Working with Qt could be a huge productivity boost for me compared to working with the standard Android SDK. I could have more time available to make it look and work well, and I would be able to reuse core application code (not UI code, mind you) across platforms.
Isn't it premature to declare this a categorical disadvantage for the user?
No, we've had about 10-15 years to prove, repeatedly, that "write once, run everywhere" UI never works.
> I would have more time available to make it look and work well, and I would be able to reuse core application code (not UI code, mind you) across platforms.
Qt brings in their own UI code, but if you didn't want to use it, you'd have to bridge to Java via the NDK. Possible, but a lot of work, and involves tossing a lot the value of both Qt and the Android SDK.
In fact, GL and the native UX interacts poorly, consistently, on both platforms.
Actually, even more than that, given that the first GUIs are from the late 70's.
That's not what Qt is pitching, at least when it comes to mobile. The idea is that you write your C++ backend in an abstract manner and put platform-specific QML files (which can be developed rapidly, and even WYSIWYG by designer types) on top of it. The idea is not "write once, run everywhere" but "make it easy to cater to different platforms by sharing as much as you can" as well as "make it easy to do that last-mile of platform-specific customization".
You're just having a negative gut reaction against the wrong thing here.