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Dontazemebro

macrumors 68020
Jul 23, 2010
2,173
0
I dunno, somewhere in West Texas
anyone switch from galaxy s4 to iphone 6?

A lot in the apple cocoon world said the 5s has the best battery life in the world and smoked the competitions.

But in the real world we see 5s users bringing along their charger everywhere they go and chances are if you see phones plugin they are iphone. Even ads were made about these wall huggers.


Yeah I can tell you that's a lie. Since selling my Note 3, the 5s has become my main phone until I get another Android device and
I'm already on my 3rd charge for the day. Granted, it was at 50% when I woke up but to have to charge 3 times in one day is ridiculous.

And yes I'm a heavy user.
 

heycal

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 25, 2013
826
22
So I went ahead and got an s4 today. It was free versus 200 bucks for iphone 6 and has more of the features I like, so my plan is to try it out for a bit and see how it performs. If it's glitchy or otherwise unplesant, I'll get the 6 instead.

For any Galaxy experts out there, I do have a few questions about the mysteries of this phone. Such as:
So I got a s4 today with Verizon and I'm going to try it out and see if I like. I experimented with the LG G2 before this, and while I loved much about it, it was just too glitchy. Before that I was using an iphone 4 for awhile.

So after a few hours with the phone, here are my questions so far:

1. Can one control power saving settings? On the LG G2, one could choose when it got activated, choose which things to put on low power,and the details of each. But I see no such settings on the s4. It just says "power saving" without detailing what exact power saving measures will be taken when you press it.

2. I don't really want sync on (or even mobile data maybe?) as a general battery saving rule, correct? But if I turn either off, I can't refresh my email. (I have it set on manual). Thoughts?

3. When I hit the little update symbol on the weather widget on the home page to get the current temperature, it suggests I turn on high accuracy mode in locations first. I I just want the current temperature without seeing this prompt every time or having to change my settings. I've never seen a request like this before on any previous phone. Can I get rid of it somehow?

4. Can I change the style of the icons? Message and email look too similar, so I might want to change them. (G2 made this very easy to swap different icons).

5. If I read a message in notifcations, can I make it so that pressing 'clear' will reset the mesage counter? It seems like I'll read it, clear it, but the indicator in the messaging app will still show there's 1 message waiting. I have to then go into the messaging app to get rid of it.

6. I have pop-up text message enabled, and text preview. Can I tap or swipe on the message itself when it appears on the lock screen and be taken directly into the messaging app to reply? That's instinctively what I want to do -- press the thing I want to respond to -- but it seems like I might have to unlock the screen first to get into messaging. I'd love to skip this step like I could on other phones.

7. in blocking mode, is there a setting that allows a repeat caller from an unknown number to bypass the block and ring if they call twice in three minutes? LG and iphone have this, and It's a feature I value in case someone is trying to reach me from an unfamilar phone.

So those are my questions so far, and I'm sure I'll have others. Thanks for any input on these.
 

4N6guy

macrumors newbie
Nov 2, 2014
7
0
Yeah I can tell you that's a lie. Since selling my Note 3, the 5s has become my main phone until I get another Android device and
I'm already on my 3rd charge for the day. Granted, it was at 50% when I woke up but to have to charge 3 times in one day is ridiculous.

And yes I'm a heavy user.
You need to get the note 4. I get nearly 18 hrs with 5 to 6 hrs on screen time and moderate use throughout the day. Best battery I've had on an Android. Keep in mind also that I keep the screen brightness at %50 and don't play graphic intensive games.
 

beosound3200

macrumors 6502a
Nov 23, 2010
684
0
User error? How so?

And are you suggesting that more people use the friggin' TIMER than use the alarm clock??

If the shortcut is "designed" to be a shortcut to the rarely used timer instead of the frequently used alarm clock, it's a moronic design choice. Of the three options available under that particular shortcut, the alarm clock is clearly the far more important and frequently used phone feature than the timer and stopwatch.

In fact, of the 9 total choices offered when you pull up that shortcut, the alarm clock may be the most important and frequently used feature of any of them for the vast majority of users. Many of us use our alarm everday. Airplane mode? Not so much. Bluetooth? Never. And some, like portrait mode lock, shouldn't be there at all when something far more useful could be there instead.

I have no problem with people praising what the iphone does right. But I sure do have a problem with people defending the indefensible just because Apple designed it that way.

What will you argue for next? How great it is that you must press 'edit' before adjusting the alarm clock time every day?

I use timer more than alarm. What now?

Also, is it easier to swipe up and open timer or just click the clock app, two steps vs one?

Get a grip man, and quit being so self centered, it's appalling
 

heycal

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 25, 2013
826
22
I use timer more than alarm. What now?

Also, is it easier to swipe up and open timer or just click the clock app, two steps vs one?

