[davidy123]

That's a very clever but insulting comparison. iPhone and Android (and etc) are both clearly smartphones with the same general features. I have to use an iPhone for work. I try to get the most out of it, but am constantly surprised how primitive and clunky it is compared to the Android experience.

[have_faith]

This is the exact experience I have as an iPhone user using Android. Perhaps a difference in requirements and expectations.

[davidy123]

What I mean is, excluding add-ons (especially Google ones), the default mail program, photo managing, synchronization, smart assistant, as well as small but important features like being able to search in settings all seem so much less developed. Apple has been ahead of Android in some cases, and takes a safer path, but especially having to use a locked-down iPhone (we have Android-based Samsung as an option, but I like to contrast) I'm constantly surprised at the experience.

[innocentoldguy]

Regarding Apple vs. Android, I have no interest in "tweaking" my phone. I used to like tweaking things when I was in my 20s and 30s and satisfied that need by hacking on Linux. I may have loved Android back then. Nowadays, I just want to finish what I need to get done as quickly as possible and spend all my free time with my family. Tweaking anything is a waste of time for me and I don't want to do it at any level. So, I ditched Linux for macOS and my Samsung phones for iOS. Both work exceptionally well for me and my purposes. I'm glad you found something that works for you.

[davidy123]

I don't want to tweak things either, but find for both Android and Linux (Ubuntu and anything with a packaging system) they more "just work" the way I want, with pretty much out of the box settings. It really depends what you want to do, of course, but I find the Apple programs to be basic in ways that prevents them from being as helpful. The organizing features in Gmail alone; being able to easily manage and snooze mail, etc, make a huge difference.

[adriantam]

I myself is an Android user and Mac as desktop. But my daughter prefer an iPhone for all her classmates are using it. So I bought one. Then, I found myself a dumb when I borrow her phone to do anything. Primitive? Not my case. I can't even transfer my desktop experience to iphone where both are backed by the same Cupertino company.

[BoorishBears]

It's not overly insulting. The phones both Samsung and Huawei sell in BRIC and African markets are very different than what Americans are seeing from both, and I wouldn't be surprised if those phones make up a large bulk of their profits on Android.

[afjl]

But at least BRIC/African-market phones are still full-size, real legitimate phones. The parent comment compared Lego wheels to Michelin wheels.

[BoorishBears]

It's obviously hyperbole.

There can ocean in terms of specs between the lowest end phones they sell here vs models they only sell in other countries.

[saiya-jin]

Never had an Apple product so no personal experience - colleague recently bought an Apple flagship phone (I think previous gen before current gen came). After few days he was hugely disappointed how little he can tweak the device. What is there works fine, but that can be also said about phones for 20% of the price. For him, there was nothing more that would justify the price.

When he sees how much horsepower I have with my Xiaomi mi 9 for 1/3rd of the price, he wants to cry. It makes better photos too. His biggest regret in electronics shopping so far.

That comparison must obviously disregard privacy concerns, but I find it foolish to expect any kind of privacy, on any phone, Apple included. Hence no critical, single point of failure apps there.

[bonestamp2]

It sounds like he didn't do enough research. Customizability is one of the largest downfalls of iOS compared to Android, and that fact should show up on nearly every comparison article written about the two.

iOS is definitely not for those who want to highly customize their mobile device. It's kind of like renting a home vs owning one -- you can do light decoration but you can't knock down any walls. There are pros and cons to that. You can't customize as much, but you also skirt some of the responsibilities that come with property ownership. Some people prefer one set of responsibilities and freedoms over the other. Neither one is right for everyone.

[mrlala]

>disappointed how little he can tweak the device. What is there works fine

So.... if it works fine why do you need to tweak it?

As someone who is moving from android to iphone shortly, I am highly excited to have a device that "just works" and will stay updated. The last thing I want in a phone is to have to manage it. I have my PC for that part of my life.

[soylentcola]

I guess (as someone else pointed out) it comes down to a difference in requirements and expectations.

I've mostly used Android for phones since they do the same general things as iPhones, they work fine out of the box, and stay updated since I only buy phones with good update policies.

The main difference isn't in how well they succeed, but in how they "fail". It's true that current iPhones have added most of the features I found lacking in the past, but there are still a few that have no real workaround. Changing default apps is still limited, browser restrictions are annoying, and there's no easy way I know of to enable system-wide ad blocking.

When a phone "just works" as I want 98% of the time, the difference to me is how able I am to get it working as I want the other 2% of the time. Obviously this is only based on my needs and expectations so I don't expect anyone else to share them.

I just bought a new phone for my partner and she has always used iPhones so that's what I bought for her. She prefers them and that's fine. Only real annoyance there was paying $750 for a phone with a 828x1792 LCD and 64GB storage when I paid $550 for my phone a year ago and it has a 1080x2280 AMOLED display and 128GB storage.

I know "specs don't matter" but it was still surprising. Even with Apple's market cachet and whatnot, I expected the higher price but also expected a bit more parity with a year-old phone. It's no surprise that some buyers are looking toward Chinese and other OEMs.