Switching from the iPhone 5 to the GS4

[shahrezsyed]

I'm facing a bit of a dilemma here...
I have a 64GB iPhone5 that I'm thinking about selling and buying the GS4. But I have a few questions...
-I've been in the iPhone ecosystem for 3 years now... I also have the iPad and a MacBook Air. Is it too much of a culture shock?
-I have this gigantic library of apps for iOS...Will I be missing out on the GS4?
-I love how easy and integrated it is to sync my iPhone through iTunes. Has someone 'missed' that after switching...
-Any other person who also switched recently who can give me advice...
-I also plan to get the 64GB MicroSD Card for the GS4 if I buy it. I remember a long time ago that people used to say that it's a 'more effortless and integrated' experience with the storage being built in instead of having a MicroSD card...HELP ME!



Eagerly waiting for opinions and answers...

 

[MRU]

I'm facing a bit of a dilemma here...
I have a 64GB iPhone5 that I'm thinking about selling and buying the GS4. But I have a few questions...
-I've been in the iPhone ecosystem for 3 years now... I also have the iPad and a MacBook Air. Is it too much of a culture shock?
-I have this gigantic library of apps for iOS...Will I be missing out on the GS4?
-I love how easy and integrated it is to sync my iPhone through iTunes. Has someone 'missed' that after switching...
-Any other person who also switched recently who can give me advice...
-I also plan to get the 64GB MicroSD Card for the GS4 if I buy it. I remember a long time ago that people used to say that it's a 'more effortless and integrated' experience with the storage being built in instead of having a MicroSD card...HELP ME!



Eagerly waiting for opinions and answers...

These are where I would question based on what you put above....

You have a gigantic library of apps. How do you feel bout paying for a lot of them again? How tied are you the the apple marketplace Eco-system.

Also remember the 16gb S4 comes with only 9gb of storage to put your apps on. Yes you can add a memory card for extra storage, but out of the box with Android Jellybean you can NOT install applications to a microSD. So you will be limited to that 9gb of storage space.


If you can live with those things. The S4 is a solid choice of a phone


To enable better syncing I would setup a gmail account if you haven't done so. Import your iCloud account into it and you will then be able to get your contacts and calendars synced between iCloud and google.

 

[taedouni]

Honestly, I would wait on getting an S4. The boot loader is locked on Verizon and AT&T.

The micro sd card out of the box won't allow you to install apps onto the sd card. You'll have to use a script command (root required) to swap the internal and external memory.

The quality of apps on android is horrible compare to iOS. A lot of developers develop apps for iOS then port them over to android. Some developers don't port and those apps are great. Unfortunately the majority port.

Galaxy phones are nice phones but you need to tinker with them to make them great phones. As I said, the android ecosystem is not in your control. If you don't mind having lower quality apps then you should be fine.

I advise you to keep the iPhone 5 for a month and see if you're set on sticking with the s4.

 

[shahrezsyed]

Yeah...I was thinking to wait for iOS7 and iPhone 5s or 6 (whatever's next) to finally decide...

 

[thehustleman]

I made the switch and couldn't be happier.

The are usually free apps to replicate functionality of paid apps on ios.

Android market aka play Store has some great apps.

Using Android you'll see how much apple has to catch up.

Apple is what Android say 2 years ago.

Also contrary to popular belief, you don't HAVE TO tinker to have a great user experience. It's just an added bonus.

Better to have the ability to do something and not do it than not have the ability at all.

Android is miles ahead and only getting better.

 

[The Game 161]

I'm coming from the iphone 5 too...will be interesting adjustment but looking forward to it. Phone arrives wed.

 

[MRU]

I made the switch and couldn't be happier.

The are usually free apps to replicate functionality of paid apps on ios.
.

Replicating functionality and being as good as are not necesserily the same thing though.

 

[shahrezsyed]

I guess I'll be waiting till WWDC '13 to at least see what iOS7 will be like...
If that disappoints...
GS4, here I come!

 

[thehustleman]

Replicating functionality and being as good as are not necesserily the same thing though.

Adding new functionality is great though, makes it a better thing.

