In the smartphone wars or as I like to call it “The Smartphone Revolution” only two platforms have emerged victorious – Apple and Android. There’s a constant debate as to which is the better platform. While Android has the numbers on its side, iOS on the hand has an active user base which despite little to no innovation from Apple. In this article, I would like to point out five things for each platform which I feel is its plus points. I was a long time Android user who recently switched to an iPhone (for reasons which I’ll list in the next blog).
1. Choices… Choices… Choices everywhere
One of the main selling points for Android are the choices of phones that are on offer. If you have a budget, then Android’s got a phone for you. Lately, even the budget options have become so good that they hold their own when compared to the expensive flagship phones. Whereas when you consider the other side, the choices are very less and often costly and overpriced. The price difference is one of the main reasons that Android has become a market leader. Asian markets are very price sensitive, and for the same reason, there aren’t many takers for Apple iPhones.
2. Easy-Peasy – Customisation
This feature of Android is something that I love very much. Just the fact the I can install a launcher which would radically change the way my phone looks and performs stands as a testament to the impressive capability of the platform. It might seem that I’m nit-picking but compare to how bland and unattractive the iOS operating system looks like Android user interface looks a lot more better. Plus, as an added advantage Android also has an app drawer. Again, it comes down to the user and individual preference.
3. One World – Better Integration
If you are like me who is tied into the Google ecosystem with the Gmail, Google Drive, Maps, YouTube, etc., you’ll love Android. The simplicity at which everything syncs is impressive. Not to say iCloud, Apple Maps or the other corresponding services offered by Apple are any less, but for me, they aren’t much of any use.
My phone contacts are in sync with my email and for that’s a huge benefit. It reduces the hassle of picking up my phone, unlocking it, going into contacts, searching for the person and then arriving at the end to find the number I need. All I need to do is if am on my computer and someone asks me for a number I open my Gmail and search in the contacts and am done.
4. Play As Much As You Like – Play Store
If we go just by plain numbers then at 2.8 million apps on the Google Play Store, it beats the iOS app store which has 2.2 million apps iOS as of December 2017. But more is always not better. The reason I consider this category as a plus point is the fact that we can install apps which are not on the Play Store but still can be loaded on the phones. Yes, there is risk involved in this, but if you know what you’re doing, you should not have any problems.
Some might argue about the reasons why someone needs to use apps which are not on the official Play store. If they aren’t allowed to be on the Play Store it might be for a reason. Right? Not exactly the case every single time. There are specific apps which are restricted due to geographic restrictions and sometimes they are the products which you’d want to try out. That is one of those times this feature can help you out.
5. Ok Google – Google Assistant
Siri might’ve been the first voice assistant to hit the mobile phone market, but when compared to Google Assistant, Siri is just so far behind. With Google’s AI weight driving it, it’s going only to get better. From answering fundamental questions to performing tasks like playing the music from your preferred app rather than forcing us to sign up for Apple Music like Siri makes us do.
There you have it. These are the five things I feel Android does better than iOS, but I frankly think I can go for a bit more. Watch out for the next post where I list five things which iOS does better than Android.
