The beta’s face off! How does Apple's iOS 10 compare to Google's Android Nougat?

As we approach the tail end of Summer and head towards Autumn (Fall if you're American), the set of expected high-end handsets has narrowed down to a small handful; but crucially this handful includes amongst its number several key devices which will debut brand new versions of Google and Apple's major OS software platforms: Android and iOS.
Google will release two handsets this year but unlike previous years they WILL NOT be called Nexus phones; no, this year Google is switching things up and launching a brand new phone brand — the Google Pixel phone brand.
This move is apparently part of a wider initiative inside Google where it will play a closer role in the development of hardware. We have already seen what Google is capable of in this regard with the awesome Chromebook Pixel and the rather underwhelming but very good-looking Google Pixel C.
A Pixel Phone, therefore, feels like a natural successor and while it is sad that Google’s Nexus brand is effectively over, the idea of Google taking a more hands-on approach to the creation of its phones definitely has its positives. This year’s Pixel phones will apparently feature a bunch of exclusive software features that other Android phones will not get. Also, Pixel phones will always get updates first — just as Nexus phones did before them.
HTC is making this year’s Pixel phones, but after that Google will likely undertake the OEM duties itself with a partner like Foxconn.
Apple will release its iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus handsets in September. The iPhone 7 will launch on September 7 with key updates to the camera, display tech, CPU and storage options — 256GB is expected on the Plus model and the 16GB entry model will be discontinued with 32GB taking over as the base model.
iOS 10 and Android Nougat (7.0) may not be out yet, but due to the way both Apple and Google conduct their OS development both have been released as beta builds for long enough now that there is plenty of official information and details out in the ether, picked and catalogued from the beta programs by hordes of eager developers.
It’s often been noted that as the operating systems have matured, both iOS and Android have “borrowed” key features from one another, with the end result being the two different OSes becoming more similar.
The availability of Android Nougat for current Android phones is a hot topic of debate on account of the platform’s fragmented nature. Update cycles are typically terrible, for the most part, in the macro Android space with newer, flagship handsets often being the only phones to receive the update. Older handsets — i.e. anything over 18 months old — tends to get left out in the cold.
This isn’t Google’s problem, per se, as it rests with the manufacturers to push out updates to their hardware. And because Android OEMs are hellbent on selling new hardware, they often neglect older handsets and this, of course, leaves the vast majority of Android users — like 90% — languishing on older software.
Basically, to get access to the latest and greatest version of Android you either A) have to update your hardware once a year, B) install custom ROMs on your phone, or C) get a Nexus phone. For the vast majority of users, none of these options are considered and this is why the newest builds of Android, more often than not, take longer than a year to hit 10% adoption in the wider Android ecosystem.
Apple, of course, runs its phone business very differently. Having complete, top-down management of everything in its ecosystem enables Apple to control the flow of new software onto its hardware. Similarly, iPhone/iPad users are accustomed to getting access to new builds of iOS as soon as they’re available. This is why adoption of new iOS builds is always so high.
But could either one become more distinct? Do the latest betas suggest one might come out on top (at least for this year)? That’s what we’re here to decide. Now let's take a look at all the major differences—if any—between iOS 10 and Android Nougat.