Should you go for an iPhone with iOS? Or plump for Android instead?
Few match-ups in tech get bigger than this – Should your smartphone be running Android? Or is the iPhone with iOS the better choice?
Android vs iPhone: Basics
Google developed Android, and put its own Pixel-flavoured version on its Pixel phones, and lets Samsung, Oppo, Sony, and others add their own skins on top of their hardware.
iOS is Apple’s mobile OS for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It’s developed in tandem with the hardware, so Apple doesn’t have to worry about making the code fit a hundred different devices from a dozen other manufacturers.
In essence, they’re both very similar. They both let you make calls, send messages, take photos, and run hundreds of apps to watch movies, chat with your friends, read up on the news, manage your calendar, and so on.
Android vs iPhone: Hardware
The significant advantage of Android in terms of hardware is that you’ve got so many different phones to pick from. Including but not limited to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. The Pixel 5. The Oppo Find X3 Pro.
With the iPhone and iOS, you’ve got a range now split in two – on the one hand, there’s the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro launched in 2020 – then the more affordable, older models like the iPhone 11, iPhone SE and iPhone XR.
Android vs iPhone: Features
Broadly speaking, there are a few key differences to know about.
Android is more customisable — if you don’t like the default SMS app or web browser, you can change it. You can slap widgets on the home screen and leave gaps in the rows of icons.
The iPhone and iOS also tend to offer a more polished, secure experience – they don’t suffer the same slowdowns and security issues as Android can sometimes (but not always) be prone to.
Android vs iPhone: Apps
In terms of apps made by Apple and Google, you can, of course, get all of Google’s key apps on your iPhone: in fact, a lot of people use them instead of Apple’s defaults. In contrast, the only significant app you can get on Android made by Apple is Apple Music.
The Case for Android
- It’s more customisable.
- You get a broader choice of devices.
- It also gives its apps more freedom – you can get screen recorders and call recorders on Android that Apple doesn’t allow on the iPhone.
Google’s cloud apps are also much more substantial than Apple’s at the moment: compare Gmail on the web with Mail in iCloud. You might choose Android if you want to switch between many devices regularly, rather than just devices made by Apple.
In terms of the built-in AI assistants, Google Assistant has the edge over Siri. This moves us more into the broader ecosystem that Google and Apple offer, an increasingly important consideration when choosing between Android and iOS.
Android vs iPhone: the case for iOS
An iPhone guarantees you a stylish and stable smartphone experience. Overall, the interfaces of its menus and apps tend to have more polish than the Android equivalents (though there’s not much in it when you put Apple’s phones up against top-tier Android phones.
iPhones get software updates much quicker than many Android phones, which has knock-on effects on security and performance. Apple controls the hardware and the software of the iPhone, leading to a smartphone that’s (usually) smooth in operation and very simple to use.
Privacy is another big differentiator: Apple doesn’t use your data to target ads at you like Google does, and keeps most personalisation settings (such as where your office is) stored locally on devices rather than in the cloud.
Android vs iPhone: Summary
You can approach the Android vs iPhone question from all kinds of angles: the design of the actual phones, the customisation options in the software, the number of apps on each platform, and so on. At this stage, there are almost too many comparison points to keep track of.
But the Android vs iPhone debate is now just a part of a much bigger Google vs Apple battle. The best phone choice for you is no longer just about the phone — it’s also about how deeply you’re invested in the whole ecosystems set up by Google and Apple.
If you also own a MacBook and an iPad, then you’ll find life much easier with an iPhone, as everything will work together seamlessly. Those of you who’ve gone all-in on Google — with Google Home speakers, Chromecasts, Gmail and Chromebooks — will find Android the better choice.
There are differences between both phones – Android a little easier to customise, iOS a little easier to use, for example – but the question of which one you should be using now goes far beyond these mobile operating systems.
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