 

[chagla]

I'm facing a bit of a dilemma here...
I have a 64GB iPhone5 that I'm thinking about selling and buying the GS4. But I have a few questions...
-I've been in the iPhone ecosystem for 3 years now... I also have the iPad and a MacBook Air. Is it too much of a culture shock?
-I have this gigantic library of apps for iOS...Will I be missing out on the GS4?
-I love how easy and integrated it is to sync my iPhone through iTunes. Has someone 'missed' that after switching...
-Any other person who also switched recently who can give me advice...
-I also plan to get the 64GB MicroSD Card for the GS4 if I buy it. I remember a long time ago that people used to say that it's a 'more effortless and integrated' experience with the storage being built in instead of having a MicroSD card...HELP ME!



Eagerly waiting for opinions and answers...

i'd say don't be discouraged to try something new. you will need to have an open mind and realize that android is not ios. on android user is in charge (= too many options). in that sense ios is much simpler because of lack of choices.

for syncing, you dont' need a special software for android. for example your email/contacts etc are synced from your account. what's left to sync? photos? music? you can just drag and drop the folders, OR you can use google drive. you can simply plug in and drag and drop because you have access to the file system.

app library. android market and itunes stores have almost identical number of apps. if your app library is made of mostly free apps, there's nothing to be concerned.

expandable storage and ability to manage my storage as-i-see-fit is one of the major reasons why i stick to android. it's like usb flash drive, plugin and u have access. and there's also file manager apps.

 

[Fruit Cake]

I did it, iPhone 5 to a galaxy note 2 in October last year. Not because the iPhone sucked, it didn't, it's a solid phone, loved it, it just didn't deviate enough from the 4S, plus with the iPad I didn't find myself using the iPhone for much more then phone calls.

Being a tech geek I always like t remain broad optioned and always had a 7" android tablet with me which didn't get much use. Now I just have both iPad and android phon, best of both worlds and find myself using the phone when I want to do something iOS can't, eg flash video.

Apps have come along way and I think they're at a level playing field for phone apps, tablet not so much.

Plus it's nice to have a phone thats unique and doesn't look and sound like everyone else's anymore.

 

[Kashsystems]

I just got a GS4 and have been an iphone user since the 3g.


Here is what I missed about the iPhone.

Photostream. Yes there are comparable options but Photostream is the cleanest solution. Apple will give your last 1000 pictures full size on Photostream. Google + Version will do unlimited if you shrink the picture down or 5 gigabytes if you do full size pictures.

Syncing. I have a feeling Samsung just doesn't program well for the Mac, I have used other programs. I think this is a more of a we don't program for Mac as well issue.

iMessage, Even though the Alternatives work, like mightytext, it just isn't as clean.

ATT also has an all in one message solution for customers that allow you from the browser to send receive texts and check voicemails. Still doesn't feel as good as iMessage.

Find my friends. Latitude just doesn't work as good.

Air Print. I had to use the HP Print app, but Air Print works with little configuration.


Here is what I enjoy on my Android Phone.

Automatic phone call rejection or you can put in a call blocking app.

Automatic App updates, not having to use Itunes to download or having to check what Apps have an update available. If I am on wifi, it will update.

Ringtone settings from Apps like Zedge. Pick a ringtone and automatic set it to what contact you want to use it on.

A fully functioning browser, Using Chrome Beta with Sync is what I wanted. I know that Apple App Store had a version but it is just a safari reskin.

The ability for certain apps to interact easier. Using PDFs seems to be much easier from Dropbox to Adobe than it is on the iPhone. I feel like I have to jump through an extra step or two in IOS.



Now on Apps, my top 3 apps used were Dropbox, Evernote, and Pulse. Which is all available on the Android store.

In this case you have to pick your poison and see what you need.


Now my only thing that gets me really mad about the S4 is application storage space. Had I know about only 10 gigabytes available I would have held out for the 32gb version. That though is too much of a chore to do now and storing my pictures/music on a sd card helps.

Sorry I am planning to do a better review but these are the items that stand out to me the most about my switch.

 

[thehustleman]

Apps have come along way and I think they're at a level playing field for phone apps, tablet not so much.

Plus it's nice to have a phone thats unique and doesn't look and sound like everyone else's anymore.

I totally agree with you.


Tablet development on Android still sucks

 

[ob81]

I am in the same boat as the OP as far as apple ecosystem. I got apple everything in my house. Every type of product besides a Mac Pro and a Mac mini. IPhone since the 3G. Never an android phone until the S4. I like the S4 a lot in comparison to the iPhone 5. While functionality is there in the 5, I got tired of the notion that Apple dictates what I need in a smart phone.

