- Nokia Symbian Download
- Nokia Symbian For Mac Windows 7
- Nokia PC Suite For Mac: Download Free Alternatives
Freeware Symbian S60 3rd 5th Anna Belle Software Download. Free Games, Apps, Themes for Symbian Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG, UIQ, S80, S90, Anna, Belle. Download Nokia PC Suite on the computer and run it. Connect your Nokia phone to computer via Bluetooth, USB cable or Infrared. In the Nokia PC Suite window, click the backup icon to enter the Nokia Content Copier window. Select the backup icon and tick your desired content. Then, click the right-arrow icon to start the backup.
The Symbian Operating System – Its Rise and Fall
- SDKs for certain Nokia platforms e.g. Series 40 and S60 may still be available, and while the emulators that come with them are made with development in mind, they can also be useful for playing most Java games and Symbian applications. PSPKVM is available for cell-phones. Might be the only one that's open-source. Last update is 2009.
- E71 for Mac users Nokia Eseries S60 3.1 Phones (2nd Generation: E51, E66, E71) E71 for Mac users - All About Symbian Forums All About Symbian - Nokia (S60) and Sony Ericsson (UIQ) smartphones unwrapped.
Before the Android world ruled Smartphones, the Bugatti insurance of operating systems for smart mobile devices was the Symbian OS. The platform was popular up until 2010 when Google’s Android gave it a run for its money. Eventually, its development ceased in mid-2014.
The inception of the Symbian platform began with a system referred to as EPOC, an OS which was created in the 1980s by one company we have fond memories of; Psion. In 1998, Sony Ericson, Nokia, and Motorola came together and formed Symbian Ltd. EPOC hence became Symbian OS. The system was designed to run on ARM processors and was used to power some of the most powerful smartphones at the time.
Samsung and LG also joined the Symbian world after it was born and in 2000, Ericson R380 became the first Symbian mobile device in the world. The OS would enjoy a substantial market share until it faced several challenges that led to its gradual failure.
In 2010, when other members including LG, Samsung, and Sony Ericson, adopted other operating systems, Nokia took over the running of the Symbian Foundation and transitioned it to licensing organizations only. Not long after, the market shares began dropping and with stiff competition from iOS and Android, the Symbian death row began. The difficulty in programming due to fragmentation greatly contributed to its demise.
In February 2011, after Nokia’s newly appointed CEO announced that the company was partnering with Microsoft to develop Nokia devices running Windows, the Symbian platform gradually dropped. Developers deserted the ecosystem rapidly.
Two months later, the company stopped sourcing Symbian codes and substantially decreased the number of collaborations it had to a mere group of specific partners in Japan. In June the same year, Accenture, through an agreement with Nokia began outsourcing the Symbian-based resources and support services.
In 2014, the support, development and the maintenance of the Symbian platform were ceased. Developers could no longer create or develop more applications for Symbian. But the applications that had already been published are still available for download.
The inception of the Symbian platform began with a system referred to as EPOC, an OS which was created in the 1980s by one company we have fond memories of; Psion. In 1998, Sony Ericson, Nokia, and Motorola came together and formed Symbian Ltd. EPOC hence became Symbian OS. The system was designed to run on ARM processors and was used to power some of the most powerful smartphones at the time.
Samsung and LG also joined the Symbian world after it was born and in 2000, Ericson R380 became the first Symbian mobile device in the world. The OS would enjoy a substantial market share until it faced several challenges that led to its gradual failure.
In 2010, when other members including LG, Samsung, and Sony Ericson, adopted other operating systems, Nokia took over the running of the Symbian Foundation and transitioned it to licensing organizations only. Not long after, the market shares began dropping and with stiff competition from iOS and Android, the Symbian death row began. The difficulty in programming due to fragmentation greatly contributed to its demise.
In February 2011, after Nokia’s newly appointed CEO announced that the company was partnering with Microsoft to develop Nokia devices running Windows, the Symbian platform gradually dropped. Developers deserted the ecosystem rapidly.
Two months later, the company stopped sourcing Symbian codes and substantially decreased the number of collaborations it had to a mere group of specific partners in Japan. In June the same year, Accenture, through an agreement with Nokia began outsourcing the Symbian-based resources and support services.
