Smartphone OS Comparison - Which one is the best?

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Smartphone OS Comparison-Which One is The Best?

iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7 and Symbian 3

There was a time when buying a smartphone was easy. You had a couple of platforms and a handful of models to choose from. Things have changed a lot today. You now have over half a dozen platforms out there with hundreds of different models between them, priced very close to each other. It doesn't help matters when several phones are identical to each other but simply running a different brand of operating system.

You can decide what features you want in your phone but what about the operating system? There is no way you can choose between them looking at the spec sheet alone. Being in a position where we get to use all the latest smartphones on all the different platforms, we think we have answers to your operating system related questions.

What follows is a brief comparison of the top four smartphone platforms - iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7 and Symbian 3-where we try to find which one is the best, ultimately narrowing down your number of options while buying and helping you choose better.

Aesthetics

iOS is the oldest of the four platforms here. Even though it is four-and-a-half-years old now and has barely undergone any major UI makeover, it still looks great. The UI design has a sense of timelessness to it and no matter how many times you look at it it does not look boring. Apple has also designed it in a manner where it is out of your way most of the time so that you can concentrate on your applications. This means there are no unnecessary animations and transition effects and whatever little is there looks natural and is functional.

Android on the other hand has gone through considerable changes since its first iteration and has only got better with age. Having said that, over the years it has lost some of its simplicity and picked up some UI design elements that seem overdone, such as the 3D image gallery or the live wallpapers, which serve no functional value whatsoever and just consume resources for meaningless eye candy. This behavior is at odds with the usual Google way of designing things, where functionality takes precedents over attractiveness. Still, overall it is an attractive OS and although it lacks the timeless beauty of the iOS or the contemporary look of Windows Phone 7, it manages to look pretty good. Too bad you rarely get to see the real Android below the custom skins.

Symbian 3 borrows the basic UI design of its predecessor and improves upon it. Despite that the end result is not something that one would call modern. You can see the roots of the operating systems, such as the soft keys at the bottom of the screen that were necessary for devices with buttons and a scroll bar for when there was no kinetic scrolling. It does not look bad per se, but it is not in the same league as others. Luckily, it is skinnable, so you can give a new look to it with a custom skin, although don't expect to make a swan out of a goose.

The latest entrant into the world of smartphones, Windows Phone 7 took the world by surprise when it was first announced, partly because no one expected Microsoft to come up with something that was so fresh and modern. The beauty of the UI design on Windows Phone 7 is unlike anything that you have seen before on other smartphones.

Unlike other operating systems here, especially Android, which borrowed heavily from iOS initially for their UI design, Microsoft came up with something that was completely original and yet incredibly good looking. So good is the UI design that most people would be seduced into buying a Windows Phone 7 device based on the look itself.

Ease of use

Designing a good looking interface is one thing. Designing a good looking interface that is also easy to use is another and no one does this better than Apple. If you don't believe us just search online for videos where kids are given an iPad or an iPhone and within minutes they manage to figure out the basics.

In our experience iOS has turned out to be the easiest mobile operating system, where everything was so clear and obvious that anyone who used it for the first time, regardless of age, could figure it out without having to refer to a manual. The reason for this is that it does not assume that the user knows how to use it and because of that you can go around doing basic things without any help. It is incredibly intuitive and makes you wonder why others haven't figured out a way to make their software work this way. It feels as if it was designed with regular human beings in mind, not robots or geeks. We loved the keyboard especially.

Next in line of intuitiveness is Android. It does not have the same level of simplicity as iOS, were you can detach you brain and still manage to work the interface, but it is still very easy nonetheless. Unfortunately, you would rarely get to use stock Android on every phone you use, which means if you are someone who's not a geek and are used to, say, an HTC Android phone, you will be lost when you pick up a Samsung Android phone.

So even though Google and the OEMs try to make the UI user friendly, the fact that there are so many different types of them is bound to leave a layperson confused.

Using the early versions of Symbian S60 5th Edition was as much fun as amputating your arm with a dull blade. The UI was designed for phones with keypads and Nokia had done little to ensure that it was usable, if not a pleasure. That's not the case with Symbian ^3, however, which feels miles ahead in terms of usability.

Things now work the way they should and there is no longer a doubt in your mind whether clicking something will just highlight it or launch it. We still don't like the way the applications are scattered across the menu and the on-screen keyboard could have been better. But overall the latest version of Symbian is pretty user friendly, and unlike Android, you don't have to worry about different interface layouts on different devices.

