The Biggest Differences Between an iPhone and an Android Smartphone

One never-ending debate this past decade is whether iPhones or Android smartphones are better. Most people either choose to be fans of either iOS or Android, while others constantly switch depending on their preferences. Regardless, in this article, we will give an unbiased review of the differences between iPhones and Android smartphones – and which one would better suit your needs.

Differences Between Apple and Android:

1. Formats and Design:
   1. Every year, there are almost hundreds of Android smartphones being released. In fact, in 2021 there were over 500. However, iPhones are a different story. Apple tends to release only 3-5 smartphone models each year, and they all have a very similar built. This means that users have a greater selection with Android phones from foldable smartphones to phones dedicated just to hard-core photography to phones that are designed to withstand even the toughest of surfaces. In turn, while Apple users might have a less flexible and limited decisions, they might be less overwhelmed with having to make decisions and can simply follow what Apple decides is appropriate.  
2. Raw Power and Energy Efficency:
   1. While there are many companies competing in the Android market, surprisingly Apple has a lead in terms of raw computing power. The latest Apple A15 Bionic chipset completely outperforms any other mobile chipset while being significantly more power-efficient. This can be shown from a Geek bench score which compares two chips: the A14 Bionic (launched with the iPhone 12 series in 2020) and a Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 (one of the most expensive and fast Android smartphones launched in late 2021). The A14 bionic scores a 1596 single-core score and a 4102 multi-core score. In contrast, the Snapdragon 888 under performs with a 1124 single-core score and a 3615 multi-core score.
   2. This advantage in Energy Efficiency by Apple is offset by the fact that iPhones have lower-capacity batteries compared to Samsung phones. For example, the iPhone 12 has a 2815 mAh battery, compared to the 4000 mAh of the Samsung Galaxy S21. This trend is becoming less significant however for newer iPhone generations, as the iPhone 13 got a major battery update.
3. Features and Innovation:
   1. Most Android manufactures risk introducing new, unproven features in order to stand out from the competition. While it might feel great to have a new advanced feature in your phone, having a feature that is buggy or not tested properly can overall do more harm than good. In contrast, Apple has been slow in adopting features, only adding them when they are completely sure that the feature will be a success. This means that even if users have to wait longer to get a feature in an Apple phone compared to an Android, they can at least be confident that the feature has been tested enough that it won’t be a nuisance.
4. Accessories:
   1. On Android devices, most accessories are interchangeable. You can use Huwaei smartphones with Samsung smartwatches or Sony headphones with Xiaomi devices and so on. But overall, the user isn’t forced into an ecosystem like Apple users are. While iPhones work exceptionally well with other Apple accessories (even better than Android), it comes with a double-edge sword, as switching to a non-Apple accessory will lose many features that are commonplace with Apple accessories. On top of that, the accessories dedicated to iPhones are normally more expensive than Android counterparts, making it overall more expensive for a user to buy iPhone accessories (making Android phones more economical in terms of extra additions).
5. Interface:
   1. The interface of Android devices varies greatly from one manufacturer to the next. This means that switching from an Android smartphone to another manufacturer might become more difficult. However, the Android interface allows for much more customizability compared to Apple, but it will take significantly more time to get a desired look on your phone. In contrast, the interface is identical for all iPhones on the same iOS version. Moving from an older generation to a newer generation iPhone is almost seamless, but also comes with a disadvantage as customization options are much more limited for iPhones (which may or may not be a good thing depending on how advanced a user is and how comfortable they are with their phone).

Conclusion

Ultimately, both Apple and Android devices each have their pros and cons. Depending on the type of user you are, and the user experience that you desire, it might take some time to experiment to finally decide which smartphone is better for you. Both smartphones are being constantly updated with newer and newer features, however, so it can be safe to say that picking either of them is not a terrible decision.