Apple or Samsung (sorry -- I'm sure this is a common ask)

[147798]

I've been on Mac since 2007 and not sure how long on iPhone. Maybe 2010??

I'm a little tired of Apple, TBH, but I'm so locked in, I'm not sure I can leave.

I have an iPhone 6 that has issues and needs to be replaced, but I have a tight budget. The s8+ is at a nice price right now, and it certainly looks like it would be fun to try/learn, but...

• The whole family is on iPhones. We can see where each other is in "find my phone"
• we are big users of iMessage (not FaceTime, tho)
• We have so much purchased Apple music dating back to iPods, before the iPhone
• I work on a MacBook Pro, and I sync notes, iBooks, Safari bookmarks, podcasts and contacts (but not calendar or e-mail, which is done through my corporate Exchange server)
• Audio quality is hugely important, as I'm on the phone a lot
• I need low-fuss. I just don't have the time to manage stuff. Someone at BestBuy told me, for instance, that if you charge a Galaxy s8 overnight, it will kill the battery. I travel a lot, and that's my standard.

Would it be a disaster to try a Samsung? I've kind of concluded it would be, but once I found this forum, I thought I'd check some other opinions. I am kind of sadly resigned to getting a used 7+, but would welcome any input, if you have a minute.

 

[AustinIllini]

It would not be impossible to switch. It wouldn't necessarily be easy. Based on your requirements plus your disinterest in fuss, I would stick in the iOS environment. You check all the boxes for someone who probably shouldn't switch, but if you want to, you can definitely have a positive experience.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Why Samsung ? If anyone moves to Android the first time, I highly recommend a stock Android phone, like a Pixel 2 XL or OnePlus 5t. Actually I would advise not getting a Samsung, as they are way over hyped to the Joe Blow public.

In my opinion the top 5 smartphones of 2017 would be in this order;

- Pixel 2 XL
- LG V30
- OnePlus 5t
- iPhone X
- Note 8

 

[koigirl]

I switched from 6S Plus to Note 8 and have been happy with the switch. I switched all my services over to Google which is cross-platform and use WhatsApp for texting with family members using iPhones who were all willing to download/try a new messaging platform. I use Textra for messaging with those who don’t use WhatsApp. Both of these messaging apps work well. Loss of iMessage has been less painful than anticipated. I still haven’t completely synced my Mac and iPad Pro with my phone but using Google services makes it less painful. They work together well enough for me but your mileage may vary. iCloud had its issues for me. Like you, I was just a bit tired of Apple phones/feeling trapped in the ecosystem and decided to give another platform a chance. There are lots of things to like about the Galaxy phones and it’s been less painful to switch than I had anticipated. Give it a try if you’re feeling adventurous and are willing to do some research/adjustment. It’s not perfect but neither is Apple IMO. Good and bad aspects on both platforms.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Good post koigirl

I also use both Textra and WhatsApp on my new LG V30. And I love the dark themes available for Android phones. I am so sick of bright white screens they burn my eyes, whereas a nice black theme is so much better and calming looking.

 

[The Game 161]

I've been on Mac since 2007 and not sure how long on iPhone. Maybe 2010??

I'm a little tired of Apple, TBH, but I'm so locked in, I'm not sure I can leave.

I have an iPhone 6 that has issues and needs to be replaced, but I have a tight budget. The s8+ is at a nice price right now, and it certainly looks like it would be fun to try/learn, but...

• The whole family is on iPhones. We can see where each other is in "find my phone"
• we are big users of iMessage (not FaceTime, tho)
• We have so much purchased Apple music dating back to iPods, before the iPhone
• I work on a MacBook Pro, and I sync notes, iBooks, Safari bookmarks, podcasts and contacts (but not calendar or e-mail, which is done through my corporate Exchange server)
• Audio quality is hugely important, as I'm on the phone a lot
• I need low-fuss. I just don't have the time to manage stuff. Someone at BestBuy told me, for instance, that if you charge a Galaxy s8 overnight, it will kill the battery. I travel a lot, and that's my standard.

Would it be a disaster to try a Samsung? I've kind of concluded it would be, but once I found this forum, I thought I'd check some other opinions. I am kind of sadly resigned to getting a used 7+, but would welcome any input, if you have a minute.

given your usage and what you depend on daily I think you will very much miss apple switching but hey it's worth a try

 

[Puddled]

I've been on Mac since 2007 and not sure how long on iPhone. Maybe 2010??