Just dived right in and I havent had many hiccups. I always had my gmail and icloud together, so that was nothing to transition. I started using google drive at release, so you know that was easy.

I like the trhe customization of android though, and my phone oddly feels more important all off a sudden in reference to schedule keeping and productivity. I like it. I would recommend that any
one on the fence to try out an S4 or HTC One (newer phones with base updated software).

 

[Tikatika]

I'll chime in here also. I switched to the S4 from a 4S (had the 3GS before that). I did so because after iOS 6, the iPhone disconnected from the microcell every 10 minutes. Without the microcell, there is no phone signal in this house.

I got my S4 yesterday, and I have had little sleep since. Can't remember being so excited about anything electronic since my first PC and AOL

I love this phone. Seriously. I find it remarkably intuitive and the learning curve is extremely easy. I'm a great forum reader and YouTube watcher. I gathered hints and tips for days and have applied most of them. I will never root it or use ROMs, that's not my thing. I think the phone is great just as is.

It's fast. No lag or stutters. Phone call quality is exceptional. Love the notifications. Love automatic updates. Love the camera. Love the gorgeous screen. And best of all and a huge surprise to me? The phone immediately connected to the microcell and hasn't dropped once. 5 solid bars here!

I'll be getting a micro SD card from Amazon and store my photos and music on it. I don't play heavy games ... That's what my iPad is for. So, for me, the 16gb (8.8 actually) will be more than enough.

My 4S feels old and outdated and boring. I won't be going back to an iPhone for a long time.

Hope this long response helps. I understand why you are nervous, I was too . No more!

Edit: Forgot to mention that Samsung provides something that made the transition remarkably easy. It's called Smart Switch. Download the app from their website and it transfers all data to the S4 from iTunes. Contacts, music, photos and even brought over my Notes lol. Took all of 5 minutes. Currently for PC, but website says coming for MAC soon.

 

[Vegastouch]

Honestly, I would wait on getting an S4. The boot loader is locked on Verizon and AT&T.

The micro sd card out of the box won't allow you to install apps onto the sd card. You'll have to use a script command (root required) to swap the internal and external memory.

The quality of apps on android is horrible compare to iOS. A lot of developers develop apps for iOS then port them over to android. Some developers don't port and those apps are great. Unfortunately the majority port.

Galaxy phones are nice phones but you need to tinker with them to make them great phones. As I said, the android ecosystem is not in your control. If you don't mind having lower quality apps then you should be fine.

I advise you to keep the iPhone 5 for a month and see if you're set on sticking with the s4.

A lot of exaggeration here

 

[The Game 161]

quite alot have said the apps are great on the S4...gaming is even better than on the iphone 5.

 

[Chodite]

Edit: Forgot to mention that Samsung provides something that made the transition remarkably easy. It's called Smart Switch. Download the app from their website and it transfers all data to the S4 from iTunes. Contacts, music, photos and even brought over my Notes lol. Took all of 5 minutes. Currently for PC, but website says coming for MAC soon.

We'll see if an OSX version comes out this year. But again, shame on Samsung for not having a Mac version available with the S4 launch. BIGTIME launch failure.

 

[The Game 161]

I'll chime in here also. I switched to the S4 from a 4S (had the 3GS before that). I did so because after iOS 6, the iPhone disconnected from the microcell every 10 minutes. Without the microcell, there is no phone signal in this house.

I got my S4 yesterday, and I have had little sleep since. Can't remember being so excited about anything electronic since my first PC and AOL

I love this phone. Seriously. I find it remarkably intuitive and the learning curve is extremely easy. I'm a great forum reader and YouTube watcher. I gathered hints and tips for days and have applied most of them. I will never root it or use ROMs, that's not my thing. I think the phone is great just as is.

It's fast. No lag or stutters. Phone call quality is exceptional. Love the notifications. Love automatic updates. Love the camera. Love the gorgeous screen. And best of all and a huge surprise to me? The phone immediately connected to the microcell and hasn't dropped once. 5 solid bars here!

I'll be getting a micro SD card from Amazon and store my photos and music on it. I don't play heavy games ... That's what my iPad is for. So, for me, the 16gb (8.8 actually) will be more than enough.

