Should I Stay (iPhone) or Go (Android)

[thefredelement]

Sorry, long post. I'm not some hipster Apple fan, I like things that work the best for me and I'd just like some of your thoughts...

Alright, well over the past year I've been opening myself up to using some Apple stuff. I started by running OS X on my PC, then got an iPad for my birthday, then a Mac Pro desktop.

I've really enjoyed the experience, especially coming from a Linux desktop (having bash just as accessible as ms office is a pure win for my day to day, add iTunes to that and I just can't be happier with my desktop).

iTunes U on the iPad is awesome for someone like me (I'm always reading and seem to be curious about everything), the games are fun too and I really like using it as a communication device as well. It's just a great device, when I'm out taking photos I plug in the connection kit and have a blast reviewing them right then and there.

I have been using Android phones since the Evo 4G was released in June 2010 (I got it on release day). I've personally used (more than briefly): Evo 4G, Epic 4G, Epic 4G Touch (galaxy s2), Nexus S, Droid Incredible, Motorola Xoom (a tablet), Galaxy Nexus, GS3.

My favorite by far is the Galaxy Nexus with Jelly Bean, though I like the form factor of the Nexus S the best. (and the Droid Incredible too, but the finish/curve on the Nexus S felt nicer to me)

Being as the GNex is almost a year old and my recent conversion to Apple tech, I thought this is my year to dive head first in to iPhone, and I did, I "won the reservation lottery" last night and scored 2 iPhones! One 32GB and one 16GB (which I plan to sell on eBay to cover the cost of the 32GB and activation fees) which I picked up this morning.

I've been tinkering on and off with the iPhone all day. I've discovered I've got one with a bit of a problem (a persistent and loud "screen click"), but aside from that I've been trying to get used to it as my handheld. My phone is my life line for someone like me, I have a full time job, 4 clients of my own and hobbies/interests/goals that seemingly require more and more connectivity and data.

I guess I had some type of bias towards liking the iPhone - I didn't even think it would be an issue, I assumed it would equate to the difference in my level of satisfaction that I have using apps on my iPad compared to android tablet apps on my Xoom.

It's just not sitting right. I miss Google Now, not in the Siri way but in the "aware android" type of way. I'm also a HUGE google voice user and the integration on iPhone leaves a lot to be desired after coming from android.

I do love the speed, look and feel of the iPhone and especially the 4" size. It fits great for me, to me it feels like a better made Nexus S (aside from the screen popping issue).

I was never a home screen widget person on any of my phones, I liked it really clean but I find myself having to do more things to the iPhone than I did on android (for instance, a wifi, 4g, airplane toggles on the home screen are handy). I tried to use Siri for these things but there's no access to them.

I'm a little confused, as of now, I kind of wish I could combine a few things, and I'm hoping someone with similar experiences can shed some light (no matter which way you ended up going):

The mail app on the iPhone is awesome, I'm a heavy gmail user but really prefer the iOS mail app. One inbox = easy win.

Google Voice on the iPhone sucks, no API dialer access? no native messaging client integration?

Maps doesn't need to be brought up again.

Access to common features as mentioned above - this is a pain, when I get on a subway, I'd like to hit an airplane mode toggle widget, the same for wifi when leaving the house and 4G when not in coverage, etc.

iTunes on a phone, Android can't touch that, not even close, especially with workout playlists. I got the 32GB so I can load it up for long car trips, vacations, etc. even writing this makes me excited.

Google Now - iOS isn't even remotely close to being this kind of a real assistant

Handset look & feel - no Android phone comes close to the design and feel of the iPhone

Build quality - I've personally never experienced a bummed Android phone, my first iPhone having screen popping/clicks is annoying but understandable and something I'm sure that can get resolved with a little time & effort at the Apple store.

Siri is amusing, probably more entertaining than functional compared directly to Google Now's voice interaction component

Safari is much more fluid on an iPhone than Chrome is on a GNex (at least for the sites I frequent)

Facebook/Twitter - I'm not real big on either but found myself just today sharing stuff to facebook that I have never done on Android (and that sharing API has been around forever)

That pretty much sums up where I am, if anyone has any tips/input on some apps that I might find useful, or workflow ideas, that'd be great. Or consequently if you were in the same boat as me and really kept trying to get in sync with the iPhone but just couldn't, that would be good to hear as well.

Sorry for the long post but thanks if you made it this far...

 

[wordoflife]

It sounds like you're just discussion the pros/cons of each device to yourself, so I can't really comment because a lot of things you mentioned, I don't use; while other things I do.

All I can say is that one size does not fit all and that you should go with whatever you feel more comfortable with. You have an iPad though, so you can still have the iOS experience if that's what you're looking for.

FYI, asking on an appleforum will give you answered skewed to "keep iphone"

 

[duneriderltr450]

when a jailbreak comes out you can add stuff like widgets, ect.

 

[thefredelement]

It sounds like you're just discussion the pros/cons of each device to yourself, so I can't really comment because a lot of things you mentioned, I don't use; while other things I do.

