Things the Android phone or Nexus 5 does better than the iPhone

[Shilohcane]

I was looking for a few Christmas present for a friend that is unlucky enough to only own a iPhone 5. I wanted to buy them a Wireless Qi Charging device for their iPhone, since that is one gift that I want for Christmas for my Nexus 5.

I was just so surprised that iPhone is still stuck in the stone ages when it comes to Wireless Qi Charging. Apple only has gimmicks like 3rd party phone cases with charging coils or third party internal charging pads for Wireless Qi Charging. This article below talks about all the other things Apple told us we don't need no matter how much we may want it. So please list the things Android devices has that Apple doesn't in this thread. Please keep it technical and don't turn it into a Apple fan vs Android fan fight.


After looking around a little I found this article from 2012 after the release of last years iPhone 5;

Why no wireless charging in the iPhone 5?

Already, products from 120 companies are certified as compliant with the Qi (pronounced "chee") standard for wireless charging, according to the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC).

The Qi standard sets the specifications for mobile devices to be charged either by resting on a magnetic induction pad or by using resonance charging. Resonance charging allows a device to be charged from up to 1.5-in. away from the power source, such as a laptop. Furniture and auto makers are already preparing products that will afford wireless charging for mobile devices.

While more than 100 vendors have joined the WPC and its standards efforts, notably missing is Apple. Samsung is also not among the WPC membership.

Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney believes Apple may be trying to force their own standard, just like they did by not offering micro USB like other smartphone vendors.

"Apple is not always first to technology. I am not therefore surprised," Dulaney said. "Google and Nokia/Microsoft have been shown to be far more aggressive."

Today, however, there are 8.5 million Qi-capable devices sold worldwide. The largest market for wireless charging is Japan, where it's almost impossible to purchase a mobile phone without the capability embedded in it, said Menno Treffers, chairman of WPC.

Phil Schiller, SVP of worldwide marketing for Apple, said in an interview following the iPhone 5's release that wireless charging has no clear added convenience because the chargers still need to be plugged into an power outlet. [ Not True ] Schiller went as far as to say that wireless charging actually adds complexity when compared to widely-adopted USB cords.

During Apple's press conference announcing the new Lightning connector, Schiller said the iPhone 5's stripped down connector is in response to the many functions now being performed wirelessly.

 

[JeffDenver]

I don't really use wireless charging at all. I do think Android is dramatically better than the iPhone, but not for that reason.

For me the biggest thing is 3rd party app integration. I can make any app the default for anything. You cannot do that on iOS. Your default email will always be Apple. Your default maps will always be Apple. Your default Browser will always be Apple. That would drive me nuts.

Also...the persistent back button. Such a little thing can make such a big difference.

 

[chadthebuilder]

One thing that comes to mind for me, is NFC. I never thought that it could be useful, but it is amazingly simple to share pictures, websites, and videos by tapping phones back to back.

Posted from the awesome new Nexus 7

 

[clevin]

Flexibility, I can find phones of variety of shapes and configurations. I can have 6 inches screen, removable battery, expanding storage, different ui, different price points, apps competing with os maker's own ones (Firefox, for example).

@T-Mobile GN3

 

[scorpiodsu]

Please keep it technical and don't turn it into a Apple fan vs Android fan fight.

I mean you've already set the tone for this. The entire beginning of your post lacks any objectivity and clear you have little to no experience with iPhones. You may not have meant it that way but that's how it comes across.... as some smug, superior, "we're better than them" type attitude. Apologies if that's how you meant it but that's how it reads. Anyhow, I can name 10 reasons why I keep switching from iPhone to Android and 10 more why I keep switching back. But for the purposes of this thread I'll name 1 for each:

Keep switching back to Android:
Android customization which is attributed to the more open OS

Keep switching back to iOS:
Seamless ecosystem which (ironically) is attributed to a more closed OS LOL.

In my opinion neither are better than the other. They both have great strengths and weaknesses and it depends on how I'm feeling on which one I choose LOL.

 

[scorpiodsu]

Flexibility, I can find phones of variety of shapes and configurations. I can have 6 inches screen, removable battery, expanding storage, different ui, different price points, apps competing with os maker's own ones (Firefox, for example).

@T-Mobile GN3

I agree but that's not necessarily an Android thing. That's due to the manufacturers. If they choose, they can all make 4 inch screens and then we have little choice but Android would remains same. Just a thought. But what specifically regarding the OS, in your opinion, makes it the best for you? Just curious. With me it's about customization and development.

 

[phositadc]

An easier question to answer is what does iPhone do better than android?

Camera? Build quality?

Pretty much nothing else as far as I can tell.

P.s. I own an iPhone 5s and love the hardware. Just wish it were running android!

Sent from my XT1053

 

[clevin]

I agree but that's not necessarily an Android thing. That's due to the manufacturers. If they choose, they can all make 4 inch screens and then we have little choice but Android would remains same. Just a thought. But what specifically regarding the OS, in your opinion, makes it the best for you? Just curious. With me it's about customization and development.

well, the thread was asking about "android phone", not "android OS"?

In term of OS itself, I think the biggest plus is its independence from a computer. I don't need, nor do I want to, be tied into multiple other products to enjoy the device.

Customization is better on android OS, not sure how important it is for me though. I am not sure what "development" means.

