According to foreign media reports, Apple has just launched iOS 11 for the iPhone, and a few weeks ago, Google also released Android O, which will power all phones in the world. So who will come out on top in comparison?
Apple iOS 11
Android O
My short answer is: Android O. Why is that?
Google has killed it in artificial intelligence—from its Google Assistant to a cool feature (when you point your camera at it, it can copy a Wi-Fi password).
Apple is not out of the water. If it can make AR (augmented reality) mainstream, then it has a chance to catch up.
However, we actually do not know which operating system has made more significant progress until we can see the complete software (iOS 11 is expected to run on September 11, and Android O in October); Apple and Google may save more software information for the “iPhone 8” and “Google Pixel 2” phones; the best additions are not strictly tied to iOS or Android.
Considering the above three points, let’s see where Apple and Google lead and where they lag.
Brilliant New Features
Android O: Shrink video or Google Maps navigation to a floating thumbnail so you can keep an eye on it while doing other things (called picture-in-picture); automatically select names, phone numbers, addresses, or business copy/paste; update all new things on Android.
iOS 11: Use Apple Pay to pay your friends in iMessage; play audio on multiple speakers in the home.
So far the winner is: Android O. The picture-in-picture feature and enhanced copy/paste functionality allow the phone to play a greater role in daily life. Unlike iOS, Android phones have already made the transition from using the phone to playing music on multiple speakers (as long as they are compatible with Chromecast).
Voice Assistants
Apple has Siri and Android has Google Assistant (along with Google Voice Search and Google Now).
Siri will get a series of updates to make it look better, adding a new male voice. Google Assistant will gain a mode that can recognize objects (called Google Lens) and the ability to input queries.
So far the winner is: Android O. Although the voice addition is boring. Compared to Siri, its underlying platform is broader, more accurate, and more insightful.
At the WWDC conference, Apple missed an opportunity to showcase its digital assistant, a technology that caused a stir from the start.
Messaging
iOS 11 adopts an app drawer to optimize iMessage, but the added Apple Pay is a big highlight. Google lacks a fully functional messaging app on Android phones. Android Messages is standard (and basic) text, while Hangouts, Allo, and Duo are more specialized.
So far the winner is: iOS 11. It brings a lot of special features to iOS users, such as text effects, seamless wireless networks, and Short Messaging Service (SMS), as well as now peer-to-peer payments.
“Nuts and Bolts”
Since Apple controls both hardware and software, it doesn’t need to create an operating system for hundreds of different brands of devices. But this also means that Google needs to share its plans more actively, make its operating system faster, and improve battery life.
So far the winner: Android O. Google claims that the speed of the Android operating system is more than twice that of last year’s operating system. It has also done behind-the-scenes work to protect battery life. Apple has not emphasized these improvements, but its devices do not face the same issues.
We will have to compare the next iPhone with the next Pixel to see how battery life and speed change.
Design Improvements
Apple has redesigned the lock screen, control center, Siri interface, and App Store of iOS 11. Android O has some visual tweaks everywhere, but not to the scale of iOS.
So far the winner: iOS 11. We really like what we see—especially the updated control center—but we are skeptical about how the new App Store will roll out.
AR and VR
Android leads in both AR and VR, with Google’s VR platform Daydream and AR platform Tango, and recently launched a standalone headset.
Apple has just begun to dabble in AR, but the company claims that it will launch the ARKit developer platform later this year, which will have the largest augmented reality platform in the world.
So far the winner: Android’s VR. AR is still pending. Google’s Tango project is still progressing slowly.
If Apple can get good reports on the rumored AR capabilities of the iPhone camera, then it mightoutpace Google’s advancements.
What Else?
Both Apple and Google are doing a lot of research on artificial intelligence to make their digital assistants and tools smarter and more context-aware.
Google is also developing projects similar to instant apps, which you can open mini-apps without downloading anything. Technically, this is not part of Android, but it will be found on phones. I am impressed by the concept of Google Lens, which allows you to recognize objects on the fly.
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