Windows Phone 7 may look great but it isn't the best when it comes to user friendliness. There are some things that aren't immediately apparent, such as the way you have to press and hold on certain items to display additional options. Then there is also the quirky behavior of the search button or the tiny call/end keys and the need to unlock the screen before you can receive a call. But more than anything, it's the lack of basic features such as multitasking and copy-paste for text that really makes things difficult for the users. We do love the keyboard though, which is on par with the keyboard on Gingerbread and almost as good as the one on iOS.

Features

Features was never a strong point of iOS, but over the years Apple has added a lot of functionality to the OS, such as the ability to install applications, multitasking, copy-paste, folders, etc. iOS today leaves very little room for complaint. However, there are some things that Apple is yet to take care of such as Bluetooth file transfers, file manager, mass storage, homescreen widgets and FM radio to name a few, but we have a feeling none of these will ever be addressed.

Fortunately, Apple does add additional functionality with every major firmware upgrade but more often than not these are limited to newer devices, whereas the older ones get the short end of the stick.

Android's biggest advantage over iOS has been the features and with the latest release Android has almost every feature that you could want, whether it is multitasking, widgets, tethering, Wi-Fi hotspot or Adobe Flash support. It feels the most complete out of all the four platforms here in terms of features, and if features are all that you are looking for then you would be happiest with Android.

When it comes to features, Symbian ^3 is no slouch either. You will find almost every feature here that you get on Android, along with some that you don't, such as FM radio and USB On-the-Go connectivity. You even get multiple homescreens (three, to be exact) and widgets for them, which are very handy. Features like multi-tasking and copy paste, something others have just discovered and others are yet to, have always been part of Symbian since the first iteration several years ago and have been executed perfectly. Symbian ^3 has most of the features that you would want and there wasn't anything that we felt it should have that it didn't.

This is one aspect where Windows Phone 7 fails miserably. For an operating system launching in 2010, Microsoft has left out some pretty major things. Although they are saying they will eventually incorporate most of them through updates we feel they should have had them from day one. While it was excusable to leave out on those things back in 2007, Microsoft has no such excuse, considering they were in the smartphone business even before Windows Phone 7. It does have some good features, such as the homescreen tiles, Xbox Live support, Zune pass and Office integration, but we don't think that will be enough to compete against the rivals.

Performance

When iOS first came out, it wowed the world with its fluid interface that ran perfectly even on the modest hardware of the first generation iPhone. Over the years the OS has become heavier and the proof of this is the way the iPhone 3G struggles with iOS 4.0. But try the same OS on an iPhone 4 and you will notice a world of difference. The UI is silky smooth throughout with no noticeable sluggishness. Even when switching between multiple applications, the UI maintains its smoothness without faltering.

Something similar has been observed in case of Android. As long as you provide it with fast hardware, it runs fine but tends to choke on slower devices. However, unlike iOS, even when running on faster hardware, Android is never perfectly smooth. At times you will notice unexpected and inexplicable slowdowns while going through the UI, which deters from the overall experience. Google has also added unnecessary eye candy to the UI, which also tends to bog down devices with less than perfect hardware.

Also, Android does not use the GPU to render the on-screen images, which means the CPU is overburdened, causing further slowdowns. Still, with some optimization, Android can be made to work pretty well on slower devices.

One of the greatest strengths of Symbian is that it has always been a very light operating system that could be run even by weaker hardware. This is why all the Symbian phones have hardware that seem less impressive than what we are used to seeing on high-end devices, but that is absolutely fine as even on that hardware the OS runs perfectly well.

Since the OS is so light, it removes the need to unnecessarily jack up the hardware and burn more battery in the process. This is why Symbian phones have the best battery life among smartphones. Nokia has also made good use of the on-board GPU to render all the on-screen images, leaving the CPU free to handle other tasks.

When it comes to UI smoothness, Windows Phone 7 is unbeatable. That's mostly because it is always sitting on powerful hardware, but also because the OS is well optimized for it. This is another good example of the kind of performance you get when you know what the weakest device your software would work on and then optimize it accordingly.

This is also why Android does not work well on low-end devices. The UI of Windows Phone 7 is so smooth, it gives you the illusion of moving physical objects around instead of UI elements, an illusion that Android fails to maintain, thanks to the occasional stutter. Unfortunately, the smoothness is only limited to the default applications as third-party applications could not live up to the same standards that Microsoft has set. We have seen Android developers come up with smoother applications even though they had no idea what phone their application would be running on. We hope things get better in future as these applications are updated.

