Other than screen size, why do you prefer Android over iPhone?

[ChrisTX]

So as the title suggests, in your opinion what makes Android "better" than the iPhone. I see everyone saying the next iPhone is "dead on arrival" but honestly I fail to see the logic here. It seems like other than most Android handsets having a larger display, they're not really better than the iPhone at performing any tasks. The specs of the iPhone 5S are on par, if not better, than the current crop of Android phones. Are people lured in by the "bells, and whistles" of most Android phones? This isn't meant to turn into an "iFan vs. FanDroid" debate. However I'm just curious to see why everyone thinks Android is better. I'm torn between the iPhone 5S, and the Note 3, and won't make my decision until I can use both in store. Let's try to keep this thread respectful, but lets hear it!

 

[tbayrgs]

Ohh Chris, I'm sure you have the best of intentions but threads like this never end well, quickly filling with defensive or argumentative posts from iPhone and Android users alike. If anything, you should change the phrasing to 'Why do you prefer Android' but that likely still won't make a difference.

I prefer Android for the ability to customize both its appearance and functionality, its intent system and flexibility, the ability to make any app a default app, and its notification system.

I prefer Apple's hardware design and materials. Unfortunately for Apple, my desire for a larger display and preferred functionality in my mobile OS outweigh my taste in hardware, and other manufactures are quickly closing that gap as well.

 

[ChrisTX]

Ohh Chris, I'm sure you have the best of intentions but threads like this never end well, quickly filling with defensive or argumentative posts from iPhone and Android users alike. If anything, you should change the phrasing to 'Why do you prefer Android' but that likely still won't make a difference.

I prefer Android for the ability to customize both its appearance and functionality, its intent system and flexibility, the ability to make any app a default app, and its notification system.

I prefer Apple's hardware design and materials. Unfortunately for Apple, my desire for a larger display and preferred functionality in my mobile OS outweigh my taste in hardware, and other manufactures are quickly closing that gap as well.

Point taken, title changed. Good intentions here, but I find that other than screen size, the iPhone 5S has top notch specs. Even J.K. Shin of Samsung said next gen Exynos chips will be 64bit in response to the new A7.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Don't feel like making another list of reasons.
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/17878026/

I could make that list much longer easily.


Both OS are solid and I'm not too concerned with every detail of specs as the best CPU/GPU changes every other month towards a differ device.

 

[jamezr]

Ohh Chris, I'm sure you have the best of intentions but threads like this never end well, quickly filling with defensive or argumentative posts from iPhone and Android users alike. If anything, you should change the phrasing to 'Why do you prefer Android' but that likely still won't make a difference.

I prefer Android for the ability to customize both its appearance and functionality, its intent system and flexibility, the ability to make any app a default app, and its notification system.

I prefer Apple's hardware design and materials. Unfortunately for Apple, my desire for a larger display and preferred functionality in my mobile OS outweigh my taste in hardware, and other manufactures are quickly closing that gap as well.

I agree with what he said....
There are tons of other threads that have this exact discussion......
I know the intentions are good good here with ChrisTX. But these threads always seem to start wars and polarize people.

 

[samcraig]

Both OSes have their strengths and weaknesses. That's really the question - not so much about the hardware, right?

I enjoy both iOS and Android. I "prefer" Android for some of the silliest reasons probably. Ones that you might eyeroll at - but for me make things easier.

IE

I like that I can move files wherever I want. And that my phone - when connected to my computer is an easy drag/drop operation.

I like that I can choose my default applications

I like that when I send photos (granted I haven't been on the latest iOS) and it's the actual photo name - not all the same name (Photo.jpg). I like that at any time I can rename a file (ie - photos and videos) on the phone.

I like having an SD card. I shoot a lot of photos and videos.

While I don't use a ton - I like the few widgets I do use.

Since I have the Nexus 7 and my wife now has an Android phone - I like that they all have NFC and we can share photos, webpages, etc easily.

Just a few things. Note - I am not saying Android is BETTER. I am saying that these are a few way Android works better for ME.

That - and the screen size

 

[T5BRICK]

• Having a file system, at least for me, is huge. I never new what I was missing.
• Customization, such as alternate keyboards, ability to choose default apps.
• Widgets.

I used to say quick toggles, but now Apple has those in Control Center, which is pretty cool. I've been using my iPad mini a lot since the GM was released.

 

[Oohara]

If I had to chose one single thing besides screen size, it'd be swipe typing. With Swype on my Note 2 I can type whole Word documents for work in an amount of time that actually compares to how long it'd take me to do it with a proper full-size PC keyboard. And it's an utterly elegant tool, very effortless. (The same keyboard also features an outstanding speech recognition mode.)

