6 Surprising Reasons You Should Buy An IPhone Instead Of Android
We have heard the same arguments from the Android faithful for so long that they have become accepted wisdom. If you want a cheap phone, you need an Android. If you want to make a phone personally yours, you need Android. If you want the coolest new features, you need Android.
I question these pillars of the pro-Android argument. What if an iPhone actually costs less than an Android? What if customization is also possible on the iPhone? And what if all that Android hardware bragging is just hot air?
The iPhone is a better budget device
You can easily find a great phone on either side for $1,000, but what if you only have $300 to spend, or less? Common wisdom says buy an Android, and big brands like Samsung, Motorola, and LG offer fine phones in that range. At Apple, the cheapest new phone is a $399 iPhone SE.
But what if you expand your search to older phones? Now the balance changes considerably. On Swappa, a “Mint” iPhone 8 costs around $300, the same price as a new Samsung Galaxy A50. The iPhone 8 may be 3 years old, but it still feels like an expensive flagship phone.
With the iPhone, you’ll even be treated like a flagship customer. You’ll get the same software updates as the brand new phones, you’ll have access to Apple support and Apple Store Genii, and you’ll be treated to a universe of cases and accessories.
With an inexpensive Android like the Motorola Moto G Power, you’ll get a few unpredictable updates, phone support, and few cases are available. The bottom line? You’ll have a better experience if you buy Apple’s device.
The iPhone offers more choice in hardware
Every iPhone is made by Apple. If you want an Android, however, you have an incredible variety to choose from. Android owners love to talk about the different hardware options. The long list of options supposedly means you can always find a phone for your needs.
https://www.amazon.in/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?k=Mi+note9+pro+max&ref=nb_sb_noss_2&linkCode=ll2&tag=pethe6-21&linkId=9bd18a40ed2c01b06eaf531a8caa900b&language=en_IN
Except that is no longer true.
Except that is no longer true.
Phones need to be water-resistant, which means a slim and sealed design with few ports or seams. Buyers want a big display, and stylistically prefer when the scant bezel is as black as an inactive screen. Thus, all phones are a black slab on the front, and if you’re wise, a case is blocking your view of the back.
Andy Boxall/DigitalTrends
For the first few years of Android, phones used to have more buttons, for making and ending calls, for opening menus and returning home. Those are all part of the software now. Phones used to have keyboards, and trackballs, and removable batteries. No more.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note series set a template for what Android phones should be, and everyone now emulates it. Even budget devices try their best to follow its lead, wrapping low-end hardware in surprisingly large, and glossy, exteriors.
The best evidence? Apple’s iPhone SE. Android doesn’t have a good alternative for people who want a small phone. It’s the iPhone, not Android, that offers the best range of display size and price to choose from.
You can customize the iPhone (enough)
Android users love customization, and it’s usually the first reason why they say iPhone owners should switch. On Android you can add widgets to your home screen, you can place app icons where you like, and you can tweak and adjust the look of the interface in myriad ways. You can even load an entirely new skin to completely change how your phone looks and behaves.
The problem is that customization adds more complexity than value, and not just for the user. Every manufacturer uses its own customized version of Android, which means that every software update needs to go through two or more levels of development. First at Google, then at Samsung, or Huawei, or Motorola.
Greg Mombert/Digital Trends
With so much complexity, it’s more likely that a new user will screw up than it is they will create a Google Maps navigation shortcut. I know this is true because most advanced Android users I talk to don’t even know the navigation homepage shortcut exists.
And it’s not as if you can’t customize an iPhone. To most users, customization means two things: Changing the look and changing the function. While there are more limits to iPhone than to Android, the possibilities available are more than enough for most users — and they’re more likely to work properly.
Apple is even adding home screen widgets to the iPhone with iOS 14, though Apple’s widgets are far less ambitious than Google’s concept. Taking so long to teach the user base means less complexity and more customers.
The iPhone’s performance is outstanding
The first iPhone did not include GPS or 3G networking, which was standard on all other flagship smartphones. That set a narrative that continues today. Android phones have a reputation for being more experimental, trying new designs and new features years before Apple takes notice.
Android phone makers also like to brag about hardware. Qualcomm throws a party when it launches a new mobile processor, a piece of hardware no consumer will ever see. Android makers beef up the RAM to laptop levels while Apple has never publicly revealed how much RAM is inside an iPhone. Ditto the battery, as others brag about how many mAh they achieve, while Apple stays quiet.
Apple’s silicon is so quick, in fact, that Apple will be transitioning Mac computers to it over the next several years.
When performance is measured, however, Apple’s iPhone often takes the lead. Apple creates its own mobile chip designs, and they perform flawlessly when paired with Apple’s software. Apple’s silicon is so quick, in fact, that Apple will be transitioning Mac computers to it over the next several years, abandoning its long-running partnership with Intel.
