Choose the best OS for your smartphone: Windows Phone or Android. Windows Mobile or Android: WinMo is better than you think! What is better android or windows phone 10

The version of Windows 10 for smartphones is what we have all been waiting for. It is assumed that the new version of the OS will be shown in September - just a few weeks after the release of "dozens" for desktop computers. But isn't it all too late?

"Microsoft Gives Up"

Many desktop and laptop owners have enjoyed Windows 10, but manufacturers, most users, and industry experts are still shaking their heads in doubt. Kantar Analyst Carolina Milanesi:

“The bottom line is that Microsoft – in my opinion – has given up trying to be the third ecosystem in smartphones and is now trying to make sure that Windows users 10 worked with its services on other devices, regardless of the platform.”

Focus change

Milanesi believes the recent restructuring at Microsoft suggests that Microsoft Mobile's portfolio of devices will shrink significantly in the future. The new leadership, the analyst believes, will focus on top-end Windows 10 Mobile smartphones and gadgets for corporate clients. All other types of devices will be produced by Redmond partners.

The expert adds that the main problem of mobile Windows - a weak ecosystem - will not go anywhere with the advent of Windows 10 Mobile. The current Microsoft, however, is not particularly concerned about this - the company simply offers its services to competing platforms and earns not by selling gadgets, but thanks to the capabilities of its services.

According to IDC, in the first quarter of 2015 Windows phone occupies only 2.7% of the global smartphone market. For comparison, Android has a similar figure of 78%, iOS - 18.3%. This is a little better than at the beginning of the year, but still not enough - after all, in the long years of its existence, WP has never managed to capture at least 5 percent of the market. The first partners of Microsoft - HTC and Samsung - have lost interest in the system (except for "carrier" smartphones for the US). Today, interest in Windows Phone, apart from Microsoft itself, is shown mainly by little-known companies that are not able to provide any significant supplies and sales.

Fighting Fragmentation

But for the majority of "faithful" (as in the text - editor's note) Windows Phone fans, upgrading to version 10 Mobile is great news, believes Ernest Doku, an analyst from Switzerland. The expert is enough for Microsoft: the company offers software updates for both new and old devices - for the same Android, the situation is simply unthinkable. This is a plus for buyers - they can quite easily purchase the most cheap Windows Phone, because even on it you can enjoy many of the advantages of Windows 10 Mobile compared to WP 8.1.

Now Redmond, writes Doc, needs to make another right move - to conquer the mobile market with the help of affordable smartphones. In Africa (especially sub-Saharan Africa) and Asia, $80 devices are often the only way to access the Internet, and it would be unwise to ignore such opportunities for growth.

Survive in the harsh smartphone market

But like Milanesi, Doku doubts that Microsoft has the power to change things in the mobile market. And if the release of Windows 10 Mobile does not yet coincide with the announcement of new and very interesting smartphones, then everything can end very badly:

“… As always, hardware is the key to success, and a strong device portfolio is essential to keep Microsoft in the expensive and uncompromising smartphone game.”

Windows 10 Mobile is the version of Windows 10 designed for mobile devices screen sizes up to 9 inches. Its main feature: synchronization with the desktop version of Windows, the launch of new "universal" applications, as well as the ability to connect devices to an external display and use a smartphone as a PC with mouse and keyboard support

A little background

The first version of the OS was released in December 2015. Windows 10 Mobile was a “glimmer of hope” for all Windows Phone owners. With the release of a new version of the mobile OS, Microsoft began to “shower” users with promises that many “were seduced” by (including the author of this article).

I am the owner Microsoft Lumia 535 with Windows 10 Mobile preinstalled (I've been using the device for 3 years). During the use, I had a certain opinion about the smartphone and the OS as a whole, so I decided to tell readers about the relevance of this platform today.

My first impressions of the purchased smartphone are not entirely objective and a little naive:

To compare and understand the issue, you can imagine any device in 2015 on iOS and Android, and this is one generation from Apple iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, Google Nexus 5X and 6P samsung galaxy S6. And most likely, such smartphones are still fully operational (questions can only be about the battery, but they are solved by replacing the battery with a new one). But what happens to a typical smartphone in 2015 on Windows 10 Mobile?

