The estimated reading time for this post is 11 minutes
iPhone or Android? It’s a question I frequently get from readers and my answer depends on many factors. If you missed Part 1 of this two-part series, please click here.
Check out additional differences between the iPhone and Android I found when I switched from my iPhone 3GS to my Nexus One.
Genius Bar
Apple Stores have Genius Bars where you can bring your iPhone if you’re having problems with it. If you live near an Apple Store, this feature is very handy because a Genius can run all sorts of diagnostic tests to discover what is causing issues with the phone. If your iPhone breaks during the warranty period, you can go into the Apple Store and walk out with a new iPhone, no waiting required. (There are exceptions, such as water damage, but you get the idea — instant replacement.)
With Android phones there isn’t a Genius Bar. You have to deal directly with the manufacturer of your phone or your carrier if you have a hardware issue with your phone. If you have a software issue, you will be researching online and asking your friendly neighborhood Android expert to help you out.
Less than a week after I received my Nexus One it died. Dead. What techies call “Bricked” (as in the only thing you can use this phone for is a doorstop). I researched and asked my friendly neighborhood Android expert what to do, but no luck. I had encountered a serious hardware issue.
The good news is that the hardware manufacturer, HTC, could not have had better customer service. I emailed them and they responded within 24 hours, advising me to call them. While I was on the phone with them, they informed me that they believed the phone needed a new motherboard and they emailed me a FedEx label while I was still on the phone with them.
I was extremely lucky, the phone had one day left under warranty, so the next day I sent the phone off to HTC via FedEx. That was a Friday. On Monday, I received an email notice than my phone had been shipped back to me. I received it on Tuesday, complete with a new cord and cleaning cloth.
In my mind, HTC’s customer service was as close to the Genius Bar as you can get. A+!
iTunes
If you have purchased most of your music on iTunes, you will want to stick with the iPhone. But if you have uploaded your music to Google Music, an Android phone gives you the easiest access to your tunes.
But iTunes is more than a music library. By syncing with iTunes, you are backing up your phone with its contacts, settings, apps, videos and more. More than the Genius Bar, I missed iTunes terribly when my Android phone died. I didn’t have a lot of apps on my Nexus One, but I had to reload them all and set them up again one by one after I got the repaired phone back from HTC.
I wish Android had a system to sync to a computer or the cloud to preserve my apps and data. I have had access to that function since my Palm Pilot days and I find the inability to backup an Android phone to be a major disadvantage.
Managing Memory
Many, though not all, Android phones have very little space on the phone and instead rely upon storage cards in the phone (micro SD cards) to store apps.
Like:
You can increase the space on your phone by switching SD cards.
Dislike:
Managing apps by moving them onto SD cards is a hassle. Even when an app is on an SD card, it can still use memory on the phone which means that you can have memory issues with some phones.
I had conflicts with apps using too much memory on my Android phone, even though I moved the apps to my SD card. When this happened my Twitter and email accounts wouldn’t update, even though I closed all of the other apps. I was stuck with 3 day old emails and tweets on my phone until I figured out which apps to delete so my accounts could update. I have now had to delete multiple apps from my phone.
Managing memory on Android is a pain.
Comparison with the iPhone:
My Android phone now has about 35 apps on it. My iPhone has 347 apps on it, a bit excessive, I know. But I can have that many apps on my iPhone without worrying about it. Closing the apps is the only thing you need to do to manage apps on your iPhone.
I don’t like having to manage the memory on my Android phone by deleting apps. I recommend, if you are thinking of getting an Android phone, that you choose a phone with plenty of space on the phone itself (4 GB or more), no matter how much space is available on an SD card.
Updates
Updates occur when a developer updates its app for various reasons (to fix bugs, add features, etc.). Android updates occur over the air, often automatically.
Like:
Automatic over the air updates for Android make the update process as easy as it can possibly be.
Dislike:
Since updates, like the original apps, aren’t tested on Android, conflicts can occur between apps. Sophisticated detective work can be required if an updated app suddenly starts using a lot of memory or battery or conflicts with an existing app.
