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fre3way

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 28, 2014
66
4
I am getting a new phone and coming from the iPhone 4, both options seem great. I'm just confused which one to get. Let me know your opinions. My only concern with android is that some people complain it gets slow over time.
 

T5BRICK

macrumors G3
Aug 3, 2006
8,314
2,391
Oregon
I am getting a new phone and coming from the iPhone 4, both options seem great. I'm just confused which one to get. Let me know your opinions. My only concern with android is that some people complain it gets slow over time.

I'll start here by saying that I absolutely despise Samsung and the horrible "TouchWiz" skin that they ruin android with.

If you're going with Android, I'd suggest checking out the Nexus 5. I really like my iPhone 5s, but at the same time I miss my HTC One. There are good phones to choose either way.
 

wordoflife

macrumors 604
Jul 6, 2009
7,564
37
I am getting a new phone and coming from the iPhone 4, both options seem great. I'm just confused which one to get. Let me know your opinions. My only concern with android is that some people complain it gets slow over time.

Wouldn't suggest coming to an Apple forum for a question like that.

But even if we weren't here, I'd still suggest with the 5S. I agree with the fact that the Note 3 is too big and that I don't like Touchwiz.
 

ParishM

macrumors regular
Aug 12, 2007
151
1
Naples, Fl
hands down get the Note 3, it's so far ahead of the iPhone
it's on another planet !!!!

and i'm not a Samsung fan boy or apple hater, i currently
have an iPhone 5, if i could afford a Note 3 i would get one !
 

LadyX

macrumors 68020
Mar 4, 2012
2,374
252
iPhone 5s or Note 3

I had an HTC One for a few months. It was an excellent phone though I missed my iPhone 5 and so eventually went back to using it. My mother owns a Note 3 and even though it's only a month old, it started to lag, and I'm pretty sure Samsung's TouchWiz is to blame as HTC's Sense was very smooth. It depends on the Android skin really. To me, the Note 3 is a bit big.

If you want an Android phone, go for a Nexus 5, an LG G2, or a Moto X. I'd recommend the HTC One however I'm not sure how reliable it will be in the future since HTC is not doing well, and they take so long to push firmware updates. Plus, the camera is bad- I didn't mind this because I rarely take pictures.

It depends on what you want. If you're looking for a bigger screen and the ability to customize, go for the Note 3 or any other Android phone. If high quality apps and generally the App Store and iTunes Store matter to you, then get the iPhone 5s. I personally would not recommend Samsung phones to anyone.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
Two things to consider, the platform. How enmeshed are you in iOS, while you certainly can find similar apps and services with android, it may take a bit of work. The second thing is the phone size. Do you find yourself using the iPhone with one hand. That will be difficult with the Note 3.

I almost got a Note 3 myself, I love the form factor but in the end, the platform was what caused me to stay. I'm in iOS enough that I didn't think it was worth the work to switch. I have had other android phones in the past so it wasn't like I was unaware of what it has to offer, but rather I wanted to stick with iOS
 

sentinelsx

macrumors 68010
Feb 28, 2011
2,004
0
I too blame touchwiz for the slow ride.

The basic question is: do you want a smartphone or a phablet? Answer this first to yourself.
 

AppleRobert

macrumors 603
Nov 12, 2012
5,729
1,133
My Note 3 is running great even with TW so I have not changed the UI. One can always use another launcher anyway.

The iPhone screen is too small, I personally never even considered it.

You do not have to go with the Note 3 besides if you find it too big when trying it. There are many good android smartphones presently. Just decide your priorities and go from them.
 

alent1234

macrumors 603
Jun 19, 2009
5,689
170
just replaced my iphone 5 with a GN3

both are awesome phones for different use cases. i miss the easy way it's to take my iphone out with one hand and check twitter for the day's parking rules or train delays. but i like to read a lot and the GN3 is awesome on a packed train
 

The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Dec 15, 2010
30,991
20,174
UK
depends on your needs

note 3 blows iphone away for my needs..don't think there are many advantages iphone has over note apart from maybe speed in updates.

holding the iphone is like holding a small pager.
 

PollyK

macrumors regular
Apr 18, 2013
197
0
Well first off, don't bother leaving Apple if you worship the brand. Not trying to be offensive. But so many times I hear people say they want to try something else but set themselves up for failure because they later realize they need that Apple logo on their device to feel complete. Nothing wrong with that, it's a preference.
Secondly, if you have no issues with size, then the Note 3 is the most capable phone to cover you for all your needs you're aware of and the needs you may have later. There truly nothing else that comes close in functionality. It's got the brightest display on the market with the most accurate colors. If you prefer vibrant colors, the setting is there too. Now if you really have time to wait, the GS5 is just around the corner.
 

Raibyn

macrumors regular
Sep 24, 2013
154
8
South Carolina
I own both, and I now use the Note 3 as my daily driver. It is just more enjoyable to use. The screen size is the biggest plus for me over the iPhone 5s. Yes, I know there are some that claim they prefer the small (tiny) screen on the iPhone and say the Note 3 is too big. I don't subscribe to that point of view though. I see more and more people that are iPhone fans demanding a larger screen on the next iPhone, so I am not alone.

Anyway, the Note 3 is an awesome phone and I highly recommend it. TouchWiz? While not perfect, it's not as bad as some make it out to be. If you are curious about the Note, give it a try. If you don't like it, exchange it for a 5s. What do you have to lose?
 

joshwithachance

macrumors 68020
Dec 11, 2009
2,105
1,320
The Note 3 is easily the most bang for your buck in the smartphone market. It's a mini tablet that is designed to actually be a daily driver device that can always be on you. The screen size, cameras, battery life, S-Pen, notification LED, and customizability of Android make the Note 3 far superior to the 5s.

