Latitude and longitude coordinates can specify any location, but they’re long and cumbersome I'm not sure I understand how this is easier to use than lat/long.

Latitude and longitude coordinates can specify any location, but they’re long and cumbersome I'm not sure I understand how this is easier to use than lat/long. WIth open location, how can you easily tell if one location is North or South of another location? Is it useful mainly as a wrapper for lat/long that needs to be decoded before use?