. And so, the only two devices which managed to make it to the light of day were the HTC Evo 3D and LG Optimus 3D. Sure, they both had well intentions when it comes to creating the smartphone but the implementation was lackluster and the “great” 3D effects were, well, underwhelming. In the end, hey were gimmicky smartphones that didn’t produce what they promised.

htc evo lg optimus 3d
3D Smartphones came and went with these flops from HTC and LG. / © HTC / LG

Samsung Galaxy S Beam

You have to give it to Samsung. They’ve had to test out the waters with some absolutely failures before they gave rise to their extremely popular devices. Along the way, the smartphone/projector Galaxy S Beam made its appearance. This smartphone tried to incorporate two completely different products into one and it went about as well as you could imagine. The Galaxy S Beam was far too expensive for the average hardware it was sporting and the projector was nothing more than an interesting gimmick, not practical for anything else.

galaxy beam
Sure, it was an interesting idea, but that was about it.  © Samsung

Are there other smartphones that you think should grace this list? What is your own personal nightmare when it comes to smartphones?

  nextpit recommendation Price tip Luxury version with handle Price tip with handle For Garmin fans Mid-range tip
Product
Image Withings Body Smart Product Image Renpho Smart Body Fat Scale Product Image Withings Body Scan Product Image Lepulse Lescale P1 Product Image Garmin Index S2 Smart Scale Product Image eufy Smart Scale P3 Product Image
Deals*
Go to comment (40)
Johannes Wallat

Johannes Wallat
Editor Germany

Johannes got his first Android-phone four years ago, and he liked it so much that he stayed true to the little green man ever since. He loves new hardware and is usually the first to try out new smartphones and gadgets. He is searching for the perfect smartphone, but originating from Westphalia, he is not easy to satisfy. However, relevant suggestions are always welcome!

View all articles
Liked this article? Share now!
Recommended articles
Latest articles
Push notification Next article
40 comments
Write new comment:
All changes will be saved. No drafts are saved when editing
Write new comment:
All changes will be saved. No drafts are saved when editing

  • Patrick Clifford 1
    Patrick Clifford May 23, 2021 Link to comment

    this guy clearly knows nothing and is a complete idiot. he / she cant even spell in English properly. i wouldn't trust he's review


  • 1
    Ron bchamp Apr 1, 2019 Link to comment

    I used to be an android phone user but switched to an iPhone
    when I damaged my iPhone, I bought an Alcatel just to fill in the gap till I get my phone back. Wow! Not much has changed since my old Ace 2. They're still as shitty as ever. Slow, unresponsive, locks up, camera sucks, confusing layout and just an all out cheap price of crap. I miss my iPhone 7 so bad. I think every android phone sucks. Been there twice now and I still don't get the attraction. iPhones aren't perfect but they're still alot better than this foolishness.
    Even as a write this I find it so frustrating to do anything on this poor excuse of a phone. I'm sure android lovers don't get the iPhone, I understand that. Each to their own I guess. Can't wait to get my BMW back, I'm tired of this Ford focus.


    • Bastian Siewers 66
      Bastian Siewers Apr 1, 2019 Link to comment

      Well, your comparing a cheap phone with an expensive one, kinda unfair, don't you think? Have you ever used a highend Android phone? I have used several iPhones. They are good, obviously, but in terms of performance they are not really better than for example a OnePlus 6T. Software is a matter of taste. I am used to Android and I love it for 9 years now. I can live with iOS, sure, but I always feel restricted with iOS... but again, simply a matter of taste.


      • 1
        Ron bchamp Apr 1, 2019 Link to comment

        True, this is a cheap phone and comparing it to a higher end phone probably not a fair deal but even a cheap iPhone is a dream to use. If the android phone makers would stop making cheap crappy phones then perhaps they wouldn't lose so many customers to iPhone. This was precisely the reason I switched. And I have only looked back once with regret. Since I can't afford a $500 to $1000 phone so I buy an iPhone that's a couple years old and use it for a couple years then start all over again. I get that not everyone is going to like the iPhone but for me is was a major upgrade. My wife is laughing at me every time I gripe about this phone so I guess I just needed a safe place to vent my frustration. Lol


  • Carl Heckman 1
    Carl Heckman Mar 11, 2018 Link to comment

    mine.

    It's a 2014 Huwaii "Glory". The thing is slow, but the battery wears down quickly to compensate for it. Whenever I tap on something on the screen, I'm never sure I tapped in the right place or hard or long enough. When I go to tap it again, something has popped up in the meantime, which I don't want to tap on. I've never played a game on it, and streaming Morse code would probably outdo it.

    It's too thick for any VR viewers.

    Not a week goes by where I don't want to smash the thing to bits.