In fact I went down to the stores yesterday and tested some iPhones and iPads. It took me just a few seconds of typing to recall why I had gone from a 4S to a Note 2 in the first place. After getting used to Swype, there's just no way I can go back to thumb pecking. There's no way I can pass up that useful a tool for me. When it comes to text input, both iPhones and iPads now feel completely primitive to use.

Other things on my Note 2 that I wouldn't want to pass up are: split screen, Action Note and Scrapbook on the Note 3, homescreen customization (the sense of having a true homescreen, rather than an app drawer), the dynamic gesture functionality offered by Nova Launcher Prime and other apps, and the four at-a-glance widgets I always use on my two side screens, for calendar, Google Keep, Google Music and Flipboard. Oh, and the four toggle widgets which sit directly on my homescreen (small, unobtrusive, semitransparent) which allow me to insta-toggle airplane mode, mute sound, flashlight and WiFi hotspot - I don't need to bring up any other screen to get to these, and their status is always immediately visible.

I love the looks of the 5S and iOS 7, and I'd love to have that good a camera in such a small phone for quick snaps, but my Note 2 is just too damn capable to leave behind. And the Note 3 promises to be even better. If I just happened to have a spare $700 or whatever it is the 5S will cost off contract, I'd probably buy one to use when I go out partying, but that's about it.

 

[samcraig]

Oh yes. And SwiftKey Flow.

Without a doubt one of the best if not best things about Android.

 

[chagla]

i prefer function over form. android offers power/techy users the options to make it very useful. for instance, i can boot up laptop/desktops from my pc using something like "DriveDroid" app on android. then i can run some servers (ftp, ssh etc) from my PHONE! it's like a mini portable computer whereas ios is severely restricted. its just astonishing in 2013 that you can not email anything other than pictures from your iphone? wow!

i explained it many times, apps on ios are sandboxed and i abhor the idea of putting files inside app. if you delete your app by mistake on ios, your files are gone too!!! on android files are separated from apps. so it doesnt matter if you have deleted your app, your files remain intact.

- plug and play file system (plug in to any computer, think USB drive)
- real access to file system (email/share ANY file from phone using wifi, bluetooth, sms, nfc etc.)
- widgets
- customization
- change anything i want (keyboard, browser etc without hackery in two minutes just by installing app from play store)

i do have an iphone 4 to play with but i can't use it on a daily basis. it feels like suffocating. of course if i was using my android just to make phone calls, sms or fb, then yes i wouldn't feel any difference using ios. fortunately for apple, thats exactly what most people do. what i mentioned in my post do not relate to majority of public. one of my friend (ios user for two years) still don't understand the sandboxed app environment on ios.

 

[mclld]

I just like the os better, ios is nice though but I just like Android better

 

[ucfgrad93]

Other than screen size, the big draw for me was widgets. I like being able to have information available without having to go into individual apps.

 

[mattopotamus]

They both function pretty similar for me. I like android b.c I can have more than just pages of apps (there is actually an app drawer). Also, there seems to be a lot more developer support, so a lot of alternative apps are available.

One of the biggest draws to android is choice. There are a ton of different manufactures and a wide variety of phones. Whether I get the 4S, 5, or 5S the end experience is nearly identical. Usually I upgrade iphones b.c of the specs. I typically switch android phones for a different experience.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Freedom. Choice.

Slightly more specific:

Far superior typing experience.

Far superior notifications.

Superior mail.

Default apps.

Dedicated back and menu buttons.

Customization.

Easier to accomplish most of the same tasks.

Gestures to navigate (with my set up, I basically never have to hit that misplaced HTC One home button. I love it.)

Many more reasons... Android is just easier to use, more flexible, and prettier.


And hardware wise, the screen is a big deal, but it's also dual speakers, power button placements, no physical home buttons, expandable storage options, etc.

I'll also add an old quote:

Customization is more than skin deep. It caters the phone to your specific needs and wants. What lock screen do you want to see when you first wake your device, or what browser you want to launch every time you hit a link, or what keyboard you want to use to type your messages, or what toggles and information you want... there's so many more things you can configure and tweak.
All this adds to the usability of the phone. You can make the device uniquely yours. iOS claims to be super simple, but we're in an age where the competition has figured out how to do the same things more efficiently. Just look at how many steps it takes to turn on private browsing in iOS. Or how many steps it takes to switch conversations in chat programs or tabs in browsers (it's literally one swipe to switch between tabs in Chrome).

iOS is so simple that it's less usable. Whereas Android gives you the freedom to make it as usable as you want.

 

[AppleRobert]

They both function pretty similar for me. I like android b.c I can have more than just pages of apps (there is actually an app drawer). Also, there seems to be a lot more developer support, so a lot of alternative apps are available.