In 2014, the support, development and the maintenance of the Symbian platform were ceased. Developers could no longer create or develop more applications for Symbian. But the applications that had already been published are still available for download.
Symbian User Interface
The graphics toolkit enjoyed by the Symbian platform always remained the native Series 60, which was later to take the name AVKON. Its design could easily be manipulated by a keyboard or mini-QWERTY keyboards.
Software running on the Series 60 platform was binary compatible with most Symbian versions including the third generation of Symbian, which incorporated the Qt framework. This framework became the most preferred UI toolkit for the development of new applications.
There were beautiful prospects for the company to develop Symbian ^4 and although its preview was released, Nokia canceled it. Had it seen the light of day, it would have marked a new era of GUI library framework that could be adapted for touch screens.
Before the untimely demise of the Symbian platform, Nokia recommended that developers adopted the Qt Quick with QML for the development of intuitive and lively screen interfaces. The two made the best user interface frameworks that outputted the best results, which allowed development for MeeGo and the Symbian platform.
The variants of the Symbian user interface based on the Symbian ecosystem include:
• The Symbian Series 60, also known simply as the S60. It was later to be called Symbian versions 1, 2, and 3.
• The Symbian Series 80 used by phones like the Nokia 9300i. • Symbian Series 90, which supported both touch and button features. One of the popular phones that used this platform includes the Nokia 7710.
• The UIQ, which was mainly run by Motorola and Sony Ericsson devices. They supported touch with a stylus and button features but were discontinued after Nokia took over the stewardship. Both SonyEricsson and Motorola skinned this Symbian OS with intuitive icons that augured well with the portrait orientations in smartphones apart from the softkey input systems. A good example is the Motorola M1000
• The Mobile Oriented Applications Platform (MOAP) developed on top of the Symbian OS was used mainly in Asia for Sony Ericson, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, and Sharp. Fujitsu’s Symbian-based F-022 is a good example of a clamshell handset running on the platform.
• The MOAP successor, OPP, which was in Japan only.
Software running on the Series 60 platform was binary compatible with most Symbian versions including the third generation of Symbian, which incorporated the Qt framework. This framework became the most preferred UI toolkit for the development of new applications.
There were beautiful prospects for the company to develop Symbian ^4 and although its preview was released, Nokia canceled it. Had it seen the light of day, it would have marked a new era of GUI library framework that could be adapted for touch screens.
Before the untimely demise of the Symbian platform, Nokia recommended that developers adopted the Qt Quick with QML for the development of intuitive and lively screen interfaces. The two made the best user interface frameworks that outputted the best results, which allowed development for MeeGo and the Symbian platform.
The variants of the Symbian user interface based on the Symbian ecosystem include:
• The Symbian Series 60, also known simply as the S60. It was later to be called Symbian versions 1, 2, and 3.
• The Symbian Series 80 used by phones like the Nokia 9300i. • Symbian Series 90, which supported both touch and button features. One of the popular phones that used this platform includes the Nokia 7710.
• The UIQ, which was mainly run by Motorola and Sony Ericsson devices. They supported touch with a stylus and button features but were discontinued after Nokia took over the stewardship. Both SonyEricsson and Motorola skinned this Symbian OS with intuitive icons that augured well with the portrait orientations in smartphones apart from the softkey input systems. A good example is the Motorola M1000
• The Mobile Oriented Applications Platform (MOAP) developed on top of the Symbian OS was used mainly in Asia for Sony Ericson, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, and Sharp. Fujitsu’s Symbian-based F-022 is a good example of a clamshell handset running on the platform.
• The MOAP successor, OPP, which was in Japan only.
Struggling with the UI
Through the success of the Symbian devices, all there was by Nokia and its partners was to roll out smartphones of different shapes and screen sizes. From flip phones to a consistent stream of candybars, the growth was unstoppable, then the iPhones arrived in 2007 and Android in 2008.
The two offered the best platforms and introduced some of the best touchscreen mobile devices ever created. Nokia, the company running Symbian in its later years, desperately wanting to match the unstoppable competition and needing to evolve the OS decided to open source the platform in 2008. The move was to accelerate its growth and try to salvage the operating system that was falling behind.
