Android or iPhone?

One of the hottest debates right now in the media world is whether to choose an iPhone or Android smartphone.

When my Blackberry died and I needed to get a new phone I was faced with the decision of which phone to get. Blackberry was out of the question for me because I had so many problems with their operating system, RIM. 

Knowing that I wanted a smartphone I had two decisions: iPhone 4S or one of the many choices Fido,  my cell phone provider, offered for Android phones.

I ended up picking the iPhone just because everybody had one and I figured that since they seemed more popular, Apple would ensure that there were minimal problems and any issues would be fixed immediately.

But I have noticed that the decision between an iPhone or Android is much more heated right now and so I decided to try and look at two different articles: one that preferred the Android, and another that preferred the iPhone.

The first article I found on MakeUseOf discussed a few reasons why the iPhone was the better phone to pick.

Photo from Apple, uploaded by SharpTeam

The writer, Tim Brookes, starts of by comparing the smoothness of the two smartphones. He goes on to say that while even the oldest models of iPhones are smooth to slide through contact lists and apps, Androids including one of the more popular models, the Galaxy Nexus, are not completely smooth and can lag a bit at times and this problem can make certain apps frustrating or difficult to run.

Brookes takes the fact of Android having numerous different models as a negative aspect, which I found to be an interesting perspective. While I would argue that consumers like having a choice of what phone to pick, Brookes argues that all the different options confuse the consumer and he suggests that by Apple only releasing one model of the iPhone every year, they outrun any model in terms of quality and support.

Another positive aspect for Apple creating one model of the iPhone is the ease of creating updates that can be compatible with older generation phones. For example, the article explains how when iOS5 was released, Apple was able to extend the update to versions that were three years old. Androids can’t do updates like this because of all the versions being released, and so to get the newest technology, a completely new phone needs to be purchased.

The last point Brookes brings up is the protection that iPhones have with their phones over Androids. It is almost common knowledge that iPhones do not get any malware on their phones while it is a rising concern in Androids.

If these ideas made you want to run out and get an iPhone, just keep reading because there are many advantages to Androids as well which I will highlight from the article by TechRepublic. 

The first advantage of Android mentioned in this article by Jack Wallen is the more reliable Internet browser. Not only are Android users able to have different browsers, (unlike iPhone only providing Safari) but also they have Flash support.

Photo from Alexandru Savu

Another reason why Wallen suggests the Android is better is the customizable desktop. While the iPhone only has apps which you must open to use, the Android has already open apps available so users can access them quicker.

Wallen also compares the process of buying apps on the Android as a much simpler process. He explains how many of the apps on the Android market are free and of greater variety and much easier to download because it does not require entering in a password like the App Store does with iPhones.

So there you go, two different perspectives on two different smartphones. I personally prefer the iPhone over the Android, but the argument for Android phones is pretty convincing. Which phone would you prefer?