You’ve decided you need a new phone as the one you have is looking a touch rough around the edges. It’s old now and isn’t running the way it used to. There is a logical lifespan with any device and much of its longevity depends a great deal on the manufacturer behind your product.
There really are only two mobile platforms to deal with today and that’s IOS and Android. Apple builds IOS and Google licenses Android to those that want to deliver with this platform. When Google announces an upgrade to Android many of the third party vendors also announce their intent.
Functionally, Android and IOS have become quite similar while at the same time different. Android is an Open System and with that come all the vagaries of this marketplace through time. Although IOS is very robust and mature operating system today, they can use a little competitive nudge. It is this that keeps the marketplace so exciting and thrilling. Although Google distributes Android to third party vendors they each can input their own flavour to the OS making it very vibrant and sometimes disjointed. Android though can simply do things that IOS is far from such as true multi-tasking. The competitive push might bring true multi-tasking to IOS.
Competitive Edge
One could easily say that both IOS and Android bring competitive factors to the table. Android being an open system has many players that are using it and bring apps to the table. In some cases, it rests with these individual players to avoid replicating what is available.
In other cases, the different players incorporate the best of a system in their system. Thus, they build off of each other. There remains good software that if ported to IOS would definitely take off.
Choosing an iPhone or an Android
In many cases, the choice has already been made for you in that if you’ve been operating in a full Mac environment potentially for years getting an iPhone is the most logical thing to do. Since Apple products work so well together it simply makes sense to get an iPhone. The difficult thing here will be deciding which iPhone.
However, it is certainly not impossible to make an Android part of your solution. Though a little more challenging, you may prefer the devices design, performance, price and the way it operates better than an iPhone. This is called cross platform integration and is growing with time as developers bring new apps to both environments.
Then theirs windows and either phone is a fit here however, Microsoft is lined up behind Android now and there’s even a Microsoft launcher or skin for Android. All Microsoft software is ported to both IOS and Android. This one is a fully open ball field.
The Advantage of Cross Platform
If the purchaser is working for an organization it might behoove him/her to look over the fence to see what’s available because now you’re not talking small losses but potentially large ones. Further, the alternative solution may have as part of it unique capabilities that would be desirable.
Android phones are available from many manufacturers so you can get different orientations in the way a phone works. Android is known to be highly customizable and for some this is desirable as they can make the phone their own. Once you learn how to use an Android phone it’s really no more complicated than the iPhone. It just takes a different approach in the way the UI is laid out and some prefer Android skins over IOS.
People seem to fall into two camps here. There are those that like the simpler and well known interface of IOS finding it easier to use. There are others who find IOS boring or they get bored with it too quickly and like Android’s scope of capabilities such as its customizability and true multi-tasking. As for the power of the phones, specs do no one justice anymore. Both phones at the top end are powerhouses providing more power than you need. The new Samsung s20 is beyond powerful and there is no task you can’t throw at it even though the iPhone A13 chip out specs the s20. In the real world, you would not think this the case.
Another factor to take into consideration is price. Although the pricing model, especially for the iPhone, has changed significantly with Apple’s introduction of the SE 2, a fast but very reasonably priced phone based on the iPhone 8’s design, Apple can’t really be considered to have what was referred to as the Apple tax any longer. A good model iPhone could actually cost you less than a comprable Android. Samsung’s new s20 series of phones are so expensive there definitely was sticker shock at launch. There still is and people who would like one are looking far and wide for any discounts already.
Android and the iPhone have both been available for a while. It is possible to get what is referred to as a Flagship phone on the Android side for less than the iPhone. Price and operation are two compelling reasons to consider Android. This is by far less the case now than it useed to be but to a degree remains true.
Finally though, some simply prefer the design of certain Android’s over the iPhone and are fine blending it into the Apple environment. Considering Android is an open system you don’t have to worry about getting locked in. It’s easy to get out and switch to the iPhone should you want to. It’s harder to go from an iPhone to an Android but doable.
Which Smartphone from all the Options
One thing you know about buying an iPhone is your buying from a very reputable manufacturer. iPhones tend to remain in service much longer than Androids. Further, the resale value and the ability to sell your iPhone is much better than an Android though again this is starting to change.
First, if you’re on your own you only need to consider what appeals to you relative to the environment you use (e.g. Mac/Windows etc). If you’re wih a firm though that already uses Android or it’s mixed platform environment, then you’re off to the races. iPhone or Android is simply your choice unless the firm operating with Androids or iPhones supplies the devices.
Finally, if you’ve decided that Android is really for you, how do you decide which vendor’s phones would likely be the safest to go with.
Choosing from a well Established Company
Since Smartphones play such an integral role in our lives today, it is important that we use one that is reliable and the company provides excellent support to ensure you’re happy with the product. Apple products are generally considered to be of top quality and they provide excellent support so you can’t go wrong with an iPhone.
However, the Android market ranges from well established companies such as Google, LG and Samsung to the less known. Since Android is an open system many vendors provide Android compatible phones. Likely if you get your phone from your provider the phone will be supported not by just the manufacturer but by the provider also who will have tested the phone.
If you do a little research on the phone you’re interested in it is useful to ensure you have a well rated device. As an example phones from:
- Samsung (had the largest percentage of the mobile market)
- LG
- Google and their Pixel phones
- Motorola
are all good. That doesn’t mean every phone from Samsung would meet your needs as they have what are referred to as budget phones all the way through to high end devices that can be quite pricey. It’s important to match needs to price to get a phone you will like.
At one time the Android market provided a larger range of phone types and prices however, Apple’s 2020 line is going to be impressive. They will cover the complete range with prices that start quite reasonably through to powerhouses.
Today’s Phone Should be Viable for a Good Time
When new models of Smartphone’s are released, it is not as necessary to upgrade to keep up as Smartphones now are incredibly feature rich. At one time an upgrade bdrought with it greater performance and features. New phones will still provide these things but not to the same degree. Further the phones that came out in 2019 are generally powerhouses except for the budget category in which the phone may not perform that well. Since modern Smartphones are so capable the need to upgrade isn’t as important as it once was.
In the case of Apple they provide OS upgrades for quite a long time. Android is now getting faster and better with this as we have entered a much more mature market.
Either an iPhone or the right Android can be a fantastic Smartphone. The choice of which one more or less depends on your requirements and what you prefer. The key now is to choose a good vendor that makes a quality product at the price point your comfortable with and that performs to your needs. Since Smartphones are non-configurable after purchase, it is useful to ensure you’ve bought the right amount of hardware such as RAM for good performance both today and down the road.
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