Should I stay with iOS or shift to Android?

If you want your phone to be as flexible as a computer, go Android.

If you want your smartphone to be as simple to use as can be, stay with iOS.

“A smartphone, in my opinion, is more than just a gadget. It’s an extension of who you are and its identity is how you want your life to work.”

AMEN to this~!

I’m a person who truly loves to innovate and try new things, and a closed ecosystem like Apple will never work for me. And lastly, I could never support the ‘evil’ actions that Apple has been doing for the past few years. They went from underground hero to a massive corporate monster.

If you love to tinker, you’ll never go wrong with Android.

android is not as good as ios in terms of stock roms.. but a fully customized android vs a fully customized ios, that’s different thing.. :) if you know what i mean..

Shift to android. im like you yuga, i tinker a lot with my phones, i like the installing custom roms, “extending” the lives of my phones because i get to install android versions like Jelly Bean even if it’s not officially supported by the phone. i like troubleshooting, i like getting new features like google now even when almost all phones dont have it yet. i always like something new, without the spending for a new phone. installing a custom rom gives you the feeling that your phone is a spanking brand new one, eventhough it’s already a year old. i like overclocking my phone, seeing if it can run the amazing spiderman flawlessly when it’s at 1.6ghz. i like playing my games with a bluetooth ps3 controller, etc etc etc.

i have been an ios fanatic myself, i have jailbroken my 3gs, installed numerous homebrew apps, had installed gestures and stuff way before apple introduced the “persistently on the foreground circle accessibility thing”. but when i got to android, i found it better.

not only are my geekiness appetites satisfied, but my productivity appetites are also being served well. say i have a ppt file to show, it is VERRRRYYYYYY easy to save it locally and show to others with an android, even if it is not rooted. i tried doing that with an ipad 2, and after an hour, i only had 1 or 2 options to show the ppt, and i didnt even like it.

OH plus one more thing, i read days before, that one thing that beats ios flat is android’s notification system. nothing beats a notification bar on top, wherein you get updated at a glance alone. unlike with ios, where you still have to make an effort to slide it down.

i am not someone who has all the free time in the world. i am no longer a student. i am already working, 5 days a week. was a management trainee. yet because this is my passion, which i believe is yours too, id still give it time. even if i dont get enough sleep sometimes, it makes me happy.

go for android. ios is boring.

Go for an android. You know YOU WANT IT.

If you have the means, then why not have both.
I own Nexus S (though nasa Samsung repair shop siya ngaun at sana makuha ko na mamaya dahil taon ng aking kapanganakan bukas hehehe) and I must admit there were lags and all but I’m still satisfied with how much customizable the phone can be. Same with you, I also get to hold an Iphone 4S and I must as admit that its damn smooth. Well Nexus S is mid-range android phone so I cannot complain. With project butter and all, i dont think this should something to worry about specially if you buy a galaxy nexus though thats not advisable as we are just few months far from seeing the light of the new galaxy nexus.

So if you want the smoothness of iOS and the customizability of Android, then buy the best google android phone (not just android) out there. You’ll never regret it.

“I just can’t reject the fact that I needed change.” <– you answered it yourself, so ditch iOS and go Android… I'm an iphone 4 owner and I started with ipod touch 2g way back 2009 and from the looks of it I'm also bored with iOS (jailbroken), even with the upcoming iOS 6, it does not bring anything new. Also I miss bluetooth transfer and easy to load music without using itunes which an android can do.

I've tried S3 from my officemate and I definitely say that I want to taste android in the near future. Very smooth interface and the screen size is just perfect.

The only good thing I see with iOS and all other apple products are it's resale value, great international warranty and lots support form other iOS users if ever you encounter a problem.

Nevertheless if I'm in your situation now, I'll definitely give Android a go.

