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iOS 12 compared to Android 8/9?

OldCorpse

OldCorpse

macrumors 68000
Original poster
I'm an Apple user - exclusively - and currently on iOS 12 on an iPhone 6S. However, my wife really does not like the iPhone and the Apple approach. She wants an Android phone. I tried convincing her to get an iPhone, but I'm handicapped in that I really know NOTHING about Android, so I can't really compare with any authority, so my arguments look weak to her. Anyhow, I turn to you wise folks here, could you please help me?

If any kind soul here is familiar with both iOS 12 and Android (if she gets her phone now, it would be either Android 8 or 9, I'd guess), could you please give a brief description of both the pros and cons (I don't want to just lie to her or propaganda - I want the truth). Some real life user experience is always super welcome.

My dear friend - can you please help? THANK YOU VERY KINDLY!!!
 
Is your wife tech savvy? If not, stay with Apple. Apple User Interface is pretty straightforward. Android is not, because it's suppose to give more flexibility. I've used both, and I choose to stay with Apple.
 
It all depends on the user and what they like. I just switched from Samsung to the Xs Max. IOS on this thing feels smoother than Samsung’s frankesteined version of android. Updates suck on android unless you have a pixel. If you value security/privacy IOS is better. Google tracks everything you do on your phone and sells the info. Even letting 3rd parties scan and read your email in GMAIL. I’ve had android phones since they started with the exception of trying an 6s Plus for 5 months. So far I’m liking this phone and OS, just takes a bit to get used to it
 
I don’t see why you HAVE to convince your wife of anything. What kind of phone does she have now? You failed to mention if she has any previous experience using either.

If she wants an Android phone why not let her have it and let her figure out on her own if it’s a keeper?

I’m a Pixel XL user and I love it. I have used a few iPhones, and currently have an iPhone 6s sitting collecting dust. I’ll never switch to an iPhone as my daily driver unless I lose the ability to apply the customizations that I have on my Pixel XL.

I love my iPad Pro 12.9 too though, and feel exactly the opposite - I don’t want to go back to Android tablets.
 
Good answers guys, keep 'em coming! Muzzy996, my wife's previous phone was a Blackberry, so her only experience is that, plus my iPhone occasionally (which she hates). She's heard a lot of pro-Android anti-Apple propaganda from her co-workers, so she wants an Android. I just don't know how to compare the two. For that matter - FULL DISCLOSURE - I'm curious about Android myself, it's just that I wanted to hear some objective feedback from smart users like the folks here, and not just propaganda either way like from her co-workers.
 
Notifications are still light years ahead on Android. The interface is cleaner and they just work better with fewer steps required to acknowledge or dismiss them.

Sharing between apps and sharing media in general, is much more robust on Android. That means, creating, manipulation, copying files, albums, songs, documents just works better. More PC like.

Of course, customization is King with Android. You can change just about anything.

Updates suck on Android which was already mentioned, save a few devices. That will all change eventually with some of the new framework coming in future versions.

iOS has iMessage and Facetime, which is huge for me, mainly because a lot of family and friends use those services.


iOS is easier to navigate for some, but not as easy as it used to be. (The Photos app and Music app are both nightmares of clutter and Apple is always adding "features" that we can't remove....)

I could do pages and pages of comparisons on both platforms.
 
After having been an iPhone user for years, I recently switched to a Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

All in all, I would say that iOS (and its Apps) is more polished, but more limiting. Android offer more flexibility and depth, ultimately proving more capable for power users. I'm talking about features like: Split screen multitasking, full file access and management, flexibility on interface customization and arrangement, mouse compatibility, window in window (watch a windowed YouTube video while you take notes, or follow Google Maps directions while you browse the internet, etc).

iOS's walled garden approach is undoubtly smoother and more approachable for the average user, but Android is ultimately more flexible and powerful for those who walk the extra mile.

I, personally, prefer Android after having used both extensively.
 
Does she know about the things you can only do with someone who has an iPhone?

Me and my wife use Find My Friends to see how far the other is from home on the way back from work.

We also use FaceTime to talk if I need to show her something when shopping or around the house.

Other things like security updates and software upgrades for years after Android phones are not supported.

Mainly, last year's iPhone X is faster than any of this year's Androids.
 
iMessage and FaceTime are worth staying Apple for if you use these apps between yourselves? Otherwise you'll be using sms and possibly incurring extra costs each month (depending on phone plan etc).

Does your wife use "eco-system" from Apple? Desktop/Laptop, iPhone etc? Is it all linked? Or is it just the phone she uses? If so, maybe get a cheap Android phone first, before signing up to any long term contracts and let her test it out.

Android isn't for everyone, and she must have her reasons why she doesn't like the Apple approach (has she said why?).
 
OldCorpse said:
I'm an Apple user - exclusively - and currently on iOS 12 on an iPhone 6S. However, my wife really does not like the iPhone and the Apple approach. She wants an Android phone. I tried convincing her to get an iPhone, but I'm handicapped in that I really know NOTHING about Android, so I can't really compare with any authority, so my arguments look weak to her. Anyhow, I turn to you wise folks here, could you please help me?

