Started with iOS, tried Android, then...

[DodgeV83]

Previous iPhone 4 and 4S owner. Now a galaxy nexus owner. The GN is by and far the best smartphone I've ever owned. A few areas of the iPhone have it beat (camera and storage size comes to mind) but everything else the GN is superior (mail, browser, keyboard, notifications, battery life, hspa+ speeds, etc.). I assume my experience will be in the minority here though.

Consider me a convert but I'm still watching closely at what Apple will bring to the table with iOS 6.

I'm surprised you listed Mail, that's actually one of the things keeping me away from Android:

It simply does not handle email threading very well, or at all. On the left is the iPhone mail app, the relevant emails are grouped together. The middle is the Droid Bionic, it tries to do the same, but misses some. The right is the Galaxy Nexus, where everything is in one flat list.

Whenever a co-worker shows me a new Android phone they just got, that's the first thing I look for, and it still works that way, no matter which client they are using.

Is this an issue on your Nexus as well?

 

[bigsexyy81]

I think if you went to a store and tried the S3 or X1, you might be pleasantly surprised, especially with ICS running on great hardware.

Two things... all I really need is TWO things in order for me to be able to make the switch to try out the S3...

-A day's worth of battery life with moderate usage, and
-Integration with iTunes

I upgraded my 4S to 5.1.1, jailbroke it, added a boatload of tweaks that I had previously removed because they were making battery life lousy on 5.0.1 (IntelliScreenX, some others), and ever since upgrading to 5.1.1 I get a FULL day's charge, from 8 or 9 AM to about midnight. That is spectacular.

In contrast, the Thunderbolt was dead by noon. NOON!

I know the Thunderbolt had a small battery and most Android phones have a bigger one, but it just left a really bad taste in my mouth and just about everyone complains about how 'not good' their battery life is.

 

[cynics]

I flip flop between both. I find the size sizes of android devices are the main thing that keep me switching. That and Verizon LTE. I have a Verizon 4S and the data speeds are almost unbearable, so I get aggravated with the iPhone (should be with Verizon though).

Battery life is usually a non issue for me because even my 4S can't get me through an entire work day. But on the weekend (use the phone less) it does pretty good.

 

[rjohnstone]

I'm surprised you listed Mail, that's actually one of the things keeping me away from Android:

Image

It simply does not handle email threading very well, or at all. On the left is the iPhone mail app, the relevant emails are grouped together. The middle is the Droid Bionic, it tries to do the same, but misses some. The right is the Galaxy Nexus, where everything is in one flat list.

Whenever a co-worker shows me a new Android phone they just got, that's the first thing I look for, and it still works that way, no matter which client they are using.

Is this an issue on your Nexus as well?

What you see on a lot of Android phones is the vendor's own email client or the stock Android email client.
I know from personal experience that Samsung and Motorola email clients are terrible.
The Android client is as basic as it gets. Features are minimal.

The GMail client on ICS has threaded messages and handles them nicely.
Messages are grouped similar to the way they are on iOS.

 

[TG1]

I went from an iPhone 3G to an iPhone 4, and just recently to a Droid Razr Maxx. Also have a Droid X as my work phone. I honestly enjoy both OS's. iOS is smoother and cleaner, but I really like how Android allows me to do things that I needed a jailbreak to do on iOS (BiteSMS, theming, SBSettings, custom keyboards, etc).

Apple does integrate their products and services very well. I love iTunes match and photostream for managing my music and photos in the cloud. I ended up using AmazonMP3 and Dropbox for these same services on Android. They work, but just not as nicely as having it all under one roof.

Hardware wise, I do miss the retina display and the top notch camera of the iPhone. But I am loving the Razr Maxx battery (along with the 4G LTE and the large screen)!

 

[cube]

Considering this is a Mac based site, I'd imagine the majority of those who lept to Android are no longer active members here.

What does Android have to do with Mac?

 

[0m3ga]

Two things... all I really need is TWO things in order for me to be able to make the switch to try out the S3...

-A day's worth of battery life with moderate usage, and
-Integration with iTunes

I upgraded my 4S to 5.1.1, jailbroke it, added a boatload of tweaks that I had previously removed because they were making battery life lousy on 5.0.1 (IntelliScreenX, some others), and ever since upgrading to 5.1.1 I get a FULL day's charge, from 8 or 9 AM to about midnight. That is spectacular.

