iPhone Why is the iPhone better than Android phones?

[Kohkane]

I've used android for 4 years now. I had an iPod Touch but opted to go with android while it was still growing. Once the android offers started getting better, I sold my iPod Touch and opted for putting all my music onto my phone. I just wanted clear up some things that I've read in this thread. (So I'm just going to jump around a lot.)


"After a week with a 4.5+ inch screen, you would never want to comeback to 4 inch and below screens. It would even look funny to you."

This isn't true at all. My last phone was the HTC Evo 4g LTE, my phone before that was the Samsung GII, and the HTC Sensation, and the HTC HD7 all four phones had 4+ inch screens and I had no issue switching to a 4in screen. a .5 difference isn't all that bad as you would assume, and I actually prefer the nice change because I can actually comfortable hold my phone.


The bad thing about Android now, is fragmentation. The phones can barely hold resale value like the iPhone can, and the fact that a new android phone comes out almost every two months with varying software doesn't help at all. This problem can be fixed with rooting your phone, just like jail-breaking an iPhone, you can easily fix any issue you find with a simple root and ROM. That was always a nice thing about Android. Something you can't do with Windows phones.


Personally, I think it all comes down to which one you like more. You can sit here and rant about Android vs iOS vs Windows all day long, but until you try all three you can never get an actual feel for the phones. After using android for so long, I became bored and wanted something different. Jellybean does make android smooth, but it still doesn't make it "work", after switching I noticed that iOS overall is just smoother and more put together, this is something that Windows phone does perfectly as well. The main three smartphone OS's are W8, iOS, and Android, each bring a different game to the plate but all go almost head to head with each other.

 

[HappyJB]

Jellybean does make android smooth, but it still doesn't make it "work",

So, what jelly bean did not work for you? It must be substantial to call "doesn't make it work“

 

[Kohkane]

So, what jelly bean did not work for you? It must be substantial to call "doesn't make it work“

I guess I should explain more. What I mean by it just doesn't "work" is the fact that, on the iPhone everything is just easier to do, usually you don't need to have a ROM built by someone else because the phone was missing features that it should of came with, you don't have to go through a thousands app to replace your keyboard so you have on that works, and so on. I loved the choices, but after four years of that I got sick of it. The reason I like iOS and windows phone so much was because it just worked. The music app was perfect, the keyboard was perfect, etc.

 

[Oletros]

I guess I should explain more. What I mean by it just doesn't "work" is the fact that, on the iPhone everything is just easier to do, usually you don't need to have a ROM built by someone else because the phone was missing features that it should of came with

Examples of those features missing?

, you don't have to go through a thousands app to replace your keyboard so you have on that works,

What didn't worked in the stock keyboard?

The music app was perfect, the keyboard was perfect, etc.

Highly subjective, iOS, WP or Android stock keyboards are far from perfect

 

[HappyJB]

I guess I should explain more. What I mean by it just doesn't "work" is the fact that, on the iPhone everything is just easier to do, usually you don't need to have a ROM built by someone else because the phone was missing features that it should of came with, you don't have to go through a thousands app to replace your keyboard so you have on that works, and so on. I loved the choices, but after four years of that I got sick of it. The reason I like iOS and windows phone so much was because it just worked. The music app was perfect, the keyboard was perfect, etc.

Keyboard! First time I hear that jelly bean keyboard doesn't work. Yes, choices are there, if you prefer others. From Swyping.

 

[Kohkane]

Examples of those features missing?




What didn't worked in the stock keyboard?



Highly subjective, iOS, WP or Android stock keyboards are far from perfect

Have you tried Froyo, or GB keyboards? They're awful compared to iOS and WP. ICS is better but not even close. Autocorrect is shoddy, typing on it is difficult, and most people switch to alternatives because of difficult use.

As for the music apps, same thing. Have you used the stock music app? These have improved in jellybean, but still don't compare. Visually or feature wise.

