Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Android vs iPhone - A fair, unbiased comparison of iPhone and Android

Many comparisons have been made between iPhone and Android phones, most of them biased towards one or the other. I have tried to bring out an unbiased comparison and truly enough not going to take any side and say either iPhone beats Android or Android beats iPhone. The purpose of this post is just to bring out a brief fair comparison which can be based to make a decision depending on what feature you want the most in your smart phone.

android vs iphone

Android

iPhone

Advantage

Battery: Removable and Replaceable
Battery replacements easily available in the market and if you are always on the move, you might as well have an additional charged up battery which can help your phone stay alive without waiting to charge
No replacement battery. In fact you cannot even see the battery in this cased smart phone. Any battery issue, you’ll have to send it to Apple and hope that Steve sends it back to you in one piece Android
Apps: This seems to be the major hit among all smart phone users. Android has about 70,000 apps currently iPhone boasts over 230,000 apps and is growing.. iPhone
Jailbreak: Many Android OS comes with an option to Jailbreak it from its service provider – which is a bliss to foreigners in US. The can take the phone to their home country and switch to a different SP without the hassles of jail breaking on their own iPhone does not have this feature when you buy it. Jail breaking needs to be done at our own risk and I have heard of many cases where the OS simply didn’t wake up after jailbreak. So its pretty scary business Android
Notifications: System wide notification (non-modal) and other application notifications (like a new mail / new tweet /  new SMS) in cascade windows which can be pulled down to see details. Push notifications and Individual notifications on updates Android
Internal Memory: Limited internal memory. This is a big headache because apart from photos and media content, the default memory is the already limited internal memory. Lots of apps in the internal memory will eventually make your phone less ‘smart’ Good internal memory and you have choice of different internal memory sizes iPhone
External Memory: Yes. External SD card can be inserted to store photos, media, etc. But from what I have gathered, there has been many reports of corrupted SD card and loss of data / photo / media No external expandable memory. But no complaints here because the internal memory by itself is huge and good enough. I have not had a single occasion of data / photo loss. iPhone
Dictionary: Google Voice integration and user editable dictionary. Which means more flexibility and ease of use Artificial Intelligence type dictionary. iPhone learns as you type. So if you have the habit of typing a wrong spelling often, iPhone will learn that word and it is ‘almost’ reset of dictionary to make iPhone forget it. My common mistake is ‘habe’ instead of have and it kills to see that iPhone accepts that! Android
Mail App: Separate Apps for Gmail and other mail. Other mail app is definitely given the second-class treatment. There is limited options with mail editing and other regular stuff with the client mail application. No complaints with respect to Gmail app Single e-mail app and I must say an efficient one. iPhone
Aesthetics: Visually crippled non-Google apps. The icons seem to be poorly drawn / designed. Its looking unprofessional in many cases (3rd party apps) Every single application – the $99 app or the free one developed by a small co, all of them looks aesthetically rich and has appealing icons and appearance . For some one like me that first appearance plays 90% role in deciding if I want that app or not iPhone
File Transfer / Sync: Android has the ‘plug and transfer’ feature by which you can transfer files between Android phone and your laptop just as if it were an external storage device iTunes sync model – just like iPods. This means having a separate sync folder in your laptop and transferring media content to that folder before starting up the sync. Android
Hardware Design / Buttons: If you have an android mobile and have been using it for sometime, you probably have experienced this. The menu and back buttons doesn’t always do the same thing. Their functionalities vary for different apps. Also there is that useless trackball  which does mostly nothing as of now One button – clear function. Menu and back always mean what they imply :) iPhone
Text Editing: Inconsistent text editing options again varying based on the app Text editing operations (cut,copy and paste) act the same irrespective of the app. I agree Apple has a lot of scope for improvement here.. but still iPhone
Charger: Micro USB charger which is something that is readily available in the market. Any Micro USB wire will do :) Apple charger – though it is available in the market in abundance, I hate to be dependent only on Stevie for charging the phone Android
OS Upgrade: Non-upgradable OS iPhone can support at least one major OS Update before Apple launches a non-compatible or higher configuration OS. iPhone

 

Apart from these, there are some common features that work good in both iPhone and Android. They are:

1. Auto suggestion by Google for search – complete as you type option

2. Back ground Apps and Multitasking

3. Google Calendar sync -

For iPhone, configure Google Exchange server in mail

For Androids, login to your Google account to sync

4. Bookmarking Sync -

iPhone  - Safari bookmark sync option over MobileMe

Android – Google chrome bookmark sync

These are the facts that I have gathered. Do you think I have missed mentioning any feature of importance or I’m wrong anywhere or if any of the feature has now been made available in iPhone or android. Please drop me a note in comments. I’ll be happy to learn and correct mistakes if any.

95 comments:

bibin said...

Not having SD slot is advantage?????

Indhu C said...

i am not saying not having SD slot is an advantage.. i am just saying that having a reliable internal memory is better than having an unreliable external memory.. what if you had lots of pics on SD card that just vanished one fine morning.. also iPhone has a large internal memory size and a reliable one too..

bibin said...

failure of memory cards are rare......

bibin said...

In fact having a memory card slot has lot of advantages......

Indhu C said...

I completely agree that having a memory slot is advantageous. In fact I've memory slots in my Nokia E51 and Nokia N73 and I absolutely love the freedom in terms of storing media. But from what I have read and heard from android users, there has been malfunctioning of SD memory purely with respect to the android phones. I am not condemning having external memory slots on the whole.. I am just saying it only isn't doing a good job with android mobiles and in comparison, iPhone's internal memory does a whole lot of better job. If there is no problems with the SD card handling capacity of android phones, it will definetly be advantage android.

