Android vs. iPhone ?

[glen]

I am an Android fan.
A friend of mine is thinking about getting an iPhone.
What is the current state of comparison on these 2 types of phones?
Used to be iPhone had a better screen and the software ran faster, but that is not so true these days is it?

 

[jhansman]

Stand by, incoming...

 

[sciwizam]

Have your friend go to a Verizon store and try out the iPhone and the Galaxy Nexus.

 

[poofyhairguy]

 

[glen]

lol, I knew it would be a sh!t storm asking thta. I am sorry.

 

[zerocool84]

Have your friend go to a Verizon store and try out the iPhone and the Galaxy Nexus.

This and only this. Nothing else needs to be said.

 

[poofyhairguy]

No big deal.

The honest truth is that iPhones have a better App ecosystem (in number and quality of apps), are generally more polished, have longer battery life on average, and have more accessories made for them. The iPhone 4S in particular gets you Siri and the most power GPU on the mobile market.

Android on the other hand gives you more hardware options (including better/larger screens, faster CPUs, more RAM, better FFCs, thinner designs, etc.- but not all in a single phone), greater customizability, the ability to overclock/ROM, and the ability to have LTE.

The current state is that both device take up almost opposite ends of the market and they serve those niches well. The only reason such questions bring a shit storm usually is because too many who are fans of one side or the other (wrongly IMHO) believe that the only reasons to get a phone that are valid are the reasons they care about.

 

[glen]

No big deal.

The honest truth is that iPhones have a better App ecosystem (in number and quality of apps), are generally more polished, have longer battery life on average, and have more accessories made for them. The iPhone 4S in particular gets you Siri and the most power GPU on the mobile market.

Android on the other hand gives you more hardware options (including better/larger screens, faster CPUs, more RAM, better FFCs, thinner designs, etc.- but not all in a single phone), greater customizability, the ability to overclock/ROM, and the ability to have LTE.

The current state is that both device take up almost opposite ends of the market and they serve those niches well. The only reason such questions bring a shit storm usually is because too many who are fans of one side or the other (wrongly IMHO) believe that the only reasons to get a phone that are valid are the reasons they care about.

Good points!
I love AnandTech!

 

[amdhunter]

I own both.

iOS for some reason feels less cheap when it comes to apps. Even the crappiest apps on iOS seem polished and refined. The thing is, there's just as many crappy apps on iOS as there is on Android, and finding a great app is few and far between. A polished turd is still a turd.

My Galaxy Nexus on the other hand, is fast, I can customize it the way I want...the screen is really nice, and the browser almost feels like a desktop browser. The apps don't feel polished, but they work.

As far as business use - my corporate email is almost 100% using iOS, whereas the Nexus sometimes reminds me of new emails minutes or hours after they are sent to me.

LTE destroys ATT 3G.

My almost 2 year old iPhone4 is scratched up, but still looks more high quality than my Nexus did when it was brand new. The phone just screams build quality.

In the end if I had to choose between one, I'd get an iPhone. Android just isn't there yet for me.

 

[sygyzy]

As far as business use - my corporate email is almost 100% using iOS, whereas the Nexus sometimes reminds me of new emails minutes or hours after they are sent to me.

While I believe you that this is the case, what I can't believe is you actually think it's normal or acceptable. My work email is pushed "instantaneously" to me on my Android device. Same with Gmail. You never thought to question the setup?

 

[allenk09]

I went from iPhone to Android, and I've noticed android hardware feels really cheap and flimsy (even the high end phones), and the companies that compile the android builds for each phone, do a piss poor job and then don't support the phone down the line, they make you buy a new one.

The iPhone, feels like a solid piece of hardware (though I wish they'd get off that glass), there are no bugs (that I know of). It's just...awesome (though the plans aren't). I WISH I could go back to an iPhone, but a plan just isn't in my budget.

People who say you need to jailbreak an iPhone to do anything, don't often tell you that you need to root your android device to do anything.

 

[Dulanic]

People who say you need to jailbreak an iPhone to do anything, don't often tell you that you need to root your android device to do anything.

This part is not true. You can change launchers, browsers, SMS programs all without rooting. That isn't true with a iphone, you need to jailbreak. That is what people are referring too.

 

[mammador]

Personal/subjective preference, nothing more than that.

Android has more market share due to more vendors making it and more choice. Evidently, only one manufacturer makes iOS.

 

[vi edit]

If you want LTE, larger screens, a more customizable system, and/or hate Apple you go Android.

If you have any other Apple products already, or plan to purchase some and enjoy a simple to use, "it just works" OS with highly polished hardware, excellent battery life and a highly established aftermarket for cases, accessories, integration, ect then you iPhone.

Even being somewhat entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, I can safely say that if the next version of of the iPhone isn't at least 4" in size and with LTE I'm going android since my area recently got that service added. There are some major "non-subjective" hardware features that iPhones don't have right now that many of the newer Android offerings do.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Android feels a bit stuttery and awkward compared to iOS, but it is capable of everything iOS is capable of and more. I actually far prefer the experience of iOS, but the lack of a screen bigger than 3.5 inches is a dealbreaker now that I have experienced an android phone with a 4.3 inch screen. If the next iphone has a bigger screen, it'll be everything I want in a phone. Right now, I can't buy anything but android.

 

[zsdersw]

Also keep in mind that ICS != previous versions of Android... in many key ways.

 

[amdhunter]

While I believe you that this is the case, what I can't believe is you actually think it's normal or acceptable. My work email is pushed "instantaneously" to me on my Android device. Same with Gmail. You never thought to question the setup?

