This never ending battle between Apple and Google on the operating system front has reached new heights with the latest Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Vs. iOS 4.2.1 match. This is until the next updates like iOS 4.3 and Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) arrive. Both OS are mostly meant as upgrades for the previous ones ( Android 2.2(Froyo) and iOS 4.2) but they do bring some long awaited improvements to the overall UI and to the underlying subsystems. At this time it is very hard to say which is the best OS among mobile phones and tablets but this review is meant to shed some light over the major differences between the two mobile operating systems.
First of all let’s start with some background information on the iOS 4.2.1. Although it is being marketed as iOS 4.2.1 you will see it in your Apple device as 4.2. The iOS functionality is identical on both the iPhone 4 and the iPad even with the latter one having just half the RAM of the iPhone 4, 256MB as opposed to 512MB. The iOS update is available for all Apple devices except the first generation of the iPhone and iPod Touch. This update has been released on November 22 2010 on the iPhone 4, and it was the last one to roll out this year.
Android 2.3 vs iOS 4.2.1 comparison
On the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) side things stand a little bit different. It has only been officially released on the Google Nexus S but thanks to the enthusiastic developers the new OS is available on many other high end Android smartphones like the HTC Desire, Nexus One, and the HTC Evo 4. Most of the devices that currently run Android 2.2 (Froyo) should get an update to Gingerbread in the near future. Due to the larger number of devices running Android, the Android 2.3 update is expected to roll out with some delay depending on the manufacturer of the device. This update for Android was released on the 6th of December 2010 along with the Nexus S.
1. Android 2.3 Vs. iOS 4.2: Market Share
The first “field of battle” on the Android 2.3 vs iOS 4.2.1 comparison is the very important market share. The latest data tells us that iOS is found on about 37% of mobile phones in the US. On the other side Android is running on 22% of the whole lot of mobile phones in the US. As for the predictions, iOS is slowly losing market share while Android is reporting outstanding growth, mostly due to the 160 000 Android running devices being sold every day. It is very hard to say where these figures will stand a year from now , even harder now since Microsoft has joined the battle with Windows Phone 7. One thing is for sure, Android is gaining market share on behalf of its competitors so this battle goes to Android.
2. Android 2.3 Vs. iOS 4.2: User Interface
This is the part most of us look for when buying a new phone. If you like a simplistic approach you will surely go for iOS, but if you favor diversity you will go for Android. This statement has never been more true than for the iOS 4.2.1 and Android 2.3. While the 4.2.1 iOS version does not bring any visual changes it does fix some bugs and, as it being marketed under 4.2 it also brings the goodies from that version.
The most notable additions to the iOS 4.2 are Air Play and Air Print. Air play is a replacement of AirTunes, and it will offer streaming of video, music, and photos over Wi-Fi. Air Print allows wireless printing of photos or documents. Another useful but rudimentary feature is the ability to search for text on a web page in Safari. The Youtube player has also been updated along with a bug fix for the calendar which allows it to display Birthdays starting more than 77 Years ago and, as always, Apple has improved the battery performance.
On the other side, Android has suffered a revamp of the user interface with the 2.3 (Gingerbread) version. Many elements of the UI have been given a new looks: the status bar, the keyboard, and the menus. The keyboard has been improved even beyond the looks as it now adds new functionality for word suggestions, copy, paste, and selection along with improved multitouch support. The status bar has been redesigned with ever greener elements and system wide copy-paste has been implemented. Google also added support for extra-large screen sizes and resolutions (WXGA and higher).
Some other improvements include little orange bursts of color when reaching the end a long list, transparency in menus and new graphics to show the phone usage for the task manager. There is also a new shortcut to the task manager from the home screen menu, presumably because of the high demand for third party task managers.
Even though Google has made some improvements to the keyboard, it is still under the level of the Apple’s keyboard (which now comes in black variety), so in the texting department iOS 4.2 wins even though it didn’t get an update, it was just very good from the start.
Another important part of any modern UI is the notification area. This is a big minus for the iOS as it only supports serial notifications that cannot be grouped in one screen while Android can show all the notifications from a pull down drawer that is available almost all the time. Android 2.3 just brings us a new black colored notification bar in which you can see everything from Facebook, Twitter, SMS messages to battery status, task managers and missed calls. As you can see below the notifications in Android are less intrusive then their iOS counterparts. As far as notifications go, Android 2.3 is again in front of iOS 4.2.