Dear Louie,

I extensively compared both os’s when i finally decided to settle with galaxy nexus, for the ff. reasons:

1. As for the UI, there’s nothing android cannot do that ios can, but there’s a lot of customization that you can do on android but not with ios (i.e. Keyboard – swype is ghe best fo onscreen
keyboard followed by SwiftKey, home screen layout, etc.) However, as for the smoothness of some apps, truly, its ios hands down.

2. You have a variety of handsets to choose from and based on your need you can choose a phablet phone, like the Samsung note, which is best for gaming, videos and web surfing. Or one which you can operate comfortably with one hand like those with 3.7″ to 4.3″ screen. Or perhaps, one with physical keyboard for quick typing.

On the other hand, since android is the fast evolving os at present, the value of your smartphone depreciates very fast. That’s why its really a good a idea to choose an android smartphone that has the latest os, just to future proof your investment for the next 2 years.

This is just my opinion, hope i was of help :-)

Android, one-word-reason:

FREEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!!

stay with ios… the next version will have bluetooth

i think i’m the only one whose gonna dare… hihihihi for something new… go Windows Phone… :D

If you want a phone that can play games, go for IOS. But if you want a true SMARTPHONE, Android is the better choice

Based on your article, you’re really into customizations and so on, go for Android. :)
But honestly, iOS has far more dedicated apps and games which runs really smoothly compared to Android based on my experiences as well.

why not fit in 3 ecosystem? (Apple, Google and MS)

Thank you for this article! I thought I was the only one with the same thoughts. I remember I had both ipod touch 1st gen and iphone 3g on its early years. Some ios apps don’t support our country. Now i have samsung galaxy tab7 which even shows peso amount on paid apps! Leave apple products in the US, love android which fully supports SEA consumers!!!

I symphatize with your situation. IOS is already becoming boring with the same UI since Iphone 3. Android is not complex for me as I was used to the same customizability of WinMobile but seems very inconsistent and always problematically laggy.

I suggest you go for Winodows Phone 8 when it comes out for a fresh look and experience. I think this platform is very promising especially that it will share core kernel with Windows 8 RT.

both my parents have iphone4s and i own a samsung galaxy s3.im a iphone user before long long ago and still have my iphone 2g.but if you ask me i’ll go for the samsung galaxy s3 (android) because they have more options and i love the “widgets” and how you can tweak your phone the way you like it to be, like what icons and widgets you only want to display on you home screens” in my opinion iphone is a very decent phone, but now that i think of it i cant imagine my self using an iphone 4s, especially when i hold one now that im used to my big galaxy, it feels like a small toy for me and the ever simple just icons display are too simplistic for my taste.

I had a great run with the former big shot of mobile phones which is Nokia. I had an Xpressmusic 5300, which was sooo cool 5 years ago. I think it was the “in” phone to own back then. Then my Mom came back from Dubai with a gift, a Nokia N95 which back then was as expensive as today’s iPhone 4. People bought phones not for their OS, but for how loud can your phone go.

I sticked to my phone for a year or two, then my Mom bought me a Samsung S5230 Star. It was my first touch screen phone, and it sucked. I didn’t like the pixelation of the screen, but ended up sticking to it. Christmas in 09 I wanted an iPod 4G, and obviously I got it. This time I was sure what I want. I was gaining knowledge from the mighty internet what to buy and check for reviews this time.

The first time I held the iPod on my hand I was scared I might drop it. Just because of how thin the device was! My mind was blown with the iPod’s resolution and how high the PPI was. iOS was superb, just the transitions from page to page was butter. I instantly became a fanboy of Apple, Steve Jobs was God. Let’s do a recap, Nokia 5300, Nokia N95, Samsung Star and the iPod. I have been using the iPod for 2 years now. For me, iOS is getting boring, and I’m not even interested in iOS 6. The UI looks like the same for years and I think it won’t change with the iOS 6.