Comparison with the iPhone:
Updating apps on the iPhone can be a nuisance. Updates aren’t always beneficial, so I read what is being updated before I download the update. Some updates are large so can’t be downloaded over 3G so you need to be connected to Wi-Fi to update those.
Updates are going to change when iOS is updated this fall. I’m hoping that updating apps on the iPhone will be less of a chore after that.
Back Button
Android phones have physical “back” buttons that take you back to where you were previously.
Like:
The back button is very handy to take you back to a previous screen on the web, or take you back within an application or to get you back to the home screen. I use this button frequently.
Dislike:
The button doesn’t work to take you back in every application, but this is a very minor dislike.
Different models of Android phones have the back button in different places. On the Nexus One the back button is on the left. On the LG Optimus, the back button is third from the left. This is only a problem if you switch between models of Android phones.
Comparison to the iPhone:
I truly wish the iPhone had a physical back button. Instead, back buttons are on the screen and each app can put the button in a different place. That button can change positions or not even appear. But I don’t predict Apple will be adding any buttons to future generations of the iPhone.
Live Wallpaper
Live Wallpaper is an animated picture that moves on your screen. Think of fish swimming around in an aquarium.
Likes:
I love that Android phones have this feature. Live wallpapers are available free in the Android Market and through the Zedge app. I started off with the Fireflies 3D Live wallpaper with shooting bands of bright, beautiful colors on my screen. Stunning and captivating!
Dislikes:
I discovered quickly that the Fireflies 3D Live wallpaper I loved so much was a hungry monster when it came to my battery life. My phone got hot (not warm), and my battery drained in a couple of hours. I plugged it in to charge and 18 hours later I had only charged up to 81% power. Ouch.
I switched to a non-live wallpaper (dead, I guess?) of a beautiful waterfall in a tropical lagoon. I haven’t given up on live wallpapers yet, I just need to find one whose battery appetite is closer to a supermodel’s than a Sumo wrestler’s.
Comparison to iPhone:
Unless you jailbreak your iPhone (if you don’t know what jailbreaking is, you shouldn’t do it), you can’t have live wallpapers.
Miscellaneous
The iPhone has threaded emails meaning when I open the email app, I can see new messages on both my Wonder of Tech Gmail account and my personal Yahoo account in one app. This is so handy that I often grab my iPhone (or iPad) to check my mail when I am sitting at my computer so I don’t have to open two separate accounts. The Android phone has two separate apps for Yahoo mail and Gmail, though as I mentioned yesterday, I prefer the notifications on Android that tells you about new emails, tweets, Facebook news and other app information in one place.
There is no mute button on Android phones. It’s not hard to mute the phone, but you have to look at it. This could be inconvenient or embarrassing if you forget to mute your phone and then want to mute it with no one noticing. The iPhone has a mute button.
There is no native podcast player on Android phones. All the podcast player apps for Android that I found cost money. iPhones have a native podcast player.
You will have other considerations as well. If you already have a stable of apps on one platform, you may want to stick with that. Do you have an iPod Touch or iPad with a ton of apps? You can use most of those apps on an iPhone.
Also consider accessories. If you have invested a lot in speakers that work with your iPod Touch, you may not want to switch to an Android.
Although it’s not a big factor, most Android phones charge using a micro USB cord. This cord is quite common, used for the Kindle, many Blackberry phones and devices such as the Mophie Juice pack. The iPhone cords only work with Apple devices.
What I’m Using Now
When my Nexus One was being fixed by HTC, I missed it. I missed the notifications, the excitement of discovering new apps and the ease of typing with SwiftKey X. So when I got the Nexus One back from the manufacturer, I started using it again, popping my SIM card once again out of my iPhone and into my Android phone. My SIM card can only be one place and I put it back in my Nexus One. I took the time to re-download all of the apps I lost when the phone died.
So what am I using now? Well, I am reluctant to tell you. Why? Because I don’t want to base your decision on what I’m about to tell you. As I mentioned in Part 1 of this article, I don’t want to discuss hardware because there are so many Android phones out there that my experience with my Nexus One may be very different from your experience with another model Android phone.
That being said, right now…drumroll, please…I am using my iPhone 3GS. Why? Unfortunately, my Nexus One broke again. Dead. Nothing is happening. It’s a brick. So I am sending it back to HTC again to give them another opportunity to fix it.
