iPhone 5 vs Nexus 4

[mattopotamus]

First of all, I will try to be as unbiased as possible and am just trying to help some people out who are deciding between the two. I basically am just going to run down some comparisons of the two. We all know about the the hardware, so I just want to touch on features, lack there of, and other little things.

I made the switch from the iPhone5 to the nexus 4. I have briefly used android devices before and owned the last generation nexus (early in its life cycle). The main reason for me switching was the phrase we have all heard, "closed garden" of IOS. After 5 years it is virtually the same and feeling a little stale.

The nexus 4 is visually a beautiful device and feels fantastic in hand. Honestly, is made my iPhone 5 feel kind of toyish...although the 4s can have that affect on the 5 for some people. Jellybean 4.2 is very polished and is refreshing coming from IOS. The ability to have more than an open app drawer gives you a sense of freedom. Having the phone for about 48 hours and using the hell out of it, I feel like I know the ends and outs. The best thing about android to me is the multitasking. For example, when entering the AT&T APN settings I was able to toggle between my browser and settings seamlessly. This would have been a pain using IOS.

The speed of the phones is a wash, obviously having LTE will make the iPhone appear faster b.c web based apps load faster. All else equal the UI on both Devices will not be a factor for anyone. Something we always hear is the important apps are all in the google play store. While I mostly agree with this, the functionality within those apps is much different. It seems like everyone forgets to mention this so I really want to focus on this. Facebook for example is leaps and bounds better on IOS. Safari is much better than chrome on the nexus. I actually felt like the screen felt unresponsive at times within chrome. A LOT of apps suffer from "different", better in IOS in my eyes, functionality.

Screen and camera. The screen on the nexus is good, but again felt like the colors on the iPhone have way more pop due to the way it is backlit. The nexus looks more washed out IMO. Also, many have mentioned the camera on the iPhone 5 being better....defiantly true, but photosphere is bad ass. Also, when using the front facing camera on the nexus it feels laggy and I have no idea why.

Battery life. This is a huge deal to me and the iPhone 5 easily will yield double the battery life. 2-3 hours of screen time and dying is really poor. I get 5 on the iPhone. I can compare the usuage b.c I am the same person doing the same things.

Overall, I think the nexus is a great, great device but everything on the iPhone does seem way more thought out....From lock screen notifications to social network integration. If you want a phone that has a beautiful, big display and feels great in hand, the nexus fits that bill. The "stale" IOS paired with the iPhone 5 is a dream device to me. I really appreciate that much more now. Most people have the reverse effect where they are ready to sell off their iPhone after a few days with the nexus.

TLR both are great devices but I think the iPhone has the edge b.c it is a more polished overall device. I wrote all of this without even taking the apple Eco system into consideration b.c I think a phone can easily be replaced within that environment.

Edit: I totally forgot to mention google now, which is way better than Siri. I have to speak to Siri as if she speaks a different language...really slow and direct. Google now you can talk fast and it picks everything up. Also google now responds so much faster!

 

[thatappleguytoday]

So your sticking with the iP5 over the N4?

 

[mattopotamus]

So your sticking with the iP5 over the N4?

In the end, yes. I think android has made massive improvements, but the little more important things work better on IOS IMO. I also forgot to mention how good reminders are haha. I know it's an OS comparisons, but you have to compare them with the phones otherwise it's spec vs spec, which is a wash here

Also if someone here did not get the phone and is looking for the 8gb version I will sell it to you for the price I paid $332 shipped plus whatever shipping method you want.

Sorry for making a selling post, but I'm not looking to make money off someone...solely break even and help someone out.

 

[daveathall]

I think that is a very fair and balanced review, my usage differs to yours somewhat, I am not a heavy user so up to now battery usage has not been a problem for me, as you point out, heavy users may struggle. My use of apps is also different, I don't use any of the social networking apps such as Face book and Twitter and the ones that I do use are similar in function to those from the Apple App store. No getting away from it, IMHO the camera is better on the iPhone 5. Although I have had a iPhone 5 I sold it some weeks ago so cannot do a side by side comparison of the screens, but from memory of my iP5 I would say that your comments in this regard are very fair.

I think you sum it up perfectly with "both are great devices" I also like your comment about the Apple Ecosystem and very much concur.

Great review, I enjoyed reading it. Thank you.

