Windows Phone 7 vs Android 2.2 vs iOS 4

On the eve of Microsoft’s re-entry to the premier league of smartphone operating systems, is it safe to go back to a mobile running Windows?

Identity
Windows Phone 7
The newcomer’s tiled screens are a blast of primary blue freshness in a world of artily graded, icon-based homepages. It can be customised by manufacturers and carriers, but ultimately by users, without losing its identity.

Android 2.2 (Froyo)
Google’s icon-laden OS has replaced Windows Mobile as the manufacturers’ design playground. It’s been skinned and tweaked out of all recognition. Underneath, that identity was always the poor cousin to iPhone OS’s anyway.

iOS 4
It’s the world’s most recognisable smartphone OS (for now). And no one can touch it without putting on his hacking hat and potentially missing out on updates. What can we say? It was an instant classic. And still looks good three years later.

Handsets
Windows Phone 7
No smartphone OS has ever launched with as many handsets as Windows Phone 7. Thanks to the spec commandments sent down from Mount Redmond, they’re all fast and sharp, too.

Android 2.2 (Froyo)
While many of Android’s past heroes have been left to rot in the outdated OS gutter, Froyo’s device line-up includes the HTC Desire HD and smart tabletware such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab. But will even they be abandoned with the arrival of Gingerbread, Honeycomb and Ice Cream?

iOS 4
Apple’s phone hardware has led the market since launch, and it continues to dominate with the iPhone 4’s glassy sandwich form. There’s little choice, mind – you can have a 3GS instead, but that’s it.

Tools
Windows Phone 7
Flash 10.1 and cut-and-paste are coming, but early adopters will miss out on these. Not that they should care too much – there’s Zune media, Xbox Live gaming, Bing search, Office Mobile and show-stealing maps.

Android 2.2 (Froyo)
Froyo’s finally given Android Flash 10.1, the ability to turn handsets into Wi-Fi hotspots out of the box and USB tethering. Not bad, but it relies on third parties for all its music, gaming and social stuff.

iOS 4
No Flash, no tethering, no hotspots… but Apple’s OS makes up for its closed-shop approach to sharing with the best developer base in town (see Apps) and its formidable iPod media player isn’t flagging either.

In use
Windows Phone 7
Microsoft decided against aping the icon-filled screens of its rivals. Instead, it’s aimed for a simpler experience with big, thumbable tiles packed with handy notifications. First impressions score highly.

Android 2.2 (Froyo)
Of all the OSs here, Android feels the least intuitive. There’s more to play with under the bonnet – great for inveterate tinkerers like us – but it presents a less friendly face to the lay gadgeteer than the other two. Best notifications, mind.

iOS 4
Give a child an iPhone and it’ll have it mastered in seconds. That’s how intuitive Apple’s interface is. True, it could learn a thing or two about notifications from either of the others, but iOS is still the most intiutive mobile operating system.

Apps
Windows Phone 7
Unfair, we hear you cry. Yes, but everyone has to start somewhere and in this case it’s Windows Phone 7, which starts out life with an app cupboard that makes Mother Hubbard’s stash look enviable. History suggests the games and apps will load up quick enough, though.

Android 2.2 (Froyo)
Blessed with a massive developer community and an open approach to acceptance, the Android Market is huge. It’s also messy and disorganised, making it hard to find the relatively few gems among the massive pile of rubbish, and can’t be searched from a desktop.

iOS 4
When people aren’t about, other smartphones gang up on the iPhone, chanting, “Who ate all the apps?” But it’s just jealousy – iOS supports more apps, has a better store and less dross than any other platform.

The verdict
If we’d actually tallied up scores as we went along, this would be a pretty level tournament. After five gruelling rounds of comparison, we can lazily conclude that Android is the most customisable, iOS has the best apps and Windows Phone 7 has the most pleasing interface. But really what this comes down to is… which one should you get?

Windows Phone 7
You love that new gadget smell and can’t resist the allure of Microsoft’s pretty new interface, despite its barren app market and lack of cut-and-paste. You’ll be rewarded with a rich, useful and slick experience on a choice of top-end hardware. Well done.

