Most teenagers in today’s era use phones. The main purpose of cell phones is communication. But now, there is much more to be done with phones such as using them for social media, games, or maybe even for using it to learn one of your favorite recipes from someone online.
But while we use these devices, two of the most popular brands of cell phones, Samsung and Apple, fight over whose brand is better. This rivalry has been going on for years.
In this article, I, Kayla, who owns a Samsung phone will be stating my part of the argument over whose brand is better while I, Ash, who owns an Apple phone will be stating my side of the argument over whose brand is better, then we will come to a conclusion on which phone is better.
What are phone wars?
Phone wars are debates between two or more companies over phones. The most popular phone war is occurring between the two companies Apple and Samsung, which started in 2009 when the first iPhone and Samsung phone were released.
There was an instance in 2010 when Steve Jobs was so furious after the release of the first Android that he claimed that the first Samsung phone (Samsung Galaxy) was a copy of the first iPhone (iPhone 1) and even went as far as saying, “I’m going to destroy Android because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.”
There are many reasons why Samsung and Apple may be at war over whose brand is better. One reason may be their similarities. Samsung phones are advertised nowadays mainly for the all-new Galaxy AI (especially on the newest Z Fold 6) and Apple as well for its all-new “Apple Intelligence” (which was created this year in July).
Furthermore, the differences may also be playing a role in the phone wars between these two corporations. Despite the obvious similarities, there has always also been recognition of the differences in the processors of the phones, the cameras, the pixel density, and the cameras.
But what do the members of Coral Springs High School have to say about the phone war that is happening behind our screens?
What makes Apple better?
Apple has multiple features such as battery life, wireless charging, more secure software, and overall better performance compared to Samsung phones. Apple has multiple better features than Samsung.
When asked a student in 10th-grade student, Saryah Munguia her statement was, “My opinion on the phone wars between Apple and Samsung is that both are clearly great competitors, each with their own fan base for different reasons.” – some other points that were mentioned were regarding the price.
Apple has always been known for being pricey. One of the earliest iPhones, the iPhone SE from 2016 is still going (according to the site) for over four hundred dollars! The newest Apple phone (that releases this fall), the iPhone 16 is going for $799!
However, the expensive and luxurious phone is worth the money due to all the features that Apple has that Samsung lacks. Such features can include better materials, so it’s not as easily broken. Samsung is also picking up their game by making parts of their phones out of titanium metal just like the iPhone 15 Pro.
It is also vital to mention that Apple’s customer service outweighs what Samsung’s customer service has to offer. For example, if a customer has requested a refund from Apple, they will get their money back within 48 hours to see the refunded money in their Apple Account Balance, while if a customer has requested a refund from Samsung, it will take a whopping ten days for Samsung to receive and process the refund.
What makes Samsung better?
When asked the question on how and why Samsung is better than Apple, tenth grader, Sengella Lundi said, “Samsung’s are way more advanced than iPhones in literally so many ways. They brought flip phones before iPhones, have better camera quality than iPhones, and it’s even better to play games and mod on Samsung than iPhone.”
As a Samsung owner myself, I agree with Sengella’s statement. I own the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus and absolutely adore it compared to my previous Note9. The camera quality is stunning, the size is manageable, and the gameplay compared to the iPhone 15 is smoother.
Also, not to mention, the first time I held an iPhone, it was incredibly difficult to navigate. Samsung has a home button while on an iPhone, you just swipe up on the newer models.
Furthermore, Samsung and Apple are international companies that each have over one billion active users. The two companies have been competing for first place for a while now, but some people are still saying that Samsung is winning the war.
What makes Apple worse?
As much as Apple is a good phone it also has many downsides as most things do, a lot of people who have Apple products do have many things to complain about with the products. Some of the main problems I personally have seen with Apple are the storage, photo quality, and the phone’s overall health as it has been used over the years.
Photo quality is probably one of the most recognizable issues within the Apple vs Samsung phone wars as Apple cannot zoom in as much as Samsung can and it takes more storage to take better-quality photos.
I personally have a lot of issues with Apple’s storage as someone who takes a lot of photos. Taking a lot of storage means taking up lots of storage and since the storage gets used up very quickly it can become very expensive to keep buying space for your phone.
What makes Samsung worse?
As a Samsung user myself, I can state some negatives of the Android phone.
First off, we don’t have as many customization options as iPhones do. When asked about the negatives of the Samsung phones, Sengella agreed that in an Android phone, there is a “lack of widgets and the lot of customization features that Apple has.”
Examples of features that the iPhone has that Samsung’s Android phone does not include (but are not limited to) FaceTime, AirPlay, AirDrop, etc.
Although Samsung may benefit from these features, it may cause even more competition between the two companies who are still arguing over who’s better.
Another example of Apple winning over Samsung is software protection. While Samsung users get a patch update each month, it is worth mentioning that Android phones still have a lot of security breaches.
An instance of this would be a data breach as recent as November of 2023 where Samsung had “notified its affected customers via email, stating that the breach occurred on 13th November 2023 It determined that an unauthorized party exploited a vulnerability in a third-party business application that the company uses.”. This information was taken from Cyber Magazine.
The overall choice for a phone?
I would say that if you want higher security against malware attacks, more freedom towards customization and widgets and more features when texting, more accessories, quicker software updates, or enhanced privacy controls then I’d suggest going with Apple’s iPhone.
But if you want an easier-to-maneuver phone with a higher quality camera(s), longer lasting batteries, permanent storage options upon purchase (e.g., 256 or 512 gigabytes or 1 terabyte depending on the model), and more budget-friendly options, I’d suggest choosing a Samsung phone.
All in all, whether you choose Apple or Samsung for your next phone that choice is ultimately up to the consumer – you.