If you own an Android smartphone you surely know the benefits of Widgets. They allow you to see more information with fewer clicks and improve the overall design of your home screen. iOS doesn’t allow widgets and you get stuck with just the application shortcuts on your screen. Both OS give you the option to group applications in folders for easier access. Only after using widgets you fully understand their potential and if you own an Android device you cannot even begin to think how your device would be without them.
Also, these widgets help customize your device to the point where it will not resemble the stock Android. Even the latest iOS doesn’t lift the customization restrictions and you end up with the same old and well known iPhone home screen.
The stock application launcher from the iOS 4.2 is still unchanged and it cannot be modified by third party software while Android 2.3 already allows custom launchers such as Launcher Pro and ADW Launcher to modify the looks of the application dock. These options further extend the customization possibilities of the open source Android 2.3. Apple still remains restrictive regarding OS customization. Of course you can always jailbreak your Apple device to get more goodies and even improve the user interface but it still is a risky process. Android 2.3 has already been rooted and full scale customization of the UI is in progress. If you dare root your Android device you can even get an OS that looks like iOS.
Overall, the user interface of the new iOS 4.2.1 is still the classic iPhone simplistic look while the Android 2.3 allows a custom UI with many customizing possibilities. Again Apple’s conservative approach falls short of Google’s open source alternative. Apart from the better keyboard it is safe to say that Android’s user interface is better than Apple’s.
3. Android 2.3 Vs. iOS 4.2: Applications
Most of us take application availability very seriously when buying a new phone. After all why buy a new phone if you can’t play your favorite game or can’t open your email attachments on the go? In this area the Apple App Store is still king, with over 300 000 applications available. But the Android Market is not far behind with 200 000 apps just ready to be downloaded. While the number of apps is very important you may want to consider how many of them are free to download. The Apple App Store offers only 28% of its content for free while a staggering 57% of the Apps are free in the Android Market. This doesn’t mean that the Android Market is host to more low quality apps than the Apple counterpart.
The Android Market has just received a very welcomed facelift with the new Android 2.3 while the Apple App Store remains unchanged in iOS 4.2.1. The facelift also raises the maximum size of applications to 50MB, which can only benefit the mobile gaming industry. Along with the new market Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) also brings new video drivers for gaming and new APIs to further increase the gaming potential of the OS.
Android Market vs iOS's Apple Store
The bestselling applications on both operating systems remain the ever popular games. Not surprisingly, the game with the most downloads on iOS is Angry Birds. It has reached the 10 million downloads mark for the full (paid) and lite (free) versions together, and this in only 5 months after its launch. You can imagine the Android version of the game is rejoicing in the same success as 1 million copies were downloaded in the day of its launch. But this is just one game.
Overall, the Apple Store has more and better quality games than its Android rival, but let’s wait and see what happens with the games and application in the Android Market when Android 2.3 will be on most smartphones. The future is again in favor of Android. So, for now if you want games iOS 4.2.1 is the platform of choice but the future looks “greener” for Android 2.3 gaming.
Almost all modern smartphones have a GPS receiver. So, naturally, some apps were made to make use of it. Most of them are maps applications. While the Apple’s Maps application has barely changed since 2007 Google has been hard at work updating their Google Maps application for their Android OS. The latest version, Google Maps 5.0 is among the best navigation solutions available with free voice guided turn by turn navigation in USA. It also offers a new 3d view mode and the ability to use the maps offline. Even though the Apple App Store offers some alternatives to the built in Maps, they are expensive and require a lot of precious phone memory.
Have you ever considered speaking commands to the phone instead of typing them? If you have you will be pleased to hear that Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) brings an even greater integration of Google’s Voice Search technology. With Android 2.3 you can actually access every feature of the phone with just your voice. Imagine speaking text messages to your phone and just saying the recipient’s name and “voila”, the message has been sent. This feature is easily accessible from the search button present on every Android device. The iOS 4.2.1 offers some limited voice search integration via Google Voice Search but the downside is that it is not always easy to access.
Another thing you must take into consideration when you buy an iOS 4.2 device is that it does not offer Wi-Fi hotspot capability, without jailbreaking that is. The Android 2.3 OS offers a built in Wi-Fi hotspot application that is perfect for sharing the 3G or 4G connection with your laptop on the go.
Android Voice Actions vs iOS Voice Search
Mobile browsing of the internet is not always a pleasant experience but with the new versions of iOS and Android, it reaches new heights. The multi touch zooming feature is present on both operating systems but it is dependent of the browser used. Stock browsers from both OS’s do a fine job of rendering internet pages but again Android has an advantage over iOS, the ability to play full Flash content. While the hardware of the Apple devices makes them more than capable of handling Flash web pages, Apple has clearly stated that Flash is too unstable to be used in their iOS. It seems to be integrating quite well with Android 2.3 in the default browser.
