For this article I wanted to touch base on three main things: the evolution of Android, the importance of trying something new, and saving money.

Let’s start with the first thing. Android as an operating has come a long way since its humble beginnings as the "poor man’s iPhone". While open source and able to have more customizations and variations than Apple’s iOS since the beginning, there were a lot of difficulties that Android users had to muddle through for a long time. Riddled with bugs, lag, and a less than ideal app store (as in, there really wasn’t many quality apps to choose from), Android had a lot of growing to do. Fortunately, over the years the platform managed to do just that.

I went through a lot of Androids over the period of 2 years before deciding to take a chance on the operating system that I had grown to loathe simply because I didn’t have proper access to it. Alas, in 2011 the iPhone, once an AT&T exclusive, came to both Verizon and Sprint. At the time I was an employee at Sprint, and I remember the first day we set up the iPhone 4S display. I was entirely intrigued by the device. The iPhone 4S ran smooth as butter, and it had Siri – something that no other phone had at the time. I had to try it, so I did.

And I was happy that I did. It was an experience unlike any that I had ever had with Android. No longer did I experience the dreaded “Force Close”, and my battery life (for a while) far surpassed those of its Android counterparts. Customization was limited, but it was a compromise I was willing to make for the improved performance. Overall, my experience with the iPhone was unexpectedly excellent.

Trying New Things Can Be Good

I try to teach my kids that it’s good to try new things. New life experiences, new food, new whatever – they ultimately serve as good learning experiences, even if they’re not great experiences. I try to practice what I preach. I was hesitant to use an iPhone because I did like Android, and I was afraid I wouldn’t like iOS. As it turned out, I ended up liking iOS better. At least, at the time.

I previously mentioned that Android had a lot of growing to do, and that eventually it did. I held on to my 4S for almost 2 years before seeing an Android device that I wanted to try. Well, two actually. I was torn between the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One M7. Ultimately I ended up with the M7, and most of the issues I had with Android before were fixed. Android Jelly Bean was an excellent update, and I had always been a fan of HTC’s Sense UI. The design, front-facing speakers, and even the UltraPixel camera (which turned out not to be so great, but looked pretty good on the phone itself) were all wonderful as well. The ability to customize my device the way I wanted once again was refreshing. I was once again quite pleased with Android.

And from that point on Android has only gotten better. Not perfect, mind you, but neither is iOS. It has gotten to a point where iOS is great for certain key things, and Android is great for other key things. Both have become an experience that are, in my opinion, worth trying out.

On To "Saving Money"

I don’t know if there are a lot of people left that have yet to experience either Android or iOS, but I’m willing to bet that there are. While I hardly ever come across a great sale for new iPhones, I’m always coming across great deals for good, solid Android devices. The other day I wrote about how I ended up ordering the Nexus 5X for $199 as part of Google’s celebration of making Project Fi invitation free, a $150 discount over its usual $349 starting price point. However, there are a couple of other awesome deals out there that are definitely worth a mention right now as well if the 5X doesn’t tickle your fancy.

Huawei’s Nexus 6P, the true flagship between the two Nexus devices released last year, is also undergoing price cuts at a few different retailers. The Google Store is celebrating its 1^st birthday with $50 off, making the device $499. B and H Photo is offering a $75 discount (plus a $50 gift card to B and H) putting the 16GB device at $425. Additionally, Amazon is selling the 6P at the same $425 price (but no gift card). Both of these sites seem to be out of stock currently, but says it will restock soon. (As a side note, B and H also has the 5X on discount for $299 if you're not interested in Project Fi.)

However, if you’d rather have a bigger range of customization options for the hardware design of your phone, it’s worth a mention that the Moto X Pure Edition is also on sale for $299 ($100 discount) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Motorola. I would highly suggest purchasing this device straight from Motorola so you get the full range of customizations, though.

So for $199, $299, or $425, you can get some of the hottest Android devices of 2015 for relatively cheap. With it being so early in 2016, these are some truly excellent deals to check out if you’ve ever been interested in experiencing – or re-experiencing – the Android operating system.