In contrast, the Thunderbolt was dead by noon. NOON!

I know the Thunderbolt had a small battery and most Android phones have a bigger one, but it just left a really bad taste in my mouth and just about everyone complains about how 'not good' their battery life is.

There are too many variables when talking about battery life. If you have widgets constantly updating, running lve wallpaper, phone is constantly trying to find a 4g, 3g, edge signal or switching between them, how bright your screen is and so on.

That said the S3 comes with a 2100mA battery, which is fairly big to power the large screen for quite a while. But the nice thing is, the battery is removable so you can always have a spare on ya. I do this with my S2, but thus far, I have never needed my spare and I tether my ipad to my S2 for 4 hours a day.

As for integration with iTunes. No problem. iSyncr app in the Android marketplace. There are a few others as well. GTunes I think?

 

[chokem]

The lesson was not to buy an HTC Inspire? You went from something like the iP4 to a phone with a crappy wvga screen, a tiny 1200mA battery, only 4gb of storage, and you were probably still using the Froyo OS. Coming from an ip4, i would have been pissed and switched back too.

There are only a couple of phones that I believe compete with the iP4S in both OS smoothness, capabilities, and hardware. Samsung Note (and soon to be Note 2), Samsung S3 and HTC One X. The Samsung S2 I would compare to the iPhone 4, not the 4S.

I think if you went to a store and tried the S3 or X1, you might be pleasantly surprised, especially with ICS running on great hardware.

At the time, that was the best Android phone that AT&T had available.

 

[MacRazySwe]

As much as I sometimes want to try an Android, I simply cannot. I'm so bored with the iPhone OS which has looked the same more or less since 2007. I was really stoked by the new Galaxy S3, and the Sony Xperia S/P. Went to have a look at both of them today. While the Sony phones felt great, with solid build-quality, the Samsung felt really cheap, like a toy.

However my main issue was not the phones themselves, but Android OS. I simply cannot stand the ugly fonts, ugly icons, and how everything looks half-done and cheap. It feels so "homebrew" or whatever one should call it, you know what I mean! Right now, Windows Mobile seems to impress me the most. However, I will wait and see what the new iPhone brings before making up my mind. If only it looked like the new Sony Xperia P...

The new iPhone must offer a 4" display, however.

 

[Lindenhurst]

from 4s went to note and hated it.

i rather have 64gb built in flash memory than 16gb note plus a slow arse microsd.

everything is so smooth in iOS even ICS can't compete.

i tried stunner ICS custom rom and even the official ICS from samsung, both suck. the OS doesn't suck, it's the third party apps that suck.

same twitter app, facebook app, speed test app, etc etc, the fluidility is not even as smooth as the iph 4, let alone the 4s.

what i like about android is the "quick ics browser" app, it makes one hand browsing so easy even on a huge note.

I went from iPhone to the ATT Samsung Galaxy Note and found just the opposite. I am now running ICS and it has zero lagg. Yes this is a custom Rom based on leaked ATT ICS, but I hope the official ATT version is as smooth. Twitter, Facebook, and speediest all run about the same on my Note as on the Iphone4. The ICS browser is also very nice.

Here is my only complaint...it is really a 2 handed device, and there are times such as when I am in a vehicle, that I would prefer it a bit smaller.
It fits in my pants pocket, but no where near as comfortably as the iPhone did.
ALthough I love the Note, especially for it's large screen, I am still waiting to see what Apple brings us in a couple months.

It took a good month to "get over" IOS and get used to android, but once I did that, it performs as well as my iPhone did for me anyways.

They are both great devices.

 

[0m3ga]

As much as I sometimes want to try an Android, I simply cannot. I'm so bored with the iPhone OS which has looked the same more or less since 2007. I was really stoked by the new Galaxy S3, and the Sony Xperia S/P. Went to have a look at both of them today. While the Sony phones felt great, with solid build-quality, the Samsung felt really cheap, like a toy.

However my main issue was not the phones themselves, but Android OS. I simply cannot stand the ugly fonts, ugly icons, and how everything looks half-done and cheap. It feels so "homebrew" or whatever one should call it, you know what I mean! Right now, Windows Mobile seems to impress me the most. However, I will wait and see what the new iPhone brings before making up my mind. If only it looked like the new Sony Xperia P...

