It’s a tale as old as 2007: Android versus iPhone.
At a glance, the iPhone appears to have Android beat in every category. iPhones are stylish, functional and easy to use. But if you look just below the shallow surface that Apple wades in, you’ll find that Android phones surpass iPhones in the areas where it counts: freedom, control and affordability.
Freedom
If there’s one thing the iPhone isn’t known for, it’s freedom. If you want an iPhone, you have to go through Apple.
Conversely, if you’re in the market for an Android, there are more than 50 different manufacturers to choose from, depending on what you value in a smartphone. Samsung offers phones with innovative hardware, Google Pixel phones boast powerful AI and Motorola phones feature incredible customization features.
With an iPhone, users are trapped in Apple’s “walled garden” approach, which the company uses to control anything unfortunate enough to fall into its ecosystem. iPhone users are severely limited by an overprotective watchdog, carefully curating any software or device they may interact with.
I’ll admit, this protective strategy results in a safer and less buggy environment overall, but it is not worth the cost of restricting user freedom.
Android puts the control back where it belongs, with consumers.
Control
A perceived advantage of the iPhone is simplicity. Everything you would ever need in a phone is available, wrapped in a sleek, overpriced package.
But, what if I wanted to poke around in my system files? Would Apple let me? Of course not.
Why? I own the phone, don’t I?
When I buy a product, I should have complete access to it. Period. Most Android smartphones will warn users before they delete or alter important data, but at the end of the day it’s the user’s product, it’s their decision and Android respects that.
iPhone doesn’t.
Apple’s ownership of user experience is insulting and suggests a lack of trust in their consumers.
Android is also open source. This likely won’t matter to the everyday consumer, but open-source technology is a huge boon to developers, giving them greater control over the operating system. This is why so many companies can offer Android phones with different features and levels of affordability.
Affordability
The upcoming iPhone 17 will be no less than $800. Affordability isn’t even a consideration.
With an open-source model and a multitude of manufacturers, Android phones are offered at a variety of prices.
Someone needing nothing more than a device to communicate with can buy a perfectly serviceable Android phone for under $50. And for those who want more features or can afford to splurge, Android has them covered too.
In 2010, Apple could’ve argued that the iPhone was worth the higher price because of new features and I would’ve conceded. But nowadays, Apple seems more concerned with removing features and offering a slimmer model for a $100 price hike.
Android makes money selling phones that are intelligently priced based on quality. Apple manufactures exclusivity and social pressure to sell a symbol of status.
Status
Owning an iPhone is a status symbol, like wearing a Supreme hoodie in 2017. Apple has spent decades convincing the world that anyone without an iPhone is either not trendy or poor.
The truth is, choosing Android isn’t about settling for less. It’s about choosing more. More freedom, control and affordability.
The stigma around Android phones says more about the power of Apple’s marketing than the quality of an iPhone. The real value comes from using competent technology–not carrying a logo in your pocket.
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