It’s like Ford vs Holden, or Coke vs Pepsi. The fans of Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android
smartphone operating systems will scream from the rooftops about how “their” phones
and operating systems are better.
For the rest of us, though, it can get a little confusing working out the best match for your needs
So here’s what you need to consider when picking a new smartphone if the choice
is between iOS and Android
All of Apple’s iPhones run on Apple’s own iOS operating system. It’s only available to iPhones, and it’s updated annually
although after around 3-4 years, older iPhones stop getting updates.
Android operating system is offered by Google to every smartphone maker (except Apple, of course!) and it's a much more open platform.
Software upgrades are written by Google and released annually, along with regular security
updates, but some makers are better than others at actually updating their phones to the latest version.
All of Apple’s newer iPhones sit at the top of the pricing ladder, and even older
models attract a serious premium price. There’s no such thing as a “cheap” iPhone, and
even the older model Apple still start at $749 outright. The most expensive model currently
sold by Apple weighs in at a wallet-busting $2369!
Android phones, on the other hand can vary from $2,000+ all the way down to sub-$100
models. There’s a huge variety of screen sizes, camera features and designs to choose
from depending on your budget.
With Apple, your choice is simple, because
there’s only a few handsets each year. Apple phones also tend to keep their value over
time much longer than comparable Android handsets.
With Android, you get a much wider choice of price points, screen sizes and features,
so there’s a little something for every budget. However, the intense competition between
Android handset makers means that they tend to lose value quickly when it’s time to resell them.
For most purposes, it’s almost a draw these
days in terms of covering the vital functions you want from a smartphone. Apple has some
advantages if you’ve got an iPad, because iOS apps scale up naturally onto the iPad.
You can get Android tablets, but the way apps work on those can be a little unpredictable.
Where Android scores over iOS on the apps front is in flexibility of choice. If you
don’t like Apple’s Maps, email or Web browser on iOS you’re stuck with them as
a default. If you don’t like it on Android, you can install a different one and set it
as the default for the whole phone with ease. Also, if you’re switching from iOS to Android,
remember to turn off iMessage. Otherwise you could be receiving iMessages for months and
people will have no idea you’re not receiving them.
Apple sells iPhones in a wide variety of storage configurations, but there’s no official
way to expand the storage on an existing iPhone. Run out of space, and you’ll have to pay
for more iCloud storage or buy a completely brand new iPhone.
Most but not all Android phones support storage expansion, so even though some budget
Android phones have small onboard storage space, it’s pretty easy and affordable to
expand it if you’re taking lots of photos or want lots of onboard music or video storage space.
There’s a lot of personal choice at play here.
Apple like to keep things simple and controlled, and that definitely has its appeal,
as long as you’re happy with Apple’s way of doing things on a smartphone.
Android is a lot more loose in its control of the interface, but this can mean differences
between different Android makers and their underlying interfaces. That can lead to an
all-new learning curve when you buy a new phone. Android’s interface is a lot more
customisable, though, so if you don’t like what you get out of the box, you can modify
it to meet your particular desires.
Apple keeps iOS as a tightly controlled environment,
with yearly updates to iOS delivered straight from Apple itself. If you’ve got an older
iPhone, however, you’ll eventually be cut off from iOS updates and the security patches
that keep your iPhone secure.
It’s a very mixed affair on the Android side of the security and privacy fence. Google
itself releases annual full software updates to Android, along with regular security updates,
but not every phone gets these in a timely manner. Google’s own Pixel phones do, and
phones in the Android One scheme should, but for other manufacturers, there can be a significant
wait for new Android updates, if you get them at all.
Apple makes no secret of its desire to be seen as a premium brand, and that’s the
position of the iPhone. In a market where you can get a cheap smartphone, an iPhone
is something of a luxury buy. It’s also well suited to folks who don’t want to tinker
with their existing phone that much, and are happy within the wider Apple ecosystem.
Android works very well for the techy types, but selected models do manage a reasonable
facsimile of easy operation for the less technically inclined. Android phones are your only choice
on a budget, and they’re also currently your best choice if you’re super-keen on
photography, with the best premium Android models outpacing what Apple’s doing with
its iPhone cameras. So which team are you on? Android or iOS.
If you still need more information to decide, we’re constantly reviewing and comparing the entire field of phones available now at Finder.
Whether it’s the best premium phones, or your best options, if you’re working to a strict budget
hop on to the link below to check out all the details