I chose the iPhone se(2016) as my first phone back in 2018. My first apple device was the first iPad mini from 2012 which I still use today.

I had the option to get pretty much any phone I desired as long as it fit my budget of $400. At that budget (and time), you wouldn’t get that long of software support so it was an easy choice. iPhones last much longer than their android counter parts. Five years later, my sister got handed down my iPhone SE. Many of my friends with androids upgrade every 2-3 years while I can get double the mileage with an iPhone.

Now, there’s a lot of good mid-range androids that offer a comparable/better experience than the iPhone such as the Pixel 6a/7a and the s23fe. Will they last as long as my iPhone? Maybe. But Apple did this a long time ago. Android’s playing catch up here. And longevity is very important for an average user especially if you’re willing to buy something that isn’t <$200.

As you can tell from my flair, I’ve decided to stay with iPhones. I believe android has more features, but iOS has many advantages. Features =/= advantages. Key detail.

• App quality. This is the biggest reason why I chose iOS in the first place. My experience with android has always been lackluster when it comes to app quality in pre-2015 era. Even now on my 2021 Galaxy Tab, apps work much better on iOS. It’s actually quite saddening to see google apps work better on iOS. Features even come faster on iOS. Although, android users do have a Gboard app that’s miles better.
• Airdrop/iMessage/Facetime. These are the biggest reason I imagine people who are in the ecosystem appreciate. I only have an iPhone but the fact that I’m in the US, having iMessage, airdrop, and Facetime is much more useful. Everyone knows about airdrop yet no one knows about nearby share because Apple’s marketing works. These advantages aren’t mitigated outside the US either if you’re in the ecosystem. RCS coming to iPhone next year will somewhat mitigate this advantage but Airdrop and Facetime aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
• Timely software updates. iPhones get updates the same day all over the world. With android, you have to wait until Google decides to give you the update which sometimes takes months. You’ll notice that many more people are on the latest update of iOS but there’s still a bunch of people on Android 11 and 12.
• No useless bloatware. From what I’ve seen, only the Pixel and Asus have close to none bloatware. I know you can delete the bloatware with ADB but it’s nice to have none of it in the first place.

These are some noteworthy features off the back of my head:

• Find My(Ultra wideband). Google’s trying to catch-up but Apple’s implementation is superior. You’re telling me that I can spend $30 on an airtag and can track my car all over the world without GPS? Samsung has their own version but Apple wins here because the more iPhones there are in an area, the more accurate the airtag will be. So if you live in an iPhone-concentrated area, this is a clear advantage.
• Face ID. It really is a game-changer. Works in the dark and even if you wear a mask.
• Security options. In settings, you can choose to opt out of a lot of first-party and third-party data collecting. No android stands up to Apple’s security. To get something better than that on android, you would need to install GrapheneOS on Pixel, but that renders a loss of a lot of features.
• Proper backup/restore feature. Not many people talk about this but when you backup an iPhone, it backs up everything. And considering both Android and iOS are pretty buggy these days, iOS gets you back running a fresh OS copy with minimal bugs. Google’s version doesn’t perform as well and doesn’t backup as much data.

Now I can list all the features/advantages android has over iOS but you seem to get the idea. On paper, android is better hardware-wise and software-wise. But it’s also why they’re worse. Top of the end androids have much better specs as iPhones but usually will lack something software-wise while others like the pixel offer a better software experience but lack in hardware quality.

iPhones are the the best average phone. When you look at iOS, you have to look at the iPhone, but when you look at android you look at multiple devices with different advantages and disadvantages. I know many android users that wish they had an iPhone but with Android instead of iOS. Across the years, many long-term android users switch to iOS as iOS slowly adopts/copies those android features they can’t live without. I think MrWhosetheBoss made a great video on how iOS can only improve because it’s behind Android while Android will eventually level off. You already see android copying features from iOS in A14.

Also there are features you’d think that aren’t available on iOS such as sideloading, chrome and firefox extensions support, customization etc. Although they’re limited compared to android, they are still possible on iOS.

TLDR: Not many advantages/features over android. But it’s the experience long-term that counts. Apple hasn’t been taking full potential of iOS and what it’s capable of. They’re slowly getting there.