  • Sam Squids 1
    Sam Squids Apr 27, 2017 Link to comment

    The Samsung Galaxy Discover. there is barely any ROMs for the thing, It's Slower than a fat kid chasing after an ice cream truck and to add the cherry to the shit sunday. it's not even supported by Samsung KIES at all. so don't by a this pathetic piece of shit phone. buy a Nexus Or Pixel Or Moto


  • Tom The Cat Twilight Sparkle Sci Twi 1
    Tom The Cat Twilight Sparkle Sci Twi Dec 15, 2016 Link to comment

    ASUS ZENFONE 5 A501CG THE WORST POOR SMARPHONE EVER, BECAUSE BATTERY DRAINS FAST QUICKLY ABOUT 3 HOURS SCREEN ON TIME AND GAMING IS UP TO 50 MINUTES BEFORE DRAIN, THE PHONE IS OVERHEATING DURING GAMING BECAUSE INTEL ATOM PROCESSORS TO CONSUME AND AFFECTING BATTERY


  • Ivor Dos Win 1
    Ivor Dos Win Dec 14, 2016 Link to comment

    Actually, Galaxy Fit and Ace came out in 2011 and they were good mid-range phones for that time. I used Fit and loved it. It was all in all a decent phone.


  • Hemang Rindani 3
    Hemang Rindani Oct 5, 2016 Link to comment

    Personally Samsung Pop Plus was one of the worst phone that I used. App support was also not upto the mark. It was too difficult to develop an android mobile app that will work perfectly well with pop. Look at some of the Mobile app usability issues at cygnet-infotech.com/blog/mobile-app-usability-problems-and-their-solutions


  • Michael Clark 2
    Michael Clark Sep 13, 2016 Link to comment

    This article needs to be updated
    Any old smart phone (below 2012) could be considered the worst smartphone phone ever compared to newer smartphones


  • Michael Clark 2
    Michael Clark Sep 13, 2016 Link to comment

    Alcatel one touch pixi eclipse

    Camera sucks

    Has no Display rotation (have to download a separate app for that)

    Speakers suck

    Runs android 4.4 with 5.0 + button design

    Has 1.47gb of memory

    Home screen bottom icons would appear on the side and through the rest of the app icones out of whack

    4.0 " screen

    And the water resistance on it is complete bullshit. Get 1 drop of water on it and anything from half of the touch screen working to the thing going haywire and never turning back on agian
    The maximum this phone has lasted me is two weeks
    The onlt thing i really like about it is the multitasking features
    It doesn't exit the app your in, to bring up the current apps
    And the tipical Alcatel features like compass and built in radio


  • Anil Choudhary 2
    Anil Choudhary Jul 12, 2016 Link to comment

    Most of the windows phones deserve this list..

    Michael Clark


  • 1
    Ronald Sumlin Apr 23, 2016 Link to comment

    Missed by a long shot. The samsung note 3 is the most miserable excuse for a phone ever produced.
    I get service at home and work but almost nowhere else. My wife, son and I are all on the same verizon account and they never have a problem.
    This is my first smartphone and it was after the 14 day return period that it became apparent that everyone else was using their phone when I couldn't. The note 3 is usually just a $700 paperweight.


    • Michael Clark 2
      Michael Clark Sep 13, 2016 Link to comment

      Thats probability versions fault


  • Mike Russo 4
    Mike Russo Mar 25, 2016 Link to comment

    lol name reminds me of an old smelly man that's always sneezing and holding a very used handkerchief LOL sorry


  • Zeek Z. 5
    Zeek Z. Mar 11, 2016 Link to comment

    The LG Leon. Definitely.

    Char Maine


    • Mike Russo 4
      Mike Russo Mar 25, 2016 Link to comment

      regarding the Leon

      Char Maine


  • PATTERZ 9
    PATTERZ Jan 27, 2016 Link to comment

    Kyocera Echo?


  • 1
    Joan Earley Oct 5, 2015 Link to comment

    I would add the ZTE Majesty . When ever I surfed the net my browser would suddenly shut down . Camera subpar.
    Also had an Alcatel One Touch Pop Icon
    The screen view was dim but at times it would inexplicably brighten for a few moments
    Decided to finally get a Samsung Galaxy s4


  • 2
    Csepela Istvan Tamas Jun 30, 2015 Link to comment

    Both the Galaxy Ace and Fit were part of Samsung's 2011 (and not 2013) line of smartphones, together with the Galaxy S2, Gio, and Mini. The ace was by far one of the most popular mid-range samsung pohone as of mid 2012 and was at the time considered decent. Just saying. there are many FAR-FAR worse android phones out there, or even samsung; consider the galaxy 3, which was in every respect loathsome.

    Ivor Dos Win


    • Mike Russo 4
      Mike Russo Mar 25, 2016 Link to comment

      actually came out the end me 2010📟📱


  • 2
    Ivo Robotnik Jun 23, 2015 Link to comment

    If you can only afford the cheap smartphones, you will suffer. That is the way of life in tech, sadly. My phone doesn't even have 4G or LTE, and it chugs and crashes just from getting a notification due to its single core processor. Even then, that's my current phone, the Samsung Galaxy Ring. My last phone was the Kyocera rise, which is so bad I'm amazed it's not here.
    The rise has a miserable screen, a miserable camera (no front facer on top of that), 512mb of ram, a bulky and flimsy keypad attached to it, and the overall build is cheap. I couldn't even use the home menu without it crashing and rebooting.

    Char Maine


    • Mike Russo 4
      Mike Russo Mar 25, 2016 Link to comment

      why even buy those phones lol .Better off with a beeper!