Muthu said...

OS Upgrade: Non-upgradable OS. Its not true Indhu..Android devices OS can be upgraded as well.

Indhu C said...

Well this is going to be a long explanation:
Google's Android platform is open-source - which means handset makers customize the experience for its device better. Google Android releases new versions of the OS more frequently than Apple but the OS isn't given to all Android devices at once. Because it runs on more than one device, handset manufacturers must customize the OS to their device. Android upgrades get pushed over-the-air (OTA) IF and ONLY IF you are using a phone that Google labelled as an official Google phone (G1, Nexus One and Nexus S). If you have a phone from other manufacturers, such as HTC, Samsung, Motorola, etc., then you are at the mercy of these manufacturers. When a new Android OS comes out the manufacturer must make it compatible with their device before letting devices upgrade. Some manufactures even ignore their older models (which makes it non-upgradable) and only release upgrades with newer models in market. Furthermore upgrades are all released at different times and sometimes not even released at all compared to Apple's streamline process. Even if they make the upgrades available for the older model, for every upgrade you have to deal with the hassle of configuring your phone and setting up email, contact lists as the included tools never get it right. Well this I might as well call as non-upgradable.

You may also want to read this: "If you’re an early adopter of Android feeling left in the cold with your phone stuck on a 1.5 or 1.6, there is a way out: Install CyanogenMod 5.07. Warning: Doing this will void your warranty. The process isn’t totally bug free, few issues can pop-up." at http://www.taranfx.com/upgrade-android-2-1

Indhu C said...

This is another interesting read at google forum: Ppl are trying to revert back to previous OS after an upgrade and they are finding even that to be difficult
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Android%20Market/thread?tid=0fcc6d7d9116ea60&hl=en

Muthu said...

Yeah Indhu i knew that manufacturers customize the android. for ex we have motoblur, touchwiz n HTC sense.


but i agree the manufacturers delay upgrading their customized versions leaving the users frustrated. we cant blame the android os for manufacturer's delay. as far as i know Moto is gud at providing timely upgrades. if ur phone uses stock android then upgrading is smooth.

Josh said...

This seems biased to me. The capability for external storage is an advantage. One has it, the other doesn't. The failure of SD cards is not a feature of Android. Since I had a SD card that failed in my digital camera, should I tell people that is a disadvantage of owning a Canon? No.

Anonymous said...

Android has 270,000 apps actually...

iphone app developer los angeles said...

The two smart phone (android and iPhone)have their own advantages and dis advantages.

Anonymous said...

the author should have done some research before posting this blog. Obviously this is biased to iphone.

Unknown said...

What about the fact that Android is able to be Multi-Networks, ie, AT@T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint... While iPhone... AT@T... And now thankfully Verison. Not only that. You can choose from all sorts of phones with Android and with iPhone... You get iPhone...

Anonymous said...

Maybe i am confused or this comparison is far from fair, you are comparing a single phone against all the android devices.

If your idea was to make a comparison between both OSes, you should've put iOS instead of iphone, but i don't see why you are comparing things like what kind of charger they use in this case.

Some things you should have considered:
- iPhone 4 battery can be replaced.
- Having external SD card support is an advantage for android devices (if they have external sd card support of course).
- The are also mail limitations in the native iOS mail app. i.e. you can't send attachments unless they are photos, videos, etc. but you can't send a pdf without external app support.
- You didn't mention anything about os stability nor how multi-tasking is implemented on each one.
- Both OSes are upgradeable, the problem here is the lack of support of android-based devices manufacturers.

Haytham Samy said...

Thanks for this good review .. It helped alot .. Also you should consider that iPhone system is so easy to use compared to androids.

Unknown said...

i have jailbreak tons of idevices, i never expereince non wake up devices after jailbreak... jailbreak not scary thing right now. and i agree with big internal memory much better than have external memory. today i have bad experience with my brother android tablet, the sd card suddenly corupted out of no where. and the data lost forever...

Unknown said...

and the author confusing between jailbreaking and unlocking. jailbreak is mean to rooting idevice so user can install tweak, app that not appear on app store, and customize the os. unlock is mean to use difference carrier than the original carrier. it's true to unlock you need jailbreak first, but that doesn't mean unlock=jailbreak. maybe in US and some european country iphone lock to some carrier, but in asia every iphone is factory unlock... and thank god i live in asia.
but the conclusion from this review in my opinion is there are no perfect os or device. every os and device have strong point and weak point. there are no such this one better than other. everything back to user needs to choose between these gorgeous os

Pixel Pinch said...

I used jail broken iphone 4 for 2 weeks & it didn't impressed me a bit. Now I'm using HTC Incredible S & its perfect.
I have a humor war of Android vs iPhone in comic strip.
Please visit > http://pixelpinch.com/2011/05/android-vs-ios-iphone/. its fun!!

Unknown said...

How could you possibly claim this is fair and unbiased?

1. Android has over 200,000 apps and growing.

2. Apple offer different sizes of internal memory but at a cost and it isn't expandable unless you buy a new phone. Android is designed to be expandable with a mixture of both memory types. Should've based your comments on memory as a whole. Android offers more flexibility in this regard.

3. External memory: Many reports of corrupted SD cards? First I've heard of it and I've owned Android phones for a long time (and an iPad so not an Android evangelist). Also, the SD cards also store apps, not just photos and music. How on earth can you claim the iPhone is BETTER in the EXTERNAL MEMORY category WHEN IT HAS NONE?!!!! (Your comments about Android's SD cards being prone to data loss were based on hearsay rather than personal experience, so a bad argument.)

