Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research, volume 211

Proceedings of the 2022 7th International Conference on Financial Innovation and Economic Development (ICFIED 2022)

The Analysis of Smartphones’ Operating System and

Customers’ Purchasing Decision: Application to
HarmonyOS and Other Smartphone Companies
Kalok Sie
Thomas Jefferson School, St. Louis, Missouri, US, 63127
thenameisbarron@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
Nowadays, the smartphone industry steps into a period of prosperity and development. While more and more phones
with a variety of features have been released, Android and iOS seize the majority of the operating system market. At
the same time, Huawei has just introduced its original system on smartphones, the HarmonyOS. Therefore, this article
compares the advantages and disadvantages of Android and iOS, and provides suggestions about the future development
for HarmonyOS based on past successful cases, such as system privacy security and application accessibility. In
addition, the paper will analyze the internal and external factors that consumers will consider before the deal of a
smartphone, which renders ideas of the marketing strategy to smartphone companies. In this paper, secondary data
observation and analysis are applied as the research methods. The majority of people purchase a phone because they
really demand it, and they will ponder over the internal elements of a phone such as the price, the phone’s operation
interface. Since advertisements do not actually help a lot for the decision to buy a smartphone, a company should invest
more on the quality of their products instead of promoting them too much.

Keywords：Smartphone; Operating system; Analysis; HarmonyOS; Purchasing decision

1. INTRODUCTION Meanwhile, as one of the leading global providers of

information and communications technology (ICT)
In recent years, smartphones have evolved from a infrastructure and smart devices, Huawei has launched
conventional communication apparatus to a mobile HarmonyOS. This operating system is a new
device with multifarious features. These portable and microkernel-based, distributed operating system
miniature computers not only make and receive phone designed to deliver a cohesive user experience across all
calls or texts, but also access the Internet and other digital devices and scenarios [3]. Basically, questions that the
media like pictures and videos. Along with their paper will try to answer is: (1) what makes Android and
significant progress, smartphones have become an iOS such successful operating systems, and (2) if the
integral part of modern life. According to the data from operating system is a crucial element that influences
statista.com on smartphone users worldwide, an people’s purchasing decision on a smartphone, what
exponential growth in people who own and use other factors will have an impact on people’s choices.
smartphones is revealed. Within 5 years, the number of This paper studies the similarities and differences
users have increased from approximately 3.7 billion in between iOS and Android that make them such popular
2016 to 6.4 billion in 2021 [1]. systems within the enormous market, and offers several
suggestions for HarmonyOS and other operating systems
Despite the immense number of consumers, the to help them figure out what influences customers’
mobile operating systems (OS) market is actually purchase decisions with Android and iOS’ statistics.
monopolized by Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS,
which together occupy over 99% of the entire market,
and only a few competitors against them exist in the
market [2]. The two operating systems have their
respective advantages that attract most of the customers.

Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press International B.V.

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license -http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. 417
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2. MAIN BODY

2.1. Data and Research Methods

In this research, the data for Android and iOS
comparison is derived from a survey with more than 150
participants in a secondary source [4]. The data regarding
customers’ selections of smartphones is based on the
questionnaire done by Yu-Syuan Chen, Tso-Jen, and
their fellow researchers in 2016 [4]. It consists of
personal information, internal and external elements of Figure 1: Operating System Preferences Based on Data
consumers’ behavior, the determinant of purchasing Security [5]
decision, and the brand relationship quality. A total of
two hundred and fifty-two smartphone users have done 2.2.2. Design Accessibility
this survey. The other statistics about the number of
smartphone users in the world and the proportions of each Android provides the flexibility to modify the device
operating system are retrieved from statistia.com and and improve the operating system permissions according
statcounter.com [1][2]. With these essential statistics to the user’s inclinations and requests. In addition, it can
about Android and iOS operating systems, the paper will run different implementations like outsiders, middleware
observe the evident traits and analyze the secondary data applications, and media, which all benefit its customers.
in depth. The latest version of iOS has a built-in accessibility
feature and a developer tool which together provide a
2.2. Operating Systems Comparison high-level mobile experience for every customer. For
example, a comprehensive screen assists blind and low
Google’s Android is a Linux-based and open-source vision users. In comparison, Android is created based on
operating system, the most widely used smartphone and universal design principles that will help applications
tablet platform on the market, while iOS is an operating meet basic usability standards.
system developed by Apple Inc, originally created for the
From the survey [5], people’s suggestions to improve
iPhone and later expanded to include other Apple devices
the operating systems are: apps accessibility, overheating
such as the iPod and iPad. Since security and Data
issues, storage management, bugs issues, customization
accessibility are two major factors that affect buyers’
of OS, graphical interface, and new features such as
purchase decisions [5], the paper will compare the two
artificial intelligence and machine learning to better
operating systems in these two aspects in the following
predict human behavior. Most of these issues have been
paragraphs.
improved in the latest versions of iOS, but Android is still
a work in progress. Based on these observations,
2.2.1. Security HarmonyOS, which tries to replace Google’s apps [6],
Android’s security features are Components should find some alternatives to improve its accessibility
Protection, Memory Management Unit (MMU), of other applications.
Application Permissions, Type Safety. As an open-
source model, it is slightly more vulnerable to hacking 2.3. Customers Purchasing Decision
and cyber threats. The open and decentralized nature of
Before the purchase of a smartphone, consumers
installing applications in the devices, more often from
would consider numerous elements, for example, price
third parties, exposes the Android OS to some security
and function of the product. Those various stimuli that
issues. iOS is considered as one of the safest operating
influence smartphone consumers’ buying decisions.
systems for smartphones. Apple designers have enhanced
Understanding and utilizing the concept properly, a
their models to exclude them from any third-party
company can attract customers by creating incentives that
antivirus software. Their security models focus on data
tempt the potential buyer.
security, network security, device security, and
application security. In contrast, Android, a competitive Kotler and Armstrong claim that an acceptable price
operating system, has four major security features: for both the sellers and the buyers is difficult but
component protection, memory management unit, fundamental. Also, the manufacturer should always
application permissions, and type safety. According to innovate so that the function of the product can precisely
Toppo & Dhote (2021), when users are asked to choose target people's demands. A customer’s behavior is
a better operating system for personal data protection, impacted by social factors, such as friends and family’s
69.8% chose iOS and only 22.8% chose Android, as recommendation [7]. Besides, the outer appearance of a
shown in Figure 1 [5]. product can affect consumers’ estimation and impress
them [8]. Brand awareness, additionally, enables the

