Android vs Windows Phone vs iOS Mobile OS Comparison
Mobile operating system is a software that is used to run your mobiles devices which include smartphones and tablets. Mobile operating systems have become very powerful, advanced and feature rich in recent years. Now you can also multitask and run various kinds of applications on your Mobile OS. Here we are going to discuss and compare the topmost and popular mobile platforms or operating systems that include Android, Windows Phone and iOS.
Brief Introduction of Major Mobile Operating Systems
Here is a brief overview of all three major mobile operating systems that are being used in many smartphones and tablets.
Android
Android is a popular mobile operating system owned and developed by Google. The base of Android OS is Linux and it is an open source mobile operating system. Android has grown rapidly all in terms of popularity, features, performance, UI (User Interface), looks and flexibility. It has now become one of the most popular and widely used mobile operating system in the world.
Android 6.0 Home Screen
The open source nature of Android is one of the major reasons for its huge growth, because there are many developers working on it which leads to the development of community of wide range of developers and users. Android is used by various top end companies and also by many lesser known small companies too. Some of the top companies that use Android OS in their Smartphones & Tablets are Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony, Motorola, Asus etc.
Must Read: Android Nougat New Features and Improvements over Android Marshmallow
Windows Phone
Windows Phone is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft. It is not as widely popular and used as compared to Android and iOS operating systems, but slowly and slowly it has started gaining some progress. Windows Phone OS is mostly used in smartphones manufactured by Nokia. Early versions of Windows Phone OS had some major issues with performance and features but its latest version which is named as Windows Phone 8.1 has major improvements in all areas.
Windows Phone 8.1 Metro Design Home Screen
To me the worst thing about Windows OS is its User Interface (UI) which is based on Microsoft Metro design. The UI is very confusing and sometime even the experienced technocrat persons find it difficult to operate. Other than that the OS is stable and works smoothly on your mobile. Also it is very much secure and least prone to malwares.
iOS
iOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple and is mainly used in Apple mobile products which include iPhone, iPad, iPod and Apple TV. The UI of iOS is plain and simple but the OS itself is very powerful, stable and offers very good performance.
iOS 9 Home Screen
The latest version of iOS is iOS 9.1 which was rolled out by Apple on 21st October, 2015.
Comparison of Android, Windows & iOS Mobile OS
Here is a neck to neck comparison of popular operating systems for mobile phones and tablets.
Android |
Windows Phone |
iOS |
|
| Developer/Company | Microsoft | Apple | |
| App Store | Google Play | Windows Phone Store | App Store |
| Number of Apps Available | 1.5 million+ Apps | 340000+ Apps | 1.4 million+ Apps |
| Kernel | Linux | Windows NT | OS X / Darwin |
| Latest version | Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) | Windows Phone 8.1 | iOS 9.1 |
| Architecture / Platform | 32-bit and 64-bit ARM, MIPS, MIPS 64-bit | Qualcomm Snapdragon (based on ARMv7) | 32-bit and 64-bit ARM Architecture |
| Open Source | Yes | No | No |
| Package Manager / Update method | APK | Zune Software (not since Windows 8) | iTunes |
| Languages Supported | 70 | 130 | 40 |
| Supported Standards | GSM, CDMA | GSM, CDMA | GSM, CDMA |
| Supported Devices | Huge number of Smartphones and Tablets | Limited number of Smartphones and Tablets | iPhones, iPad, iPod touch |
| Device/Phone Manufacturers | Samsung, LG, Sony, Google, Motorola, Asus, HTC and many more companies | Nokia and some other | Apple |
| Multitasking | Supported | Supported in Windows Phone 8 and above, Limited | Supported |
| Multi-user | Android 4.2+ | No | No |
| Popularity | Very Popular and widely used | Not that Popular and limited users | Very Popular and widely used |
| Customization | Easily customizable and large community available | NA | NA |
| Features | Many | Moderate | Not as with Android |
| User Interface | Good and improves with each new Android version | Metro interface which is very confusing and not appealing | Plain, Simple and Average looking, not much improvement |
| Multi Touch | Yes | Supported in Windows Phone 8 and above | Yes |
| Cut, Copy & Paste | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Undo | No | No | iOS 4+ |
| Text/Document support | Microsoft Office, PDF, Images, TXT/RTF | Microsoft Office Mobile, PDF, Images, TXT/RTF | Microsoft Office, iWork, PDF, Images, TXT/RTF, VCF |
| Notifications | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Default Web browser/engine | Blink | Trident (EdgeHTML after 10) | WebKit |
| Web Browsers Available | Chrome, Opera, Firefox, UC Browser, Maxthon and more | Internet Explorer, Opera Mini, UC Browser, Microsoft Edge | Safari, Chrome, Opera Mini, Firefox |
| VOIP | Yes, 3rd party apps | 8+ Skype | Facetime, 3rd party apps |
| NFC payment | Yes and on any device that supports the hardware. Google Wallet for NFC payments available in Play Store | Windows Phone 8+ | iOS 8+ |
| Prone to Malware | Can be | No and very rare | Yes and can be Jailbreaked |
| Price Range of Smartphones | From budget to high-end | From budget to high-end | Very expensive |
| Java Support | Yes | No | No |
| Flash Support | Yes | No | No |
| USB OTG (On-The-Go) | Yes | No | No |
| USB Tethering / Wi-Fi Hotspot | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Keyboard support | Yes | No | Yes |
| Bluetooth Keyboard support | Yes | No | With camera connection kit only |
| Cost to Develop Apps | Free | Free | Free with Xcode |
| Official SDK Platform | Linux, Mac OS X and Windows | Windows | Mac OS X using iOS SDK |
| Cost to Publish App to Mobile Store | US $25 once to upload on Google Play | US$19 once for an individual and $99 for a company account | US$99/year |
| Official website | www.android.com | www.windowsphone.com | www.apple.com/ios/ |
Conclusion & Final Words
All of the above mentioned operating systems have their own merits and demerits. Android is certainly more popular, affordable and feature rich mobile operating system. Windows Phone is in its early stages and is not fully grown, and has limited number of devices whereas iOS is only used in Apple’s devices which are certainly very expensive and out of reach for most people. So if you ask me then I would vote Android is the best mobile operating system among three because it contains almost all the features, and is most reachable in terms of both budget and flexibility as compared to other two.