4. Mail: "other mail app is given 2nd class treatment" - garbage! I don't use the Gmail app as I like having the unified inbox for all my mail accounts offered by the supposedly '2nd class' email app. The Gmail app offers additional features applicable only to the Gmail system, but the general mail app is more than a match for that provided by iPhone. Re iPhone "single email app and an efficient one"... not much substance to argue it's better than Android, especially when the Android mail app can also be used as a 'single email app' if desired. Android offers greater flexibility, but somehow you view this as a handicap.

5. Aesthetics: Yes, I agree iPhone apps quite often look better, but whilst I loved my iPad, I got rid of it because it did nothing my HTC Desire HD didn't do already. Ultimately, functionality is more important than prettiness. 'Visually crippled' is rather harsh and hardly fair or unbiased!

6. Hardware buttons: I've never, ever found the hardware buttons functioning differently between apps on the Android platform - are you sure you're not making some of this stuff up? And if a trackball is useless in most circumstances, why should you mark Android down on this score? It's a feature iPhone doesn't have, so therefore a feature that could be taken advantage of. Try taking advantage of a feature that isn't there!

7. Text editing: again, I haven't found this functionality to differ between applications. How long has Android had fully-functioning copy and paste compared with iPhone? You reckon iPhone still has some way to go with this functionality "but still"... "But still" qualifies iPhone a victory does it? Is that your argument? "BUT STILL"?!!

8. OS upgrades: Android not upgradeable? This is total and utter BS. Sorry, I'm getting angry now as your fair and impartial review is full of holes, flaws and rotten research. Jailbreak an iPhone and you might not get it working again. Unlock an Android phone and you can upgrade, mod, hack away 'til your heart's content, and if you don't want to muck around, Android offers OTA software updates. The HTC Desire has received at least 2 OTA updates since its release with rumours it may still be slated for a Gingerbread update, whilst you point out that "iPhone can support at least one major OS Update before Apple launches a non-compatible or higher configuration OS"... at least one? Compared with 2 or 3 updates for the ageing HTC Desire? My unlocked Desire HD has run Froyo (and the version before that, can't remember its codename); it now has Gingerbread on it and I've even run a version of Honeycomb on it. Now tell me how the hell iPhone could win this round too!

nazeergassiep said...

You're lying in this article.
External memory: Android should win by default, as iPhone has none.
Mail App: Android has some top-notch third party mail apps, which work far better than the iPhone one. iPhone does not allow any third party mail apps.
Back button: Imagine it's the same as the screen button you often see in the top right of the screen on iPhone. It's just as dynamic in its function.
Text editing: That's just flat out not true.
OS upgrade: Also a lie. Not only can Android be upgraded, but you can upgrade to custom themes and custom kernels if you want. You even have a choice of your manufacturer's updates or stock Android.

eighty said...

Why does anyone care about an OS upgrade in Android phones? After a years use the phone will surely be replaced by an entirely new Phone design anyway. IPhones are replaced every year by an improved model. Android phones in 2012 will replace the 2011 offerings surely as well.

InfoShyam said...

Dude.. that's good comparison.. but i dont agree with the last point. Who said Android OS is Non-upgradable?? ANDROID OS CAN BE UPGRADED FOR FREE.
you can upgrade 2.1 to 2.2 and also 2.2 to 2.3 if the OEM supports 2.3 hardware requirements. And all the updates are FREE..

InfoShyam said...

Android Rocks the World.
The Phones that don't have Android OS are not worth buying...

Android Rocks... Android Rules ...

Emma said...

The author of this article is either stupid or a liar. Either way, most of what he has written about Android is untrue. I would imagine that he is an Apple fanboy as well. It wouldn't surprise me if Apple have paid him to write such libel about Android. I totally agree with the post by Dan Ackers above.

Unknown said...

worst ever article - obviously an iphone lover

Neo Zero said...

Nice article. you did all this research to provide a good information for us all

jonny said...

Only if you have experienced both the Android and iPhone, you come to see very clearly that Android is not only lacking, they are falling way way behind. Fragmentation, having way too many versions out at the same time, upgrade issues between carriers and manufacturers and ultimately Android users, Android Market is an utter mess, app incompatibility issues with Android, Android phones really do suck as well because they tweak Android way too much. Jailbreak or unlocked phone is no longer an advantage Android has. Open source or being able to root the phone is not a real huge advantage either. Having reliable OS upgrades is the best advantage, having an OS that carriers and manufacturers cannot toy with is a great advantage, Apple hardware is far superior to anything Android phone manufacturers are putting out, Apple apps and its market is a thing of beauty, and apps are all compatible with all iPhones since Apple controls things. This is what you want really. Not the mess Google created with Android and still can't get the reins on.

jonny said...

I really laugh at Android defenders. They blindly defend without even having experienced iOS. It's like PC maggots still bashing Apple computers. Sorry... Apple is just far superior. Get over your bias and actually use some Apple products to see what you are missing. And I believe all Android haters are saying upgrade issue on Android is a mess. Clearly, you can upgrade. Duh.

LACHandLOAD said...

This is the common argument between one of two people, 1st Party (Proprietary) vs 3rd Party (Open Source). Neither argument can win, both products have their positives and negatives which is entirely of the individual's opinion.

Todd said...

Android is an operation system. Iphone is a phone. This is like comparing apples to oranges.

Ramon said...

Ive had both systems an I have to with android. The authors clearly an apple fanboy :/

Markus said...

