But hey, not everyone wants an iPhone. Some may consider them too expensive, or their operating system – iOS – too restrictive and non-customizable (no launchers to choose from, that’s for sure).
Sure, iOS 16 brings customizable lockscreens, and that’s commendable for Apple, but iPhones are nowhere near as open for their users to tinker with as Android phones are.
Or, maybe you just have too many friends with iPhones, and you’d rather go with something else; something a bit different?
Well, I often feel the same way, and as an Android power user who’s fortunate enough to go through all kinds of smartphones, all the time, I’d be happy to recommend some of my favorite options for people who want an “Android iPhone”.
Something that’s similar to the iPhone 14 in key aspects, while still being an Android device; a (sometimes) cheaper one too.
Nothing Phone (1)
Say what you will about Carl Pei, co-founder of OnePlus and now CEO of Nothing, but he definitely knows how to make phones interesting. Like Apple, but on a much smaller scale, he’s very good at convincing us tech enthusiasts to buy whatever.
If you ever looked at a modern iPhone and thought: “Man, I’d love to have a beautiful flat-edge phone like this, but I want it running Android”, well, the Nothing Phone (1) is definitely worth your attention.
It “borrows” the iPhone’s design almost verbatim, has a similarly premium feel, flat edges, Gorilla Glass front and back, aluminum frame… Very much like your typical iPhone.
Beautiful, flat edges
But, the Nothing Phone (1) doesn’t have any notches or “Dynamic Islands” to speak of – its 6.5-inch AMOLED display is interrupted only by a tiny holepunch camera in the top left corner.
And, my favorite part that I don’t think gets appreciated enough – absolutely symmetrical bezels.
No chin
Of course, what steals the show here, so we can’t possibly ignore it, is the Nothing Phone’s crowning feature – the one that was clearly designed to make it stand out and attract the tech fans – that “Glyph interface” on the back.
It’s an array of 900 white LED lights, showing under the phone’s transparent back, and lighting up or strobing to signal for notifications, calls, and such other things that may need your attention.
To me, it’s cool, but pretty much the definition of a gimmick. To Nothing, though, it’s a genius way of making the phone appealing, unique and interesting, despite it being so iPhone-like.
If you want the closest thing to an “Android iPhone” right now – I’d strongly recommend checking out our Nothing Phone (1) review!
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus
I recently bought this phone purely for its flat-edge design and dual stereo speakers, and it was able to replace my iPhone quite well, for what’s pretty much a cheap mid-ranger.
Sure, it has something similar to the iPhone’s flat-edge design, albeit nowhere near as premium-feeling (or seamless), and that’s fine.
A good, flat design here too
But the main reason I’d recommend a Xiaomi (or a Redmi) phone would be Xiaomi’s MIUI Android interface.
See, just like the Nothing Phone we talked about earlier “borrows” design cues from the iPhone, Xiaomi’s MIUI interface “borrows” quite a bit from Apple’s iOS operating system, which iPhones run on.
So if you’re looking for an “Android iPhone”, where the interface looking and feeling as close as iOS as it gets matters the most – trying this, or another modern Xiaomi phone is definitely worth it.
This Redmi Note 11 isn’t just flat, kind of like an iPhone, but with MIUI – your Android experience feels pretty iPhone-ish too. A similar homescreen grid, with similar rounded-square icons, similar quick toggles, similar notifications, similar extra functionality like a screen recorder, which you also have on iOS… It’s all here.
MIUI
And this is one of those cases where I believe “similar” isn’t a bad thing – I do like how iOS looks and feels, and having the option of using something reasonably like it, but powered by Android, is pretty darn cool.
Of course, with all that in mind, I could make the case that you can also just download an iOS-like launcher on your already-existing Android phone, and call it a day. That’s an option too!
But MIUI is just different enough, as it is similar to iOS. It’s not a straight-up attempt at copying it to the last detail, as a launcher like that would aim for – to the point where you even have iOS app icons. Xiaomi’s MIUI is… Hmmm, how should I put this… A “classier” way of getting the iOS experience. And again – comes with features like a screen recorder, video and photo editors – all that fun stuff iOS has too. A launcher will not.
Galaxy S22 Ultra
Okay, what if you don’t care about a similar design or how the interface looks, but you’re jealous of those pesky iPhone users mainly because they have some of the best phone cameras in their pockets?
Well, certain Android phones can rival that camera performance pretty well, and in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – even offer extra camera features.
And not just extra camera features, this phone has extra features, period, that you’ll never see on an iPhone – it comes with a stylus, it has top tier split-screen multitasking, it even has a desktop mode for when you hook it up to a TV, called Samsung DeX.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is a Galaxy Note in spirit
It’s the ultimate not-an-iPhone phone! But, with iPhone-grade cameras, which I’m sure many would argue are even better, and beyond “iPhone-grade”. 10X telephoto zoom, baby! 8K video recording too, which even the soon-to-be-out iPhone 14 Pro Max still can’t do!
Check out our Galaxy S22 Ultra review to learn more about this phone and see sample videos. Also, head on to our iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra comparison to see just how well this top dog from Samsung fares against Apple’s upcoming top dog.
Do you have an example of a great “Android iPhone” for everyone to check out?
Share your experience with us and your fellow tech enthusiasts – do you know of any great Android phones that would make for a great iPhone replacement?
