Wow much thanks guys for these replies they mean so much to me. I think I'm leaning towards trying a Samsung galaxy s8... how does the charging capacity hold up after 1 year of usage? I recall the s7 losing a lot of charge capacity within the first year. Planning on sticking with my next phone but for the next 3-4 years. Also Apple users that switched to Samsung do you have any regrets? I have a feeling I'll be missing my iOS after buying this galaxy
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Phones Opinions iphone to Samsung?
- Thread starter Lastgreen
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I would not get the S8. Its a great phone but does not have the fluidity of the S9.
There aren’t any Samsung phones that can be bought sim free and brand new here for the equivalent of 50 US dollars. In fact there aren’t any for £50 which is more than 50 US dollars.
The cheapest I can see, sim free is £96.89 for the J3 which is $128.53
If you're thinking of buying a Samsung just to try Android, don't.
Depending on where you live, I would advise you to get one of these Android phones instead, which will save you some money without sacrificing the Android experience (some argued you get less Android on a Samsung anyway).
- Google Pixel 2. As pricey as Samsung, but at least you get longer shelf life, updates, and actually experience unadulterated Android.
- OnePlus 6. Flagship specs, cheaper than Samsung/Google.
- Nokia 7 Plus. Even cheaper, SD660 with Kyro cores (the same cores on the flagship SD8xx chips), Android One (meaning you get update support like Pixel phones)
- Xiaomi Mi Ai. If this is available in your country, arguably the best bang for the buck in Android world today. It's running an old SD625, but it has 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, dual camera, Android One, all for less than $200.
Other notable phones: Moto G6, Xiaomi Redmi S2/Y2, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI, Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1).
Once you look at the Android world outside Samsung, Samsung is very unattractive, way overpriced, and doesn't even deliver the experience of Android the way Google intended it to be. In many markets, people buy Samsung only for the brand and status symbol.
Yes you get less android on samsung phones. What you get are features 5 years before they make it into android OS.
I think talking about android as google intended it is doesn't really make sense. The whole essence of android is 'together not the same'. It's not supposed to be like ios. That's the whole point.
And what are those features that are crucial in current productivity of a smartphone today, that cannot be met with stock Android? The only thing missing from current stock Android is probably support for dual camera (and that's more of the stock camera app). The Android One OEMs filled that gap just fine. The rest of Samsung "features" are just features for the sake of it. Bixby? Come on. And are those features worth the ridiculous premium Samsung is charging?
Could not care less about Bixby, but I may be one of the few that like the other Samsung features. Big fan of the edge panel (to store apps + contacts), selective screenshot, Samsung Pay, and yes, I even use the DeX pad. Also appreciate that Samsung is one of the few manufacturers that did not conform to notch design (knock on wood), or ditch the headphone jack and sd slot. Of course, the last bit are hardware features but I can't get enough of my S9; it's a beast and probably my favorite phone, ever.
The S8 and S9 were my FIRST android devices and I grew to appreciate the OS because of them. For those who are on the fence/curious, don't let naysayers tell you otherwise. Pick one up and try it for yourself.
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Stuff like picture in picture, split screen apps. Samsung had this 5 years before it came to android.
One handed mode, s pen support, always on display, Dex, facial recognition, iris scanning, secure folders, expandable memory. Wireless charging, ability to hide navigation buttons to increase screen real estate, edge panel, dual apps.
Exactly, you buy a stock Android phone because you believe less is more opposed to a fully featured and rich environment of Samsung and Apple offerings
As ever on Android be happy you have choices to suit your preference
Having actually owned a Pixel 2 and 2XL, and current S9, the S9 is the better buy in terms of features. Could this change with P and the Pixel 3, maybe and I hope so, but it won't.
Here are 2 simple things the S9 does well that suck on the Pixels. Adaptive brightness is a disaster on the Pixels and fluctuates way too rapidly. Tried P beta, same mess. I needed to use Lux to control brightness. The S9 is fine.
Immersive mode. Had to run adb commands on both Pixels to get Chrome to run full screen or hide the nav buttons. Samsung has it baked into the OS to auto hide the nav buttons and also immersive mode in the Samsung browser.
As for other features, Samsung Pay destroys even 'mighty' Apple Pay. Can't get that on Pixel. Wireless charging? Not on all the cheaper Android phones (it should be, but that's not Samsung's fault).
Updates? My Verizon S9 is running the June security update.
I didn't want to love the S9 but in terms of features it does everything I could ask of a smart phone. The only compromise is the stupid edge screen, which doesn't bother me much.
Here are 2 simple things the S9 does well that suck on the Pixels. Adaptive brightness is a disaster on the Pixels and fluctuates way too rapidly. Tried P beta, same mess. I needed to use Lux to control brightness. The S9 is fine.
Immersive mode. Had to run adb commands on both Pixels to get Chrome to run full screen or hide the nav buttons. Samsung has it baked into the OS to auto hide the nav buttons and also immersive mode in the Samsung browser.
As for other features, Samsung Pay destroys even 'mighty' Apple Pay. Can't get that on Pixel. Wireless charging? Not on all the cheaper Android phones (it should be, but that's not Samsung's fault).
Updates? My Verizon S9 is running the June security update.
I didn't want to love the S9 but in terms of features it does everything I could ask of a smart phone. The only compromise is the stupid edge screen, which doesn't bother me much.
Having been using Android phones, now own S8 Plus will not look back to other phone for a while, edge screen function does help.
It has a lot of options. Stuff I never really wind up using.
That's true, it is a big leap. But I was a total Android skeptic until my wife got an S7 for her work, and even that blew my 6 away.
Plus, the S9 has a headphone jack. There mere removal of that single port was enough to kill the iPhone for me. I travel extensively and need to charge my phone or run it off main power constantly while using headphones.