You start a group chat for a project, but a green bubble pops up — someone has a Samsung. While Apple reigns majority at Portola High, junior Suhaila Brundavanam, sophomore Karly Chokry and social studies teacher Daniel Hunter stand by their non-Apple devices, and they have their reasons.
Both Apple and Samsung dominate the technology market, but Apple’s sleek design, interconnected ecosystem and social appeal make it the top choice. However, Apple’s aesthetic charm does not always translate to functionality, according to Brundavanam, an editor for the Portola News Network.
“I used to use my mom’s MacBook for editing, and it would crash on me a lot,” Brundavanam said. “I’m comfortable using both, but I prefer Windows because it has a stronger operating system that lets you handle bigger capacities, and doesn’t crash every 5 seconds.”
Beyond utility, non-Apple devices offer unique features — one standout being the S Pen, a built-in stylus on select Samsung models that adds convenience for note-taking, drawing and even remote control functions, according to Chokry.
Additionally, for many Android users, including Chokry, the camera quality is a major draw, providing high-resolution images and an impressive zoom feature that captures details from large distances. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra offers a 10x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom, whereas the iPhone 16 Pro features a 5x optical zoom and a 10x digital zoom, according to The Guardian.
“Sometimes I see my friends from far away, and I just zoom into them,” Chokry said. “They don’t notice, and the zoom in quality is really detailed, so the pictures turn out pretty funny. It’s fun to get a quality picture without them knowing.”
Beyond personal preference, Hunter takes issue with Apple’s business practices. From chargers to software restrictions, he believes the company limits user choice for profit, prompting him to choose non-Apple devices.
“Apple engages in questionable business practices like forcing users to buy lightning chargers that only they manufacture,” Hunter said. “They only recently switched to USB-C, but it’s things like that — treating users like they don’t know what’s best for them — that make me prefer Android.”
Most non-Apple users, including Brundavanam, Chokry and Hunter, have used Apple devices before or still own smaller Apple products but cannot imagine relying on them as their primary devices. Whether it is for customization, practicality or avoiding Apple’s restrictions, they find non-Apple technology better suited to their needs, according to Hunter.
“I used to have an iPhone, and it was good, but Apple creates a lot of constraints on users that other software developers don’t,” Hunter said. “With my Android, I can plug it into my computer and easily transfer files while my wife, who has an iPhone, has to go through multiple steps just to save her photos as JPEGs. Apple makes things more complicated than they need to be.”