Apple owners also don’t complain about a lack of RAM. It’s an open secret that Apple uses less RAM in its phones, only 4GB in the premiere iPhone 11 Pro Max. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has four times as much RAM, 16GB, but doesn’t feel any more responsive — which says more about Android’s problems than Android performance.
The iPhone is better for gamers
Asus makes a ROG phone just for its Republic Of Gaming faithful. Razer made a couple of slick gaming phones, but a third-generation looks doubtful. Budget gamers can buy Xiaomi’s Black Shark phone that is widely praised, and every top-performing Android phone will have the processing power and sharp screen to create an awesome gaming experience.
But then you have to play games on Android. There’s a solid library of games available, but no great games on Android that are not also on iPhone (usually first). Plus, Apple’s Arcade offers a plethora of unique games and a curated experience. The wild west nature of the Android app marketplace makes game shopping a pain, with so many spammy adware games, pay-to-play games, and plain uncooked meals being served to gamers.
Konstantin Savusia/Shutterstock
Is Apple’s iPhone a gaming device? Like you wouldn’t believe. You can use your Xbox or Playstation controller with simple pairing. All iPhones are powerful enough to run games smoothly, and the screens are sharp and colorful. Best of all, older and cheaper iPhones get to run the same games as the newest phones, since Apple keeps them up-to-date on system software.
Lightning is what USB C should have been
I can use the same cord for my Macbook Pro, my Nintendo Switch, my Galaxy Tab S5, and my Jabra Elite 75t headphones. All of those devices charge using USB-C, an industry standard that Apple has used since the beginning — just not on iPhones. The iPad Pro line finally got a USB C port, but the rest of the iPads, and even accessories like the Airpods and the Apple Mouse, use Lightning.
This is often brought up as a problem with the iPhone, but in practice, Lightning was born to be the easier, more compact port that USB wanted to be. By the time Android phones caught up to Lightning by adding USB-C, the Lightning accessory market was so mature that prices for cords and chargers had dropped to USB price levels.
USB charging standards are also inconsistent, a problem that USB-C hasn’t solved. The only real standard is Power Delivery, which basically means ‘don’t worry, your charger will do its best,’ but you may not receive the fastest charge possible.
On the other hand, all Lightning is Lightning. The newer iPhones can take advantage of a higher-watt charger, but all Lightning devices will charge to the full potential of the charger and the phone together.
So, what should you buy?
If you don’t have much to spend (hello, everybody), and you’ve been avoiding iPhones because they cost too much, or the accessories are expensive, or you don’t think you get enough bang for your buck, it’s time to think again. You can find fun phones on both sides, but some of the assumptions that benefit Android the most are actually reasons to check out Apple.
Editors' RecommendationsAll The IOS 14 Features Coming To IPhones That Android Had First
Is the new Apple iOS 14 just Android in disguise?
Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET This story is part of WWDC 2020. All the latest coverage from Apple's WWDC annual developers conference.
Apple made a slew of announcements last month at WWDC 2020, its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. The company unveiled the new iOS 14 and a redesigned iPhone home screen with new widgets, along with iPadOS 14, MacOS Big Sur, and updates to TVOS and WatchOS. The public beta for iOS 14 is now available, and we tried it ahead of time.
While many of these iOS 14 features might feel new Apple iPhone users, those familiar with Android devices could be feeling deja vu. Here's a list of all the new Apple iOS 14 features that Android already had.
Translate
With iOS 14, Apple introduced a new Translate app that's designed for use in real-time conversation. It can translate between 11 languages, including English, Mandarin Chinese, French, German and Korean. As of March 2020, Google's 14-year-old dedicated translate app could transcribe conversations in eight languages in real time.
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Apple's Translate app in iOS 14.
Sarah Tew/ CNET Widgets
With the new operating systems, the revamped iPhone ($699 at Apple) and iPad ($300 at Back Market) home screens will include widgets, which let you see information like the weather on your home screen at a glance. Prior to the announcement at WWDC, iPhone users could only have apps on the iPhone home screen. But widgets, which contain more information and are more functional than app icons, have been a mainstay feature on Google's Android since its inception in 2008.
Now playing: Watch this: Top 5 features iOS 14 stole from Android
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App Clips in iOS 14.
Sarah Tew/ CNET App Clips
Apple's App Clips let users preview "small parts" of apps quickly without downloading them. This can come in handy when trying to pay for takeout or parking, since App Clips is compatible with Apple Pay and Sign In with Apple. Google introduced a similar feature, Instant Apps, in 2016. Instant Apps gives apps their own URL so users don't have to download an entire app for a single transaction, like buying concert tickets for example.