 

[Scott7217]

Most Android devices support micro USB cables for power and data transfers. The iPhone needs a Lightning connector. It's easy to get a spare micro USB cable because they're cheap and plentiful. (However, I must admit that I like the fact that you can insert a Lightning cable with either side up. That is very convenient.)

 

[bulletmark]

P.s. I own an iPhone 5s and love the hardware.

Love the hardware? What about that tiny screen? That's the biggest problem with any iPhone and is why many move to Android. Apple have to pull their head out of the clouds and fix that.

 

[phositadc]

Love the hardware? What about that tiny screen? That's the biggest problem with any iPhone and is why many move to Android. Apple have to pull their head out of the clouds and fix that.

Believe it or not I love the size. If I need a bigger screen I'll use my nexus 7.

Best phone in the world to me would be a nexus 5, but at 4.3" instead of 5.

Sent from my XT1053

 

[JeffDenver]

An easier question to answer is what does iPhone do better than android?

Camera?

No.

(Nexus 5 image on bottom, iPhone 5S on top)

Full Crop: http://forums.androidcentral.com/at...5-camera-photos-videos-thoughts-full-crop.jpg
Source: Nexus 5 camera samples appear (compared with iPhone 5s)

The iPhone certainly has excellent camera app software. But they don't have the best quality, even if you exclude the Nexus.

Build quality?

Depends on who you talk to. Antennea gate? Cracked screens?

 

[phositadc]

No.

(Nexus 5 image on bottom, iPhone 5S on top)
http://forums.androidcentral.com/at...5-camera-photos-videos-thoughts-full-crop.jpg
Full Crop: http://forums.androidcentral.com/at...5-camera-photos-videos-thoughts-full-crop.jpg
Source: Nexus 5 camera samples appear (compared with iPhone 5s)

The iPhone certainly has excellent camera app software. But they don't have the best quality, even if you exclude the Nexus.


Depends on who you talk to. Antennea gate? Cracked screens?

Anybody in their right mind who has used both will prefer the iPhone. Zero shutter lag and consistently good pictures.

Besides, comparison side, the iPhone 5s is a good camera for a phone, period. So I stand by my statement that iPhone camera are good.

Sent from my XT1053

 

[Rule9]

I was looking for a few Christmas present for a friend that is unlucky enough to only own a iPhone 5. I wanted to buy them a Wireless Qi Charging device for their iPhone, since that is one gift that I want for Christmas for my Nexus 5.

I was just so surprised that iPhone is still stuck in the stone ages when it comes to Wireless Qi Charging. Apple only has gimmicks like 3rd party phone cases with charging coils or third party internal charging pads for Wireless Qi Charging. This article below talks about all the other things Apple told us we don't need no matter how much we may want it. So please list the things Android devices has that Apple doesn't in this thread. Please keep it technical and don't turn it into a Apple fan vs Android fan fight.


After looking around a little I found this article from 2012 after the release of last years iPhone 5;

Here you go

 

[JeffDenver]

Anybody in their right mind who has used both will prefer the iPhone.

Especially if they are not familiar with the alternatives. Which they probably will not be. Apple is the king of marketing.

The images speak for themselves. The iPhone does take better pictures in some situations. Macro shots are apparently not one of those situations.

Reviewers generally only review the camera shots people are mostly likely to take; landscapes and people posing. And in those situations the iPhones do shine.

 

[Shilohcane]

I mean you've already set the tone for this. The entire beginning of your post lacks any objectivity and clear you have little to no experience with iPhones. You may not have meant it that way but that's how it comes across.... as some smug, superior, "we're better than them" type attitude. Apologies if that's how you meant it but that's how it reads. Anyhow, I can name 10 reasons why I keep switching from iPhone to Android and 10 more why I keep switching back. But for the purposes of this thread I'll name 1 for each:

Keep switching back to Android:
Android customization which is attributed to the more open OS

Keep switching back to iOS:
Seamless ecosystem which (ironically) is attributed to a more closed OS LOL.

In my opinion neither are better than the other. They both have great strengths and weaknesses and it depends on how I'm feeling on which one I choose LOL.

I have had four iPhones and one iPod. I just got tired of being ripped off by the Fruit company with their bling-bling marketing hype for technology deficient people that buy on brand name. You can keep your one size fits all iPhone with it 2007 style design and stay locked up in that iOS environment. Let Apple sell a phone with the same quality as the Nexus 5 for $350 or less if you think Apple isn't ripping people off.

 

[Oofa]

I have had four iPhones and one iPod. I just got tired of being ripped off by the Fruit company with their bling-bling marketing for technology deficient people that buy on brand name. You can keep your one size fits all iPhone with it 2007 style design and stay locked up in that iOS environment.

Oh boy...... another emotional, no-real reason answer..........:-\
Ripped off how?
How does "bling-bling" marketing and "technology deficient people" buying the phone because of name brand affect the actual quality and usability of a phone?
Why is "one size fits all" a bad thing?

 

[Zendroid1]

Lets not get ahead of ourselves because of 1 picture. The lighting can drastically change from 1 second to the next. A billion and 1 things could have went wrong. If it was 20 pictures with all the same results then I might start thinking it was a pattern.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

Android has keyboard options and better notifications.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[pranxx]

The iphone camera is significantly faster at focussing and takes sharp pics most of the time. The N5 takes good pics only when the subject is very still and you allow sufficient time for the focus to settle.
While I like my new N5.. the iphone is by no means a crappy phone.