When you are a student, you are quite limited in funds. All the money you basically spend on writing paper help, covering college loans, and buying food, so there is nothing much left to have fun. However, a new smartphone is one of the essential things for any student as with its help you can get in touch with your friends, use helpful mobile apps, play games, and always have a college homework helper at hand. When you save enough to get a new device, you face another challenge: iPhone or Android? This is the eternal confrontation of two great operational systems where everybody chooses the qualities that work fine for them. In this guide, we will have a closer look at all these qualities.
How to choose the best platform
If you are planning to buy a new smartphone, it will either be Apple’s product or Android as these platforms manage all new smartphones, according to statistics. Both operating systems offer many benefits, and for this reason, your choice is quite hard. The good news is that both of them are great. The bad news is that you still have to choose. To make this task easier for you, we have compiled a list of categories you should check before buying a device. Pick a winner in each category and thus decide which platform better meets your needs.
1. Hardware
This is the first category and a place where the main differences hide. Apple has strong control over the hardware and software work as it produces both. Google offers its system to many smartphone makers like Samsung, LG, Asus, etc. Due to this peculiarity, smartphones can vary in size and weight, production quality, and features. If the price is medium or high, you can expect a good model equal to the iPhone, while budget options may have a lower quality of the hardware. If you choose Android, you will have to pick both a company and a model;
2. Mobile apps
In Apple Store, there is less choice than in Google Play (1.5 million difference) because Apple has quite a strict policy for app developers. Even though such control may be too much, it still helps to prevent downloading fake versions or insecure apps. Meanwhile, Android developers often complain about difficulties they face trying to meet so many different companies which make development more expensive;
3. Compatibility
If you want to always have the newest version of your operational system, the iPhone is your choice. Android is slow on updates, and sometimes you can wait for it for years. Again, we have the iPhone as a winner in this round;
4. Intelligent assistant
Here Android can act as a clear leader due to AI functions and voice interface. Google Assistant is extremely powerful as it uses all information Google knows about you and thus makes your life easier. Siri is improving all the time, but its functions are still limited;
5. Integration
For many students, it’s convenient to sync all their devices not to lose information and always have it at hand. Apple offers easy iOS integration between your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and other production. Thus Apple offers a service that Android can’t provide, although there are some tablets and laptops with its operational system. However, such services of Google as Maps and Gmail work on all devices with no problem;
6. Battery life
iPhones need to be recharged every day if not every several hours if you use a smartphone actively. More recent models can go longer, but new iOS versions cut battery life later. For Android, you can find a suitable model which doesn’t need to be charged for a few days in a row;
7. Support
Both platforms work fine, but when something happens, you need to get support. If you have an iPhone, you can go to the nearest Apple Store. For Android devices, you need to find a shop of a particular company (for example, Samsung);
8. User experience
If you like customizing, then Android is your choice. You have a variety of options to choose, while Apple limits you in changing something in initial settings. On the other hands, the iPhone gives you flexibility and attention to details;
9. Storage
iPhone does have a lot of internal space, while Android can give you a slot for the memory card that expands your storage multiple times. Another disadvantage that you cannot replace any of iPhone’s details unless you contact official support;
10. Cost
If you are concerned about the budget, then Android can give you different opportunities on the model choice. The cheapest smartphone Apple can offer starts with $350, which is a lot for an average college student.