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customer to quickly recognize the company's trademark brand’s product was because have seen or heard an
[9]. Last but not least, brand relationship quality brings advertisement for that brand. Beside the external factors,
the business and the customers closer to each other, and some internal elements also affect people’s decision on
arouses their intention to repurchase or recommend [10]. purchasing a smartphone. For example, most of the
There are certainly more factors that determine responses agree that the price (214, 85%), the functions
customers’ valuation of a product, but ones that are of the cell phone (224, 89%), a user-friendly operation
mentioned previously play the key role in purchasing interface (219, 87%), battery life (224, 89%), and the
decisions. outward design (214, 85%) are necessary factors in
buying decisions. Regarding the brand relationship
Among the two hundred and fifty-two participants in
quality, 204 participants (81%) agree that they can recall
the research [4], two hundred and thirty-eight people
the logo of a specific brand and 201 (80%) concur that
(94%) agreed that they buy a smartphone for their need
the after-sale service will impact their willingness to
of using it, while about eighty-eight (35%) and ninety-
repurchase the same brand. Conversely, 88 people (35%)
five (38%) users respectively disagrees that they
agree they will continue to buy a brand with poor
purchase a smartphone to go with the fad and because of
evaluation. The listed information is visualize in Table 1
other people’s influence. Surprisingly, seventy-five
and Figure 2:
(30%) participants disagree that the reason they buy a

Table 1: Factors Affecting Customers’ Purchasing Decisions

External Factors
Demand Trend People’s Influence Advertisement

Number of Participants 238 88 95 35

Percentage 94% 35% 38% 30%

Internal Factors
Price Functions Operation Interface Battery Life Outward Design
Number of Participants 214 224 219 224 214
Percentage 85% 89% 87% 89% 85%

Brand Relationship Quality

Symbolic Logo After-sale Service Brand Evaluation
Number of Participants 204 201 88
Percentage 81% 80% 35%

As shown in Figure 2, the actual demand of the usage of the internal elements of a phone such as price, internal
of a smartphone is the major reason for people to functions, operation interface, battery life, and outward
purchase a phone and the advertisement does not really design are the main determinants of the deal.
motivate customers’ to buy the product. Moreover, most

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250
Number of participants 200
150
100
50
0

Figure 2: Major Reasons for Phone Purchasing

on their functions rather than aiming at the promotions of

3. CONCLUSION their functions.

In this paper, the features between Android and iOS Though Huawei’s HarmonyOS is completely
are compared first. While iOS is deemed as a secure different from the former [3], it can draw the advantages
operating system that protects users’ personal data, it also from the two successful operating systems to compete
sets some restrictions over the accessibility of with them. For instance, it can develop a sophisticated
applications. Conversely, Android, due to its universal app ecosystem which satisfies both the security demand
design principles, makes most of the applications as and its applications availability at the same time.
available as possible, which also leads to some privacy Meanwhile, Huawei needs to persistently devise novel
concerns. There are still a lot of aspects that the two and efficient models of smartphone to attract more
companies can improve on their operating systems. For customers and grow stably. SinceHarmonyOS on
example, adding new features such as more advanced smartphones has just been released recently and is
artificial intelligence and machine learning is suggested relatively novel, little information regarding its users’
by the customers [5]. experience can be found, but it does have the potential to
thrive and eventually keep up with Android and iOS. In
Also, for Android, it prevails over other operating the future when more data is gathered, researchers can
systems because of its adaptability to modifications in the find if HarmonyOS or other operating systems meet
devices and its access to all kinds of applications; on the customers’ demands. Besides, people can study on how
other hand, iOS wins customers with its highly secure to find a balance between private security and
system.In addition to the operating system being a crucial applications’ accessibility.
element that influences people’s purchasing decisions on
a smartphone,the content of this paper also corroborates There are several aspects that still need to be
information on the internal and external factors that improved in this paper; for example, those relatively
influence people's smartphone purchase decisions. uncommon operating systems, which probably have their
own advantages, have not been investigated.
The information about both the internal and external Mathematical models can also be applied to examine
factors that influence people’s smartphone purchasing customers’ purchasing preferences in the smartphone
decision is presented and categorized. As shown in Table industry. In the future when sufficient data about
1 and Figure 2, most people purchase a phone for the sake HarmonyOS are available, researchers can also analyze
of their demands, and they also agree on the fact that the this particular operating system and provide targeted
internal factors such as the price and the function of a advice.
smartphone are crucial. The quality of the relationship
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