Android vs. iPhone: May 2020 Update
I’d been a loyal Apple fanboy for many years. I’d been using an iPhone since they’d come out in 2007; I’d even owned at least one iPhone from every model year they’d released one. I was all-Apple, all-in. Then, life threw some lemons at me, and I made some fresh lemonade. I decided that I’d wanted to diversify my experiences with regards to personal tech, and I wanted to see how long I could go using an Android device. Would I cave and go back to my iPhone, or would I keep the Android device and sell the iPhone, never to own one ever again? I thought it’d be fun to find out.
In this post, I want to talk about my experiences with both platforms. I’ll share the disclaimer that these are my experiences, and mine alone. It’s not my intention to say one is better than another, because these devices have come so far since their inception. The playing field has never been more level than it is nowadays, so draw your own conclusions from what I have to say.
Only you know which one is right for you. As for me, well, read on to find out:
I’m going to break my thoughts down into the most important features of a mobile device for my day-to-day needs:
Work Apps
Computer Integration
Camera & Photos
Storage
Car Experience
Overall User Interface, Experience, Navigation, etc.
Work Apps
Winner: Android
Nowadays we’re all completely connected to our jobs with our mobile devices, even when we may not want to be. I remember when I used the iPhone at work I had work apps and personal apps in the same space. Using the Gmail app and Google Calendar apps for both my personal calendars and work calendars, the experience did feel a bit cluttered. The Android system, however, was much different, and much better.
On the Android platform, at least for the Samsung Galaxy phone I’d been using, it had an entirely separate secured area which held all of my work apps. My standard apps and work apps were separated by individual headings in the app area. Work apps’ icons even had a little briefcase logo on them to indicate they were for work use. It made it very convenient to be able to compartmentalize my job apps.
The best part, though, was going on vacation. I could go into the Settings, and shut off the work profile entirely. It would maintain my configuration, but shut off access to the work apps and their notifications/etc. I could actually disconnect from work. Re-enabling access was as easy as tapping a few options in Settings and entering my phone’s password. I love that.
Computer Integration
Winner: iPhone
I’ve written about how I don’t like to text, but I do it because the rest of the world does. However, to make this palatable, I use a computer whenever possible, if someone wants to have an entire conversation over text. I’m far more comfortable typing with my two hands than just my thumbs. Both platforms enable this, but the iPhone wins because of the simplicity and beautiful integration with a Mac computer. Androids do offer the option of using a website-based client for messaging, but it’s merely a “remote control” for your phone. Your phone has to be powered on and connected to the same network as your computer. If your phone dies, so does your opportunity to text by way of the computer.
Another plus for the Apple/iPhone integration, is transferring content between devices. AirDrop is a way to wirelessly transfer items between a Mac and an iOS device (iPhone, iPad, etc.). I had a few pictures I’d taken yesterday that I wanted to share on Instagram, but wanted to touch them up a bit on my Mac before doing so. Once I finished editing, I wanted to get them over to my phone to go to Instagram. I’ll spare the full details, but I’ll just say the process was cumbersome at best. If I were using an iPhone, I could simply Airdrop the pictures to my phone and post them within a matter of seconds.
Camera & Photos
Winner: iPhone, but not by much. Almost a “Draw”
Both devices have excellent cameras. My Samsung Galaxy S20 has a 108 MP camera on the rear. 108 Megapixels.
One hundred and eight…megapixels.
Why? I have no idea.
I took some pictures with it, and honestly couldn’t tell much difference looking at the 108 MP pictures vs. the standard 18 MP (or whatever the standard is, I forget.). It seemed that was a feature that was added “just because”, but I doubt anyone actually would use it. The 108 MP pictures would take up considerably more space on your phone, for minimal benefit if any. As a photographer, even my highest-end dSLR doesn’t top more than 24 MP, and that’s perfectly fine for my needs, and for the matter, most other professional photographers I know as well.
The iPhone excels at being able to produce good quality pictures quickly, without having to work hard for them. The iPhone camera is the perfect “snapshot” camera. Minimal effort for a great snapshot. Does this mean I’d use an iPhone in place of a dSLR? Not on your life. While it’s nice to see that the Android offers more modes on its camera, as well as a “manual” mode, it’s not flexible enough to be worth it for me to call it a true plus.
Storage
Winner: Android, by a landslide
What makes the Android the clear standout in this category is the ability to have a MicroSD card inserted into your phone to increase the amount of storage space. iPhones do not offer this option, so you’re forced to work with the space you have on the device. This is usually fine, but when you have a phone that may be a few years old, the smaller capacity models start to show their shortcomings as your pictures/music/content fills up the device, making it impossible to take new pictures etc.