Some good came out of trying to catch up with the competition; a Symbian OS made for the touchscreens was created. The building of this Symbian platform consisted of bringing together the Series 60 technology, the MOAP, and the UIQ, which were all pooled to be a unified touch system for new smartphones.
With the new OS, Symbian S60 version 5, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic became the first touch-enabled device. It was released in late 2008. Nevertheless, the device still lacked the touch-centric capacity but was brought to life by the Symbian ^3 in 2010. By then, it was already becoming too late for the OS. The sales had already fallen.
This 3rd version of Symbian incorporated as many features as it could. With fast graphics, widget support, and multiple screens, it packed several other features that its rivals had, yet, it was again a little too late.
Nokia then tried one last ditch to salvage the Symbian technology. It released Symbian Anna, which was followed by another update, the Symbian Belle. The Anna version was characterized by an improvement in text inputs, browsing speed as well as a novelty in its user interface that carried rounded icons.
The Belle version brought additional features including the customization of widgets. Also, it added more home screens and a status screen that was pulled down, much like the Androids. The version also supported Near Field Connectivity (NFC). Through the pull-down menu, one could access settings, get access to notifications including text messages and missed calls among others.
But because Android already had these features, Nokia perhaps got tired of always being the second best. Eventually, it stopped making new UIs for Symbian.
The two offered the best platforms and introduced some of the best touchscreen mobile devices ever created. Nokia, the company running Symbian in its later years, desperately wanting to match the unstoppable competition and needing to evolve the OS decided to open source the platform in 2008. The move was to accelerate its growth and try to salvage the operating system that was falling behind.
Some good came out of trying to catch up with the competition; a Symbian OS made for the touchscreens was created. The building of this Symbian platform consisted of bringing together the Series 60 technology, the MOAP, and the UIQ, which were all pooled to be a unified touch system for new smartphones.
With the new OS, Symbian S60 version 5, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic became the first touch-enabled device. It was released in late 2008. Nevertheless, the device still lacked the touch-centric capacity but was brought to life by the Symbian ^3 in 2010. By then, it was already becoming too late for the OS. The sales had already fallen.
This 3rd version of Symbian incorporated as many features as it could. With fast graphics, widget support, and multiple screens, it packed several other features that its rivals had, yet, it was again a little too late.
Nokia then tried one last ditch to salvage the Symbian technology. It released Symbian Anna, which was followed by another update, the Symbian Belle. The Anna version was characterized by an improvement in text inputs, browsing speed as well as a novelty in its user interface that carried rounded icons.
The Belle version brought additional features including the customization of widgets. Also, it added more home screens and a status screen that was pulled down, much like the Androids. The version also supported Near Field Connectivity (NFC). Through the pull-down menu, one could access settings, get access to notifications including text messages and missed calls among others.
But because Android already had these features, Nokia perhaps got tired of always being the second best. Eventually, it stopped making new UIs for Symbian.
Symbian Marketing Issues
The success of the Symbian platform was first realized in the first quarter of 2004, where it sold 2.4 million devices, a number that double the ones realized in the same period under review the previous year. The progress was realized much in Japan.
By the third quarter of 2004, a total of 3.7 million devices had been shipped. This registered a 201 percent growth compared to the year 2003. The market share consequently grew from 30.5 percent to 50.2 percent. Unfortunately, this was not the case in the United States. It had less popularity and the market share was a mere 6 percent in the third quarter of 2004. This was far behind Palm OS and Windows Mobile which enjoyed 43 and 25 percent market share respectively.
However, by 2006, the Symbian platform was enjoying a significant growth that drove it to reach a global smartphone market share of 73 percent. It would take a downward plunge to 22.1 percent as evidenced by the financials of the second quarter of 2011.
The introduction of other platforms, iPhone and Android saw the market shares of the Symbian OS drop. The irony is that during this period, the sales of the Symbian devices increased. In 2008, the OS’s market share had dropped to 47.2 percent in 2009 from 52.4 percent in 2008. The shipments, however, increased from 74.9 million to 78.5 million units characterized by a growth of 4.8 percent.