Android 2.2 (Froyo)
Android is a playground for experimentalists, and always gets Google goodies first (like Maps Navigation and Goggles search, for instance). But the Market’s app needles are buried in a haystack full of duds and version updates are limited and often delayed.

iOS 4
Burn your open source ideals and embrace Apple’s sealed-off platform. Not tempted? Despite its insistence on complete control, Apple’s OS is more finished – and more polished – than any other, and plugs into the world’s favourite desktop media client, iTunes.

Comments

The_Corporal

2 years ago

Actually you can browse the android market from your desktop with appbrain. A very biased piece from start to finish. Mind you what was I thinking expecting a genuinely fair comparison from fanboy.tv

Plastix

2 years ago

Wow. Just Wow. As someone who considers themselves OS agnostic (I went from symbian to winmo to iOS to Android and now closely watching WP7)this is one of the most ill-informed and biased articles I ever read. What the hell kind of poor journalism is this? Get your flame retardant coat on now, as the Android community is not going to be happy. Sure Android deserves some of the criticisms levelled at it, but you entirely miss all of its benefits. Despite the writers clear bas towards iOS, there is a reason so many people have switched to Android or has he failed to notice Android overtake iOS in the popularity stakes?!

Drunken Max

2 years ago

I thought it was okay but I'm not sure you know what intuitive means. The iOS isnt intuitive at all. It just works one way and thats it. I think you mean its simple to use and you can't mess with it. Its predictable. Poke Yoke I think is the term you are after (look it up)

Hugh Jarse

2 years ago

As a delighted iPhone 4 user I have to say I agree with the piece (but I never claimed to be unbiased...)

JetBrink

2 years ago

I have to agree with the above but honestly Stuff has been in love with the iPhone since it's birth. My 2 cents is that I love my iPhone but hate that it forces me to have iTunes, which I find slow, clunky and rigid.

wachadoing

2 years ago

Could this article be any more bias?

fertzy

2 years ago

World's Favourite Desktop media client? Itunes? Funniest thing I've read all year!

Rich_Bown

2 years ago

sorry 'android is icon laden' and iPhony isn't? Past heroes Left to rot - sorry there's custom ROMS being flashed to older hardware (surely the point of android being open source don;t you think?). ios makes up for lack of flash by having more developers and then you go on to say android is blessed with a massive developer community? Ios is more intuitive? yeah like a fisher price piano is easier to play then the real thing? Ios has less dross instore than anything else? have you seen the number of iFart apps in the store, or the percentage of those 300k that DON'T get downloaded? Itunes is a curse and not a blessing by the way! Can you please remove your head from Apples iA$$? Thanks, have a nice iWeekend!

Danny83

2 years ago

Im sorry but I think that the review is quite fair, I work in a phone shop and have done for many years and as such would say I am quite well qualified to judge these OS's and I do in most part agree with Stuff. The android, whilst good in the sense that its 'unlocked' if you like, and we do get a lot of people wanting them over the iPhone because of the freedom you are afforded. However if you can let yourself get over the fact Apple are controlling how you customize you device the iPhone is still the best OS out there. Now i don't say this out of some tribal loyalty to Apple, quite the opposite I have only had my iPhone for under 12 months and as I said above I work with these phones and find it much better and easier to use, like the reviewer says even a young child could use it, and they do in our shop with the demo units we have out (which is what I think they meant by intuitive) On the apps side of things, I think its fair to say that within a short amount of time the Windows platform will be catching Android up however Apple does have a hefty head start. I think what is said about the android being too icon laden, the menu system is extremely long and a lot to look at in one go, which many people agree with when we demo the devices whilst the iPhone might have the same number of icons, with them being split over several pages makes it much easier to view and less cluttered looking. As for Android taking over iPhone in the popularity stakes I couldn't really comment country and worldwide stakes, however we sell a high volume of iPhones versus android, I think that possibly due to the number of cheaper handsets (starting at less than £100) containing android could account for some higher sales showing, however apple have never claimed to be budget and if we were just looking at handsets specced at the same level of the iPhone you find that the iPhone outsells the desire/x10/galaxyS at least in our area anyway. In short I think that the reviews are pretty fair and someone looking here shouldn't be put off either of the other two platforms by the clearly android 'fanboys' above and go into your local phone shops and ask the people there for some mostly unbiased advice and don't listen to forums and the comment section of reviews like this as they only seem to be populated by Apple bashers. Thanks