Google's Android platform and all the handsets operating on the mobile OS are dismissed as clones by hardcore Apple fanboys. It might be true years ago but a self-confessed Android convert now attests that Android's current form "even feels a bit ahead of iOS 6."

This realisation, according to Ralf Rottmann, was made possible by his switch to the Nexus 4 weeks ago.

Writing for Gizmodo, Mr Rottmann said that he used to regard everything about Android as problematic, judging from his numerous test drives with top Android handsets from Samsung Motorola.

But his disappointment with Android gadgets disappeared when Google and LG decided to collaborate on Nexus 4. From iPhone 5, Mr Rottmann moved to the hotly-sought smartphone and never looked back for a couple of weeks. He hardly misses the Apple universe, he admitted.

Android JellyBean 4.2.1 on Nexus 4 is astonishing, Mr Rottmann said. The two dominant mobile platforms are in equal footing but in most cases, he noted that Google's creation "feels more modern, clean and up-to-date than its iOS counterpart."

Through the years, Google engineers have deployed vast improvements with Android that its engine rendering has become noticeably smoother, its performance returning dazzling results, which Mr Rottmann said can be seen and experienced in real-world settings.

Android has achieved simpler cross-app and OS level integration with the latest version to win over even the most loyal Apple followers, according to Mr Rottmann, who described himself an Apple-centric gadget lover.

Thanks to Nexus 4, he discovered that Google has ceded considerable manipulation and control of its OS to gadget users, which is a situation unlikely to happen on iOS anytime soon.

It was also a plus that the internet giant has been working hard in not only increasing the numbers of apps stored on Google Play, which at the last count already exceeded the 700,000 mark and counting, but also in improving their overall quality, Mr Rottmann wrote.

And the ability to customise its look makes for a more attractive phone, which for many users is definitely a big deal, he added.

There remain rooms for Android improvements that Google can work on but for now his jump from iOS is complete unless the upcoming iOS 7 or iPhone 6 proves compelling enough, Mr Rottmann said.

He didn't mention, however, if further enhancements that would come with the Key Lime Pie and the next Nexus smartphone iteration would make his embrace of the Android world a total no-look-back move.