Senior Ella Hunnewell does not take pride in causing others discomfort—at least, in most areas of her life.

In a singularly out-of-character reaction, Ella’s favorite thing about her phone is the annoyance that it brings to others, particularly in the form of little green text bubbles.

“To be honest, it makes me really happy when people are upset when they make group chats [with me],” Ella said. “[They say] ‘who’s the Android?’ and I always think ‘sorry I have the better phone and that your phones are outdated.’”

Ella, unlike many of her peers, enjoys having an Android phone, and, if given the chance, would not make the switch to Apple. In fact, her first few phones were Apple products, and she found them highly unsatisfactory.

Not only does Ella believe that Android phones are of a better quality overall, but she also found several things lacking in her Apple phone. She disliked the use of Safari and how she had to open a new app to search the web. She also found the constant updates extremely frustrating.

“I’ve noticed that the Android doesn’t randomly ask for updates,” Ella said. “Every once in a while, it will update, but with my iPhone, it would always update when I didn’t want it to update. It would cancel me out of different apps, and I couldn’t use them anymore.”

This constant stream of updates was both exasperating and annoying and was one of the several reasons why Ella would choose an Android phone over an Apple phone.

Despite the many good aspects of Ella’s Android, there is one facet that she is constantly disappointed with: the camera. Typically, Android phones have worse camera quality than their Apple counterparts, and an Apple user—junior Ryan Sutherlund—can attest to that fact.

“[The biggest difference between Apple and Android] is that the camera quality is definitely better on the Apple phone,” Ryan said. “I use this feature a lot, and it makes the phone better overall.”

Ryan owned an Android phone for five years before switching to Apple, and he is very glad that he did. Contrary to Ella’s opinions of Apple products, Ryan finds his new phone easier and more convenient to use.

Although Android phones may be less expensive than iPhones, Ryan believes that Apple phones are better quality phones, and therefore worth the extra cost. He adamantly cites the improved camera quality as the best feature of an Apple phone, but he also enjoys another detail: his iPhone’s affinity with his peers’ devices.

“Being compatible is nice,” Ryan said. “Everyone has an Apple phone, so it’s just easier to use because everyone else has it. The settings for Bluetooth are a little weird compared to Android, but that is only a minor problem.”

The compatibility of iPhones is a major draw. It is much easier to share images, facetime, and simply text between two iPhones than between an Apple and an Android phone. Even between two Android phones, a separate app is needed for facetime, unlike the facetime feature that is built into the Apple calling system.

Furthermore, this compatibility extends greatly into group texts. In a group chat with only iPhones, members can name the group and add a cover photo, while if the group has even one Android phone, these features are not possible. Freshman Kenzie Manders finds this to be the greatest asset of an iPhone.

“I don’t have any friends with an Android,” Kenzie said, “but sometimes, in a basketball group chat, someone will have an Android, so all of the texts will be green. It’s kind of annoying, and sometimes you have to pay for green texts.”

Kenzie has only had Apple phones, and even though her model is not the newest, she still believes it is better than having an Android phone. The speed, compatibility, and aesthetics of Apple phones are all appealing to her.

Although the capabilities of these phones are an important factor in the debate between Apple and Android, it is also important to consider another: appearance. Just as with people, you can’t judge a phone by its cover, but an appealing outward look is an added bonus, which—Kenzie believes—can be awarded to Apple users.

“The apps and the camera all look different [on an Apple phone],” Kenzie said. “And, the emojis. The emojis on an Apple phone are better because they’re more detailed and smoother.”

Android: 1. Apple: 2.

At this point, there seems to be a clear winner in this cultural debate. Apple phones are faster, more compatible, and prettier, not to mention the camera. But a final, stronger voice, may be enough to change the course of this battle.

“[Android] phones are the exemplary piece of technology needed by society,” sophomore Jake Barnes said. “Apple users have been indoctrinated by certain men such as Steve Jobs, and I think it’s unacceptable. I hate the way that [Apple users] feel so entitled to their very specific piece of technology, and I hate their unwillingness to cooperate with phones such as the Google Pixel. I think by using an [Android] phone, you are opening yourself up to unlimited possibilities.”