Get a grip man, and quit being so self centered, it's appalling

You're the one person in ten who uses the timer more than the alarm clock and so thinks it's a good design -- and I'm the one who's self centered?

The world does not revolve around beosound's needs and wants. Sorry to break it to you. Good design should focus on making things useful for most people, not 'timer' festishists.
 

JaySoul

macrumors 68030
Jan 30, 2008
2,629
2,865
My wife went from a Galaxy S4 to the iPhone 6 (because I bought her one for her birthday).

She loved a lot about Android but the back up process, camera and battery life were really frustrating her, so I took the decision out of her hands.

She misses the customisation of the S4 (which she genuinely loved) but otherwise she's very happy with the iPhone 6.

I've kept my G3 now that it's got Lollipop, almost like a different phone now!
 

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
16,079
19,077
US
You're the one person in ten who uses the timer more than the alarm clock and so thinks it's a good design -- and I'm the one who's self centered?

The world does not revolve around beosound's needs and wants. Sorry to break it to you. Good design should focus on making things useful for most people, not 'timer' festishists.
I think you will find that most people will agree with you. The alarm app is much more useful and used by more people than the timer. Personally I use the alarm on my phone everyday.
 

heycal

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 25, 2013
826
22
I think you will find that most people will agree with you. The alarm app is much more useful and used by more people than the timer. Personally I use the alarm on my phone everyday.

Yup. Of course the alarm is more useful than the timer. Seems rather obvious to everyone one beosonic.

I mean, I guess we could dig up someone somewhere who uses, say, the compass more often text messaging, but it sure ain't the norm….
 

Wrathwitch

macrumors 65816
Dec 4, 2009
1,303
55
OP,

FWIW, I have owned/still own a GS4. I found the battery standby good if you turned WiFi off or use the setting to turn it off when device is sleeping. When I say good, well any LTE devices aren't as good as they used to be. But I could get at least 1.5-2 days with VERY light use.

If you are comparing an i6 vs S4, seriously, for same price range why not upgrade to the S5?

As far as the timely OS upgrade comments, Apple may offer the upgrade, but as 8.0 has shown us, it is not always best for the older (and in this case even the newer devices) to have it. If the phone works great out of the box and does what you want it to. That is what matters. But if you WANT Lollipop, I recommend S5. I hear it is as buggy as iOS8.

Oddly enough, I liked my GS3 more than the 4. I love my Note 4 though.
What would I pick if offered a S4 of iP6 for a secondary phone, I would likely take the iP6 just for variety. But at heart I am an Android gal.
 

Osamede

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2009
816
513
I'll trust Anandtech's testing method before i go anywhere near GSM Arena. Its not a review site. Its an opinion blog.

My parents have the S4, its battery life is absolutely atrocious.

No, no, no.....

Anandtech has had some very good techical people in the past (Brian Klug and Anand), its also the fact that
- such insight can be used to cook tests
- both of them are now working for Apple
- however, in the couple years leading up to their hiring by Apple, Anandtech’s reviews took on a very distinct Apple bias on many dimensions

GSM Arena is not at all an “opinion blog” - they have very good tests, not only battery but also the best audio testing.

Last but not least, of the review websites that I find to be credible in general, the battery results on Anandtech were shall we say, unusually out of line with general findings (see my previous point about how you can cook up any test to get a result you like).

You need to look at this with open eyes instead of just throwing your own personal bias around.

On my personal experience, the battery life on S4 and Note 4 are heavily driven by how many apps you have, widgets and syncing schedule of those apps. I have had Iphone 4, 4S, 5 and 5S. Battery life on all of them was very short, but the 5 and 5S are ridiculously short if you use them - I had to have a charger on my desk at work basically.

On the Galaxy S4 and Note 4 as long as I didnt go nuts with widgets I was fine. I also noticed that some podcast apps on Android e.g. Podcast Addict, will KILL your battery lifewhile others e.g. Beyond Pod, are much more moderate.
 

Alphazoid

macrumors 65816
Dec 5, 2014
1,012
862
No, no, no.....
usly short if you use them - I had to have a charger on my desk at work basically.

On the Galaxy S4 and Note 4 as long as I didnt go nuts with widgets I was fine. I also noticed that some podcast apps on Android e.g. Podcast Addict, will KILL your battery lifewhile others e.g. Beyond Pod, are much more moderate.

Different strokes for different folks. My folks use the phone, people and messaging app. The end. Still battery life is diabolical.

GSM arena have been biased towards Android for quite a while now.
 

Osamede

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2009
816
513
Its a fallacy that GSM Arena is biased. I wish people would stop calling reviewers biased just because they dont toe Apple's corporate line.

GSM Arena call the products they way they seem them and are quite fair. They have never forgotten the practical use of these things from the user perspective. They are also one of the few that actually test and give you data on sound quality of these devices.
 
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