 

[Markyboy81]

Have you tried Froyo, or GB keyboards? They're awful compared to iOS and WP. ICS is better but not even close. Autocorrect is shoddy, typing on it is difficult, and most people switch to alternatives because of difficult use.

As for the music apps, same thing. Have you used the stock music app? These have improved in jellybean, but still don't compare. Visually or feature wise.

I agree that the stock keyboard app in ics is poor but I didn't have to go through a thousand apps to replace it. I just googled 'best android keyboard app' and was recommended SwiftKey, which I'm finding far more intuitive than the ios keyboard.
Thanks to the wealth of information on the internet it's far easier to customise your phone, even for an amateur like me!

 

[Oletros]

Have you tried Froyo, or GB keyboards? They're awful compared to iOS and WP. ICS is better but not even close. Autocorrect is shoddy, typing on it is difficult, and most people switch to alternatives because of difficult use.

As for the music apps, same thing. Have you used the stock music app? These have improved in jellybean, but still don't compare. Visually or feature wise.

Not perfect is not the same that not working.

And still waiting those features missing that forces putting a custom ROM


And there's a big difference, if you don't like the stock keyboard or the stock and app or do you like more systems like Swype, you can change it

 

[SlCKB0Y]

Have you tried Froyo, or GB keyboards? They're awful compared to iOS and WP.

Yea? and iOS previously didn't have cut and paste functionality. Your point?

Please backup your claim that most people don't use the stock keyboard..

As for the music apps, same thing. Have you used the stock music app? These have improved in jellybean, but still don't compare. Visually or feature wise.

How is this not one of the strengths of Android? If for some reason you don't like the stock app, you just change it to default to something else.

Apple Maps? If Google screwed up their mapping solution it would not be an issue. Android users would just switch the default to something else.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I guess I should explain more. What I mean by it just doesn't "work" is the fact that, on the iPhone everything is just easier to do, usually you don't need to have a ROM built by someone else because the phone was missing features that it should of came with, you don't have to go through a thousands app to replace your keyboard so you have on that works, and so on. I loved the choices, but after four years of that I got sick of it. The reason I like iOS and windows phone so much was because it just worked. The music app was perfect, the keyboard was perfect, etc.

Thousands of Apps to replace the keyboards??? Really. There are 2 big names ones out there, Swiftkey and Swype. Take your pick. Hell most phones have Swype installed by DEFAULT. So again what are you talking about.

The only phones that tend to lack Swype are phones like the Nexus which then you just download it and if you have a nexus you tend to know what you are doing.

I will give you that the stock keyboards are not good but saying iOS keyboard is perfect. Come on it is not much better than Android stock and both swype and Swiftkey blow it out of the water by a long shot.

 

[Gnomepatrol]

Just curious on what you guys think...

I would, personally, only compare the Nexus line (true android) versus the iphone.

Fragmentation can't really be used as an argument now in this case as Apple just fragmented the apps by changing their iphone's aspect ratio. They both have phones in 4:3 and 16:9 now.

Smoothness is often brought up. Jelly bean and operation buttery smooth have solved that with the 60 fps. Sister has a galaxy nexus and it is indeed buttery smooth. That lead is erased from the iphone now.

App quality and ease of development. They both have their quarks and shortcomings, but I still feel Apple and Obj-c has a lead here.

Build quality is good on both. With different takes. The HTC Nexus is a quality feel product, the Samsung's are tough and take falls with relative easy. The plastic really doesn't have a cheap feeling to it at all. Iphone, as always, has good build quality. Although it does feel like a long remote, nothing a nice case won't fix, and has quality control and scratch issues. Toss up on this.

Screen, both are good Super AMOLED vs IPS. IPS has better more correct colors. The Super AMOLED has great, possibly over, saturation and is really easy to see in bright or direct sunlight. Iphone made strides to the sunlight issue though. Slight lead, in my opinion, to the iphone for the better color reproduction.

Cameras, wash they both are midrange and have a lot of distortion and noise upon closer inspection.

