*sigh* Soo much arguing.
Well on the topic:
Phone1: iPhone 4S (for some reason I couldn't wait for iPhone 5 to come out, would have loved that).
Pros:
Easy to use.
Nice display.
Nice eye-candy out of the box.
Apps selection is better.
Best music output in phones yet (headphones).
Cons:
Very costly.
Simple design can become boring.
Customization is extremely limited.
iTunes is a drag to use.
3.5" screen can become a bit small after you get used to smartphones. (not sure about 4" of iPhone 5 though it is still better to watch videos and the 16:9 ratio looks a lot better, both in overall design and content).
EVERYONE HAS THE FUCKING SAME PHONE DAMNIT!!!!!!!
Apps I use:
8tracks for music (a different kind of internet radio)
Default music player. sometimes 'groove'
For games: asphalt, batman, infinity blade.
messaging': whatsapp.
Phone 2: Sony Xperia Neo.
Pros:
Reality Display is really beautiful. (Even though low res of 848x480 on a 3.7" screen, the reality display is still awesome)
Nice design.
Easily affordable.
Sky is the limit with customization.
Cons:
Updates can slow the phone down, hardware matters. (Has a 1 Ghz processor, really outdated IMO)
Apps are not awesome on Android, though it's slowly closing the gap.
Apps:
Same as above.
I use both of them and these are MY OPINIONS. So there you have it. If anyone's going for android, I would recommend the latest Sony's lineup, cause they are a hell lot awesome than my sony mobile. As for Iphone, well there is no choice

.
as stated by my good ol' friends at apple:
after 280?(ish) ppi the human eye cannot detect a pixel at 12", which is why the retina display has that density. . .which is why the iphone 5 still has that retina display instead of the more advanced one that samsung/competitors released. . .
Your friend is very misinformed, read this. You shouldn't believe all marketing BS you see or hear.
No that isn't the reason why the iPhone still have that display, it is because a screen with higher PPI doesn't exist at the moment at a 4 inch size.
I have to agree with mrd here. Even though it's says retina, the pixels are still visible, though they don't bother as much they would do on a normal phones. And I do wear glasses, meaning a person with even a poor vision still can see that.