Car Experience
Winner: iPhone
Apple’s CarPlay far outperforms Android’s Android Auto, primarily in the realm of consistency. Granted, I have seen some updates specifically between December 2019 and May of 2020 that have improved Android Auto, but not to the level that Apple’s CarPlay works. The main problems I’ve seen on Android Auto were primarily with the Google Assistant, and it ignoring commands, or just deactivating after you’d dictated a response to a text, for example. This was quite frustrating, since some commands (reply to a WhatsApp message, for example) weren’t available as a direct voice command. I’d have to listen to the assistant read a message, then ask me if I wanted to reply. I’d say yes, then (all things willing) it would listen to my dictation for my reply, then about 50% of the time, would simply shut itself off as if I’d not said anything or canceled the operation altogether. Definitely quite a bit of grumbling at that.
The iPhone isn’t perfect either, since it doesn’t support all of the apps for communication and music streaming that Android Auto does, but with the “Quality over Quantity” approach I’m okay with that. If it means I’m locked into more of the Apple ecosystem for that reason, it’s fine with me because it works far more consistently.
Overall User Experience
Winner: Draw
I was really trying to think of a reason why one platform would be better than another, but I can’t give the edge in one particular direction. Both have their benefits and pro’s and cons, but in the end they are solid phones to navigate around. People love the Android platform since it offers a lot of flexibility with screen widgets, app screen configurations, and entire launchers to customize the whole user interface of the device, to name a few. I was able to make my Galaxy S20 look like a Google Pixel by installing a few pieces of software. Folks love that flexibility, and it’s understandable why.
iPhones are far more limited in their customization, but what they lack in customization they make up in the fact that they “just work.” I’d used iPhones for years, and was used to the so-called “limitations,” and could only think of a few instances where I couldn’t do something I wanted to do as easily as I could on the Android. iPhones just work, and for most casual users, that’s more important than being able to put widgets on a screen, especially those who aren’t as tech-savvy.
I’ve compared the two platforms to transmissions in a car. An iPhone is like an automatic transmission; you get in the car, start it, put it in Drive, and it just goes. You make sure you don’t point your vehicle at a brick wall or little Timmy crossing the street, and you’re good. An Android, however, is like a car with a manual transmission. You get in and even just to start the car requires pressing an additional pedal. You manually shift though the gears, you decide what kind of performance you want out of your car every time you press the gas; think “Better Fuel Economy” or “Better Speed” for example. You do all of that while avoiding the brick wall and little Timmy. Some like the extra stuff, some don’t. Your mileage may vary. (See what I did there?)
Conclusion
So, what about me? What am I using? Am I an “iPhone Guy” or a member of “Team Android” - Well, I’m neither, or both. I started out on an iPhone since the first one came out in 2007, and I’d grown with it as new capabilities and features were added. While that was happening, the Android system was being improved as well, so when I decided to give it a try in December of 2019, the playing field was far more level than it had been back when smartphones weren’t a thing. I’d enjoyed the chance to use an Android for the past 6 months, and I’d probably go back and forth.
There are things I need an iPhone for, one such use is a scuba logging app that’s only available on iOS devices. There are things I’d need an Android for, like WiFi analysis apps among others. I’ll probably always have both phones available to me for the foreseeable future. Right now, I’m back on team iPhone. It feels good to be back on something familiar, and I figured it would be a good time to switch back over and see how my quality of user experience changes now that I’d been accustomed to the Android platform for some time.
I like having platform flexibility whenever possible since I think it improves my knowledge and skill with technology. At the end of the day, though, whether we’re talking about smart phones or digital cameras, or anything else for that matter, these are all just tools. We need to pick the right tool for ourselves individually to get the job done. Whether that “job” is posting the latest meme on Facebook, ringing up a customer at your small business, or doing a video chat with family back home, both platforms can do all of that and more exceptionally well.
If you use an iPhone and wonder what an Android is like, try one. If you’ve got an Android and wonder what it’s like to use an iPhone, try one. I don’t just mean borrow your buddy’s opposite platform phone and play with it for 5 minutes, I mean, get one on your cellular plan and really try it. I invite you to experiment with the technology that’s out there; I’m doing that now, and I gotta say, it’s been really interesting. Actually, it’s been quite fun.
It may look like the Android won if we were keeping score, but as I’d mentioned before, these were just my observations. I wasn’t trying to decide on one platform, because I don’t think I’d be able to stick with one over another. I like keeping things flexible, and I envision myself jumping back and forth from now on. How often? I have no idea, but I’m sure it’ll make for a good blog post.
What are your experiences like using iPhones and/or Androids? Post a comment below, I’d love to hear about it.