We are essentially in a duopoly market for smartphones. When people are either upgrading or buying a new smartphone, they consider either to get an Android phone or an iPhone. The two platforms have matured to the point where it is all a matter of taste when you are choosing your next smartphone.
We cover a lot of Android phones on Techweez because in Kenya, a majority of people use Android phones. However, some Kenyans out there use iPhones a lot and others would love to jump ship. If you were wondering whether you need an iPhone, this article might help.
They are easy to use
iOS is easy to use. It is one of the customer forward design philosophies Apple had for the smartphone and it makes sense. If it had to work as an everyday consumer device, it has to be simple to use. The majority are not tech nerds and they want things to work all of the time.
iPhones usually have a standard user interface across all iPhones, unlike on Android. Most regular people would never believe that a Huawei or a Samsung phone share the same operating system because they sometimes look so drastically different. This is never the case for iPhones and although this is not suitable for some, that sense of consistency will be appealing to some.
iPhones excel at this and if you are a person that doesn’t like a complicated gadget, an iPhone would be suitable for you.
iPhones hold their value
iPhones are not cheap phones. They are flagship phones and are priced to fit the bill. They used to start at $600 but the iPhone X changed that where the top iPhones start at $1000.
The great thing about iPhones is that although they seem expensive at first, they generally hold their value for longer. It is not uncommon to see an iPhone that was released the previous year at $1,000 being sold for $900.
They will generally retain their value for long and this is rare on the Android side. Samsung flagships for example will lose roughly 30% of their value after 6-12 months of release.
Updates
iOS is the operating system that runs on iPhones and Apple has a great track record of updating its phones.
The iPhone 5S and the iPhone 6S have each gotten 5 straight years of software updates which is unheard of on Android. The most you can see on Android is consistent 2 years of updates.
Apple can do this because they control the software and the hardware aspects of the phone and that is why they are able to maintain them for longer.
Longer update cycles means that your old phone will get new features, better emoji support and security support.
This means that if you buy a new generation of iPhone this year, it won’t be a surprise if you end up upgrading yours in 2024 or 2025 after it stops getting updates. That initial high price will be painful at first but for a phone that will last you for at least 4 years of updates will sound like a good deal.
Apple A series chips are generations ahead
Apple uses their own custom ARM chips to power iPhones. They are the A series of chips and the newest iPhones sport the A13 chip.
Ever since Apple debuted the 64bit A7 chip with the iPhone 5S, other manufacturers have been playing catchup. They are usually at least 2 generations ahead on CPU performance and have been the leaders since 2013.
Since these chips are so powerful, they also extend the life of the smartphone. You can stay with your iPhone for like 4 years and still be more powerful than new Android phones that are released yearly.
Photo and video quality
It is no surprise that iPhones have great cameras. I like the fact that they provide consistent image quality with accurate skintones and class leading video quality.
It is also true that they are not the best when it comes to photo quality. The Pixel phones handily beat them pound for pound. However, with the new iPhone 11 and the 11 Pro, they have caught up which means Apple should work on a way to beat or match the Pixel with the iPhone 12.
However, when it comes to video on smartphones, iPhones are class leading. Thanks to extended HDR, their video quality is unmatched. This is true for both the front and back cameras and it is shown very well with the new iPhone 11.
For the best balanced camera experience, you’d probably want to choose an iPhone, preferably the latest iPhones.
Build quality
iPhones usually feel premium because they are premium smartphones. Apple uses aluminium and stainless steel which makes these phones feel premium in the hand.
If you are going to shell over $700 on a smartphone, it sure needs to feel like it and iPhones do not disappoint.
Display quality
It is quite odd to single this one out but Apple is particularly good at calibrating displays. They have shown this time and time again with their computers and smartphones.
Their latest smartphone, the iPhone 11 Pro visibly demonstrates this. The HDR OLED screen has class leading real world sustained brightness of 800 nits, far higher than what Samsung has with the Note 10. The funny thing is that Samsung makes these panels which proves that Apple is using custom controllers to sustain such high brightness while still maintaining great colour accuracy. iPhones also have very low touch latency which improves the perception of speed when you use the phone.
Most normal people won’t care about such information but having a great display is important on a smartphone. Photos look better, HDR content like video looks excellent and browsing is such a breeze.
Better app support
Most of the apps we use are American apps and since iPhones are incedibly popular in the United States, developers give priority to them. Some features end up getting pushed to iOS devices first then Android phones later on.
In some cases, some apps perform better than their Android counterparts. A good example is Snapchat. Snapchat on iPhone is so much better than on Android,
Also, the App Store has better quality apps than on the Play Store. This is due to Apple’s standards for apps and it has benefited the App Store greatly.
iPhones consistently feel fast
No one likes a slow laggy device. It hampers your user experience to the point of annoyance.
Fortunately this is rarely the case on iPhones. iPhones usually feel incredibly snappy even if on paper they seem to have middling amounts of RAM.
This is thanks to their snappy CPUs, class leading fast internal storage and displays with very low touch latencies.
The Ecosystem
The Apple ecosystem is one of the many reasons people are unwilling to move to other platforms.
Every device they make works seamlessly with one another. It is designed for you to prefer Apple devices over any other.
For example, AirPods work almost seamlessly with iPhones. You just open the case and the notification to pair it up with your iPhone appears. Such ease of use makes it easy for people to live in the ecoystem. The Apple Watch works extremely well with the iPhone.
The ecosystem also works well between Apple products. Thanks to Continuity, you can be reading a webpage on your iPhone and continue on your Mac. You could use iMessage on your phone and continue on your Mac. You can AirDrop content between iPhones and Macs.
The seamless integration between Apple products is one of the most attractive things about their ecosystem and for some, it is all the reason to jump ship or be in the ship.
