Android and iOS compared: Which is better?

Android and iOS will be the biggest operating systems for mobile devices in 2024. But which one is better? MeinMMO introduces you to the differences and explains where the strengths of Android and iOS lie.

Android or iOS: This is a question that every user who wants to buy a new cell phone or tablet has to ask themselves. MeinMMO presents the differences and explains which operating system offers advantages and what you should look out for.

This makes Apple and iOS better

Ecosystem

Apple has a whole universe of technical products that are perfectly coordinated with one another. If you already own an iPhone or iPad, you will have no problem integrating an Apple Watch into your system.

Apple has developed a number of features that seamlessly transition between devices, saving valuable time and hassle. For example, you can start writing on your iPhone and continue writing seamlessly on your Macintosh or iPad.

Apps

iOS has the great advantage that devices running iOS are very similar. Updating apps is much easier and updates can be distributed much more easily.

On Android, however, developers have the problem that hundreds of devices differ greatly: different aspect ratios, form factors and other peculiarities of manufacturers for their mobile phone models.

Security and privacy

Apple’s iOS, thanks to its more closed form, offers more privacy and security. With special data protection features, such as app tracking notifications, iOS offers significantly better data protection against third-party providers than Android. In addition, iOS fundamentally restricts which data apps can evaluate and use.

As great as that sounds, Apple and iOS also collect a lot of data about their users, which is not surprising. Apple is no more a saint than Google, but overall the data is better protected.

Support and updates

Apple generally offers long software support for many models. Apple also eventually stops supporting very old devices and no longer distributes new iOS versions, but it continues to provide important security updates. And that is an important difference to Android, where many Android phones have to wait a long time for important updates.

Nevertheless, there have been some improvements in the Android universe: Manufacturers such as Samsung and Google now distribute updates for at least 5 years for many devices. With the Pixel 8 and the S-24 series from Samsung, devices even receive important updates for 7 years.

Nevertheless, this is not the rule with Android. Long-term support is a rarity, especially with smaller manufacturers. If you’re lucky, the device you buy will be supported for 2 or 3 years and often there is no longer a modern Android, but “only” security updates.

With iOS 18, the iPhone will get a feature that is still controversial among some users.

camera

Apple usually builds excellent camera modules into its iPhones and offers matching software. In the Android sector, Google with its Pixel series comes close to Apple’s image quality, if at all.

The same goes for the video section: If you need professional video recordings, the iPhones are unmatched for video recording.

This makes Google’s Android better

personalization

Android generally offers more options and choices if you want to personalize your phone or tablet more.

Basically, there are hardly any limits to what you can do with Android if you want to personalize or set up your phone or tablet.

Hardware and pricing policy

With iOS, you can only buy your devices from Apple and the company has more or less a monopoly here. The prices are correspondingly high.

Android is more open and “relaxed” here: You can buy cheap Android phones for less than 100 euros, but you have to do without a lot of features in this price range.

However, with Android you are very flexible when it comes to price or how much you want to spend in the end. There are hundreds of different models from a number of manufacturers that you can choose from, ranging from 100 to 1,000 euros.

Thanks to the large number of companies that manufacture Android devices, you will find plenty of options for every budget. We have tested a particularly cheap mobile phone for you on MeinMMO:

Technical features

When it comes to new technologies and features, Android is often much faster and more flexible than iOS. From support for 5G networks to wireless charging and 4G LTE to touchless voice commands, Android leads the way and leaves iOS lagging behind.

Google adapts Android much faster than Apple iOS, but this is also because hundreds of new Android models are launched every year. A market that changes much faster than iOS, where only Apple provides the devices and the software.

Expandable memory

Many Android devices, especially cheap ones, usually offer you the option of easily expanding your memory with an SD card.

But be careful: With expensive models, such as the Galaxy series from Samsung, memory expansion is only possible with the top models (Ultra series). In the budget range, expandable memory is even more common.

Android or iOS: Which is better now?

What should I buy? If you have been using a certain ecosystem for years and have owned an Android phone for years, then the decision to get an Android phone may be easier than suddenly switching to iOS. If, on the other hand, you already own an Apple device, then it is easier for you to stay in the Apple and iOS ecosystem.

In addition, Apple’s ecosystem is very closed and relies on people buying a lot of Apple devices. Apple devices are generally not compatible with Android. For those who actively use Windows anyway, Android is probably the better choice in the end because Android is simply more flexible than iOS in many areas. iOS, on the other hand, offers better data protection and a significantly better camera.

This speaks for Android:

This speaks for iOS:

Both sides offer different advantages and disadvantages and both provide arguments as to why you should buy a smartphone or device. In the end, the main question is what is most important to you or the deciding factor when buying a device.

An app tip on MeinMMO: MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann has tried out several apps to become more economical. And it really paid off. Because at the end of the month there were always a few euros left over because he actually left an app on his phone: I use a free app on Android and save around 30 euros every month