If any kind soul here is familiar with both iOS 12 and Android (if she gets her phone now, it would be either Android 8 or 9, I'd guess), could you please give a brief description of both the pros and cons (I don't want to just lie to her or propaganda - I want the truth). Some real life user experience is always super welcome.

My dear friend - can you please help? THANK YOU VERY KINDLY!!!
Click to expand...
Right now, unless she gets a Pixel or Essential phone, she would end up with Android 8. She would have to wait till next year to start seeing Android phones with Pie out of the box (except the Pixel).
It's difficult to tell you pros and cons without knowing what your wife is looking for in a phone.

For example, my sister is not tech savvy, but she is savvy enough to know how to transfer files via Windows Explorer to a device. So she is adamant to use Android regardless of any advantages iOS might bring to other things simply because Android phone works the way she expects it to (plug into her PC, drag-n-drop). iPhone can never fulfill that expectation.

So what is your wife looking for, and why she doesn't like the iPhone?

Now for some basic things of the pros and cons of Android vs iOS:
- One can get an excellent Android phone for $200-$300, and they come with all the trendy features like notch full-screen display, AI camera beauty, dual lens, etc. Meanwhile, the current cheapest iPhone is the 32GB iPhone 7 for $450. For someone looking at just base price of a product, it's hard to argue for an iPhone here.

- Inconsistent UI. Every Android OEM has their own take on Android UI. Some let Google does the OS (Android One phones), some follows closely to stock Android (Motorola, OnePlus), some do a bastardization of Android with their own UI experience (Samsung), some copied iOS-style (Xiaomi, Vivo, Huawei, etc). And even within one brand, there might not be consistencies. Even Google keep changing their own stock UI here and there just for the sake of change. Meanwhile, iOS is so "boring" that many people stick with it because it keeps them from having to re-learn things all over again.

- If your family utilize Apple-centric services like iMessage, iCloud Photos, etc, obviously it's better to keep everybody within the Apple ecosystem. Google has its own ecosystem as well, and iOS users can join in, but the experience is not as seamless, especially when you want to integrate a Mac as well. But for some people, this might not matter, and for them having Google everything (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos, etc) may be more advantageous.

Hope that helps a bit. 🙂
 
I used to be what one might call an Android “power user” and I was certainly a fan boy at that time. I installed custom roms and customized everything that was possible to customize.

I started running my own business at one point and went back to stock roms because I no longer had time to fiddle like I did while in college.

The problem with stock oem roms is they are extremely inconsistent and at times unreliable. There were a few times where randomly the mail app would no longer connect to my email servers. This would happen with no notification it would just stop. I’d have to realize (which usually meant a day down until I noticed no emails were coming in) and go through the pain of deleting and readding the email accounts. Sometimes reconnecting the account would fail and there would be no explanation why. The iOS mail app on the other hand has never once failed me, not sure why there was such a significant different in experience between the two OS for something as basic as email but there was for me.

Another thing is I find myself spending less time in apps because the UI is extremely consistent between them. This is not always the case in android, at least it wasn’t when I was using android. When you are running a business these small time wasters trying to learn between apps is frustrating. So consistency is definitely something helpful in my position.

Finally, I once had an issue with my HTC Desire (screen seal broke so dust was getting under the glass and I could no longer read the screen at that location). The warranty repair required giving my phone up for 6 weeks and getting a loaner phone that was so trash it could barely scroll between panels on the launcher. The worst part? They didn’t even fix the problem, they cleaned the dust out but left the broken seal, dust started accumulating the day I got it back. One of my iPhones on the other hand (a 6) had the battery issue and also a bright pixel. That repair? They gave me a brand new phone. You simply cannot beat the customer service you get from Apple and that will keep me coming back as a customer.
 
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tromboneaholic said:
Does she know about the things you can only do with someone who has an iPhone?

Me and my wife use Find My Friends to see how far the other is from home on the way back from work.

We also use FaceTime to talk if I need to show her something when shopping or around the house.

Other things like security updates and software upgrades for years after Android phones are not supported.

Mainly, last year's iPhone X is faster than any of this year's Androids.
Click to expand...

Except for the OnePlus 6. 🙂
[doublepost=1537714851][/doublepost]
pika2000 said:
Right now, unless she gets a Pixel or Essential phone, she would end up with Android 8. She would have to wait till next year to start seeing Android phones with Pie out of the box (except the Pixel).
It's difficult to tell you pros and cons without knowing what your wife is looking for in a phone.

For example, my sister is not tech savvy, but she is savvy enough to know how to transfer files via Windows Explorer to a device. So she is adamant to use Android regardless of any advantages iOS might bring to other things simply because Android phone works the way she expects it to (plug into her PC, drag-n-drop). iPhone can never fulfill that expectation.

So what is your wife looking for, and why she doesn't like the iPhone?

Now for some basic things of the pros and cons of Android vs iOS:
- One can get an excellent Android phone for $200-$300, and they come with all the trendy features like notch full-screen display, AI camera beauty, dual lens, etc. Meanwhile, the current cheapest iPhone is the 32GB iPhone 7 for $450. For someone looking at just base price of a product, it's hard to argue for an iPhone here.

