6 Surprising Reasons The iPhone Beats Android
We have heard the same arguments from the Android faithful for so long that they have become accepted wisdom. If you want a cheap phone, you need an Android. If you want to make a phone personally yours, you need Android. If you want the coolest new features, you need Android.
I question these pillars of the pro-Android argument. What if an iPhone actually costs less than an Android? What if customization is also possible on the iPhone? And what if all that Android hardware bragging is just hot air?
The iPhone is a better budget device
You can easily find a great phone on either side for $1,000, but what if you only have $300 to spend, or less? Common wisdom says buy an Android, and big brands like Samsung, Motorola, and LG offer fine phones in that range. At Apple, the cheapest new phone is a $399 iPhone SE.
But what if you expand your search to older phones? Now the balance changes considerably. On Swappa, a “Mint” iPhone 8 costs around $300, the same price as a new Samsung Galaxy A50. The iPhone 8 may be 3 years old, but it still feels like an expensive flagship phone.
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With the iPhone, you’ll even be treated like a flagship customer. You’ll get the same software updates as the brand new phones, you’ll have access to Apple support and Apple Store Genii, and you’ll be treated to a universe of cases and accessories.
With an inexpensive Android like the Motorola Moto G Power, you’ll get a few unpredictable updates, phone support, and few cases are available. The bottom line? You’ll have a better experience if you buy Apple’s device.
The iPhone offers more choice in hardware
Every iPhone is made by Apple. If you want an Android, however, you have an incredible variety to choose from. Android owners love to talk about the different hardware options. The long list of options supposedly means you can always find a phone for your needs.
Except that is no longer true.
Phones need to be water-resistant, which means a slim and sealed design with few ports or seams. Buyers want a big display, and stylistically prefer when the scant bezel is as black as an inactive screen. Thus, all phones are a black slab on the front, and if you’re wise, a case is blocking your view of the back.
For the first few years of Android, phones used to have more buttons, for making and ending calls, for opening menus and returning home. Those are all part of the software now. Phones used to have keyboards, and trackballs, and removable batteries. No more.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note series set a template for what Android phones should be, and everyone now emulates it. Even budget devices try their best to follow its lead, wrapping low-end hardware in surprisingly large, and glossy, exteriors.
The best evidence? Apple’s iPhone SE. Android doesn’t have a good alternative for people who want a small phone. It’s the iPhone, not Android, that offers the best range of display size and price to choose from.
You can customize the iPhone (enough)
Android users love customization, and it’s usually the first reason why they say iPhone owners should switch. On Android you can add widgets to your home screen, you can place app icons where you like, and you can tweak and adjust the look of the interface in myriad ways. You can even load an entirely new skin to completely change how your phone looks and behaves.
The problem is that customization adds more complexity than value, and not just for the user. Every manufacturer uses its own customized version of Android, which means that every software update needs to go through two or more levels of development. First at Google, then at Samsung, or Huawei, or Motorola.
With so much complexity, it’s more likely that a new user will screw up than it is they will create a Google Maps navigation shortcut. I know this is true because most advanced Android users I talk to don’t even know the navigation homepage shortcut exists.
And it’s not as if you can’t customize an iPhone. To most users, customization means two things: Changing the look and changing the function. While there are more limits to iPhone than to Android, the possibilities available are more than enough for most users — and they’re more likely to work properly.
Apple is even adding home screen widgets to the iPhone with iOS 14, though Apple’s widgets are far less ambitious than Google’s concept. Taking so long to teach the user base means less complexity and more customers.
The iPhone’s performance is outstanding
The first iPhone did not include GPS or 3G networking, which was standard on all other flagship smartphones. That set a narrative that continues today. Android phones have a reputation for being more experimental, trying new designs and new features years before Apple takes notice.
Android phone makers also like to brag about hardware. Qualcomm throws a party when it launches a new mobile processor, a piece of hardware no consumer will ever see. Android makers beef up the RAM to laptop levels while Apple has never publicly revealed how much RAM is inside an iPhone. Ditto the battery, as others brag about how many mAh they achieve, while Apple stays quiet.