The new iPhone must offer a 4" display, however.

LOL. Sounds like you saw the Touchwiz inteface icons and fonts. First thing I do is upload Nova or Go Launcher and customize allthe icons, folders and fonts. Nice thing about these phones are their ability to customize to your desires and needs.

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At the time, that was the best Android phone that AT&T had available.

I figured as much. ICS and top tier phones are not like the one you had. It's a completely different ballgame now.

 

[Lindenhurst]

As much as I sometimes want to try an Android, I simply cannot. I'm so bored with the iPhone OS which has looked the same more or less since 2007. I was really stoked by the new Galaxy S3, and the Sony Xperia S/P. Went to have a look at both of them today. While the Sony phones felt great, with solid build-quality, the Samsung felt really cheap, like a toy.

However my main issue was not the phones themselves, but Android OS. I simply cannot stand the ugly fonts, ugly icons, and how everything looks half-done and cheap. It feels so "homebrew" or whatever one should call it, you know what I mean! Right now, Windows Mobile seems to impress me the most. However, I will wait and see what the new iPhone brings before making up my mind. If only it looked like the new Sony Xperia P...

The new iPhone must offer a 4" display, however.

Whats wrong with "homebrew?" hehe.


I guess it takes a bit to get used to the various operating systems, but after a few months on Android, it looks great to me.
I also looked at the HTC Titan phone and really liked it, but there just weren't enough Apps available at that time.

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LOL. Sounds like you saw the Touchwiz inteface icons and fonts. First thing I do is upload Nova or Go Launcher and customize allthe icons, folders and fonts. Nice thing about these phones are their ability to customize to your desires and needs.

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I figured as much. ICS and top tier phones are not like the one you had. It's a completely different ballgame now.

I agree with ya but you have zero shot at convincing the masses on this forum that Android is not total garbage. Seems like Apple loyalty is running at an all time high around here.
I do agree that they build quality products and have superior customer service, and I can only imagine that other handset manufacturers can only dream about having their customers be as loyal to their brand. It is amazing.

 

[djharris]

I am doing that right now. I have been a loyal apple fan since iPhone 3g came out and now everything in my house is from apple. 2 MacBook pros, a Mac mini for media centre, iPad 3. My partner and I both had iPhone 4.

I got sort of tired of iPhone 4 and heated to try something new. Mind you my iPhone was already jailbroken and had all the extra desire features which comes with jaiobreaking scene. Still I wanted something more.

I sold my old sometimes sluggish iPhone 4 and bought a HTC one x. And using it from last one month. Android is good. There are so many things which I wish ios had or apple implement. Widgets and true multitasking are major wins.

The screen is beautiful and customization options are endless. I like that I don't have to use only one browser or only one app for certain thibg. I can make third party apps as default apps for certain apps which is a very good and handy feature. I would use android on day to day basis forever only and this is a big only... If

Android apps are a bit better. The apps are not very beautiful or elegant. I have been loiking for an app like tweetbot bit nope nothing. Or something like alienblue for reddit. There are many apps but no one is that polished or elegant as some nice ios apps are.

So in the end, I might go back to iPhone 5 when it gets released but that will be mostly because of apps and not because android sucks. Android is much better OS if you don't think like a fanboy but apps are better on iOS. As simple as that.

I agree with you that the apps on Android do not work as well or as polished as on iOS.

I've never had an iPhone, but I did use an ipod touch 2nd gen (and 4th gen) while waiting for my Windows Mobile phone contract to expire. (Made a hotspot with my WinMo phone for the ipod to use)

For the past year and a few months, I've been using an HTC Thunderbolt. Since March I've been using the iPad 3rd gen, too. I think I'm going to go with an iPhone 5 when they come out just because the apps are better and more polished, and I don't have to deal with the occasional (but not debilitating) OS instability, random apps crashing, etc.

