For
Apple, the launch of iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus is a big deal.
Literally. The iPhones were starting to look tiny in front of flagship
Android phones. But with the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, which have
bigger screens, Apple is back in the game.On the software side, with the iOS 8, which is the latest version of the software that powers iPhones and iPads, Apple has tried to close the feature gap with Android.
The unique Android features and a large screen were two main reasons why a lot of people were buying Android devices.
So, should you give up your Android phablet? Or should you buy the iPhone 6 or the iPhone 6 Plus because it has the large screen?
We think no. There are still a lot of things that an Android phone does best. We tell you about some areas where good Android phones still beat iPhones.
Android phones have sharper screens
While Apple has matched the screen size that flagship Android phones have, it hasn't yet topped or even matched the high resolution that we find on screens of Android phones. Flagship Android phones like Samsung Galaxy S5, LG Nexus 5 and HTC One (M8) all have screens with 1080P aka FullHD resolution. On phones like the Nexus 5, this means screens have a pixel density of 445PPI, making them extraordinarily sharp. In comparison, the iPhone 6 has a screen size of 4.6-inch and an odd resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels. This gives it a pixel density of 326PPI.
iPhone 6 Plus is somewhat better with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a pixel density of 401PPI. But even this pales in comparison to LG G3, which has a 5.5-inch screen but with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 and pixel density of 534PPI.
Now, it is true that there is more to a screen than just the resolution. But in high-end Android phones, we get screens that are really good. They have high resolution and ability to show punchy colours. For example, the screen in the HTC One M8 is a real treat to eyes. Then, there is the upcoming Note 4, which has been judged to have by DisplayMate, a firm that specialises in testing screens.
Android Phones have more RAM
It is year 2014 but the latest iPhones, which will be among the expensive smartphones in India once they launch here, still come with 1GB RAM. This is the same amount of RAM that Android One phones, launched a few days ago with a price of around Rs.6,000, have. Even phones like Micromax Canvas Nitro that cost around Rs.12,000 have 2GB RAM.
But the argument is that amount of RAM doesn't matter in an iPhone. The iOS doesn't require a lot of RAM, unlike Android which is incredibly memory hungry. And this argument is somewhat correct.
iOS is much better and efficient at utilising RAM. But that is until you are not pushing the phone. Once you open 12 tabs in the Chrome for iOS, it starts running out of memory. Have you seen an iPhone refresh an opened tab in a browser as soon as you start juggling between a few open apps or tabs? This happens because iPhones have just 1GB RAM. Irrespective of how efficient an OS is, there are instances, especially when a user is multitasking, when it needs more RAM.
Multi-tab web browsing is better on high-end Android phones because they have at least 2GB RAM.
Android phones are cheaper
When the iPhones launch in the coming weeks in India, in all probability they are going to sport a price tag of more than Rs.50,000. In comparison, you can pick the Nexus 5 or Galaxy S5 for less than Rs.35,000 and get a fantastic user experience which is in some way slightly better and in some ways slightly inferior to the iPhone experience. It is win some and lose some scenario. With the remaining Rs.20,000, you can book a ticket to goa and have a 4-day holiday on a sea beach. Don't you think a Nexus 5 plus a 4-day holiday in Goa is a better deal than the iPhone 6?
Choices, many choices
With iPhones, you get everything in one package. It does many things very well, but what if you have special needs? Want a high-end phone that can last 20 hours a day? Get the LG G2 that sells for around Rs.30,000. Want a phone that has really solid set of speakers? Get the HTC One (M8). Want a phone that has fantastic integration with a stylus? Get the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. (Or rather don't get the Note 3. Wait for the Note 4 that should be in India in the coming few weeks. It will be even more awesome).
Want a phone that has a removable battery or supports microSD cards? Get an Android phone. Want a phone that can use Bluetooth or NFC for file transfer? Get an Android phone.
Android KitKat (and upcoming Android L) are awesome
In many ways, iOS 8 is sort of a catch up release for Android. The software that powers iPhones had fallen so much behind in terms of functionality that Apple had no option but to open up the iOS and add more functionality to it. Hence, iOS 8 allows users to install third-party keyboards. Or has 'extensibility' that app developers can use to make their apps more functional. It even has widgets but they don't match the functionality of widgets found on Android phones.
Yet, Android KitKat still does so many things in a better way. Some of these really affect user experience in a big way. These are:
-- Sharing feature:
On an Android phone, you can share content and data within apps with ease. That is why you can share a tweet from a Twitter app using WhatsApp easily. In iOS 8 Apple has provided a limited sharing functionality that app developers can use but so far it is not clear how well it will work and how many app developers are going to use it. Android is still better in this aspect.
-- (Almost) Open File System:
Want to control how files are arranged on your phone, install an app like ES File Explorer on your Android phone and enjoy the ability to copy and paste any file almost anywhere. You can also create folders, arrange content the way you want and manually assign different apps to handle different kind of files.
-- Drag and drop your content from your computer into phone:
On the iPhones, you can only drag and drop photos clicked with the iPhone camera. For everything else you have to deal with iTunes, which is a cumbersome way of doing things. On an Android phone, connect your device to a computer and you can drag and drop documents, photos, songs and music with ease. Plain and simple.
-- Google apps rock in Android:
If you use Google apps a lot, Android phones provide the best Google experience on mobile phones. This is especially true of the Nexus 5 that comes with the Google Now launcher, which puts a lot of relevant information just a swipe away. Even the Gmail, Google Maps and Photos experience is better on a flagship Android phone.
-- Customise, customise, customise:
You can't customise an iPhone. Well, you can change the wallpaper, but that is hardly a big deal. Android phones can be customized in tens of different ways. Don't like the shape and colour of app icons? Change them. Don't like how notifications show up on the lockscreen? Change it using a third-party app? Want widgets? Get the fancy ones from the play store. Want fancy user interface animations, install a different launcher. You can use one theme on an Android phone for one week and then once you are bored of it, change it to something else.
If you are a user who likes to tinker with the theme and software of his or her phone, you can't go wrong with Android. The iPhone, even the one running iOS 8, doesn't even come close.
Let's summarise
The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus are pretty good smartphones. The iPhone experience costs a lot of money but it is also pretty good experience. Camera in an iPhone is always fantastic. Performance is mostly nice. Apps are plenty and good looking. But the real beneficiaries of the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus are the existing iPhone users. Now they have a choice to get a big-screen phone running an OS they like.
But if you already have a flagship Android phone and like it, there is not much new in the iPhone 6 or the iPhone 6 Plus for you. Your Android phone is still great and Android OS is still a more dynamic, flexible and useful operating system.
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