All I can say is that one size does not fit all and that you should go with whatever you feel more comfortable with. You have an iPad though, so you can still have the iOS experience if that's what you're looking for.

FYI, asking on an appleforum will give you answered skewed to "keep iphone"

You know, I feel like I want to keep the iPhone, maybe just make it a little more Android-ish or hear what others have done to come up with workarounds if there are any.

when a jailbreak comes out you can add stuff like widgets, ect.

It's so funny you said this, after I posted this I started doing some research on what can be done with Google Voice and found it can be really tightly integrated into the iPhone once jailbroken.

I've been rooting Androids for the past 2 years and oddly enough, I'm not familiar at all with what's possible with a rooted iPhone...

 

[pilotkid]

I have had multiple Android phones between AT&T and Verizon over the last couple of years and I always end up going back to the iPhone. I've had the 3G-iPhone 5 and they have always been the best match for me. Especially if you have an iPad and a Mac Pro. They will all sync wonderfully. Android doesn't support Apple which has always been annoying to me and surprising in the last year or so. Yes, you can get a 3rd party app to sync with Mac's but its not the same as using iCloud or just plugging into iTunes. I vote stay with the iPhone.

 

[thefredelement]

I have had multiple Android phones between AT&T and Verizon over the last couple of years and I always end up going back to the iPhone. I've had the 3G-iPhone 5 and they have always been the best match for me. Especially if you have an iPad and a Mac Pro. They will all sync wonderfully. Android doesn't support Apple which has always been annoying to me and surprising in the last year or so. Yes, you can get a 3rd party app to sync with Mac's but its not the same as using iCloud or just plugging into iTunes. I vote stay with the iPhone.

I don't know how much iCloud I'd use on the phone. I use it on my iPad now that it's integrated my desktop for Pages mostly. I like that I can kind of sit on the couch, put the TV on and still work on stuff. I don't see myself doing that on the iPhone.

You're bang on about iTunes - It's very annoying to transfer music from iTunes to an android phone. I always had to show each file in finder then copy it over manually. It's not the end of the world but it's not as seamless as iPhone.

I have tried some android apps to get them to sync with iTunes but they feel cheesy and like a cheap hack.

I'm kind of thinking maybe go back to Android and just get an iPod touch.

I have an appointment at the Apple store today for the screen popping issue - I know if I exchange it I'm stuck with it so if they can't fix it I may just return it for now. I really don't like being forced in to that decision so early on.

 

[darngooddesign]

Sorry, long post. I'm not some hipster Apple fan, I like things that work the best for me and I'd just like some of your thoughts...

And I stopped reading after your condescending first sentence.

Just get which ever works for you.

 

[thefredelement]

And I stopped reading after your condescending first sentence.

Just get which ever works for you.

It was not meant to be condescending, I have friends who are hipster Apple fans

 

[MRU]

Can you not keep your iPhone and get an android device






Then give it time and if you find you prefer one device over the other, you can decide then to sell one off etc.

I'm using both the iPhone 5 & HTC One X at the moment. I flit between the two, but if I did decide to sell one tomorrow it would probably be the One X and I'd get some other phone, but not replace my iPhone.

 

[Tarzanman]

If you stay there will be trouble....

 

[THE JUICEMAN]

I am finally leaving iPhone. The reason being is because I want something different. 5 years of iPhone and it is time for a change.

I don't like android skins so I am heavily looking at the new LG Nexus device or any other nexus devices that may come out.

I am also considering the Nokia lumia 920 but I am concerned about WP8.

From reading your post it sounds like you are going to miss the freedom of some of the things on android. IMO jailbreaking has never been able to make up for that. But if you can get over the freedom you lose then you should be fine. iPhone 5 is a great product.

IMO the smoothness, stability, ease of use, consistency, app quality, and pleasure to use factor that once separated iOS from android is now gone. So if you take that gap that is now closed and add the freedom my choice is android.

I hope that helps. Good luck!

 

[thefredelement]

I am finally leaving iPhone. The reason being is because I want something different. 5 years of iPhone and it is time for a change.

I don't like android skins so I am heavily looking at the new LG Nexus device or any other nexus devices that may come out.

I am also considering the Nokia lumia 920 but I am concerned about WP8.

From reading your post it sounds like you are going to miss the freedom of some of the things on android. IMO jailbreaking has never been able to make up for that. But if you can get over the freedom you lose then you should be fine. iPhone 5 is a great product.

IMO the smoothness, stability, ease of use, consistency, app quality, and pleasure to use factor that once separated iOS from android is now gone. So if you take that gap that is now closed and add the freedom my choice is android.

I hope that helps. Good luck!

I agree with your last statement 100%, especially with the latest Nexus offerings. The Nexus S is laggy w/jelly bean, but is quite decent with gingerbread.

The Gnex with Jelly bean seems just as quick and smooth as the i5, albeit bigger and not as nice to hold.

