Lock and home screens
The lock screen (if enabled) is the very first thing a user sees upon turning their smartphone on, which is why its flawless execution is of utmost importance. And it is hard to decide which one we like more – the one on iOS 7 or on Android 4.2, but we're pretty sure they both leave room for improvement. The iOS 7 lock screen is minimalist, providing instant access to the camera, the Control Center, or the pending notifications. However, it would have been better if one could slide either way to unlock it; only a swipe to the right takes you to the home screen. The Android 4.2 lock screen is flexible when it comes to customization, with its widgets and all, and it doesn't matter which way you swipe to unlock it. However, the selection of widgets one can place there isn't as broad as we wish it was. Overall, both lock screens are great, although they could have been better.
On each home screen of an iPhone 5 running iOS 7 there's room for 24 icons total. Interestingly, a stock Android home screen on a Google Nexus 4 leaves room for only 20 app shortcuts even though the smartphone has a larger display with higher resolution. Of course, that's not too big of a deal, especially when both interfaces allow apps to be sorted in folders. The iOS 7 home screen design and layout aren't bad, but perhaps it's all a bit too static, which is why we tend to like Android more for its versatility. It's just that widgets are a pretty cool feature that Apple's mobile OS has yet to adopt in one form or another.
Quick controls and notifications
Control Center adds functionality that iOS sorely needed. Simply put, swiping up from the bottom of an iOS 7 home screen brings up a list of toggle buttons for turning things like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and off, controlling music playback, adjusting the screen's brightness, even using the camera's LED as a flashlight. Options like these have been available on custom Android UIs for a long time, and the stock Jelly Bean interface has many of them as well out of the box, located in a menu accessible from the notification bar.
Speaking of notifications, the Notification Center in iOS 7 has been overhauled and now takes the user straight to their agenda. That's very convenient for people who actually use the Calendar app. Furthermore, the user is free to pick what notifications are to be displayed there – stocks information, unread email, GameCenter alerts, reminders, and more. Android's notification bar is a bit different for it doesn't display much if there aren't any pending notifications. But on the other hand, the user does get updates via Google Now.
Dialer and contacts list
On-screen keyboard and messaging
But when it comes to messaging, iOS has a significant advantage over Android with its iMessage system, which automatically routs texts over the web instead of eating up the user's monthly SMS allowance. Not that Android's Hangouts is a bad solution, but it would have been more convenient if the Android messaging features were unified in a single app.
Multitasking
Customization features
Camera UI and Image Gallery
The iOS 7 gallery application has grown smarter now and it can sort your images based on the time and location they were taken at. It also lets you edit the image by adding filters, removing red eyes, fine-tuning the color balance, or simply cropping it in a desired proportion. Sharing photos online, be it on Facebook, Twitter, or via Email, is also an option. The Android 4.2 gallery app can also edit and share images, as well as to sort them by date or location, so we don't think it is any less functional. It would have been cooler, though, if there were more thumbnail sizes available in grid view.
Multimedia
If we had to pick between the iOS 7 music player app and Play Music on Android 4.2, we'd most likely go with the former. Apple's solution just feels a bit better organized, although Google's music player is definitely not bad either. Both apps allow one to control music playback from the lock screen, which definitely makes things more convenient. Also, they both come with built-in streaming music services – iTunes Radio for Apple's iOS 7 and Play Music All Access for Google's Android, and offer the ability to stream whatever audio the user has stored in the cloud.
To watch videos on Android 4.2 one has to use the Gallery application. Strange, we know, but for some reason, Android in its stock form lacks a dedicated video player. Fortunately, the Gallery gets the job done, although you might want to browse the Play Store for a proper video player in case you watch a lot of video on your smartphone. The iOS 7 video player is okay as well, with a pretty simple UI and support for closed captions.
Conclusion
It is pretty hard, if not impossible, to say whether iOS 7 or Android 4.2 is better. That would be like saying that bananas are better than oranges, or vice versa. The fact of the matter is that both operating systems are pretty well made. And perhaps we won't be wrong if we say that the two are in their best state to date, although we can't be absolutely sure about that since the iOS 7 release we tested isn't final. Besides, a newer, better version of Android might be already out by the time iOS 7 is ready for prime time, if rumors are to be trusted.
Overall, those who favor a clean, elegant, intuitive interface (also the people who aren't sure what they want) would likely be perfectly happy with iOS 7 in its latest form. On the other hand, people who are into personalization and those who like the feeling of having more control over their smartphone would be better off with Android.
No comments:
Post a Comment