Custom Andriod hardware development includes a series of steps which, together, bring products from concept to reality. The amount of time required to complete each step is generally predictable, but there are variables throughout the process that have a significant impact on the overall development timeline. Therefore, it’s safer to calculate the upper estimate of how long a custom Android development project will take. At the start of a project this is the number which matters the most. Achieving a shorter timeline is a bonus, not an expectation.
As much as everyone wants to rush the development process, it’s more time efficient to get things right the first time. Rushing through the process is likely to cause problems which will take longer to fix than doing it right the first time. This doesn’t mean that all steps in the process are necessary. Later, this article will talk about ways to and reasons for skipping some of the normal steps, but when a step is undertaken, it must be done correctly. The value in most custom Android products comes from the software more than the hardware. The hardware is a way to support the features of the software. Unlike mass market retail products, a custom Android product doesn’t compete against other companies providing the same hardware using the same specs. Custom Android devices need to deliver the best experience for the software running on the custom Android device.
There are a few specific parts of the development process where the length of time to finish is uncertain. The first example is the industrial design (ID), which happens at the start of a project. Firmware engineering and hardware architecture creation can be done in parallel, but other elements must wait until the ID is finished. On the client’s side, app development usually takes longer than expected. This is almost always related to aspects of the client’s actual apps, rather their compatibility with the custom Android OS.
Once the ID is finished, the engineering development work takes about 6-7 months from start to trial production. This includes mechanical engineering (designing the inside of the case), electronic engineering (PCB layout), choosing peripheral components (the components which don’t go on the PCB, like camera, screen, touch panel, etc), making working prototypes, making the plastic injection molds for casing, and a small batch production of around 5 pcs. Adding time necessary for testing, modifications, and shipping, the total timeline usually reaches 8-10 months. The ID creation process, which includes designing the case, making case prototypes, and evaluating them, can take 2-3 months.
For clients with a tight go-to-market schedule, it’s important to accurately estimate the total time needed to develop a custom Android product so they know the reliability of meeting their scheduling goal. When the timing looks impractical, we must consider solutions to reduce the development time. The solutions often require compromises that involve completely skipping certain parts of the process. This kind of a situation recently presented itself.
After 5+ years, a client wanted to update their product in order to introduce new features and a newer version of the Android OS. While the product functionality and firmware requirements remain the same, the update called for a new case design, a new PCB, and new peripheral components. The client wants the product to ship by September 2025. With Chinese New Years happening later this month (meaning that companies in China will close for about 3 weeks) and the development process just starting, 9 months isn’t enough, especially since the ID hasn’t been started.
Hatch suggested to the client that we break the development into 2 stages. This way they will have something new to promote next year, and then something new to promote the following year, without the stress or risk of rushing the development process. For the first stage, we’ll develop a new PCB, using an updated CPU, that will use the same peripheral components and fit into the client’s existing casing. We’ll design the new PCB so it can fit into their new casing, once that’s finished. Then for the second stage, we’ll release the update with the new casing and peripheral components in 2026.
This two stage approach allows more scheduling flexibility for the most time consuming parts of the development process including ID creation, making the mold, and all the time spent testing these. It also gives more time to choose new peripheral electronics. Ultimately, we’ll have more than enough time to make the second stage product as perfect as possible, while reducing risk and having the benefit of learning from sales of the first stage version. This staged approach reduces the development time from a year to about four months.
Ultimately, the two staged approach supports the client’s marketing efforts by having two updates over the course of two years to get customers excited about. From the manufacturing side, the development process follows a reliable timeline, allowing for the ample attention to detail and time to make any necessary changes.
Similar principles apply to new product development as well. When clients start their custom Android development with a long list of complicated customization requirements, researching the feasibility of their requirements and implementing them takes time and may increase cost. The final product might actually be better if they refine the list, stick with just the most important customizations, and learn from the actual end user experience before trying to do everything at the beginning. As much as we want to make the perfect product on the first try, there’s a reason that the biggest brands in the world continually release product updates. Getting something finished in a timely manner, that has all the most important features, usually results in a better product that’s more efficiently developed.
