Best One: Android and iOS?

[GTRagnarok]

I prefer Android, but iOS is fine too; my first smartphone was the iPhone 4 which I jailbroke, customized, and used extensively. If iPhones were to start using amoled displays, I would be enticed to switch back to iOS. I would really, really miss the back button though. I think that's the single most differentiating aspect in user experience between iOS and Android. Since I'm used to Samsung's phones, I'm always habitually tapping the area to the right of the home button whenever I'm using someone's iPhone.

 

[Zaap]

Prefer Android hands down to iOS.
I'm often amazed at how lacking iOS can be for certain tasks.

Same as others I prefer Android for ability to set up things as I wish to suit my needs. Just the simple things like ability to choose a launcher that suits, or keyboad/lockscreen etc. I find invaluable on Android.

Also I obviously prefer the range of hardware choice for Android vs. very narrow choice for iOS.

This issue is a lot like Mac vs PC used to be. The difference to me is that iOS in virtually NO way compares to OSX in this context.

Though not my cup of tea I can understand why people prefer iOS and the hardware that runs it.

 

[mmntech]

I think both Android and iOS have their advantages and disadvantages. None is really better or worse than the other. Just different strokes for different folks.

Android
Advantages
-Greater hardware variety that caters to a wide variety of budgets
-Flexible and customizable, caters to both regular and power users
-Tightly integrated with Google's excellent cloud service
-No walled garden. It'll run any app that doesn't require root access. Not just ones Google deems kosher.

Disadvantages
-Lack of consistent OS updates on devices not made by Google. Samsung and LG are getting better about this, but it's still a huge issue with other device makers. Since manufacturers use their own custom builds, Google can't just push updates themselves.
-Security issues, exacerbated by said lack of updates. Holes on popular devices can take a long time to get patched, if they ever get patched.
-Might be some privacy issues due to some liberal policies on apps accessing your data

iOS
Advantages
-Apple's most excellent hardware and support
-Simple, secure, and safe to use for computer novices
-Lead development platform for large number of popular apps
-The App Store is much better than Google Play from my experience
-Regular software updates

Disadvantages
-Walled garden means you're limited to apps Apple deems kosher
-Hardware can be very expensive, especially off contract. Limited choice of handsets.
-Bloated software updates can slow older devices to a crawl, though Apple has gotten better about this in recent years
-Not very customizable
-Some of the built in apps (Maps, iBooks) aren't that great
-Forced use of iTunes to pretty much do anything between your device and computer

 

[openwheel]

Android. Debate closed.
Any post with generalized arguments are wrong.

 

[saratoga172]

Lol this is a completely opinionated answer. Every person looks for something different and likes something different. There are pros and cons to each os at nearly all levels of the price spectrum (android has iOS best at the lower end).

My preference is iOS. Not sure if it's familiarity from using it first (I did have a galaxy nexus for about 9 months before swapping back to iOS) or if it's something else. To me the interface feels more polished, uniform and smooth. I haven't used an android in a couple years so that may have changed.

Android was more open and when I liked tinkering more it did everything I liked. For my parents one likes android because a better priced phone gets what they need and the other likes the iPhone because it has everything they need.

So it's all subjective. One isn't better than the other. It's simply a matter of opinion.

 

[blankslate]

Android is for people who like to do things to their phones.
iOS is for people who like to do things with their phones.

A vaguely pretentious statement in the past is incredibly so now...


These days it just depends on which apps you want more if you're buying a new phone.


....

 

[Red Storm]

A vaguely pretentious statement in the past is incredibly so now...


These days it just depends on which apps you want more if you're buying a new phone.


....

I'd say these days it probably depends more on how many apps you've bought for either OS. I doubt people are switching back and forth willy nilly, past purchases definitely factor in.

 

[Commodus]

A vaguely pretentious statement in the past is incredibly so now...

These days it just depends on which apps you want more if you're buying a new phone.

The differences are narrower, to be sure, but there's still a degree of truth to it. The people who actively seek out Android are typically the ones who thrive on customization, who feel suffocated if they can't get their home screen just so, change their default music player or install a custom launcher. They want a phone that reflects themselves, not what a company thinks they want.

If you actively choose iOS, you probably did so because of apps (iOS typically gets major apps first), ease of use, or ecosystem reasons (say, because you already have a Mac or want to use an iOS-only accessory). You're more concerned with documenting that night out than replacing icons with widgets.

This isn't to say that Android is difficult or only for power users, or that there aren't iOS users who wish things were more flexible. There are a lot of people who care less about the platform and will buy almost anything with a big-enough screen and the right apps. However, this is a discussion of which is "better," and the truth is that the priorities and values associated with each OS are different.

 

[openwheel]

It is incorrect to assume Android buyers "thrive on customization". 95% of "Galaxy" owners use the stock TW interface as is. That's the majority of Android users.

It is also incorrect to assume iOS buyers are "more concerned with documenting a night out than replacing icons with widgets". This statement is incredibly......bias.

Why pretend to be neutral when you clearly prefer and think better of iOS?

