Biryani or Pulao? DC or Marvel? Android or iPhone?
There are only three kinds of people in the world; Android users, iPhone users and those who switch from one to the other and realise what they had been missing on their entire life.
If you’re buying a new smartphone today, chances are very good that it will run one of two operating systems: Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS. These two platforms account for over 98 per cent of all new smartphones shipped every year… but which one is better?
AFFORDABILITY
Apple has always been at the high end of the market in terms of pricing, but the iPhone X took things to a whole new level with a starting price of whopping $1,000 and the iPhone XS Max starting at $1,100.
Comparing the same with Android in terms of scale and variety, iPhones are no match. You can spend a lot if you want to and buy Google’s Pixel 3 XL or a Samsung flagship, but there’s also a huge choice of good, low-cost handsets from a wide variety of different companies such as Huawei and Xiaomi.
The fact that Android also leads the field in free apps makes it the natural choice for the budget-conscious.
Battery Life
Battery life is a huge factor. It’s difficult to compare the two platforms because there’s no common hardware. We could say iOS is optimised to squeeze the most out of the battery, but you can buy an Android device with a much bigger battery that will easily outlast the iPhone.
This category is far from clear-cut, but Androids tend to have longer battery life and always have fast chargers included in the box.
Camera
You must have heard people argue that Apple does the best job capturing quality pictures, but the latest Android smartphones are casting a lot of doubt on that assertion.
The camera apps on both platforms are very good and very fast. For ease of use and best results without tweaking, the iOS camera app takes the cake. There’s more variation on Android, but it differs depending upon the manufacturer and price.
APPS
This is roughly how many apps you’ll find in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store:
- Android apps: 3.5 million
- iOS apps: 2.2 million
While the causes behind the over a million apps difference remains debatable, one of the main reasons is that developers outside the United States (US) target Android first.
Android may also have a higher percentage of free apps than the iPhone, but the best mobile games land on iOS first and don’t always come to Android. Ultimately, quality beats quantity and so this is a narrow win for iOS.
While both platforms give you the best of smartphone experience, the decision to spending your money, either on an Android or iPhone, is yours.