My daughters have two LG Optimus V Android phones and they haven’t had any problem with their phones. So please don’t base your decision on what happened to my Nexus One.
Which Should You Get?
The Android operating system has a lot to offer that the iPhone doesn’t have, at least not yet. Live wallpapers, SwiftKey X, more effective notifications are all things I wish the iPhone had. But the iPhone has iTunes, both a music library and a backup service, limited memory issues, more secure apps and a bigger app store.
Those who like to manage their phones and appreciate a more open operating system will enjoy Android’s open platform. Those who wish to put less effort into managing their smartphone will prefer iPhone’s iOS operating system.
Which phone should you get? None for now. The iPhone 5 is due to launch very soon (though comparisons to Waiting for Godot would not be inappropriate). Don’t buy an iPhone now. Even if you want to get an iPhone 4, the prices will probably be lower after the launch of the iPhone 5. The new features of the iPhone 5 and its updated iOS operating system may also make your choice more clear.
After the iPhone 5 is launched, compare the iPhone to your favorite Android phone. And stay tuned to The Wonder of Tech for a full review of the iPhone 5!
Bottom Line
Whether you’re a die-hard Apple Fan or a dedicated Phandroid, there is a lot to admire and respect about each operating system. Consider both carefully. Try each if you can. And enjoy your smartphone, whichever you decide!
Which factors are the most important for you in deciding upon a smartphone?
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This was really interesting to me. I will be up on my contract next summer and if Apple by that time will be available on Sprint I may have to seriously consider it.
I am downloading zedge as we speak. Thanks for the info.
Bryce
Hi Bryce, I’m so glad you found these article helpful. If the reports are true, Sprint should have the iPhone by next summer. I will definitely let you know. Right now, Sprint is the only carrier still offering unlimited data to new customers so if they get the iPhone, they should get a lot of new customers.
Zedge is a great app. I wrote about it in my article on Ringtones: Who’s Calling? but Zedge deserves its own article.
Thanks so much, Bryce, for your awesome comment! 🙂
Now that’s just interesting Carolyn. I mean I knew that the phones could do a lot of stuff these days but seriously, I had no idea just how much.
My contract is up with Verizon and yes, I’ve been with them since before they were Verizon. Just not sure where I’m going from here because I’m not really the kind of person who wants to be online when I’m away from my home computer. I mean I get offline for a reason you know. That little bitty screen would drive me nuts too. But I will be going to texting, just not sure about internet connection. Not just yet. But that’s a really cool phone and I can tell you are enjoying it!
I appreciate you going into so much depth explaining all the differences. That’s because I know you said you loved your iPhone so aren’t you glad you won this one?
Hi Adrienne, yes, I was thrilled to have won the Nexus One phone. When your contract is up with Verizon, you can look at what phones are available then. You may want to consider a smartphone, not for all of your computing needs, but for accessing email, your wonderful blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. when you’re on the go. But if you don’t have a need for that, you shouldn’t be spending the money.
Sometimes people think they should get a new phone every two years when their contracts are up, but that’s not necessarily the case. You can hang onto your phone if you’re not sure which phone to get, like your existing phone and/or are waiting for a new phone on the horizon.
Thanks so much, Adrienne, for your kind comment and amazing support during the Most Valuable Blogger contest! 🙂
I’m not the kind of person who thinks they have to have a new car every couple of years or a new phone. The way I look at it is if it works fine for me and does what I need then I’ll keep it until it breaks. Which we will probably do when we change services. At least for the time being that is.
My pleasure to help you with the Most Valuable Blogger contest! Can’t wait to hear the results. Will keep my fingers crossed.
Adrienne
I agree, Adrienne. There is something comforting, like an old shoe, when you keep a car or a phone a long time. You don’t have to re-learn things on a car, such as where the lights are, how to set the radio stations, etc.’s the same with phones. You know how to do everything you need to do on your phone, so if you aren’t missing any features or the phone isn’t broken, there is no need to replace it, even if your contract is up.
Not only that, but if you want to play with apps, you already have your iPod Touch!
Thanks for your great comment!