And with the faux leather back, and curved edges, the Note 3 is actually more comfortable to hold too.
 

The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Dec 15, 2010
30,991
20,174
UK
The Note 3 is easily the most bang for your buck in the smartphone market. It's a mini tablet that is designed to actually be a daily driver device that can always be on you. The screen size, cameras, battery life, S-Pen, notification LED, and customizability of Android make the Note 3 far superior to the 5s.

And with the faux leather back, and curved edges, the Note 3 is actually more comfortable to hold too.

Agreed, the fact it has great battery life and you can swap the battery round whenever you want is something that I love and it's why I could never go back to the iphone.

nobody should ever care what the % battery is like on the note....
 

fre3way

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 28, 2014
66
4
Or should I just wait for the iPhone 6? I feel like the 5s is the same as my 4, just longer. I am leaning more towards the note 3 at this point but I heard stories of it starting to lag and reboot at times from friends who have the phone.
 

kuroe

macrumors newbie
Dec 19, 2013
27
15
At this point in time, almost all high-end phones work really well (note 3, iphone 5s, HTC One, Xperia Z1s, Nexus 5, etc).

Thus, you should pick a phone based on your needs.

If you use your smartphone as more than a phone (lots of reading, video, browsing internet, playing games, etc), then get either a Galaxy Note 3 or LG G2. They have excellent battery life, great and spacious screens for media consumption, and good cameras.

If you use your smartphone mostly for texting, social media, and making phone calls, the iPhone 5s would be the best pick. You also get one-handed usage from the iPhone, a plus if you're not comfortable with the size of larger smartphones. The iPhone has a pretty good camera too. Ah, and people love Apple's warranty support.

If you need a waterproof phone (for those that like to take their phones into the shower/bath... >_>; ), then a Xperia Z1s or Xperia Z compact are good choices. Choose the compact if you want one-handed usage.

For the HTC One, you should choose it if you want a beautiful phone. It's camera is lackluster, but everything else about it is gorgeous from a hardware standpoint.

And finally, if you are on a budget and want a phone that's reasonably good on all counts, choose the Nexus 5. The Nexus 5, with it's 5-inch screen, is easier to handle than the Galaxy Note 3. It's large enough to make media consumption easier than the iPhone, and it handles texting, social media, and phone calls quite well. As an added bonus, you get prompt Android updates from Google when they're released. On the downside, LG has been having quality control issues with the Nexus 5, resulting in some batches having audio recording issues.

On a side note, a Windows phone might be a decent choice, but beware of the lack of apps in the app store. But if you can get over that, the Lumia 1020 has the overall best smartphone camera, period. There is no camera currently better amongst smartphones.
 

Dontazemebro

macrumors 68020
Jul 23, 2010
2,173
0
I dunno, somewhere in West Texas
Or should I just wait for the iPhone 6? I feel like the 5s is the same as my 4, just longer. I am leaning more towards the note 3 at this point but I heard stories of it starting to lag and reboot at times from friends who have the phone.

I haven't experienced any lag on my Note 3, that may be something that's app specific I guess. But usually you'll always encounter some sort of issue with any phone. For instance touch ID stops working on my 5s occasionally and apps crash all the time. More crashes than the Note 3. Also there's some slight touch input delay on the 5s but I attribute that to iOS 7 not being as polished. The point is every phone has flaws, even the iPhone
 

sixrom

macrumors 6502a
Nov 13, 2013
709
1
I am getting a new phone and coming from the iPhone 4, both options seem great. I'm just confused which one to get. Let me know your opinions. My only concern with android is that some people complain it gets slow over time.

That's an old myth. Current top line Androids like my heavily used Note 3 & Nexus 5 are extraordinarily fast, and remain so over time.

My 5S is a very nice phone, but once I experienced the speed, ease of use, gorgeous large screen Androids, nothing else comes close.

Rumor has it Apples finally deciding the tiny screen is not the superior perfect size they've been asserting, and are likely to include a relevant modern sized display this year.

If you want an iPhone, that's the one to have.

If you want a phone you can customize to be uniquely yours, Android is the platform to buy.
 

clborden

macrumors regular
May 12, 2009
189
3
Derby, CT
I haven't experienced any lag on my Note 3, that may be something that's app specific I guess. But usually you'll always encounter some sort of issue with any phone. For instance touch ID stops working on my 5s occasionally and apps crash all the time. More crashes than the Note 3. Also there's some slight touch input delay on the 5s but I attribute that to iOS 7 not being as polished. The point is every phone has flaws, even the iPhone

I haven't had any lag on my GN3 either, but I've only had mine for 2 weeks. My old GS4 was terrible though. I always felt that Touchwiz was very heavy and bloated. But on this one, not at all. Maybe it's the extra GB of RAM? Either way, apps do crash quite a bit on the 5S, so if the OP decides on sticking with iOS, just keep that in mind. I thought the input delay was the animations after unlocking the phone, not really a lack of polish on the OS. I'd imagine that Apple could fix this and hopefully the app crash issue with an update. I've also heard that the app crash issue could be from a lack of RAM. I don't think either of these issues should keep anyone away from the 5S though. Just my 2¢.
 

Eddie Bombay

macrumors 6502
Aug 27, 2011
362
0
If you jailbreak iPhone 5s. You could use both phones with one hand since the Note 3 has full screen one hand operation mode.
 
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