Fact is, we just buy whatever the $%$k we want. Some buy iPhone because it's hip. Some buy Galaxy because it's hip too in a different way. I bought an S6 because I need the best camera and that screen is awesome. My wife bought iPhone because her sister got one too. My dad bought Note 4 because he can't read on a tiny screen. My co-worker still uses original Droid on Verizon Unlimited because he has to have a keyboard.

The 2012 generalization are gone boys. Let's stop pretending.

 

[poofyhairguy]

The iOS is for people who don't like to tinker or customize is not even close to true. I could spend 10 hours looking at apps on Cydia and probably still not even have seen a 10th of them. IMHO the Cydia community dwarfs what you find on XDA for Android by a decent chunk.

Lol, no way. The XDA community is huge, spans hundreds of devices and thousands of project apps (like Xposed). Most are in the community for the freedom to hack and most hacks are open source and loadable via free apks or flashable files.

The Cydia community is full of pirates, and loading up pirate sources for apps is a huge part of the appeal for most people. What is left outside of piracy is black box hacks that often you have to pay for despite a level of instability they bring to your iOS device. Certain categories of jailbroken iOS apps (file managers, console emulators) aren't even on the same planet of quality as what Android has in 2015.

The "a jailbroken iPhone can do anything and Android can do" line is dead and buried in 2015. If you can actually hit the jailbreak window for a iOS release while Apple still signs it you only get your hacks if they have been updated to that version of iOS. Some of the best hacks (like Flex that allows you to get around stupid OS mirroring restrictions) go un-updated for so long they are basically broken. Cydia is a minefield.

 

[Oyeve]

Lol, no way. The XDA community is huge, spans hundreds of devices and thousands of project apps (like Xposed). Most are in the community for the freedom to hack and most hacks are open source and loadable via free apks or flashable files.

The Cydia community is full of pirates, and loading up pirate sources for apps is a huge part of the appeal for most people. What is left outside of piracy is black box hacks that often you have to pay for despite a level of instability they bring to your iOS device. Certain categories of jailbroken iOS apps (file managers, console emulators) aren't even on the same planet of quality as what Android has in 2015.

The "a jailbroken iPhone can do anything and Android can do" line is dead and buried in 2015. If you can actually hit the jailbreak window for a iOS release while Apple still signs it you only get your hacks if they have been updated to that version of iOS. Some of the best hacks (like Flex that allows you to get around stupid OS mirroring restrictions) go un-updated for so long they are basically broken. Cydia is a minefield.

I hear ya. Navigating thru cydia is a freaking joke. I am so glad I stopped that long ago.

 

[blankslate]

The differences are narrower, to be sure, but there's still a degree of truth to it.

It has far less of a degree of proof than you're implying

This person said it well.

It is incorrect to assume Android buyers "thrive on customization". 95% of "Galaxy" owners use the stock TW interface as is. That's the majority of Android users.

It is also incorrect to assume iOS buyers are "more concerned with documenting a night out than replacing icons with widgets". This statement is incredibly......bias.

Why pretend to be neutral when you clearly prefer and think better of iOS?

Fact is, we just buy whatever the $%$k we want. Some buy iPhone because it's hip. Some buy Galaxy because it's hip too in a different way. I bought an S6 because I need the best camera and that screen is awesome. My wife bought iPhone because her sister got one too. My dad bought Note 4 because he can't read on a tiny screen. My co-worker still uses original Droid on Verizon Unlimited because he has to have a keyboard.

The 2012 generalization are gone boys. Let's stop pretending.

The only way that statement you're pushing is true is if you're dealing with the low-end market where phones running Android or Windows just can't compete with the hardware of the iPhone 6 models.

But that is kind of a wash because Apple maintains an image by having hardly any products that are targeted at the low-end market in terms of price.

At the mid-high to high end categories the question these days becomes what do you want to do with your phone?


http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=37648545&postcount=9
^this is probably the one of the best answers in the thread about mobile OSes


Looking at the join date I expect the question was designed to start an argument. who knows?


....

 

[Oyeve]

I am proud of you guys! 4 days in and no one has called anyone any bad things. Kudos AT, kudos! OP has failed, thus far, into inciting a war.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I am proud of you guys! 4 days in and no one has called anyone any bad things. Kudos AT, kudos! OP has failed, thus far, into inciting a war.

Just goes to show the whole iOS vs Android war is over. It is obvious what position in the market each have (very similar to Windows and OSX) and at this point mobile platforms have been around long enough that our investment in them outdoes any OS feature when it comes to product loyalty.

The battleground of hardware isn't even relevant due to market conditions. Yes one can argue (I have since day one) that the iPhone 6 with its 720p screen and 1GB of RAM is a poor hardware value, but when the direct competition is either an Android device with the evil 820 inside or an S6 with a too small battery then suddenly it is a pox on all their houses situation. On top of that the tablet market has basically collapsed so that isn't even a battleground anymore.

The truth is we have seen all we are going to see out of the form factor of 5-10 inch black slabs. The reason companies are investing into VR, AR and wearables is to find the next smartphone. Someone who buys an iPhone 6s later this year can probably ride that sucker until the end of modern smartphones and eventually even Apple will have to find ways to break out of the saturated phone market.