I'm feel sorry for Apple users. It's the same with Blackberry users (In South Africa)

Yay, there is a new Iphone, but with the same old iOS, booo!. The phone can be great, but the OS is not.
http://www.high-on-it.co.za/2011/08/ten-reasons-why-android-is-superior-to-the-iphone/

Anonymous said...

It seems like this is more a comparison between the iPhone and some specific phone or experience with a phone that uses DROID, not really the unbiased comparison it claims to be.
First of all, the internal/external memory category is all wrong. Any internal memory is based on the phone, not the DROID OS. The smallest capacity iPhone4 is 16GB, and the Samsung Infuse 4G also has 16GB, but the Infuse also has a 2GB microSD included, and of course can be replaced with 32GB, so by comparing those two phones, the iPhone does not have the advantage. Furthermore, to say that iPhone has the advantage against any DROID phone's internal memory is just ignorant. Regarding external memory, the simple fact that DROID phones have expandable memory and iPhone doesn't gives that advantage to DROID, and any corruption was likely due to a faulty SD card, not DROID OS.

To compare the iPhone to DROID should be a comparison about what the iPhone can do vs. what the DROID OS does.

How about customization? Being able to move your apps around from screen to screen and change lock/home screen wallpapers (iPhone) doesn't really shout personalization like having 7 completely customizable home screens does, along with live wallpapers (Droid).

As far as apps, you are poorly misinformed and passing on that bad information, because the Android app market is growing exponentially faster than iPhone apps, and most of the apps you pay for on an iPhone are free for Android (yes, the full paid version). Today, there are more than 300,000 apps available in the Android market.

Hmmm, I wonder if I should keep going......

No Nonsense said...

Android has Non-upgradable OS??, total BS.
You tried hard to sound like a techie, but this one blown your cover.

Please better be off to what you are good at, don't mislead people. Nothing is better than nonsense.

Unknown said...

Apple hardware far superior?
Samsung makes the A4 chip...
And sells the exact same chip to a number of Android manufacturers.

Earthquake said...

the typing reliability is perfect if you install swype (that is another major advantage as you can download stuff from outside the market)and even without it, the typing is still good

Anil said...

Iphone is royal. Android is rich. Iphone has few things no other phone has(retina display, build quality, glossy finish). Android has more reach and fans which no other phone has. Android is from GOOGLE. This means a lot. Iphone is definitely for super rich guys who like few functionality but not a phone created for people who like to use their same phone for 5 years. Iphone vs android = Strawberry vs Banana. (Uniqueness/Taste V/S Available/More preferable)

PlasmicEuphoria said...

The only disadvantage of Android, in my opinion, is the varying hardware platforms that it is run on. The latest iPhone hardware does not compare with this years droid releases, having more than 1ghz of speed. Despite having a slower processor, iOS has been built to run at the exact hardware the phone has, I do note smoother scrolling and animations than most droid devices I've seen, however, this leaves no room for experimentation. I have a HD Desire, though I have never once had a problem with an App not working (in fact not any major problems with anything, with minor problems being fixed by OS updates), I often see comments saying that other phones are not running the App properly. Then again, with the right droid phone, Android is bliss.

That was as unbaised as I could possibly be.
Baised:
I do, however, consider the iPhone to be a fashion trend for girls. Most seem to want it for reasons unknown to me, like fashion trends.
I went on eBay and bought a sexy metallic case for less than ten dollars. Too easy.

@jonny have you seen the market share for OSX? 5% vs 86% Windows, don't tell billions of people that Mac is better.

Anonymous said...

^
that's because you're a nerd and probably havent left your parents basement in months, bro.

I've sent back my Galaxy S because my iPhone offers a better USER experience.

Not a better nerd experience.

Only nerds want to super customize their phones with a billion modules.

Boring. I have better things to do.

Tim said...

Non-upgradeable OS? ARe you joking?

FVersace said...

With three variations of Android phones over the last 1.5 years, plus a dozen or so friends with Androids, this is the FIRST time I've ever even HEARD of SD card corruption! I've even gone through a few upgrades of the SD cards, going from 4G, to 8G, then to 16G cards, all with NO problems or data loss. Try that with an iPhone!

Plus, I can pull the card and back it up to my desktop or laptop in a manner of minutes, rather than waiting for some slow sync process to occur.

Honestly, I've had WAY more iTunes issues with my iPad than I have had Android issues. I wouldn't even consider switching to an iPhone. I'd have to give up way too much flexibility.

Anonymous said...

When I read the author's statement saying that the Android OS is not upgradable I figured this was an old article. Nope, looked at the and was towards the beginning of the year. The OS IS upgradable and Google's policy is that any deviced purchased new MUST me capable of running any new updates released in the next 12 months (or something close to that).
Also on the subject of external memory... I ask how can the iphone be the winner when it DOES NOT have external memory. I can understand saying internal memory is better than external (even though I prefer the external so I can move from device to device and insert into my laptop) but it is obvious that android is the winner here as apple forfeits this category. Oh and btw I never have experienced a corrupt SD Card. If I had to guess these were cheap nock off branded SD Cards. Furthermore you can get corupt memory with internal memory too. And just to be fair there are android devices out there that have internal memory as well but I think the largest capacity is 32GB internal with the option of installing a 64GB SD Card.... hmmmm... I would say that this category goes to Android as well but with many different manufacturers not all hand sets have large internal memory.

One of Apples strongest strengths is that it is the only hardware developer for its own OS which makes for a good total and seamless solution (most of the time). Which is why there are tons of "i" accessories cause the makers only have to make it once it will last for at least several generations. If google even remotely hopes to have a strong eco system for Android it will have to at least implement a standard on some sort of connection dock.