Maybe I just want android on an i5 with iTunes sync and some apps ported (properly) - doesn't seem too much to ask for!

 

[tekno]

Such a huge number of posts like this now. Apple definitely don't have the hold on their customers like they used to.

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It was not meant to be condescending, I have friends who are hipster Apple fans

He's right. I have gay friends so it's impossible for me to say anything that could be considered homophobic.

 

[thefredelement]

Such a huge number of posts like this now. Apple definitely don't have the hold on their customers like they used to.

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He's right. I have gay friends so it's impossible for me to say anything that could be considered homophobic.

Good analogy, I should choose my words more carefully. I just meant I didn't want any blind pro iPhone responses as I'm trying to find real solutions.

Locking in for 2 years is a long time for something I'm not on the same page with.

 

[THE JUICEMAN]

I agree with your last statement 100%, especially with the latest Nexus offerings. The Nexus S is laggy w/jelly bean, but is quite decent with gingerbread.

The Gnex with Jelly bean seems just as quick and smooth as the i5, albeit bigger and not as nice to hold.

Maybe I just want android on an i5 with iTunes sync and some apps ported (properly) - doesn't seem too much to ask for!

Haha good luck with that. And personally I hate the way the iPhone has felt since the 4 came about. To square and too hard and too slippery and uncomfortable in the hand.

 

[phr0ze]

Locking in for 2 years is a long time for something I'm not on the same page with.

Who says you're locking in. Iphones resell very high. Just sell it, and you'll have enough to buy whatever.

 

[Dontazemebro]

Seeing as you've had quite enough experience with Android, why not just get the iPhone 5?

 

[thefredelement]

Who says you're locking in. Iphones resell very high. Just sell it, and you'll have enough to buy whatever.

Totally correct, I could give myself a longer trial until the next Nexus comes to Verizon and see what I like better. I may end up doing that, hopefully this iPhone will sell for more than the non-subsidized price for the Nexus if I choose to go that way.

Seeing as you've had quite enough experience with Android, why not just get the iPhone 5?

I have the iPhone and have been doing a fair amount of research. I may be able to make this be the right phone for me once the phone can be rooted and (hopefully) when Apple approves the Google Now / Google Search app update.

 

[THE JUICEMAN]

Perfect example ( small example) of something I won't miss on iPhone.

I was in the browser and I received a couple of texts. I figured I would finish reading my article and then go check them. 30 minutes later I have forgotten that I even had texts until I went back to the home screen.

That wouldn't happen on android because of the persistent notification icons in the status bar.

Like I said, this is a minor annoyance but to me I'm looking forward to android notifications again. This is something that could be fixed with jailbreaking though. /end rant

 

[Markyboy81]

Who says you're locking in. Iphones resell very high. Just sell it, and you'll have enough to buy whatever.

Iphones do have a good resale value, but that's partly as they're so expensive to start with. And it also depends on when in the cycle you buy it. You will get good resale prices if you buy early on but not if you bought it months after it was released.

 

[MRU]

Perfect example ( small example) of something I won't miss on iPhone.

I was in the browser and I received a couple of texts. I figured I would finish reading my article and then go check them. 30 minutes later I have forgotten that I even had texts until I went back to the home screen.

But they appear in notification centre on iPhone too, or is it just you prefer to have a notification icon persistent on the screen ?

 

[Oohara]

Sounds like you want mostly Android functionality for your phone, but the build quality/feel of the iPhone. The upcoming LG Nexus seems to be both at the same time.

Then for Apple stuff/iTunes you could just get an entry level iPod touch, like you suggest. It's very small and light so shouldn't be much of a nuisance to carry around at the same time.

Another alternative might be to stay with the iPhone 5 and get a Nexus 7 for the Android stuff. But it sounds like you really need Google Now to be on your phone, and not on a side device (+ widget level access to system settings like wifi/airplane mode etc, which you don't get on iOS).

I have the same dilemma, I need stuff from both worlds too. Will be going for LG Nexus + iPad Mini (if it happens, otherwise I might get a Touch instead.)

Anyway let us know what you end up deciding on (I've been on the fence for so long myself, I need support lol)

 

[phr0ze]

Iphones do have a good resale value, but that's partly as they're so expensive to start with. And it also depends on when in the cycle you buy it. You will get good resale prices if you buy early on but not if you bought it months after it was released.

What ever the reason, iphones maintain high resale value. The 4s seems to average for $450 on CL for a Verizon/ATT version. The Galaxy 3, also seems to average for $450.

The iphone 5 is over inflated at this time at $850-950, but its not going to go less than $600 until the next iphone arrives.

 

[MacBH928]

After looking at S3 I do not think that the perfect solution/product exists.

best advice is to test both and see what you like. I tested the S3 and decided to go with the iPhone.

 

[daveathall]

I was torn between the S3 and iP5, I had both since the day the iPhone 5 came out, both are superb devices, on this occasion I chose the S3 because I fancied a change. I'm now selling my iP5.