6 reasons why I’m team iPhone over Android

I’ve been an iPhone user for a long time — not like original iPhone long time, but still. My first smartphone was an iPhone 4S. I was in middle school, so imagine how excited I was to talk to Siri. Laughably, being a Canadian, I didn’t realize the feature was exclusive to the US at the time. Imagine my disappointment holding down the home button only for Siri to say, “Sorry, this feature isn’t yet available in your region.” Thanks, Tim.

Since my iPhone 4S, I’ve had every flagship iPhone: iPhone 5, 5S, 6, 6 Plus (don’t ask me why I bought a bigger phone three months later), 7 Plus, X (it’s pronounced ten, don’t @ me), XS Max, 11 Pro Max, 12 Pro Max, 13 Pro (yes, I went back down a size), 14 Pro, and finally to my current 15 Pro. To me, owning the latest iPhone is a luxury, but one I plan and budget for every year. I typically give my current phone to my mother and then sell, trade-in, or keep her current phone as a test device so nothing gets wasted.

Yes, I’m an Apple stan, or whatever you want to call me. I enjoy using the company’s products and am fortunate to have made a career out of that passion. Still, any of my past writing also shows that I have no problem criticizing the company where it’s due (I’m looking at you, App Store ads). This piece isn’t a sales pitch to “convince” you to switch from Android or upgrade to a newer iPhone. I envy my girlfriend’s Google Pixel and its fancy ‘Use Hold for Me‘ feature, and I’m curious to try a privacy-focused version of Android like GrapheneOS.

Instead, I’m just looking to share six reasons why I continue to love not just my iPhone but the entire Apple ecosystem, and especially why I don’t see myself going anywhere soon.

1 iCloud and Continuity

The Apple ecosystem convenience

iCloud and Continuity are perfect examples of how Apple’s ecosystem is incomparable to anything else on the market. Some call it a walled garden; I consider it a convenience. With iCloud, all my notes, reminders, calendars, and so much more are near-seamlessly synced among my other Apple devices. iCloud Drive is my particular favorite feature as it lets me start an article on my iPhone when an idea hits, flesh it out on my iPad Pro, where I can focus, and finish it on my Mac, where publishing is easier.

Similarly, Continuity makes copying and pasting magical, enabling me to copy something on my iPhone and paste it on my Mac or any other combination of my devices. AirDrop is another valuable feature that speeds up the sharing of files between my devices. Yes, there are some solutions on the market that attempt to mimic these features with Windows and Android, but they aren’t nearly as seamless as iCloud and Continuity. I’m particularly excited about iPhone screen mirroring coming in iOS 18 and macOS 15 as a privacy-friendly way to wirelessly access my iPhone.

2 Apple Stores

There are over 500 of them globally

I’ve become less enchanted with the Apple Store experience lately. So much so that I hope to write a piece about it. Still, as a former Apple Store employee, I find it difficult not to walk into one and feel the energy in the air. I’ll be the first to admit you have Apple Store PTSD when you instinctually begin to face products upon walking in. Nevertheless, Apple’s 500+ Apple Stores, along with its thousands of reseller and repair partners, create an unmatched network for easy purchases and repairs.

A few months ago, I went on vacation to Montreal. Knowing that we were going to an area with an Apple Store, I decided to get my iPhone’s cracked rear glass repaired while we had lunch. So, like a good Apple Store goer, I booked an appointment in advance. There’s something to be said about booking an appointment via an app and getting a repair done in under two hours — all while the repair is tracked, and I can leverage my AppleCare+.

Similarly, the shopping experience at an Apple Store, while not what it once was, still makes for an excellent place to get expert advice and pick up online orders. Yes, getting a staff member and figuring out where to pay is confusing, but Apple employees are some of the most knowledgeable salespeople you’ll meet in a consumer electronics store.

3 AppleCare+

It’s all about express replacement

To some, AppleCare+ is a scam. To others, it’s a required part of the Apple buying experience. I don’t buy AppleCare+ on everything. I’ll take my chances with my Apple TVs and HomePods. Still, my expensive primary devices, like my iPad Pro, iPhone, MacBook, Apple Watch, and soon Apple Vision Pro, all get it basically by default. The decision on whether to get AppleCare+ or any extended warranty really is your risk tolerance. However, one feature that drives me to AppleCare+ in addition to the subsidized repair costs, is express replacement.

Express replacement is where Apple sends you a replacement device before you return your defective one. To do this, a person has to call Apple Support, request one, and put a hold on a credit card for the cost of not returning the replacement device. Otherwise, there’s no additional fee for this service. What makes express replacement express is how replacement devices show up within a couple of business days, hopefully minimizing your downtime. My nearest Apple Store is an hour away and doesn’t always have a replacement cellular iPad or correct iPhone part in stock. Express replacements make for a convenient way to get replacements for defective and damaged devices.

4 Videography

iPhones are the best

It’s hard for me to put into words because I’m not a professional videographer, but iPhones are just great at videography. While there are endless arguments about which device takes a better photo, I believe there’s little competition regarding video capture.

A combination of hardware and software allows iPhones to be industry-leading devices for video capture. Apple has hundreds of engineers working on the camera alone, and the folks working on video are doing a top-notch job. It’s the simplicity of just being able to pick up your iPhone and record great videos without needing to make any fiddly changes that have given the device such a great reputation for videography. Yes, there are plenty of third-party apps available on the App Store for people who want that level of control — and that’s fantastic. However, for most of its users, Apple has hit the right note for excellent video. No additional configuration required.

5 Privacy

What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone

Privacy and security are areas where Apple attempts to differentiate itself from Android and Windows. Android and Windows aren’t insecure operating systems, but the nature of iOS, a privacy-focused, closed-source OS without app side-loading, has helped propel the iPhone’s image. Compared to Windows, iPhones have no ads, and unlike Android, Apple does its best to limit data collection and process tasks on-device rather than in the cloud. iPhones are perfect; they still collect data, but this self-imposed restricted approach is one of the reasons Siri isn’t as good as Google Assistant, yet it is far more trustworthy.

Permission prompts and location sharing are other examples of this. Most location apps are sketchy, either charging money or selling user data. Sometimes both. Meanwhile, Apple has Find My, a way for friends and family to share their location without Apple ever seeing that data. Even while privacy permission prompts can be annoying, they provide a valuable gatekeeping service from malicious apps getting a person’s data.

Apple also has Advanced Data Protection to apply end-to-end encryption to your iCloud data, something that, as far as I know, Google doesn’t offer, meaning all of a person’s files can be viewed by the search giant. These are just a few ways iPhones serve as more privacy-preserving alternatives to Android devices.

6 Design

Apple is still the design king

Pocket-lint

Say what you want about Apple, but if one thing remains true, the company can design nice products. I’m not just talking about the hardware but the software, too. Services are a little iffy, I’ll admit. But everything, from the unboxing experience to the device’s materials to iOS to the apps running, the experience is unparalleled.

Competitors like Google and Samsung continue to try to mimic Apple’s design language. I can’t blame them for doing so. Yet, even with excellent hardware, Samsung’s version of Android is bloated. Or with Google’s clean installation of Android, there are still worse quality apps. Apple isn’t perfect. I’ll be the first to admit it. Still, despite the departure of Johnny Ive, the company’s design team continues to be a guiding light, an ethos, for high-quality design. I’ll never get over the premium feel my iPhone has in my hand.