Device support

The first disappointment that Windows 10 Mobile brought was that it did not support all devices. Minimum system requirements were as follows: 1 GB of RAM, a screen resolution of 960 × 540 pixels and higher, the presence of a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor: 208, 210, 615, 617, 625, 808, 810, 820 or 835. This meant that budget Lumia with 512 GB of RAM did not could get official update(although some users managed to somehow replace the smartphone data and install updates).

Windows App Store

Score Windows applications- a complete disappointment and the situation has not changed in any way from 2015 to the present day: applications and games are sorely lacking. Existing ones are not updated by developers, and new ones are simply not made by anyone.

The store is full of all sorts of "slag", which is not moderated in any way. There are paid applications, the purchase of which is meaningless. Apps from Microsoft and hits of 2015-2016 for Android hang in the tops of the store.

On the this moment applications show the possibility of updating, but refuse to update (perpetual download hangs), although this problem may be related specifically to my Microsoft smartphone Lumia 535.

Beginning of work

Getting started with a smartphone is a living hell. On Android and iOS, the user registers one account, which applies to all devices. Microsoft decided to “stand out from the crowd” and offers the owners of their devices to register two Outlook accounts and one Xbox, and all this in order to be able to download and install any applications and games from Windows Store. “What are two Outlook accounts for?” - you ask. And I will answer: “For Microsoft family”. One is “parental” and is tied to a PC, the second is “children's” and is designed for a smartphone, a kind of “innovation” in the field of synchronizing a PC with a smartphone and.

OS shell

The interface is nice and minimalistic. Like it or not, but here Microsoft did not fail with its tile design. On the main screen you can output any installed applications, and some of them support the output of additional information. The second screen contains a list of a bunch of applications that are not convenient to use at first, but you get used to them later. There is also an alphabetical search, which is a good solution for this shell, but in my case, after the next firmware update, the Russian font “broke” (see the last screenshot).

Firmware update

At the moment, this process hangs at 1% load, as a result of which the device is not updated. The description of all Windows updates 10 Mobile, with which "your device will work even better."

Using a smartphone while charging

This is one of the many factors that will make users lose a lot of nerves. The bottom line is that when charging a smartphone, it is impossible to use it. The screen takes on a life of its own, one touch turns into three, a swipe down opens a bunch of applications (the problem may be related to a certain model or batch of smartphones, but this does not make it easier for me).

Compatible with other accessories

In the age of smartwatches, fitness trackers, and add-on plug-ins that can be easily used with iOS and Android smartphones, this problem is more relevant than ever. There are a limited number of smartwatches that support Windows 10 Mobile: , Fitbit Surge, Agent smart watch, i'm Watch (all discontinued).

To date, no manufacturer of current smart watches supports Windows 10 Mobile. On the Internet, you can find official fitness trackers from Microsoft: Microsoft Band and Microsoft Band 2, which are also discontinued and are not supported by the company. But with smartphones on Windows, they should work. The choice, as you can see, is small ...

VPN

Very useful feature in our time. Especially relevant for Ukraine and Russia. Free Apps There are some that allow you to use VPN on Windows 10 Mobile, but they are absolutely not functional. The only ones left are apps that offer VPN services for a monthly subscription of $20 or more.

Browsers and popular apps

The story about all kinds of applications is not over yet. Browsers on WP10 are a sore subject. Of the normally working, there are only two: Microsoft Edge and UC Browser. Unfortunately, they do not have sufficient functionality. modern browsers. Surfing web pages occurs with freezes and freezes. There are not enough applications from Google: Maps, YouTube, Google Play Music and so on.

It is also worth mentioning popular apps. Messengers, they are present in the Microsoft store and almost everything, but updates from developers are extremely rare and not always on time, or even not received at all.

A sore subject is bank customers, who for the most part do not exist or they exist, but unofficial, from third-party developers. Whether it is worth trusting your banking data to such decisions is a rhetorical question.

In general, the store does not have many official applications of stores, operators, sites. There is a severe shortage of photo editors and games. As for audio and video players, the standard ones are enough. Readers can be found without problems, although they, for the most part, will be analogues of Android applications.

P.S. Fortunately, in the middle of last year, the Steam client was released for Windows 10 Mobile, if you know what I mean, fellow pirates.

