So the general consensus here is go Android if you like rooting/custom roms otherwise

[kyrax12]

go with iOS?

 

[BenSkywalker]

I think it's more like if you like exactly what Apple is offering, go with iOS. If you want choice, go with Android.

 

[QueBert]

both can be customized greatly, Android more-so, but you can still do plenty of altering to iOS if you jailbreak.

 

[BenSkywalker]

both can be customized greatly, Android more-so, but you can still do plenty of altering to iOS if you jailbreak.

Link up a ~4.5" 720p SAMOLED iPhone after a jailbreak with a 32GB SD card installed please.

If you hack your iPhone you can change around the UI a little bit. That is what an iPhone user considers choice. If that is what you consider choice, then an iPhone is probably good for you.

 

[Red Storm]

My Nexus isn't rooted and I'm using the stock launcher. I feel no need to put a custom ROM on this phone, "it just works".

Make your pick based on the phone's looks/build/specs (in relation to what you want to do, i.e. watch a lot of video = bigger screen). Most importantly, decide which carrier you're going to go with first.

 

[Oyeve]

Be different, go Win7.

 

[Monster_Munch]

I haven't felt the need to root either of my past 2 android phones. You can completely overhaul the UI just by installing a different launcher or lock screen. People moan about the manufacturer skins like sense and touchwiz but they do give you some fairly cool widgets and things that you would otherwise have to pay for.

 

[bonkers325]

you can root/customize Android and iOS to whatever degree you wish. but the difference is that people feel the need to root their phones to simply to rid themselves of carrier installed bloatware/spyware, which is a huge problem on most android phones offered in the US. iOS doesn't have this problem since the ecosystem is locked down.

 

[Red Storm]

you can root/customize Android and iOS to whatever degree you wish. but the difference is that people feel the need to root their phones to simply to rid themselves of carrier installed bloatware/spyware, which is a huge problem on most android phones offered in the US. iOS doesn't have this problem since the ecosystem is locked down.

Stocks? Gamecenter? Newstand?

You can at least hide pre-installed bloat apps on a typical Android phone (or get a Nexus and not worry about it). I'm assuming with a jailbreak you can remove those apps off of an iPhone.

 

[trmiv]

Not really. I used to rom the hell out of my Droid, but grew tired of it. My current phone is a Galaxy Nexus totally stock, and I love it. No plans on putting a rom on it any time soon.

 

[zerogear]

With ICS, it's more of a toss up. ICS pretty much removed any reason for me to use iOS at all.

 

[Slinkwyde]

Stocks? Gamecenter? Newstand?

You can at least hide pre-installed bloat apps on a typical Android phone (or get a Nexus and not worry about it). I'm assuming with a jailbreak you can remove those apps off of an iPhone.

I use a jailbroken iPod touch and using SBSettings I can hide unwanted apps. Newsstand, however, is actually not an app. It's a folder, albeit a special folder. To hide Newssttand I use a tweak called NoNewsIsGoodNews. I assume that if I were to ssh/sftp into the iPod I would be able to fully delete the unwanted apps, but I haven't tried.

iOS is good for UI polish/consistency, media, accessories, gaming, photography, and speed of OS updates. Android is good for choice (hardware, software, carrier), customization, Google service experience, openness (sort of), and rapid tech advancement (ex: LTE, multicore). Both are strong and both have their merits and flaws. Windows Phone has some interesting and unique ideas, but it is not yet strong. It has some catching up to do in terms of features and apps.

IMO... If you want a tablet, get an iPad (for now). If you want a smartphone-like experience without the monthly fees, get an iPod touch. For a phone, however, choose your carrier and then pick the ecosystem (apps, services, accessories) which suits your needs best. Avoid anything other than Android, iOS, or Windows Phone.

 

[notposting]

Be different, go Win7.

Word. :thumbsup:

If you like force closes and screwing with Linux to get your damn phone to work, go Android. If you want, well, the iPhone, get an iPhone. If you want a smooth system and a choice in hardware, get a WP7.

 

[Patranus]

If you hack your iPhone you can change around the UI a little bit.

Just a bit...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK1MahyPx9Y&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBdvpjBixc8&feature=related

 

[runawayprisoner]

Link up a ~4.5" 720p SAMOLED iPhone after a jailbreak with a 32GB SD card installed please.

If you hack your iPhone you can change around the UI a little bit. That is what an iPhone user considers choice. If that is what you consider choice, then an iPhone is probably good for you.

You are talking about choice. Isn't the discussion about customizations (a.k.a. what you already "chose" to have)?

----

In any case, I don't think it's fair to say "iOS". There's also Blackberry OS (if you want to look at that), WebOS (bit dead, but open source plans are in motion, or so they say), Windows Phone 7 (solid choice), and then MeeGo (gives a different taste), which is currently on only one handset. But just to say, iOS is not the only choice there is.

Perhaps aside from Android, iOS is the next safest bet, but I think it's very much a personal preference thing, and personally, I wouldn't go iOS if I'm still on Windows, and if I hate iTunes.

