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iPhone vs. Android: Which phones are more likely to fail?

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 9:17PM EST
Android Vs iPhone Stability

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For the second consecutive quarter, a study has determined that Apple’s line of iPhones is far more stable than Android handsets. Mobile diagnostics company Blancco Technology Group on Wednesday released the results of an updated study that looks to determine which phones stand up best to the test of time and continue to function without failing.

As was the case with the firm’s last study, Blancco found a huge disparity in reliability when comparing the two platforms.

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In linewith the firm’s fourth-quarter report, a study that analyzed smartphone failures during the first quarter of 2016 determined that Android devices cause far more problems for their owners than iPhones. According to Blancco Technology Group’s new data, 44% of Android phones experienced failures between January and March of this year, compared to 25% of iPhones.

Among Android phone vendors, Samsung handsets experienced the highest rate of failures at 43% globally. The Galaxy S6 was the handset that experienced issues most commonly in Samsung’s pen, while the iPhone 6 experienced the most malfunctions of all of Apple’s smartphones.

What causes the biggest problems on smartphones? According to the study, smartphone cameras malfunctioned more than any other hardware component in the first quarter:

  • Camera (8 percent)
  • Touch (7 percent)
  • Battery charging (6 percent)
  • Microphone (4 percent)
  • Dual SIM (4 percent)

Narrowing things down to just North America, the top-5 list of issues looks like this:

  • Performance (5 percent)
  • Battery Charging (3 percent)
  • Touch (3 percent)
  • Mobile Data (2 percent)
  • Microphone (2 percent)

Where apps are concerned, the company ironically found that Android security apps crashed more frequently than any other app. A whopping 82% of crashes were caused by the Lookout app, followed by 360 Security, CM Security and AVG Antivirus, each at 3%.

“Android devices seem to be a contradiction in terms,” said Blancco Technology Group CEO Pat Clawson. “On the one hand, Android is the number one operating system in terms of global market share. But despite this advantage, Android device performance still lags behind iOS and tends to be plagued by high rates of crashing apps and app cache. With the launch of new smartphone models this year – such as Samsung S7, LG G5 and the rumored iPhone 7 – it will be interesting to see how Android device performance stacks up against iOS in the coming months.”

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.