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Apple vs Android 2025: Which Should You Buy?

January 6, 2025 • Zachary Amos

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Comparing Apple vs Android in 2025 might seem like a challenge, but it really comes down to two main features. If you’re shopping for a new phone and aren’t sure whether to choose Apple or Android, we’re here to help. This guide breaks down the main differences between these two operating systems in 2025, including which one is best for which users. 

Apple vs Android 2025: The Short Version

Comparing Apple vs Android in 2025 essentially comes down to two things: simplicity and customization. There are more in-depth comparisons between the two camps, but these two factors are a quick way to make your decision. 

If you want a device that’s easy to use out of the box and has consistently smooth performance, get an iPhone. If you want more freedom to customize your phone or get a device with unique features, get an Android phone. 

There is much less variety among Apple phones, but the consistency ensures that you can always get a fast, smooth experience. It also makes Apple devices easier to use since every one works the same way. 

Android phones put more control in individual users’ hands. You can customize virtually every aspect of an Android phone’s performance and appearance. For some users, that level of customization increases complexity. However, for people who do want to build their own experience, Android is far better than Apple. 

Why Should You Choose Apple?

The Apple vs Android 2025 showdown is a tough competition. Both types of phones can offer stellar performance and features. However, Apple is definitely still better at a few things. You should choose Apple if you want to prioritize simplicity, privacy and value for your money. 

Simplicity

Apple phones are easy to use, plain and simple. App icons and layouts are the same across iPhones and devices. The user interface doesn’t change noticeably from one year to the next, either. If you know how to use one iPhone, you know how to use all of them. 

Plus, the sheer number of other people using iPhones makes them even more convenient. You can use AirDrop to share photos and videos. You can use all the handy features in iMessage (which you can’t do in text conversations with Android users). Apps for the iPhone tend to be better optimized, as well, since developers just have to refine performance for one type of phone, rather than hundreds. 

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As of the fourth quarter of 2024, around 27.5% of mobile operating systems run on iOS. While 72.04% run on Android, that figure covers Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Huawei, Meizu and Nothing Phones, among other brands.

Android users use a wide array of different devices. Each of those phones has a different manufacturer, a different form factor, a different UI layout and a different customer support experience. That variety makes for a much more complicated and inconsistent experience compared to what you get with iPhone. 

Privacy

In 2025, Apple is definitely the better choice for anyone concerned about privacy and security. Most leading phones from either camp are pretty secure today, particularly from trustworthy manufacturers like Apple and Samsung. However, Apple tends to prioritize user privacy more than most Android manufacturers do. 

Plus, the sheer number of Android phone developers and manufacturers results in less consistent privacy and security features. With Apple, everyone has the peace of mind of getting the same features, tools and updates. 

For example, in 2021, Apple added a feature that lets users block apps from accessing their data. The feature was so effective that Facebook’s parent company, Meta, reportedly lost $10 billion in ad revenue that relied on selling users’ data to advertisers. Apple also allows users to hide their email addresses, secure passwords in a password manager and even lockdown their iPhones in the event of a cyberattack. 

All that said, in December 2024, Apple agreed to pay over $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing its virtual assistant Siri of eavesdropping on iPhone users. The lawsuit alleged Apple employees were listening to private conversations and that Siri was sharing information with advertisers. 

While Apple went on the record to state Siri “has been engineered to protect user privacy” and its data “has never been sold to anyone for any purpose,” the plaintiffs alleged they had received targeted advertisements after discussing certain topics in private.

Value

Some may be surprised to hear Apple described as “good value” given the historically high prices of iPhones. However, an iPhone is usually a better investment than an Android phone. There are a few reasons for this. 

The high cost and evergreen popularity of iPhones means they have a great resale value. People are still buying used iPhone 6s and 7s in 2025. Apple continues to offer software updates on its phones far longer than Android manufacturers do, which means you really can use an older iPhone five plus years after its original release. So, when you’re ready to sell your old phone, you’ll get more money with an iPhone. 

Additionally, the sheer popularity of iPhones also increases the value you get out of one. Some features, like Find My, improve in performance as more devices are added to the network. App developers also tend to prioritize iPhone performance, so your apps will be better optimized. Apple carefully reviews and restricts what apps make it into the app store, meaning you encounter less spam and malicious apps on the iPhone. 

Finally, iPhones are centralized under Apple whereas Androids are made by many disconnected manufacturers. As a result, iPhone users tend to get a more seamless customer support experience compared to many Android users. 

Apple might be more expensive than some Android phones, but it’s a more valuable investment since you’ll get more for the price of your phone, both immediately and in the long run. 

Why Should You Choose Android?

Considering all the benefits of an iPhone, some people may wonder why they should bother considering an Android device. However, the competition between Apple vs Android in 2025 is closer than you might think. Android has a few big advantages over Apple that could be a dealbreaker to many users, including customization, affordability and features. 

Customization

As mentioned above, Android’s big advantage over Apple has always been customization. With iPhone, there is virtually no built-in personalization — even if you want something as simple as custom app icons. You have to use widgets, shortcuts or folders.

Android offers far more room for users to customize their device, from the way it looks to the way it runs. They can move apps around however they want, change the appearance of app icons, use different fonts, change up their lockscreen, change the colors of the UI and more. 