 

[mattopotamus]

I think that is a very fair and balanced review, my usage differs to yours somewhat, I am not a heavy user so up to now battery usage has not been a problem for me, as you point out, heavy users may struggle. My use of apps is also different, I don't use any of the social networking apps such as Face book and Twitter and the ones that I do use are similar in function to those from the Apple App store. No getting away from it, IMHO the camera is better on the iPhone 5. Although I have had a iPhone 5 I sold it some weeks ago so cannot do a side by side comparison of the screens, but from memory of my iP5 I would say that your comments in this regard are very fair.

I think you sum it up perfectly with "both are great devices" I also like your comment about the Apple Ecosystem and very much concur.

Great review, I enjoyed reading it. Thank you.

Thanks. I really like being able to flick photos away on the nexus. Also Dropbox is great b.c it actually runs in the background and syncs the photos/videos as they are taken. With the iPhone I have to open the app to get it started syncing...that multitasking on the n4

 

[KAB2010]

Wirelessly posted

So.. Apps, camera, screen, and battery life are all better on the iPhone 5? Well that's disappointing. Guess I'll keep my iPhone then.

 

[THE JUICEMAN]

Good comparison. I am very much enjoying my nexus experience so far. Battery is good but not great. Other than that it's feeling very close to perfect. Glad you made a decision and you are happy. What works for you is the best thing!

 

[Compile 'em all]

This video comparison also might help
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E406xXr4Mok#!

 

[mattopotamus]

This video comparison also might help
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E406xXr4Mok#!

That is pretty spot on

 

[THE JUICEMAN]

First of all, I will try to be as unbiased as possible and am just trying to help some people out who are deciding between the two. I basically am just going to run down some comparisons of the two. We all know about the the hardware, so I just want to touch on features, lack there of, and other little things.

I made the switch from the iPhone5 to the nexus 4. I have briefly used android devices before and owned the last generation nexus (early in its life cycle). The main reason for me switching was the phrase we have all heard, "closed garden" of IOS. After 5 years it is virtually the same and feeling a little stale.

The nexus 4 is visually a beautiful device and feels fantastic in hand. Honestly, is made my iPhone 5 feel kind of toyish...although the 4s can have that affect on the 5 for some people. Jellybean 4.2 is very polished and is refreshing coming from IOS. The ability to have more than an open app drawer gives you a sense of freedom. Having the phone for about 48 hours and using the hell out of it, I feel like I know the ends and outs. The best thing about android to me is the multitasking. For example, when entering the AT&T APN settings I was able to toggle between my browser and settings seamlessly. This would have been a pain using IOS.

The speed of the phones is a wash, obviously having LTE will make the iPhone appear faster b.c web based apps load faster. All else equal the UI on both Devices will not be a factor for anyone. Something we always hear is the important apps are all in the google play store. While I mostly agree with this, the functionality within those apps is much different. It seems like everyone forgets to mention this so I really want to focus on this. Facebook for example is leaps and bounds better on IOS. Safari is much better than chrome on the nexus. I actually felt like the screen felt unresponsive at times within chrome. A LOT of apps suffer from "different", better in IOS in my eyes, functionality.

Screen and camera. The screen on the nexus is good, but again felt like the colors on the iPhone have way more pop due to the way it is backlit. The nexus looks more washed out IMO. Also, many have mentioned the camera on the iPhone 5 being better....defiantly true, but photosphere is bad ass. Also, when using the front facing camera on the nexus it feels laggy and I have no idea why.

Battery life. This is a huge deal to me and the iPhone 5 easily will yield double the battery life. 2-3 hours of screen time and dying is really poor. I get 5 on the iPhone. I can compare the usuage b.c I am the same person doing the same things.

Overall, I think the nexus is a great, great device but everything on the iPhone does seem way more thought out....From lock screen notifications to social network integration. If you want a phone that has a beautiful, big display and feels great in hand, the nexus fits that bill. The "stale" IOS paired with the iPhone 5 is a dream device to me. I really appreciate that much more now. Most people have the reverse effect where they are ready to sell off their iPhone after a few days with the nexus.

TLR both are great devices but I think the iPhone has the edge b.c it is a more polished overall device. I wrote all of this without even taking the apple Eco system into consideration b.c I think a phone can easily be replaced within that environment.

Edit: I totally forgot to mention google now, which is way better than Siri. I have to speak to Siri as if she speaks a different language...really slow and direct. Google now you can talk fast and it picks everything up. Also google now responds so much faster!

Would you mind giving me a battery life update for iPhone 5? I forgot what I was getting when I had mine. How much time off the charger and how much screen time. Thanks!

 

[mattopotamus]

Would you mind giving me a battery life update for iPhone 5? I forgot what I was getting when I had mine. How much time off the charger and how much screen time. Thanks!

