I never had an iPhone. I mean: I know them closely (who doesn’t), even more in the work I do. I have had many models in my hands, but they have never been “my phones”: although between 2005 and 2011 I fluctuated between Nokia, Motorola and Xperia, in 2012 I bought my first Samsung Galaxy S, and I never abandoned them again: not even the brand, neither the range nor its operating system.
Interestingly, in my work I have always used Apple computers. I got used to working on them even before the iOS vs. Android existed, and I never saw anything contradictory. The youngest may not know it, but that of the “integration of ecosystems” is something rather new and, personally, it never “hurt” me to transfer the photos from my Samsung to my Mac using a cable and a program like SmartSwitch .
What if I had the opportunity to use an iPhone of a range similar to the Android device that I currently have for a few months? I’ve always had the intrigue: will I like it or will I be disappointed? Will my “loyalty” be confirmed on Android, or will I have doubts? Will it be “as special and unique” as the acolytes of Cupertino proclaim to the four winds?
For more than a year I have had a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus, and now I have had the possibility of using an iPhone 11 Pro Max for several weeks. I’ll tell you what happened.
Taking it out of the box
If Apple knows something about design and appearance. Like any apple product, the iPhone comes in a minimalist presentation that practically asks you to turn it on and start using it. No catalogs or learning curves: turn on, configure and enjoy! Are you coming from Android? Well, there is an iOS application there that will come in handy: Transfer to iOS , which you install on your Android and it takes care of itself to transfer all your applications, contacts, messages and photos from your phone to the new iPhone. Before using it, it’s a good idea to “clean” apps, photos and other files that you don’t need. As with objects, there is a ton of information in the form of photos, messages and applications that we don’t really need to save, and it will make moving from one phone to another faster too.
But even before putting the two phones face to face, there is something very significant: the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ has a disadvantage. Which one? Which is a phone that, even though it is practically the same age as the iPhone 11 Pro Max, does not have the latest version of Google’s operating system, in this case, Android 10.
That’s right: Samsung has a notorious reputation for being late with Android updates. And when these finally arrive, they are not always universal, since they will depend on the operator you use, the country you are in and something else that is almost better not to know. The iPhone 11 Pro Max, on the other hand, like the iPhone X and previous models, have the latest update of the operating system, in this case, iOS 13.6.1.
Face ID
There is not much to discuss here either: Face ID is the best unlocking system out there, and by best we mean fast, easy and secure. I hated when fingerprint unlocking went – on Galaxy models – from the back to the screen. More than one will think otherwise, but I still believe that it was unnecessary to move it, especially –as in the case of the Note 10– when it never works well. Android will one day have to develop its own facial recognition system at the level of the iPhone – the ones that currently exist are not up to scratch – or reposition the finger detector on the back or side, within easy reach of a finger movement, which – for the rest – we know he will not do.
Nothing more to say. Applause, iOS.
Home screen… where are you?
The iPhone replaces the home screen of Android phones with a screen … well, applications. If you slide your finger to the right, a widget screen appears that you can customize. It is a big difference? Maybe Android orders its applications better, and when you unlock it, a screen appears that usually contains the applications you use the most, along with a Google search bar –in my case, at least. But no: it is not a gravitating difference, and the like or dislike will depend on the pure and simple habit. Personalization, if anything, is almost an Android trademark, and I doubt that someone new to an iPhone would be comfortable with the format imposed by Apple.
Sure there are people with big hands and very long fingers … But for the rest of us it is difficult to reach the upper corners of the screen if we are using only one hand. The back gesture or tab on the iPhone is in the upper left corner. If we slide from the upper right corner, the so-called Control Center opens, which can also be customized. But in both circumstances, you will have to use your fingers on the other hand. Actually, you will also have to do it like this on your Android to reach applications or tabs that are at the top of the screen, but in the case of the back tab, placing it at the bottom of the screen is a great point in favor .
Applications are loves
These are numbers that change day by day, but it is estimated that Android has (approximately) half a million more applications than iOS: the Google Play Store has about 2.8 million, against 2.3 of the App Store.
Does Android win, then? Nobody needs 2.8 million (not 2.3, not a fifth!) Of applications on their phones. As in life itself, quantity and quality are not directly proportional, and we dare to bet that practically all the applications you use on your Android you will find them on iOS, and vice versa.
Android has exclusive Apps, but they are not for everyone, and the “average” user will not even notice it. The Apple store also looks better, with daily events and tips. By the way: if yours is video games, you will find better variety and quality on iOS. Additionally, Apple’s commitment to security is recognized even by Android fans, making it highly unlikely that an app from the App Store will give you trouble. Android is a land of opportunity and adventure for developers and consumers. Like the Wild West: everything can go well, or everything very badly.