I want to be updated so I think I have to get the android 2 then…
Hi Lenny, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m glad you like to be updated, but you can certainly update easily on the iPhone as well as the Android. I happen to have a lot of apps and I like to read what each update is about to make sure I have control of the apps. If an update just gives a German language option, I won’t update my iPhone app because I don’t speak German.
iTunes has an Update All button, making it very easy to update apps if you want to update a lot at once. I don’t use this button because I like to know what I’m getting. But with the Android’s automatic updates, I may not know what an update involves.
Be sure to consider other factors as well when choosing your phone.
Thanks so much, Lenny, for your visit and comment! 🙂
I love this in-depth look at Android VS. iPhone. While I’m not an Apple fan like most folks I know, I do dig the iPhone and iPad alike. Apple does simplicity well. I feel their products excel in user-friendliness and support.
That said, Android offers so much “bang for the buck” and functionality right out of the box. It’s a social media enthusiast’s dream come true with all the connectivity that is offered for free. For us techies, you can customize the experience and tweak things to get everything just right.
I feel that’s the real tie breaker because every “down side” I’ve sen with regards to the Android platform has to do with ease-of-use above all. That means there are work-arounds but most won’t take those extra steps.
For the record, Android does offer various backup services. The difference is that Apple likes to be self-sufficient so they offer everything under their branded umbrella, whereas the Android platform supports third-party and Google solutions alike. Google has plans to step up cloud technology efforts so I would not be surprised if the argument there will become a moot point, if it isn’t already. 8)
Again, not knocking the iPhone.. My household is high-tech so we tote around Blackberry, Apple, and Android devices.. I’d say there is no clear-cut winner there, though Android definitely offers the most flexibility and functionality.
…Okay, I do have one gripe: I wish Android OS releases were more uniform and compatible across manufacturers. That’s a big issue. After all, Adobe Flash support is usually a great selling point but not all Android devices play nice with Flash.
All right.. I end my techie rantings here – great article! 8)
Hi Yomar, You make a lot of great points. I agree, the Android OS seems to require more attention be paid to it which is why many people prefer the iPhone.
I would really appreciate your recommendation for backup apps for the Android. I am not looking forward to reloading my apps again. Backups would be useful if you switched phones as well.
I do thing a backup solution should be offered out of the box for these devices. Even back in Palm Pilot days, Palm Desktop was a lifesaver in backing up all of your data and you could even access most of that data from your computer. The original Windows Mobile OS allowed for computer backups as well.
Your household sounds like ours. We have all of those smartphones as well.
I agree, Android updates should be uniform, as should app compatibility, though I heard today that Netflix is now available for all Android phones 2.2 and above.
Thanks so much, Yomar, for your visit and wonderful comment! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
Excellent sequence post to your earlier post.
I gave my reasons why apple is losing to andriod at least here in India. I think there are more reasons why Android is going to outpace apple.
One thing I like about Andriod is that it has covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time. I however fear for its future. The way apple is able to stop Samsung from selling its product using court orders is frightening. Also Oracle now controls Java. It would be sad , if they start trottelling the development.
I feel the best way to sell the basics of any system free and then add value to be able to make money. Android is very good in this department. However apple still leads in terms of apps and many other things.
It would be interesting to see what future holds ( or if tilts towards Android completely).
BTW have you seen the pics on FB about my plugin for comments. I am testing it right now and will release it soon 🙂
Have a great day.
Ashvini
Hi Ashvini, I agree, Android has had a meteoric rise. But I worry about it too if Google has to expend major funds defending patent lawsuits. I understand that Google, which doesn’t charge cell phone manufacturers for its operating system, has to pay Microsoft a royalty every time an Android phone is sole due to patent licenses.
I just saw your plugin, thanks so much for letting me know about it. Very exciting! Please keep us posted about it.
Thanks so much, Ashvini, for your visits and amazing comments! 🙂
Me and my brother prefer to have android than iPhone. Indeed, iPhone is absolutely a great thing for us, but the mere fact that android phone is very user friendly in a way, that’s more appealing for us.
Hi Mark, That’s great that you and your brother agree on Android. It’s handy when you can share apps and helpful hints on using your phones. Nothing like satisfied customers!
