Meanwhile there's a article literally on the front page about zero-click exploits being used against iMessage

Java doesn't help against exploits, there are plenty in Android phones as well.

It certainly adds a layer of protection that makes issues like the classic C errors with buffer overruns and derefing invalid pointers a LOT less likely.

Android doesn’t run java though? It runs native code the same way as ios, so bringing the latter ecosystem’s better performance into the picture without considering the generational leap in terms of CPU design is just a faulty logical conclusion.