iOS 14 is coming, and iPhones are looking appealing to even the loyalest Android users

There is no disputing that the performance of the iPhone is second to none. Their "A" series chips far outperform Qualcomm's best offering, and their cameras consistently rank among the top 3 (mainly coming down to preference between Google, Apple, and Samsung). Recently, they have even upped their services game to compete with all big players from Google to Microsoft, and there is no denying that many, if not all, Android enthusiasts would love to be able to use iMessage.

Despite all of that, many of us would not even consider an iPhone...until now.

Even with many of those draws, Android has always kept people loyal. Sure, Samsung packs their flagships with the top-of-the-line hardware. Yes, Google's Pixel line offers truly amazing computational photography and an always-up-to-date experience. Companies like LG and Motorola offer something different for those that want to standout, and OnePlus took on the low-price, high-performance mantle of the Nexus line. But, even with the hardware variations, it was Android that kept people around.

Android offers what a lot of people have always wanted. Their was variation, customization, and freedom that just wasn't there in iOS. If you want a different browser, you can have it. You can change your icons, your themes, and more importantly, your home screen. For those that like a clean homepage, you can do it. Finally, if you wanted widgets, you could actually have them. Sure, these may seem like little things, but it is the little snippets of freedom that made people stick to Android even as iOS clearly became the favorite child.

But, here comes iOS 14.

Say what you want about Apple, but they have always stuck to a pretty clear path: you don't have to be first; you just have to be better. With iOS 14, Apple is addressing a lot of the missing features with better variations. With iOS 14, Apple is finally introducing widgets, but with a Windows Phone flare. Widgets can live on the home-screen alongside app icons and can be resized to fit your aesthetic. Additionally, these widgets are dynamic to allow quick actions and refreshing information (if the developer supports it). The best way to think about iOS widgets: Live tiles on steroids.

In addition, Apple is finally allowing users to clean up the home-screen with the introduction of their own "App Drawer" that they are calling "App Library". Users can still pin their favorite apps to their home-screen as before, but if you have an app you don't use very often, you no longer have to move it back to a later page. Instead, you can have your main apps pinned to one (or two) main pages, and the rest will sit to the far right of your pages in the App Library. Here you can find all of the apps on your phone group conveniently with similar apps. Now, when you need an app, you can find it in one convenient place instead of looking 5 pages deep. Additionally, the App Library will have a built-in search feature allowing you to simply search for the app rather than scrolling. A delayed feature to be sure, but a welcome one that Apple seems to have easily refined.

Finally, Apple is doing something that many of us thought we would never see: allowing users to set some defaults. Now, it is only email and browser, and sure, the browser is in look only due to Webkit requirement, but it is still an opening of the door that many never saw coming. For power Google users, you can now set Gmail and Chrome as your default. For those who love the new version of Microsoft, Edge and Outlook are there. Not that there is anything wrong with Safari or Mail, and in fact many may leave the defaults, but just the idea of personalization makes iOS 14 a step in the right direction.

There is a lot more in iOS 14 than meets the eye. Apple Maps is getting a huge upgrade, Messages is introducing a plethora of neat new features, Siri is getting a little smarter and a little more pleasing to the eye, and Picture-in-picture is making Facetime even more convenient. Apple is throwing everything at iOS 14, and if it avoids the bug-plagued launch of iOS 13, there is a lot to like. With a refined operating system and the best hardware working in tandem, iPhones are becoming a very attractive option...even for loyalest of Android users.