The sales continued to increase over the years and in 2010, reports showed that Symbian was the leader with 47.2 percent shipping volume followed by RIM with 20.8 percent, and Apple, Microsoft and Android with 15.1, 8.8 and 4.7 percent respectively.
At the end of the second quarter of 2010, estimates put the number of Symbian devices sold at 385 million. Between 2009 and 2010 most of the mobile manufacturers in the Symbian platform, Sony Ericson, Motorola, Samsung, and LG withdrew from the camp and adopted other operating Systems.
The second quarter of 2012 marked the year Symbian market share hit an all-time low of 4.4 percent. Its death was imminent and with Nokia alone struggling with its stewardship, it was no easy task.
Several reasons can be attributed to the fall in Symbian’s market share. Obviously, the first would be the introduction of iPhone OS and Android. Before the two were introduced, Symbian enjoyed little to no competition.
Apple’s iPhones ushered in a whole new world of touchscreen devices. They introduced a more convenient, best-experience and elegant keypads, QWERTY keys and menu systems that quickly became the center of the attraction. A year later, the entry of Android into the market solidified the capacitive touchscreen era.
As opposed to the Symbian platform which had enjoyed a good time for years, iOS and Android, being fairly new carried a design that one could tell was not for the pocket PDA. Their architecture was connected to easy computing. As it were, their centric-touchscreen made an impeccable platform for the delivery of compatible apps.
The fragmentation of the ecosystem keen in the Symbian platform slowly was replaced by the new operating systems and is the reason why before long, broad range of touchscreen devices were making their way into the market.
Android and iPhone Oss put much of their focus on actual touch computing, which couldn’t be matched by the Symbian type. The advantage drove the Symbian platform gradually out of the market.
By the third quarter of 2004, a total of 3.7 million devices had been shipped. This registered a 201 percent growth compared to the year 2003. The market share consequently grew from 30.5 percent to 50.2 percent. Unfortunately, this was not the case in the United States. It had less popularity and the market share was a mere 6 percent in the third quarter of 2004. This was far behind Palm OS and Windows Mobile which enjoyed 43 and 25 percent market share respectively.
However, by 2006, the Symbian platform was enjoying a significant growth that drove it to reach a global smartphone market share of 73 percent. It would take a downward plunge to 22.1 percent as evidenced by the financials of the second quarter of 2011.
The introduction of other platforms, iPhone and Android saw the market shares of the Symbian OS drop. The irony is that during this period, the sales of the Symbian devices increased. In 2008, the OS’s market share had dropped to 47.2 percent in 2009 from 52.4 percent in 2008. The shipments, however, increased from 74.9 million to 78.5 million units characterized by a growth of 4.8 percent.
The sales continued to increase over the years and in 2010, reports showed that Symbian was the leader with 47.2 percent shipping volume followed by RIM with 20.8 percent, and Apple, Microsoft and Android with 15.1, 8.8 and 4.7 percent respectively.
At the end of the second quarter of 2010, estimates put the number of Symbian devices sold at 385 million. Between 2009 and 2010 most of the mobile manufacturers in the Symbian platform, Sony Ericson, Motorola, Samsung, and LG withdrew from the camp and adopted other operating Systems.
The second quarter of 2012 marked the year Symbian market share hit an all-time low of 4.4 percent. Its death was imminent and with Nokia alone struggling with its stewardship, it was no easy task.
Several reasons can be attributed to the fall in Symbian’s market share. Obviously, the first would be the introduction of iPhone OS and Android. Before the two were introduced, Symbian enjoyed little to no competition.
Apple’s iPhones ushered in a whole new world of touchscreen devices. They introduced a more convenient, best-experience and elegant keypads, QWERTY keys and menu systems that quickly became the center of the attraction. A year later, the entry of Android into the market solidified the capacitive touchscreen era.
As opposed to the Symbian platform which had enjoyed a good time for years, iOS and Android, being fairly new carried a design that one could tell was not for the pocket PDA. Their architecture was connected to easy computing. As it were, their centric-touchscreen made an impeccable platform for the delivery of compatible apps.