Apple’s silicon is so quick, in fact, that Apple will be transitioning Mac computers to it over the next several years.
When performance is measured, however, Apple’s iPhone often takes the lead. Apple creates its own mobile chip designs, and they perform flawlessly when paired with Apple’s software. Apple’s silicon is so quick, in fact, that Apple will be transitioning Mac computers to it over the next several years, abandoning its long-running partnership with Intel.
Apple owners also don’t complain about a lack of RAM. It’s an open secret that Apple uses less RAM in its phones, only 4GB in the premiere iPhone 11 Pro Max. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has four times as much RAM, 16GB, but doesn’t feel any more responsive — which says more about Android’s problems than Android performance.
The iPhone is better for gamers
Asus makes a ROG phone just for its Republic Of Gaming faithful. Razer made a couple of slick gaming phones, but a third-generation looks doubtful. Budget gamers can buy Xiaomi’s Black Shark phone that is widely praised, and every top-performing Android phone will have the processing power and sharp screen to create an awesome gaming experience.
But then you have to play games on Android. There’s a solid library of games available, but no great games on Android that are not also on iPhone (usually first). Plus, Apple’s Arcade offers a plethora of unique games and a curated experience. The wild west nature of the Android app marketplace makes game shopping a pain, with so many spammy adware games, pay-to-play games, and plain uncooked meals being served to gamers.
Is Apple’s iPhone a gaming device? Like you wouldn’t believe. You can use your Xbox or Playstation controller with simple pairing. All iPhones are powerful enough to run games smoothly, and the screens are sharp and colorful. Best of all, older and cheaper iPhones get to run the same games as the newest phones, since Apple keeps them up-to-date on system software.
Lightning is what USB C should have been
I can use the same cord for my Macbook Pro, my Nintendo Switch, my Galaxy Tab S5, and my Jabra Elite 75t headphones. All of those devices charge using USB-C, an industry standard that Apple has used since the beginning — just not on iPhones. The iPad Pro line finally got a USB C port, but the rest of the iPads, and even accessories like the Airpods and the Apple Mouse, use Lightning.
This is often brought up as a problem with the iPhone, but in practice, Lightning was born to be the easier, more compact port that USB wanted to be. By the time Android phones caught up to Lightning by adding USB-C, the Lightning accessory market was so mature that prices for cords and chargers had dropped to USB price levels.
USB charging standards are also inconsistent, a problem that USB-C hasn’t solved. The only real standard is Power Delivery, which basically means ‘don’t worry, your charger will do its best,’ but you may not receive the fastest charge possible.
On the other hand, all Lightning is Lightning. The newer iPhones can take advantage of a higher-watt charger, but all Lightning devices will charge to the full potential of the charger and the phone together.
So, what should you buy?
If you don’t have much to spend (hello, everybody), and you’ve been avoiding iPhones because they cost too much, or the accessories are expensive, or you don’t think you get enough bang for your buck, it’s time to think again. You can find fun phones on both sides, but some of the assumptions that benefit Android the most are actually reasons to check out Apple.
Editors' Recommendations
6 Reasons Why You Should Buy the iPhone 14
The iPhone 14 may not have all the bells and whistles as the iPhone 14 Pro, but it's the best value-for-money iPhone for most people.
With every new iPhone, Apple's job is to provide us with a compelling reason why we should go out and buy it. When it comes to the iPhone 14, it's not about redesigning the iPhone from the ground up; instead, it's all about refinement.
However, with the iPhone 14, Apple is giving us more choice, and despite the lower price, the company has delivered the most feature-packed iPhone yet. And a few of those features can even save your life.
So, here are the top six reasons why we think the iPhone 14 could be the right choice for you.
1. You Don't Need to Go Pro to Go Big Anymore
Image Credit: Apple
A few years ago, Apple decided to split the iPhone lineup into base and Pro models. While that worked out great, if you wanted to go with a base model iPhone, you always had to sacrifice screen size. The big 6.7-inch screen has always been exclusive to the Pro Max. Well, until now.
