Introduction
Yes, yes, we know that the iPhone 5S is NOT an Android phone, and the title of the article is “Android Phone Comparisons.” But if you think about it, that title opens the door to allow us to compare an Android phone against anything – not just another Android device. We already believe that an Android device allows the user to make a more ‘robust’ choice when it comes to options and customization of their devices, making it very difficult for an iPhone to win one of our comparisons. We believe that the iPhone design is a bit dated in looks even though it is a fine piece of craftsmanship – and while it is made out of glass and metal, next to the OnePlus One, it looks just a little bit ‘clunky.’ Only about four items that these smartphones have in common is: there is a 16GB and 64GB model, neither one has room for a microSD expansion card, both have dual speakers mounted on the bottom of the device and that they both make phone calls. All other specs are different from one another. Please look over the specifications below to see just how much they differ and then we will look at the individual phones before we make final selection to which one of these devices deserves to win the comparison.
Specifications
OnePlus One
The OnePlus One is so new that it has not even arrived yet, although we should see it by the end of June. The 5.5-inch display is larger than the iPhone by an inch and one-half and has a much better resolution (401 PPI) than Apple’s infamous ‘retina display’ at 326 PPI. The One uses the most advanced Qualcomm Snapdragon processor available – the 801 quad-core clocked at 2.5GHz all handled by 3GB of RAM versus the 1GB in the 5S. The six lens 13MP main camera and a large 5MP front-facing camera (FFC) for excellent video chats and selfies out distances the 5S by quite a bit. The One is 10.9 mm taller, almost identical width and only .8 mm thicker and only 17 grams heavier than the 5S. The battery size is another win for the One – 3100mAh versus 1560mAh…and the iPhone is not known for great battery life. While the One does run the latest Android 4.4 KitKat, it is powered by a CyanogenMod version that claims to keep close to vanilla Android, but adds a few ‘needed’ features. Apple is running the new iOS7 which looks an awful lot like Android, but without all of the goodies.
iPhone 5S
The latest rendition of the venerable Apple iPhone is the 5S – it arrived last Fall with the new iOS7, 64-bit processor, and new fingerprint scanner. It competes with the flagships from its archrival Samsung, as well as LG, HTC and a new crop of Chinese made devices from Xiaomi, Oppo, and OnePlus to name a few. We in the Android community have never dismissed the fact that the iPhone is a quality product made from glass and metal…but what we do dismiss is Apple’s approach to control. With Apple, what you see is what you get – and other than incremental upgrades, the iPhone looks basically the same as it has for years.
The display is only 4-inches with a 1136×640 resolution giving us their infamous ‘Retina Display’ of 326 PPI that pales in comparison to the 5.5-inch 401 PPI display of the One. The 5S also has the 64-bit processor clocked at 1.3GHz backed with only 1GB of RAM versus the 3GB on the One. With only 1GB of RAM, the 5S is not able to fully take advantage of the 64-bit processing, so it is obvious that Apple is looking down the road. The iPhone has always been a good ‘picture taker,’ but the Android devices, including the One, have since caught up to the iPhone and are now surpassing it. The 4-inch iPhone is very small compared to the larger OnePlus One, however, that may be a ‘plus’ for people with smaller hands or ones that just like a smaller device. The iPhone wins in the fingerprint scanning department, but loses handily in the battery department with only a 1560mAh versus the 3100mAh on the One.
…and the Winner is…
Summary
Based on availability, we would have to give this to the iPhone – and if the fingerprint scanner and 64-bit really weighed in heavy, it would also go to the iPhone 5S. However, neither the scanner nor the 64-bit really throw that much weight into the equation at this point in time…show us 4GB of RAM and 64-bit applications and it might help tip the scales. The OnePlus One is an example of the newer Android devices to ‘almost’ hit the market – we are looking at next month – and it has a smooth and ‘sexy’ design along with enough specs to blow the iPhone 5S out of the ballpark. With the OnePlus one, we are looking at a better display, more memory, faster processor, as good or better camera, a much larger battery, no iOS7 and no proprietary cables needed. The One also has much better pricing than the iPhone 5S – it is clear to us that Apple needs to ‘expand’ its horizons and designs in order to keep up to the Android manufacturers…and this is no exception.
Please hook up with us on our Google+ Page and let us know what you think of these two devices…as always, we would love to hear from you.