32% battery
Stand by: 1 day 13 hours
Usuage: 5 hours 49 minutes.

I leave wifi and Bluetooth on 24/7

 

[Frankied22]

I am in the same boat mostly. I owned a Galaxy Nexus for a bit to try it out, and eventually decided to head back to my iPhone 4. Now I have been using the N4 for a couple days, and I have this sneaking suspicion that in a few more days I will want to return to my iPhone 5. There are some things I really do love about JB, and the pure Android experience, and the N4, but ultimately I really do love using my iPhone. I really dislike not having Google Maps on my iPhone, and I think Androids voice recognition/Google Now blows away Siri. But then there are things I think are vastly better on my iPhone and iOS. Things such as music management (stock iOS music/ipod app), podcast management (I listen to a lot of podcasts and Instacast is so perfect), headphones (I have B&W P5's & C5's and being able to fully control my music, calls, and Siri from a press of the mic button is really nice), apps (this is a preference thing, but I feel apps on iOS are just more visually pleasing), content creation apps (I mostly just mean music creation apps). The camera on my iPhone is obviously a lot better as well, but the camera on the N4 is definitely not bad. The new camera UI in 4.2 though is really impressive. I wish iOS had that. Photosphere is also badass, even if it is glitchy sometimes. The Do Not Disturb feature on iOS is nothing to shrug off either. It is pretty nice to have when you use your phone for an clock next to your bed. Another nice feature on iOS in the same vein is how you can quickly mute your sounds, but it doesn't mute alarms. I don't know, I am just rambling at this point, but either way I am currently torn on which to keep. One really big thing going for the N4 with me right now is the $30 pre paid plan on T-mobile. I am so sick of paying over $100 a month for my iPhone, and it is so refreshing to only have to pay $30 a month for 100 minutes, unlimited text, and unlimited data with 5Gb of 4G. If I could get 3G on my iPhone it would make the decision even harder.

AAggghhh!

 

[THE JUICEMAN]

32% battery
Stand by: 1 day 13 hours
Usuage: 5 hours 49 minutes.

I leave wifi and Bluetooth on 24/7

Nice. Thanks.

 

[ReanimationN]

One really big thing going for the N4 with me right now is the $30 pre paid plan on T-mobile. I am so sick of paying over $100 a month for my iPhone, and it is so refreshing to only have to pay $30 a month for 100 minutes, unlimited text, and unlimited data with 5Gb of 4G. If I could get 3G on my iPhone it would make the decision even harder.

AAggghhh!

Wow, you have to pay over 100 a month for the iPhone? I paid $240 upfront for a 32GB iPhone 5 and get $650 worth of calls (and free Optus-Optus calls, which my parents, brother and girlfriend are on, so I save an absolute stack), unlimited messages and 1.5GB of data with quite good 4G coverage on a $60 plan. I only paid slightly more for the iPhone over what they offered the Galaxy S3 4G 16GB to me for.

That $30 plan does sound pretty great though. Especially the 5GB of data. The only downside of my plan is the 1.5GB of data, otherwise it's fantastic. It sounds like you generally prefer the iPhone, I'd recommend you stick with it if you aren't finding the Android apps quite up to par- you'll only continue to notice little things they don't do quite as well as the iPhone versions, and if you prefer the look of iPhone apps, the visual mishmash of Android apps will also continue to irritate you. On the other hand, if you're liking widgets and the ability to change up the look of your phone with different launchers, live wallpapers etc, then stick with the N4. I found, after the novelty wore off, that I used actually used widgets about as much as I used gadgets/widgets on Windows Vista/7 and Dashboard on OS X, I.e. barely at all. I had one gadget I used on Windows and I also used the time zone clocks and calculator on Dashboard, the same goes for Android.

 

[mib1800]

32% battery
Stand by: 1 day 13 hours
Usuage: 5 hours 49 minutes.

I leave wifi and Bluetooth on 24/7

It is not really comparable betw. the iOS and Android battery stat.

In Android you have the "screen on" time which is different from iOS "usage time". iOS "usage time" is misleading as the usage time is much higher than the actual screen on time. How can you be using the phone if the screen is not on?

It is more accurate to compare Android "awake time" (which is higher than screen on time) to iOS usage time but the awake time value is not available in the stock battery app.

 

[mattopotamus]

It is not really comparable betw. the iOS and Android battery stat.

In Android you have the "screen on" time which is different from iOS "usage time". iOS "usage time" is misleading as the usage time is much higher than the actual screen on time. How can you be using the phone if the screen is not on?

