June 1, 2013 at 12:10Five file managers for Android
Greetings to you, Habralyudi! This time I want to tell you about such often imperceptible, but at the same time important component of the smartphone as a file manager. On the one hand, the file manager is just one of the OS utilities and many of us don’t even think about its functionality, on the other hand, we access it daily, so it is important that this program is as convenient as possible. And although Meizu MX2 has a built-in file manager, it’s quite convenient and functional, I’ll tell you about other options ..
As in the case with other comparisons, I decided to highlight several objective criteria for evaluating the “conductors”, this will allow us to bring the description to a common denominator, and it will be easier for the reader to navigate in the text:
ES Explorer exists almost as long as Android itself, I remember it in the Android Market back in the days of Android 1.6 / 2.1, since then the program has often been updated, but it has not changed much externally. However, just a month ago, the application received a global update, which completely changed its appearance and control logic.
Appearance and ease of navigation. I can’t say that the program is 100% Holo-style, but its appearance is very close to it. By default, folders are presented in the form of a 4x4 grid, if you wish, you can change the grid to 5x4, or enable list mode with varying degrees of detail.
Ease of selection / insertion.A long press on a folder or file turns on the selection mode, you just need to tick the files you need, then you can either simply select the action (copy, move, delete or rename), or start moving the icon while holding your finger on it. In the first case, a clipboard shortcut will appear on the left, with which it is convenient to paste the copied files. In the second case, four options appear at the edges: send, delete, share with friends and copy.
Support for external cloud services. Cloud services are ES Explorer's forte. At the moment, it supports almost all of the most popular “clouds”: from DropBox and SugarSync to our local J. Disk. After adding a service, working with it is no different from interacting with a regular folder.
Work with archives. ES Explorer works great with compressed archives, when you click on such a file, it just opens like a regular folder, and then you can unzip the files as you like (fully or pointwise).
Other functions. Among other things, using ES Explorer, you can connect to FTP, LAN or another smartphone using Bluetooth.
Also, simple substitutes for some utilities are built into the program, for example, from it you can quickly remove other programs, view photos, videos and audio files and use the Root Explorer application.
ConclusionIn addition to all the above, it remains only to say that the program is free and has long been available on the Play Market. ES Explorer has no critical drawbacks: simple, convenient, functional and free, but what else is needed from such programs?
Link on the Play Store
Perhaps the nickname "Promising Newbie" is perfect for this program. And although it has been available in the market for more than six months, against the background of the “oldies” of ES and Astro, she still looks young. However, the age and quality of the program are not always identical.
I remember when Solid Explorer first appeared, as a beta version, it received rather warm reviews from users, the program developed and improved over time, and now we can safely talk about Solid Explorer as a serious player among file managers.
Appearance and ease of navigation.Design Solid Explorer'a and want to call "airy." The application looks great and pleases the eye. In addition, its appearance fits perfectly into the "clean" Android 4.x or Flyme OS. Bottom tabs provide quick access to all the necessary functions.
Ease of selection / insertion. There are two ways to select files in Solid Explorer. The first one is quite simple: you click on the icon (namely the icon, not the name) of the file, and it is marked with a tick. A menu for working with a file / folder appears immediately.
In horizontal mode, the Solid Explorer window is divided into two tabs. This is useful when you want to quickly drag and drop a file or folder.
By the way, the program supports Drag'n'Drop The
second way: long press on the folder / file, and then a window for working with it will open in front of you.
Support for external cloud services. Solid Explorer supports 5 cloud storage:
Working with “clouds” is no different from working with folders, however, in order to open the desired storage, you will have to perform a rather long chain of actions: Go to -> Network -> Cloud Storage -> Select the desired one.
Although there is another way: you create a cloud shortcut directly on the desktop and go to it with one click.
Work with archives. The application supports unpacking ZIP, RAR, TAR and RAR archives, and also knows how to independently pack the contents of a folder / folders in ZIP / TAR archives.
Other functions. The program has the ability to access FTP / SFTP-SMB servers, in addition, it has the ability to quickly navigate to the folder with photos and downloads.
ConclusionSolid Explorer is a pleasant and multifunctional “explorer”, it perfectly combines design and the number of settings. In addition, the developer added many nice little things, like the same drag'n'drop.
The cost of the program is 63 rubles, there is a 14-day trial. I recommend trying the application and then deciding whether it suits you or not, I was very pleased with the capabilities of Solid Explorer.
Link in the Play Store (trial)
Link in the Play Store (paid version)
Not the most famous explorer application, and nonetheless also quite functional.
Appearance and ease of navigation. What I like about FX File Explorer - when you first open it, you see all the shortcuts and tabs you need: the root folder of the SD card, downloads, photos, connected cloud services and media files sorted by type. This is very convenient and eliminates unnecessary navigation on the explorer.