The fragmentation of the ecosystem keen in the Symbian platform slowly was replaced by the new operating systems and is the reason why before long, broad range of touchscreen devices were making their way into the market.
Android and iPhone Oss put much of their focus on actual touch computing, which couldn’t be matched by the Symbian type. The advantage drove the Symbian platform gradually out of the market.
Third-Party Development
Many of the applications run by the Symbian platform belonged to third-party developers who it encouraged in order to give users better and cheaper applications. The efforts by Symbian to win the hearts of third-party developers came in 2005 when it made an initiative that offered third-party applications the OS’s stamp without necessarily testing them. The idea was a success and by 2007 when iPhone OS launched, there were already about 10,000 apps available for the Symbian platform.
However, despite its success, the system faced different challenges, particularly in its development. For one, developing apps for the OS was a daunting task. There only existed complex native programming languages – the Symbian C++ and the OPL. The two were the major hindrances to app development and the high prices of several SDKs and IDEs only made things worse.
Manufacturers also engaged in duels each developing its own IDEs and SDKs and ultimately, the resultant fragmentation became one of the reasons for the slow progress of the Symbian system. Because of these reasons, third-party developers couldn’t do much to help the system develop the best and evolving apps.
Looking at Android OS and iOS (which was previously known as iPhone OS until 2010), their infrastructure and the fairly simpler design, they provided a much friendly ecosystem that allowed private developers to create apps for the two platforms. The two readily offered programming languages that were at least comprehensive and manageable. As such, developers could multi-task and utilize its graphics to meet specific consumer preferences.
Whether the fall of the Symbian platform was anticipated or not, one thing is for sure, the difficulty in its development or programming could have been salvaged by the creation of Mobile Edition Apps with Java by writing once and enabling them to run anywhere. Apparently, Symbian didn’t utilize with reasons attributed to phones with different screen sizes and capability of the Java ME support by the mobile devices.
Nokia, in June 2008, acquired Symbian Ltd. This led to the formation of the Symbian Foundation which led to the provision of most of the Symbian platform’s source codes under the Eclipse Public License (EPL) – an open source license.
The acquisition gave Nokia the upper hand in the contribution and the distribution of the OS’s code. The company became the sole developer of the resources used by the operating system and its user interface. It maintained the resource’s repository and occasionally released some to the public.
Nonetheless, some core elements used by the Symbian OS belonging to third parties restricted Nokia from publishing the whole source under the open license in a timely manner. However, the full source code was written and offered under the Symbian Foundation License (SFL), which was somehow limiting. Its access was limited to only a few companies though membership was welcomed.
Following the introduction of the open source Qt – a convenient and free framework for development – in 2010, other frameworks become incorporated into the platform. The deployed frameworks included Python, Flash Lite, Ruby, and the Standard C/C++. It was then that Symbian OS realized some of the best apps ever.
Application development for the Symbian platform largely relied on its user interface. The Qt framework was largely used for development together with the Symbian SDK. The framework could be used together with Carbide – the Symbian integrated development environment (IDE) – or the Qt Creator. Although, before the introduction of the Qt framework, CodeWarrior was used.
Th Qt development framework supports Feature Pack 1, the fifth edition and the latest version of the Symbian S60 platform as well as MeeGo, Windows, Mac OS X, Maemo, and Linux.
However, despite its success, the system faced different challenges, particularly in its development. For one, developing apps for the OS was a daunting task. There only existed complex native programming languages – the Symbian C++ and the OPL. The two were the major hindrances to app development and the high prices of several SDKs and IDEs only made things worse.
Manufacturers also engaged in duels each developing its own IDEs and SDKs and ultimately, the resultant fragmentation became one of the reasons for the slow progress of the Symbian system. Because of these reasons, third-party developers couldn’t do much to help the system develop the best and evolving apps.
Looking at Android OS and iOS (which was previously known as iPhone OS until 2010), their infrastructure and the fairly simpler design, they provided a much friendly ecosystem that allowed private developers to create apps for the two platforms. The two readily offered programming languages that were at least comprehensive and manageable. As such, developers could multi-task and utilize its graphics to meet specific consumer preferences.