It is more accurate to compare Android "awake time" (which is higher than screen on time) to iOS usage time but the awake time value is not available in the stock battery app.

Didn't know that, but I only have to charge my iPhone every other day. I had to charge my nexus by 2:00pm after being unplugged at 5:00am

 

[mib1800]

Didn't know that, but I only have to charge my iPhone every other day. I had to charge my nexus by 2:00pm after being unplugged at 5:00am

iphone and android OS are very different. iphone completely goes to sleep when you are not using it whereas android continues to perform operations in the background.

Get the BetterBatteryStat app from xda-dev forum. "deep sleep" ratio should be 85-95% (depending on usage pattern). Also check which apps are causing high partial wakelock time.

On my S3, the deep sleep ratio is about 89-92%. Using 3G/H+ with sync on, I get about 40-48 hrs uptime per charge with total screen on time about 3hrs and 2hrs call time. The "awake time" varies from 5-7hrs.

 

[mattopotamus]

iphone and android OS are very different. iphone completely goes to sleep when you are not using it whereas android continues to perform operations in the background.

Get the BetterBatteryStat app from xda-dev forum. "deep sleep" ratio should be 85-95% (depending on usage pattern). Also check which apps are causing high partial wakelock time.

On my S3, the deep sleep ratio is about 89-92%. Using 3G/H+ with sync on, I get about 40-48 hrs uptime per charge with total screen on time about 3hrs and 2hrs call time. The "awake time" varies from 5-7hrs.

That is just it. I don't want to have to manage a battery or track what is draining it

 

[sotorious]

In the end, yes. I think android has made massive improvements, but the little more important things work better on IOS IMO. I also forgot to mention how good reminders are haha. I know it's an OS comparisons, but you have to compare them with the phones otherwise it's spec vs spec, which is a wash here

Also if someone here did not get the phone and is looking for the 8gb version I will sell it to you for the price I paid $332 shipped plus whatever shipping method you want.

Sorry for making a selling post, but I'm not looking to make money off someone...solely break even and help someone out.

On your reminder remark. I feel like they don't do it well enough sure it notify you and then its gone from your notifications. Now when I set a calendar date I both have the widget on my lock screen and a widget on my home screen. So I will be able to see it all day.

On another note coming off the ip4 to the nexus for has been very refreshing. I was an original android owner previous android phone was the nexus one before I made the switch to the ip4.

Loved how everything was so smooth ever since project butter came along the n4 is everything I ever wanted in a phone.

I just hope they are able to do a bit better with battery life I read on xda its the kernel giving it such poor life but we will see.

Android has made milestones and I think I have returned at a great time.

 

[mattopotamus]

On your reminder remark. I feel like they don't do it well enough sure it notify you and then its gone from your notifications. Now when I set a calendar date I both have the widget on my lock screen and a widget on my home screen. So I will be able to see it all day.

On another note coming off the ip4 to the nexus for has been very refreshing. I was an original android owner previous android phone was the nexus one before I made the switch to the ip4.

Loved how everything was so smooth ever since project butter came along the n4 is everything I ever wanted in a phone.

I just hope they are able to do a bit better with battery life I read on xda its the kernel giving it such poor life but we will see.

Android has made milestones and I think I have returned at a great time.

On iPhones the reminders and calendars show in the notification menu a day or so before.

 

[nfl46]

Probably the two best phones out now.

 

[mattopotamus]

Probably the two best phones out now.

The selection of phones right now is amazing. They truly are pocket pc's

 

[daveathall]

The selection of phones right now is amazing. They truly are pocket pc's

I agree, The iPhone 5 and also not forgetting the still superb 4S from Apple, the S3 and Note 2 from Samsung, the the Nexus 4 and Galaxy Nexus and Windows phones as well as some I haven't mentioned are all good news for the consumer. I cant remember a time when there was such a greater choice as now.

 

[Tinmania]

I agree, The iPhone 5 and also not forgetting the still superb 4S from Apple, the S3 and Note 2 from Samsung, the the Nexus 4 and Galaxy Nexus and Windows phones as well as some I haven't mentioned are all good news for the consumer. I cant remember a time when there was such a greater choice as now.

Totally agree. Though I am not about to head down the Windows phones trail lol (this from someone who used to work for Microsoft in embedded systems... at the time all mobile OS's were under it).

As for me, the extra features of Android are really causing me to love my Nexus 4.

But I only had (have) an iPhone 4S. I didn't pull the trigger on the i5 because it just was not that big of an update for me. So for me the Nexus 4 seems a much bigger update.



Michael