Applications

This is one area where iOS pulls out a massive lead ahead of all the other platforms here. Being around the longest has certainly benefitted it and there are millions of applications available on the App Store right now waiting to be downloaded. Granted that more than half of them are not worth a second look but there are some really brilliant apps here. In fact, the general quality of applications available is the highest among all the smartphone platforms. Some of these apps have truly revolutionized the way we use our smartphones and in a way that not even Apple would have imagined when they made the iPhone. If apps are all you care about more than the device, then iOS is the platform to be on right now.

Although Android is fast catching up with iOS in terms of number of applications, we have failed to come across truly compelling apps that would sway us in favor of the Droid. Most of the great apps on Android are already available on iOS and the remaining ones are Google's own apps. There are very few great apps or games that are exclusive to Android right now. Sure, things would change down the line and once everyone realizes that Android is the better platform to develop for, considering there are no strict restrictions to follow unlike on the App Store, people would eventually make a move towards Android.

With Android already outselling iPhones in the US soon everyone would want to develop for the OS with the most number of users. Right now though, things aren't that great as such and if it's apps you want you should be looking at iOS, not Android. Also, remember that even if tomorrow Android Market does get all the great applications that does not mean they will stop making them for iOS.

There was a time when people boasted about the number of applications that Symbian has. Although it does have one of the best libraries of applications available in terms of sheer numbers, a lack of application store meant it was difficult to have access to them. Now that Nokia has the Ovi Store, things are looking better. When we reviewed the N8 we remarked about the number of applications available for it.

Even though the platform was quite new, the store had decent number of apps available for it. Even now it is growing at a steady pace. But the thing about the Ovi Store is that it will just take care of the basics and you won't be spoilt for choice as on iOS or Android. Want a Twitter client, there is Gravity. Want an IM app, use Nimbuzz. While this does make it easier to choose, at times you wish you had more apps from the same category to choose from.

Windows Phone 7 has the least impressive library of applications available for it and although one can blame this on the short period of time it has been out we must say the Windows Marketplace didn't flood with great apps the way we expected it to be.

Just like Ovi, it has all the basic applications covered, but there is nothing here that isn't available on the other platforms as of now. Also, the applications and especially games seemed unreasonably expensive on the Marketplace compared to App Store or Android Market. The same app as on these stores would cost two to three times more on the Marketplace for no reason.

Perhaps developers are seeing Windows Phone 7 as a premium platform, considering all the Windows Phone 7 devices are high-end and think they can get away with pricing their apps high (the same reason why Android developers either choose to go the ad-based way or through OEMs because they know Android buyers aren't big spenders).

Verdict

You probably expected Symbian to be at the bottom of the chart when you started reading this article, but as surprising as it may be, it isn't. That (dis)honor goes to Windows Phone 7, which has a long way to go before it can play with the big boys. Sure it has the potential to be great with a killer interface that would seduce people into buying this phone (and flame me in the comments section for writing bad about it). But right now there are few reasons to consider buying a Windows Phone 7 handset. Perhaps by the time you are ready to buy your next smartphone, it would be ready for you.

Symbian has gone through a lot of changes over the past years and it has never been in a better shape before. But we feel it has reached the end of its potential and it's about time it hands over the torch to MeeGo, which will take over as the premium operating system on Nokia's smartphones. While there is nothing bad about it, others just seem a generation ahead and although it still has the one of the best feature list around it's not enough in today's world. The fact the Ovi Store isn't exactly brimming with great quality apps is also another reason why it lags behind.

iOS has had a long and successful journey and it still has a long way to go, but it seems too rigid in today's world. The interface design is still top notch and Apple's attention to detail is exemplary. However, you still miss some of those features, such as widgets for the homescreen or a notification system that does not annoy you. More than anything else, iOS's biggest trump card is the App Store, which is undoubtedly the best in the business. But the fact that you can only enjoy this wonderful OS on two smartphones, both of which are high-end devices, does not bode well for those who don't have 'Ambani' as their last name.

Android today is a completely different animal compared to what it was two years ago. It felt rudimentary, to say the least, and although it showed potential it was difficult to predict back then what it would be today. Google has worked hard on the OS and thanks to a steady stream of updates it has completely transformed into this new OS that can go head-to-head with the best of the business. It's still far from perfect though and certain issues such as fragmentation would never be solved. But people have accepted them and found ways to make things work regardless of presence.