With the iPhone 14 Plus, Apple is finally bringing a big-screen experience to the base model iPhone. The iPhone Pro Max models are still excellent, but the reality is that they're just way too expensive. The iPhone 14 Pro starts at $999, but if you want to step up to a Pro Max, that price gets bumped up to $1099.
On the other hand, the iPhone 14 Plus starts at a still pricey but much more reasonable $899. That means you can finally get that big iPhone at a slightly more affordable price.
2. Solid Upgrade if You Don't Have a 5G iPhone
There's no question that 4G LTE works great, but it's starting to show its age. So, if you're still stuck with a 4G phone, the 5G-capable iPhone 14 could be a perfect opportunity to upgrade.
As time goes on, apps and files are only getting bigger, not smaller. Stepping up to 5G means those downloads and updates can go from minutes to seconds. Even when it comes to browsing the web, 5G can make your experience better. 4G LTE is great for watching 1080p videos, but if you want to watch 4K content, you need 5G for a smooth experience. Also, 5G makes incredible things possible, like remote broadcasting and cloud gaming.
3. It's Great if You Don't Mind the Notch
The notch has evolved into a Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro, but for the regular iPhone 14, it's still alive and well. Although Apple is marketing its pill-shaped cutout for Face ID as the next big thing, the base iPhone 14 still has a notch. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.
While Apple's Dynamic Island feature is pretty cool, it eats more into your screen than even the iPhone 14's notch. The Cupertino-based company did its best to spin it into a feature, but when it comes to watching videos and playing games, the Dynamic Island takes up more of your screen real estate, not less.
On the other hand, the notch on the iPhone 14 does its best to stay as unnoticed as possible. The notch isn't the most elegant design, but it's smaller than the one on the iPhone 12 Pro and older models.
4. You Probably Won't Miss ProMotion
When ProMotion debuted on the iPhone 13 Pro, many people were thrilled to see a high refresh rate display finally make its way to the iPhone. Unfortunately, even with the iPhone 14 series, that feature hasn't trickled down to base model iPhones. So, if you want a 120Hz display, you'll need to step up to the iPhone 14 Pro.
Although most people struggle to tell the difference between 60Hz and 120Hz, the former is perfectly fine if you've never used a high refresh rate display before. It's hard to go back to 60Hz after experiencing 120Hz, though.
And while ProMotion may make things smoother when you're moving around the iPhone's home screen or scrolling through social media, having a 120Hz screen won't make a difference for consuming content like videos and most games.
Remember that almost all movies are still filmed in just 24 frames per second, which is way below what even a 60Hz screen can display. And even the fastest YouTube videos still top out at only 60FPS.
A 120Hz display is cool, don't get us wrong, but it's definitely not a make-or-break feature for regular users.
5. Emergency SOS Lets You Get Help Almost Anywhere
Image Credit: Apple
Like every year, there were tons of leaks and rumors surrounding the iPhone 14. While some were spot on, there are a few things almost nobody expected to see. Emergency SOS via satellite was one of those great surprises.
Even if you're not an outdoor adventurer or living off the grid somewhere, you should keep in mind that there are still many places globally that have limited or no cell service. So, something as simple as having your car break down in a remote area can leave you stranded with no way to contact help.
The iPhone 14 has built-in satellite communication technology for emergencies, meaning as long as you have a clear view of the sky, you'll always have a backup way to contact help.
Emergency SOS by satellite is rolling out to the US and Canada first, but eventually could be a tool that could help you anywhere in the world. And Apple is committed to offering two years of free satellite service with every iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro.
6. Crash Detection Could Actually Save Your Life
Image Credit: Apple
You may already be aware of the accelerometer inside your iPhone to detect whether you're holding it vertically or horizontally. While it's great to flip your iPhone sideways to watch videos, it could save your life.
