Lenovo realizes unskinned Android is the best Android

Lenovo's Anuj Sharma has revealed that his company will no longer add its own skin to the Android phones that it sells. The executive spoke to Gadgets 360, saying that the company will abandon the Vibe Pure UI in future devices, starting with the K8 Note. Instead, Lenovo will use stock Android, albeit with the addition of features like Dolby Atmos and the company's TheaterMax VR platform.

When Android burst onto the scene, every company wanted a way to show the world that their device was unique. But as hardware quickly became commodified, the skin each business used to make Android feel distinct became a selling point. Except, doing so was often a fruitless exercise in adding bloatware that slowed down the phone and irritated users.

Consumers had pushed against such a trend, and Google both made its own "pure" Android device in the Nexus line, but also selling un-skinned versions of popular handsets. Since 2014, the number of big names that still persist with skinning has dwindled, to the point where you may be surprised that Lenovo was still trying. Although it is likely that the union with Motorola -- a strong proponent of stock Android -- helped sway the decision.