Today's Android offers the best combination of features, performance and support from the developer community in terms of application and the fact that it can run on even a sub Rs. 7,000 handset proves that you don't need big bucks to own a smartphone. And it's because of all these qualities that it manages to narrowly nudge ahead of iOS, which has so far been the undisputed king of the smartphone segment. So our verdict is simple, if you don't have the cash to spend on an iPhone 4, get an Android.

Source: Techtree

[sgiitk 32]

An additional bit of news Android has overtaken Symbian as the most popular OS. This is as per the box yesterday.

Details are also on

Edited February 1, 2011 by sgiitk

[csmart 472]

just came across an article on tech tree. one supports 1OS and other android... both authors give same arguments in support

12 Reasons Why I Prefer iOS Over Android

Source

Last week my colleague presented an article in which he listed 11 reasons why a layman would prefer Android over iOS. This week we shall be looking at the other side of the story and will be listing why a layman would prefer an iOS device over an Android.

Fewer choices, lesser confusion

Sometimes, less is more. There are hundreds of Android phones out there, which is great as you get more options to choose from but can also leave you terribly confused. At any price point, there will be three different Android phones with minute differences and you have no idea which one is better.

With the iPhone, there are only two phones to choose from. There's the iPhone 3GS, which is still a good smartphone and if you can splurge some more then there is the iPhone 4. If you have decided to purchase the iPhone, your decision couldn't be simpler. Not so much if you decide to go for an Android.

Timely software updates

While Google issues software updates to Android at a feverish pace, how many of them actually reach your phone? Great phones like Motorola Defy are still stuck with Android 2.1. The Nexus One, despite being a Google phone, was stuck with 2.2 until very recently Google suddenly realized they have one more phone apart from the Nexus S. Apple, on the other hand, has been regular with their firmware updates. Unless your phone is too old, it will get the new update, along with everyone. Google cannot even issue the update to everyone simultaneously and has to roll it part by part to users.

Software optimized for hardware

One advantage of Apple making the hardware and software is that they can perfectly tune the software to the hardware. Except in rare cases, such as the iPhone 3G fiasco, where the device was just too old and slow to run a new firmware, the software experience on iPhones has always been flawless.

Even in case of third party applications, the iOS developers have it a lot easier than Android developers. Unlike the latter, the former only have a handful of devices to consider while developing their applications, which means they are well optimized to the devices. In case of Android, applications, especially games, can deliver wildly different performances on different phones with varying hardware. You cannot blame the developers, there is only so much optimization they can do in case of Android by running their apps on a few devices and then just praying they work well on others as well.

Easier to use

Android fans would obviously be rolling their eyes furiously by now, but the truth is that iOS is far easier to use. Most Android users are power users who have several years of experience using smartphone and for people like them Android would be a piece of cupcake (see what I did there?). But iOS has been designed to be used by anyone regardless of whether they have used smartphones before or not.

Give a person, say, your mom who has some experience with mobile phones but not with iOS or Android and see which one she finds easier to use. Android fans would be quick to point that this is because iOS has been designed for "n00bs and chicks lolz!!1!" but do keep in mind it is far more difficult to create a software that can be used and mastered by anyone than one that can only be used by experts.

More Apps and Games

The Android Market may have a decent number of applications now but it is still somewhat like your local grocery store in comparison to the App Store, which is more like Wal-Mart. Besides pure numbers, the App Store also has better quality of applications. When it comes to games, Android has nowhere the kind of quality titles that iOS has.

iTunes

iTunes may be a generally hated software but Android doesn't even have anything for the desktop to manage your music, videos, applications and contacts. And iTunes lets you do more than sync your media files; you have access to the entire the iTunes store, which includes music, movies, videos and podcasts. You can even download applications directly on to your computer and then transfer them on to your iPhone, something you cannot do on your Android phone.

Also, as far as hating iTunes is concerned, that's only a sentiment shared by those who know their way around their computer. For those less technically inclined, the simple, unified interface would be far simpler to operate than to browse through the multitude of folders on their computers to search for their content before copying to their device.

Game Center

Game Center is the iOS equivalent to the Xbox Live. It lets you play online multiplayer games with friends and strangers, compare your scores and generally do all sorts of awesome fun that makes iOS the best mobile gaming platform. Android doesn t have anything comparable to Game Center so far.

Built-in Video Calling

The iPhone 4 has a video call camera and can do FaceTime with other iPhone 4, iPod touch and Mac owners all without having to install a single third party application. The Nexus S lets you take pictures of yourself with its front facing camera.

