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this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2023
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It's not that they don't want to, it's that it doesn't make sense. Android (Google) does optimize for a broad range of hardware, but it would be a waste of time for them to optimize for specific devices.
Their pixel lineup runs stock Android. That's what Google offers, so that's what you'll get.
However, companies like Samsung do ship their devices with custom software, which allows them to optimize it to their hardware (though I'm not sure how much). Then you have the option to install (if the software supports the hardware) an alternative OS (Calyx, Graphene, Lineage, etc). This can remove bloatware and allows the option to de-google your device... Resulting in a better performing device.
Apple is lucky in the sense that they own their own hardware and software. Android owns the software, not the hardware.
Ah, I misunderstood.
Device manufactures certainly can optimize certain things for their device. Samsung for example has OneUI, which is Samsungs responsibility to optimize. However, just like Google can't control how manufacturers optimize their OS, Samsung can't force Google to optimize it for them.
I'd imagine a good amount of manufacturers would rather have Google optimize the OS rather than fund a whole team to do what Google should be doing anyways. Then this goes back to what I said where optimization is difficult due to the wide range in hardware.
My mention of alternate OS's still apply, as they do serve a purpose in trying to optimize and debloat Android. However they also don't just target a specific manufacturer, but a wide range of devices.
In other words, Android has matured a LOT since it's infancy, so it runs quite well on most high end devices. Ignoring specs, you likely won't tell much of a difference (if at all) when actually using an Apple or high end Android device.
Couple things that should be mentioned... First, iOS runs apps natively. Additionally, Apple uses Swift as their language for apps, which surprise surprise, was built by them for their products. Android has some overhead with JVM (virtual machine). Unsurprisingly, this means it may take apps slightly longer to open (though not always the case), and use a bit more memory in the process.
Second is background processes. Android tends to have additional processes (which depending on the skin you use will be different) for widgets, backgrounds, app services, god knows what else (depending on the apps/skins used). Apple is fairly conservative, meaning less memory usage.
I have an iPhone 12 Pro (6gb of RAM), and a Galaxy s10 (8gb of RAM). iOS (according to some system status app) is sitting at about 50% (roughly 3gb) with only Memmy (and the status app) open. Android is sitting at just under 50% (about 3.5gb) with Jerboa and the settings app open. I've also taken a look at my Galaxy Tab S6 Lite which has 4gb of RAM, and with Twitch open in split mode, it's at roughly 65% (2.5gb).
So, not surprising that modern Android actually doesn't use all that much memory compared to iOS. Would I still say iOS is far more optimized than Android? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean that Google and manufacturers of Android devices don't care about performance. Millions of people wouldn't be using their devices otherwise.
As you mentioned though, that doesn't stop random companies from building shitty products. Horrible performing devices like tablets, budget phones and tv boxes exist. Just the nature of open source.
Also, almost every device user, be it Android or Apple cares about specs. Camera, display, size, etc.. RAM just isn't a thing Apple users need to worry about because memory was always managed so incredibly well, while Android in the last did have memory issues.
This whole debate of iOS and Android doesn't mean all that much anymore in the flagship space because both perform very well.