You’re debating jumping ship from Android to iOS or vice versa, but is the grass really greener on the other side?
Sticking to what you know is the safe decision for many, but for those who are feeling a little daring in 2019, we’ve outlined the pros and cons of each system should you be considering the big move.
Apps
Looking at the statistics, you’ll find roughly 2.2 million apps in the Apple App Store and 3.5 million apps in the Google Play Store. In the past, iOS has been the preferred platform for developers, so there’s been a tendency for new apps to appear on there first, but this trend is changing as the Android market continues to expand.
The Google Play Store has a higher percentage of free apps than the Apple App Store, but the most popular mobile games still land on iOS first, and on some occasions they don’t even appear on Android at all.
Battery life
Battery life is a huge factor to consider for smartphone owners when deciding which device to go for. Historically, iPhones required a recharge on a daily basis; however, more recent iPhone models can go days without a charge, although newly released iOS updates tend to cut battery life.
The battery situation is a little more complicated with Android as there are so many hardware options available, which provide different battery lifespans. The more you spend, the longer the battery tends to last. However, if you’re opting for the cheapest Android phone, you needn’t worry, as studies show on one single charge, Android devices in general (all things being equal), can still last longer than iPhones.
Calls and messaging
The calling and messaging functionality on both platforms are good. There are a variety of messaging apps to choose from when it comes to an Android device, like Android’s standard messaging app, Hangouts, Allo and Duo, all of which have different uses. The Google Hangouts messaging app for example enables conference calling for up to 15 people, HD video calls, instant messaging, screen sharing and more.
With Apple, FaceTime and iMessage come pre-installed with every iPhone and iPad. You can message other Apple users for free if connected to Wi-Fi, and with iMessage, you’ll find third party app integrations, fun stickers, GIFs and more.
Both Android and iOS use email apps that are incredibly easy to use and quick to set up. If you have multiple email accounts, both apps can pull through the emails into one inbox view, making it easier for the user to access their emails in one place.
However, as Gmail is the most popular email system in the world and is used as Android’s default email platform, it’s definitely seen as a safer and stronger email app than iOS’s Mail.
Camera
While most of the new Android devices have stepped up their game in terms of camera quality, there’s a large variance in the camera quality between the cheap and expensive phones. As you would expect, most budget Android phones have a much lower camera quality.
Going back a few years, you could argue that Apple did the best job at capturing light, colour and other details with their camera settings, but since the recent release of Google’s Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, the devices boast the best camera quality around – for now.
As with most things, the more money you spend the better the camera quality. If you’re willing to spend a little more buck for a phone with a decent camera quality, consider a higher-spec Android. The colours, focus and vibrancy are much crisper. For Apple, their camera quality remains consistent with every new release of iPhone, but when up against Android’s latest phones, there’s no comparison.
Cloud services
Apple are still falling behind when it comes to cloud storage and automatic backups. Google Drive offers 15GB of storage for free, whereas iCloud only offer 5GB.
If you require a lot of space then an Android device may be the best option. Even if you need additional space, Google Drive offer cheap upgrade deals, costing only a pound or two a month.
Security
Security breaches are becoming even more common, and unfortunately, more serious, and so it’s even more important to update your phone when an update has been released.
Generically speaking, Android manufacturers tend to lag behind when it comes to pushing updates out. More Android devices than iOS devices seem to run on software that’s years old, and are therefore more vulnerable to hacks. Although, Google phones mostly run the latest version of Android.
With Apple, they’ve really stepped up their game in terms of improved security with the release of Touch ID and Face ID. Apple have the ability to push updates out to more devices, more quickly, giving it more of an edge over Android.
Voice assistants
Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant are fairly similar in terms of their capabilities of being a voice assistant, but Siri has been known to be a little more limited. It’s great for setting calendar appointments, searching the internet or making calls, but Google Assistant goes the extra mile of offering unusual suggestions, playing games and sharing fun facts based on what you’re doing. Google Assistant can be a lot more helpful than Apple’s Siri.
In the UK, there’s a slow decline in the number of people using iOS and shifting over to Android devices. Will you be one of them? If you’re considering upgrading your business mobiles or you’re keen to explore your options, contact the Elite Telecom Solutions team on 01962 864332 or info@elite-telecom.co.uk.