One of the understated innovations of the iPhone was bringing awareness of the phone manufacturer to the masses, disrupting the relationship between customer and carrier. Android provided (and still does) a way for carriers to regain some control in that relationship.

One example is Verizon's Droid campaign, which was so successful that "Droid" became a genericized trademark for any Android phone for a decade: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verizon_Droid

My first smartphone. I started working at Tmobile in college as a sales rep when the G1 came out and I immediately was smitten with it. The functionality and experience was so much better than anything that BlackBerry had to offer, yet all of the seasoned reps scoffed at the G1 and continued to push and sell Blackberries. They thought I was crazy to carry and sell the G1. I think I got the last laugh.