At one time there was no better phone to have than a Nokia.
The for awhile the Iphone was the phone to have.
Now the Android phones are far superior. Nokia has a big challenge to overtake them or even to get to just the level of the Iphone.
Androids have major security issues with multiple reported issues of Malware surfacing. I Phone leaks like a sieve leaving data vulerable. RIM remains the only secure option, IMO.
In what respect, software or hardware? I went phone shopping a few months ago and as a Linux advocate, I was initially much more inclined toward Android. My requirements were stability and simplicity. If I want to experiment, I'll do it on a computer, but my phone has to be utterly dependable. I did a lot of reading, then spent many hours at Best Buy, playing with various Android phones and even the iPhone 4S. I finally concluded the iPhone had a bit simpler interface, and even in the Beta stage, Siri was very appealing. I can't wait until iOS6 comes out. The main criticism I have of the iPhone is having to use iTunes as the software interface beween the phone and my Windows computer. By comparison, my Linux computer sees the Nook tablet simply as another hard drive.