One of the biggest draws to android is choice. There are a ton of different manufactures and a wide variety of phones. Whether I get the 4S, 5, or 5S the end experience is nearly identical. Usually I upgrade iphones b.c of the specs. I typically switch android phones for a different experience.

The last paragraph sums it up for me, that being about having choice. New products are brought forth continually as well given one a much quicker option for an upgrade if one so chooses.

 

[Oohara]

The last paragraph sums it up for me, that being about having choice. New products are brought forth continually as well given one a much quicker option for an upgrade if one so chooses.

What I particularly love about this as an OS philosophy is how it stimulates creativity in app development. Just look at swipe typing. That idea might not have come up for years if Google hadn't allowed users to switch keyboards, thus paving the way for app developers to fiddle around with them.

 

[Cnasty]

Far superior notifications.

This is the one I disagree with as I feel the Android notification is pretty terrible as I dont receive as many notifications as I did with my iPhone.

It may be me though and my settings or other outside apps that assist with notification.

 

[Tones2]

First off, you can't compare and Andriod OS which is software to and iPhone PHONE which is hardware and software.

So I'll say here's what I like about my Note 2 / 3 phone vs iPhone 5/5s.

1) A REAL File system
2) OS Customizations - too many things to specifically list (see above posts for a lot of them)
3) Widgets
4) Micro-sd expansion
5) Replaceable battery
6) SWIPE keyboard (both stock and with 3rd party customization)
7) Micro-usb support (many non-proprietary peripherals and flash drives can be plugged in)
8) Multi-window, with even drawing a box to run an app (this is WAY cool)
9) Battery life - blows away the iPhone 5 at least
10) NFC
11) IR Blaster
12) LED notifications
13) LARGER SCREEN - OK you can't not put this in here. This is a MAJOR MAJOR factor


The 4 things I like better about an iPhone are:

1) iTunes integration to load media, backup and update OS. Nothing is yet close to this
2) Very low latency audio - So you can have real time audio processing for thing like guitar amp simulators. No Android device yet has this
3) Brightness level - the iPhone IPS screen is brighter than any Android phone I've seen
4) 3rd party app support - Android still lags somewhat in quality and avaiability of certain apps, but that advantage is RAPIDLY diminishing

I won't go into phone performance related speces (CPU, GPU, RAM, etc) because in practice I don't see much difference and it's yet to be measured the actual performances of the Note 3 vs iPhone 5s.

 

[tbayrgs]

Dedicated back and menu buttons.

How could I have forgotten this, especially the back button. I find myself reaching for it when using my iPad Mini all the time.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

The 4 things I like better about an iPhone are:
1) iTunes integration to load media, backup and update OS. Nothing is yet close to this

For Music I like Google music better. I can organize my playlists and add to or delete from library from any browser anywhere. I can upload music from multiple desktops and accounts and toggle accounts easily.

 

[tbayrgs]

This is the one I disagree with as I feel the Android notification is pretty terrible as I dont receive as many notifications as I did with my iPhone.

It may be me though and my settings or other outside apps that assist with notification.

I definitely prefer the notification system on Android, except for one element. I like having all notification settings within Settings as is done on iOS--it's a real PITA having to dig into every individual app's settings to manage them in Android.

 

[Oohara]

For Music I like Google music better. I can organize my playlists and add to or delete from library from any browser anywhere. I can upload music from multiple desktops and accounts and toggle accounts easily.

Not to mention just the Google Music app itself, where you can actually access the equalizer as well as set it manually without having to....cough.....leave the music app and enter Settings....where it's all....cough cough...presets anyway...

 

[Cnasty]

I definitely prefer the notification system on Android, except for one element. I like having all notification settings within Settings as is done on iOS--it's a real PITA having to dig into every individual app's settings to manage them in Android.

Good point.

I guess I should have elaborated as the notification delivery look doesnt seem to get to me as much as I enjoyed it on my iPhone.

I liked the screen turning on and popping when I got an email, a text, whatever it was with a preview of said message.

That is the one main feature I miss on my iPhone. Other than that I am very happy that I switched over and look to be more pleased when my Note 3 gets here.

 

[ChazUK]

I've bought this up a few times but my biggie is the share functionality.

The way applications can seamlessly share data to each other is something I use regularly. The way new third party applications can patch into it is superb as well.

The barebones Nexus has little to share but install some apps and:

The other big one is being able to change defaults.

Launchers, browsers, media players, keyboards... You can pretty much change everything from the base system to third party options that suit your need anywhere.

 

[cube]

- microSDXC slot
- removable battery
- dual SIM
- 2GiB RAM
- waterproof
- dustproof
- FM radio
- FullHD
- reasonable price