10 Years Loyal with Android
I first discovered Android OS in 2011, when the Galaxy Nexus was set to launch, it was important as it was the phone that will have the most original flavour of the latest Android version. After it was launched, I was attracted to it’s futuristic OS appearance, and that was when an Android fanboy was created in me for the next decade to come.
Throughout these years, Customization was what kept me going back to Android, due to Android OS being open source. As a self proclaimed tech enthusiast myself, it opened up opportunities for me to tinker many parts of the phone, from installing APKs that adds functionalities to my phone, to changing the overall appearance of my phone. Some may have even gotten to the point of re-installing a different mod of Android OS, with CyanogenMod being the most well known at that time.
On top of that, the open source OS granted manufacturers opportunities to experiment with various features to add a touch of uniqueness to their devices, from the stylus input, dual screen phones and even folding phones today. My second phone was a Galaxy Note 5 as I was attracted to the stylus feature. Besides, Android phone felt like I’m getting more bang for my bucks with the bells and whistles it offered compared to iPhone at that time.
Struggling with Android
Despite numerous features are offered on Android phones, things aren’t always rosy. Android’s open-sourceness is a double edged sword, while it creates opportunities to explore unique features, it also allowed device manufacturers to add unnecessary software into the device known as bloatware. In some ways, it worsens the user experience, my first Android phone, Samsung Galaxy S3’s gallery app doesn’t even open up the gallery app smoothly when the phone was new and being a flagship device in 2012.
Apart from bloatware, Android devices have limited software support duration, compared to iPhones launched in the same year. I believe manufacturers’ inability to focus on supporting devices for long periods as they launch countless Android phones at different form factors and price level to cater the market every year. Thankfully, companies such as Samsung and Oneplus are promising minimum support of 3 years lately, keep this in mind as we shall discuss later on.
Additionally, Android used to be much affordable compared to their iPhone competition a few years ago, with OnePlus being one of the most notable ones in my personal opinion. However, as of lately, we are seeing more and more Android phones being priced at the same price level as iPhone, and that has compelled me to consider if Android is really that much better if being given the same price tag.
iPhone So Good meh?
As a tech enthusiast, I have always been observing what Apple has been doing with the iPhone during my time as an Android user, that has compelled me to make the switch after my current phone dies on me.
As I grow older, I realized I am using lesser of the bells and whistles of my Android phone. I’m customizing my phone lesser, not installing APKs anymore while coming to the point where I just need a phone that just works well, like well well, very well. It has come to a point for me that I don’t need more features, I just need a few features that works very well, iPhones just work.
I’ve mentioned that Android mobile manufacturers are promising 3 years of software support, but do you know what is the oldest device the latest iOS, iOS 15 could support? The iPhone 6s, which was launched back in September 2015, that’s 6 years of software support, while Android is only able to promise 3. I strongly believe in the years to come Apple will still be able to support devices for a very long time, due to their great software and hardware integration. With Apple devices efficiency improving in the future, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see an iPhone as old as 9 years still being supported, unless they decided not to just to make you buy a new iPhone from them. In short, iPhones aged very well compared to Android phones, and that is my main reason of making the switch to iPhone.
Source from Apple: iOS 15 Preview
Speaking of lifespan, let’s compare how much you’re paying in the long run if you’ve chosen Apple over Android while considering the years of software support you’ll be able to enjoy. I will take in the top tier and mid tier model to provide you a better overview of things.
Device | Price (MYR) | Software Support Duration (Years) | Price/Year (MYR) |
|---|---|---|---|
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 512GB | 5,399.00 | 3 |
1799.67 |
iPhone 12 Max Pro 512GB
| 6,699.00 | 6 | 1116.50 |
Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G 256GB
| 3,799.00 | 3 | 1266.33 |
iPhone 12 256GB
| 4,599.00 | 6 | 766.50 |
Price is what you pay, value is what you get. With the table above, I believe it’s clear that Apple isn’t expensive after all if you do the numbers. You may be forking out a bigger amount initially, but you’re using for twice the duration compared to a same tier Android device. Besides, you probably won’t be taking the highest memory configuration, so I believe your cost per year will be reduced a little more. Additionally, you are doing mother earth a favor by using a device longer, thus creating lesser waste to pollute the beautiful world we are in.
The Apple Walled Garden, Don't Get Trapped!
Apple is one of the biggest companies not just because they make great phones, but because they make great devices (iPad, Apple Watch, Airpods & Mac) that all just work together seamlessly, auto-magically. This has somewhat created an effect called the Apple Walled Garden if you walk in unconsciously, a closed ecosystem of Apple products where you no longer have to consider any devices that isn’t Apple, inadvertently you’re buying more from Apple, be it the iPad, Mac or services such as iCloud and Apple Music..
I admit that Apple devices still have a higher price tag undeniably, and if you unconsciously get trapped in the walled garden by getting more of their products, you might find it very hard to get out, bleeding your wallet if you do not know how to extract the maximum value from your purchases. There might be better competing offerings from other companies compared to Apple’s counterpart if you look deeper, such as Sony WF-1000XM4 (vs AirPods Pro), Google Drive (vs iCloud), Spotify (vs Apple Music), Google Home or Alexa (vs Apple Homekit) and Windows laptop (vs Mac), especially if you’re into gaming. Although these options aren’t within the Apple ecosystem and they may not work as seamless as Apple’s counterpart, however they might be able to provide you more value if you know how to extract it, like better sound quality, to easier platform access or better pricing (if you split with people on family packages) offered by Google Drive and Spotify and higher compatibility with apps for Windows laptops. Allowing myself options by always exploring outside of Apple will be my way to go, I don’t believe that there’s the best product, there is only a much suitable product for me, and yours could be different.
Maybe Someday, Google...
Even though I’m planning on leaving Android, I’m not leaving it for good. There are still some great things currently offered by Google, such as the Google Camera on its Pixel devices, which has been so good that people tried porting the app to allow other phones to install the APK and have the same camera quality. I’ve seen my friend’s Pixel’s photo quality and I gotta admit it looks really good.
Another thing that I will keep a lookout on is the rumored “Whitechapel” processor designed by Google that is currently in the works, which is expected to be featured in the upcoming Pixel 6. I think they’re taking an approach like Apple where they have both hardware and software designed in house to enable a better integration between software and hardware. I hope with this, we could expect longer software support.
All in all, I’m heading to Apple land with the current shortcomings of Android ecosystem. However, I’m still rooting that Android succeeds in providing longer software support, hopefully with project Whitechapel. If that happens, I will come back to Google Land.