As for the design of the program, it is clearly an amateur, I personally like it, and my colleague turns his nose at a glance at FX Explorer.
Ease of selection / insertion.To quickly select a file, you need to briefly “swipe” it from right to left, this approach looks unusual, but you quickly get used to it. After selecting the necessary files, hold your finger on the icon of one of them, and before you open a menu for working with them. When copying, the clipboard is displayed at the top of the program, with which you can quickly paste the selected files into the desired folder.
Support for external cloud services. FX Explorer initially does not have support for cloud services, it is bought as a separate AddOn, its cost is 88 rubles.
After purchasing it, the Cloud Storage tab appears at the bottom, which contains a list of all the services you have added. Currently the application supports the following services:
As with other programs, working with the "clouds" is no different from working with a regular folder.
Work with archives. The application supports working with the following archives: Zip, Tar, GZip, Bzip2, in addition to opening them, compression in these formats is supported. For RAR archives, only decompression is supported.
Other functions. FX Explorer has some interesting features: for example, opening multiple program windows. Switching between them is available using the Windows tab.
In addition, the program supports working with FTP / SFTP / SMB-servers, however, only with the purchase of additional AddOn'a (the same that opens the support for cloud services).
The application also has built-in video, audio and text viewers.
ConclusionSpeaking subjectively, FX Explorer is one of my favorite conductors, but after a healthy look at competitors, it should be noted that the same ES Explorer and Solid Explorer look much more interesting. In addition, ES Explorer is free, and Solid Explorer is cheaper than AddOn for FX Explorer.
Nevertheless, I recommend evaluating this program on your own, maybe you will like it as I do, but it is possible that you will remain indifferent to it or even unhappy.
Link on the Play Store
Link on the Play Store (paid add-on for supporting cloud services and FTP)
Many of you will probably remember with a smile Total Commander, known for the version for Windows. I think some people use it as the main "guide" now. Since some time there is also a “smartphone” version of this legendary file manager.
Appearance and ease of navigation. At first glance at Total Commander I would like to call its appearance ascetic. On the other hand, all the necessary tabs are immediately placed on the main page, which is quite convenient. In landscape orientation, Total Commander is divided into two tabs, if desired, you can enable this separation for portrait orientation.
Ease of selection / insertion. Like Solid Explorer (whose developer most likely “spied” this function in Total Commander), the program has two ways to transfer files:
1. You select the necessary files by clicking on the icon to the left of their name. After highlighting, you simply transfer them to another folder using drag'n'drop. In this case, the two-tab mode is especially convenient.
2. The second option is quite traditional: a long press on the desired file and “copy” / “cut” and then a long press on the folder where you want to transfer the files and select the “Paste here” option.
Support for external cloud services. By default, the application does not support any of the cloud services, however you can download a special WebDAV plugin, with its help you can use services that support it (for example, Ya.Disk). By the way, there is still a separate unofficial plugin with which you can use the program with Dropbox.
Work with archives.Total Commander does a great job with Zip archives, it can not only open them, but also archive files in this format.
Other functions. Total Commander has optional (via plugins) FTP and LAN support. In addition, with the help of this program you can easily remove the application you do not need.
Conclusion Total Commander has most of the necessary functions, some additional appear through the installation of plugins. However, the appearance of the program can scare away an inexperienced user. The rest of the application is pretty good.
Link in the Play Store
Link in the Play Store (WebDAV plugin)
Link in the Play Store (FTP plugin)
Link in the Play Store (LAN plugin)
Link on the Play Store (third-party plugin for Dropbox support)
Since the days of M9, Meizu preinstalled its own file manager on its smartphones, it is quite simple, but if you recall the time two years ago, then note that then the manufacturers did not consider it necessary to install even such an application.
Using the built-in “explorer”, you can quickly select files from the list with a swipe on the right edge, and then move or delete them. In addition, on the left is a panel with quick access to popular file categories: photos, videos, music and downloads.
Of course, we are not talking about any support for "clouds" or FTP, but this is also a built-in client designed to satisfy the needs of undemanding users.
The choice of a file manager is a purely individual matter: a lot depends on your needs and tastes. Someone cares more about the appearance, someone else's functionality, and someone has enough of the capabilities of the standard "conductor".
However, it’s still worth summing up: in my opinion, ES Explorer and Solid Explorer are the most optimal in terms of appearance / functionality. FX Explorer seems convenient to me, but not very beautiful in appearance, and Total Commander is inferior to its competitors in functionality, in addition, to make it as useful as possible, like others, you will need to download and install plugins. As for Astro, it seemed to me uncomfortable and unintuitive. It is ironic that for all that, he also has the highest price.
Information about Meizu MX2 can be found on our site mymeizu.ru , the forum has a topic to help beginners, owners of MX2, as well as a discussion thread on the model .
