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More often than you’d think, I’ll see an iPhone user on the internet express interest in switching to Android.
The main reason tends to be a very human thing: Those iPhone users want to see what else is out there. It’s usually because they’ve grown completely accustomed to Apple’s iPhone design, iOS, or both, and they’re looking to try “something else”
It’s not a hit on Apple’s iPhones. In a nutshell, they’re fantastic smartphones. But exploring what’s around you is healthy, and you’ll make the most informed decision of what ecosystem is best for you by trying out Android for yourself.
Either way, there’s one Android phone I would recommend to iPhone users looking to expand their horizons among the dozens of high-end Android devices at their disposal: The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL.
My goal isn’t to get you to switch to Android or the Pixel 3 phones. Rather, it’s to recommend the Pixel 3 over other Android phones if you, the iPhone user, are looking for the best representative of Android.
Check out why:
The Pixel 3 phones and Android are both made by Google — much like how the iPhone and iOS are both made by Apple.
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One of the best things about Apple’s iPhone is that everything is “in-house.” The hardware and operating system are made by the same company, and they’re designed to work perfectly with each other.
Google’s Pixel 3 phones have a similar vibe. You get a phone made by Google to run Google’s own operating system, Android. Google doesn’t go quite as far as Apple, however, as Apple uses its own chips to run the iPhones. Google uses chips that you’ll find on other top Android phones, too.
Still, if you want to use Android the way Google intended it, much like Apple is making you use iOS the way Apple intends it, your best bet is the Pixel 3 or the Pixel 3XL.
Google’s own phones get updates when they’re released, while most other Android phones don’t.
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So far, Google’s own Pixel phones and the Essential Phone are the only Android devices that get Android updates the moment they’re released. Otherwise, Android devices from other companies might not get updates for months after they’re released, if at all.
Getting the latest updates as they’re released, or at least having them available to install, is something that iPhone users are used to. If getting the latest updates as soon as they’re released is important to you, Google’s Pixel devices are your best bet.
Google’s phones run the best version of Android and offer the best experience.
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If you didn’t know already, Android looks and works differently across different devices from different companies. That’s because Android phone makers tend to add their own designs and features to Android. In many cases, phones that aren’t made Google will actually have more features than Pixel phones as a result.
But after using Android devices from almost every company that makes them, I always prefer the pure, stock experience of Android that’s made by Google and Google alone. Android 9.0 “Pie” on the Pixel 3XL feels up to date, optimized, clean, responsive, fluid, and reliable. Other Android versions on smartphones that aren’t made by Google check some of those boxes, but not all of them.
It’s a cleaner experience on the Pixel 3 phones, much like the clean experience you get with iOS. Other Android phones that aren’t made by Google tend to feel overly cluttered with extra features that aren’t entirely meaningful.
The Pixel 3 phones aren’t only the best Android smartphone cameras, they have the best cameras out of any smartphone, including Apple’s iPhones.
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iPhones have great cameras, but Google’s Pixel 3 phones have phenomenal cameras. Out of all the photos I’ve taken with the huge variety of devices I’ve tried, I always end up preferring the photos taken with Pixel phones.
And the Pixel 3 cameras also have the best software features from the iPhone, too, like adjusting the blurry background effect after taking a portrait-mode photo, for example. In fact, the only iPhone camera feature you won’t find is the studio lighting feature, which is bad and pointless, to be frank. I’ve never ever seen anyone take or post a studio lighting photo unless it’s to show how bad it is.
The Pixel 3 phones also have an ultra-wide angle selfie camera, which you might like.
If you’re not a big selfie taker, the ultra-wide angle selfie camera on the Pixel 3 phones may not be a big deal. But it does let you get more people and scenery into a selfie, which is incredibly meaningful for the selfie takers out there.
One of the reasons I have never been a big selfie taker is because I can’t get enough friends and scenery in my selfies. So, the ultra-wide angle selfie camera might make a selfie taker out of me yet.
For what it’s worth, the LG V40 also has an ultra-wide angle selfie camera. But I wouldn’t say it’s the best representation of Android, as it runs LG’s own altered version of Android that doesn’t get updates in time.
Don’t worry, the Pixel 3 phones have all the high-end specs and features you’d expect on iPhones.
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The Pixel 3 phones have pretty much everything you’d find on an iPhone, except for iOS. That list includes:
- A glorious OLED display
- Water resistance
- Wireless charging
- Fast charging — and it comes with a fast charging brick, too (iPhones don’t)
- Mobile payments with Google Pay
There’s no Face ID to unlock the phone, but the Pixel 3 has a rear fingerprint sensor that’s faster and more accurate than Face ID anyway, at least from my own experience.
Apart from everything I mentioned above, you get all the great things about Android in the Pixel 3, too.
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Android fans will continue to make the age-old argument that Android is more customizable than iOS, and the argument holds true today. It’s perhaps the biggest reason why I’ve never been bored by Android.
The other integral feature in all Android phones is the notifications shade, which is incredibly useful and makes it easy to manage pretty much everything on the phone, like notifications and settings.
If the $800-$900 price tag on the Pixel 3 phones doesn’t appeal to you, there is one non-Google phone I’d heartily recommend.
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Phones from OnePlus offer a very close experience to Pixel phones, as they run a similarly clean version of Android. They’re also incredible value, as you get gorgeous design and a great camera for under $600, all while running on the same chip and more RAM than the Pixel 3 phones.
OnePlus is announcing the OnePlus 6T on October 30, with the release coming on November 6. If you’d rather pay less for a great Android experience, I’d wait for the OnePlus 6T, which is expected to cost around $550.
As a third option, the $500 Essential Phone would also be a good alternative, as it has a nicer design than the Pixel 3. The only thing about the Essential Phone is that it runs on specs from 2017, so it might not hold up as well in the long run as the upcoming OnePlus 6T or the Pixel 3 phones with 2018 specs.
