Your old iPhone gets better every year, unlike some phones
For Apple fans and smartphone lovers alike, this is a special time of year. It’s new phone season! But we don’t just get a new iPhone 15 series, Apple also launched iOS 17, its latest software update, just before the new phone hits stores. While the iPhone is certainly exciting, it’s not the thing I’m telling my Apple-carrying friends about. I’m more excited about the new things we can do together with iOS 17, and this is a big reason why Apple holds such a strong position in the phone world.
No other phone company gets users so excited about the software, and that’s because no other phone maker is doing such a good job with software design. This year, more than ever before, the differences are stark. You should download iOS 17 right now if you have an iPhone Xs or any newer iPhone.
As for the next version of Android, Android 14? There is a public beta, but don’t bother. Just get it whenever it comes your way, or buy a phone that has it preloaded already.Don’t get me started on Samsung’s One UI software
The software situation is even worse for Samsung. Samsung has long built its own system on top of Android, originally called TouchWiz and now branded One UI. There is a public beta for One UI 6, and the software has its fans.
Unlike the iPhone, though, when a new Galaxy phone launches we don’t spend time celebrating the new system update. When the Galaxy S24 launches next year, I won’t be holding my breath in anticipation of One UI 6.
That’s because Apple’s software is elegant, flowing, and fun. Samsung’s software is … well, it’s a lot. Apple’s software is like the concierge at a fancy hotel. The iPhone anticipates your needs and tries to serve you.
Samsung’s software is like the senior operations manager at a large warehouse. The Galaxy phone keeps track of six cameras, a motion-sensitive Bluetooth stylus, and a hidden desktop environment that turns your phone into a laptop computer. There are a ton of features hidden among the aisles, and you’re going to need some help finding them or you’ll certainly get lost.Google Pixel fans have no room to brag, either
I wish I could say that Google is doing better with its so-called ‘pure’ Android interface, but Google has serious software problems, even on the devices it makes under its own Pixel brand. Google makes a Pixel Tablet and a Pixel Fold, but it doesn’t bother making great software for those devices. Apps are drawn badly, even incorrectly, on big Pixels like those.