I can go on and on. Ultimately thought it comes down to what you like and what ecosystem are you vested in. If you are mac centric grab and iphone, if you are windows or linux centric grab a droid. Droid can sync into the mac environment as well. Either way don't ask people about which is better as it is an opinion thing. Try and decide for yourself and leave it as that.

 

[cynics]

The iPhone keyboard is good? You've got to be kidding me, if I could it would be very high on my things to change list.

Autocorrect is terrible, it changes my so to do quite often. It forcefully does this too so I need to stop it. The suggestions can't be changed or adjusted. I need to delete the entire user dictionary instead of just one word. I can't make remember things, like a strange word or name. With alot of apps the suggestions are on the bottom where I can't cancel them (tapatalk).

The keyboard itself doesn't show capital/lower case. I have to menu dive to get too []]{{###%^**+= etc.

All this stuff is good on Android's stock keyboard. And if you still hate it then it takes 2 minutes to download a new one from the play store.

(I just notice my iPhone didn't space "alot" above)

 

[onthecouchagain]

I've always said the iOS keyboard is terrible and one of the things of iOS that desperately needs updating and improvement.

The keyboard and its autocorrection system gave birth to the entire internet phenom known as "Damn You iPhone Auto Correction." It's appallingly bad.

 

[Dmaynard83]

I've always said the iOS keyboard is terrible and one of the things of iOS that desperately needs updating and improvement.

The keyboard and its autocorrection system gave birth to the entire internet phenom known as "Damn You iPhone Auto Correction." It's appallingly bad.

I love the keyboard and auto-correction is awesome. Of course there will always be haters out there and will try to find flaws with it - hence the stupid videos.

Coming from an android device I find the keyboard much more snappy, responsive and all around easier to use.

iOS + optimization of the hardware to software is the simple reason why iPhone is better.

 

[cynics]

Ugh sometimes I'm embarrassed to be an iPhone user....

 

[Oletros]

Of course there will always be haters out there and will try to find flaws with it - hence the stupid videos.

Oh, the irony

 

[Dontazemebro]

I love how ifanboys always revert to the "it doesn't work as well as iphone" card and then fall completely on their face when asked to back up they're regurgitated assumptions.

You say the iphone keyboard is perfect? LAWL

It wouldn't even beat out the the top 3 keyboards on Android.

 

[TG1]

Probably the biggest thing I miss coming from Android is the Swiftkey keyboard. It saved me sooooo many keystrokes with the word prediction. That said, for plain old regular typing, the responsiveness and accuracy of the iPhone's keyboard is top notch.

 

[Vetvito]

Only thing I actually liked about Windows Phone was the keyboard. Now I got it on Android, sweet.

I have color keyboard on my iPhone , it's pretty cool.

 

[alanudi]

Hmm

Just curious on what you guys think...

I actually signed up to the forum because I saw this question, and felt I just have to include my OPINION:

In all honesty, I use to be an Apple lover, but at this point, I cannot find a better way to answer your question than this:

iPhones are good for non-computer literate people, like children, or older adults, and tweens. It's the phone I recommend to anyone in those groups, and they are always extremely happy with their choice. This is because iPhones are intentionally limited in what they can do. When computer-friendly people use iPhones they often come to me asking how to do things, and my most common response is: "darn, see that's so easy to do on Android" (think of opengarden, notifications (now copied by iOS) and the ability to choose default program (such as a browser)) These are "intuitive" things that iOS users would love, but Apple knows that it's too complicated for the age groups I mentioned above to understand those things, so they don't let you do it because i uses more processor, which uses more battery (which cannot be changed). This adding up?

Androids are good for computer literate people, like most of us here on the forums. I have countless friends who, like me, used to love iPhones, but after trying the latest Android phones, we actually feel stupid for touting the superiority of iPhones so ignorantly. I cannot believe just how awesome Android is, not to mention the open-source nature of it all. I haven't seen any real improvements to iOS, except for the 4" screen, which is 2 years behind the game anyways. (again, because of the battery issues)

It took me a long time to accept it, but those are the key differences when you break it all down.