This is why I switched to Android. I’ve been using the SG3 for a month now and it is awesome. Android is totally different, it’s much more customizeable. Flash ROM’s, APK’s, Hacks it’s all there. iOS is more restricted which is boring. Although you can also do those stuff with iOS, it’s still getting boring.

From an iFanboy to a Droid.

P.S. Sorry for some crappy grammar and everything with the word “tions”. ex cotations

I haven’t slept yet. Insomnia, you know how it is.

Cant see why you cant have both..

iOS is good basically for its apps. so get an iPod touch.
I have my sister’s 2nd gen iPod and I’m still using it as a music player, etc.
you know, that thing you’ll remember to use only when you see it sitting around.

But as my primary gadget, I have Galaxy Nexus. This thing do what my iPod can’t. Text, call, and amaze people.

Android’s the way to go. Had my first Android phone last year; never had a dull moment with it. Unleash the full techie in you… Android! XD

android

I rather go for Android, it’s the thing for the geeks and those who love to customize.

buy an android, use both of them for a month… sell one after, thats how I got rid of my iphone 4…

I’m happy using berry android, mahirap maglabas ng galaxy note sa labas…

Android for me, since i bought my very first android phone x10 mini, I already tried almost all of the existing custom ROM for it. It’s like playing with your toy, you have to try and update it to check if it will suit your taste. I love playing with it. Currently I’m using the MINICM7 ver 2.1.5 with NAA kernel and it suits my daily needs. (I found no custom ROM with the stablest camera so far but this ver only. yes it is stable no camera FC’s)

iOS! android well its good but I think iOS is better..

Wait till the Iphone available in the market and see or test the NEW phone, there you will maybe decide which do you prefer IOS or Adroid. But mine is IOS. Very chalenging and r
creative.

an entire troll article?

I feel for you dude. However I’ve tried both systems in my mobile phones and tablets. The simplicity of the iOS works as a phone, but I’d definitely go for android as a tablet. I love my phone. I have a nook but I’ve rooted it before to a droid. (But changed it back to its stock software, it’s cooler.haha ^_^) I don’t like complicated stuff especially when I’m moving around and mobile. I want the customized stuff for when I’m just sitting back and relaxing. ^_^

I’d say go for Android! The OS itself lets you feel that you OWN the phone. That being said, you are free to have it customized. The lack of widgets and iOS being too outdated are only among the many factors for me to say pass on Apple’s products. Also, you might find yourself bored with iOS in the long run. You see the same crap over and over again. How silly! Sorry fanboys!

I understand your pain. I have been on Android after I dumped my Symbian from Sony Ericsson. So far I still enjoy the experience that I have from my Galaxy S3. I also experience iOS thru the iDevices of my friends.

With my experiences with iOS, it feels really limited. I came from Symbian after all and some of the features of Symbian aren’t on iOS. I couldn’t get transfer songs, videos, or pictures from my friend’s iPhone or iPad to my own phone.

With how I see it, you are basically just picking between a PC or a Mac. Go with how you feel about that and you will never regret it.

You have a high regard for Steve Jobs, so stay iOS.

try to use a blackberry for a month… kung bumalik ka sa iphone, you will see thats it’s still very good…

cause anything is good compared to a blackberry

Three words, man.

WINDOWS.
PHONE.
EIGHT.

Bow.

P.S.: Avoid the next iPhone. Leaks suggest that it will look essentially the same as the current iPhone 4S, just stretched out.

P.P.S.: And no current Android device ticks all the boxes for what a perfect phone should be, but that’s subjective. (Samsung Galaxy S3 looks like a cheap phone; HTC One X has no usage flexibility [storage; removable battery] at all; Sony Xperia S, Exceptional design, but Sony botched it with an outdated processor and Gingerbread(!) )

Stay with both, if possible. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and they sort of complement each other, actually.

