Windows Vs Android: 13 Reasons That Makes Windows A Better Phone Than Android
In the eight instalment of our weekly TECH TUESDAY column, we take a look at what is it that makes Windows phones better than Android phones. Listed inside are 13 features that you may find better on a Windows Phone than on an Android phone.
By Sadho Ram — 29 Jul 2014, 04:57 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
1. Quality Build Phones With Superb Design
The biggest ammo to join the arsenal of Windows phones has to be Nokia’s partnership. With phones ranging from $150 to $425, sporting screen sizes from 4″ to 6″, Nokia has plenty of choices not just for the budget-conscious but also those are looking for a powerful, sleek phone, for instance like Nokia Lumia 1020 with 41 megapixel camera sensor and Full HD video. You definitely can get good value for your money if you just keep your eyes open for a good alternative phone, rather than stop looking once it isn’t on a “popular” OS.
2. Quality Apps That Can Make You Go Crazy
Another good thing with Windows Phone is there gorgeous apps. Windows App Store is behind Android app store in terms of quantity and not quality. Though you can find more apps for Android phones but Windows phones also have all the basic and other necessary apps. You will get Facebook, Twitter, Skype and all other important apps. They are continuously adding more to their portfolio. Most of the apps are quality build with smart and minimalist design. They look much better than Android apps.
phandroid.com3. Ever Expandable Storage
Most Windows Phone, even the entry level ones have 8GB of internal storage and supports a microSD card of up to 64 GB. The free 7 GB cloud storage from Onedrive makes it even better. This reduces the need to fall back on third-party online storage solutions, which may come with compatibility issues. OneDrive lets you backup content to the cloud, Windows tablets, PCs, and of course the Windows Phone.
4. Versatility Of Live Tiles
Windows Phones allow users to pin whatever they want and how they want. Instead of widgets, each app on your home screen acts as a Live Tile. They give you a quick glimpse of what’s going on in each individual app. We can see the time and weather via the weather tile and notifications from Twitter, WhatsApp, SMS and email all from the main screen. Widgets on Android are their own separate entities and their customized looks as designed by their developers. These designs thus can hardly mesh together aesthetically, especially without any form of standardization. Tiles, on the other hand, blend in and complement the overall aesthetic perfectly and they also change dynamically.
5. Seamless Email And Social Media Integration
Windows Phone with its mission to build an end-to-end product experience for its customers, has a soild built-in social media integrated hub that they use; it’s very smooth and fluid. The People Hub gets updates from social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Rather than opening individual apps one by one, all your friends’ status updates and notifications can be viewed within the People Hub. Facebook integration on Windows Phone also makes it better than Android when it comes to tagging pictures. It also allows you to use your phone contacts as tags. You can switch between Facebook chat and normal text messaging with your contacts on Windows Phone.
phandroid.com6. Impressive Camera Technology
No doubt, Nokia phones have always come up with most impressive cameras. Most of the people love Windows phone for their camera. They have integrate advanced camera technology. Spending for Windows phone camera is worth your money. Don’t settle for anything less than best. You can click all high quality photos and videos with your Windows phone. Its dedicated camera button adds more sophistication. For example, Nokia 1020 has 41 megapixel camera sensor and full HD video. You get real value of your money.
7. Consistency Across All Devices
Android comes in so many shapes and sizes, so performance and quality are always a question. Windows Phone however works well on all levels of devices from the entry-level Lumia 520 to the high-end Lumia 1020 without any noticeable lag whatsoever. The minimalist design approach is applied at all Nokia’s Lumia range of devices and known for best build quality.
8. Customizations On Lockscreen
Windows Phone allows you to check out your notifications from your lockscreen. Not only you can change Background pictures in Lock screen settings, but Windows Phones also allow the integration of live apps on the lockscreen. Some of the better app integrations are Bing and Facebook. Bing displays the Bing Picture of the Day while Facebook displays photos from your albums. You can also choose from photos of yourself or create a selection of photos to be shown on your lockscreen. Another cool thing that you could do is to configure the lock screen to display artist information when playing music.
9. Play Your XBox Games On Windows Phone
If you own an XBox, Windows Phone has the perfect XBox integration to help you get the most out of your games, even on low-RAM devices. Microsoft has worked hard to integrate Xbox functionality, meaning you can work with your console avatar to gain points, check your Gamerscore, message your friends and see your avatar. Despite Android having more games, Windows Phones get Xbox games such as Asphalt 8: Airborne, Jetpack Joyride, Six Guns and FIFA 14 for free. All of the games run smoothly; even on the low end Nokia Lumia Phones, playing games is a breeze.
10. Offline Maps Integration
Windows Phone have HERE Maps and HERE Drive integrated to its Lumia range, basically Nokia’s alternative to Android’s Google Maps. It comes with full offline capabilities. Some Android smartphones such as Galaxy S4 also has offline navigation in Google Maps, but while Google Maps only allows you to download small areas of offline maps, you can download maps of countries with the Nokia Lumia Phones and navigate across the country without a data connection while driving.
gottabemobile.com11. Microsoft Integration And Support
Those who are used to Microsoft’s service and software would be glad to know Windows Phone works well with Microsoft products like Outlook.com. OneDrive Skype, Xbox, and OneNote. Unlike Android, Windows Phone comes with free Office in the OS itself. The mobile version is handy for on-the-go professionals. You can view and edit, Excel, PowerPoint and Word documents straight on your Windows Phone. It also integrates with OneDrive and users can save their compatible files on Microsoft’s cloud storage service.
12. The Ever Evolving Cortana
Cortana – your Windows phone replacement for Google Now. You can schedule your appointments, find directions, voice search, track new stories, check flight timings and many other things with Windows phone Cortana. Cortana is a sign that Windows phone is has got into digital assistant service. It becomes more intelligent as you spend more time with it.
phandroid.com13. The Powerful Battery Saver Mode
This feature is a godsend when you’re stranded away from a charger. When enabled, it automatically shuts down some battery-hogging features. Apps won’t run in the background, email won’t sync, live tiles will be shut off, but important things like SMS and phone call will still go through. This helps you eke out several more hours of use from what would normally last a couple of minutes. In Windows Phone 8.1 the feature got even better. Now you can decide which apps should be allowed to run in the background when Battery Saver is enabled.
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