Preinstalled Applications

Upon initial purchase of a smartphone, a user is greeted with a series of useful programs from Microsoft: Food, Health & Fitness, Maps, Camera Apps, Weather, Mail, Sports, News, Word, OneDrive and more. It would seem that at least these applications can be used without problems? But not everything is as rosy as we would like ...

Separately, it is worth talking about the Office software package. They are made really high quality and convenient, but after a year they require the purchase of a paid subscription. The maps are also well done, but only relevant for Europe.

Gameloft Hub- official app game developer (could not ignore this application). It contains 5 games from Gameloft, which are ports from java. And everything is either donated or paid. What Microsoft was guided by when creating and integrating this application into new (once) smartphones is not clear.

The screenshots of the gameplay speak for themselves - this is some wild junk:

One-handed mode

Functionality that developers have added in later versions of Windows 10 Mobile. Perhaps a useful feature for flagship Lumia with a large screen size. On Microsoft Lumia 535, it is implemented “crookedly”. The developers made sure that the user could scroll only half of the screen, but the content in this mode is not always displayed correctly.

Eventually

The author does not recommend taking smartphones running Windows 10 Mobile. Even if it seems to you that the hardware is quite good, and the price is tempting. Better turn your attention to Android devices for a similar cost. They may not be so cool at first glance, but at least you can use all popular services on them without problems and wasted nerves.

Smartphones "soft", in our time, can only perform the functions of dialers and media players. Especially sorry for users who have purchased flagships from Microsoft. Yes, they got the ability to use a smartphone as a PC using a docking station, but an abandoned proprietary OS will make you regret such an acquisition more than once.

Prevalence and selection

The most common mobile operating system today is Android. This mobile operating system from Google has conquered the market, being installed on 75% of the planet's gadgets. Windows Mobile, the brainchild of Microsoft, flaunts only 12% of gadgets. And it's not just that the system is more popular, Android is installed on most new smartphones released. All new modelsthat have Windows Mobile on their board can be memorized, when you can’t count.

To choose an Android smartphone, you will have at least two dozen options, in the case of Windows - no more than 10.

The main distributor of Windows Mobile is Nokia, which is also owned by Microsoft. Other manufacturing companies produce models with "windows" as a variety, concentrating their production on the "green robot".

Availability

Those Windows smartphones that are on sale today, by price, are in the same niche with similar TOP models Android. We are talking about ordinary smartphones in the middle segment.

If we take into account the cheap Chinese products of gadgets, which in overwhelming quantities have pre-installed Android, then they are several times cheaper than Windows-based smartphones, but the quality of the former is much inferior.

Number of applications

About 125 thousand applications are placed in the Windows Store, only 105 thousand are available for Russians from this list. But in the app store for Android - Google Play, 700 thousand applications are available. Therefore, if you are an amateur or plan to install a large number of applications: programs and games, then on Google Play they are offered for every taste, and in the Windows Store their choice is very limited.

Most applications: various services, websites, networks, TV and radio companies and games - are developed for Google Play and the AppStore (iOS store), but many of them do not have versions for the Windows Store. The more applications you can install, the livelier and more interesting your smartphone will be.

Convenience

Convenience is a subjective factor, so the site's journalists will share their personal impressions of these two mobile operating systems.

Mobile is simple to disgrace, the desktop is a tile, each of which is a shortcut to the application. It will take a few minutes to get used to the system. As for the Android mobile OS, it looks more like the one we are used to. computer version Windows, with a normal desktop and application icons. This is not to say that Android is complex - no, but it will take a little more time to master it than for “tiles”.

Again, the more you can install a variety of applications, the easier it will be for you to work with the gadget. And Android in its arsenal has a lot of such applications. Android is quite a flexible OS, so you can do pretty much whatever you want with it.

Windows is closed source, so this mobile OS is not suitable for active users. But for those who put security and protection in the first place, it is worth choosing Windows.

Convenient Android and the fact that this mobile system a large number of sites and forums are devoted to which have answers to all the questions of beginners, as well as manuals for troubleshooting problems with the system and the operation of devices.

