We will look at 4 core aspects as stated below for this review:
- Features
- Performance
- User Interface
- Windows Phone Store vs. Google Play Store.
Both Windows and Android come with several unique features. Android 5.0 has a lot of features while Windows Phone 8.1 lags behind a bit. With Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft introduced a notification center, battery sense, Wi-Fi sense and a handful of new features. Google wowed the audience with Android 5.0 — including an actionable notification (a.k.a heads-up notifications), smart lock, improved battery saver, heads-up and much more.
Performance
When it comes to performance, no other operating system can beat Windows Phone. Android is quite slow. The operating system is fast on some smartphone models depending on the level of customization. Windows Phone is truly the most optimized of both operating systems. It is fast and sleek on high-end devices and even on low-end devices. The case of performance for Android is one where over-customization can hurt performance big time.
User Interface
When it comes to UI, Android and iOS looks similar. They both share the tried and true grid of icons approach. Windows Phone (or Metro) takes a different – some may say daring- approach with the user interface. While Windows Phone has certainly improved on beauty over the years, Android Lollipop finally catches up with material design. Here, Google introduces more animations and colors to the UI, making Android feel almost as cohesive as Windows Phone and iOS in terms of design. Without bogging you down with details, the UI of Android 5.0 is beautiful, smooth and colorful. It certainly deserves the name Lollipop.
Windows Phone Store vs. Google Play Store
The Google Play Store has so many apps. You will find an app for almost everything you can think of. That of Windows is still somewhat limited, but it also has lots of great apps to choose from. The app stores for both the Android 5.0 Lollipop and Windows 8.1 are great in their own way. Play Store is already big and Windows Phone Store is getting bigger and better with some of the most popular apps already present.
Conclusion
Android Lollipop and Windows Phone 8.1 are both awesome and solid in their own rights. They both have loads of new features with Windows Phone 8.1 lagging behind a bit. Though we definitely expect to see a bunch of new additions to the operating system with the upcoming version.
Not forgetting that they have their personal virtual assistants namely Google Now and Cortana for Microsoft. Both of them are performing just fine but they have a challenge understanding our African accent.
Each of the operating systems has its own ecosystem, personal assistant and unique features. The big question is which operating system do you prefer?
Image Credit: techtimes.com