IOS = for kids, and the wifey. Simple, easy, captivating and more entertaining selection of aps. Being an Android loyalist, I;m now considering the iPad simply because it’s got richer apps for kids ( Mickey Mouse, Dora, etc. )that might take years for Android to get. I’m getting one, not for myself but for my wife and my kid.

Let me enumerate why I will stick with Android for my personal primary phone.

– Practicality, Android might be a notch below IoS in terms of selections but the Android Grey Market virtually offers all Android apps for free. This means you can have life-saver apps without spending a dime. ( GPS, Navigation, Flightrak, etc.)

– Productivity: As an IT or a business professional, you just can’t live without flash enabled on full browsers. This lets you work as if your’e working on a desktop PC, without resulting to mobile-versions of websites or apps dedicated to improvise content for the lack of Flash.

– Photography – Android phones have better cameras, better camera utilities and the ability to replace a real digicam in the absence of one.

– Micro-Firmware updating: you can even update your modem’s driver. True Story: I was getting 2.5-3MBPS max on my phone with H+ data. When I found a kickass mod for my phones modem driver… I all of a sudden got max speeds dwelling into the 4-5mbps range off-peak. Which means, there are tons of thrills you might experience which will never happen on an IOS. Sky is the limit for what possible update or download that can appear any minute to improve your phone’s abilities. With IOS, you are almost at the mercy of updates from Apple.

SD Card Slot: Self explanatory.

Replaceable Battery: you can upgrade to a 3rd party manufactured batt, 3x your phone’s stock battery capacity. Who does’nt want that??? Again, this goes to your productivity as a professional.

USB connection – Explorer Drag and- drop abilities.

Play all media formats without crappy itunes software.

Really Useful Accessories: IOS wins with most cute looking accesories, but there are tons of accessories the Android phones have that Iphones will never get, USB on the go cable adapter, HDMI connector, Controllers.

— Deep integration of almost all popular social networking apps.

–Seamless rock-solid data connection tethering

Conclusion:

Android: Freedom, Practicality, Upgradability, Productivity and flexibility.

IoS: Simplicity, Entertainment. Worry free easy software updates.

Simple lang yan, piliin mo kung ano mas feel mong gamitin.

But for me, I’d definitely choose android. Android teaches you to be adept with the evolving technologies unlike Apple that spoon feeds you almost everything. You can say that apple offers simplicity but android could do so well at the right settings and you could always customize it to your liking.

Widgets.
Different launcher options.

If you want an ‘it just works phone’ go for the iPhone but if you are bored easily and want to spend time tinkering things go for an Android phone.

You can change widget styles every week. Change your launcher every month. Adapt a new animation of the launcher if your bored with the horizontal-sliding icons.
No need to root nor flash.
With just widgets and launcher options your customization is almost endless.

I have a Google Nexus 7 Tab, Iphone and a BB Playook. I am not being biased since ang first phone ko was Android but based on my experience Ill go for iOS simply because of the apps and the quality it posses, but this is just my opinion although I do love my BB and Android.

I have an LTE Galaxy Nexus. I didn’t even consider the iPhone since its screen is tiny and stuck in slow-poke 3G.

This is a very stupid article. I can not imagine that a staff writer from an American owned BPO company can write a waste article like this. My 8 year old nephew was able to decide by himself without asking for help or writing an article. You should know better than him.

As I read your article, I took note of the ff:

1. You have high regard for Steve Jobs
2. “I instantly fell in love with it but not because of the phone’s design or the widgets or the fluid interface. I fell in love with Android because of its threaded SMS system”
3. “All the while I kept in touch with Android with my wife’s Spica. I loved the idea on how you can customize Android in different levels – something that iOS cannot achieve even with a jailbreak.
4. “iOS is going for something that really works seamlessly but somewhat capped. Android, however, is accepted to be far from perfect but it is constantly evolving.”
5. ” I just can’t reject the fact that I needed change. The question now is, it Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS that’s going to give me the satisfaction of change?”

