Android VS IOS : I'm currently an Apple user, I always get asked why I stay with Apple and not switch to Android and What's so much better with a Google/Android phone?

With all due respect to Alex Musick, using an Android phone or using an Apple phone is like driving a car to work.

An Android phone is like a Chevy Aveo. There's nothing at all wrong with it. It's cheap, it gets you around, it's cheap, there are all sorts of aftermarket customizations you can do (though the overwhelming number of drivers will never, ever do so), it's cheap, it's easy to find and easy to service, and it's cheap.

An iPhone is more like a BMW. It's more expensive, it has better build quality and better fit and finish, it's faster (even flagship Android phones are not as fast as an iPhone on software benchmarks)[1], there are fewer places you can buy one and fewer places you can have it serviced, and it’s more pleasant to drive.

Both can be customized; I find the “freedom” argument many Android fans make to be less than perfectly honest. I am typing this on an iPhone that contains custom software I wrote, and no, it's not jailbroken. I downloaded XCode, got a code-signing certificate from Apple’s dev site, and Bob is my uncle. But that's neither here nor there; 99+% of smartphone users are not coders, developers, or hackers, and in any event many Android phone makers do try to lock down their handsets, with varying degrees of success.

I got an iPhone 3G, used it for a couple of years, switched to an HTC Android flagship phone, used it for three years, then went back to the iPhone.

What I found:

• iPhone design and build quality is better than Android, even flagship Android. It's miles above landfill Android,
• iPhones tend to be better supported. Good luck getting manufacturer-supported Android updates for your two-year-old midrange or low-end Android! Even flagship Android tends not to be well supported, which means you are likely to end up with an unpatched phone or you better learn how to root it and install your own firmware.[2]
• The Apple AppStore has a better range of high quality software, largely due to the fact developers make far more money on iOS apps than Android apps.[3]

A lot of people who buy into one or the other but haven't used both are passionate about how their choice is better.

I've used both. I think the iPhone stands head and shoulders above Android in every important area: speed, build quality, support, app ecosystem, usability, fit and finish, you name it.

And I say this as both a user and a developer.

Maybe this is not the answer you want, but this is surely the reason you are asked this question:

People, humans per se, are fundamentally tribal and want confirmation of their own choices through social validation. When someone asks, “why not switch to Android” he/she is probably thinking of one feature the android platform does well for him/her and why haven't you already made the ‘obvious choice’ of joining their tribe.

Other versions of the same question:

• Why don’t you use a Mac? its so much better than a windows PC!
• Why don’t you use a Windows PC? It is so much better than a Mac!
• Why don’t you drive a bmw? its so much better than a mercedes!

Celebrate choice and innovation, but never be pressured to do something that is not right -for you-. Most mature platforms shared a large set of features, and mobile platforms are no different. At this point of the innovation curve, you will get 90% of the same feature/usability/utility out of either platform. One is not better than the other, its all about what fits into your life seamlessly.

I’ve used both, they are both great, but I use an iPhone. It really depends on my use case and what fits best -for me-.

Next time someone asks that question, throw it back. Tell me why do YOU use an android? Maybe all they want to do is tell you how great their new phone is :)

I get asked the same question too. It largely depends on your needs.

Advantages of a typical Android phone

• Available at very low cost
• freedom of choice
• expandable memory
• Extremely customisable
• The better brands offers excellent display panels and cameras
• Many apps and content are available for free

I will be getting a Redmi 4A for my kid primarily for entertainment and running educational apps. It costs only RMB499 and I think it is value for money for this purpose.

However I use the iPhone. My years of using Apple products, I narrowed down to my “4 S” factors why i chose iPhone for my daily usage.

Simplicity - in both hardware and software design. User friendly and intuitive. Airdrop is one such example. I have friends use it without knowing that it only works when both wifi and bluetooth settings are enabled.

Stability - I don’t have first hand experience but I hear a lot of cases where Android phone hangs or self restarts. I’ve used various iPhone models since 2009 and I can say it is very stable by design likely due to the tight integration between software and hardware.

Security - I think this is the most important factor when deciding between iOS and Android platform. We use the smartphone to store all kinds of data. Without security, I won’t want to do much with it.

Support - When your device is working fine. You don’t care about support. However when things fail, suddenly they become very important. Apple tech support is consistently among the best in the industry. For my experience I never have been disappointed with the service I get from AppleCare. There were even a few instances AppleCare waived off my repair charges when I provided justification. I was told by a friend who works there that the organisation cares a lot about customer satisfaction and really walk the talk. Apple also has a clean looking and well maintained knowledge base on the web that even Apple support staff themselves uses a lot.