What is sad is we lost innovation along the way. Back in 2011 it was all so exciting, sure Blackberry and Windows Phone looked ready to fail but we didn't know for sure yet. I remember when I got my S2 it was so obvious where the market was going I called spec for spec what my S4 was going to have. Problem is where do we go from here?

 

[Oyeve]

Just goes to show the whole iOS vs Android war is over. It is obvious what position in the market each have (very similar to Windows and OSX) and at this point mobile platforms have been around long enough that our investment in them outdoes any OS feature when it comes to product loyalty.

The battleground of hardware isn't even relevant due to market conditions. Yes one can argue (I have since day one) that the iPhone 6 with its 720p screen and 1GB of RAM is a poor hardware value, but when the direct competition is either an Android device with the evil 820 inside or an S6 with a too small battery then suddenly it is a pox on all their houses situation. On top of that the tablet market has basically collapsed so that isn't even a battleground anymore.

The truth is we have seen all we are going to see out of the form factor of 5-10 inch black slabs. The reason companies are investing into VR, AR and wearables is to find the next smartphone. Someone who buys an iPhone 6s later this year can probably ride that sucker until the end of modern smartphones and eventually even Apple will have to find ways to break out of the saturated phone market.

What is sad is we lost innovation along the way. Back in 2011 it was all so exciting, sure Blackberry and Windows Phone looked ready to fail but we didn't know for sure yet. I remember when I got my S2 it was so obvious where the market was going I called spec for spec what my S4 was going to have. Problem is where do we go from here?

Yeah, I see a smartphone/gadget crash coming soon. There really is no showstopper tech in the foreseeable future. Better battery? I dont see how getting a phone any thinner is possible. Maybe these smartphones start going audio tech route. Better DACs? I dont know.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Yeah, I see a smartphone/gadget crash coming soon. There really is no showstopper tech in the foreseeable future. Better battery? I dont see how getting a phone any thinner is possible. Maybe these smartphones start going audio tech route. Better DACs? I dont know.

Heck, you can tell us better than anyone. Don't you have the Gear VR? Do you like it? Use it a lot?

All these companies (Samsung, HTC, etc.) are betting their future on VR. Personally I don't even have cardboard yet.

 

[Oyeve]

Heck, you can tell us better than anyone. Don't you have the Gear VR? Do you like it? Use it a lot?

All these companies (Samsung, HTC, etc.) are betting their future on VR. Personally I don't even have cardboard yet.

Yeah, I have the gear VR. The fun wore down as there is no really good content coming out lately.

 

[Midwayman]

Yeah, I see a smartphone/gadget crash coming soon. There really is no showstopper tech in the foreseeable future. Better battery? I dont see how getting a phone any thinner is possible. Maybe these smartphones start going audio tech route. Better DACs? I dont know.

The era of $800 smartphones anyways. We are years past "good enough" performance for most things. Can't really have bigger screens, resolution is already more than we really need. Camera, battery life, biometrics, wireless charging, and waterproofing at the stats I care about right now. Maybe someone will put in a lightfield camera. That would be pretty neat.

 

[openwheel]

Only problem is radio. Older phones get left out of newly opened spectrum.

Project Ara where are you?

 

[ThisIsChrisKim]

I like phablets. I can't get an iOS phablet for under $750. I can get very good Android phablets for around $450 with plenty of storage.

I don't mind iPhones. They're nice looking and feel nice. But they don't have flexibility and choice like Android devices do.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Project Ara where are you?

It is in little pieces all over the floor after Google dropped it.

 

[dainthomas]

What is sad is we lost innovation along the way. Back in 2011 it was all so exciting, sure Blackberry and Windows Phone looked ready to fail but we didn't know for sure yet. I remember when I got my S2 it was so obvious where the market was going I called spec for spec what my S4 was going to have. Problem is where do we go from here?

Where else do we need to go? There has to be something that people feel like they have a compelling need to do with their mobile device (that they can't currently do) before we'll see the next revolution. I'm honestly having trouble thinking of something I wish I could do that there isn't already an app for.

It's already a combination computer/telephone/camera/flashlight/television/music player etc. You have the entirety of human knowledge available in your hand. And that's pretty freaking amazing compared to where we were 15 years ago.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Where else do we need to go?

Have you read Ready Player One? If not I recommend it. It really shows how basic VR could really give us a compute experience above and beyond anything we have today without being Holodeck-level fantasy.

 

[Commodus]

Folks: I was specifically referring to people who are actively concerned about their choice of operating system. I know that the majority, those people in the middle, don't fret over the OS their phone is running. I said as much earlier! I also acknowledged that there are "basic" Android users and iOS power users.

This thread is really about discussing those subtler differences that matter a lot to tech enthusiasts. That doesn't mean making mountains out of molehills, but there's not much point to this discussion if we don't explore what draws fans to specific platforms.

 

[sonitravel09]

The problem is OEMS actually modifying android - if google rolled out updates any custom stuff the oem added would get wiped if google didn't support them. Also consider how some only looks after about 5 phones as opposed to the hundreds that run android