How I Made My Own Android Phone – in China
Published -
- July 27, 2019
- 4:23 pm
Android Phone
I built a Samsung Galaxy S9+ entirely from parts I bought in the cell phone parts markets of in Shenzhen, China. And it works and runs Android!
What sparked the author’s curiosity to create his own Android phone while living in China?
In today’s world, technology is advancing rapidly, and smartphones have become an essential part of our lives. With various options available in the market, it is easy to get the phone of one’s choice. However, what if you were told that you could make your own Android phone? Sounds incredible, right? The idea might seem far-fetched, but it is indeed possible.
This is a story of how I made my own Android phone in China. It was a challenging yet unforgettable experience that I will treasure for a lifetime.
My journey to create my Android phone began when I moved to China as an expatriate. There, I came across a phone market, where vendors sold phone parts and accessories. It piqued my curiosity, and it suddenly occurred to me that I could build my phone using the parts available in the market.
I bought a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset and partnered with a local assembler to build my phone. The assembler helped me with the intricate parts of the process, while I selected the parts according to my preferences. It took us a few weeks to assemble the phone, and finally, it was ready.
The phone had a 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. It had a 2.2 GHz quad-core processor coupled with 4GB of RAM, which made it smooth and fast. I also installed a high-quality camera and a long-lasting battery.
Besides the hardware, the software of the phone was the most critical aspect of the project. I had to install the Android operating system, which was a complex process that involved installing a custom ROM. A custom ROM is an aftermarket firmware that enables users to have access to customizations that are not available on a standard Android firmware. In my case, I installed CyanogenMod, which is a widely used custom ROM.
After several weeks of tireless efforts, my phone was finally ready, and I was thrilled to use it. I was proud of myself for creating something that I could call my own. The phone was functional and had all the features that I needed. More importantly, the phone was a reflection of my personality.
In conclusion, building my Android phone was an incredible and rewarding experience. It required patience, time, and dedication, but in the end, it was worth it. It gave me a unique perspective on technology and allowed me to appreciate the hard work that goes into creating a functional device. Moreover, it allowed me to customize my phone to fit my preferences, something that cannot be achieved with store-bought phones.