Stability

The stability of the mobile OS is a very relative concept. It all depends on how you will use your gadget: if both are stable for calls and SMS, if you actively use it, an unexpected “bug” can come out for both, although to a greater extent for Android.

However, due to its popularity, Android has a big drawback - vulnerability to viruses. Many viruses and spyware have already been written for this mobile OS, and anyone can pick up one of them, and quite easily. For the most part, such pest programs do not bring much harm, however, to acquire antivirus program still have to. Due to closed source code There are no viruses in Windows Background.

What is better?

Summing up all of the above, the conclusion is unequivocal - Android better Windows, gaining a confident advantage in the race.

The “window system” is suitable for those smartphone users who love simplicity, and their main tasks are: calls and SMS, Internet access, reading news and weather forecasts, and the ability to install a couple of applications. " Green robot» suitable for active users who want to get the most out of their smartphone.

You can visually compare the operation of smartphones of both mobile operating systems: Android L and Windows Phone 8.1 by watching the video below.

July 29, 2015. The software giant would like developers to also create applications for mobile version new OS. But the developers themselves mobile applications not sure if Windows 10 will be worth the time they spend, as the market share of the mobile version of Windows is extremely small. According to market research firm IDC, Windows owns just 3.2 percent of the smartphone operating system market. The share of Android, for comparison, is 79.4%, and iOS - 16.4%. As a result, developers may have difficulty monetizing their software products.

CNBC's Arjun Kharpal's "Windows 10: Why app makers aren't impressed" explores the reasons why developers aren't excited about the Windows mobile platform, while noting the benefits of newer ones designed to make their job easier. Windows features 10. New Windows 10 is very attractive, but at present, developers see mostly only a low market share of the mobile version of Windows. We are, of course, talking about the upcoming Windows 10 Mobile, since the market share of Windows for PC is not just high, but truly gigantic.

Andreas Rasmussen, managing partner at mobile app company Nodes, told CNBC:

No one has a demand for Windows applications and the only reason for this is market share.

The founder of the famous popular game FlowFree from Big Duck Games, Mike Newman notes:

There are also concerns about the problems that Microsoft faces in the mobile direction of its activities. Earlier in July 2015, the software giant announced plans to cut 7,800 jobs in its device business, acquired last year from Nokia for $7.5 billion.

Co-founder of the famous popular mobile game, available for Windows 8, Codeglue's Rocket Riot Peter de Jong points out:

This is worrying. If their market doesn't grow, and if Microsoft doesn't support it anymore, then the market won't come out of nowhere.

Microsoft has acknowledged its past problems and has changed strategy with Windows 10. The software giant from Redmond offers Windows 10 as free update for those who previously purchased Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1. Thus, the company hopes to increase the number of users of its platform.

In addition, Windows 10 has two such key features, which may be attractive to developers. The first of these is called "Universal Apps" ("Universal Applications"), allowing developers to write code only once, and in the end it will work on devices. different types both mobile and personal computers. Minimal modifications will be required. Thus, they may become less visible to developers and, ultimately, to users who will receive the same set of applications for all their Windows devices.

De Jong says the feature isn't as easy to use as Microsoft says, but most of the developers CNBC spoke to thought it could be a time saver because it doesn't require writing completely different code snippets for different devices.

My Talking Tom app developer Outfit7 told CNBC:

Our latest game, Mars Pop, became our first universal app and thanks to this feature, we were able to save a lot of time during the development phase, as a result, the game is available on both platforms - Windows and Windows Phone.

The second is a feature introduced by Microsoft that makes it easier for Android and iOS app developers to make their software products compatible with Windows phones. About a Microsoft representative. After all, developers usually have to write separate code for competing mobile operating systems. However, the process.

Developers welcome this opportunity provided by Microsoft, as well as universal applications. Newman expressed his opinion on this issue:

This is really interesting and will make it much easier for us to port new applications and software updates to Windows in the future.

Will universal apps and portability be able to software from popular mobile platforms increase the market share of Windows 10 Mobile?

When choosing a smartphone, we look at different factors, and one of the main ones is the operating system with which we will have to deal. Google Android, Apple iPhone or Microsoft Windows phone? Many buyers believe that the main competition is between the first two, and Windows Phone is not serious. But we will try to debunk this myth.