All in all it is hard to point out a winner in the application war between Android 2.3 and iOS 4.2.1 so it is better if we called it a tie.
4. Android 2.3 Vs. iOS 4.2: Hardware
What good is a modern mobile OS if you can’t find the phone you like that runs it? If you choose iOS you only have a choice between 3.5 inches displays with different resolutions (ranging from 320×480 to 960×640). On the Android side you can find devices of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the minute Xperia X10 Mini to the massive Dell Streak or HTC Desire HD. As expected the resolutions of Android the devices vary greatly, with a minimum of 240×320 and a maximum of 480×854. In the newer Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) this margin will be extended to WXGA and bigger resolutions.
And again, if you want diversity you should go for Android and if you want standardization you should choose iOS.
As a conclusion, I would like to point out there is no clear winner in the Android 2.3 vs iOS 4 battle, just two sides with completely different ideas about how a mobile OS should perform. While Apple with its iOS 4.2.1 has made a step into the wireless domain with Air Play and Air Print it is still a restricted OS. The best example of the strict control Apple exerts on its users is the inability to send photos and songs from one device to another. A different idea has been promoted by Google, instead of restricting the usage of the device they approached the problem with an open source OS which allows a far greater customization. So, if you are conservative and enjoy a stock OS with numerous available applications go for Apple’s iOS. If you are more into making your device unique and changing it until you see fit you should go for the Google Android OS which seems to be the choice of the future.
What do you guys think? Share us your thoughts below and state your winner.
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most device for the iphone have a 200 pound mark up when compared to any highend android device this is riddiculous why is it logical to spend that much more to an inferior product(in my opinion) on my galaxy s which i bought for 330 brand new and unlocked. The phone just tramples over my brothers iphone 4 in terms of everything i love my super amoled screen with samsungs amazing multimedia tech the sounds on video or music played are just amazing and im allowed to import virtually any video file format and it will work flawlessly. The apps store is great too any app my bro has i can find an android equivalent for FREE. Android FTW
Well, maybe people like the “more exclusive” iPhone, or maybe they just like the design better.
“Well, maybe people like the “more exclusive” iPhone, or maybe they just like the design better.”
You hit the nail on the head. Most people that go for the iPhone get it for status, not function. I personally find the Android OS to be much more functional, and therefore to me better, than the IOS. As the review states, if you want an OS that forces you to do things a specific way, then go with IOS, but if you want to customize your device(I simply can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to), then get the Android OS. In my honest opinion, Gingerbread > Froyo > IOS 4.2
The one thing I acknowledge to be truly better on the iPhone is more apps, but that won’t last much longer. A year ago Android have 50k apps, now they have over 200k and are rapidly approaching the amount of apps for the iPhone.
iphone stinks ,android rocks ,simple facts.
As a person who has both I find the iphone to be a better experience. It is more polished smoother. I currently have a incredible running 2.3 and still find iphone better. The battery life is awful on every android device and for me the biggest deal is just the ease of use with the iphone.
You are right,it is easier to use and it is smoother,thanks to iOS but don’t say the battery is better, you probabply haven’t tried ow or middle ranged phones running android. Personally I get 2 days of battery from my HTC Desire which is known for it s “bad” battery with farily heavy usage.
i think iOS wins ,, but poor battery life,,, so suck!!
Well,having seen the latest Android 3.0 Honeycomb i am not so sure about that:) expect a preview really soon.
I vote for iOS
I have an ipod touch 4th gen and a nexus s and most of the time I use my nexus s I have customized it perfectly just the way I like it, I prefer its browser(with flash and for me personally it seems slightly faster over the exact same wifi connection). My ipod touch however is simpler and slightly smoother to use although the difference in terms of smoothness between the 2 are incredibly small. The main reason I got the ipod touch in the first place is because it offers much better games. For game enthusiasts such as myself I would say ios beats android in its present state however I believe that like this article stated the future is looking a whole lot greener for android, what with sony announcing bringing playstation support to all android devices.
Well Playstation support something every games enthusiast is looking for on android but keep in mind that the hardware will allow for even better games.
This article is so well written it’s almost absurd. Why can’t there be more unbiased comparisons like this out there? There seems to be some strange shortage of authors who’ve actually used both iOS and Android, and a smaller percentage still that have managed to remain objective when comparing the two. Bottom line – it’s a wonderful industry when there’s something out there for literally everyone.