 

[zerocool84]

This is going to turn into a flamewar.

Basically try out both in-store and see which you like. Can't make it any easier.

 

[purbeast0]

general consensus where?

if you ask the general consensus here it is going to be android, no matter what, because 99% of everyone here hates apple and ios no matter what.

 

[pm]

I'm running stock Android 2.3.4 on my Samsung Galaxy S II and I have an iPhone 4. I've been on iPhones since the original one and I've pretty much always jailbroken them although recently with my iPhone 4, I didn't see much reason to jailbreak and didn't. I bought the SGS2 because I'll be travelling a fair bit this year and I wanted an unlocked SIM phone to keep data costs down while travelling.

I have to say that I think the two platforms are pretty similar. There's things that I really like about Android and visa-versa.

I don't think it's at all like the title. Stock Android is pretty stable and pretty customizable. About the only reasons to root are to install Titanium Backup and maybe to clear up some of the carrier junk. I don't custom ROMs are required - just a nice to have. Stock Android has been pretty stable and works fine for me.

I think the two platforms are fairly well matched in terms of software once you factor in ICS - although some some specific apps on iOS are far better than their Android equivalents. But then other Android apps like Google Voice are better than the iOS equivalent.

To me, the two platforms are interchangable enough that I feel comfortable putting down my iPhone and picking up an SGS2 and there's not much adjustment.

The biggesst reason to choose one over the other is if you already have some investment in either Google or Apple. In other words, if you already use Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, etc., then that's a good reason to choose an Android phone and already have a lot of music (particularly DRM'd music) on iTunes, then that's a pretty good reason to go iOS. Or if you like Android hardware (like SD cards, removeable batteries, unlocked phones, large screens), then that's a good reason for Android.

 

[poofyhairguy]

both can be customized greatly, Android more-so, but you can still do plenty of altering to iOS if you jailbreak.

In my experience with both, unjailbroken and unROMed/rooted iOS is a more stable OS. But once you start jailbreaking and installing jailbreaking packages (ESPECIALLY themes) that stability goes out the window. Android is the more stable OS once you start customizing because it is made for it.

 

[theeedude]

I am on stock Android, it's fine. Plenty customizable.

 

[QueBert]

Link up a ~4.5" 720p SAMOLED iPhone after a jailbreak with a 32GB SD card installed please.

If you hack your iPhone you can change around the UI a little bit. That is what an iPhone user considers choice. If that is what you consider choice, then an iPhone is probably good for you.

I didn't realize that choice was the same thing as customization, op didn't ask about choice. As for the "little bit" comment, no you can change the UI a lot. You can even make iOS look almost exactly like an Android or WP7 phone if you wish. Both OS's can be highly customized.
Show me an Android device with 64 gigs of internal memory. See what I did there?

 

[Slinkwyde]

In any case, I don't think it's fair to say "iOS". There's also Blackberry OS (if you want to look at that), WebOS (bit dead, but open source plans are in motion, or so they say), Windows Phone 7 (solid choice), and then MeeGo (gives a different taste), which is currently on only one handset. But just to say, iOS is not the only choice there is.

[...] personally, I wouldn't go iOS if I'm still on Windows, and if I hate iTunes

Blackberry is on the way out; their customers have been leaving in droves. RIM finally replaced their two co-CEOs with one new guy, but I'm not too hopeful that he'll be able to turn that company around. If nothing else, their product reputation is tarnished in the minds of many consumers.

Open source may help WebOS a little bit, especially with all the $99 Touchpads they sold, but really I don't think it has much future outside various pieces of it being used in other projects.

Windows Phone is getting there and MS has the resources and motivation to make it happen, but WP7 isn't quite there yet IMO. Nokia abandoned MeeGo for it, other than that one phone you mentioned. MeeGo is becoming Tizen (by Intel & Samsung) and Bada will be rolled into it, but that platform will still be a ghost town. It would be like recommending OpenMoko at this point.

I don't like iTunes either, but iOS 5 and iCloud finally made iOS able to work independently from a computer.

The biggest reason to choose one over the other is if you already have some investment in either Google or Apple. [...] and [if you] already have a lot of music (particularly DRM'd music) on iTunes, then that's a pretty good reason to go iOS.

Great post. The only comment I'd add is that DRM'd iTunes music can be upgraded to DRM-free 256Kbps AAC via iTunes Plus ($0.30 per song or 30% per album) or a 1 year subscription to iTunes Match. You get to keep the music when the subscription ends, so the iTunes Match method is sometimes cheaper.

 

[nageov3t]

if you enjoy connecting your cellphone to a computer to charge it and having it wipe all your data, go with iOS.

otherwise, I'd say Android.

I'd been keeping my iPod touch around for music purposes, and I never thought I'd say this, but now I feel comfortable saying that PowerAMP is better than the iOS media player in every way.

 

[vshah]

look at this thread and decide for yourself which is easier to customize
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2220904

 

[MrX8503]

Go with Android if you want widgets and a larger screen.