iPhone vs Android, which system has the better OS and is just quite frankly the better phone?

Want to start an argument? Just say, “There’s no question Android phones are the best,” “iPhones are worth every penny,” “Only an idiot would use an iPhone,” or, “Android’s are rubbish” and then stand back.
The truth is both iPhones running iOS and smartphones running Android have their advantages and disadvantages.
The fight is only between these two mobile operating systems. All the alternatives are pretty much dead and buried. Microsoft, for example, recently admitted, “We had no material Phone revenue this quarter.” Linux has given up on smartphones, BlackBerry exists only as a brand name, and the manufacturer making “BlackBerry” phones is now using Android.
So today, and for as far as I can see into the future, your only real choices are Android smartphones and iPhones.

Ease of use

People love to say Apple products just work. It’s certainly true that the iOS interface is easy to use. But so is the Android interface. Frankly, if you can use one, you won’t have much trouble using the other.
Sure, a decade ago, when the iPhone first appeared and Windows Mobile and Nokia phones were the competition, the iPhone blew them away. It was just so much easier to use. But that was 10 years ago. Today, there’s not a lot that differentiates the two leading phone OS’s when it comes to ease of use.
If we put appearance and home-screen setup into this category, though, things tip towards Android. Android smartphones give you more control over your system and its applications. I like control. If you’re happy with what Apple gives you — this is your home screen; add a photo if you want to be an individual — good for you, but I like being able to set up my phone just the way I want it, and Android phones let me do that. That flexibility has helped Android build brand loyalty.

Fit, finish and price

Moving on to the physical product. iPhones are beautiful. And we can’t doubt that, but Android phones — well, they vary.
Some, such as the Samsung S20 and the Google Pixel, are every bit as attractive as the iPhone 11 pro — Android runs on so many different devices this can actually be an advantage, for example, the new developments in phone technology such as the folding ‘Samsung Galaxy Fold’ and ‘Z flip’ give users the opportunity to try a range of exciting new models. That said, there’s so much variation in the aesthetics of Android devices that some Android phones are just ugly. However, by controlling every step of the manufacturing process, Apple makes sure iPhones always have a great fit and finish, but so do the big Android phone manufacturers. Part of the reason for this is that Apple makes nothing but luxury phones. There will never be a ‘cheap’ iPhone. If you don’t want to pay the most amount for an iPhone, your only choice is to get a used one.
Decent Android phones can go for as little as £100. Are they good looking? Not really, but they do the job at the fraction of the price.

A.I and voice assistants

When it comes to Google Assistant vs. Siri, there’s no question of the winner: Google Assistant by a mile. Google Assistant is more than an excellent voice interface to Google search. If you use Google applications, such as Google Calendar and Google Maps, Google Assistant can make life simpler. Say you’re meeting someone for lunch in Central London and the public transport is having delays, Google Assistant will work out that you need to leave early to make your appointment, and it will notify you beforehand. Siri may have been first to market, but it’s still pretty basic. It’s fine for answering questions, but it’s not that much of an assistant. However, Google assistant is available to iPhone users as an app from the app store, so if you’re looking for a clear reason to choose one OS over another, Google Assistant isn’t it.

Battery life and charging

Now we go onto the battery This one’s hard to judge because every Android phone is different. In my experience especially with Samsung phones, Android phones don’t need to be charged as often as iPhones. But if we do compare the battery life of the latest models of Samsung and iPhone the Samsung has a clear lead with a shocking 5,000 mAh battery compared to the I phone 11 pro’s 3969 mAh battery. But as I said before with each phone the battery capacity does vary. So let’s call this a draw, depending on the phone in hand and how you use it.

Closed vs. Open systems

Now it’s time to argue about the systems, if you’re an iPhone user who wants to buy an Amazon e-book from the Kindle app or watch a Google Play movie using Play Movies, you’re out of luck.
Android is both open source and far more open to alternative applications. Keep in mind, Apple hasn’t ported any of its applications to Android and never will. So, if your music library is based on iTunes, then you’re locked into iPhones. For most users, this is a difference that makes no difference because users find ways around the exclusivity of these apps. But if you prefer open systems to closed ones, it’s an important differentiator.

Cloud Integration

Going onto the cloud integration in both OS’s.iCloud continues to be an enormous pain for everyone, no matter what platform you run it on. For example, if you forget your password there isn’t an option to renew your password. Android, however, is tightly integrated with Google’s applications and services. I use Google apps all the time for school work and daily life. Google Photos has unlimited storage and includes a decent basic photo editor. True, the iCloud Photo Library is good too, but accessing iCloud across devices continues to be problematic. For cloud integration, Android is hard to beat.

Software choice

At one stage in the development of smartphone technology, you could argue that there were better apps on one app store than the other. These days, it’s pretty much a tie. I mean with 2.8 million apps on the Google Play store and 2.2 million on the Apple App Store, it’s not like you’re ever going to run out of apps to use. So, for me, software choice shouldn’t affect our decisions should it?

Cameras

iPhones feature some of the best cameras for mobile devices. Their latest model, the 11 pro max, has a 12-megapixel camera that can even record in 4K. Meanwhile, camera features vary a lot when it comes to Android. A cheap Android phone such as the Alcatel Raven only has a 5-megapixel camera that produces grainy pictures. But Android also has a few phones with cameras that rival that of the iPhones. Let’s look at the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus’s specs for instance. Apart from a 12-megapixel dual camera, it also features a 16-megapixel wide-angle camera. Just like the iPhone, it can also record 4K. When it comes to cameras, you get what you pay for. So invest in a good phone that does the job for you. If you want a hassle-free experience that takes pictures with ease, then go for the iPhone. If, as a purchaser, you match the price of an iPhone with an Android phone, you’re likely to get a phone with a camera that matches that of an iPhone, so again it’s hard to find a clear winner.

Final evaluation

Now to conclude let’s put it all together, there isn’t a simple, answer for you that fits all your needs. As I said from the beginning, both phone ecosystems have their advantages and disadvantages.
It really comes down to your budget and what matters most to you. For me, the answer is Android, but I’m not going to fight with you if you prefer an iPhone. Maybe the fact that there isn’t a clear winner is reflected in the roughly equal distribution of Android and IOS purchases among smartphone users.

The answer for everyone should be:

Find a phone that fits your budget and needs!

Thank you for taking your time to read my article It would be appreciated if you could share around to friends and family, Mario Oliveira