Light, camera …
We have long stopped buying camera phones and started using sophisticated lens systems with ultra high definition touch screens that include a cell phone. And it is like this: at the time of writing this article, I have in my possession – supposedly – the best mobile phone camera system of the moment. After using it, I would like to specify the following: it is an incredibly effective camera, with an outstanding night mode that you may be able to get on other mobiles, but you will need a configuration that, in the case of Android, is anything but intuitive.
The camera system of the Galaxy Note 10+ has a Pro mode, which opens up a range of possibilities … if you’ve learned a couple of rudiments of a professional camera before, of course.
The truth is that I’ve been playing with both cameras for weeks, and I still wouldn’t dare to say that, in the end, one is better than the other. Mind you: when it comes to taking out the camera, point and shoot, or recording slow motion videos, the results are usually better on the iPhone.
The Galaxy Note 10+ has a full-screen setting that makes photos tend to look better on the phone’s huge 6.8-inch screen. But that difference is no longer important when viewing the same images on a computer.
For the rest, the App Store has more than a few applications for editing photos that will give you spectacular results. Of course: the best ones are paid, although they offer a free trial or two weeks.
More similar than different
Ten years ago, the differences between iOS and Android were obvious, and it is no secret that Google’s operating system has redoubled its efforts to keep up with Apple. And boy did he do it! Today, except for specific aspects –ecosystem, security, aesthetics– there do not seem to be dogmas in the militancy of operating systems. In fact, there were not a few who saw many things “from Android” in the presentation of what will be the new iOS 14 (with its corresponding rain of memes, of course), so now it even seems that it is iOS who is following in the wake from Android.
For the rest, in my personal experience, I have seen that a good part of the vices and virtues of daily use are distributed equally: those videos that I found while browsing and that took so long to load on my Galaxy Note 10+? Well, they take exactly the same time to load on the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Those pop-up or pop-up advertising windows that at the least take you to another page? Well, they are daily bread in both systems. And, while it is clear that the figures and graphics look better on the iPhone, those of us who do not use Apple’s phone still do not understand the insistence on the Lightning port, even more so when USB-C is already ubiquitous on MacBook or iPad . Google Maps is still superior to the iOS Maps app, and Siri beats Bixby without a hitch, but it’s not easy with the Google Assistant. The iPhone battery also lasts less, and charges slower with the charger that comes in the box. Things as they are.
The ecosystem is the irresistible
Have a Samsung phone, a Garmin watch, and a Dell laptop? Of course you can sync whatever you need, but even the most staunch anti-Apple will recognize that the Apple ecosystem just flows like no other.
Years ago, Apple understood that a set of gadgets interconnected and speaking the same language –both in design and performance, both in interface and in possibilities– would create a series of unbeatable products, so much so that –even– it didn’t matter that they cost more than those of the competition. They all work at a single pace, with the same effectiveness, requiring only one Apple ID to coordinate. Even more: I had the opportunity to test the iPhone with the AirPods Pro headphones, and the integration with the iPhone, iMac and MacBook is almost simpler than when connecting headphones via a cable. The iPhone recognizes the AirPods at the moment, indicating how much battery they have along with their case-charger. They work just as well on the company’s computers and iPads, as one more example that what matters is the integration of the various gadgets into a single stream: the Apple ecosystem.
The downside of this? To enjoy it, you must have at your disposal several Apple products, which are not exactly cheap. But you know what? In recent years, competing manufacturers have raised their prices (Samsung, Huawei, OnePlus), which is still striking. Apple is still far from being an “affordable” brand, although its iPhone SE phones have entered the battle for the mid-range, and they have done so strongly. These are phones with the same operating system as the iPhone 11 Pro Max, although they cost less than several of the competition.
In Android it is possible to find phones for just over $ 100 dollars, and also models within the reach of very few, with prices above $ 1,500. Many people have told me that neither the cheapest nor the most expensive is really worth that much money. In contrast, with the iPhone there seems to be a universal agreement that you really get what you pay for. In this particular case, with the iPhone 11 Max Pro you get the best phone that Apple can sell you today. And that – we know – is a lot.
In my particular case, I cannot deny that the usual integration of the iPhone in its ecosystem has been great for me, both with my iMac and with the MacBook Pro that I use to work. Just by adding the devices to the Apple ID, I have everything at hand: I answer calls and messages on the computer screen, and the photos I take are now available on my laptop without the need for cables or other actions. And while iCloud’s free 5GB soon falls short, you can always clean up and delete files you don’t need. And of course, you can also buy more space, which in the workplace is very reasonable to do.
In short: working with Apple computers on a daily basis makes the iPhone quite irresistible. Phone and computers complement each other in a way that you can’t get with Android, no matter how hard you try.