android vs iphone: android or iphone better

The debate between iPhone and Android rages, fiercer than it has ever been. While you can turn to a number of companies to buy one of the best phones, everything you get is guaranteed to run one of the two main mobile operating systems: iOS (if you choose an iPhone) or Android (if you opt for something else).

one and the other platforms are quite mature at this stage, having existed for more than a decade. This means that both have accumulated full feature sets and there is very little that the other can't do. However, each has its own advantages, and there are reasons why you might want to choose one over the other.

Pitting iPhone vs Android, take a look at the respective strengths of each mobile platform, so you can choose the right one for you the next time you buy a smartphone.

iPhone vs Android: why iPhone is better 

You're invested in Apple's ecosystem. This might seem like a superficial reason, but Apple obviously does a wide range of tech products, and if you already own a Mac, iPad, or Apple Watch, getting an iPhone makes a lot of sense.

Apple has designed a multitude of continuity features that allow you to transport work and data from one of its devices to another, and these features can definitely save you time. Take Handoff, for example, where calls on your iPhone and webpages in Safari can move seamlessly between iOS and macOS. Universal Clipboard makes text copied to one platform usable by the other. Another of our favorites is Continuity phone Camera, which allows you to take photos and scan documents using your iPhone's camera, then view and edit them on your Mac. You can also complete purchases on your Mac using biometric authentication features on your iPhone via Apple Pay.

Only a handful of Android phone manufacturers have hardware ecosystems approaching Apple, and even for some approaching, such as Samsung, you won't get the depth of integration possible between the iPhone and other devices built by Apple. Microsoft is helping Google close the gap a bit with its new Your Phone app for Windows, which allows Android users to respond to messages and notifications on their PCs, although the experience is a bit clumsy and there's still work to be done.

There are many other great instance of continuity on iOS, iPad, watchOS, and macOS – and therefore the iPhone may be a critical component therein puzzle, especially now that iPhone apps can be easily brought to macOS. Experienced users already immersed in Apple's ecosystem can make a lot of money by adding an iPhone to their repertoire. And that's not to mention friends and family who prefer to use iMessage and FaceTime to stay in touch.

In addition, Apple has added another lockout opportunity with the new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro accessories: MagSafe. These magnet-based chargers, cases, and products will only work with the latest iPhones, so if you invest in the platform, it will cause some friction if you try to leave. 

Third-party apps are simply better. This is definitely due to personal preferences, but as someone who jumped back and forth between iOS phone and Android phone as long as both platforms existed, I was constantly stunned by the quality of apps created by iOS developers and mostly disappointed by their Android counterparts.

Don't be wrong: there is great software and developers on Android, but they are harder to find, in my experience. My favorite Twitter app, Tweetbot 5, is an iOS exclusive, for example; on the contrary, the best third-party Twitter app I've come across on Android, Fenix 2, pales heavily in comparison. My colleague Henry T. Casey and I love using Bear to compose blog posts about our Macs and iPhones, but we struggled to find an app to take note on Android as complete and smooth. 

You may also find that apps from established companies, ranging from banks to airlines, are a bit smoother and cleaner on iOS than Android, with better integration with major phone services, such as Wallet. (Google Pay is only starting to kick off now with many airlines.) And don't even let me start how slow and buggy Snapchat is on Android.

There is a wider selection of accessories. Enter any Best Buy or Target and you'll find case aisles for every iPhone Apple produces – something that certainly can't be said for the Android contingent outside of the flagship devices of the biggest companies. Once you get past the semi-healthy selection of products made for the latest Galaxy S device, you're unlucky. Don't worry about expecting a choice of accessories for your new Pixel or LG receiver at any physical retailer. Sure, you could go online and get a $4 case from Amazon, but then you're sure you get what you pay for.

The selection and availability of iPhone cases, screen protectors, car mounts, and other treats is simply much larger than you'll find for any other phone, and that's more important than most people realize. nwely, I used a Pixel 3 and then Pixel 4 as my daily driver. As someone who likes to regularly change the case of my phone to keep it cool, I was extremely disappointed with the lack of options for Google phones. iPhone owners will never have that problem.