10 Benefits of Windows Phone

Plus one: it's not an iPhone

From the point of view of the "Yabloko" this looks like a definite drawback, but those who do not like Cupertino products will clearly look at this fact with interest.

In fact, in many respects the ideology of operating iOS systems and WP8 are similar: both are closed from “external influences”, a strict selection of applications is a rather narrow choice of gadgets. But if Apple needs to deal only with gadgets from Apple itself, then Microsoft is much better in this regard: smartphones on Windows Phone are produced by many respected manufacturers, from Microsoft itself to HTC and Samsung (the latter - even despite the promotion of competitor WP - OC Tizen).

To summarize and discard the technical details, then Windows Phone can be called "iOS without Apple." The latter, as you know, like to set absolutely ridiculous prices for their components, while there is no such problem with gadgets on Windows Phone, the components here are the most “ordinary” ones. In general, if you like the ideology Apple devices, but do not like the pricing (or any other) policy of the "apple" company, take a closer look at smartphones on WP and tablets on Windows.

Plus two: yes, it's Windows

In view of the upcoming unification of operating Microsoft systems for all mobile and desktop devices this advantage looks especially attractive. Now a smartphone on Windows Phone 8.1 also syncs with Windows 8.1 without any problems, but when Windows 10 comes out, it will be Windows 10 for everyone, without the Phone prefix. By the way, the release for developers has already been released, which, as it were, hints.

Such unification means, at a minimum, the absence of gadget synchronization problems (and now they are trifles, but they do occur), and the convenience of working on all devices should, in theory, be similar.

Basically, the same can be said about different versions Apple iOS, but not about Google Android. Yes, there are Chromebooks, but this is where the variety of Android devices ends.

Plus three: no problem of lack of RAM

This is the scourge of Android devices: 512 MB of RAM was once enough, but now 2 GB is considered the minimum allowable for comfortable work. While the Lumia 720 on Windows Phone 8 can handle the same 512 megabytes of RAM without any problems, and even allows you to comfortably work with the navigation system (which the author personally tested a couple of years ago), not to mention the HTC Mozart 2010 with its 576 megabytes of memory: despite the obsolescence of Windows Phone 7.8 and the actual termination of support for this Microsoft versions, you can still work comfortably on this device (unless, of course, you install “heavy” games). Moreover, you do not have to turn off various "pretty things" like animation of menu transitions. Of course, there are already top-end WP devices with 2 gigabytes of RAM.

And here is an Android smartphone from three years ago with one gigabyte of memory on the fourth version operating system today it's godlessly slow, and devices with three gigabytes of RAM actually cause more sadness than joy, as the "more, more, more!" it fits perfectly.

By the way, the Apple iPhone does not have such a problem either, which is proved by the presence of “old” iPhones of the third dash of the fifth generation in ads and at well-attended auctions, where they sell like hot cakes. And this is not only because iOS is a well-thought-out and simple operating system in itself, but also because iOS also has no problems with RAM, just like Windows Phone.

Unlike Android. The increase in RAM in "android phones" only proves this.

Plus Four: Default Applications

Since smartphones on Android are not sawing in the basement, only the lazy (just look in any Chinese online store by their number, numbering in tens of thousands), they usually do not have a rich bundle by default. Of course, various major vendors like Samsung or HTC cram a lot of everything that is possible and impossible into their version of Android, but the vast majority of Android smartphones on the market have nothing but stock firmware. Someone generous can, perhaps, give away a free shell and a couple of free applications. But the common denominator is that a small number (4% of the market, give or take, according to analysts) of Windows Phone smartphones give their users quite a lot of useful branded applications, and the mega-diversity of Android leads to the fact that you have to finish all on your own. Even with the excellent HTC Sense shell.

By the way, the swipe keyboard included with Windows Phone 8.1 can be called a nice bonus: while in Google Android, such an innovation appeared on a regular basis only some time ago (somewhere around versions 4.2-4.3), and before that it was necessary to use paid application Swype or analogues, free versions which were nowhere near as good, having, among other things, extremely poor default dictionaries.

True, not for Windows Phone Google Chrome(as well as Hangouts), but everything else is there. And even sync Google account is on par with the default Hotmail account. There is also a cloud Microsoft application OneDrive - similar functionality in Android is called Google Drive, it provides the same space in both clouds: 15 GB each.

