iPhone, Android - Choosing the Right Smartphone For You

You most likely have heard debates surrounding smartphones and which ones are better. You will often hear misconceptions and opinions of extreme bias about all sorts of smartphones. In particular, there is a big debate over iOS (Apple's mobile operating system) and Android (Google's mobile OS). You might want to know which one is better. Put simply, neither one is better. Android and iOS both have their pros and cons, and every single phone out there has unique benefits. Let's take a look at a few key points.

First we will discuss iOS and, in particular, the iPhone 5s. Apple has designed the software (iOS) and the hardware (iPhone) to work perfectly together. Apple is in control of the entire design, and with that comes a very pleasant and consistent experience for the user. (this statement excludes the problems reported with iOS 7, Apple's latest release of iOS Click here for more) The iPhone has decent speed, a nice screen and a camera that performs well.

The three colours of iPhone 5s

The major downside with the iPhone is the lack of options and ability to customize your experience. You can choose between three colours and three storage sizes. Every iPhone user is going to get the same experience. There is little that you can do to customize your home screen or any other part of the phone. There are a lot of limitations compared to phones running Android. Instead of focusing on the bad points of the iPhone, however, I will simply show you the benefits of Android.

Google is the creator of the Android operating system and allows any manufacturer to use it on their phone. This means that no two Android phones have the same specifications. Most manufacturers, such as Samsung or HTC, customize their Android phones with a unique "Launcher" application. This means that even though it is still an Android phone, it has the potential to look completely different, with new animations, features and more!

Android itself is extremely versatile. You can choose what apps appear on your home screen, you can include widgets (icons on the home screen that give you live information such as news articles, new music, calendar appointments, etc), custom icons, and much more. Unless you leave your phone the way it was when you got it out of the box, every Android phone will be different, even if you compare "the same" phone. Android allows you to customize your phone to fit your personal needs. For instance, if you take a lot of photos with your phone, you can gear all of your home apps and widgets toward photos. If you love music, you can have different apps and widgets geared toward that.

The Nexus 5, Google's latest Nexus phone

The downside to Android phones is the inconsistent experience. Some Android phones will run very well, fast and smooth, while other phones may run sluggishly and be very buggy. This is inherent to having many different manufacturers using your software on many different hardware configurations. Google has thought of this though, and created the Nexus line of phones. These are phones designed by Google, running the latest Android operating system.

While there are many specific points that are not covered in this article, I hope it has opened your eyes to the variety of smartphones available to you. I urge you to keep an open mind and consider what you want the phone to do for you. Try out a few different phones before deciding to purchase one. And as always, never be afraid to ask your salesman questions. There is a perfect phone for you, you just have to find it!

If you have already purchased a smartphone and need help learning to use it or need additional help in purchasing one, call TekStop at (928) 583-4454! We will be happy to help you with your smartphone before and after the purchase. Call us now and schedule your one on one training session.