I also think this anecdote is funny... because it mostly rings true for me. See Comment 53 on the URL below.

http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=7648

 

[SurferMan]

Always had iPhones and jailbreak, was anti-Android before and always giving my Android buds a hard time lol... ended up grabbing an i777 GSII to try and ended up loving it and kept as my main phone. Stock it kicked ass even lasting longer than the two 4S's we've had in battery life. But with being rooted now and custom Rom I'm running, phone is just pure awesomeness and battery life is way better than our 4S could have even though the battery is barely bigger (like 200mah or so).... and freaking love how fast and smooth Chrome beta browser is. But the way I have it set up now, f'n love it and the integration. App's can depend, I've had no problem finding the same app's on my iPhones and in some cases versions that were better, same for some games.

I know a lot of people don't like to root for whatever reason, just like there are those that are anti-jailbreak for the iPhones. But it's a huge difference especially in battery life when you have no bloatware etc and especially with a nice clean Rom. And you can still do a lot and tweak w/o using Rom if your rooted as well as access to app's that can only be used if rooted.

I still have the iPhones but kept them moreso so for backup just in case something happens, and the 4S is used by the gf for work. No problems either or crashing etc, smooth sailing... way way more issues with iPhones over the years even had to return our 1st 4S for another. Have nothing against them, just really prefer this device. However some of these new phones seem to be getting too big, loved the size and form factor of this phone at 4.3", not sure how I'd feel about using something like the GSIII at 4.8" etc.

 

[3bs]

Such as? I'm thinking of buying that right now to finally try Android for myself.

I missed being jailbroken and having IntelliScrenX which lets you have notification center on your home screen and I have a lot of widgets on that. The GNex was a bit too big for me. Like i said, it was a great phone and I loved and it and I'd definitely recommend it. I really miss it. If it hadn't gotten stolen I'd probably be going back and forth between it and my 4S cause I get bored pretty fast. I haven't owned any other Android phones though.

 

[Wrathwitch]

Many have had an iPhone and switched to an Android device. I'm curious as to how many switched back to an iPhone or stayed with the Android platform.

You need the option: I am considering the switch to Android

Two things... all I really need is TWO things in order for me to be able to make the switch to try out the S3...

-A day's worth of battery life with moderate usage, and
-Integration with iTunes

.

I have done some research and there are a couple of programs that allow integration of your music, cover art, and podcasts with iTunes and Android phones. I think the movies etc have proprietary liscencing on them that does not allow compatability.

I will be VERY curious to hear some NORTH AMERICAN reviews on the SSG3. Yeah its smooth as hell on a quad core, but we're NOT gettin the quad core version. I am hoping the 2GB RAM ours will be shipping with will be enough to offer the same experience that our European and others are reporting with this phone.

 

[blackhand1001]

This thread makes me want to buy an Android phone just to try it out rather than listen to people complain about something they've never owned.

I think I will do that right now.

Buy the unlocked nexus. It is a great phone and the price is even better.

 

[RolandNights]

Not completely on topic, but I had an Samsung Epic 4G (not the Touch). Started off great, but didn't age well after updates. I had an iPod Touch 4th gen and that's actually what converted me to the iPhone. I found myself using my iPod more than my Epic (with the exception of texting, calling, or anything over 3G/GPS).

 

[TroyBoy30]

Originally Posted by onthecouchagain
Previous iPhone 4 and 4S owner. Now a galaxy nexus owner. The GN is by and far the best smartphone I've ever owned. A few areas of the iPhone have it beat (camera and storage size comes to mind) but everything else the GN is superior (mail, browser, keyboard, notifications, battery life, hspa+ speeds, etc.). I assume my experience will be in the minority here though.

did you just say battery life on the gnex is better than the iphone with a straight face? 3 hours of screen time is nothing to brag about!

 

[onthecouchagain]

I'm surprised you listed Mail, that's actually one of the things keeping me away from Android:

Image

It simply does not handle email threading very well, or at all. On the left is the iPhone mail app, the relevant emails are grouped together. The middle is the Droid Bionic, it tries to do the same, but misses some. The right is the Galaxy Nexus, where everything is in one flat list.

Whenever a co-worker shows me a new Android phone they just got, that's the first thing I look for, and it still works that way, no matter which client they are using.

Is this an issue on your Nexus as well?

Never seen this issue on my GN, and I have three accounts linked to it.

What bothers me the most about iOS Mail is that Inbox and Sent messages aren't threaded together, so I can't see full exchanges between me and whoever I'm emailing with. I have to navigate in and out of the Inbox/Sent box to see the full message.