While competitors can always make better hardware and software to compete with Apple, establishing an excellent support system is extremely difficult and I’d said this is a real differentiator in the industry. For this, I’m willing to pay more for a peace of mind and they deserve my loyalty.

Bottomline - I always tell people that regardless what platform you choose, just make it work for yourself and then stick with it. For myself, I can live with the downsides of iOS but not the downsides of Android.

UPDATE:

Let’s do some comparing between the iPhone 7 and the broad market of Android phones.

The iPhone 7 is a flagship phone and is quite expensive while many Android phones can be found for under $100. My phone is a BLU R1 HD ($70 new on eBay) with 2GB of RAM, 1.5GHZ quad core processor, 8MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, 5-inch full HD display, micro SD card support, 16GB ROM, and runs Android 6. Its hardware specifications are only a couple years behind the iPhone and it literally costs a tenth as much. In terms of cost/value, Android wins by a landslide. I don’t have the choice of an iPhone since I don’t actually have service on my phone and I bought it myself as a high school student. I’d be an idiot to spend $700 of my precious cash collection on a phone with such a limited life.

It seems there is no “better” operating system since the choice of preferred operating system is subjective and varies on the person asked. Android definitely has more capabilities. The iPhone has design in its favor. The iPhone is a beautiful device, features a beautiful operating system, and is heavily optimized. Additionally, Android is actually built on Linux. Android phones are so customizable that it is possible to flash the Ubuntu phone OS onto it. The iPhone is stuck with iOS.

With technology, consumers often judge devices on their hardware specifications. While hardware performance is important, it is also prudent to remember that the design of the operating system dictates the performance necessary. Think of it this way, Windows XP is able to run well on a 20-year-old machine. If you were to compare the hardware requirements of Windows 10 and Windows XP, I’m sure Windows 10 would have heavier hardware requirements. Yet, Windows 10 and Windows XP accomplish the same tasks!

 They both generally have different software which accomplishes the same thing. Operating systems have different hardware demands but all accomplish almost identical tasks. iOS is much lighter than Android in many ways. Notice the iPhone 6 has only 1GB of RAM! Most nerds would scoff at such a small amount in comparison to my $70 Android phone which has 2GB of RAM. In fact, the iPhone 6S was the first base phone to feature 2GB of RAM. Maybe iOS has less demand for RAM than Android which suggests that iOS is more efficient.

Flagship phones are actually quite expensive considering the hardware I have in my $70 phone. Still not convinced? Check out this $300 Android phone with 4GB of RAM and monstrous hardware

Even though the design and efficiency of an operating system dictates the hardware requirements, some tasks require the same hardware despite what operating system is used. Consider tasks such as file copying, compression, and data parsing. The efficiency of these tasks are likely equally optimized no matter what operating system is used since there are standards for these tasks. Web page source code is the same no matter what operating system is running and there is an unavoidable standard for how it must be parsed. The standards limit the efficiency possible and one might argue that, until web standards change, browsing isn’t capable of becoming more efficient.

The main advantage of an Android phone is that “it’s not Apple.”

There are really only three reasons I see people get Android.

• For most people, the main attraction is that it’s cheaper.
• For nerds, they find it easier to do hard-core hacking on it with more advanced apps, including more ways to install unofficial apps. Unfortunately, this property also makes it a giant malware target.
• Nerds have a greater variety of hardware to choose from, and more advanced hardware sooner, like NFC, better cameras, slicker OLED screens, etc.

The nerd set also complains that they don’t like the jackbooted control imposed by Apple, forcing a consistent UI, limited capabilities in apps, and a total prohibition on sideloading. For me, I consider all of these things features. My phone is an appliance, and I just want it rock stable. While I like to nerd out as much as the next nerd, I think it’s foolish to hot rod your “daily driver.”

Using an iPhone is like riding the bus to work.

You’re surrounded by people who have something in common with you. Regardless of what you want to do or where you want to go, the bus will stop at the same places, and you will end up at work. The company who owns the bus is responsible for your safety; you just have to pay for the ride.

Using an Android is like driving your car to work.

Your car is yours. You’re in control of it. You have a lot more freedom to do whatever you want with it. The car manufacturer makes an effort to make the car safe, but in the end, it’s your responsibility to drive safely. You still end up at work, assuming you drive safely.

In the end, it just comes down to preference. Do you prefer ease of use, or freedom?