Well I've already said way more than I had planned so I'm gonna shut up right now.... before I start talking about tablets but it's already obvious who has the best tablet apps and who has the best hardware (which is a hole other can of worms)

I'm not making any claims to which OS is better as I had been torn between them for a very long time.
Google's Strengths is also its weakness and the same can be said for Apple.

ShadowSama said...

As Todd said earlier, this post is mostly about the OS.

So here's a comparison between similar products on each platform :
- LG Optimus 2x (release : 2011 February)
- iPhone4S (release : 2011 October)

I will only state the main facts, up to you to choose which one you think is the best. (specs taken from respective maker's website)

Size (mm):
Optimus2x : 123.9 x 63.2 x 10.9
iPhone : 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3

Weight :
Optimus2x : 139g
iPhone4S : 140g

CPU:
Optimus2x : NVIDIA Tegra 2
iPhone4S : Apple A5
(both dual-core ARM Cortex-A9)

GPU
Optimus2x : Ultra-low power GeForce
iPhone4S : PowerVR SGX543MP2

Wi-Fi
Optimus2x : 802.11 b/g/n
iPone4S : 802.11 b/g/n (802.11n 2.4GHz only)

Bluetooth:
Optimus2x : 2.1 + EDR
iPhone4S : 4.0

Battery (Talk-time):
Optimus2x : 5.8 hours
iPhone4S : 8 hours

Battery (Standby):
Optimus2x : 430 hours
iPhone4S : 200 hours

Display :
Optimus2x : 4 inch
iPhone4S : 3.5inch

Resolution :
Optimus2x : 800x480
iPhone4 : 960x640

Camera (back):
Optimus2x : 8 MP auto focus
iPhone4S : 8 MP auto focus

Camera (front):
Optimus2x : 1.3 MP fixed focus
iPhone4S : VGA (no details)

Video :
Optimus2x : 1080p 24fps / 720p 30fps
iPhone4S : 1080p 30fps

Output :
Optimus2x : 3.5mm headphone, USB 2.0 HS, HDMI
iPhone4S : 3.5mm headphone, 30-pin dock

Memory :
Optimus2x : 8GB + up to 32GB micro SD
iPhone4S : 16GB / 32GB / 64GB depending on price

Those are the main specification to each, of course we could add lots of other details from the specs as the frequencies, they also both support A-GPS and allows use of voice-recognition system or the supported formats, but I think those are not relevant facts to the hardware.

Anonymous said...

This is a case of comparing a phone to a whole array of phones,you need to compare both OS,with Android a clear winner for spreadability on almost any phone and with more users and feedback constantly expanding,not to mention many developers who make it easy for android users by making ROMs and apps.Sure iPhone has all the bugs worked out and it looks good,but its only one phone with the same look and OS changes uncomparable to the changes between droid OS. Not to mention iPhone is expensive...

GBest said...

The category 'External Memory' must goto the Android BY FAR considering the iPhone dosen't have that at all. As far as corruption...which phone model using which SDCard had the problem? You can't blame faulty hardware on the Android software. Personally I haven't had any problems with SDCards in the G1. Which brings me to my next point, I'm running Android 2.3 on a G1 that was originally developed for v1.6. How's that for upgrade ability?? Apple has always been stingy with OS upgrades, charging for them sometimes and never upgrading for long to FORCE you to by another phone. The ability to upgrade the OS is where Androids really shine.

Bobby frie said...

So u missed a couple key points needed in this argument

1.value- iphone 4s will be $200 new plan $650 without for the basic 16gb version. That money can get u the galaxy s2, photon, droid, thunderbolt, and atrix, all of which way outperform the iphone.

2-performance- you never mentioned anything about Ram/data speeds, of which android will get you much more ram for money, and you can get 4g on any service, neither can be done on iphones

3.flexibility- very important. Android users can add 3rd party programs/files as long as they are compatible with the software, iphones can only download files through itunes and the app store. Also, you can change your input method freely on android, so the keyboard is set up easiest for you, but you have to use iphones keyboard on iphone

And finally, what happens if it breaks? On android phones, you have to go through your provider, either mailing it in or going to a store, where they will usually fix it or replace it for free or for a low charge, while iphone must be brought to the apple store, which has left me with several large bills. a broken phone brings up the advantage of having external memory again. If an android breaks, you can just transfer files to your new phone by simply inserting the sd card, which u cannot do with an iphone.

How can u call this a complete comparison when you ignore the most important areas, all that comvieniently android wins in?

Chasta said...

This review helped me a lot, even with what some of the people are saying in the comments. I've had the Droid 2 for a few months now, and have already had to do two hard resets on it, and it is still having problems. One of which being that it will refuse to charge at times, and others I have to hold the charger in a specific position. My mom has gone through two External SD cards because of them corrupting on her, and was forced to buy the replacements herself.

A lot of my friends have the iPhone, so I've been able to play with the different versions, and I was liking them more then I like the Android design. With the Droid 2, I like the fact that it has a slide out keyboard, but getting used to tough screen wouldn't be that hard if I where to convert.

One thing that I think you should include with this comparison is the camera. My phone only has a 5 MP, but it also has a flash. Whereas with the iPhone, isn't the camera of higher grade, but lacks the flash capability?

And for all of you saying the comparison is biased towards iPhone, why don't you take a look at your post. It's biased towards Android. There is no biased information involved, all of it is facts on the models. Look up what's been said, you'll find the same facts in other places as well.

mrcrono said...