In the end, you should identify your needs, talk to users of both phones, test some out, and in the end, get an Android Unless, of course, you hate choosing what you wear in the morning and prefer to be told what to do. Some people are into that and they should get iPhones.

 

[Dmaynard83]

I actually signed up to the forum because I saw this question, and felt I just have to include my OPINION:

In all honesty, I use to be an Apple lover, but at this point, I cannot find a better way to answer your question than this:

iPhones are good for non-computer literate people, like children, or older adults, and tweens. It's the phone I recommend to anyone in those groups, and they are always extremely happy with their choice. This is because iPhones are intentionally limited in what they can do. When computer-friendly people use iPhones they often come to me asking how to do things, and my most common response is: "darn, see that's so easy to do on Android" (think of opengarden, notifications (now copied by iOS) and the ability to choose default program (such as a browser)) These are "intuitive" things that iOS users would love, but Apple knows that it's too complicated for the age groups I mentioned above to understand those things, so they don't let you do it because i uses more processor, which uses more battery (which cannot be changed). This adding up?

Androids are good for computer literate people, like most of us here on the forums. I have countless friends who, like me, used to love iPhones, but after trying the latest Android phones, we actually feel stupid for touting the superiority of iPhones so ignorantly. I cannot believe just how awesome Android is, not to mention the open-source nature of it all. I haven't seen any real improvements to iOS, except for the 4" screen, which is 2 years behind the game anyways. (again, because of the battery issues)

It took me a long time to accept it, but those are the key differences when you break it all down.

In the end, you should identify your needs, talk to users of both phones, test some out, and in the end, get an Android Unless, of course, you hate choosing what you wear in the morning and prefer to be told what to do. Some people are into that and they should get iPhones.

Wrong.

 

[alanudi]

Wrong.

you've enticed me, go on...

 

[jrswizzle]

I actually signed up to the forum because I saw this question, and felt I just have to include my OPINION:

In all honesty, I use to be an Apple lover, but at this point, I cannot find a better way to answer your question than this:

iPhones are good for non-computer literate people, like children, or older adults, and tweens. It's the phone I recommend to anyone in those groups, and they are always extremely happy with their choice. This is because iPhones are intentionally limited in what they can do. When computer-friendly people use iPhones they often come to me asking how to do things, and my most common response is: "darn, see that's so easy to do on Android" (think of opengarden, notifications (now copied by iOS) and the ability to choose default program (such as a browser)) These are "intuitive" things that iOS users would love, but Apple knows that it's too complicated for the age groups I mentioned above to understand those things, so they don't let you do it because i uses more processor, which uses more battery (which cannot be changed). This adding up?

Androids are good for computer literate people, like most of us here on the forums. I have countless friends who, like me, used to love iPhones, but after trying the latest Android phones, we actually feel stupid for touting the superiority of iPhones so ignorantly. I cannot believe just how awesome Android is, not to mention the open-source nature of it all. I haven't seen any real improvements to iOS, except for the 4" screen, which is 2 years behind the game anyways. (again, because of the battery issues)

It took me a long time to accept it, but those are the key differences when you break it all down.

In the end, you should identify your needs, talk to users of both phones, test some out, and in the end, get an Android Unless, of course, you hate choosing what you wear in the morning and prefer to be told what to do. Some people are into that and they should get iPhones.

I would disagree - I think of myself as pretty computer literate and I keep up with most everything going on in the tech world - especially mobile.

I've been an iPhone user since 2008 and have since owned all Apple products. Despite the fact I know what I'm doing and enjoy tech very much, I don't necessarily want to spend hours upon hours tweaking my phone (like I have with my Nexus 4).

I would agree that the iPhone is a great suggestion for those who aren't computer-savvy (my mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law for sure would never understand/appreciate Android - even now that it's gotten simpler) but I don't agree its limited to only these people.

Using both side-by-side is my ultimate preference (heck if I had the disposable income, I'd buy one of each platform and keep em all if they piqued my interest) but if I had to choose one, it would be my iPhone.

