Android once promised unmatched freedom. Users could install software from anywhere. They could tweak the system. They could escape the tight rules that defined iPhones. Yet today many longtime fans say the platform feels bloated, intrusive and less reliable than its rival. The culprit, according to a pointed analysis from Android Authority , isn’t Google. It’s the apps themselves. Sanuj Bhatia laid out the case clearly. Flagship Android phones now match or beat iPhones in hardware. Batteries last longer. Cameras capture more detail. Screens refresh faster. Even software from Google and partners like Samsung runs smoothly. The Oppo Find X9 Ultra that Bhatia tested delivered a rock-solid operating system. By contrast his iPhone showed occasional jitter during FaceTime calls. The gap has closed on the device side. The problem lies higher up the stack. Instagram offers the clearest example. Stories uploaded from Android phones often display lower quality than those from iOS.…