Thanks so much, Mark, for your visit and taking time to leave a comment.
You’re absolutely right. With the help of Google of course, I could find useful posts which can serve as my guide for my phone apps. Personally, there’s no problem if the these apps are just for free, otherwise if it is not… absolutely a big deal for me! lol
Hi Mark, I agree, I love to get free apps. Amazon is a great resource for free Android apps with their free app of the day from their App Store. If you haven’t checked that out yet, you are in for a treat! 🙂
I love the iPhone. I’m still using my 3GS. But the iPhone took me out of my curmudgeonly ways. Before the iPhone I was using Bang and Olufsen’s Serene – a very pricey, cool looking phone for the minimalist. It emphasizes simplicity. I used it for at least three years. Exclusively.
I still love the Serene and I’d use it. But my GF got it after begging for it for the longest time. “It’s the cutest phone, ever!” She says.
How did I get to the Serene? I got fed up with features. I just wanted a great phone for telephone calls and a camera. There was about five years when I got a new phone every three months.
Expensive phones. The coolest. The latest. The newest. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Not a waste of money, because I was learning what makes a phone worthwhile to me. Here’s my list of simplicity.
1. Great telephone – I can hear you clearly and you can hear me
2. Good looking – I like it when people notice and like my phone
3. Camera – Being able to take a picture anywhere, anytime without having to plan or think about it. Oh, nice – snap!
The iPhone was everything on my list and more. But you have to understand that I took it home with great doubt. I was still in love with my Serene. And I almost felt like I was cheating on her.
In the first three days, I did things that I didn’t want to do on a phone. Take lots of pictures. Listen to music. Check email. Tweet. Facebook. Play games. And the Serene got dumped.
Kinda. The Serene sat quietly in her cradle on my desk with a secondary number. I still loved her. She was still mine forever. But the iPhone went with me, everywhere. And I understood that Apple had done something big. It started the smart phone revolution and it was bringing us a lot closer to the mobile web than anyone previously expected. Except Mr. Ahonen, of course.
Hi Stan, I can understand how you would fall in love with the Serene. Such a beautiful phone even if it was lacking in functionality. But it says a lot that you are still using an iPhone 3GS (I understand, I am too). When you discover a phone that has that much functionality, it’s practically impossible to go back to a non-smartphone.
You’re right, the iPhone transported the mobile web to the general public faster than anything else did. I was using a smartphone before the iPhone, but it was high maintenance (though it trained me well for my memory issues with my Nexus One). It’s difficult to imagine smartphones being widely adopted with the requirements for getting apps on those old smartphones.
The only way the 3GS is not meeting your criteria is that no one is going to stop you and tell you how cool your phone is. But I think that minor transgression can be forgiven?
Thanks so much, Stan, for your visit, eloquent comment and amazing support during the Most Valuable Blogger contest!
I’ve never heard of the Serene, but it sounds like my kind of phone!
It may be your kind of phone, but not your kind of price tag: http://www.infosyncworld.com/reviews/n/7896.html 😉
I forgot to mention that one of my closest friends has a Windows 7 phone and it is technically superior to both the Andriod and iPhone. But I’ll never admit it to his face.
Shhh…that will be our secret. I would love to test and review Windows 7, especially with the Mango update. All I need to do is find a contest giving away a Windows phone and win it. How difficult can that possibly be?
Hi Carol…I am really happy that you made us updated of this technology…I love your post and thank you for sharing it…
Hi Anjie, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I am so glad you found this post helpful. Thank you for your kind words. I hope you will stop by again! 🙂
Hi Carol…I must admit that i don’t have any of them…But I am still updated with this…It’s just that I can’t afford them…
Hey Carol…I am not updated when it comes to these technology maybe because I am already too old for this one..LOL…
Hi Sherrie, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m so glad you’re here, but I have to disagree with you. I don’t think anyone is too old for tech, or a smartphone. Too young? Absolutely! But never too old!
Thanks for stopping by and visiting. I really enjoyed your comment, even though I disagree with you. 😀
Hi Carolyn…I am actually not updated with this kind of gadgets but I am thankful to this site…I am lucky I have found this…
Hi Solenn, I agree. I am happy you found this site as well! 🙂