Should you choose a Windows Phone or
an Android
smartphone? We can't answer that for you, but we can point out some
of what's good, and what is bad about both Windows Phone and Android. Our guide
to two of the best smartphone alternatives
to iPhone.
During the recent launch
of the new iPhones lots of PC Advisor readers asked us which of the
alternatives is best. There's BlackBerry of
course, which offers great server side support and business functionality. But
the principle question seems to be: Android or Windows Phone? It's not a
question we can answer for everyone.
They come in a wide
variety of handsets at a variety of price points - with the quality to match.
If you are in the market for an iPhone alternative and you wish to avoid
BlackBerry, for whatever reason, you are best advised to spend as much time as
you can with a variety of handsets on each platform. There is likely a Windows-
and an Android phone for everyone. It's just a question of finding the right
one for you.
Rather than giving a
specific verdict to a question that really can't be answered, here we give
general advice on the pros and cons of Windows Phone vs Android.
Android or Windows
Phone: what's great about Android
As the most popular
mobile OS on the planet, Android offers an unprecedented range of handsets at a
variety of price points. There's an Android to suit every wallet.
As a consequence support
for Android from software developers and media owners is second only to one:
iOS. You can find every app you could possibly desire in Google Play, and you
can purchase music and movies from a variety of sources.
Android offers a level
of customisation to both end user and hardware manufacturer. Not all Androids
are the same, far from it. But the sheer popularity of Android devices means
that there are lots of compatible third-party devices and accessories for
Android.
Most importantly, after
all this time the Android experience is now good. Like all major mobile OSes
Android is good-looking and intuitive, at least in the more recent flavours.
Android or Windows
Phone: what's bad about Android
That sheer variety of
handsets is not always a good thing. You can find a product at every price, but
you may not wish to purchase and use the cheapest Android phones, and you are
not guaranteed value at a higher price. The range of phones from different
manufacturers also means that accessories and cases may not be compatible.
And it's not just
hardware. Because Android is open hardware makers aren't forced - or even
incentivised - to keep their handsets up to date with the latest version. As a
consequence phones are available with a bewildering variety of operating
systems on them. Throw in the fact that manufacturers such as Sansung and HTC
write their own versions of Android to give their handsets a unique flavour.
This leads to a variety
of quality of exerience - Android is far from a curated end-to-end experience.
It means not all apps work on all phones, far from it. And not all Android
phones even offer access to Google Play.
Not that this is always
a bad thing. Some Android apps are terrible. And the choice of media outlets
can be confusing. Choice and variety aren't always to be desired, and hardware
makers will often push you in the direction of their own media- and apps
stores. They may not have your best interests at heart.
And even if you are an
experienced Android user, you may not have used the version of Android you are
getting. There is no unified experience. Finally, there is a perceived security
risk with Android. Access to Google Play is relatively unfettered for Android
developers, so you can't always be sure that the app you are downloading is
legitimate.
Android or Windows
Phone: what's great about Windows Phone 8
Windows Phone 8 is a
curated end-to-end experience. It's much closer to iPhone, and BlackBerry than
to Android in that respect. And it works well and looks good.
Indeed, in the case of
Microsoft-owned Nokia phones, the hardware and software is all made by the same
people. So you can be sure that when you purchase a Windows Phone 8 handset it
will all work well together - even when it is made by a third-party such as
HTC.
This has knock-on
effects: there is no software-based security threat vector that we know of in
the Windows Phone world. And although there is just one OS for all devices,
these days there is a good variety of price points in the Widnows world. You
can pick up the Lumia 520 for less than £100, for instance. That's great for a
quality smartphone.
Finally, for businesses
Windows Phone is like BlackBerry: your network admin can administer a fleet of
Windows Phones from the safety of his server room. That means data security is
a whole lot better.
Android or Windows
Phone: what's bad about Windows Phone
First, you'll note that
we've removed the '8' from the header above. That's because users of Windows
Phone handsets with an operating system older than Windows Phone 8 will never
be updated beyond Windows Phone 7.8. And that means incompatibility with new
apps. That may not affect your purchasing decision now, as you will buy a
Windows Phone 8 device. But it is worth bearing in mind: although Microsoft
says it will update Windows Phone 8 devices, you have no redress if it chooses
not to.
Also Windows Phone 8 is
different to Android (and iPhone). Like BlackBerry it works in a different way
to the two most popular mobile platforms. People who like Windows Phone
tend to love it, but prepare for a learning curve.
The only other downside
that we can think of is the down side of being part of a small player in a large
market. All Windows Phone 8 handsets work well, but they all offer much the
same experience, give or take a screen size or camera spec. There's also a
perceived lack of media and apps in the Windows world. Microsoft will tell you
that all the major apps people use is accounted for, but in my experience
that's not entirely the case. And some of the apps that are there are not
official, being made by third-party software makers.
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