11 Features that let you choose between Android & iOS

Android and iOS are two of the best Mobile operating systems available in the market right now. The Android built by Google and iOS built by Apple have no competitors, not even blackberry or windows phone are a comparable match for these major OS.

It is obvious that Android dominates the world smartphone market by virtue of its presence in wider smartphone ranges and is being used by many smartphone makers. But Apple made iOS has maintained their position as one of the top OS in the market even if they have only a relatively minuscule number of device sales in the market each year.

For the past few years, iPhone has chosen September as the month for launching their new devices. While a new Android device is almost launched daily. The good news is that both the OS are excellent. They have far more in common than what divides them. But there are some important differences that you need to consider while choosing between them and they are as follows.

Battery Standby –

When considering Android and iOS operating system battery consumption, it is pretty difficult to decide anything. The iOS operating system has been carefully designed to consume less battery power. At the same time, the same thing has been considered while building the Android OS. It is a fact that the battery backup depends entirely on the user and on their mode of usage.

But if we consider Android-based smartphone models, there are several different makers that provide a variety of Android-based mobile phones with a different battery pack. This can range from 1000mAh to something around 10000mAh. But at the same time, iOS-based smartphones are built by Apple only and the battery pack has no considerable changes.

Security –

With security being a major concern, there are many rare instances where the user data and privacy have been breached by a malware or virus through apps. While taking into consideration the operating systems of these smartphones, most of the cases were reported on an Android-based smartphone. This is because of the reason that most of the Android-based smartphones allow 3rd party software installation from any websites outside the Play Store and has less restriction on it. But the iOS operating system does not allow any 3rd party software that is available outside the App Store. This reduces the risk of malware and viruses.

We can’t deny the fact that iOS operating system is far more secure than Android OS, and there have been instances where the Apple went to war with the FBI to guarantee the user privacy and encryption.

Customizability –

When it comes to this feature, it is a well-known fact that no other operating system allows such wide customizability than Android does. This has been one of the major strengths of the Android operating system over the years. Android OS lets you change your theme and even the layout of your home screen.  There are also added features like adding widgets, shortcuts and even change the UI (User Interface) with new launchers.

But in the case of iOS, there are very limited options for widgets and there is a restriction for its usability, iOS allows changing the layout of the home screen and other backgrounds but does not allow altering the UI. The freedom you feel while using the Android OS cannot be felt while using an iOS because of these restrictions in customizability.

Processor –

Apple iOS and Google Android when compared on the basis of the processor, a decision is tough to be made. Most of the Android devices with same price range as iOS devices have much higher processor specifications. But users have felt the iOS devices to work smoother than the Android devices. While many high-end Android OS devices have powerful processors but they pale in comparison with Apple iOS devices. The Processors used in iOS devices are more powerful and are designed for iOS alone. The comparison made between iOS and Android processors, Apple’s hardware defeats most of its competitors in a single-thread processing power.

Memory –

While memory is considered, we have to look at the RAM management and internal memory in both OS. In iOS devices, the memory option is limited to inbuilt memory and cannot be expanded in any devices until now, at the same time Android has internal memory and also allows expandable memory options. This is one of the drawbacks of iOS. But we have to take into consideration that iOS device come with a minimum internal memory of 16GB, but Android devices at the same price range have different internal memory ranges.

Android has much more RAM specs than an iOS device but, iOS runs more smoothly than android that exhibits a lag on several occasions. This is because of the difference in architecture and functioning of both OS. iOS pause the minimized app functions during multitasking, but at the same time, Android keeps the app running even after minimizing. So there is always free RAM on an iOS.

Updates –

iOS offers consistent and timely OS updates and also security patches. But when it comes to Android OS such updates that could match the iOS is offered only on Google’s Pixel smartphones.

According to the recent study done by the Mixpanel research 50% of the total iOS-based devices run on the latest version of iOS. But by contrast, only 0.2% of Android devices run on the latest Android update.

Affordability –

This is one of the features that every customer would consider and we can’t deny the fact that the Android OS devices are available in different price ranges and even comes at a very cheap rate. But the iOS-based devices from Apple come at a fixed price range and it never comes down below this price range.

Apps & App Store –

When the Apps and App store is considered in an Android OS and iOS the recent survey shows that Android has 2.8 million apps whereas the iOS has 2.2 million apps. Within this number of apps, there are free and paid apps, but Android OS App store named as Play Store has more number of free apps when compared to the iOS App Store. iOS restricts many apps on their platform which lacks quality and privacy, this is a reason why iOS is considered more safe and secure. Traditionally the most of the useful and popular apps were introduced in the iOS platform first. But there have been changes now and apps started to be introduced equally in the Android platform too.

Camera –

This is a difficult category to compare. But, still, iOS platform has consistently maintained the quality of their camera for years. But the premium model Android phones especially the new Google’s Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL has the best camera so far. As I mentioned earlier, this is not consistent with the Android OS platform and different makers have a different quality camera on their smartphones. But if you ask me which OS provides the best camera on all their smartphones, my answer would definitely be iOS.

Cloud Services –

Here taking into consideration the offers from iOS and Android makers Google and Apple. The Android cloud service which is named Google Drive offers 15GB free storage of any files and has cross-platform support. At the same time, iOS cloud services named as icloud give you only 5GB free storage and it only works on Windows, Mac, and iOS platforms. If you need extra storage, you have to pay for the storage offered.

Android OS cloud storage is easier to use and can be accessed from any device but the iOS cloud service only on few devices other than the iOS platform. Google Drive can be installed on an iOS platform but iCloud cannot be installed on an Android platform.

Gadgets and accessories –

Considering the USB based gadgets, Android OS has more number of gadgets available at cheaper price range because of its compatibility and most of the Android devices have the same type of USB port. But when it comes to the iOS-based device the gadgets are limited because of the type of USB port incorporated. Latest iOS OS has also abandoned the audio port. And the cost of iOS gadgets is comparatively higher than Android OS gadgets.

Conclusion –

Different people have different taste and needs with their smartphones. So you should pay attention to the one that matters to you. If you want an Operating system with best security and camera, then iOS is the obvious choice. If battery backup and customizability is what you want, then choose Android OS. Both Android and iOS has its own perks and they are mature, feature-packed operating systems.