On Aug. 21, the Android 8.0 Oreo was officially launched and in the next month the iOS 11 will be officially announced by Apple. The features of the iOS 11 and Android 8.0 Oreo are already known before the official announcement as both the operating systems have been available as previous builds. Here is a comparison between the Android 8.0 Oreo and iOS 11 to known which one is offering better user experience this year.
New Features on Android 8.0 Oreo but are Already Available on iOS 11
Notifications Dots
When a notification arrives on a device running on Android 8.0 Oreo, it will show a dot on the top-right of the app which indicates that particular app has received a new alert. Various Android smartphone OEMs have already introduced this feature, but it has been only added now to Android 8.0 Oreo. Well, the very first iPhone has been sporting this feature since day one.
New Features on iOS 11 but are Already Available on Android 8.0 Oreo
File Manager
A file manager has been available on Android since beginning. However, iOS 11 comes with its own native app for file management. It is named as Files which not only gives access to apps on the device but also allows users to access files on various cloud storage services such as iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box and so on.
AR Support
According to Wikipedia, Augmented reality (AR) is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are “augmented” by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. Apple is expected to introduce AR to iOS devices such as iPhone 8 through iOS 11 to take on Project Tango AR from Google. Google’s Tango AR enabled devices like Lenovo Phab2 Plus and Asus ZenFone AR are already available in the market.
Multiple Speaker Support
The iOS 11 devices can play music on different speakers. However, Android devices already allow music playback through multiple speakers.
Notifications on Lockscreen
The lockscreen on iOS 11 can display notifications allowing users to glance at alerts conveniently without having to pull out the notifications menu. This feature has been already available on Android since couple of years.
New Features of Android 8.0 Oreo that are Unavailable on IOS 11
Picture-in-Picture Mode
The Android O brings the improved Picture-in-Picture mode that was introduced in Android Nougat. With PiP, users can view a video and access another app on the screen. For instance, when a app is launched while watching a YouTube video, the latter continues to run in a small window at a corner.
Smart Text Selection
Smart Text Selection is a new feature on Android Oreo that makes it convenient to select and copy text without using selection bars as it is powered Google’s AI. Just a simple tap on a phone number or address, Oreo’s AI will launch the appropriate app for it. For instance, if it is an address, the system will automatically show directions on Google Maps.
Autofill
Remembering and typing in login usernames and passwords can be annoying. The autofill feature on Android 8.0 Oreo will prompt users to automatically fill filed for username, password, email address, address and so on automatically. This can be done by simply tapping in the field and let Google fill it.
New Features of iOS 11 that are Unavailable on Android 8.0 Oreo
Apple Pay Payments in iMessage
Users of iOS 11 can now make payments or transfer funds through Apple Pay inside iMessage. Payments are authenticated by scanning the fingerprint. Android Pay on Google is not associated with the native messaging app.
New Camera Features
Couple of new features have been added to the Photos app that helps in saving storage space. Live Photos consume more storage. With iOS 11, a Live Photo can be trimmed and edited and even a snapshot can be taken from it.
The new compression technology allows videos captured on iOS 11 devices to consume less space. Long exposure feature can capture natural shots like moving car with trail effect. OIS and HDR is now available on low-light portrait shots. And also, Movies can be played in Portrait mode in Movies.
Even though Android 8.0 Oreo has been officially unveiled and almost all the features of iOS 11 are known, both Google and Apple may have reserved some features that may get unveiled through their respective flagship phones such as Google Pixel 2 and iPhone 8. Judging by the available features on both operating systems, Android Oreo offers some new features for daily use which gives it a slight edge over iOS 11 that also comes with new features such as Apple Pay in iMessage and camera app improvements