Siri, can you change the channel please? No? Thought so. For the last couple of years, Apple’s iPhone has dominated the smartphone market, but that has quickly changed due to the capabilities and customization that its major rival, Android, is able to excel at. And as for Windows, it still has quite a ways to go before it is able to fully compete with these two juggernauts.
Not only are Androids, for the most part, more affordable than the iPhone, they are also by far more capable of being personalized to each single user.
For example, the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One, among other phones, are able to become universal remote controls. Who needs to be slaving around looking for the remote control when you can just as easily change the channel using your Android phone? Not only that, but you can also raise the volume and turn the television on or off with your phone.
Affordable phones aside, Android’s Google Play Store has by far the most options in any of the three mobile application markets. In a market with 1.3 millions apps available on the Google Play Store and 1.2 million available on Apple’s App Store, Windows Marketplace has a long way to catch up to both.
With only 300,000 available apps, according to CNET.com, Windows is unable to compete in the smartphone market because of its small app count, just like Blackberry. Ultimately, Windows phones will reach the same fate as Blackberry and will never be able to compete in a market dominated by both Android phones and iPhones.
With the simple addition of the ASmart Remote app found in the Google Play store, users are able to control over 700,000 devices. The closest thing an iPhone can do is check your local listings; and as for Windows, not even close.
We live in a social media driven world, so why not customize your phone in the same way? Although the iPhone’s lock screen has a nice modern, simple look, Android phone users are able to customize what they see on their lock screens.
Given that some people may argue that a lock screen only serves to keep information hidden to others, some of us would rather have access to frequently used apps right from our lock screen.
With the easy installation of Start, an Android app, users are able to fully personalize what they see without having to fully unlock the phone. Users are able to get a complete view of their social media networks with notifications right there. iPhones are also able to show users their social media notifications, but only after you unlock the phone.
Being a full-time college student and having a part-time job, a phone’s battery life is crucial to how much time one can enjoy being entertained by a smartphone.
The battery life on most Android devices by far surpasses the iPhone 5s. For the sake of comparison, we will only see the comparison of the Galaxy S5 and iPhone 5s, the holy grails of today’s smartphone market.
While the iPhone 5s can last up to on average 10 hours of talk time, the Galaxy S5 averages about 16 hours. That’s a six hour difference.
Lastly, the most obvious reason as to why Android smartphones are clearly better than the iPhone is due to screen and resolution size.
While the iPhone 5s comes at a mere four-inch display, the Galaxy S5 comes at a whopping 5.1 inch display. That’s over one inch larger than the iPhone 5s. This makes the S5 perfect for streaming movies, watching videos on Youtube or playing any games on the device.
While screen size may not matter to many people, screen resolution is something everyone should be concerned about.
Who wants a phone with a mediocre screen resolution, right? An iPhone 5s comes at only 640 by 1136 pixel resolution; the Galaxy S5 comes at a massive 1080 by 1920 pixel screen. Enough said.
Next time you’re in the market for a new smartphone, do yourself a favor, and go for an Android-powered phone over a has-been iPhone.