One focuses on the app experience, the other focuses on the OS/customization. A computer literate person can enjoy both equally.

To answer the OP's question - what makes the iPhone better FOR ME has to do with a combination of hardware (I actually like the screen size and don't want/understand this "bigger is better" mentality with smartphones) and software and the integration between the two in the iPhone as well as with my other Apple products. I'm not a tinkerer and prefer my OS to blend into the background so I can experience the wide variety of apps available to do the things I need to do.

Does it have flaws? Sure it does. So does every piece of technology. But the fact that my phone simply backs itself up to the cloud every night without any input from me, the fact all my pictures/documents/music/videos are synced between my desktop, phone, iPad, and TV's via AppleTV for viewing/listening at any time, the fact I can easily communicate with others via iMessage, FaceTime or through photos in Shared PhotoStreams - all of these things work with very minimal input at the beginning and almost none ongoing.

These are the reasons the iPhone is my preference but I also recognize the strengths of Android and enjoy my Nexus 4 very much as well - I can see why there are others (more into customization and finely tuning to their own wants) prefer Android. It's simply a matter of which philosophy you most identify with.

And I hope the other platforms (WP8 and BB10) gain as well. The more competition the better!

 

[matttye]

I actually signed up to the forum because I saw this question, and felt I just have to include my OPINION:

In all honesty, I use to be an Apple lover, but at this point, I cannot find a better way to answer your question than this:

iPhones are good for non-computer literate people, like children, or older adults, and tweens. It's the phone I recommend to anyone in those groups, and they are always extremely happy with their choice. This is because iPhones are intentionally limited in what they can do. When computer-friendly people use iPhones they often come to me asking how to do things, and my most common response is: "darn, see that's so easy to do on Android" (think of opengarden, notifications (now copied by iOS) and the ability to choose default program (such as a browser)) These are "intuitive" things that iOS users would love, but Apple knows that it's too complicated for the age groups I mentioned above to understand those things, so they don't let you do it because i uses more processor, which uses more battery (which cannot be changed). This adding up?

Androids are good for computer literate people, like most of us here on the forums. I have countless friends who, like me, used to love iPhones, but after trying the latest Android phones, we actually feel stupid for touting the superiority of iPhones so ignorantly. I cannot believe just how awesome Android is, not to mention the open-source nature of it all. I haven't seen any real improvements to iOS, except for the 4" screen, which is 2 years behind the game anyways. (again, because of the battery issues)

It took me a long time to accept it, but those are the key differences when you break it all down.

In the end, you should identify your needs, talk to users of both phones, test some out, and in the end, get an Android Unless, of course, you hate choosing what you wear in the morning and prefer to be told what to do. Some people are into that and they should get iPhones.

I'm computer literate but I don't need my PHONE to be as open as a PC, when I have my PC for that.

Used Android for three years and I don't miss the features I've lost by going back to iOS. There are some things I really like about my iPhone (people who've seen me post on here will have seen this ad nauseum), which are: I can leave everything switched on (WiFi, push email, push notifications, bluetooth, etc) and battery life is still very good; my iPhone connects to my car's bluetooth every time I get in my car (both my Galaxy S2 & S3 were hit and miss); I can talk to my friends and the mrs on iMessage using both my iPad and iPhone.

I don't need to do anything technically challenging when I'm out and about. If I had a job which required me to do that, then I would reconsider my options.

 

[daveathall]

I have recently come to the conclusion that the iPhone isn't better than a top of the range Android phone. I don't think that Android is better than the iPhone either. I just think that they are different, it is all down to preference, and the one that is preferred by you at this period of time could be argued is the best (for you) I enjoy both platforms but prefer Android at the moment, I'm not so stuck in my ways that I can't change, TBH I probably will at some stage, and further down the line switch again.

I think that we are nearing the law of diminishing returns, and that technology for the time being, will only take small steps forward no matter the platform. I still await the "wow" factor/device/app with anticipation.