You are right,personally i’ve used both devices and that helped a lot but many people have just used one and therefore think that is the best.
hmm, well i am an apple fanboy, but the things that i have seen from the new honeycomb os and the customization that is offered seems very appealing to me. I think that android does not not run as fast from what i have seen and that makes me mad since i like things fast but the ability to use flash also looks awesome. Ugh, i can not decide its so hard.
Come on now. People like the Iphone because it is the better product and better phone (on Verizon) at this point in time. I love that the droid phones are giving some competition because it will make the Iphone that much better in the future. Lets just hope this rivalry continues and makes both phones better every year.
i have used both and i can say i like android better. not to say ios isnt good. its very good. but not something i like. i found android just as intuitive and user friendly and my battery life is just fine with heavy usage with live wallpapers and widgets running 24/7. it is kind of lacking in games but that will change. android os and phones to me are much better the iphone and its os but thats just my opinion for me. my vote is android. cant weait to see the future for both. dual core for ios5 and quad core coming later for android. sssiiiccckkk!!!!!
I think Ios is great system but.. honestly.. You can’t compete with the possibilities that google is ofering.. Apple’s phone is just too closed, you need to walk by the way apple intend..
I got a Android phone that is creap and far from the high end Android devices.. The motorola Defy that to me is better them any iphone 3gs, I know iphone 4 is better hardware but with ios its just too locked..
I love my Defy, it has everything that make Android great and its still Android 2.1 and low end hard.. I cant imagine the potential of a high end device.. I bet it just blows out to the water any apple phone out there imo..
Well, plainly speaking, the sense of usability will always be subjective or relative. In the case of “iOS is smoother” and/or “Android is the true multi-tasker”, keep in mind Google and Apple have different philosophical approaches on how their platforms work and how their innovation reach out their consumers and would-be consumers. One thing is certain, it is still your responsibility to get yourselves well-informed on both sides of the competing market. These article writers also publish what they know regarding notable comparisons, so they too try to get informed as much as possible.
One my side, I knew in choosing Android that I had compromised myself in having better touchscreen technology which Apple’s still keeping for itself(with those patent cases and all, further innovation from everyone else always prevails). But functionality, accessibility and extensibility always weigh more for me. Ultimately, users all around always have their share of “workarounds” to fulfill what they want with their respective devices.
Using both I vote for android being easy to use does not have a good reputition
iPhone is more expensive too
In totallity I vote for android
Nexus s rocks
Haha. Why not enjoy the best of both worlds? Dual boot your devices. It is true that iOS is smoother but what sucks is its boring interphase ‘Homescreen’. Android is a lot cooler as there is an endless customization possibilities.
Both OSes have their strengths and weaknesses, so why not get them both and install them in your device. Well, apple device owners, we are fortunate we could run android in our devices too. Too bad, iOS is not available for them native android devices.
Iphone is too basic and limiting….it is a clear win for android…
And with samsung galaxy s2 surpassing iphone sales its clear there is a new leader in town.
I got my XPERIA arc just a week ago and I’m loving it. My mom has an iphone 4 that she let me use before I got my arc, and I seriously prefer the arc, which has gingerbread. Android gives you the feeling of liberty. It’s also much more easy to use, and less… grey. That’s what gets me. Android is more colourful.
Great OS comparison! Reading the article and the following comments and replies really made me excited to compare my iPhone 4 with the Xperia Arc which I just bought!!!
I’ve been analizing a lot changing to android because I used it in a friend’s phone and in that very moment I looked at my iPhone and thought the OS was rubbish…
I’ll compare both phones, but I still think that Android will be better for me…
I must say! The iPhone is a greeeat phone, but still my guess is that I will like the Arc (Android) a lot more…
Android hands down. Have used my son and wife’s ipod touch for several months and fell in love with them. Just upgraded my phone to EVO 4G Android device as I was curious to see the difference between Android and Apple OS. Took about 2 days to realize Android does things better. Also, had a brother-in-law switch from the Android to the Iphone and he can’t stop complaining about how big a mistake it was to switch. Only those who have used both extensively should comment on what they like better.