Introduction
As in the case with other comparisons, I decided to highlight several objective criteria for evaluating the “conductors”, this will allow us to bring the description to a common denominator, and it will be easier for the reader to navigate in the text:
- Appearance and ease of navigation
- Convenience of highlighting / pasting
- Support for external cloud services
- Work with archives
- Other functions
ES file explorer
ES Explorer exists almost as long as Android itself, I remember it in the Android Market back in the days of Android 1.6 / 2.1, since then the program has often been updated, but it has not changed much externally. However, just a month ago, the application received a global update, which completely changed its appearance and control logic.
Appearance and ease of navigation. I can’t say that the program is 100% Holo-style, but its appearance is very close to it. By default, folders are presented in the form of a 4x4 grid, if you wish, you can change the grid to 5x4, or enable list mode with varying degrees of detail.
Ease of selection / insertion.A long press on a folder or file turns on the selection mode, you just need to tick the files you need, then you can either simply select the action (copy, move, delete or rename), or start moving the icon while holding your finger on it. In the first case, a clipboard shortcut will appear on the left, with which it is convenient to paste the copied files. In the second case, four options appear at the edges: send, delete, share with friends and copy.
Support for external cloud services. Cloud services are ES Explorer's forte. At the moment, it supports almost all of the most popular “clouds”: from DropBox and SugarSync to our local J. Disk. After adding a service, working with it is no different from interacting with a regular folder.
Work with archives. ES Explorer works great with compressed archives, when you click on such a file, it just opens like a regular folder, and then you can unzip the files as you like (fully or pointwise).
Other functions. Among other things, using ES Explorer, you can connect to FTP, LAN or another smartphone using Bluetooth.
Also, simple substitutes for some utilities are built into the program, for example, from it you can quickly remove other programs, view photos, videos and audio files and use the Root Explorer application.
ConclusionIn addition to all the above, it remains only to say that the program is free and has long been available on the Play Market. ES Explorer has no critical drawbacks: simple, convenient, functional and free, but what else is needed from such programs?
Link on the Play Store
Solid explorer
Perhaps the nickname "Promising Newbie" is perfect for this program. And although it has been available in the market for more than six months, against the background of the “oldies” of ES and Astro, she still looks young. However, the age and quality of the program are not always identical.
I remember when Solid Explorer first appeared, as a beta version, it received rather warm reviews from users, the program developed and improved over time, and now we can safely talk about Solid Explorer as a serious player among file managers.
Appearance and ease of navigation.Design Solid Explorer'a and want to call "airy." The application looks great and pleases the eye. In addition, its appearance fits perfectly into the "clean" Android 4.x or Flyme OS. Bottom tabs provide quick access to all the necessary functions.
Ease of selection / insertion. There are two ways to select files in Solid Explorer. The first one is quite simple: you click on the icon (namely the icon, not the name) of the file, and it is marked with a tick. A menu for working with a file / folder appears immediately.
In horizontal mode, the Solid Explorer window is divided into two tabs. This is useful when you want to quickly drag and drop a file or folder.
By the way, the program supports Drag'n'Drop The
second way: long press on the folder / file, and then a window for working with it will open in front of you.
Support for external cloud services. Solid Explorer supports 5 cloud storage:
- Dropbox
- Sugarsync
- Google drive
- Skydrive
- Box
Working with “clouds” is no different from working with folders, however, in order to open the desired storage, you will have to perform a rather long chain of actions: Go to -> Network -> Cloud Storage -> Select the desired one.
Although there is another way: you create a cloud shortcut directly on the desktop and go to it with one click.
Work with archives. The application supports unpacking ZIP, RAR, TAR and RAR archives, and also knows how to independently pack the contents of a folder / folders in ZIP / TAR archives.
Other functions. The program has the ability to access FTP / SFTP-SMB servers, in addition, it has the ability to quickly navigate to the folder with photos and downloads.
ConclusionSolid Explorer is a pleasant and multifunctional “explorer”, it perfectly combines design and the number of settings. In addition, the developer added many nice little things, like the same drag'n'drop.
The cost of the program is 63 rubles, there is a 14-day trial. I recommend trying the application and then deciding whether it suits you or not, I was very pleased with the capabilities of Solid Explorer.
Link in the Play Store (trial)
Link in the Play Store (paid version)
FX File Explorer
Not the most famous explorer application, and nonetheless also quite functional.
Appearance and ease of navigation. What I like about FX File Explorer - when you first open it, you see all the shortcuts and tabs you need: the root folder of the SD card, downloads, photos, connected cloud services and media files sorted by type. This is very convenient and eliminates unnecessary navigation on the explorer.
As for the design of the program, it is clearly an amateur, I personally like it, and my colleague turns his nose at a glance at FX Explorer.