I'm a little tired of Apple, TBH, but I'm so locked in, I'm not sure I can leave.

I have an iPhone 6 that has issues and needs to be replaced, but I have a tight budget. The s8+ is at a nice price right now, and it certainly looks like it would be fun to try/learn, but...

• The whole family is on iPhones. We can see where each other is in "find my phone"
• we are big users of iMessage (not FaceTime, tho)
• We have so much purchased Apple music dating back to iPods, before the iPhone
• I work on a MacBook Pro, and I sync notes, iBooks, Safari bookmarks, podcasts and contacts (but not calendar or e-mail, which is done through my corporate Exchange server)
• Audio quality is hugely important, as I'm on the phone a lot
• I need low-fuss. I just don't have the time to manage stuff. Someone at BestBuy told me, for instance, that if you charge a Galaxy s8 overnight, it will kill the battery. I travel a lot, and that's my standard.

Would it be a disaster to try a Samsung? I've kind of concluded it would be, but once I found this forum, I thought I'd check some other opinions. I am kind of sadly resigned to getting a used 7+, but would welcome any input, if you have a minute.

Buy an iphone. You will hate anything else regardless of how good it is.

As for the idiot at best buy, i have no idea where they got piece of hors*** from.

What is wrong with the 6s btw?

 

[lowendlinux]

Get an iPhone

 

[5105973]

The Samsung S8’s are wonderful phones that can be charged normally day or night, and I love my S8+ but I can’t in good conscience recommend you switch to it, given your circumstances. I was able to ADD it to my family and my daily use on a second line and keep my iPhone as my primary phone while I worked to get more neutral by moving photos to Google Photos and calendars.

It doesn’t sound like you have the luxury of time to wade in gradually and will have to dive in fast. I’m not sure how that’s going to work out for you. I didn’t even have a lot of iTunes purchases to consider. For me, the pain comes in trying to free myself from iMessages. Ultimately the struggle wore me out and I gave up and everybody on my contact list seemed much relieved.

iMessage is tricky. If you’re currently part of any ongoing group chats, moving to Android could be disastrous for those conversations. There’s a strong likelihood even after turning off iMessage and delinking your phone number from iMessage, you won’t get the texts sent to the group. Every member of the group would have to delete the current chat and start a new one and add you on again. It’s supposedly a glitch but I don’t think Apple was able to reliably fix it. It was still a problem the last time I checked.

Adding you to new group chats should work fine. We have a couple of longtime Samsung owners in a current group chat for our parents association. I was problematic because I started on an iPhone and was suddenly on an HTC 10 (I had a Samsung S7 Edge on one line and the HTC 10 as my main phone for a few months last year). It was the same phone number as far was my contacts were concerned, but because of the infamous iMessage glitch, if they wanted to keep me in the group we had to start over. People hate to be inconvenienced for a choice one person is making.

I didn’t even dare suggest anyone download Allo or WhatsApp. That would have gone over like a lead balloon. Not everyone had FB messenger, either.

You will still be able to text people via sms, but if I remember correctly, videos may be downgraded in quality when exchanged via sms. Someone can correct me on that if I’m wrong. It’s not something I did often. It’s better to just put your content up on Google Photos and then share them via Google Photos. The Google Photos app has built in options for doing that.

My husband is really tech savvy and he did use his Samsung exclusively for several months. He found the experience very fun and entertaining and will do it again from time to time. But he said it is always a comfort to come back to iOS as he found it a bit more reliable. There were days he was on the road and some app went crazy in the background and drained his battery fast. That can happen in iOS, too, but it’s a bit easier to track down and turn off the offending app. Or delete it. With Android sometimes you can’t tell an app is active because it won’t appear as an open app when you go to switch among apps.

Android is always improving though. Android Oreo was designed to minimize the chance apps would go rogue like that. To me, Android seems to just get more smooth and pleasant to use, especially Oreo on the Pixel 2. It has been a huge shame that Pixel 2’s were released with some issues. Google is fixing most of them but I wouldn’t recommend them to someone new to Android at this time. And they are too expensive compared to deals offered on Samsung phones right now.

By contrast, iOS does seem to be going a bit wonky these days though it works really well so far on my iPhone X.

I think the used or a refurbished 7 Plus would be a good choice. No, it’s not as sexy and exciting but it will see you through and meanwhile you can explore how to start moving your stuff to more neutral ground and make the jump more comfortably when you’re not rushed dealing with a dying phone.