I've come to accept it. When I had my last Android phone (HTC Hero) there would always be some sort of delay when getting emails. It could be crappy coverage from Sprint and Verizon. My iPhone never skips a beat.

Or it could be the non-stock roms I use. Who knows.

 

[obidamnkenobi]

Simple
Does your friend like computers and know how to use them?
Yes-> Android.
No -> iPhone

Done.

 

[sgrinavi]

I own both.

iOS for some reason feels less cheap when it comes to apps. Even the crappiest apps on iOS seem polished and refined. The thing is, there's just as many crappy apps on iOS as there is on Android, and finding a great app is few and far between. A polished turd is still a turd.

My Galaxy Nexus on the other hand, is fast, I can customize it the way I want...the screen is really nice, and the browser almost feels like a desktop browser. The apps don't feel polished, but they work.

As far as business use - my corporate email is almost 100% using iOS, whereas the Nexus sometimes reminds me of new emails minutes or hours after they are sent to me.

LTE destroys ATT 3G.

My almost 2 year old iPhone4 is scratched up, but still looks more high quality than my Nexus did when it was brand new. The phone just screams build quality.

In the end if I had to choose between one, I'd get an iPhone. Android just isn't there yet for me.

Funny, I have a iP4s & a GNex too. I agree for the most part - I use my iPhone for most of my mail & photos. It's kinda fun to play with now that it's JB'd, but at the end of the day If I had to pick just one I would go with the Gnex. The larger screen and wide-open OS win the day for me.

PS - neither one of them feel cheap to me.

 

[SP33Demon]

Android, specifically Samsung, has brighter screens for sunlight. Way more customization and free apps to boot.

 

[pm]

I own both, and I've been swapping back and forth. I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 and an iPhone 4. I bought the SGS2 mostly because I need an unlocked phone and I saw a good deal on a used one.

There are things that I like about both, and I thought Poofyhairguy did a good job pointing them out.

On the Android side, I generally like the customization, although I don't use it much myself. I love the notification system. I love the screen on my SGS2 and the ability to use SD cards. I like the feel of the phone itself much better than my iPhone. I like certain apps - like Google Voice and Amazon's Kindle app - much much more on Android.

On the iPhone side, I like the integrated backup system in iTunes, I like having a button to start speech recognition on the phone without looking at it, I like the fact that everywhere I go (hotels, etc) lots of devices are built to take iPhones and so charging is generally easy, and I like that the earbuds have a digital volume control built into them. And there are a few apps on the iPhone that either don't exist or are substantially junkier on Android that are apps my kids or I use a fair bit.

Overall though, I find it pretty easy to swap back and forth and that's a sign that things are more even than most people seem to say they are. The truth as I see it is that the two platforms are generally pretty equivalent. You don't need to jailbreak (I haven't in years), you don't need to root (I haven't yet, although I did install CWM).

I'm thinking my iPhone is going on Ebay... but there's still a few things that I don't like about Android. Like it still chimes when I plug in USB, it still wakes me up at night to tell me that it's fully charged, and I've found the bluetooth on the SGS2 to be slightly buggy in my car. It will just drop occassionally. No idea why. Could be the phone, could be my car. But beyond a few annoyances, I generally find that I like Android.

I agree with the advice of going and playing with both in person and seeing what you like. I'd advise someone to do some common things on both and play around a bit.

I personally don't think you can go wrong with either platform.

 

[Red Storm]

Anand says it best in his reviews of various iOS and Android devices.

They aren't substitutes for one another. If you want iOS, get an iOS device. If you want Android, get an Android device.

A lot people treat it like comparing different Windows laptops. These are completely different operating systems, so it's not an apples to apples comparison.

 

[Oyeve]

This has been the most decent ios/android discussion since.........ever. Nice to see we can all get along somethimes.

On that note I have both. Why? because neither one does it all and because I can.


android for me because the screen is jusy beautiful and video playback is awesome. I have poweramp on it and imo it is the best mp3 player ever. I do some gaming but not that much. web browsing is great, youtube app is great. all around its a great device, a little stuttery at times but still plenty fast

iphone 4 for its great apps. not a fan of the ipod music playback and definately hate itunes which you need to use but it does the job. the screen is gorgeous but too damn small. I dont browse on it as I need 4"+ to see anything. the camera is pretty damn good, not as good as the sgs2 but close. Plus its just damn easy to use.

I await the day that one can do it all but thats far away. in the meantime, both are awesome. I suggest what the others say and play with both.

 

[jhansman]

OK, since we're not pointing fingers (or raising middle ones), I'll chime in with this: I'm on my second Android, both of which do everything the iPhone does, just not as elegantly. Take music, for example: I want my Atrix 2 to connect to my PC and bring up an iTunes-like program that lets me download podcasts or import CDs, etc, and then send that content to the phone, which in turn lets me open an app that finds and shows all that with no hassle. I use Poweramp and Doubletwist on my phone, but neither are able to easily get me to my newly added content. Sure, I get to it eventually, but it all feels too unpolished and wonky. I'd love my phone to replace my aging iPod, but right now it's just a pain. I'm hanging in there though, and believe one day the ease of use issue will be bridged.

OH, and FWIW, my extended family are all Macheads. They bore me to tears, but are clearly having a good time.

 

[glen]

One quick question, how does iOS handle Gmail these days?
For me, the gmail and contacts are seemlessly handled on an Android.
How is it on Apple now?