iPhone v. Android Debate

If you are a college student today, you have a smartphone. That is a fact of life. It’s essential for your academics and essential for your survival. Phones are how we interact with our peers, call our parents twice a month, and do our two-factor authentication (which is public enemy #1 on the Ohio Northern campus). 

You are also aware of the fierce competition between the two electronic companies that own the smartphone market: Apple’s iPhone vs. Google’s Android. 

Apple cemented its position in the global smartphone market in 2007, being the first company to unveil the “smartphone” as we know it today. For this article, a smartphone will be a mobile phone with a touchscreen and internet access capable of running downloaded apps. Google wasn’t far behind, releasing the first version of the Android in 2008, but Apple already had a head start. Both were well-established and powerful companies – and more importantly, the only smartphone companies on the market at that time. Thus, the rivalry began. And with it, the endless debates, squabbles, and sometimes outright fights between smartphone users on which is the better model. And no one uses their phones more than young, emotionally immature college students (I can say that, as I am a young emotionally immature college student). 

PSA: Google Pixel users, this article isn’t for you. Please, crawl back to your obscurity.

My family has always been an Android family. My first phone was also an Android – a classic flip phone, equipped with Sudoku and nothing else. My first smartphone was a hand-me-down Android 4.1, really only good for calls to my parents and checking the weather. For nearly ten years, I’ve only ever had an Android, at least until my last Android stopped charging after four years (an impressive lifespan for modern-day smartphones). I had a choice: I could keep to the status quo and get the next version of the Android, or betray my closest friends and family with an iPhone. Same price, same service provider, same charger. The only thing I’d be risking were my blood relations and my dignity if I didn’t like it. 

But I was driven by curiosity. Nearly every friend I had made at college uses an iPhone, and consequently, I’ve had to defend my Android for two and a half years. But I wanted to know: Are iPhones really better, or does the underdog have a chance?

So, I’ve spent a week with my shiny new iPhone, taking notes on what I liked and didn’t like. In the interest of journalistic integrity, I’ve tried to remain as unbiased as possible. Let’s start with the positives. 

What iPhone Does Better

The Silent Button

How did I live without this before? I’m the type to leave my ringer at the highest volume. Too many missed calls from parents – then subsequently getting grounded – will do that to a person. And one too many times, my louder-than-a-jet-engine ringer went off in class. This button already has made my life so much easier – and my professors to not hate me as much. 

Facetime/iMessage

Alright, I already knew Facetime was going to be a positive, but I didn’t know how much I was going to love it until I was able to see my best friend’s face for the first time in months. My parents were concerned that I wanted to switch because most of my friends had iPhones, and to be honest, so was I. But the minute I was able to see her and my other loved ones, I knew I made the right choice (and I know this is way too sentimental and it’s just Facetime, but bear with me).

iMessage is also very convenient. I no longer have to be annoyed with ”___ liked your message,” – and trust me, it was often enough to be really annoying. In my professional opinion, people should be taking advantage of iMessage games more: at the very least, it would be entertaining to end a very serious conversation with 8-ball. 

‘Smoother’

I have done my best not to ask other iPhone users for help when navigating the controls. I wanted to learn how to do it myself. One thing I learned is that all the controls are subtle; they make for “smoother” navigation, for lack of a better word. While this makes things harder at times, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is a bad thing. 

There are more positives, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll move on. There are, of course, positives of owning an Android too. Some expected, some not. 

What Android Does Better

Home/Back/Tabs Button

iPhones are “smoother” to navigate, but let’s face it – it’s still a little harder. With Androids, there’s no guessing. It’s easier from the start. I like my shiny new iPhone, but that doesn’t change the fact that I miss my dear, sweet buttons. 

No Safari

It’s petty to have one  of my three negative points be dedicated to a singular app, but that is how much I hate Safari. Every time I have to use it, it is a headache. I hate Safari so much that it’s both a negative for Apple having it and a positive for Android not having it. 

I. Hate. Safari. 

More Structure

In general, Android is just better structured. Finding things is easier, figuring out how to change things is easier – things are just easier. For people switching to Androids, this might be a welcome change. But for those switching from Androids, this can be difficult to get used to. 

Now, weighing the pros and cons of both is fun and all, but do you want to know the big revelation I had when switching?

They’re not that different at all. 

No, seriously. They have different features and controls, but at the end of the day, they are just smartphones. They fulfill the same purpose.

Besides, isn’t it silly to obsess over which one is better? Wouldn’t it be silly to take notes about what you like/don’t like about each, do some research, and write a 1,000-word article over it? Silly.