One of the major advantages of HTML5 is its ability to span multiple platforms, smashing open the walled gardens that dominate the smartphone scene.

In this new democratic environment, however, not all platforms are equal.

According to Aditya Bansod – senior director of product management at HTML5 framework specialist Sencha – iOS is the best bet for studios looking to branch out from native apps to utilise the platform.

Melting momentum

Bansod notes the latest version of Android – Ice Cream Sandwich – has made significant improvements when it comes to HTML5 support, but a number of bugs and a smaller sample of APIs compared to Safari on iOS 5 means it's still playing second fiddle.

"The leader in mobile browsers still remains Apple's iOS 5," says Bansod in a piece for Fierce Developer.

"While Android beats it in raw JavaScript performance, overall, mobile Safari offers more API support and higher performance graphics."

Apple has the edge

Bansod brands Android 4's browser a "major step forward" and claims it sports "better visual effects and rendering performance", but Apple's platform is undoubtedly top dog.

Nonetheless, Google's move to improve HTML5 support can only be good news for the platform as a whole.

"Developers who are looking for web-standards to deliver a cross-platform solution should feel more comfortable than ever using HTML5, as the improvements in Android 4 show huge momentum on Google's part, opening up a huge potential market for their applications," he concludes.

[source: Fierce Developer]