The accelerometer in the iPhone 14 got a significant upgrade. It now has up to 256g of force detection, meaning if you're in a car accident, your iPhone knows it too. This allows the iPhone 14 to alert emergency services automatically, so you can get the help you need, even if you're injured or unconscious.
Apple added this new crash detection tech to all the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch models, so you'll get access to the feature regardless of device. Apple added some great new features to the iPhone 14, but crash detection is one of the best.
The iPhone 14 Is Apple's Most Feature-Packed iPhone Yet
The iPhone 14 isn't reinventing the iPhone as we know it, but it's not trying to. It keeps the notch, but most people will probably be OK with that.
If you've been waiting for a big iPhone but aren't willing to shell out Pro Max money, the iPhone 14 Plus might be the answer to your prayers. And advanced new safety features mean that the iPhone 14 could very well save your life in an emergency.
So, just because the iPhone 14 Pro generated a buzz with its Dynamic Island and always-on display, don't write off the iPhone 14 yet.
Why Does the iPhone Remain so Popular? Apple’s Brilliant Marketing.
Why Does the iPhone Remain so Popular? Apple’s Brilliant Marketing. There are phones that can do everything an iPhone can do (and even more) that cost less. But if you are an iPhone user, that probably doesn’t matter to you. Here’s why. Photo by Bagus Hernawan on Unsplash I can show you a phone that can do everything an iPhone can do (and even more) that costs a few bucks less than the iPhone. But if you are an iPhone user, all that doesn’t matter to you. You will still buy the more expensive iPhone. Why? This is because when you buy the iPhone, you are not buying just a phone. You are buying status.
How I Got My iPhone Late in 2018, I wanted to change my phone. I was one of the last men standing. It was a Java phone. Although I had an Android already, I felt the need to replace the Java OS with something modern. The phone was used mainly for calls and texts. Every internet-savvy thing was done on the Android. But finally, when I made my decision about what to buy, it happened to be an iPhone. The big deal is not the fact that I chose an iPhone. The big deal is the reason behind my choice. These are the reasons I told myself and my friends: I have an Android OS tablet and a Windows OS laptop, and I want something different.
I want something that will just be a smooth replacement for my Java phone. Just for basic phone things. Meanwhile, there are other triggers for my decision. They are: All my friends were using iPhones already.
I wanted something that gets along among social circles. It was almost like I created the reasons for the triggers. I wanted an iPhone, and I had to give myself a reason to get one. I definitely asked for other people’s opinions before I got the phone. But it was just like I was trying to make them validate a decision I have already made. This is something Apple can make you do.
What Is It About the iPhone? The iPhone remains the bestselling product of Apple by a significant margin. The iPad doesn’t even come close. Every year a new iPhone comes out, and people rush to buy it every single time. Interestingly, it is mostly people who are using an older version of the iPhone. So here is the question: How is the iPhone a fast-selling product every year even though there is not much difference between the new versions? If you think in terms of how Apple makes their sale, you will never come to the real truth of the matter. You will only discover the truth when you think about the reason people buy.
Why Do People Buy the iPhone? People can make all kinds of logical explanations to back up their decisions. But the majority do buy the iPhone for social status. Most (if not all) of the features offered by the iPhone are offered by other phones too. But they don’t sell half as much as the iPhone. In fact, the iPhone isn’t the first to have many of the distinct features people claim to love. I bought the iPhone for status. That is the truth. Today, I still don’t use the phone for much. Taking other people’s numbers on the iPhone has a nice ring to it. For some reason, people associate those using an iPhone with a particular social class. Apple knows this, and they have played along with it through the years. It is the king of all marketing strategies: selling social status.
What About the Future? Some say Apple is losing it. And it’s true they have not really been on the cutting edge of innovation for several years (after the death of Jobs). But their marketing has been consistent and even greater. The lack of innovation might indeed catch up someday. But as long as the iPhone keeps selling social status, they will always make a truckload of profit.
Now you know the secret of Apple. If you want a similar effect on your business, sell social status.
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