Higher Flaunt Value

Geeks would go on rambling about how superior their Android phones are compared to iPhones. But for a layman, all he will know for a fact is that iOS devices such as the iPhone are a lot cooler. They don't understand the meaning of rooting or NFC. All they understand is that their favorite celebrities are using an iPhone; ergo it is a cool device to have. Apple products have always had the kind of flaunt value that most other manufacturers can only dream of having, regardless of the software they are running. This for most people, especially those with plenty of money to spare, is good enough excuse to spend on them.

Better battery life

Battery life has been a major bugbear with Android phones. All that syncing with Google's servers does not really go down well with the battery, which dies faster than in the time you can spell Gingerbread . While iPhones aren't all that great by themselves, they seem to fare much better than most Android phones out there.

The preferred platform

In the desktop computer world, Windows gets higher preference, simply because it has a wider installed base. Similarly, in the smartphone world, iOS devices get all the attention from the developers. At least right now Android hasn't reached that level where it would be any developer's first choice, unless he wants to do something that won't be allowed by Apple on their App Store.

All those great apps and games you see arrive first on iOS and are then merely ported over to Android, sometimes not at all. You have websites and services optimized for the iOS browser, not for Android. Simply put, if you are on iOS, you will get everything before anyone else and there will be a whole bunch of people out there making sure that you have the best possible mobile experience. Not so much on Android.

Hardware that takes longer to get outdated

If you buy an Android phone today, chances are that three months down the line it would seem outdated. Android manufacturers are in such a fierce battle against each other that they constantly strive to outdo each other and the only way to do that is by coming up with new handsets regularly. This doesn't bode well with users who spend a large sum on these expensive handsets which start to look outdated by a newer version released by the same manufacturer a few months after they purchased it.

In case of Apple, they release hardware that have an expiry period of at least a year before they start looking outdated, which goes well with their yearly update cycle. If you buy an iPhone it would be a year before Apple would release something that would make your phone seem outdated. This means you have an entire year to enjoy your phone until something better comes along while the Android world gets their new best phone, every month.

Source

11 Reasons Why I Prefer Android Over iPhone

When it comes to mobile phones, the iPhone seems to stand strong like a lone warrior against a seemingly endless horde of smartphones. But is it really worth the hype? Of late, there has been an army of formidable Android phones, which can do everything that the iPhone can do, and at times do it even better. As a mobile operating system, Android has matured a lot and is maturing more and has achieved the polished finesse of iOS. When it comes to a buying decision, here is how I would go about choosing between the iPhone and the Android phones - I would go straight for an Android phone, and here is why.

1. Availability:

Android phones are almost universally available, unlike the iPhone, which is available only at Apple Stores and a select few stores. Also, nearly all Android phones are available almost instantly in India when they are launched worldwide, but the iPhone is available usually after a year, when it is already too old.

2. Network lock:

iPhone has been notorious for usually being sold with a network lock - it works only with one mobile service provider to which it is subscribed, and fails to register a SIM card of another provider. Android phones do not have such restrictions and the users are free to use any network of their choice.

3. Price:

It has become a frustrating annual ritual - a new iPhone is launched, it is priced exorbitantly and is pretty much out of reach for most consumers. Android phones, on the other hand, are a mixed bag as far as price is concerned, as there are so many of them that almost every price segment is covered and you can choose the Android phone that suits your wallet.

4. Widgets:

Unlike the screen of the iPhone that is littered with icons, Android phones have desktops with widgets with an actual purpose, giving you information at the flick of a finger.

As an example, Data Counter widget instantly displays data usage to check your internet usage, while Twitter widget keeps you updated with your Twitter account's status. Take a look at this article to know what I mean.

5. No need for software application on the computer:

iPhone requires you to install iTunes on your computer and sync with it in order to do just about anything on the iPhone, such as transferring applications, music, videos or contacts. Furthermore, you can sync it with only a limited number of computers. Android phones do not need any such application - simply plug the phone into any computer and exercise complete control over your phone.

Data transfer is as easy as drag and drop. On a side note, I deem the SD card expandable memory option in the Android phone to be better than having no memory slot as in the iPhone, because you can carry additional memory cards with you and use when required without worrying about running out of memory.

6. Convenience:

You can instantly switch on or off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Mobile Network or GPS on the Android phone by simply clicking on the provided buttons on the desktop. This goes a long way in conserving battery life. In the iPhone, you have to dig deep into the settings to be able to enable or disable these features.