Your article is already very conclusive. You are tired of a simple and restricted OS and has a jealousy of Android capabilities. Isn’t obvious?

I think you will not leave the ios system because you have high regard with Steve Jobs. Good luck! You are stuck in mediocrity!

late(as in 2012) adapter + old man perspective:

you just have to have something that works and you’ll like using all the time for your needs

cupertino fans will recall the words “intersection of arts and technology and user experience” ….this from a man who also said

“I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong,”

“I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.”

‘course you have the inner geek in you and just want to really tinker around….do things your way….because that’s how you’re wired.

but when times comes you just have to put the phone down and really spend some face time with……(insert your dog, wife or kids’ name)

well….they’re just phones….

even if it REALLY is the Jesus Phone

I have been tinkering with my iPad for some time now, and never had my geek cravings been satisfied. iOs isn’t perfection for me..it needs a lot of room for improvement. Only android can satisfy our craving for customization.

just wait for windows phone 8 and you will get half android and half ios.

I own a jailbroken iPad and an android phone (SGSII). What I can say is that even though SGSII is only a mobile phone, it still feels more of a handheld computer than my iPad which has all the cydia tweaks, boosters, customizations etc. that I like. What iOS delivers, Android does more. Android can mount USB flash drives, download everything off the internet, flash video player (only in ICS, but you can still integrate it in Jellybean by installing the adobe flash apk found in several sources in the net), send files over bluetooth to other devices, access file systems, files can be viewed between apps and view almost all file formats available; all these out of the box. If ever some features are still lacking, you can just flash or tweak stuff from xda-developers.

Yes iOS has cydia and its tweaks. But I still find it lacking.

Having experienced both OS and surmising from your post, I’d definitely suggest Android to you. iOS maybe a little bit more stable than Android out of the box which is why it is a famous choice for casual buyers but Android’s capability and its community tweaks are what makes it wonderful, thereby it truly the star choice of geeks. :P

It is called lust of the flesh. Have them both, you would be still not satisfied.
Having everything best in this life is not contentment.

go for android. I have the samsung s3 and its almost perfect. not saying that apple’s phones are obsolete (hardware wise) but you can do so much with the android phones. seamless fluidity goes to iOS however at the end of the day its what and how many things you can do with your phone.

I am also facing the same dilemma right now. The only things keeping me from making the switch is the cost of a new phone and the time it takes to setup

if you want simplicity go with ANDROID but dont tinker with it

if you what customizations go with ANDROID and go all out with it

in short ANDROID can be both while iOS ca onle be simple

for me, if you want a long term gadget, go for iOS, because of the software updates, 3GS will have iOS 6 while S1 has only Gingerbread.

android can has the native ability to handle torrent. thats it right there! :D

I’ve been an iOS and android user since the original iPhone and the G1. 2012 saw me adapt to a HOX, 4s, and S3 – what I can say is that iOS apps are more polished and the 4s just functions out of the box. Android presents you with the option to push your mobile experience a bit more, with some compromise on the android apps’ “spit and shine”. It also requires you to know what you’re really looking for and where to look for it (i.e. rooting, roms, kernels et al)

if infinity blade 2 gets ported for android, that would be the end of iOS. :))

Don’t make it complicated, you can’t have everything in one device, that’s y there’s pc, laptop and smartphone. You can play in each, not do soft devt and not even 3d stuffs, if you’re not content with one smartphone feature, get the other kind.

After all, it’s all but getting contented or giving in to ur tech porn. Follow you heart, dig in if you can get all those gadgets.

If you want something that “just works”, definitely go for iOS, but if, like me, you love tinkering with your phone in, as you say, “all levels,” then definitely Android is the way to go. The latter platform is still growing and will continue to evolve in the coming iterations. :)

I’ve been through symbian, WM, back to symbian, then maemo, ios and now to android. All I can say is that perfect is what you make of it. Each on of the devices I used are perfect at the time I used them until I found something more perfect or I gave my unit to my wife or my smartphone got stolen. I loved each one of my devices and still thinks fondly of each one of them.

