What the reviewer reports
Aguilar's central claim is that Excel on Android is a redesigned phone interface and not a shrunken desktop app. He highlights two things:
- A context-aware bottom toolbar. It replaces the desktop ribbon and can be kept minimal or expanded. He says it changes while you type a formula, offering function guidance and draggable handles for picking ranges.
- Cards View. He says it turns each table row into a vertical card, which he found much easier for row-by-row data entry than a grid on a small screen.
He compares this with Google Sheets, which he says he has found frustrating on a phone. He still recommends Sheets for people who dislike subscriptions or need frictionless collaboration.
Treat the formula-toolbar description as his hands-on impression. The Microsoft documentation I could check confirms the touch handles and the formula bar, but not every detail of how the toolbar behaves.
Cards View: what Microsoft documents
This is the best-supported part of the story. Microsoft describes Cards View as a mobile feature that makes Excel table data easier to view and edit on a phone, showing the table one row at a time in a card-style layout. Not all table features are supported in Cards View.
It works in two levels:
- Cards show a list of summarized rows that are easy to browse and search, and you can add or delete rows from the triple-dot menu on each card.
- Tapping a card opens a detailed view of the whole row so you can edit its data. From there you can tap PREVIOUS or NEXT to review adjacent rows, or tap a value to edit it.
How to try it
- Open a workbook that contains an Excel table on your phone.
- Tap a cell inside the table, then tap the Cards View button.
- Scroll through the cards, or use the search button at the bottom to find specific rows.
- Tap a card for its detail view, then tap a value to edit it.
The catch: it needs a real table
Cards View only works with Excel tables. If your data is a plain range of cells, you can convert it to a table to enable the feature. Microsoft's Android instructions for conversion are to select a cell in the range and tap Insert > Table. The author makes the same point: a random block of cells won't work until it is converted.
Phones only, not tablets
Cards View is documented for phones. Microsoft's support page lists it for "Excel for iPhone" and "Excel for Android phones." A community thread on Microsoft Q&A says it is missing on Android tablets. That thread is user-reported rather than an official statement. It also describes one foldable owner who found the button missing because the Play Store classified the device as a tablet. If you're on a foldable and can't find the button, that's a plausible cause, though it isn't confirmed by Microsoft.
Touch navigation basics
Microsoft's Android touch guide covers the gestures that matter for the fat-finger problem:
- Tap a cell to select it, or tap and drag the selection handle to select several.
- Double-tap a cell, or tap the formula bar, to edit contents.
- Double-tap or tap and hold a cell for its contextual menu.
- Tap a row or column heading to select it, and drag the double-line edge to resize it.
- Use a scroll handle to move quickly through a large worksheet.
These are documented capabilities. They don't prove that selection is effortless in every case.
Where the phone app stops
The review's limits section holds up well against Microsoft's documentation, with some nuances.
| Claim in the review | What documentation supports |
|---|---|
| Macros don't run | Microsoft says .xlsm files can be opened and edited on Android, but VBA functions won't run. |
Old .xls files are read-only | Confirmed. Microsoft's compatibility table lists .xls as open-only (read-only), not editable. |
| Power Query unavailable | Confirmed. Microsoft states Power Query is not supported in Excel for Android and iOS. |
| Power Pivot and external data connections unavailable | Not independently verified in the sources I could check. |
| Slowdowns or crashes on large workbooks | Reviewer's experience only. No documented size threshold. |
So "macros don't run" is slightly overbroad. A macro-enabled workbook will open and be editable, but its VBA code won't execute. If your workflow depends on automation, plan on a desktop for those files.
Subscriptions and screen size
Microsoft's mobile-apps page says core editing on Android is free on devices with screens of 10.1 inches or less. Extra features need a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription. The Excel extras it lists for Android include:
- customizing PivotTable styles and layouts
- custom colors for shapes
- additional formatting colors
- turning data into maps
Microsoft's licensing documentation describes the screen-size rule slightly differently depending on the plan, with some plans permitting larger screens. The reviewer's "bigger than 10.1 inches" point is broadly right for the free tier, but it isn't a universal threshold. Check your plan before assuming a tablet will be editable.
Working offline
Offline editing is one of the reviewer's reasons for choosing Excel, and Microsoft's documentation supports it with a condition. You can create a blank workbook offline and open files stored on the device. For a file in OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, SharePoint, Dropbox or Google Drive, you must have opened it online at least once. Changes sync when you reconnect.
The practical habit is to open the files you'll need while you still have a connection.
How it compares with Google Sheets
Google's help page says Sheets for Android can create, view and edit spreadsheets, including Excel files. Google also documents sharing with view, edit or comment permissions. Its page lists imports for XLS, XLSX, XLSM, CSV, ODS and TSV, which is a wider range of editable formats than Excel's Android table. Google also warns that a file small enough to open in a desktop browser might not open on mobile, depending on the device's memory.
The reviewer's claims about drag-and-drop between apps and AI summaries on newer phones are his own. I couldn't verify them from the documentation reviewed.
Where this leaves you
Excel on Android looks strongest for a specific kind of user. That's someone already in Microsoft 365, working on a small phone, who mostly reviews and enters structured rows. The fix for the "wide grid on a tiny screen" problem is mostly one habit: format the data as a Table so Cards View is available.
It is not a desktop replacement. Power Query is missing, VBA won't run, .xls files are read-only, and some premium features sit behind a subscription. People who want to share and co-edit with little friction, or who don't want to pay, have a reasonable alternative in Sheets.
The one-week test is a single reviewer's opinion, and the "better than any other app" framing is subjective. The documented features do support the narrower point. Excel's phone app has been built around touch and small screens, and the conversion to a Table is the first step to try.