7. Better web browser:

The web browser on the Android phone is simply amazing. To know what I mean, you have to use and experience it. It is faster than Safari, has every feature that you expect from a web browser, and supports Flash. Being an operating system developed by Google, as expected Google is integrated deep into the heart of Android. Thus, if you want to search Google, simply enter the search button and enter your search string and the results appear swiftly.

Of course, the browsing experience varies with the speed of the processor inside the Android phone, which means that you will get the best browsing experience on the more expensive phones. Also, we must mention here that the web browser on the iPhone 4 is supposed to be the best around, but we don't get the iPhone 4 here in India and even if we were to import it, it is too expensive. There is also a Google Voice app for Android.

8. Notification system:

In the iPhone, there is a very limited notification system. For example, if you are a Twitter user, then you need to open the Twitter app to find the updates.

In Android phones, notifications are better organized. These apps can access the notification system of the operating system and alert you on the notification bar to a new email, voice message, and Twitter or Facebook notification, in addition to SMS. The application runs in the background and you do not need to open it to find out the status.

9. Apps from Market:

Just like the App store from Apple, there are thousands of apps for Android available in the Android Market. Just about every iPhone app has an equivalent, which is usually free. The good thing is that you need not sign into your account every time you want to install an app from the Market, even if the app is free. And yes, Market has more liberal censorship laws for Android apps - Google does not play the moral police.

10. Unlimited personalization:

Android phones can be personalized the way you want. Thus, you can make the phone appear the way you want, and behave the way you wish.

Depending on what type of user you are, you can configure each desktop to serve your needs. If you are a business user, you may want a screen with contacts, emails, stocks and news updates via RSS, etc. A social network user may want to have a Facebook desktop, a Twitter desktop, and so on. You can even add a whole new desktop if you want and set default actions for different contacts. This is not possible on the iPhone.

11. OS update makes your phone better:

Updating the operating system on an older iPhone such as installing iOS 4 on the iPhone 3G, usually results in a much slower performance, forcing me think whether it is a ploy by Apple to force you into buying their newer iPhone. Forget about preventing the OS being updated in older devices after a certain version, Apple does not even have the courtesy of warning the users against the ill effects of updating the OS on older devices.

Android on the other hand, has been seen to actually make the phones work faster with the updated OS. Better still, to avoid any problems as we have seen in the previous example, a trend has been seen where most Android phone manufacturers play safe by setting a limit that an Android phone can update its OS only twice in its lifetime.

Some of the above limitations can be overcome by Jailbreaking the iPhone, but then would you risk voiding the warranty on such an expensive device? I wouldn't.

So there you are, these are good enough reasons for me to decide to go for an Android phone. Please let me know your views in the comments section below.

[@Akash 23]

HP WebOS is also worthy competitor..

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/19/webos-2-0-review/

[FEVIN-RAJ 61]

Very good thread Rajan ji +1

Pls add a poll also

[rajanmehta 4,056]

45,000 tests prove Android surfs faster than the iPhone

Ottawa, March 17, 2011

A recent study performed by Ottowa-based Blaze Software reveals that Android's mobile Web browser is significantly faster than the mobile Safari browser found on Apple's iPhone.

Blaze Software Inc released today the largest ever research study of smart phone browser performance. The purpose of the study was to determine once and for all which of the two leading smart phone vendors has the fastest browser.

After taking over 45,000 measurements on the latest iPhone and Android devices, the study found that Android was 52% faster than iPhone on average. Android finished loading a Web page faster on 84% of the 1000 Websites tested. The study also found that the despite significant JavaScript performance gains in the latest Apple iOS 4.3 release and Google Android 2.3 releases, these improvement made no measurable improvement on the actual page load times of the sites tested.

"We were very surprised by the results", said Guy Podjarny, Blaze CTO and Co-Founder. "We assumed that it would be closer race and that the latest JavaScript speed improvements would have a more material impact on performance. The fact that Android beat iPhone by such a large margin was not expected".

The firm utilized the latest Android devices running Android 2.2 and Android 2.3 in the tests, and pitted them against iPhone 4 handsets running both iOS 4.2 and iOS 4.3.

What makes this study unique is the size of the study and the fact that it used real phones on real world websites to make the measurements. Past studies have often used fabricated benchmark sites or manual measurements on a small number of sites. This study was made possible through custom apps developed to measure page load time on mobile devices. These apps run on the actual devices, load a page on demand, and measure how long it took. These agents are available as a free service to measure any site with the Blaze Mobitest Tool.