iPhones still beat Androids even with inferior specs. — An ex-Android fanboy’s take.

The notion that having bleeding-edge specs make an Android phone superior to iPhones is a misinformed take. One that has trigger-happy, Android fanboys convulsing irately in their mothers' basements.

Relax. Hear me out.

Look I’ve been there. Heck, I’ve been one of them. The customisable, spec-heavy nature of Android appealed to me as well. Which is why I gravitated towards the OnePlus phones. The promise of more for less. The biggest screen, camera, battery numbers. I was happy for a year and then the next big thing dropped with even bigger numbers. A constant feature of living in the Android ecosystem. We’d go from one iteration to next, bumping up the specs without asking if the basic, most fundamental smartphone offerings are up to the mark.

And that’s where the iPhone comes in. Frequently bashed by Android fans for having meagre RAM, low screen resolution and refresh rate, lower GPU numbers or the megapixel count for cameras. Which Android manufacturers shove-in, in heaps. Even low-tier, challenger brands like Realme or Pocophone can beat the iPhone on numbers alone.

But does that truly mean that the iPhone is a laggard? Relying on iSheep who would praise every small iteration made to the iPhone years after they first make it to an Android phone. I sure thought so. But after almost 10 years of resisting an iPhone and screaming in Android echo chambers about how they are overrated, I decided to purchase the iPhone 11.

And boy was I wrong. Soooo wrong.

Here’s why.

1. An iPhone is a better phone first rather than a smartphone: What’s the point of having a technologically-advanced thingamajig in your pocket when it fails you on the most basic things it’s supposed to do. I’m talking about calling and texting. One of the things that I remember noticing first when I moved on to the iPhone is how genuinely refined the phone aspects of it are. Right from the earpiece which helps you hear calls with great clarity. Or the superior vibration motor courtesy the Taptic Engine that makes vibrating alerts and haptic feedback a treat. It never feels like an intrusion. It’s fine-tuned to be intuitive, gentle but never ignorable. A far cry from Android smartphones like even the Pixel that buzzes and feels unbalanced while delivering vibration feedback. Even typing felt like such a joy. The mild haptic, feedback, clicky sounds and assisted letter magnification made me want to type more even though I prefered swiping. Which I prefered on Android keyboards too but here it felt smoother somehow.

2. IOS is optimised to deliver a uniform experience on every iPhone. Android isn’t. Or can’t be: Because Apple controls the hardware and software that’s baked into an iPhone, it is able to tweak everything to deliver a performance that goes hand-in-in hand with each other. They essentially control all the variables. Unlike Android manufactures that revel in packing in bloatware of heavy skins that ruin the Android experience. The animations, transitions, app customisations are all better because Apple Quality Checks everything. It’s seamless, more in sync and doesn’t feel glitchy or disjointed.

3. iPhones are newer for longer: One of the things that you could never fault an iPhone for is taking older phones off the latest software updates. Most iPhones get updates for up to 5 years. Unline Android flagships that barely get two years. With even the Pixel getting only 3 years of software support. What this does for the iPhone user is keep him up to date with all the latest and best software longer. Granted slowing down the performance to save battery was a bit shady by Apple. And transparency isn’t exactly one of their strong suits. Work on that.

4. Advanced Camera specs and tech are primarily gimmicks. Until they make it to the iPhone of course. Look at the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. With an array of cameras and massive sensors. Does it necessarily produce better pictures than the iPhone Pro? The answer is a resounding ‘NO’. Less is more. Large sensors are the future of smartphone photography. That’s clearly evident from the fact that even regular pics from the S20 ultra have uneven boke-ish effect due to the massive sensor, which looks absolutely comical. Don’t even get me started on the auto-focus issues. The point I’m trying to make is that you could work your way around most of these problems but most users aren’t adept at doing so or shouldn’t be. An iPhone just effortless lets you shoot great pics and video. Not just you, even your mum can. Not to say that these features don’t or won’t ever make it to an iPhone. They do but only after Apple is sure they won’t glitch and fail their wide fanbase. Where is this kind of thinking from Android smartphones? Missing I guess. Left to fend for themselves. And making a virtue out of it. DIY Bitches! These state-of-the-art features will only make it to and iPhone when they are tested time and again to deliver reasonably reliable performance for every user, most of the time. Seems fair.

5. Design is everything on iOS: There is a reason why most design and visual artists around the world choose iPhones over Android. No, it's not just to be a part of the herd and look cool. From the moment you pick up the iPhone, the design focus becomes evident. Everything seems well-curated. Right from app icons, fonts, setting menus, quick controls and more. It just seems easy on the eye with the right colours. There is a sort of harmony in design. Paired with pleasant animation, it makes putting your phone down absolutely difficult.

6. High refresh rate and Amoled screens are not game-changers. If you listen to most tech reviewers, you will easily feel that the screen in the iPhone 11, XR and SE 2020 is from the stone age. While high refresh rate Amoled behemoths would be great to have, a superlative experience can still be delivered by LCD panels if colour accuracy and brightness are right. Even mid-range android phones have better screen tech than iPhone it would seem but do get bright enough in daylight? Do they have True Tone that intuitively cares for your eyes? These are the things that matter for the average customer. Tech reviewers aren’t your average phone customer. Most of them use a new phone every week. Don’t trust them. Except for MKBHD and Mr. Who’s The Boss.

These are the points that stick out for me. There’s plenty of others like an eco-system that enriches value. Better support and app responsiveness from developers and more.

Now iPhones certainly aren’t perfect. There is just a lot of thought that goes into one. And constant tweaks just make them over the years. There are annoying bits as well, like not being able to set a ringtone easily because Apple wants you to purchase them from Itunes. But there are ways to navigate around that. You could say that I’ve carried that here from my Android days.

The point is that Android can do well to learn and improve from Apple. The Pixel phones were a coordinated effort in that direction but lost their way with the Pixel 4. I just feel that Android manufacturers need to show some maturity, delay gratification and tell an audience that wants spec-heavy smartphones for as low as possible that it’s just not sustainable in the long run. Small companies try to offer everything at low or mid-range price points but fail on a comprehensive software experience.

I guess what I’m trying to say is “Baaaaaaaaaa!”