iOS vs. Android vs. Windows Phone [part 4]

Smartphone and Tablet Hardware

iOS

iOS is considered the most closed OS because it’s only available to Apple. No other hardware manufacturers have access to making phones with iOS, and that’s not going to change. Apple controls every device it sells, as has been the company’s practice for over 30 years.

There are only three phones with iOS 5 today: the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S. There are three models of each, which vary in how much memory they hold. The 3GS, now over two years old, is still considered a capable smartphone, but battery life is severely handicapped under iOS 5. The iPhone 4 and 4S share a glass front and back, which has historically been very easy to break if dropped. The iPhone 4 also had very serious problems with its antenna when held.

However, every iPhone has received the highest praise from critics year after year. Many technology pundits not only claim that the iPhone is the best phone from a hardware perspective, but that it stands the test of time the longest because of exceptional quality and software built specifically for that hardware. The iPhone is, however, limited by the number of available devices. There is only one new model yearly, and it comes in one of two colors.

Android

Android phones are the easiest and most plentiful smartphones available anywhere in the world. Today, there are over 220 million Android smartphones in use, and half a million are activated daily, according to Google. Every major phone manufacturer makes Android handsets, as well as some major PC makers like Dell.

With literally hundreds of Android phones available, the range is as far as the eye can see. Quality varies just as greatly, with many Android phones as weak and impotent as feature phones. Android smartphones come in all shapes and sizes, have screens from 2.5”-5” in size, and almost always include upgradeable memory in the form of microSD cards. Android is also the only OS that runs on LTE networks in the US today.

Windows Phone 7

WP7 devices are few and far between, for now. As of this writing, there are only 12 WP7 devices available. This is due to the strict requirements Microsoft puts on all WP7 handsets, which includes a minimum processor speed, minimum RAM, minimum camera quality, etc.

Every WP7 device, however, is guaranteed by Microsoft to meet those requirements, which means every WP7 phone has a quality backing. While the iPhone only has one new model a year and Android has an overwhelming selection, Microsoft takes the middle route with pre-set features that are shared across all phones. So while there are differences between models, there is enough similarity between them to make a purchase decision based screen size, external QWERTY keyboard, screen type, or other features.

And with the Nokia-Microsoft deal revealed at the Mobile World Congress earlier this year, Nokia will start making WP7 devices exclusively. The once-largest smartphone maker has already released two models, and Microsoft expects significant growth in the number of WP7 smartphones in 2012.

Winner: Android

Android may have the worst handsets, but it also has some of the best, as seen with phones like the Motorola Droid Bionic and Samsung Galaxy S II. The iPhone may have an edge at release, but as seen with the iPhone 4S, it only took a month for competing handsets to match its overall design and hardware features.