There is no bloatware. No matter how you buy your iPhone, where you buy it from, or which iPhone you buy from, you won't see any pre-installed bloatware when you first start it. That means it's clean from the get-go, with no power-to-data-siphoning apps that you haven't asked to sabotage things behind the scenes.

This is a relief if you've ever seen the way a new Android phone comes out of the box, especially one you bought through an operator. Even spending $2,000 on a Galaxy Z Fold 2 doesn't spare AT&T customers from the challenge of seeing software like CNN and DirecTV Now cheering app drawers, and it can be even worse if you buy a budget receiver that has been heavily subsidized by a discount carrier. 

Android shoppers who buy one of the best unlocked phones without a service contract will have more luck avoiding bloatware. It also depends on the company. For example, unlocked Pixel phones are not bogged down by third-party apps; on the other hand, it is not entirely unheard of that some unlocked phones will come with the strange sponsored software unwelcome.

Get faster software updates. Android smartphones get fewer updates than iPhones, and when they do, they occur less frequently and are often delayed.

The number of updates an Android phone sees in its lifetime depends largely on how expensive it is, which carrier you buy it on (or whether it is even purchased by an operator), and what the phone manufacturer's software support policy is.

This is a long way from iPhones, which are supported with important software updates for many years, regardless of what. Take the iPhone 6S, for example, which received iOS 14, although it was originally launched with iOS 9 in 2015. For comparison, consider Samsung's Galaxy S6, which launched an equivalent year and began with Android 5.0 Lollipop. Not only is the latest Android software missing, but it stopped receiving updates years ago. It only came in at 7.0 Nougat when Samsung pulled the plug on the stand — and when the S6 took Nougat, it arrived in March 2017, eight months after Google unveiled the update.

In addition, when a new version of iOS is released, it is available to everyone on the same day, at the same time, and can be installed on all models that support it instantly. In contrast, Android versions are implemented in waves on individual phones, not just by model. 

It has better retail support. Let's say something goes horribly wrong with your iPhone and you have to keep it. Or maybe you want a screen protector installed on it, and you'd rather it was run by a pro, who will slap that movie with a bubble or a grain of dust. Whatever your problem is, it's nice to have a place to go and what better place for iPhone users than the Apple Store. Yes, coved restrictions can be difficult, but at least you have the option.

Android phone owners don't enjoy that luxury. If you need a new battery or screen replacement and haven't purchased a protection plan from the retailer you purchased from, you'll probably need to ship it to the manufacturer. You a rather time-consuming hassle, given how much we all depend on our phones day after day.

iPhone vs Android: why Android is better 

There are phones at any cost. The vast majority of smartphones of the world run Android, and because so many companies build Android phones, they are available at every price range. There are cheap smartphones under the three-digit mark like the new Pixel 4a, as well as some of the best small phones and best big phones, and phablets and folding far over $1,000. No matter how much you spend, chances are you can find an Android device that suits your budget or offers exclusive features.

The same you can't say for the iPhone, which historically were expensive at launch, and then drop in price after subsequent generations. One of Apple's most affordable new phones is the iPhone 12 mini for $699, but it comes with a small 5.4-inch display. The Galaxy S20 FE comes at the same price but comes with a larger and smoother 6.5-inch screen of 120 Hz, a telephoto lens, and a much larger battery.

The least expensive iPhone Apple offers is the iPhone SE, which is a fantastic device with phenomenal performance for just $400, although its design is dated and its screen will be too small for some.

It's more customizable. Although both iOS and Android have evolved over the years, Android has always had a reputation for being the platform for users who like to tinker and customize their devices. This starts with the splash screen launcher, which offers dynamic widgets and the ability to place apps anywhere on a page or drawer, out of sight – something the iPhone is only now reaching with iOS 14. You can also swap your Android phone launcher for an alternative downloaded from the Google Play Store.

Android also allows you to download third-party replacements for major services, such as web browsers, keyboards, and media players, and set them as default versions if you prefer a third-party app to a pre-installed one on your phone. iOS has improved in this regard over the years, although the implementation is still a bit clumsy.

Finally, we need to talk about the manufacturer's skins: bespoke user interfaces and Android system software customized by some phone manufacturers, which offer extra features, and often the ability to create themes for your top-down experience. a few Android fans prefer Google's "stock" interpretation of Android. However, but many users like the custom software of phone manufacturers, such as Samsung's OneUI or OnePlus's OxygenOS, due to their extra features, such as the ability to take scrolling screenshots and hiding photos and videos in password-protected folders.