You can also get a more unique phone on Android. Since hundreds of companies are designing Android phones, there’s a lot more variety. If you want a phone with a great camera, you can get a Samsung. If you want a gaming phone, you can get the ASUS ROG phone. There are Google Pixel phones, folding phones, minimalist phones, big phones and small phones.

On Android, there’s a unique phone for everyone. You can customize your experience on it however you want. With Apple, there’s one way to do things and one design for everyone.

Price Flexibility

One big advantage Android has over Apple in 2025 is affordability. The incredible variety of devices to choose from with Android means that it can suit a much broader price range. Of course, there are definitely some luxury, expensive Android phones. For instance, Samsung phones can cost thousands of dollars and include some truly remarkable features for that flagship price. 

However, it’s the budget market where Android really has an edge over Apple.

The cheapest new Apple phone you can get today without going to a reseller is the iPhone SE for about $430 — and you will have to pay more to upgrade from 64 GB of storage. The iPhone SE isn’t going to get you any cutting-edge features, either. In fact, it uses the exact same outdated body and screen size as the iPhone 8, originally launched in 2017.

Sure, you could get a used iPhone for under $400, but it won’t be a recent model — and it may not be in good condition.

In contrast, you can pick up a brand-new Android phone for less than $200 and still have a great experience. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy A15 costs $199.99 — less than half the price — and includes a triple camera array, a larger screen, a more powerful front-facing camera and 5G support.

With an eligible trade in, the Samsung Galaxy A15 costs just $99.99.

You don’t have to pay extra to upgrade to 64 GB of storage. In fact, the Samsung Galaxy A15 comes with 128 GB. It even has a 5,000 mAh battery, over twice the size of the 1,624 mAh battery in the iPhone SE.

So, if you’re shopping for a phone on a budget under $500, Android is the obvious choice. iPhones offer a larger return over time, but Android phones offer better value.

New Features

Due to the sheer variety of Android phone manufacturers, Android devices tend to get new features much sooner than Apple phones do. Android manufacturers have to get creative to stand out and compete in the market. So, they’re more likely to try new things and push the barriers of smartphone tech. 

In contrast, Apple is historically sluggish about making changes to its designs. This goes for all Apple tech, not just iPhones. For example, Apple didn’t announce its mixed reality headset until years after Meta made the Quest headsets popular. Apple’s laptops didn’t even have ray tracing until the M3 line of chips was announced in October 2024. Meanwhile, Windows laptops have had ray tracing since 2019. 

That said, Apple has had a breakout year with new features. With iOS 18 comes long-awaited rich communication services (RCS) support. Finally, you can see the typing indicator and the “Delivered” status when messaging Android users. It also preserves image and video quality between the platforms — no more overly pixelated or blown-out images from your friends with Android phones. 

While iOS 18.2 does not support end-to-end encryption, the GSMA — the nonprofit organization that developed RCS — has stated it will add this layer of security in an upcoming update. This would be the first standardized messaging encryption between computing platforms. 

GSMA did not provide a specific date, but some have speculated they could reach this major milestone sometime in 2025.

Also, with the release of iOS 18.1, Siri became more flexible and accurate. Siri can now recognize context, gain on-screen awareness and follow along even if you stumble over your words. iOS 18 rolled out as a free software update for iPhone 11 through 16 — and second-gen iPhone SE, XR, XS or XS Max.

Apple vs Android in 2025: AI Features

Apple released Apple Intelligence in October 2024. The all-new features include Genmoji, Image Playground, Image Wand, Writing Tools, natural language search, Clean Up, Memories, Priority Messages, notification summaries, Smart Reply and audio transcription. 

While iOS 18 released as a free software update for iPhone 11 through 16 — and second-gen iPhone SE, XR, XS or XS Max — Apple Intelligence is limited to the latest iPhone releases. It is only available to those with an iPhone 15 Pro, an iPhone 15 Pro Max or a model from the iPhone 16 lineup.

Not one to be outdone, Android has also released several AI features. While its lineup isn’t as impressive as Apple’s, it is still worth getting excited over. To start, Google changed Gemini to make it more intuitive to use. It can understand on-screen context better and can offer better Dynamic Suggestions. 

Circle to Search — which is already available on more than 100 million Android devices —  has also received some timely updates. On top of searching online stores, asking for information on objects and pulling up definitions, you will soon be able to get an in-depth breakdown of physics and math problems in seconds. 

Galaxy AI boasts live translations, photo editing tools, note summarization, hands-free selfies and more. These features will be available on select Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy models. If you have another Android phone, you may still be able to get them by downloading the Gemini App.

Google Gemini, AI Overviews, Galaxy AI and built-in AI features will work together to improve text, voice and image interactions across Android tablets, phones and watches, helping you complete tasks and find answers faster than ever before. It seems Android may soon have an ecosystem to rival Apple. 

Apple vs Android in 2025: Who Wins?

Apple and Android remain fierce competitors, but in 2025 the reality is that both are fantastic platforms. New updates to each operating system include lots of great features and both include some incredible smartphones. So, in 2025 the Apple vs Android debate really comes down to what features are most important to you. Apple remains the top choice for simplicity, support and privacy. Android is still the best for customization, affordability and features.

Original Publish Date 12/2/2023 — Updated 1/6/2025

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