That’s just my take on it. Everyone will have a different perspective to offer. Do what resonates with your own judgement and circumstances the best.

 

[147798]

I was looking at some iPhoneX photos and they look spectacular. Photos from the iphone6 are terrible. Maybe I can sell my premium compact camera (worth about $400) to help the iPhone, lol. Though maybe a 7plus would be a big step over my 6 anyway.
[doublepost=1511883777][/doublepost]

What is wrong with the 6s btw?

I am considering a 6s, which can be found fairly cheap. Maybe use it as a bridge for a year or 18 months, until the next iPhoneX-like body, and prices drop on the X itself. I do like the form factor of the X, but would be sad to lose the thumbprint unlock.

 

[lowendlinux]

I was looking at some iPhoneX photos and they look spectacular. Photos from the iphone6 are terrible. Maybe I can sell my premium compact camera (worth about $400) to help the iPhone, lol. Though maybe a 7plus would be a big step over my 6 anyway.
[doublepost=1511883777][/doublepost]

I am considering a 6s, which can be found fairly cheap. Maybe use it as a bridge for a year or 18 months, until the next iPhoneX-like body, and prices drop on the X itself. I do like the form factor of the X, but would be sad to lose the thumbprint unlock.

If you've got a contract coming up for renewal I've seen some two for one deals on iPhone 8's

 

[Puddled]

I was looking at some iPhoneX photos and they look spectacular. Photos from the iphone6 are terrible. Maybe I can sell my premium compact camera (worth about $400) to help the iPhone, lol. Though maybe a 7plus would be a big step over my 6 anyway.
[doublepost=1511883777][/doublepost]

I am considering a 6s, which can be found fairly cheap. Maybe use it as a bridge for a year or 18 months, until the next iPhoneX-like body, and prices drop on the X itself. I do like the form factor of the X, but would be sad to lose the thumbprint unlock.

Sorry, to clarify, what issues do you have with your current 6S?

 

[convergent]

I've been on Mac since 2007 and not sure how long on iPhone. Maybe 2010??

I'm a little tired of Apple, TBH, but I'm so locked in, I'm not sure I can leave.

I have an iPhone 6 that has issues and needs to be replaced, but I have a tight budget. The s8+ is at a nice price right now, and it certainly looks like it would be fun to try/learn, but...

• The whole family is on iPhones. We can see where each other is in "find my phone"
• we are big users of iMessage (not FaceTime, tho)
• We have so much purchased Apple music dating back to iPods, before the iPhone
• I work on a MacBook Pro, and I sync notes, iBooks, Safari bookmarks, podcasts and contacts (but not calendar or e-mail, which is done through my corporate Exchange server)
• Audio quality is hugely important, as I'm on the phone a lot
• I need low-fuss. I just don't have the time to manage stuff. Someone at BestBuy told me, for instance, that if you charge a Galaxy s8 overnight, it will kill the battery. I travel a lot, and that's my standard.

Would it be a disaster to try a Samsung? I've kind of concluded it would be, but once I found this forum, I thought I'd check some other opinions. I am kind of sadly resigned to getting a used 7+, but would welcome any input, if you have a minute.

First off, the guy at Best Buy was an idiot. Of course charging any phone overnight is not going to damage the battery. Hopefully he was a customer and not someone that worked there. I fear I'm wrong about that though.

What probably are you trying to solve by moving from your iPhone 6 to an Android phone? If you can't answer that, then I would suggest staying with whatever iPhone meets your budget. Given your scenario, you are not going to be happy with an Android phone I don't think.

That said, love my Note 8 and have no plans to go back. I just don't hear anything on your list as to why you'd switch, and a lot of reasons for why you shouldn't.

 

[5105973]

I was looking at some iPhoneX photos and they look spectacular. Photos from the iphone6 are terrible. Maybe I can sell my premium compact camera (worth about $400) to help the iPhone, lol. Though maybe a 7plus would be a big step over my 6 anyway.
[doublepost=1511883777][/doublepost]

I am considering a 6s, which can be found fairly cheap. Maybe use it as a bridge for a year or 18 months, until the next iPhoneX-like body, and prices drop on the X itself. I do like the form factor of the X, but would be sad to lose the thumbprint unlock.

iPhone X photos are very nice. It does low light photos very well. But the iPhone 7 Plus takes beautiful photos as well and renders colors and lighting with admirable accuracy. It has actually less of a tendency to blow out highlights in some circumstances. I have never used the smaller versions of the iPhones except for the iPhone SE, which is a fantastic iPhone and takes really nice pictures, too. But that may be smaller than you seem to be looking at.