Whether the fall of the Symbian platform was anticipated or not, one thing is for sure, the difficulty in its development or programming could have been salvaged by the creation of Mobile Edition Apps with Java by writing once and enabling them to run anywhere. Apparently, Symbian didn’t utilize with reasons attributed to phones with different screen sizes and capability of the Java ME support by the mobile devices.
Nokia, in June 2008, acquired Symbian Ltd. This led to the formation of the Symbian Foundation which led to the provision of most of the Symbian platform’s source codes under the Eclipse Public License (EPL) – an open source license.
The acquisition gave Nokia the upper hand in the contribution and the distribution of the OS’s code. The company became the sole developer of the resources used by the operating system and its user interface. It maintained the resource’s repository and occasionally released some to the public.
Nonetheless, some core elements used by the Symbian OS belonging to third parties restricted Nokia from publishing the whole source under the open license in a timely manner. However, the full source code was written and offered under the Symbian Foundation License (SFL), which was somehow limiting. Its access was limited to only a few companies though membership was welcomed.
Following the introduction of the open source Qt – a convenient and free framework for development – in 2010, other frameworks become incorporated into the platform. The deployed frameworks included Python, Flash Lite, Ruby, and the Standard C/C++. It was then that Symbian OS realized some of the best apps ever.
Application development for the Symbian platform largely relied on its user interface. The Qt framework was largely used for development together with the Symbian SDK. The framework could be used together with Carbide – the Symbian integrated development environment (IDE) – or the Qt Creator. Although, before the introduction of the Qt framework, CodeWarrior was used.
Th Qt development framework supports Feature Pack 1, the fifth edition and the latest version of the Symbian S60 platform as well as MeeGo, Windows, Mac OS X, Maemo, and Linux.
Where it All Went Wrong
Putting these transitions into perspective, one thing remains clear; the system was based in the 1990s PDA unlike the iPhone and Android OS which were based on the computing world.
The PDA platform meant complexity in adapting user experiences to fit what the competing operating systems provided. The development potential declined and the Symbian OS became unmanageable.
The legacy code and Symbian’s installed base couldn’t match with the Android and iOS APIs, which brought to inception some of the best development tools. The two held Symbian captive in its cocoon of Psion heritage.
The stagnation of the Symbian platform meant giving up a position it had held for many years. Transitioning fast enough or competing with other operating systems meant it couldn’t keep or attract developers either.
Some of the changes it made, like the formation of Symbian Foundation and the open sourcing of the Symbian OS, were in hope for the setting free of the software from bottlenecks like its heritage, the licensing fee, and the chain that strangled its supply.
All the signs were there, but it didn’t fly. Apart from the open source decision, there were moves made to address one of Symbian’s biggest challenges; fragmentation. The unification of the third-party user interfaces and the incorporation of the Qt framework under the S60 series would guarantee easy porting of applications across the Symbian, Series 40 and the MeeGo platforms.
Moreover, the platform, under Nokia made other efforts in its ecosystem by working on a store that could allow third-party developers with 5 apps to create their own mini-stores, which they could directly sell using the Symbian platform.
Surprisingly, third-party vendors and developers, even some of the earliest to join the Symbian platform peeled away eventually for reasons that stretched to the manufacturers among other issues that needed to be addressed first.
Nevertheless, the success of the Symbian OS was good while it lasted. Some of its devices are still in use and operational. The resources are still available for download but the distribution and maintenance have stopped. One of the significant advantages that will not be forgotten is the long battery life offered by the devices.
The PDA platform meant complexity in adapting user experiences to fit what the competing operating systems provided. The development potential declined and the Symbian OS became unmanageable.
The legacy code and Symbian’s installed base couldn’t match with the Android and iOS APIs, which brought to inception some of the best development tools. The two held Symbian captive in its cocoon of Psion heritage.
The stagnation of the Symbian platform meant giving up a position it had held for many years. Transitioning fast enough or competing with other operating systems meant it couldn’t keep or attract developers either.
Some of the changes it made, like the formation of Symbian Foundation and the open sourcing of the Symbian OS, were in hope for the setting free of the software from bottlenecks like its heritage, the licensing fee, and the chain that strangled its supply.
