Android vs. iOS - The race has never been closer

The next stage of the smartphone wars has been set with the release of the iPhone 5S, which joins high-end phones like the HTC One, Galaxy S 4, and Moto X for the final battle — of 2013, at least. But in the big competition between iOS and Android, the choice is harder than ever, because the two have never felt more equal to one another.

Once upon a time, Android was the ugly duckling of mobile operating systems. Until recently, manufacturers' skins such as HTC's Sense and Samsung's TouchWiz were necessary to cover up the shortcomings of "vanilla" Android. But starting with Android 4.0 (out in late 2011), Google's core design has actually been better than the overlays — and has the benefit of getting upgraded faster.

As Android matured, iOS started reaching old age. Critics have lately given it flak for its 2007-rooted interface. iOS 7introduced a whole new user experience, and whether you find its frosted glass and pastel theme jarring or delightful, there's no denying that it comes along with a lot of handy new features.

Let's see how the latest versions stack up against one another on a few of the most important points.

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