1) iPhone's OS (iOS) is generally faster and smoother
2) Resale Value
This is not exactly one of the things iOS does better than Android, but it is a market advantage Apple has over most of its mobile competitors. iPhones, iPads, and other Apple products typically hold their value much better than Android products. This means you can sell them for more when it’s time to switch devices. And because Apple products are so popular, they usually sell much faster too.
Let’s put things into perspective with some real-world examples. The iPhone XS Max was launched in September 2018 for a starting price of $1,099. A used base iPhone XS Max is currently going for about $400-$500 on eBay. This means you can get up to about 45% of the phone’s original value. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 was released on August 2018 for $1,000 (for the 128GB base version). This can be found used on eBay from $250 to about $350. That would be about 35% of the Note’s original value, at best.
Keep in mind this example is a best-case scenario for Android, because Samsung is another sought-after brand that tends to keep its value better than others in its class. The resale value favors Apple far more when you compare it to other smaller Android manufacturers.
3) Timely updates
Updating software is definitely one of the things iOS does better than Android. If your iOS device qualifies to get the latest update, it will get it as soon as it launches. This can be bad news for some older devices which can’t handle more resource-intensive iOS versions very well, but that is another topic, and something to worry about only if you have an older Apple device.
The updating process isn’t as seamless with Google’s Android. Google only gives direct updates to its own products, like the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, and even those have been known to fail at getting updates efficiently.
Manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, Motorola, and all others have to get the update, work on it, optimize it for your device, and then send it out. In many instances carriers have to go through them too, which only assures you get updates late, sometimes months or years down the line… if ever.
4) The Apple ecosystem
This one is more of a tie because Google has gotten much better at integrating its services across devices in the past few years. Regardless, Apple products like iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, Apple Watches, and Mac computers are tightly integrated with iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime, and other in-house services. While Google has its competing services, which work great too, they have more of a learning curve and don’t feel as closely connected to the Android experience.
Some of the apps required to access core Google services aren’t pre-installed, forcing users to go hunting for them in the Google Play Store. This may not seem like a huge deal to most of us tech-savvy users, but it can be a daunting task to some, or at the very least an annoyance. It may be a walled garden, but it’s a safe, familiar, and easy-to-navigate garden all the same.
Speaking of app stores, the Apple App Store is significantly better curated and better policed than the Google Play Store. Developers looking to get their apps on the App Store have to go through a long and expensive list of checks and procedures, but the end result is a net increase in the overall quality of iOS apps. The Apple App Store is also generally cleaner, has less ads, and offers cool extra features like interviews, guides, better app lists, and more.
5) Security (for now)
This one isn’t as one-sided as it once was, with Google’s security updates becoming more consistent. Google has continued to secure the Google Play Store, as well as adding measures to make sure your phones and information stay safe. These include things like sand-boxing, two-step verification, Google Play Protect, more controlled app permissions, and more. These upgrades, along with more educated users, make for a much more robust Android security that begins to rival iOS.
Whether iOS is better than Android in terms of security is now up for debate, but the general consensus still gives Apple the upper hand. iOS has more consistent updates for all devices, a closed ecosystem that is harder to penetrate, and a stricter app store. All of these factors combined make it harder for attackers to target iOS users.
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Before you trash me in the comments, please remember by no means I am saying iOS is categorically better than Android. Google’s mobile OS has its advantages, I will write about them. However, we must keep everything in perspective and realize there are some things that iOS absolutely does better than Android. There is always room for improvement and Google could learn a thing or two from the Cupertino giant.
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