Shadowsama

You're comparing and Android phone that was released at the begining of the year to an iPhone that hasn't been released yet...

Besides that, its not fair to start pulling out spec sheets for hardware between the two. Apple can't win. But lets pretend

A better comparison would be the Nexus Prime vs the Iphone4s, but you wouldn't like those results, so lets do The Nexus Prime vs the iPhone 5. Maybe the i5 will have more to offer, maybe it won't, but who cares? HTC, Samsung, Motorola or anybody else will release a more powerful phone the next day, and then the day after that.

Again, pitting these two OSes against each other in hardware capabilities is just ridiculous. Android just has too much flexibility and resources.

Fun fact, the processors and screens made in iPhones is made by Samsung...

And as far as the article being unbiased, ehhh I don't think so. More misinforming, and just plain ignorant at times than I'd hoped. I was excited to read an 'unbiased' article too...

Anonymous said...

This is your last chance to pay respect to "iPhone for Steve".

Vjekoslav said...

Lol, android unupgradeable? Xperia can easily update software, not only connected to PC, but even over the air (iPhone must be connected to PC, no over the air update), so Android wins this one.

Jimmy said...

Apple users are communists plain and simple. They blindly worship Steve Jobs to dictate what phone they'll get and what apps they're allowed to use. No thank you, you can keep it. I'll take my Evo 3D and flash 20 roms a day just to try them all and learn how the OS works and compare different developers styles. I'll take my Evo 3D and push it to 1.8ghz and run different scripts to see what they do. Android is fun. Android has an awesome community of everyone from very experienced developers all the way down to the freshest noob asking questions that have been answered a million times before. But you know what? We don't get mad, we teach them. People learn in the Android community, and I'm afraid that's more than I can say about the iphone community. So go ahead and keep using your simpleton, communist, everyone gets a trophy, everyone's equal so nobody gets their feelings hurt device. You deserve it.

Mr Glass Mike said...

Visual Voicemail very important to me. also had iphone for two years and just got android thinking of trading back. If you want simple and dependable and something that works then iphone is for you. If you want something that has alot of bells and whistles that also is hard to learn how to use and so far isnt very compatable with apps working with other apps. And has alot of fractures about stuff working. But has alot of neat stuff then android is for you in my opinion. And i believe if android was only on one phone such as samsung. and limited to a couple carriers like iphone. in other words compare them on a level playing field. I sure dont think android would be out selling iphone. But android you can get on any brand of phone with just about any carrier. whereas iphone is only with iphone and about two carriers and is still holding its own with people lined up all night for blocks the night before 4gs came out. Not bad Steve Jobs, not bad at all.

South Bay Computer Pros said...

LMAO. This person who wrote the article is an Apple fanboy, because all REAL computer pros know that Android's OS is upgradeable, that all Android phones have external storage capability (up to and including 64GB), and that the hardware of the iPhone is already behind the curve.

Only an Apple fanboy would have written such an erroneous article and not printed a retraction or an amendment. Apples are for people who want to FEEL like a geek, but are actually just consumers falling victim to a brilliant marketing campaign. Apple users dont need flexibility because what they know and what they like is DICTATED to them. If it is not on the phone or on the Apple radar, they arent interested. GOOD! Apple fanboys are not geeks, and Im sick of them trying to pretend to be.

epicftwfail said...

Android users are so ridiculously biased. Apple has been so very successful because the company provides a complete product that is far superior to anything else in the market. Even though the Android OS is on a vast range of devices that have in some cases better hardware (ie faster processor, bigger screen etc), and offer the opportunities for in some cases better application availability due to allowing ANY application on their operating system (which has inherent issues regarding security and application integrity), you are comparing dozens of phones from a range of phone companies each with their own R&D who are all on the forefront of technological development, so of course there will be some things better about these products now...however it took a very long time for 'the rest' to catch up with Apple (being one company...who singularly reshaped the market). With Android covering such a vast arrange of devices that can be marketed to a wide variety of different users there is a greater opportunity to reach into areas the iPhone isnt designed for. As the smart phone market gets more competitive and the technological gap between phones decreases of course the market will level itself. Apple was innovative and redesigned the smartphone market with the introduction of the iPhone and its subsequent version updates. It can not be said that Apple wasn't successful and didn't hit the right mix with its products, its current position and financial wellbeing show how that panned out. Apple products have always been clean and aesthetically pleasing in design, smoothe to run, and due to a very strict policy on third party applications dont have issues with faulty apps like Android does. Other components of the iphone that Android users gripe about, ie external storage support, dynamic applications, thrid party application availability etc are control measures Apple have put in place which have in part been a reason for the iPhones success. External hardware (despite Android users' disagreement) can break, or be lost, dynamic applications can make the screen look messy (users like the clean design of the iOS desktop), and third party applications can damage the integrity of the operating system when there arent control measures as there are in App Store applications. iPhone and iOS is made for simplicity, with the Apple guarantee of exceptional quality. The total product you receive from an iPhone is what you purchase when you buy an iPhone. The ability to synchronise iPhones, iPods, iPads together with iTunes, with the iTunes store being the number one music store in the world. Together with a FAR GREATER range and availability of accessories and integration into other technologies (ie iPhone docking on music players etc). iPhone with the current iOS 5 is a very competitive phone on the market place, and although did not make huge leaps with the new iPhone 4S is on par with all other Android phones, however aside from the fact that it is still a very competitive phone, when you buy an iPhone you buy a complete product, a complete guarantee that your iPhone will perform well, and will work as you expect it to.

epicftwfail said...