The X is unfortunately hard to afford. I’m middle aged and finally have some spending money to my name, and still it’s not the best feeling having our family shelling out that kind of money on one single thing that can’t cook me dinner and do my laundry. But it does do almost everything else for me these days. I was content enough with my iPhone 7 Plus that I was going to hold onto it for another year and take my husband’s X when he was ready to upgrade. But he generously got me one as an early Christmas present.

Best of luck on whatever you decide.

 

[Zaft]

I've been on Mac since 2007 and not sure how long on iPhone. Maybe 2010??

I'm a little tired of Apple, TBH, but I'm so locked in, I'm not sure I can leave.

I have an iPhone 6 that has issues and needs to be replaced, but I have a tight budget. The s8+ is at a nice price right now, and it certainly looks like it would be fun to try/learn, but...

• The whole family is on iPhones. We can see where each other is in "find my phone"
• we are big users of iMessage (not FaceTime, tho)
• We have so much purchased Apple music dating back to iPods, before the iPhone
• I work on a MacBook Pro, and I sync notes, iBooks, Safari bookmarks, podcasts and contacts (but not calendar or e-mail, which is done through my corporate Exchange server)
• Audio quality is hugely important, as I'm on the phone a lot
• I need low-fuss. I just don't have the time to manage stuff. Someone at BestBuy told me, for instance, that if you charge a Galaxy s8 overnight, it will kill the battery. I travel a lot, and that's my standard.

Would it be a disaster to try a Samsung? I've kind of concluded it would be, but once I found this forum, I thought I'd check some other opinions. I am kind of sadly resigned to getting a used 7+, but would welcome any input, if you have a minute.

There is no harm in trying out the S8. But based on what you say you would be good sticking with IOS.

 

[DiamonDecoden]

It definitely can be intimidating going from a easy / simpler device to the feature rich of that android.
If only the iPhone can share some of the characteristics of the Note 8, I'd be very satisfied where I am or vice versa. I used the Note 2 when it first launched but I switched back to iOS when Apple came out with the plus sized phones. Then, Android was not stable and the touchwiz was bad and the screen looked more beautiful on an iPhone. Now, the screen is so much better on the Note and Android / touchwiz seem less laggy and buggy. It was not that iOS is bug free but it was less buggy overall than Android. I mean even now, the 3rd party apps and the default iOS app seem more streamlined and that's because it is since Apple don't have that many form factors to consider...whereas Android, there are all type of sizes and proportions to consider.

If I were you, I'd test out and play on friend's android phones. That is what I am doing and also doing lots of research to make the transition as painless as possible. I may or may not switch right away and since the color that I wanted does not exist in the note line, I might as well do more research. I also already downloaded lots of Google apps because they already exist as an iOS counterpart such as the Google Assistant, Keep and Duo. I am going to try to make the switch to them on iOS and see if I am okay and liking it before I switch everything over. So far, I am like the Assistant. I have not used the Duo yet... I also love watching what's on my phone videos on YouTube to learn how people do their setups on Android and such. So, switch baby steps instead of doing a gigantic switch because it does not end well but I remember my switch to iOS was much more easier from Android.

 

[147798]

Sorry, to clarify, what issues do you have with your current 6S?

I have a 6, not a 6s. I have 3 main issues: 1) crackly headset (I need audio for my job), 2) battery life doesn't get me through a day (I travel a lot and talk on the phone a lot), 3) it has odd hangs and freezes and is generally a bit slow. A minor point is the camera really stinks -- watercolor city.

 

[Zaft]

I have a 6, not a 6s. I have 3 main issues: 1) crackly headset (I need audio for my job), 2) battery life doesn't get me through a day (I travel a lot and talk on the phone a lot), 3) it has odd hangs and freezes and is generally a bit slow. A minor point is the camera really stinks -- watercolor city.

I would suggest you get an iPhone 7 Plus. Battery will be much better and of course the camera.

 

[macfacts]

I was looking at some iPhoneX photos and they look spectacular. Photos from the iphone6 are terrible. Maybe I can sell my premium compact camera (worth about $400) to help the iPhone, lol. Though maybe a 7plus would be a big step over my 6 anyway.
[=1511883777][/doublepost]

I am considering a 6s, which can be found fairly cheap. Maybe use it as a bridge for a year or 18 months, until the next iPhoneX-like body, and prices drop on the X itself. I do like the form factor of the X, but would be sad to lose the thumbprint unlock.