I have used both for a fairly long time and could give a fair review. I have had a iPhone 4 since the day it came out as it was the obvious choice of phone last year. Since then I have also had 3 android devices (all htc, wildfire desire and desire s) whilst keeping my ip4, at this present moment I am using a desire s. Now for me the iPhone 4 is cleary the better built phone and is honestly worth the money I payed, it just feels a more polished, complete product with no weakness’. The htc desire s I have at the moment though looks and feels stunning but just doesn’t quite feel solid enough. Now when it comes to the os then I would straight away call it a draw. I have used iOS for the past few years and although it has barely changed it has never let me down and I know exaclty what I can get out of it for different uses, again it also feels more complete and I think this is largely down to how smooth it runs like mention by others. Android is colourful and fun and can bring new things to it each day you use it, now this is a good thing along as you don’t get lost in your own creations as it is easy to turn your os into a big mess, however it does also run well and can often offer more then iOS. In comparison I love using my htc at the moment with all the up to date widgets I use without opening a app, like my weather, news, friends stream and messages however whilst driving with my phone docked I find my htc a nightmare as multitasking just isn’t there for that use, so i believe anyway however I dock my iPhone and connect it to my car audio system and I have a all in one sat nav and media player where I can switch tracks with two taps of the home button without taking my eyes off the road. Basically both os have there ups and downs but until you have truly tested them both for your needs then there is no telling which is better.
lol people who say they get the iphone because its exclusive need to have a rethink…the iphone is no longer exclusive if so many people have it…everywhere i look theirs an iphone…it is no longer exlisive people and the worst part is they all look the same…atleast with android their is different designs.
Kudos to the writer for a making this great article!
I’ve also used both iOS and Android but currently using an Android smartphone exclusively. True that iOS is very polished and solid but what made me switch to Android (Gingerbread to be precise) is the level of customization it offers. I love the feeling of being in control. And of course, widgets. Honestly, Android isn’t that hard to use compared to iOS as some people say. So i don’t know why people fuzz about that.
And on a personal note, i switched away from iPhone because everyone i know is using it (unlike say when the first gen iPhone came out). They all look the same. I’m a non-conformist. If everyone has the same looking phone, i want something that makes me stand out. lol
Well, I live near a relatively well known touristic attraction and i must say, i am really bored of people speaking on their iPhones. To me they just all look the same, doesn’t matter if somebody has a 3GS a 4G a 1G or a 2G since i know exactly what to expect of them. And yes, the iPhone is no longer an exclusive item since almost everybody has one.
But as I said in the article, every OS has its pros and cons, be it the inability to share a recently made photo with a friend who doesn’t have an iOS device or the relatively inconsistency of Android with its many widgets,icons and interaction ways.
Thank you for your thoughts Rei
Well i have used both of the os,, iphone4 and than i switched to htc sensation,, gotta say Android beats ios4 everyday and twice one holidays,, yeah if your one of those guys just wants a simple stable os you go for the ios,,, i wont deny that,,but if you are more into features , multitasking , and basically if you are never satisfied and always want more out of your phone than android is the way to go,, besides, ios4 is nothing unique , anyone who has a iphone4 all have the same ui ,, no customization or any mod at all, on the other hand every android user have their own style of android mods some want it simple some want is flashy the thing is you can do it all with android,, and not so much with the ios,, people who say iphone is more comfortable are simply too attached to ios and cant accept that the android is better
Android and iOS,,
iOS feels “exclusive” hahahaaa,, i would like Android device more ..,
I have used almost every phone os out there and like IOS most because at the end of the day I really do like simple. I work in IT and spend enough of my time fixing everyone’s computer issues and managing projects. I have no real desire to spend time customizing a phone. I just want it to do what it’s supposed to. IOS fits the bill for that. Just my humble opinion.
android 2.3 wins
their saying android has more sales but thing there are 100s of android phones and most are crap but only 2 iphones on the market now just thing who gets more sales per phone?
and apps well android apps are usless pice of ****
Hello , I have been using apple products from last 5 years , including i Phone 4.
I love Apple Products but recently I have bought Android mobile for some time I have some confusion but now I can tell you that Really Android is more comfortable than IOS4 .
Really Android Rocks.
If you are an IT Guy then you can understand that an Open Source product always rocks than Proprietery one.
In Future , what you can do with android you cant imagine …..its really superb…..using Android ….
There are many limitations with IOS4 which I can tell you…….
If you use Both the devices and go deep into that then u can judge whihc is Best ….In My case it is Android(2.3)…..
Now All my Pals switched to android ….
very very good and fair review ..
android is choise of free mind ppl , i love my android device , i reallly do
If you’re a gamer and want games, buy ps3 or xbox (whichever you prefer). I have an ipod touch, but i think i would vote for android.
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I can’t wait for it to come out. It sounds pretty sweet.