Plus fifth: little can be configured (and broken, respectively)

Probably, at first, many will decide to put this plus into a minus, but if you look from the point of view of the average user, then what does he want? Only one thing: to have everything you need, and so that it all works as it should. Without "finishing", "root", "customization" and other terrible words. Bought - use.

With Windows Phone, everything is exactly like this: I took it out of the box and everything works. You can change the color of the “tiles”, make a ringtone, arrange the desktop as you wish, but you don’t need to unlock your smartphone to get superuser rights, install tricky applications to clean and reorganize the memory, both operational and permanent… Because everything works fine without it .

By the way, this plus can be attributed to Apple - for the umpteenth time.

Plus six: simplicity

But since we have already mentioned the iPhone, so the operating system from Microsoft can give the user the same simplicity. Yes, there are not very many applications (yet), but their number is increasing. Yes, customization is very limited (see above) - but you don't need to shaman with a tambourine to make something work.

Simplicity is the guiding principle not only for the iPhone, but also for smartphones on Windows base phone. You just won’t be allowed to spoil something in the system (including applications), the ways to get something you need are also easy, and even a child can deal with everything (especially since there is a very simple and effective children’s mode called “Children’s corner "(Kid's Corner). "Usability", in general, on top.

Plus seven: updating the OS regardless of the manufacturer and device class

Everyone is familiar with the Android distribution model: coming out a new version The OS appears on the newest Nexuses, then smartphone manufacturers begin to slowly swing and integrate the new OS into their firmware very slowly. Sometimes months pass, and in some cases until, it seems, actual devices, new android and does not come at all.

With Windows Phone 8, everything is easier: updates appear for all devices at about the same time, both for weak Lumia 520 and for powerful HTC 8x all functions are equally accessible, except that toys on weak WP-smartphones will slow down. There are no "finishing" your own shells: firmware different manufacturers differ, perhaps, in the amount of proprietary software, which is also not very much.

Plus number eight: safety

In fact, the roots of this grow not from the fact that in principle there are no viruses in the mobile OS from Microsoft (as in the joke about Elusive Joe), unlike the desktop relative, but from the fact that, due to their low prevalence, they simply have not yet begun to be written.

The second reason is the closed nature of the source code, which makes the OS practically invulnerable to hacking, at least for now. And antivirus for Android today is almost a mandatory must-have application for all "droids".

Plus nine: Xbox Live

This is more of a plus for gamers, but it's worth mentioning anyway: the Xbox Live system is integrated into Windows Phone, so you can use your profile in this system for all games, collecting points and “pumping” your character, and there are common rating tables where you can compete with other players not in some game separately, but in general in all at once.

Plus tenth: regular navigation system

While there is still debate on the "Internet" about which is better, Microsoft quietly builds a full-fledged offline HERE navigation system into its Lumia smartphones for free and has no problems with it. The system is really very powerful, there are updated maps of all countries of the world, there is a really full driving mode (offline!) in the HERE Drive application with voice prompts, there is also an application indicating the nearest places (from cafes to shopping centers) in overlay mode on a three-dimensional map with positioning in space.

There is, perhaps, only one minus for HERE cards: the cards are downloaded only to the built-in memory and categorically do not want to live on a flash drive. Well, no one is perfect.

As for offline navigators on Android, here you can allow a small lyrical digression into the topic. A few days ago, the author of this article watched a video of one popular autoblogger, in which he proved to us that a separate navigator where better than a smartphone. At the same time, rather ancient Samsung acted as a smartphone, and Navitel, cursed by many, acted as a navigation system. That is, it turns out like this: if you have an old Samsung smartphone, and you bought an expensive Navitel - it's better to buy a separate navigator.

The main thing is that there is nothing to argue with. Everything is just like that. And so many owners of old Android devices think the same way.

Conclusion

Of course, the operating room Windows systems Phone has its drawbacks (remember - no one is perfect), but we hope we have clearly demonstrated to you that this OS is quite competitive. In terms of simplicity and convenience, it is not inferior to iOS, and smartphones on it are several times cheaper. Like, for example, or, which we recently talked about.