The argument of iPhone vs Android is a stupid arguement anyway. It should be iPhone vs (any individual Android based phone ie Motorola Defy etc) or iOS vs Android. If you compare iOS then you need to include that iOS extends over all Apple products including iPod, iPad, and iPhone, providing support and synchronisation between all these devices. If comparing iPhone to any other phone then iPhone is a beautiful designed product that has some amazing features and technology as advanced as any other Android based phone on the market place. One problem that Apple faces today is that because they have been so innovative in redesigned and introducing products in the marketplace in the past, just being on par with the rest is not the expectation anymore. The expectation is that Apple is far beyond anything else, however the market has caught up, and until Apple can redesign the smartphone market they will not have the same dominance. Another point, any Android fan who states Apple has copied any Android functionality should realise that Android was created introduced into the market in response to the success of Apples iPhone...enough said!

Roy said...

I agree with Bibin, as hard as you tried to be unbiased, you seem to have failed. The OS does get updated from time to time and is pushed automatically to your phone from your carrier, in a lot of cases. (Cupcake, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread)

Not to mention there was no mention of Android's superiority over iPhone in terms of Flash support.

andy said...

Well.....
nice discussions....
the fact is..........
get android : if you are young, adventureous, like custamizing
, want a variety of hardware to choose from ,
wanna be able to super multitask ( ice cream sandwitch..android 4.0)..,
Get an iphone : like the silky simple ios, if you are an apple fan boy, do not like custamizing..., like simplicity...
to every one out there........
android 4.0 is out.....i have tried it.....
it is better than iphone( ios )....
Super smooth....fast and snappy....incrediblly powerful
super multitasking...(no iphone can do that ....yet)
Most bugs are hammerd out....
The new iphone released seems to have dissapointed
even their loyal fans.......
more over.....if you know wat a rooted android is capable
of ...iphones just cant compare..
what can you do with rooting....
underclock your cpu....saves 50% battery life
overclock your cpu..can reach 1.8Ghz..easily...
more cpu speed the better...
use custom roms.....there are tens of them out there..
they are better than updates.....get new kernals..
you can even make a droid look and feel like an
iphone.......it freaks out apple fan boys.....lol.haha


Let me see one of those iphones do any of that better..
An iphone is just that........a phone...
android.....it is more than just a phone... a complete system..
Talkin about hardware....
i heard there is a new droid comming.....
quad core. above 1.5ghz more thane 1.2gb ram
12 mp cam with 3d capability...highest resolution ever
seen on a mobile device...and more....coming in a year or
two......iphones can bite the dust........
about the apps....beyon 320,000 already...and rising
gonna surpass apple soon.....

MO said...

I have worked with all the phones because of me being in the IT (Data, Servers, Networks, Telecommunications, VoIP, 802.11 a/b/g/n <~~2.4ghz & 5ghz))field and connecting many different types of phones to a network. I have had a Droid, Iphone, Blackberry, Palm, Windows Mobile & etc. That being said... I still would choose the iPhone anyday of the week over a Android.

Apps being one of the reasons. Any app you can think you might need, its already built for the IPhone. Idevice apps are are around a million as of 10/01/2011. The ease of use with almost all O/S's and paralleled devices is untouched on idevices. I have had far easier times connecting iPhones to various mail systems i.e., Novell Groupwise, Microsoft exchange, and Lotus notes, than I have other devices.

Speed and latency, iPhone far exceeds that of any droid device. (Keep in mind I say this from using the devices no reading about them). Un-necessary tab, pages, programs, apps, windows or whatever can be removed quickly and seamlessly on the iPhone. Multitasking runs far smoother on the iPhone than any Droid.

File transfer and optimization. Droids are stuck to FAT32 formatted micro SD cards. Only allows 4gb data transfers. Not so on iPhone with extended journal. Movies on the droid X can not go over 2gb or movie will not play. Not on iPhone. I use my iDevice as a computer away from home and can do EVERYTHING on it that I do with my Desktop PC or Macbook Pro.

Customization, both are the same. Anything you can do with a droid and then limited too, I have done with and iPhone. I will say this, if you are a basic computer user, get the droid. If you don't mind thinking a little and love to learn technology go for the challenge in the iPhone.

other than that ...the phones are basically the same except for the means in which you get your media to it (iTunes or Google Music). iTunes has a leg up but I feel Google will catch up sometime soon. Just like int he Tablet Department.

One last note, with the App called TalkaTone, I can now buy a 4 generation IPod, and run circles around any Droid. Jailbreak the IPod and you now have a Mobile Smart Phone with all the functions and features of any Smartphone without a phone bill or contract with the same hardware inside.

David Kahan said...

Android non upgradable OS ??

Android app development said...

This is one of the brilliant post.I like your blog talent.Try to get more this kind of topic.
Android app developers

VMAN1209 said...

what does sp refer to under the jailbreaking column?

VMAN1209 said...

what does sp refer to under the jail breaking column? plz erspond back ASAP

Indhu C said...

SP means Service Provider

EA SPORTS said...

i like the convo going on in the comment section and this blog as well. here is another really great android vs iphone comparison http://bluewheelmedia.com/android-vs-iphone-comparison

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GreenTree said...

"For some one like me that first appearance plays 90% role in deciding if I want that app or not..."

I stopped reading the comparison and review at this point...

mikeyyyy said...

Let's consider this

IPhone 4- 100+ for 8 gb
200+ for 16gb....

HTC incredible s 8gb internal memory 0$
16gb micro SD 20$
24gb HTC incredible s 20$
Nuff said.....

