Why would you buy an LG versus a Samsung? Too many android manufacturers to compete on just hardware alone. Even less so than Windows laptops and PCs. Customizing Android is the differentiator.

I personally hate it, but I understand why they do it. I just wish we could get a class leading vanilla Android phone. Pixel isn’t it.

They've made multiple attempts to do this.

Manufactures really hate the lack of flexibility and there is a small amount of justification: new hardware often does need new controls.

And of course many people like the flexibility of Android.