All the signs were there, but it didn’t fly. Apart from the open source decision, there were moves made to address one of Symbian’s biggest challenges; fragmentation. The unification of the third-party user interfaces and the incorporation of the Qt framework under the S60 series would guarantee easy porting of applications across the Symbian, Series 40 and the MeeGo platforms.
Moreover, the platform, under Nokia made other efforts in its ecosystem by working on a store that could allow third-party developers with 5 apps to create their own mini-stores, which they could directly sell using the Symbian platform.
Surprisingly, third-party vendors and developers, even some of the earliest to join the Symbian platform peeled away eventually for reasons that stretched to the manufacturers among other issues that needed to be addressed first.
Nevertheless, the success of the Symbian OS was good while it lasted. Some of its devices are still in use and operational. The resources are still available for download but the distribution and maintenance have stopped. One of the significant advantages that will not be forgotten is the long battery life offered by the devices.
These days people are getting crazy over some brand new phones with the best mobile os. But before we buy the next expensive Smartphone, we need to have basic knowledge of the Smartphone operating systems.
There exist almost more than 100 mobile operating systems of Smartphone, and I bet, you have not heard of the half of them. Also, Read Best iPhone Emulator for PC and Best Windows Emulator For Mac.
So, before you can make any decision about buying a brand new Smartphone, is it not wiser to have a list of best mobile phones operating system of 2020? Well, don’t need to say more!
We have already made the list of the best 15 mobile phones operating system of 2020. Let us have a look.
Table of Contents
- Top 15 Mobile Phones Operating Systems Comparison
Top 15 Mobile Phones Operating Systems Comparison
1. Android
Well, it does not matter what you do and what you choose, nothing can ever beat Android mobile OS in the section of the best mobile phone operating system. As of January 2020, Android is still the best operating system.
With lots of hardware options, this Android mobile OS is an open source project that gives the users lots of options. Also, it lets the user decide about what app to action what.
Basically, android mobile OS does not dictate users what to do when and it is the most flexible mobile OS out there. However, the con of this project is that it is only tied to Google and sometimes they cannot just provide the best reliability.
Also, Read Must have apps for rooted Android Phones
2. iOS
The next most famous app there is the iOS mobile OS. The mobile operating system of Apples is very famous for its hardcore system.
They work very well, even better than android mobile OS sometimes and they provide everything out of the box. It is the best in-camera features, video recordings and this mobile operating system have been called the best option for trading as well.
But the only lacking point of iOS is that it is not very customizable and highly expensive. But if you are using iPhone, iPad or iPod, iOS is the only option you have.
3. Private OS
PrivateOS is another great mobile operating system that is a version of Android KitKat running on BlackPhone. And this mobile operating system has been the best in the sphere of security control. It gives extensive controls to the user regarding their personal information which is not available on other Mobile operating systems.
It gives you great control on your information about which info to share to whom and which not to. So, if you are looking for such great secure mobile OS, PrivateOS is surely the one.
4. Sailfish OS
Sailfish OS is a Linux based mobile operating system which is targeted for the Smartphone. With the great secure system, this operating system is flexible and needs no button to operate it. Also, it has lower power consumption system that does not have your batteries drained after short use.
However, the only lacking of this mobile OS is that it has very few apps installed and for better access to different apps, you need to have the support of the Android mobile OS.
5. Series 40– Nokia
Building games for mac free. I bet, everyone has heard about the Series 40 operating system of Nokia. Although it is an old version of Nokia, still it is one of the most recommendable mobile operating systems of 2018. HD games, flexible multi-tasking; this operating system is one of the best mobile operating systems to be run on Java application.
However, at present not many phones are available there to run this OS. Nokia Asha Series, Nokia X2, Nokia X3, Nokia 6750 is some of the phones where this OS still works.
6. Windows OS Microsoft
Another best mobile operating system as of 2020 has to be Windows OS. Just like the PC system, the Windows OS has been created by Microsoft just for the Smartphone. With all the characteristics of the PC Windows, the Windows operating system for Smartphone is surely one of best if you talk about their smooth-running procedure.