      Char Maine


  • 1
    Mr. Anon May 2, 2014 Link to comment

    Interestingly, Samsung is making a second-gen Galaxy Beam.


  • 1
    Andrés Rodríguez Apr 18, 2014 Link to comment

    I think you've forgotten The samsung galaxy S (shit) Duos, The WORST SMARTPHONE EVER. Always stuck, no running apps, it doesn't even let you take the calls. Is S*HT!


  • 4
    Jeff Majerek Feb 15, 2014 Link to comment

    HTC Thunderbolt.......... HTC's in general.... the DNA seemed like a great phone, however, software updates are sort of a foriegn subject for HTC..... will never get another......


  • Jeff Marlon 1
    Jeff Marlon Feb 12, 2014 Link to comment

    I bought HTC Wildfire last year and I realized what you said Sterling. I have attempted to find out the location via GPS but I really disappointed that such a smartphone has no quality to find out the exact location.
    *admin edit: links are not allowed in this section*


  • Mohamed Suleman 6
    Mohamed Suleman Feb 12, 2014 Link to comment

    I just bough myself a brand new smart phone running Android 2.3.5 for R499 (that's about $45 at today's exchange rate).
    As one would expect it is not blazingly fast, but because it is not really recognised (it only shows branding of the Network Carrier, MTN and a Qualcomm sign at the back). The model number is SP355AWG.
    It does have 512MB RAM, but it is not upgradeable to Android 4.. even though 4.4 should work with that.
    All in all it is not a TERRIBLE phone considering the price, but the fail part comes in with MTN pusing their ads, a banner takes up about 25% of the main home screen all the time, which is quite irritating when you take into consideration that the screen is only 3.5 inches, pretty small by today's standards.
    If anyone knows of a way to upgrade this and remove the Carrier branding - please let me know, I would actually consider this phone a win then.


    • 4
      Deactivated Account Feb 13, 2014 Link to comment

      Just looked it up, and i have to say "Wow", thats the most generic china phone I've ever seen.Anyways, try finding the model of the chipset the phone has.Then maybe you might find some root options and make the phone worth something.


    • 1
      soupflood Feb 20, 2014 Link to comment

      Try installing Vroot on your PC . Change the settings in Applications: check ''Allow unknown sources'' and in Development, check ''USB debug''. Then, connect the phone to the PC via USB (the phone should appear as ''Android ADB interface'' or similar) and start Vroot - it should install Vroot on the phone too. Click the Root button, the phone will reboot. On the phone, when installing an application which asks for root permission, Vroot will popup with two buttons (in Chinese): the right one is the ''Allow'' button.


    • Mike Russo 4
      Mike Russo Mar 25, 2016 Link to comment

      throw it in your toilet and watch it Spin BLAZINGLY East!


  • AJ STA ANA 9
    AJ STA ANA Feb 12, 2014 Link to comment

    There is no S in Samsung Galaxy beam


  • CJ Brown 29
    CJ Brown Feb 12, 2014 Link to comment

    actually, the repurposed HTC EVO 3D for the no contract market, were some of the best 4G Ice Cream Sandwich software included affordable Android Smart Phones (Boost, Virgin Mobile) ...

    How about the HTC Droid 2 (not good enough to be a 2nd gen HTC Droid), along with most of the crap Verizon tried to schill on everyone during 2012-2013 because they couldn't accept the HTC ONE X / HTC ONE S ...


    • Chad_Higgins 15
      Chad_Higgins Feb 12, 2014 Link to comment

      Right on' I am using my HTC Ego V 4G from Virgin Mobile which is a wonderful phone. I rarely even use the 3D, but it works nicely. I don't have 4G coverage either as all carriers abandoned 4g for the new 4g LTE but 3g is not bad.


  • Anders Bagger 9
    Anders Bagger Feb 12, 2014 Link to comment

    Sony xperia play, is actually a great phone to play emulated games on.
    I would love to see this kind of sollution in more phones.


    • Mike Russo 4
      Mike Russo Mar 25, 2016 Link to comment

      what kinda games ?


  • 5
    Tim W. Feb 11, 2014 Link to comment

    I would think that the Microsoft Kin phones would top this list - did anyone ever actually buy one?


  • Chad_Higgins 15
    Chad_Higgins Feb 11, 2014 Link to comment

    Worst smartphone, My EVO 3D is thee BEST! i don't care about the 3D i don't even use it. but at least my phone has it! and it works without glasses.


  • 5
    Barry Padgett Feb 11, 2014 Link to comment

    You totally forgot the abysmal product that was the GarminAsus Garminfone. Announced in February 2010 and released in June, it somehow shipped with Android 1.6, even though Android 2.2 was released in May. It only saw one updated (to 2.1) in June of 2011 right around the same time that Goggle released 2.3.4. It offered Snapdragon S1 CPU clocked at 600mhz, a paltry 256 MB of RAM and ROM and a 320 x 480 display.


    • Sterling Keys 12
      Sterling Keys Feb 11, 2014 Link to comment

      Wow, not sure how we missed that one.

Write new comment:
All changes will be saved. No drafts are saved when editing