Are you torn between iPhone and Android? Stuck on the fence between iOS or Oreo? This quiz can help you decide which of today’s high-powered smartphone operating systems is right for you.
- Are you always on the go and need a phone that can keep up with you?
Yes? Choose Android.
Most high-end Android phones offer fast charging, meaning you can get up to eight hours of battery life on a 15-minute charge. An iPhone will still take about two hours to fully charge. Additionally, many Android phones have larger batteries, so they will keep going for longer. You can always get portable battery packs for either device, or cases with built-in extra batteries (although these are rather large and cumbersome). Android also has more phones with wireless charging capabilities—currently only iPhone X and iPhone 8 models offer this. However, while convenient, wireless charging is not fast. - Do you worry about hackers getting access to your personal information?
Yes? Choose iPhone (and stay away from Google services).
In exchange for its robust suite of apps, Google uses your anonymous, personal information to sell you advertising. If you are not comfortable with this, the iPhone offers similar apps and cloud services without this additional feature. Additionally, because Apple makes both the hardware and the software for its phones, it can protect them from malware more effectively than manufacturers working with Android’s open source code.
Finally, Apple’s software updates are more frequent and more readily available to every iPhone as soon as they’re released. Unless you’re on one of Google’s flagship Android phones, such as the Pixel, getting the newest Android OS (operating system) can be hit or miss. - Do you like to customize your phone and think widgets are wonderful?
Yes? Choose Android.
Android’s open source platform is infinitely customizable. There are few, if any, restrictions on what you (or your app’s developer) can do with it, unlike the tightly locked-down iOS. When you download an app on an iPhone, it goes on your home screen. But with Android, you can use widgets and hide all your apps away in your easily accessible “App Drawer.” This means your home screen can be full of useful information rather than just a row of icons. Android also lets you use different “launchers,” which is essentially a whole new interface for your phone, letting you change things up as often as you like. - Do you need a simple phone and easy access to support?
Yes? Choose iPhone.
iPhones, as Steve Jobs famously said, “Just work.” They are designed to be intuitive and straightforward. While there are lots of cool features and fun things you can do with your iPhone, if you just need the basics like calling, texting, emailing, and Web-surfing, they’re very easy phones to use. Plus, Apple’s support is second to none. You can go into any Apple Store or call the support line to have your problems fixed and questions answered, oftentimes for free. - Do you want to spend under $300 on a phone?
Yes? Choose Android.
Android is an OS offered on virtually every phone that’s not an iPhone. From Samsung, LG, and Pixel, to Huawei, Moto, and OnePlus (just to name a few), there are a plethora of Android handset manufacturers offering a significant range in price points. While the high-end Samsung and Pixel models will set you back as much as a high-end iPhone, there are many perfectly good options ranging from $80 to $300. The cheapest new iPhone you can buy is $349. However, if you are really keen on iPhones but your budget won’t stretch, you can pick up refurbished iPhones for less, or get a model that’ss a year or two old. - Is your phone constantly running out of storage?
Yes? Choose Android (or spend over $800 on a higher capacity iPhone).
While iPhones now come in much more generous sizes (that 16 GB phone is long gone), only comes with 5 GB for free. After that, you’ll pay a monthly fee to store your photos, backups, and documents in the cloud. Compare that to Google’s 15 GB, plus unlimited full-resolution photo uploads (which means you’ll never have to delete photos again). Also, many Android phones have SD card slots where you can expand your storage via a microSD card. - Do you have a Mac, iPad, or Apple Watch?
Yes? Choose iPhone.
Apple devices are designed to work seamlessly with each other, and they really do. Features such as Hand-Off, Continuity, and iCloud mean that you can do things like make and receive phone calls on your Mac, work on a document on your iPhone, and then pick up where you left off on your iPad. You can also automatically unlock devices with your Apple Watch and copy and paste images, videos, and text from one device to another. Apple’s suite of hardware makes productivity a breeze. - Is Gmail your master and Chrome your favorite browser?
Yes? Choose Android.
Google’s impressive suite of free services (email, Web browser, maps, calendar, Word processing, spreadsheets, and photo storage) is deeply embedded into the Android OS. While you can get all these services on iPhone, they just work better on Android. Plus, if you use all these services, Google Assistant (formerly Google Now) is a standout feature of Android.
An artificial intelligence service, Google Assistant is a voice-controlled personal assistant, just like Apple’s Siri, only more advanced. With it, you can tell your phone to make a phone call or send a text message. Thanks to its integration with your Google calendar and other services, it has knowledge of your location, meetings, and travel plans, pulling relevant information for you before you even know you need it. This information appears in “cards” on your smartphone—showing you the location of your next meeting, the score of your favorite sports team, and other personal information that matters most to you. You can download Google Assistant as an app on an iPhone, but it’s already embedded into many Android phones.
Finally, there’s one large caveat to consider if you are thinking of switching from one OS to another: ease of switching. If you are an iPhone user looking to switch to Android, it can be difficult to do, especially if you use all iCloud and iTunes and have invested heavily in paid apps and downloads. In fact, iTunes music and movies are not transferable to Android, so you’ll have to buy them all over again. If you use Google services on your iPhone, switching will be easier. On the other hand, switching from Android to iPhone is pretty straightforward.
Tally up how many times you answered “yes” for each device, and make the decision that works best for you!
For more information on the features of specific devices, please visit our devices page.
