Best phone/2016 : What are your options? Android vs iOS vs Windows

There are multiple mobile phone operational systems, but extremely solely 3 values talking about: automaton, iOS and Windows. You’ll note that right now there aren’t any Windows phones in our high twenty, but that might all modification over future few months due to the discharge of Windows ten. If you do have your heart attack Windows, also see our list of the best Windows phones 2016. (Similarly, for purely automaton selections see Best automaton phones 2016.)

The great majority of phones offered run the automation software package, with Marshmallow the latest version (yet simply seven.5 p.c of automaton devices were running candy at the starting of could 2016). In 2015 Android control eighty two.1 p.c of the world smartphone market share, and is expected to grow to 82.6p.c in 2016 (source).

While Apple’s iOS platform control a a lot of lower market share of fifteen.8 p.c in 2015 (expected to shrink to fifteen.2 p.c in 2016), there are way fewer iPhone models in circulation, meaning that every individual iPhone holds a bigger market share than every individual automaton phone. That’s generally speaking, mind, since Samsung had a higher market share in Q4 of 2015 than did Apple, with 20.7p.c against its seventeen.7 p.c(source).

Windows, meanwhile, held simply a pair of.2 p.c of the market in 2015, but with the unleash of Windows ten for phones it's expected to grow to five.6 p.c by 2018. In common with iOS, there area unit way fewer phones running Windows than there are automaton (source). See all smartphone reviews.

Best phone 2016

The figures aren’t what’s important here, though. More necessary is that mobile operational system is best for you, and to work that out there are many factors you would like to require under consideration. (For a more in-depth look at every OS see our automaton candy review, iOS 9 review and Windows ten for mobile review.)

Apps and compatibility: Windows has always been criticised for the lack of apps offered within the Windows Store, but the truth is all the largest apps area unit gift and, with the OS built on the same core as Windows ten for laptops, the possibility of universal apps that job on phone and computer could mean we’ll shortly see plenty a lot of practicality on Windows phones.

Android and iOS area unit these days fairly level in terms of app support, with very few apps offered on one platform and not the opposite. We say fairly, because there are a unit stills a few app developers UN agency can order obtaining their new options to iOS before automaton.

Android tends to supply a lot of free apps (although not all area unit high-quality), and makes it easy to sideload apps outside the Google Play Store (you can want to take care to not transfer something dodgy if you go down this path, however). By comparison, Apple prefers that you play only within the walled garden of its App Store.

Google has by far the simplest set of integral apps - we’re talking concerning the likes of Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps and Google Photos and so on. These are all synched on-line, allowing you to access the same information on any device to that you're signed into your Google account.

If you've used AN automaton phone or iPhone before, it is possible to fairly simple move your contacts and different information from one to the opposite (see a way to move from automaton to iPhone and the way to maneuver from iPhone to Android). What you can't move is paid-for apps, so keep this in mind if you are considering a modification of platform.

User interface: While Apple places shortcuts to all your apps on multiple home screens, Android hides them away in AN app drawer and leaves it up to you that you would like fast access to from the house screen. Windows has a very vibrant and pretty, yet arguably less easy covered interface, with an alphabetical list of all your apps simply a swipe in from the house screen.

Whereas both automaton and iOS can gift notifications on the lock screen, Windows fills its tiles with live information that mean you don’t forever want to open AN app to induce the information you would like. Android achieves a similar task with the utilization of widgets, and Apple is getting there with its Extensions.

Both automaton and Windows let you swipe down from the highest of the screen to access fast controls for the likes of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, while iOS offers a similar deal management Centre.

Only automaton lets you apply custom skins and themes, which is one thing you’ll either love or ne'er use. Android phone makers will additionally apply their own skins, the best known of that is Samsung’s TouchWiz.

Voice assistants: iOS’ Siri is famous for its humour, and Windows’ Cortana can be quite the comedian. Both area unit intelligent assistants that can reply to your spoken requests ANd do something from setting an alarm or job a contact to looking out the online for data or telling you a joke. Android’s Google Now is alittle completely different, as you would expect from the search giant, and is primarily focused on search, be that online or browsing the data hold on in your emails, calendar and other Google apps. It also serves up cards throughout the day, for example telling you ways long it'll take you to induce home at round the time you'd usually leave work. (If you are missing the non-public bit of Siri and Cortana, note that Samsung builds in its own S Voice assistant - see funny things to ask S-Voice.)