Anonymous said...

Ok for starters find me ibirck with a dual core or quadcore processor untill then these aren't the droids your looking for

Unknown said...

This is an amazing post. Thank you. I have the Razor Maxx and love it but I surely love the iPhone better for its clean apps and lack of fragmentation.

Unknown said...

I really loved your comments and learned much. Thank you. Its comforting to hear from someone who actually is in that field.

J~Niyce said...

The external memory deff, goes to the android. you used the large internal memory as an advantage for the iphone yet that has NOTHING to do with external memory,, each category should be based on that topic, not the last topic and not the next,, think about that.

Jamie said...

Thanks for the comparison, this a good start for decision making in selecting iphone.

cell phones nashville

Unknown said...

Wow internal storage can be found in adequate supply depending on which phone you buy. Take the matrix for example, plenty of internal storage and has an SD card slot what a biased review.

Unknown said...

Wow internal storage can be found in adequate supply depending on which phone you buy. Take the matrix for example, plenty of internal storage and has an SD card slot what a biased review.

Unknown said...

To purchase a smart phone soon and they cannot decide between an iPhone or an Android. The Android is a better pick but I want to be as fair as I can in describing them the Pros & Con of each phone android development

chimpanzeenator said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
chimpanzeenator said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
JayRoe111 said...

You call this an unbiased comparison? Let me point out a few problems.

First the amount of apps. Android does in fact have more apps then the iPhone. Yes the apple IOS app store does have more apps than the android market. But android has many app stores with many apps not just the android market. App stores like amazon app store, opera mobile app store, getjar and more. All of these give android a huge selection of apps far greater than apples app store. People who say that IOS has more apps only count the apps on the android market. Apple will not allow other app stores on IOS.

Next the internal memory.
The iPhone is available with 16Gb, 32Gb and 64Gb internal memory. There are also several android phone with the same amount available such as the Samsung galaxy S3.

External memory
How is not having an SD slot an advantage?! Yes there has been reports of corrupted SD cards but I’m sure it’s only a small percentage of users. Besides if you’re worried about an SD card becoming corrupt then get an android phone with high internal memory and don’t use the SD card.

Aesthetics
You can customize and make android to look however you want. And you don’t need to jailbreak. And to me functionality is better then looks

Hardware buttons
I disagree with this. My home button always takes me back to my home screen and my back button always takes me back to the previous page
Os upgrade
What do you mean non-upgradable! What a load of crap. I upgraded my Samsung galaxy s2 to android 4.0. And I will eventually be able to get 4.1

And what about the fact that android has true multitasking, no restrictions on Bluetooth, widgets, easy way to set custom ringtone, and a better choice of handsets with the choice of features like different screen sizes, 3d screens, 3d cameras, physical keyboard Etc. Does the iPhone have any of these? NO!

Unknown said...

if this is unbiased than i am Jesus Christ.

Web Design New York City said...

Hardware is easily the biggest differentiator for the two platforms. Apple currently sells just two smartphone models--the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS--available on two different carriers in the U.S. There are different storage configurations you can get, but there are only two different base models. Apple also sells the iPod Touch and the iPad.web design company

Anonymous said...

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Unknown said...

I am not condemning having external memory slots on the whole.can you unlock iphone 4

Michael Gonzalez said...

The fact that the writer keeps refering to Android vs iPhone tells me that they don't even have the technical knowledge to understand that iPhone isn't an Operating System, it's a product that runs an OS called iOS. Right away I knew the rest would then be biased to somehow show "iPhone" is superior. As someone with a actual masters degree in computer systems engineering I know that isn't true. And unlike most of you I actually understand how both handle threads at the kernel level and why one is better than the other.

Michael Gonzalez said...

As for ugradeability, only an idiot would say Android isn't an upgradeable OS. iOS gets upgrades only once per year. Android on the other hand gets a complete version update roughly every 3 months. With lots of minor updates every couple of weeks. If you don't know this than you are probably nontechnical and have never used a custom rom on a smartphone and thus are too ignorant to comment in the first place.

Unknown said...

Iphone is better than android because the iPhone is supported better than the android...and iPhone boasts over 230,000 great apps and their e-mail app is still superior in many ways.

Matt said...

Von, Both the App Store and Google Play Store boast a vast number of apps, so much more than was in the post, as the post is old. Even though Apple says "there's an app for everything," try being a Windows Network Admin, and using an iPhone to manage Active Directory. What's that? No app for Active Directory Management?! Oh wait, Android has "ActiveDir Manager"? Well, that's perfect! There are toss ups to both OSes. I agree with The guy two/three posts above mine - it's iOS, not iPhone. It's like saying Desktop when you mean to say Windows 8. The iPhone runs on iOS. If it was 'iPhone', then that means the iPad runs on iPhone?

DSiDewd said...

Perhaps you should revisit this review in the future with the Nexus 4, lots of things have improved over time.

Safdar Ali said...

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Safdar Ali said...

Android and iPhone has great competition in the market. Both provide the best applications with nice features. desktop notification software

deir u 2 muv said...

Either way you choose between these two battling smartphones, you should consider getting a mobile phone insurance to prevent unwanted lost or damage.

Unknown said...


Android is such a very nice technology for now its very good idea
to write an article like yours that was very good i have a
mobile phone online store
i need to write some blogs so i can boost my sales in my online
store atleast i have a idea now thanks for you.

Unknown said...

Both iPhone and Android have their loyal customers. The customer which is loyal to iPhone won't be convinced that Android is better and similarly, Android users won't accept the fact that iPhone has better apps.

iPhone or Android

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