It’s Worth Giving Android a Chance!

I think it’s fair to say that the smartphone community is pretty divided on which is the best smartphone brand, and rightly so! I mean, each brand has a selling point which suits some more than others.

When it comes to Android phones, there seems to be a lot of confusion about them in general, some people seem to think that they’re cheap, some seem to think that they take terrible photos and some seem to think that they’re bad without ever even touching an Android device.

It’s almost like the iPhone has become some sort of a status symbol! The truth of the matter is, that Android phones are actually rather good.

Last year, I found myself in the market for a new phone, I was thinking about upgrading to another iPhone, but instead, I went with the Google Pixel 6 Pro and let me tell you, the phone was pretty good, especially the camera! I’m now on the Pixel 7 Pro and the phone is even better!

Based on my experience with Android as an ex-iPhone user, I decided to share 5 Myths about Android, so without any further ado…

1. All Android Phones Are Cheap!

This term is usually used as an insult to Android users and it refers to Android phones being poor quality and cheap to buy.

Okay, I admit it, you can pick up an Android phone for as little as £50 in the UK, but it doesn’t mean that everybody around you has done so. Personally, I would never recommend buying ultra-cheap Android phones in the first place! I would suggest the second-hand market instead!

Just like iPhones, Android phones can actually be rather expensive, I mean at the time of writing this article, the base model, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with 256GB of storage costs £1,249! I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t consider that to be cheap!

On a separate note, not all Android phones are cheap in quality, it fully depends on the phone and how much you’ve spent on it. I mean, I wouldn’t say my Google Pixel 7 Pro is of cheap quality! The phone looks stunning and feels expensive! Something, I can’t say about the Alcatel One, after having a look at it in a phone shop.

2. Android Is Slow and Buggy

Another common myth I hear people say when they notice I’m using an Android smartphone is that it’s slow, I actually had iPhone users ask how I cope with the slowness. To that I usually answer by letting them have a go on my phone, to see for themselves.

I mean back in the early days of smartphones, Android was slow, I had several early Android phones and most of them were slow and buggy. But that’s just not the case anymore.

It will always depend on the phone, I mean you can buy cheap phones or phones from smaller brands that are still working on perfecting their devices, but it doesn’t mean that phones from well-known brands will be slow and buggy.

Just to add to that, a lot of these claims I had are from people that have either never touched an Android phone, tried an ultra-cheap one or have used one a very long time ago. In this case, I always recommend having a go yourself, you might be pleasantly surprised. But try one from a reasonable brand and spec.

3. Android Is Difficult To Use

I guess we can treat this myth more as a personal opinion, but outside of that Android is actually quite easy to use. Smartphone manufacturers have done a lot to make their interface look nicer and easier to use at the same time.

The best thing about Android is that if you don’t like the way it looks or find it too complicated, you can download a different launcher to make your life easier. In Android, a launcher is an app that controls your home screen, app area, widgets and sometimes more. There are countless options, some are aimed at simplicity, some are aimed at customisation and some are there just to make your life more practical. One of my favourites is the Nova launcher.

Personally, I think that the main reason why iPhone users think Android is complicated is that some things are located in different areas and the phones function slightly differently, but there’s nothing other than spending more time with the phone will help you with that.

There are also various videos on YouTube pointing out some of the best features of certain smartphones as well as guides on how to use them efficiently. But in my opinion, it’s still all about spending time getting to know the phone.

4. Android Apps Are Less Secure and Unstable

This one makes me smile, simply because the security of the device is dependent on how secure you as the user make it. I mean you can have an iPhone but if your unlock code is simple or you don’t even have one, then your device is not secure.

I always find it alarming that there are people out there that choose not to use any form of mechanism that locks your phone. The same can be said for passwords, some people choose to reuse the same basic password for all of their online accounts and then claim that they never had an issue.

We store a lot of sensitive data on our phones, that’s why I recommend making your phone as secure as possible. Try to use multiple methods of authentication and don’t use basic passwords, my advice is to use a reliable password management solution such as NordPass which I use personally. 

Looking For A New Password Manager? Try NordPass!

It doesn’t matter whether you are using an iPhone or an Android phone, the first thing you need to be aware of in terms of security is that there are bad apps out there, that’s why you seriously need to be careful about what apps you download. Apps are constantly removed from the App Store and the Google Play Store to keep you safe, but if an app looks too good to be true, it probably is.

It’s also worth mentioning that with Android you can download 3rd party apps, something I don’t recommend doing unless you are absolutely certain you know the app is safe. It’s also a feature that has to be enabled in the settings, which lowers the chance of you accidentally installing something you shouldn’t have.

In terms of the stability of the apps, it totally depends on the app itself, but if I compare the mainstream apps, I think they’re quite stable. To add to that, Android has significantly improved its security over the last few years.

5. Android Users Are Not Willing To Spend Money On Apps

Spending money on apps is more of a personal choice in my view, but judging by what I hear from others, spending money on iOS apps seems to be normal practice, but not so much on Android.

The thing about Android is that there seem to be a lot more options for apps than there are on iOS, it could be due to the fact that developing apps for Android can be a lot cheaper than iOS, so there theoretically is more choice.

I mean there are times when users may attempt to find a free alternative app on the Play Store, but people still spend money on apps and games.

As a matter of fact, I purchased Luma Fusion for my Pixel 7 Pro just recently! As an Android user, I’ve also purchased a handful of other apps and games, I even pay for subscriptions within apps!

But at the end of the day, I guess it’s all down to your personal preference, you don’t have to pay for all apps on both platforms and most of the time there are free alternatives available.

5 Things I Learned After Switching To Android!

Summary

As a tech enthusiast, I find it incredibly frustrating that there’s such a divide between people when it comes to smartphones, even in the Android community there is a divide regarding which brand is better.

People seriously need to try a few devices out for themselves to then make an opinion. I mean, I had a friend who was a die-hard iPhone fan, but when he tried my Samsung Z-Flip 4, he was surprised at how good it was and he ended up getting one himself and he loves that thing – at least that’s what he tells me. I also know people who were Android fans but when they tried an iPhone for the first time, they ended up switching.

At the end of the day, the phone that you use should have nothing to do with what others think and it should definitely not be a status symbol. You are the only one that will be using that phone on a daily basis, so my advice is to choose something that you are comfortable with and happy with.