The iPhone 6 and 6s cameras don't have OIS, that's why your pictures might not look good (shaky hands).

 

[147798]

Not really motion shake. I'm talking about full daylight. The raw sensor data is poor and the jpg algorithm has noise resistance out the wazoo. Also, the aperture is more narrow, meaning they have to gain up the sensor (raise the ISO) to get the same brightness.

 

[KingslayerG5]

Why Samsung ? If anyone moves to Android the first time, I highly recommend a stock Android phone, like a Pixel 2 XL or OnePlus 5t. Actually I would advise not getting a Samsung, as they are way over hyped to the Joe Blow public.

In my opinion the top 5 smartphones of 2017 would be in this order;

- Pixel 2 XL
- LG V30
- OnePlus 5t
- iPhone X
- Note 8

Yup, we share similar taste.

I know alot of people crap on LG but their skin is more tolerable enough for me than Samsung's. Lucky Goldstar's secret sauce is that wide-angle lens. That's more practical to me when I travel or visit museums than only 2X optical zoom.

Best camera combo -
Computation photography of the Pixel 2 (Taimen or Walleye) with LG V30's wide-angle is simply the best cameraphone duo to have and I've tried them all whether owned or inside a store.

The iPhone's Telephoto is not all that to me. If it was 5X optical zoom, then it gets interesting. Michael Fisher and Dave Lee do not like Samsung's skin. It's just too bloated. I would only go back to a Galaxy for Samsung Pay.

Fisher is probably using a Pixel 2 XL with V30 or 5T duo right now. In a year, I will probably be using Pixel 3 with V40 or a Sony Xperia combo. That's my steady diet of Android. Google + LG + Sony.

I like Samsung enough and I believe they have the best all-around hardware in Android with excellent displays, camera, microSD slot, headphone port, etc. I would get another Note if I wanted to doodle and draw during my spare time again.

For now, LG + iPhone SE. In another year, back to Pixel with perhaps V40, Xperia, or iPhone X2. The Galaxy X could be just another Nintendo DS design that ZTE brought out.

 

[The Game 161]

One think I hate about the pixel is no carriers support it in the UK but EE...no wonder sales are bad with pixel devices when it's not available in more areas.

It's a great phone with a stunning camera but it simply isn't marketed at all.

 

[hallux]

One think I hate about the pixel is no carriers support it in the UK but EE...no wonder sales are bad with pixel devices when it's not available in more areas.

It's a great phone with a stunning camera but it simply isn't marketed at all.

Not quite true.. No carriers SELL it. It should work just fine there.

 

[KingslayerG5]

If you're OS agnostic, ecosystems don't matter, and you don't care about design, then the Pixel 2 duo are the best phones in the market right now.

Camera - Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL
Battery Life - Pixel 2 XL
Display - 5T or iPhone X or Note8
Value - Essential PH-1 at $400 and could get lower...

Pixel 2 XL excels in two of the top 4 requirements that makes a great smartphone. Pixel 2 is the unsung hero since it doesn't have that burn-in crap but would be a no-go for big screen fans and bezel Nazis.

Last year
Camera - I personally felt V20 although most said S7 edge. Pixel was elite (Top 3) but not the best yet. Better than iPhone 7 though.
Battery Life - S7 edge (Exynos)
Display - Note7
Value - OnePlus 3

The S7 edge/Note7 probably won in design last year and S8/Note8 probably wins this year. The iPhone X excels in every area except value which is where Unbox Therapy wss trying to make a point.

The areas X does well in, it isn't necessarily the best at it except for maybe the display. It's design is completely subjective and very divisive even among iPhone fans.

The Pixel brand is finally catching on to people and while they essentially look the same, they got rid of the ugly antenna lines and it looks pretty decent this time around.

Doesn't have wireless charging but one of the only ones next to OP5T to not have an all-glass rear. Not all of us like the sticky icky of an all-glass rear that is easy to shatter.

Can't wait when Google adds a second lens to their Pixels. Google's computation photography could revolutionize digital zoom.

 

[The Game 161]

Not quite true.. No carriers SELL it. It should work just fine there.

point still stands.

Clearly nobody wants to buy these pixel phones in the UK. If there was enough interest then other phone carriers would be trying to sell them.