Android Device Selection Guide
The "Holy Grail" Specification
Selecting the right smartphone for an autonomous drone payload is a multidimensional optimization problem. You are balancing Weight (flight time/agility), Sensor Fidelity (GNSS/IMU/RTT), and Cost (risk of crash).
To function as a primary navigation computer, a device must meet these criteria:
- Android 9+ (Pie): Native 802.11mc (RTT) support was introduced here.
- Hardware Flag
android.hardware.wifi.rtt: Must be enabled in the kernel/ROM. - Dual-Frequency GNSS: Simultaneous L1/L5 tracking (Broadcom BCM47755 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 2+).
- Payload Efficiency: Low mass relative to battery size.
Tier A: The Reference Standards (Google Pixel)
The Pixel series is the "Golden Image" for Android development. Google tests the Wi-Fi RTT API on these devices, ensuring the most compliant driver stacks.
Google Pixel 5 (The King)
- Weight: 151g (The lightest modern device).
- Body: Resin-coated aluminum (durable, RF-transparent) vs. heavy glass.
- RTT: Excellent 802.11mc support with high bandwidth.
- GNSS: L1/L5 Dual Band.
- Verdict: Primary Recommendation. The weight-to-performance ratio is unmatched.
Google Pixel 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 Pro
- Weight: ~197g - 212g.
- Processor: Google Tensor (Samsung Exynos Modem).
- Trade-off: The ~50g weight penalty reduces flight time by 10-20% on a standard 5-inch quad. While capable, they add inertia that complicates PID tuning.
- Use Case: Heavy-lift platforms where the superior camera or Neural Engine is required for non-navigation tasks.
Tier B: The Lightweight Challengers
Devices that offer high performance but come with software caveats.
Xiaomi Mi 8
- Weight: 175g.
- History: The world's first L1/L5 smartphone (Broadcom BCM47755).
- Warning: Stock MIUI software aggressively kills background processes, which will cause your drone to failsafe mid-flight. Must be flashed with a custom ROM (LineageOS) to be usable.
- Verdict: Best budget option (<$100 used) if you are comfortable flashing ROMs.
Xiaomi 13 / 14
- Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2/3 (Qualcomm FastConnect 7800).
- RTT: Supports 802.11az (Next Gen).
- Verdict: High performance, but high cost ($700+) makes them a risky payload for experimental flight.
Tier C: The "Ultra" Trap (Avoid)
Flagship "Ultra" or "Max" phones often have the best specs on paper but fail as flight computers.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
- Weight: 233g+
- Verdict: Unsuitable. The excessive weight requires a 7-inch+ drone class to carry efficiently. The OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) camera modules are also prone to damage from high-frequency drone vibrations.
Chipset Nuances: Qualcomm vs. Tensor
- Qualcomm Snapdragon (FastConnect): Generally provides the lowest variance (jitter) in RTT measurements. Dedicated hardware blocks for Wi-Fi sensing.
- Google Tensor (Exynos Modem): Early drivers had higher jitter, but Google's software compensation in the Pixel series has largely mitigated this. Reliable for flight.