Ease of selection / insertion.To quickly select a file, you need to briefly “swipe” it from right to left, this approach looks unusual, but you quickly get used to it. After selecting the necessary files, hold your finger on the icon of one of them, and before you open a menu for working with them. When copying, the clipboard is displayed at the top of the program, with which you can quickly paste the selected files into the desired folder.
Support for external cloud services. FX Explorer initially does not have support for cloud services, it is bought as a separate AddOn, its cost is 88 rubles.
After purchasing it, the Cloud Storage tab appears at the bottom, which contains a list of all the services you have added. Currently the application supports the following services:
- Dropbox
- Sugarsync
- Google drive
- Skydrive
- Box
As with other programs, working with the "clouds" is no different from working with a regular folder.
Work with archives. The application supports working with the following archives: Zip, Tar, GZip, Bzip2, in addition to opening them, compression in these formats is supported. For RAR archives, only decompression is supported.
Other functions. FX Explorer has some interesting features: for example, opening multiple program windows. Switching between them is available using the Windows tab.
In addition, the program supports working with FTP / SFTP / SMB-servers, however, only with the purchase of additional AddOn'a (the same that opens the support for cloud services).
The application also has built-in video, audio and text viewers.
ConclusionSpeaking subjectively, FX Explorer is one of my favorite conductors, but after a healthy look at competitors, it should be noted that the same ES Explorer and Solid Explorer look much more interesting. In addition, ES Explorer is free, and Solid Explorer is cheaper than AddOn for FX Explorer.
Nevertheless, I recommend evaluating this program on your own, maybe you will like it as I do, but it is possible that you will remain indifferent to it or even unhappy.
Link on the Play Store
Link on the Play Store (paid add-on for supporting cloud services and FTP)
Total commander
Many of you will probably remember with a smile Total Commander, known for the version for Windows. I think some people use it as the main "guide" now. Since some time there is also a “smartphone” version of this legendary file manager.
Appearance and ease of navigation. At first glance at Total Commander I would like to call its appearance ascetic. On the other hand, all the necessary tabs are immediately placed on the main page, which is quite convenient. In landscape orientation, Total Commander is divided into two tabs, if desired, you can enable this separation for portrait orientation.
Ease of selection / insertion. Like Solid Explorer (whose developer most likely “spied” this function in Total Commander), the program has two ways to transfer files:
1. You select the necessary files by clicking on the icon to the left of their name. After highlighting, you simply transfer them to another folder using drag'n'drop. In this case, the two-tab mode is especially convenient.
2. The second option is quite traditional: a long press on the desired file and “copy” / “cut” and then a long press on the folder where you want to transfer the files and select the “Paste here” option.
Support for external cloud services. By default, the application does not support any of the cloud services, however you can download a special WebDAV plugin, with its help you can use services that support it (for example, Ya.Disk). By the way, there is still a separate unofficial plugin with which you can use the program with Dropbox.
Work with archives.Total Commander does a great job with Zip archives, it can not only open them, but also archive files in this format.
Other functions. Total Commander has optional (via plugins) FTP and LAN support. In addition, with the help of this program you can easily remove the application you do not need.
Conclusion Total Commander has most of the necessary functions, some additional appear through the installation of plugins. However, the appearance of the program can scare away an inexperienced user. The rest of the application is pretty good.
Link in the Play Store
Link in the Play Store (WebDAV plugin)
Link in the Play Store (FTP plugin)
Link in the Play Store (LAN plugin)
Link on the Play Store (third-party plugin for Dropbox support)
Standard file manager
Since the days of M9, Meizu preinstalled its own file manager on its smartphones, it is quite simple, but if you recall the time two years ago, then note that then the manufacturers did not consider it necessary to install even such an application.
Using the built-in “explorer”, you can quickly select files from the list with a swipe on the right edge, and then move or delete them. In addition, on the left is a panel with quick access to popular file categories: photos, videos, music and downloads.
Of course, we are not talking about any support for "clouds" or FTP, but this is also a built-in client designed to satisfy the needs of undemanding users.
Summary
The choice of a file manager is a purely individual matter: a lot depends on your needs and tastes. Someone cares more about the appearance, someone else's functionality, and someone has enough of the capabilities of the standard "conductor".
However, it’s still worth summing up: in my opinion, ES Explorer and Solid Explorer are the most optimal in terms of appearance / functionality. FX Explorer seems convenient to me, but not very beautiful in appearance, and Total Commander is inferior to its competitors in functionality, in addition, to make it as useful as possible, like others, you will need to download and install plugins. As for Astro, it seemed to me uncomfortable and unintuitive. It is ironic that for all that, he also has the highest price.
Information about Meizu MX2 can be found on our site mymeizu.ru , the forum has a topic to help beginners, owners of MX2, as well as a discussion thread on the model .