Recently, they have declared Windows 10 OS for both PC and Smartphone. The great graphics of this operating system is one of a kind, and other designs of this OS is one of the best.
However, the only lacking point of this OS is that it does not support every application. Samsung and HTC are also releasing some Windows-based Smartphone, and the whole Nokia Lumia series is based on the Windows OS.
7. Blackberry OS
Basically, Blackberry OS is the property of RIM, and it was first released in 1999. Till 2018, Blackberry is one of the best mobile operating systems for Smartphone yet, due to lack of compatibility and phone models, Blackberry OS is not that much relevant today.
The interference system and the design of this operating system are much more different than other mobile operating systems, but it runs smoothly. However, it is a closed source mobile OS just like Apple, and it is not available from any other manufacturer.
It is one of the most immune and reliable mobile operating system to date.
8. Symbian
The official property of Nokia, Symbian is a great operating system. Till a couple of years ago, Symbian was most used mobile OS prevailed in India. It is still used in many low-end phones and. It has a user-friendly interface and runs smoothly.
However, due to its decreasing popularity, recently Nokia has updated the versions of Symbian. Symbian ANNE and BELLE are the two recent versions that would be available to Nokia Smartphone. But still, it lacks in many perspectives and because of the immense popularity of Android and iOS.
9. Tizen OS
An open-source mobile operating system and till now it is considered as one of the best mobile operating systems for Android and iOS. It has a user-friendly interface and runs smoothly. Also, the camera and other features of this mobile OS is great too.
However, the only part is lacking this operating system is that the lacking of applications. However, the fast feature of this operating system outruns its lacking.
10. Plasma mobile OS
The new Plasma mobile OS is an open source is one of the best mobile operating systems in 2018. Based on Kubuntu, Plasma OS provides a user-friendly interface and fast operating system.
However, this operating system is still in the experimental phase, and it is not that much popular in respect of Android and iOS.
11. Postmarket OS
Another great mobile operating system for Smartphone is the new Postmarket OS. Although it works on Linux, it is still a great option for Smartphone. It is having fast service and it is user-friendly too. However, it is still on a very early phase of development and that makes a little unstable.
This operating system is to provide a 10-year lifecycle to the Smartphone. The only lacking point of this mobile operating system is that it does not many applications. For that purpose, you need android.
12. Lineage OS
It is an android distribution but it is now operating as a mobile OS. In a nutshell, Lineage OS can be called a fork of CyanogenMod. This mobile operating system has been in the market since 2016 and now it is available in 178 Smartphones.
With a user-friendly interface, this mobile OS is the win for all the users that are using it. However, it lacks in the perspective of applications.
13. Eelo OS
This is the new mobile operating system that is new in the market of 2018. It is mostly based on Lineage operating system. It is another open source mobile operating system that runs faster and provides a smooth operating system to its user.
Along with a smooth user-friendly interface, this operating system is one of the most promising mobile operating systems of 2018. However, as it is a new operating system and new in the market, it has many lacking too. And one of those lacks are that it does not support every application that android supports.
Nokia Symbian Download
However, it provides you with free could storage and also email support too. It is still in an early development process.
Nokia Symbian For Mac Windows 7
14. Firefox operating system
The Firefox operating system is one of the most promising mobile operating systems that can be developed in 2002. It is an open source mobile operating system that runs smooth and faster than any other newly opened operating system.
However, this operating system was only opened for different underdeveloped countries like India, Brazil etc. and it is not available in every other country of the world. So, it is still a low-cost project but it is aiming to be a big project by the next year.
15. Ubuntu OS
The Ubuntu OS has now spread its territory to mobile applications as well, named Ubuntu touch. Just like the above examples, this Ubuntu is an open source and still in an undeveloped phase. However, it is still made for the underdeveloped countries and it is still not available at every other corner of the world.
Conclusion
Nokia PC Suite For Mac: Download Free Alternatives
This is the list of the top 15 best mobile operating system that is prevailing in 2018. Although Android and iOS are still the best mobile operating system in app promotion, the other operating systems for Smartphone are slowly rising up. So choose the best one for you and use accordingly. Happy Operating!