Also, labeling, starring, the ability to send attachments (not just sharing pictures; talking about documents, etc. -- this is so important for my work account) are all easier to use through the Gmail app. It just makes more sense, since I use Gmail exclusively on my comp/browsers, to have my phone look exactly the same, e.g., colors for the labels all match up.

And it's not just Mail alone. It spills over to other things that iOS lacks: ICS keyboard is superior to iOS', and when it comes to emails (again, especially business related) it's paramount that I'm able to thumb out emails quickly and accurately. This simply cannot be done with iOS' outdated keyboard, which lacks a suggestion bar, and constantly misses keys (which then lead to typos, which lead to horrendous auto-corrections -- Need examples? Try any of the plethora of "Damn you Iphone Autocorrection" type websites out there). Ditto for things like the Notification Light alerting me of an email.



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What you see on a lot of Android phones is the vendor's own email client or the stock Android email client.
I know from personal experience that Samsung and Motorola email clients are terrible.
The Android client is as basic as it gets. Features are minimal.

The GMail client on ICS has threaded messages and handles them nicely.
Messages are grouped similar to the way they are on iOS.

Yeah, if it's not clear, I'm talking about Gmail. I know iOS has a Gmail app, but it's not the same. It's slower, and more cumbersome (though in itself, is still better than stock Mail client) and doesn't allow multiple log ins at the same time. When I have to, I use it on my iPad, but my Nexus is certainly the go to device for checking mail on the go.

 

[chestvrg]

I have owned both, android and iOS devices. Previous to that I was also an old palm user as well and if it wasn't for PalmOS lack of multi tasking I would still be using a PalmOS device.

Anyway....android and iOs are both great platforms. I like how on android, I was able to customize my international Galaxy SII and how some apps. Are snappier on android (eg: Docs to go) and the ability to change a lot of settings on the camera app. Such as image resolution, contrast and ISO settings before taking images. I also loved the out of box tethering feature, unlike iOS.

On my iPhone 4S I just love how stable iOS is and how iOS's browser Safari is superior (in my view) in comparison to so many other android browsers out there (even with out any flash plug in). I miss on iOS quick notification toggles such as quick access to turn off/on bluetooth, wifi, air-avión mode amongs other, but I have compensated with that with the jailbreak app SBsettings.

Well, I'm also not biased toward either one of the OS since they are both designed to the individual need of the user (no size fits all)...my $0.02

 

[ericDylan]

I have never owned an iPhone before, though I have had an iPod touch since the first generation was released. I only recently (within the last 6 months) got a MBA.

I have been using android phones for that last two years (feature phones before that) and I plan to get the iPhone when it is released in the coming months.

I have always bought high-end, flagship android devices (had about 6 in the last two years) and I have been pretty satisfied as they have increased in performance and quality exponentially–the first few were pretty hard to use (lag etc.) looking back on it.

I am really excited to get an iPhone because everything just seems like it was implemented much better and more thoughtfully on iOS.

I know it seems cliché and it is a WP7 marketing slogan, but android really seems like it is still in beta even in its 5th (maybe?) year.

In the last few iOS updates, the iPhone has gotten everything that kept me holding on to android: notifications, multi-tasking, etc. Android, despite its incremental improvements, has not been able to keep up its initial momentum and has begun to lag behind in performance and features.

Even if the new iPhone does not have a larger screen, I will definitely be migrating to it, though i desperately hope the screen is the rumored 4 inches.

 

[lordofthereef]

There should be an option that says "now I use both".

 

[rjohnstone]

I will be VERY curious to hear some NORTH AMERICAN reviews on the SSG3. Yeah its smooth as hell on a quad core, but we're NOT gettin the quad core version. I am hoping the 2GB RAM ours will be shipping with will be enough to offer the same experience that our European and others are reporting with this phone.

The international GS3 uses a 32nm quad core Exynos chip, which is still a Cortex A9 based cpu.
The North American version is supposed to be using a 28nm dual core Qualcomm S4 chip (MSM8960). Supposed to use less power and perform even better than a Cortex A15.

 

[GMTGuy]

I personally don't really see IPhone and Android as competitors in that one needs to win and the other lose. I guess it's more accurate to compare iOS and Android and I think they're both terrific. In terms of Phone+OS IPhone definitely within top two.