It is imperative that you understand what you really want first, get all the details about it. Buy it and never regret your decision. Make the most our of your gadgets. Me, I go to the extent of getting all possible accessories that I find useful and use them to the fullest.

This way, I maximize my gadget and at the same time, enjoy it. By the way, I am no expert and I do not understand the computer language. But I do learn to jailbreak my Iphone and flash ROMs as early as my WM devices and now to my SGN, just to keep them interesting.

On hindsight, the reason I gave up my Iphone 4 after a year or so of using it, is that even with all the advancements made with the IOs from the ipod gen 2 to iphone ios5, I got bored with it. I love change, I love improvements. If things get as stable as the IOS, I feel like something’s going to go wrong because I’m being complacent and rely too much on something. I don’t like that feeling. I like to be on my toes. I guess that’s what I crave. That’s why I shifted to using Android.

It is the cold finger feeling that you get when you thought you bricked your device and also the euphoria when you finally brought your device back to life. It is the feeling of not knowing what you are doing but also the feeling of wanting to get something and being able to do so. I guess that’s what I love the most.

This is for me, perfection. Perfection in the most basic form. Perfection in the most unexpected places. Perfection in the most unperfect world.

No harm done. To each his own. Everyone’s entitled to his opinion. Though I was kinda sleepy when I was typing. Guess I got carried away. lol. :)

Hi Louie. I suggest you maintain both devices within your reach and use it to your liking, cost of ownership aside. Sooner or later, you’ll realize which platform and hardware better suit your needs. You may (or may not) drop the other in the long run. It can never be simpler than that I guess. I hope that helps.

both are great platforms but Android is really better because of OPTIONS not unlike iOS… you dont have any option except for 1 – which they provided you.

iOS has no simple and should-be-present stuffs like microSD to expand and copy paste function

i agree that andoid OS is the one for you. but keep an iOS gadget like the iTouch for other purpose like gamings :)

Almost all commenters here go for Android for…

Customization

And that’s not the reason why most of us buy tablets or smartphones…it’s the quality apps and how they perform on the device, that’s the main life of these gadgets…

Android apps? Never mind…

i dont care about the OS. i care about the quality of the screen/display (i dont care about the size either)

http://www.knowyourmobile.com/blog/1334700/nokia_lumia_900_vs_iphone_4s_vs_htc_one_x_display_shootout.html

fk that AMOLED/IPS crap and their over saturated fake colours..

still iOS for its Apps and Retina Display.

well, with out steve jobs.. how can apple continue? remember when they kicked out steve jobs from apple? they thought they can sustain it.
right now apple doesnt know where they’re going..

When it comes to fluid UI and high class apps then iOS is the clear choice, iOS in general is simplicity at it’s best unfortunately its aging from iOS version 1 to 6 and still having the same UI. However Android is completely different its something like an iOS merged with Symbian(RIP) more options more freedom (connectivity options & PC sync), memory card support, easy to modify, etc… its like Symbian an open OS but with the same UI experience as iOS but not as fluid “laggy at times” and not the same class of apps “specially ported apps originally made for iOS” (but with new version of android “JB” it could change).

So if you want a touch phone with more options you can play with then go with android, but if you want high class and apps/UI and simple to use and CAN AFFORD then go with iOS (iphones)

Another thing with android is the problem with their versions, it doesn’t support all models ICS/JB for example supports only select high end android phones most mid-range android phones aren’t even supported by ICS. So if you want the best of Andriod OS you need to have a high end Android phones.

For me it’s always been android. From the term android alone you get this notion that it is smarter than most phones. The only disadvantage of having a smartphone is the battery life. But now companies are coming up with cellphones that have 3300 mah batteries like Motorola Droid Razr MAXX. Now android has become THE ultimate phone.