So I got my 5S on the 7th. So far, after about half a week using it, here are my thoughts (Using my S5 as a baseline):
This phone has a great build quality. It really feels premium and the gold makes it look even better. Apple's dedicated vibrate switch is great rather than having to press the volume down 24/7. Touch ID works so much better than the Galaxy S5 fingerprint scanner as well. The dual speakers at the bottom are also nice as well.
The screen is too small for me. I feel like the adjustment time will take a long time. I have been used to screens 4.7-5.7" over the last two years. It is a decent screen, but it doesn't pop out to me as my Galaxy S5's 1080p display. The Super Amoled display has better color saturation and the PPI is much higher than Apple's because of the resolution bump.
The camera on the iPhone is great, but doesn't match my S5 with all the additional camera features since Apple focuses on the standard approach and making it great: panorama, slow-mo, etc. Samsung focuses on giving you each and everything. Photobooth does make up for the effects though since Apple has some fun ones. Zooming isn't as great as I thought it would be, but it does the job. Apple always makes good sensors anyways.
The user experience will be subjective for many, but I will try to be objective as possible. The benchmarks typically give Apple the advantage for the processor with single core usage, but the S5 has a higher multicore score. The S5 has a higher clock speed, but it doesn't mean much unless you put pen to paper rather than look at the paper type and quality. The UI feels very minimalistic, straight to the point, and gets the job done. That's the Apple montra. Providing a user friendly experience without flares. iMessage is probably my favorite messaging service since it is so dynamic since you can message others internationally without surcharges.
Here is where it goes south. iTunes is a pain the butt. I had over 380 songs trying to sync over and only 226 managed to get to my phone each time. The inability to transfer music with ease is difficult. Most of you will say "it's Apple, what do you expect?" True, but you would think that the sync should be seamless as possible? Well, it isn't in my experience. To go further, I am required to download a program on my PC in conjunction with iTunes to use Zedge to download wallpapers. Why create unnecessary steps to just do something simple, Apple? There has to be a happy medium with this control freak attitude. My S5 allows me to go straight to Zedge and download my wallpapers. Changing ringtones is also a pain too. I cannot use my music as my ringer. How am I supposed to enjoy my USC Trojans Fight Song ringer seamlessly?
There are some intricacies that Apple does that I don't know why they haven't caught up. In the phone dialer, shouldn't there be a predictive dialer sequence where I dial 323, I get "Dad" showing up as a prediction? Android has been doing that for years, so it skips an unnecessary step by going into the contacts tab or favorites tab. I don't use Newstand. Shouldn't there be a way to delete it? It doesn't bother anyone that it will be deleted since it should be an app available through the App Store if people want to redownload it after deleting it.
Although I may seem like I am critical of iOS, it does many things right. As stated before, iMessage is great. With iOS 8, Apple and Android are neck and neck for the core smartphone functions. iMessage gives iOS a leg up since you can respond to texts by pulling down the notification bar within any app and respond from there rather multi tasking to the message app. iCloud is a great backup service since it can work with iTunes to backup almost anything you have on your iPhone. Find My iPhone gives users a service to protect their phones from losses and thefts. Apps open up quicker and close quicker on the iPhone as well when compared to the GS5 on stock Touchwiz.
The battery life is not so great thus far. I attribute this to my low signal coverage everywhere with my carrier. My S5 didn't burn through as much battery as the 5S. I have to resort to airplane mode + wifi to mitigate battery drainage. I have overheating issues with the battery and device itself, so I will take it to the Apple Store to get changed out today.
Overall, I am on the fence on keeping the 5S. I feel like it's a huge adjustment giving away my freedoms to focus on merging my phone experience with iTunes, dealing with a screen size that small, not having a predictive dialer, missing out on Android L, and having a stronger battery. The iPhone does give me a better build quality, a nicer control center with a flash light function built in, iMessaging, App Extensions, Widgets when they become available over time, better speakers, more support than Samsung, and a better experience when it comes towards core functions. I feel like I might go back to my S5 and focus on trying to improve it with turning off animations and waiting for the ART run time switch with Android L. The switch is very difficult since I am leaving my niche that have been with since the G1.