You can (sometimes) expand your storage space. Although expandable storage is a little less popular these days, many Android smartphones still offer it. This allows you to use a microSD card to store photos, apps, and other media that doesn't fit your device's internal memory.

This is an incredible advantage, given the exorbitant prices that Apple and other phone manufacturers charge to double or quadruple storage space when you buy your phone. Why bet on another $100 to $150 for the price of a new phone just for another 128GB or 256GB of storage (which you're not even sure you need) when you can just leave $70 on a 512GB card afterwards?

Also, while it's definitely becoming more of a rarity on high-end phones these days, many Android devices still come with headphone jacks – a hotly requested feature that Apple withdrew from its phones in 2016. This is a big deal for people who still like to use their trusty old wired headphones.

USB-C is universal. Android smartphones rely largely on USB-C ports for charging and transferring data these days, which is super convenient if you're one of those people who really likes to pack the light and carry a single cable. USB-C is also on many PCs these days, as well as on Nintendo Switch. It's a beautiful thing.

While Apple's Lightning cable may be a relic of the times when every tech company felt compelled to develop its own proprietary connector, USB-C is that the ideal single-port solution the industry is working on. It also opens the door to faster charging technologies.

The OnePlus 8T, for example, can charge from zero to 55% battery capacity in just 15 minutes. Wait 30 minutes and you will have a 93% full battery.

Compare that to the iPhone 12, which continues to stay with Lightning. And Apple no deep even includes a charger in the box.

There is an actual file system (with drag-and-drop support on PC). Most people don't need to get their hands dirty with their phone's file system. However, it is good to know that Android gives you that option if you wish. Even better, when you connect an Android handset to a Windows PC, you can easily drag and drop files into folders, as if the device were just another drive.

This means that media libraries and documents are a shot to take forward and store locally, and you don't need to sign up for a monthly cloud service if you have a particularly large library. iPhones obscure the file system from the user for everything but photos, which can be very frustrating to handle music, documents and other forms of media.

Some Android phones, such as the Galaxy Note 20, also have special PC or screen projection features, which allow you to use the view and use your device in a desktop capacity. Samsung's DeX interface is one such example. With such versatility, a high-end Android phone could legitimately function as a substitute for one of the best equally ultraportable Chromebooks or laptops.

Innovative features usually land first on Android phones. Of course, Apple's crates are pretty stacked. However, it is only one company, with only one philosophy. As a result, iOS are often slow - or a minimum of slower than the Android community - to adapt to emerging technologies.

With numerous companies building Android phones, it's no surprise that Android partners tend to beat Apple on the market with innovations in mobile space. Wireless charging, fast charging, NFC, 4G LTE, 5G, OLED display, on-screen fingerprint sensors, water resistance and multilane cameras all landed on Android devices before iPhones, also as software innovations such as true multitasking, copy and paste, and multi-window support.

Of course, this does not mean that Apple has not produced its own progress. The iPhone X wasn't the first face-recognition phone, but it was the first with one that worked reliably and safely. However, many more Android phones are released by a variety of vendors each year, so it's just a matter of scale that the hardware running Google's platform is faster to adapt.

Which one should you choose?

So, iPhone or Android Smartphone: which one should you choose? Both platforms have pros and cons, and as with many purchasing decisions, your choice will depend on what you value the most.

Owning an iPhone may be a simpler and more convenient experience. There's less to think about, and since Apple's iPhone represents the single most popular smartphone brand, there's an abundance of support wherever you go - whether you need your battery replaced or you're just trying to pick up a new case.

Ownership of the Android device is a little more difficult in these respects. Yet it is at the same time more liberated, because it offers more choice: choice of how much you want to spend, choice of hardware and software features and choice of how to organize and customize your experience. If you're extremely particular about the technology you use, you might find Android more liberating – I dare say fun – although you'll probably also lamente the relative lack of high-quality apps and accessories.

If you're wondering which particular device you should switch to, there's no better place to get started than our lists of the best iPhones and the best Android phones. Whatever device you're in, just make sure it fits your operating system preferences.