My entire point is that the software isn't good enough, is that the software is garbage for the task of being used for anything else than browsing the web. The hardware isn't terribly slow, it is WAY beyond adequate for providing smartphone features, as proven by an actual smartphone that existed a decade before with hardware than 10% of the power that ZTE Open has yet provided a much better and snappier user experience.

The question on my original message was rhetorical - of course it doesn't have to be a platform built around a web browser. That is a massive waste of resources that could be used for a ton of other things.