About Author
Akshat Verma
A Professional Blogger, Web Developer, Hardware Enthusiast, Gamer, Geek and Founder of many other websites. He holds M.Tech degree in IT and B.E degree in Computer Science & Engineering.
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Hi Akshat,
I am planning to buy a windows phone and i have zeroed in on BLU Win HD 4G LTE can you pls tell me about this phone and were can i place an order amazon or snapdeal all the specs seem to be fine as per the details i have gone thru could pls express your opinion on this product and also they have mentioned the it is upgradable to windows 10 can you tell me when that would be possible. Thanking you in Advance.
It is a very good budget mid-range windows phone which has good screen, has almost all features and sufficient hardware specs. It is upgradable to windows 10 but there is no info on the exact date right now, most probably in January or February 2016. It is also available on amazon at great discount. You can buy it from this link http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00XVYDQ1M/?tag=aksha0b-21
Hi Akshat,
Thanks for your reply however i forgot to ask you about the Charger of the phone is not there along with the phone but an alternate charger is be sent could you pls advice on this and as i have read in some reviews that you need to contact the blu service center and they would help in telling you the right charger. Or can you please suggest what would be right charger and were to get it so as to make sure the phone does not get damaged and the charging does not take too long.
Thanking you in advance.
For charger i would suggest you to go for http://www.amazon.in/Nokia-AC-20N-Micro-USB-Charger/dp/B00DQR6GSO/?tag=aksha0b-21
Hi Akshat,
Am Sorry i forgot to ask what 32gb sd card can i buy for memory expansion.
Thanking you in Advance.
Go for SanDisk Ultra 32GB microSD card (UHS-I Class 10 48MB/s) http://www.amazon.in/SanDisk-Ultra-MicroSDHC-UHS-I-Memory/dp/B010NE3QHQ/?tag=aksha0b-21. It is enough for your phone and no need to go for higher speeds.
Hi Akshat,
Am Sorry but i forgot to ask what would be the best memory expansion 32gb sd card for this phone and what is class 10.
Thanking you in Advance
It refers to the minimum speed of card in MB/s. Read more it here https://www.akshatblog.com/how-to-choose-the-right-sd-memory-card-for-your-device/
Hi Akshat,
Thank you for your advice and Wish you a Happy New Year!!!!!
Thank You once again….
You are welcome and Happy New Year to you too my friend.
Hi Akshat,
Could you pls advice on the screen for BLU Win HD 4G LTE as it is not gorilla glass so is the screen on the mobile is good as gorilla glass or not….Also tell me about Screen Guards and tempered glass…which to buy and where to buy them and also pls suggest some best flip covers with stand and in which i can view who is calling without opening the flip cover.
Thanking you in Advance.
The screen is good and has good resolution and clarity (294 ppi). Yes it does not have gorilla glass protection but you can use a good tempered glass screen protector to fix this issue. Read here more about tempered glass screen protectors https://www.akshatblog.com/use-glass-screen-protectors-for-phones-without-gorilla-glass/ and https://www.akshatblog.com/how-to-find-good-screen-guard-protector-for-smartphone/. For flip cover and tempered glass screen protector i would say you research local market as they are not available online for this model.
Hi Akshat,
Thanks for your reply i browsed online and got these details also tell me about this website http://www.maxbhi.com/blu-win-hd-lte-spare-parts-and-accessories.html
http://www.ebay.in/itm/ROYAL-TEMPERED-GLASS-Screen-Protector-Guard-FOR-BLU-Win-HD-LTE-/321953424346?hash=item4af5eb63da:g:QOwAAOSwPYZU-HQ5
http://www.amazon.in/Cover-Bark-Leather-Pouch-Flip/dp/B0187HNEY6/ref=sr_1_31/278-4137255-0378202?m=A1EX15BGS5XFE3&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1451976340&sr=1-31&keywords=flip+cover+for+blu+hd+lte
Pls advice on the website and the items i plan to purchase .
Thanking you in Advance
The screen guard looks OK (if it is the same one as described) and the cover from Jo Jo at amazon is also decent. Never had any experience with maxbhi.com.