- Inconsistent UI. Every Android OEM has their own take on Android UI. Some let Google does the OS (Android One phones), some follows closely to stock Android (Motorola, OnePlus), some do a bastardization of Android with their own UI experience (Samsung), some copied iOS-style (Xiaomi, Vivo, Huawei, etc). And even within one brand, there might not be consistencies. Even Google keep changing their own stock UI here and there just for the sake of change. Meanwhile, iOS is so "boring" that many people stick with it because it keeps them from having to re-learn things all over again.

- If your family utilize Apple-centric services like iMessage, iCloud Photos, etc, obviously it's better to keep everybody within the Apple ecosystem. Google has its own ecosystem as well, and iOS users can join in, but the experience is not as seamless, especially when you want to integrate a Mac as well. But for some people, this might not matter, and for them having Google everything (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos, etc) may be more advantageous.

Hope that helps a bit. 🙂
Click to expand...

My go to Android device is the OnePlus series. They get timely updates, (mine is running 9.0 Pie) and they are pretty much the most optimized phone around.

Watch some comparison videos. The OnePlus 6 usually spanks the iPhone X in speed tests and RAM management.
 
Baldilocks said:
Except for the OnePlus 6. 🙂
[doublepost=1537714851][/doublepost]

My go to Android device is the OnePlus series. They get timely updates, (mine is running 9.0 Pie) and they are pretty much the most optimized phone around.

Watch some comparison videos. The OnePlus 6 usually spanks the iPhone X in speed tests and RAM management.
Click to expand...
iPhone X outperformed OnePus 6 on all the benchmarks I saw.
 
OldCorpse said:
I'm an Apple user - exclusively - and currently on iOS 12 on an iPhone 6S. However, my wife really does not like the iPhone and the Apple approach. She wants an Android phone. I tried convincing her to get an iPhone, but I'm handicapped in that I really know NOTHING about Android, so I can't really compare with any authority, so my arguments look weak to her. Anyhow, I turn to you wise folks here, could you please help me?

If any kind soul here is familiar with both iOS 12 and Android (if she gets her phone now, it would be either Android 8 or 9, I'd guess), could you please give a brief description of both the pros and cons (I don't want to just lie to her or propaganda - I want the truth). Some real life user experience is always super welcome.

My dear friend - can you please help? THANK YOU VERY KINDLY!!!
Click to expand...

If she is coming from a blackberry, iOS will suit her needs just fine.
 
Here are some current scores.

This is my OnePlus 6:

Screenshot_20180728-101315_zpsrxl10kje.jpg


This is one of the highest scores ever on my iPhone X:

IMG_0181_zpssbugug4h.png



Now, those are just synthetic benchmarks. But, as one who uses both, I can tell you that I can rely on the OnePlus 6 to keep many more apps in memory than the X. That's just the way it is. Any comparison (which you can watch online) will show the same result.

OnePlus also has smoother and much quicker animations. iOS is full of long period animations that hide slower loading times.

iOS needs a lot of work. It's basically not much different than it was 11 years ago except it's burdened with a lot of added "features" that no one asked for.
 
Baldilocks said:
That's why I keep both. 🙂
Click to expand...

My compromise has been FaceTime on my iPad and SMS on my Pixel Xl. I lose in quality of videos that Apple users send to me but since the majority of my text conversations are group chats where members of the group have both Android and iOS devices that’s about all I lose.
 
muzzy996 said:
My compromise has been FaceTime on my iPad and SMS on my Pixel Xl. I lose in quality of videos that Apple users send to me but since the majority of my text conversations are group chats where members of the group have both Android and iOS devices that’s about all I lose.
Click to expand...

Yes, I hate getting video messages from someone on an iPhone while I am using my OnePlus. They come out so grainy and terribly low quality. Pretty sure Apple does that on purpose. When it's Android to Android it's just fine.
 
Ultimately, this is an emotional decision for her. And I don't mean in the "she's a woman hence emotional" sense, really. We make lots of decisions based on emotional component so that's okay. But realize that this is not necessarily something that can be reasoned with (if 'reason' ruled what we do, our politics would look much different).

You say she does not like "Apple approach" so it would be interesting to understand that. Comparing phones across specs and benchmarks is useless (IMO).

I expect you will be getting her an Android phone.

There are practical considerations: how invested she is in app ecosystem and how ad-adverse she is (because Android apps... yeah...) Also you do not mention if you guys have kids and what devices they carry. IMO with iOS 12 Apple has a very solid family platform with app monitoring, control, purchase approvals etc. It might not be a consideration.
 
bigboy29 said:
There are practical considerations: how invested she is in app ecosystem and how ad-adverse she is (because Android apps... yeah...) Also you do not mention if you guys have kids and what devices they carry. IMO with iOS 12 Apple has a very solid family platform with app monitoring, control, purchase approvals etc. It might not be a consideration.
Click to expand...

Most Android apps mirror iOS apps -- some are even more robust. As far as purchase approvals, control and parental considerations, Android has all of that too.

I think people still have the idea of 2010 Android in their heads. Back when it was new and people were trying it and realizing it was half baked at the time.
 
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