App Library
Another part of Apple's redesigned home screen is an App Library that organizes your apps into groups and lists. With the new home screen in iOS 14, users can also "hide" apps from their main home-screen. This is similar to Android's app drawer, sans the grouping features.
Apple Maps cycling directions
The updated Apple Maps app will provide ways to travel in a more eco-friendly fashion in iOS 14 and WatchOS 7. The dedicated Cycling option will help users find bike paths while taking into account elevation, whether the route you take its busy or quiet, and if you'll encounter any stairs. While Google Maps doesn't factor in stairs, there has been the option to select "cycling" since 2010. When I tried it on my Pixel 3 ($470 at Walmart), the step-by-step directions offer a look at elevation on a trip, too.
Apple's cycling directions in Apple Maps.
Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET Picture-in-picture
Apple also announced a new picture-in-picture feature coming to iOS 14, which will allow users to be able to watch a video while using other apps. The video will shrink and be able to float anywhere on the screen. It can also be swiped away and the video's audio can still play. While the audio doesn't continue to play if the video is swiped away, Android phones already have the ability to float videos over other apps.
Apple's Wind Down mode in iOS 14.
Sarah Tew/CNET Wind Down mode
Another new feature announced was a Wind Down mode that helps users get ready for bed. The feature, which works for iPhone and Apple Watch ($399 at Apple), lets you set a desired bed time and wake-up time, and puts your phone into Do Not Disturb mode. There are also options to add shortcuts for meditation or playing relaxing music. Google doesn't have a dedicated app for this, but there is a way to set up a bed time routine through the Google Home app.
For more, check out everything announced at WWDC 2020.
Now playing: Watch this: iOS 14 hands-on preview: Trying out the developers'...
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Twenty Features You Didn’t Know Android And IOS Stole From Each Other
© Provided by Popular Science If it weren't for that black square, telling an Android and an iPhone apart would be harder than finding Waldo.
Steve Jobs famously said that he wasn’t averse to stealing a great idea or two, and with the launch of iOS 14 on the horizon, people have started talking about Apple getting some ideas from Google’s Android.
CONSTELLATION BRANDS, INC.
But the swiping goes both ways—Android and iOS have taken plenty of ideas from each other over the years, which has resulted in two operating systems that are much more similar in features and functionality than they used to be.
Dig back a little and you’ll find plenty of examples—though we should say up-front this history is slightly edited. For example, one or two of these features appeared on the iPad before the iPhone, or in versions of Android from Samsung and LG before they appeared in the stock version.
1. Home screen widgets
For years, widgets were one of Android’s main advantages over iOS. This feature has enabled users to break the regimented rows and columns of app icons with media players, calendars, weather forecasts, mini maps and more, and has been present in Google’s operating system from its early stages. It took a while, but Apple has clearly taken note: After adding widgets to its Today view on iOS, they’re now coming to the iPhone home screen with iOS 14.
© Daniel Romero / Unsplash If it weren't for that black square, telling an Android and an iPhone apart would be harder than finding Waldo.
2. Gesture navigation
© Maksim Tarasov / Unspla Getting off the grid has never been easier. On Android and iOS you can limit what your apps know about you, starting with your location.
In 2017, the iPhone X got rid of the Home button and introduced a whole new way of getting around a smartphone—swipe up to go home, swipe up and hold to see recent apps, and so on. The team at Google must have liked the new navigation style, because Android adopted a similar set of gestures for both Android 9 and Android 10.
3. The app drawer
Historically, every app you’d install on an iOS device lived on your home screen, and the only way to keep it hidden was to bury it in a folder. Android users have been able to maintain decluttered home screens by hiding apps away in the app drawer (one tap away from the home screen), which Apple has now decided is a good idea. The hub will debut in the upcoming iOS 14, and it’ll be called App Library.
4. Notification badges
Some people find them more distracting than useful, but others couldn’t live without them. The small, simple notification badges on app icons debuted in iOS, showing users how many unread emails, messages, or other alerts awaited them. Android belatedly decided to add the same feature to its own interface with the launch of Android 8 in 2017.
© Major Tom Agency / Unsplash How did we get anything done before the Do not Disturb feature?
5. Swipe to type
Android users had been enjoying the ability to swipe-and-type for years before iOS 13 added it as a native option in 2019. If you’re not familiar with this feature, get acquainted, because it’s a supercharged productivity aid—just swipe over the keyboard letters you want to input, without lifting your finger from the screen.
6. Granular privacy controls
© Provided by Popular Science Getting off the grid has never been easier. On Android and iOS you can limit what your apps know about you, starting with your location.
For a long time, Apple has been giving users a great deal of control over how apps handle your data, so they can only access information such as your location while they’re running. It’s such a good way to manage permissions that Google decided to add a close copy to its own OS with Android 10 in 2019.