This phone has a great build quality. It really feels premium and the gold makes it look even better. Apple's dedicated vibrate switch is great rather than having to press the volume down 24/7. Touch ID works so much better than the Galaxy S5 fingerprint scanner as well. The dual speakers at the bottom are also nice as well.
The screen is too small for me. I feel like the adjustment time will take a long time. I have been used to screens 4.7-5.7" over the last two years. It is a decent screen, but it doesn't pop out to me as my Galaxy S5's 1080p display. The Super Amoled display has better color saturation and the PPI is much higher than Apple's because of the resolution bump.
The camera on the iPhone is great, but doesn't match my S5 with all the additional camera features since Apple focuses on the standard approach and making it great: panorama, slow-mo, etc. Samsung focuses on giving you each and everything. Photobooth does make up for the effects though since Apple has some fun ones. Zooming isn't as great as I thought it would be, but it does the job. Apple always makes good sensors anyways.
The user experience will be subjective for many, but I will try to be objective as possible. The benchmarks typically give Apple the advantage for the processor with single core usage, but the S5 has a higher multicore score. The S5 has a higher clock speed, but it doesn't mean much unless you put pen to paper rather than look at the paper type and quality. The UI feels very minimalistic, straight to the point, and gets the job done. That's the Apple montra. Providing a user friendly experience without flares. iMessage is probably my favorite messaging service since it is so dynamic since you can message others internationally without surcharges.
Here is where it goes south. iTunes is a pain the butt. I had over 380 songs trying to sync over and only 226 managed to get to my phone each time. The inability to transfer music with ease is difficult. Most of you will say "it's Apple, what do you expect?" True, but you would think that the sync should be seamless as possible? Well, it isn't in my experience. To go further, I am required to download a program on my PC in conjunction with iTunes to use Zedge to download wallpapers. Why create unnecessary steps to just do something simple, Apple? There has to be a happy medium with this control freak attitude. My S5 allows me to go straight to Zedge and download my wallpapers. Changing ringtones is also a pain too. I cannot use my music as my ringer. How am I supposed to enjoy my USC Trojans Fight Song ringer seamlessly?
There are some intricacies that Apple does that I don't know why they haven't caught up. In the phone dialer, shouldn't there be a predictive dialer sequence where I dial 323, I get "Dad" showing up as a prediction? Android has been doing that for years, so it skips an unnecessary step by going into the contacts tab or favorites tab. I don't use Newstand. Shouldn't there be a way to delete it? It doesn't bother anyone that it will be deleted since it should be an app available through the App Store if people want to redownload it after deleting it.
Although I may seem like I am critical of iOS, it does many things right. As stated before, iMessage is great. With iOS 8, Apple and Android are neck and neck for the core smartphone functions. iMessage gives iOS a leg up since you can respond to texts by pulling down the notification bar within any app and respond from there rather multi tasking to the message app. iCloud is a great backup service since it can work with iTunes to backup almost anything you have on your iPhone. Find My iPhone gives users a service to protect their phones from losses and thefts. Apps open up quicker and close quicker on the iPhone as well when compared to the GS5 on stock Touchwiz.
The battery life is not so great thus far. I attribute this to my low signal coverage everywhere with my carrier. My S5 didn't burn through as much battery as the 5S. I have to resort to airplane mode + wifi to mitigate battery drainage. I have overheating issues with the battery and device itself, so I will take it to the Apple Store to get changed out today.
Overall, I am on the fence on keeping the 5S. I feel like it's a huge adjustment giving away my freedoms to focus on merging my phone experience with iTunes, dealing with a screen size that small, not having a predictive dialer, missing out on Android L, and having a stronger battery. The iPhone does give me a better build quality, a nicer control center with a flash light function built in, iMessaging, App Extensions, Widgets when they become available over time, better speakers, more support than Samsung, and a better experience when it comes towards core functions. I feel like I might go back to my S5 and focus on trying to improve it with turning off animations and waiting for the ART run time switch with Android L. The switch is very difficult since I am leaving my niche that have been with since the G1.
