Is Flutter likely to replace Java for Android app development?

My answer is big "NO"

Flutter is awesome. We were so impressed with it that I took on a role to build infrastructure for Flutter apps within Google.

Why?

Productivity: It took us around 3 months with 3 engineers to come up with our version 1 for Android native. It took 1 engineer 3 months to come up with Flutter version 1 in around 1/3 of the code we have written for Android.

Cross Platform Performance: It really is quite native-like on iOS and Android. Most people I have shown the prototype to could not believe the app was not native.

Flutter is very different in a good way. Dart feels more Java-like than JS-like. Second, there’s no templating language for now so you build your UI by nesting widgets. At first, this looks odd but you realize that it makes perfect sense and reduces the amount of context switching between logic and template. In fact, you entire app is a “widget”.

It is easy to build high performing apps with Flutter. Flutter guides you to get used to good patterns such as composition and reactive development. This pays dividends as your app grows larger.

No matter how many people on your team or what your target is, Flutter is a great option to have one codebase. Try coding in Dart for a while and see if you like it. It isn’t that different than trying out Swift or Kotlin.

But will it replace native development?

Not likely. I think a bigger revolution is needed.

Once devices get fast enough that you can build material design interactions on a mobile website, Flutter (or any native app) doesn’t stand a chance against progressive web apps. It is incredibly appealing to take your existing FE web knowledge and just whip up a website that can be anchored to home screen, loads instantly, works offline and performs like a native app while providing nearly frictionless experience to new users.