7. A back button
Android is moving away from on-screen buttons these days, but for many years it had something iOS didn’t—a system-level “go back” button that took you to the previous screen, regardless of whether that was a different app or a different page. Eventually, Apple decided to add a back button of its own, up in the top left-hand corner, with the launch of iOS 9 in 2015.
8. Blue light filter
Before everyone got so obsessed over dark mode (and we’re still not sure why they are), there was night mode, which reduced blue light and turned the screen amber before bed. Apple introduced the feature with Night Shift in iOS 9.3 in March 2016, before Android followed suit with Night Mode in Android 8.0 Oreo almost a year and a half later.
9. Picture-in-picture mode
Another feature coming to the iPhone with iOS 14 is picture-in-picture, which is exactly what it sounds like. If you’re watching a video, you can keep it on screen in minimized form while you check out other apps on your handset. As the engineers at Apple are no doubt fully aware, picture-in-picture functionality has been available on Android since 2017.
10. Do Not Disturb
© Provided by Popular Science How did we get anything done before the Do not Disturb feature?
The Do Not Disturb mode is a staple of modern-day phones, giving you a brief respite from the flood of notifications that normally have your handset vibrating non-stop. This was a feature Apple added first to iOS 6 in 2012. Google took its time and added it to its OS in 2014 with the launch of Android 5.0 Lollipop. (That was back when Android versions still had cute snack names.)
11. Over the air updates
Cast your mind back to 2011, when Apple released iOS 5, the first version of its OS that could be updated over Wi-Fi without requiring you to plug your phone into a computer and sync it with iTunes. This was a great feat back then, since Wi-Fi wasn’t quite as fast as it is now. But it wasn’t such a big whoop after all—Android users had already been updating their devices over the air for several years.
12. Digital assistants
Apple originally beat Google to the digital assistant punch—they bought Siri and integrated it into the iPhone 4S in 2011. Nine months later, Google launched Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which included the Google Now feature that eventually morphed into the Google Assistant we have today.
13. The notification drawer
You think notifications are bad today? Let me remind you that back when the iPhone ran iOS 4, notifications interrupted whatever you were doing with a pop-up on your screen. Luckily, Apple realized how annoying this was, so iOS 5 introduced the notification drawer that allowed users to access all their updates by swiping down from the top of the screen. This wasn’t an original design though, since it was already a standard fixture on Android devices.
© Apple Apple is finally adding cycling directions to Apple Maps with iOS 14. Google Maps has offered this feature since 2010.
14. Screenshot annotations
With the arrival of iOS 11 in 2017, screenshots got a little different—users were able to tap on a screengrab right after capturing it to bring up a special annotation menu for adding doodles or applying a crop. Google added something similar to Android, but not until Android 9.0 Pie, which didn’t arrive on phones until mid-2018.
15. A native mapping app
© Provided by Popular Science Apple is finally adding cycling directions to Apple Maps with iOS 14. Google Maps has offered this feature since 2010.
Strange though it might seem now, the iPhone launched with Google Maps as its default mapping app, and it wasn’t until 2012 that Apple Maps appeared on the scene with iOS 6. Since then it’s continued to play catch-up with Google Maps, including the recent introduction of its Look Around (aka Street View) road-level photography feature.
16. Selfie camera
This was a close one, but Apple just got there first—the iPhone 4 from June 2010 was the first with a front-facing camera, but Android phones didn't get official support for a selfie cam until Android 2.3 Gingerbread, launched in December of the same year. We've only been snapping selfies properly for a decade, yet somehow it feels like it's been much longer.
17. Set default apps
Considering Apple hasn’t really promoted this new iOS 14 feature, it’s likely they’re adding it reluctantly. When the software update arrives, it’ll be the first time iPhone users will be able to set default apps for their email and web browsing that aren’t Apple Mail or Safari—a feature Android users have been making the most of for quite a while.
18. Record the screen
The ability to make a video recording of whatever’s happening on screen has been available to iPhone users for a long, long time now. It’s still not available in Android, but it looks as though Google is readying this very feature for the launch of Android 11 later this year (currently in beta).
19. Low battery mode
For some years, iOS lagged behind Android in not having a specialized low-battery mode. Apple loyalists would say iPhones didn’t really need one, but the feature was eventually added to Apple’s mobile devices in iOS 9, cutting down on the number of background processes running at once and reducing CPU performance.
20. Emergency contact information
Did you know you can add emergency contact information to your phone? This can be accessed directly from your device’s lock screen so other people can get to it in case something happens to you. Today, both Android and iOS have this feature in their settings, but Apple devices were the first to introduce the option. Android added it to its Nougat (7.0) update in 2016.
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