Devil’s Advocate: Androids are better than iPhones
One of the most common debates among tech users is the age-old Apple vs Android dispute. No one needs to know that they are talking about to have an opinion on this issue. In fact, people are so opinionated on the matter, that the debate has spawned millions of memes, countless forums and very angry basement dwellers that would be willing to fight about it at the drop of a fedora. So, which is truly the better phone?
Well for starters, a knowledge bomb: For many, Apple may appear to be the more popular choice among our generation, but is only true in America, according to an Android vs. IOS market share released October 2018 by DeviceAtlas. For the rest of the world, Android is the more dominant of the two. Not to say that popularity equates to quality, but it gives us an idea of how powerful Android is.
Android is an operating system, that much we know. But Android is also Samsung, Sony, Google Pixel, LG, HTC, and MOTO, but most importantly Android is Google, which is the global leader in technological innovation and creates new phones that are different, unlike Apple.
In addition to variety, Android has a glaring advantage over Apple: pricing. Apple notoriously has overpriced products, whereas Androids are much cheaper. For example, Samsung’s newest phone, the Galaxy S8 priced at 654 dollars and Apple’s newest phone, the iPhone X, priced at one thousand dollars, which is a very common complaint of users on both sides of the debate. And it’s not just the phones. Apple gets a large portion of its revenue from “accessories,” which might as well be called “essentials,” like their iconic phone charges that they change with each new model to make a profit. Or their required Bluetooth headphones, so you won’t be able to use those new headphones you bought unless you buy an adapter for twenty to forty dollars. But Apple has stooped to lower levels before. On December 22, 2017, Apple faced a lawsuit when it came out that the company purposely slowed down older models of phones to get people to buy newer, more expensive phones. Which is just cold and scummy of them.
Aside from the ethics of it all, Android also has some apparent technical advantages over IOS. One of them being that Android is more versatile, and developer friendly, while still being easy to use for the mainstream consumer. Certain Android phones feature micro SD slots, cheap adapters, a micro USB port, which is universal. You don’t need a particular charger for a certain model and you can buy wireless from a third source party. Meanwhile, the iPhone X only has only a singular shared port.
In addition to functionality, Android phones are more customizable than Apple phones. Android phones have custom widgets, skins, home screens, animations, and animated wallpapers. Apple’s interface features linear rows of apps.
Overall, Android has an abundance of advantages over Apple in terms of variety, technicality, functionality, ethics, and customization.