We put Sequoia's iPhone Mirroring against Phone Link: Here's how the two compare

Apple Intelligence isn't ready yet, which means iPhone Mirroring is the highlight of iOS 18. The update rolled out to all eligible devices this week, and when paired with macOS Sequoia, enables users to mirror their iPhone screen on their Mac. But is this yet another Apple feature that Android users had first? The answer is a bit complicated.

See, Microsoft Phone Link already made it possible for some of the best Android phones to be mirrored on PC, but Phone Link and iPhone Mirroring have more differences than similarities. After spending a day with both, it's clear that these features have real pros and cons. That said, Phone Link feels like a competitor to Apple's suite of Continuity features, rather than a direct iPhone Mirroring challenger. Let's break down how they compare.

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What is Phone Link?

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What's good about iPhone Mirroring?

The setup process is excellent and there's virtually zero latency

iPhone Mirroring can be split into two parts: the actual mirroring of your iPhone screen, which is available when your phone is nearby and locked, and the synced iPhone notifications and app widgets that become available after setting up iPhone Mirroring. If you choose, iPhone notifications can always appear in macOS' Notification Center, even when iPhone Mirroring isn't active. The latter is more like Phone Link, while the former feels like something new.

The first thing you'll notice about iPhone Mirroring is how easy it is to use. I've been testing it for months on Apple's developer beta versions, and more recently tried it on stable iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia releases.

On both occasions, the setup process was seamless. A new iPhone Mirroring app appears in your Mac's dock, and clicking it opens a splash screen explaining how the feature works. You can follow on-screen prompts to set up iPhone Mirroring and choose your security settings, which takes about a minute. You can see the entire process for below.

Compared to Phone Link, iPhone Mirroring gets security preferences right. Apple makes you use your Mac's Touch ID sensor or enter your Mac's password to access your iPhone through mirroring. By comparison, Phone Link requires you to press a button on your Android phone to start casting. It's easy to start iPhone Mirroring while your phone is across the room, at least after the initial setup. It's more hit-or-miss with Phone Link and Android.

iPhone Mirroring feels snappy, too, and that's the biggest thing you'll pick up on immediately after trying it out. Surprisingly, navigating iOS on a mouse and keyboard feels pretty good. It performs so well that I'm now craving a Samsung DeX-like mode for my iPhone 15 Pro Max. It's hard to tell that your iPhone is a few feet away while using it on your Mac.

Buttons atop the iPhone Mirroring window replace swipe gestures for convenience. 

This is a Continuity feature, which means it uses Apple's proprietary connection tech, comprising Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It's the same connection method that helps facilitate AirDrop, AirPlay, and Sidecar, among other services. That's part of the reason iPhone Mirroring feels so satisfying, but I'd argue gesture support and controls are a more significant factor.

Apple also gives you home screen and app switcher buttons at the top of iPhone Mirroring windows, and fully supports swiping. By comparison, I wanted to pull my hair out trying to use gestures with Phone Link mirroring.

What's bad about iPhone Mirroring?

You can't use your iPhone while it's in use

Android phones can remain active when Phone Link mirroring is in use, but iPhones can’t when iPhone Mirroring is active.

There are two key ways iPhone Mirroring falls short compared to Phone Link. For one, you need to initiate mirroring for everything but viewing your iPhone notifications, while Phone Link gives you access to photos, media controls, messaging services, and more without needing to start mirroring.

In some ways, this is better than Apple's feature. Why should I struggle to use a mirrored version of my iPhone when a desktop-first app — like Phone Link — could exist?

You also can't use your iPhone at all while mirroring, which is possible with Android and Phone Link. It's nice to have control of your phone from the device in your hand and from your PC. However, if I need to sacrifice this mode to get the latency-free experience of iPhone Mirroring, I think I'll take it.

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What's good about Phone Link?

You can do a lot without mirroring your Android phone

Phone Link mirroring is, well, bad, but the great thing about it is you almost never have to actually mirror your Android phone. The Phone Link app on Windows 11 takes everything you'd need from your phone and places it in a desktop-first application. Need to share files or photos? Phone Link has you covered. Want to change the song playing on your phone? It can do that, too. Have to send a quick text? You get the idea.

I used the Phone Link app to view photos, send texts, view notifications, and adjust now-playing media on my Pixel 9 Pro Fold without ever needing to mirror my phone's screen. iPhone Mirroring will let you do all these things, but mostly through using your iPhone in mirrored and windowed form within macOS. As latency-free as iPhone Mirroring is, I still prefer using Phone Link and its desktop-first UI for these basic phone tasks.

What's bad about Phone Link?

Different devices, different experiences

The worst part about Phone Link is that it's wildly inconsistent. At first, my Pixel 9 Pro Fold's music controls wouldn't show up on the Phone Link app on my Lenovo Yoga Book 9i. Then, it did. I have no clue why it didn't work at first, but eventually fixed itself — there's no rhyme or reason that I could spot.

The other thing to consider is that Phone Link screen mirroring, the most direct comparison feature to iPhone Mirroring, is only available on select Samsung and OnePlus devices. It didn't work at all on my Pixel phones, so I had to pull out my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 for testing. This is a far cry from the Apple experience, where you're good to go as long as your devices support iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia.

Android screen mirroring is so laggy it's completely unusable

It's good that Phone Link is very useful without mirroring functionality, because it's awful, even on devices that support it. Gestures are nearly impossible to use, there is a crazy amount of lag, and it creates a generally bad experience. I'd rather walk across the room to pick up my Android phone than mirror its screen via Phone Link.

Phone Link is catching up to Continuity, not iPhone Mirroring

It's good for a lot, but generally, they're things Apple already does

iPhone Mirroring is better at giving you access to niche iOS apps you can't access in any other way on your Mac. Phone Link is better at letting you complete basic phone actions and transferring files without needing to mirror your screen. If I want to check on my car through the Tesla app, I use iPhone Mirroring. For a quick text, Phone Link would come in handy.

However, most Apple users don't need iPhone Mirroring to do anything Phone Link excels at. They can send a text via the Messages app on their Mac, or see their photos and files through iCloud Drive and iCloud Photos. In a way, Phone Link is actually competing with iCloud and Continuity. In that context, Phone Link does a good job at providing integration between Android and Windows 11. It's just not ready to take on iPhone Mirroring yet.