I had the iPhone 11 for over four years. It was the first iPhone I owned. It stayed with me through the COVID-19 pandemic and two overseas trips — one to Hawaii and the other to Spain.
When the time came to upgrade, it was only natural for my entire family to want to get their hands on the iPhone 16. I, on the other hand, wanted to get the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6. However, that didn’t happen — and the reason why is infuriating.
A very real (and very annoying) issue
I haven’t had a Samsung phone for over seven years, and I haven’t had a flip phone since middle school (RIP Sanyo Katana), so I wanted to experience owning a flip phone in a smartphone format. Even before the iPhone 16 was released, I watched TikTok video after TikTok video of people citing reasons why they love the Galaxy Z Flip 6 more than the iPhone, ranging from advanced customization features to significantly reduced screen time from not opening the phone for anything other than taking phone calls and recording videos.
Both of those reasons were enough for me to want Samsung’s latest mini foldable phone. I could set a GIF of Sonic the Hedgehog rolling around my cover screen at the speed of sound via Good Lock. And the phone being in a closed position could help me resist the urge to scroll through it the second I wake up every morning.
I considered keeping the iPhone 11 as my TikTok video maker and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 as my primary phone, as I’ve noticed some content creators have done. However, when I posted an Instagram story saying something to that effect after watching Apple’s It’s Glowtime stream last month, my cousin (who works for a major cell carrier) replied that it was a terrible idea because the Galaxy Z Flip 6 “is a horrible phone.” When I asked why, he explained the crease was noticeable and that using it for more than just phone calls would eventually cause problems. Plus, like most Samsung phones, it’ll be useless after two years because of the preinstalled bloatware — at least, according to him.
Three days later, while walking around Epcot with my boyfriend, my brother texted me a list of options for which model iPhone 16 I wanted. Feeling like I had no other choice, I picked the iPhone 16 Pro. I’ve had it for three weeks now, and while it is a significant improvement over the iPhone 11, I’m still pining for the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
My dilemma of wanting the latest foldable Samsung phone while using the newest iPhone simply because my family is too deep into the Apple ecosystem to do otherwise has me convinced that smartphone bias exists. Discrimination towards Android phones—and, by extension, the people who use them—has existed for as long as they’ve been on the market alongside the iPhone, and we all need to put that to rest going into 2025.
Android phones deserve more respect
Two years ago, I wrote that the iPhone dominated the smartphone market after Apple’s exclusivity deal with AT&T ended in 2011. By the time the iPhone became accessible to everybody, mobile carrier preference be damned, Android phones started cropping up from LG, Samsung, and even Google at every mobile store to give shoppers a more affordable option so they weren’t left out of the smartphone frenzy.
I was in my sophomore year of high school when I got my first smartphone from LG. Holding an Android touchscreen device excited me just as much as an iPhone would, but even then, I wasn’t too concerned about having the same phone as my classmates, just as long as it functioned as intended.
However, as the years passed, the iPhone’s wide availability gave way to bias against Android phones, as well as Android users. It’s not just because of Android users asking their friends or co-workers if they have an Android charger they could borrow when their batteries are running low (which has since been alleviated by USB-C chargers being universal). Instead, it’s because (some) iPhone users deem Android phones inferior in price and quality.
An unreasonable debate
Let’s talk about quality in the context of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the iPhone 16, shall we? The Galaxy Z Flip 6 comes with Galaxy AI preinstalled, which helps enhance photos, lets you send text messages from the cover screen without opening your phone, and provides two-way translation in a conversation between yourself and another person speaking a foreign language. When you record videos, especially if you’re a content creator, you can set the phone upright on a tripod or put it in a camcorder position with FlexMode to record with one hand and control the camera more easily with Smooth Zoom control.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 doesn’t have Apple Intelligence until iOS 18.1 arrives later this month, so I can’t use it to make my pictures better than the original. The camera quality is upgraded from my iPhone 11, yet my iPhone 16 Pro isn’t tripod-friendly because the Camera Control edge would make the phone slip off the grip. Plus, I can’t set a GIF as my lock screen wallpaper, no matter how many apps I use to facilitate that. The iPhone 16 Pro is a very good phone, but for my use, a Z Flip 6 would have been a better fit.
Based on my experience with the iPhone 16 Pro in the last three weeks and the FOMO I’m getting from the TikTok videos and advertisements about the Galaxy Z Flip 6, I say Android phones don’t deserve any of the disdain they’re currently getting from iPhone users, especially some people in my family. For once, I wanted to experience the nostalgia of carrying a Samsung phone, but in a brand new way. And I wanted to see Sonic and Shadow moving around the cover screen. But due to smartphone bias, that didn’t happen.
Is my situation specific? Yes, but it’s also not unique. Countless reports over the years have shed light on the Android and iOS clash. It’s an ongoing feud in late 2024, and with 2025 looming around the corner, I hope we can finally put it to rest.
Want an Android phone? You should get an Android phone. Want an iPhone? You should get an iPhone. Let people get the phone they want and don’t ridicule them one way or the other.
