iPhone (aka iOS) is known for its ease of use, security, and clean integration with other Apple products. Android is associated with its integration of Google services, its ability to be customized, and typically a lower cost. If you can, try demoing a device at a store. That will give you a good sense of the interface and feel of each operating system.
Phones are subsidized when purchased along with a phone carrier contract or sometime even “free” upon signing. This usually commits you to a 2-year billing plan for the carrier and includes penalties for early cancellation. Some carriers also charge a monthly ‘device fee’ to make up for little or no upfront cost on your smartphone.
If you are a heavy MS Office or Google user, you will have the best integration and support using an Android phone (although note that both Microsoft and Google produce their most popular apps for the competing operating system as well).
iOS/iPhone has exclusive features like Siri, fingerprint scanning, FaceTime chat, and iCloud support. Android has Google Now, homescreen widgets for customization, and allows third party app installation (meaning you can download programs from the internet and install them outside of the Play Store ecosystem). Most Android phones today also have fingerprint sensors, cloud storage for pictures, and support the use of Google Drive for documents and cloud storage.
In general, if a popular app is not offered on a competitor’s operating system, there is a strong chance that an alternate app exists which is functionally quite similar. Your app purchases are linked with your store account. You will be able to transfer your purchases to any future phones as long as they use the same operating system. [1] X Research source
Some carriers, like T-Mobile, allow you to forego a contract while paying off the phone as part of your monthly costs. Cancelling your service early will force you to pay the remainder of the phone’s costs at once. Unlocked phones are phones purchased outside of a carrier and thus not linked with a phone service contract. They are more expensive but allow you much more flexibility if you ever need to switch phone carriers. If buying an unlocked phone, make sure to doublecheck that the model is compatible with your specific carrier’s network. Most carriers have a webpage where you can check compatibility with your phone model’s ID information, (for instance Verizon, or AT&T).
You may be able to cut monthly costs by not purchasing a data plan at all, but this means you won’t be able to access the internet from your phone if not on wifi.
iPhone offers the “SE” series for compact phones and the “Plus” series for an extra large screen. Android phones come in a wide range of sizes: there are smaller budget models such as Moto G or Galaxy S Mini, higher end models like the Galaxy S or the HTC One series, and oversized models like Galaxy Note or Nexus 6P.
For the budget-conscious, a good compromise is to wait for a new model of your desired smartphone to become available and to then take advantage of a drop in price of the other models. When a new phone model premieres interest in older models will immediately go down and the price will often change to reflect that. Regardless of your choice, understand that technology moves very quickly and that newer phone models will continue to appear. Eventually every smartphone will seem old or obsolete.
For example, storage space is the only difference between a 16GB iPhone 6 and 32GB iPhone 6, 16GB is estimated to hold about 10,000 pictures or 4000 songs – but keep in mind that your phone storage must also accommodate all your downloaded apps. [2] X Research source Some Android phones (but not all) support storage expansion with the purchase of a microSD card. iPhones do not support storage expansion after purchase.
While manufacturers often advertise a camera’s megapixel count, features like ISO, low-light performance, brightness, and noise reduction are equally if not more important to consider. Most modern smartphones come equipped with front and rear-facing cameras and flash, and will support third party add-ons (such as lens attachments). iPhones are well known for their high quality camera hardware/software.
Average smartphone battery life can range anywhere from 8-18 hours. [3] X Research source Most flagship Android models will not support replaceable batteries. iPhones do not support replaceable batteries on any model. Some newer Android phones utilize a quick charge technology to help recharge their large batteries faster (e. g. Samsung Galaxy S series or Motorola Droid Turbo series). Manufacturers claim phones with quick charge can achieve 50% charge in about 30 minutes. [4] X Research source
