There is no end to this debate. I have been a faithful android user from 2010 to 2015. I started with using a sleek HTC handset that I bought on Vijaya Dashmi. Every 2 years I have had to change my android phone as the older one could not support a new update or became unusably slow as more apps were installed. Till I moved to an iPhone towards end of 2015.
3 years gone and I am still in favour of the Apple phone I am using - an iPhone 6 plus 16 GB that iPaid a whopping fifty thousand rupees for. It is stable, secure & consistent performer. It has supported all iOS upgrades that Apple has released so far. It is a great business phone because of it's reliability.
But not all is hunky dory after 3 years. With an ever increasing mobile focus from various applications, high definition content and digital media, the 16 GB internal storage is insufficient. I need to backup videos and photographs twice every month. On a 7 day vacation, I invariably run out of space for clicking pictures or shooting videos (time lapse is my favourite!). I feel the need for expandable storage. But I'm someone who believes in longevity of things and drawing maximum value from a purchase. So I bought a wifi storage device which I carry on vacations to backup the photos from the iPhone. Yet, the 16 GB storage is not sufficient to store all the music, apps and email. Yet, it is something I can live with.
On the other had, OnePlus, Redmi, Samsung are coming up with impressive configurations and pricing. The RAM that comes on a flagship OnePlus phone is more than my laptop RAM! And all this comes for half the price of my original iPhone purchase price 3 years ago 😆. The marketing, the numbers, pictures clicked from these phones and uploaded on Instagram, all look very enticing for an impulse purchase. My eyes twitch, hands itch when I see a discount for a latest android phone on an online portal.
There are some deep rooted, usability factors as well that I think android has an edge over iPhone. Let me go through some that matter to me -
- Dual Sim - an important feature when you need to use 2 sim cards e.g. on an international trip or if you have a business number and a personal number. But an iPhone that comes with this feature was launched in 2018!
- The calling app - most frequently used app on any mobile phone. I feel it is a lot more intuitive than on an iPhone. On an android, the experience is seamless. You can start typing a name or a number or a part of it and android bring up a relevant record from your contact or call history. Whereas on an iPhone you have to search in the specific section with the 'exact match'. I find this extremely important feature.
- The ecosystem - I am deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem. But some of the native apps are downright non functional to say the least - maps & Siri being the leaders. In comparison, Google has very functional apps - Google Maps Google assistant. These apps work extremely well in Indian context. I have always had trouble instructing Siri to call a number while driving, whereas Google assistant has done in flawlessly 9 out of 10 times.
Having said that, my minimalist mind still doesn't want to change the phone because the iPhone is working just fine. In earlier circumstances, my android phones have presented the opportunity to replace them every 1 or 2 years.
Google coming up with the Pixel and a host of other companies creating a flagship every 6 months, I am hoping android reliability should match an iPhone now. With this in mind, I am willing to consider an android next, whenever that is. What has been your experience? What would you recommend?
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