My 4S feels old and outdated and boring. I won't be going back to an iPhone for a long time.

Hope this long response helps. I understand why you are nervous, I was too . No more!

Edit: Forgot to mention that Samsung provides something that made the transition remarkably easy. It's called Smart Switch. Download the app from their website and it transfers all data to the S4 from iTunes. Contacts, music, photos and even brought over my Notes lol. Took all of 5 minutes. Currently for PC, but website says coming for MAC soon.

interesting

might give that a try...really need to download my music from itunes, contacts and photos if possible.

I had a 16GB Iphone 4S and stored music,photos,Games and still had about 1GB left so should be fine on the S4

 

[daveathall]

I originally went from an iPhone 4S to a Galaxy S3, I was worried that I would find the transition very difficult, the rest of my tech is all Apple and I use iTunes extensively, added to those facts that I am not that technically gifted only added to my worries. It was actually very easy, I transferred my contacts and calendars to my Google account and my music to Google music, I still use iTunes but my music is automatically downloaded by G music when I purchase new. I do not root my phones and have found the 3 Android phones I have had to date to be very easy and intuitive to set up straight from the box.

I find that all the major apps I use on iOS are comparable in quality from the Play Store.

I had a upgrade pending so got a iPhone 5 to compare to my GS3, both are stunning devices but different as chalk and cheese, I gave them both a good deal of time to compare them, but in the end I found that I preferred/enjoyed the GS3 more, so sold the iPhone 5. I now have a SGS4 and prefer it over the SGS3 (which I had sold some months earlier).

If you give it time and go into the switch with an open mind rather than "iOS doesn't do it that way, so it must be wrong" attitude that some have shown before, you may find that you enjoy the platform and realise that as I do, one can use an Android phone in conjunction with a Mac Book Pro and iPad without frustration.

The only concern would be your very large library of apps, these you would need to repurchase, if a lot of them are space hungry games then you may want to wait until the larger capacity Galaxy S4's are released, I have quite a few apps but none are games so the storage on my S4 is more than sufficient.

 

[cnev3]

Try both, stay with what you like the best. I've owned both Android phones and iPhones. I think the iPhone wins with the OS and ecosystem, and the Androids win with the hardware and features. It boils down to what you use and value the most.

I ended up switching back to iOS because of key apps I need to use that dont exist on Android, and I personally had more incentive to stick with an iPhone because of the integration and content sharing I get with my iPad and iMac.

I definitely miss having the big screen and SD card slot, widgets, and other customizations though.

 

[Random 995K]

quite alot have said the apps are great on the S4...gaming is even better than on the iphone 5.

No it's not

 

[Marco123]

I had the S4 for a week coming from my iphone5 and I am back on iphone5.
The S4 is a great phone, the blacks on the screen are something else and I loved the syncing between accounts, 50 GB Dropbox and ios REALLY needs swiftkey, the camera is fantastic also.
The air gestures were awful and when I tried to show them to people they were twitchy at best, the battery life was awful too, signal reception was not as good and it just didn't feel right to hold or in my pocket. I also hated the two different cpu configurations for different markets, the S4 was rushed to market and it shows.
I now have an ipad mini and iphone5 yet the S4 felt like something in between.
Also the app store and play store are not similar, ios apps are far more in quantity and quality, this is something that you think will not bother you but it will. Games such as Welder have multi-player on ios yet none on android although I've heard that google are fixing this but when samsung will incorporate this into the S4 is anyone's guess.
Also I think the available space on the 16GB without the ability to save apps to SD is a disgrace.
BUT as apple have stopped using samsung displays I honestly think the quality is not there anymore. The display is one of the most important aspects of a device and when if you get a S4 you get a samsung display, if you but an ip5 you enter a lottery.

 

[The Game 161]

No it's not

Well that's what alot of reviewers have stated

 

[Tsuchiya]

.

Same boat. I've had iPhones since the 3G and apart from the screen size I was quite happy.

It really depends on what you want to use your phone for.

The S4 is good, but the main selling point is the screen. Ignore all the features Samsung are trying to push because they suck.

Ultimately it will depend on whether you can live with Android. It's a flexible OS and will feel fresh at first. At times I feel like it's a level above iOS in what it can do and what it offers the user. However using it does mean either abandoning iCloud and all it offers or finding workarounds which can be a bit of a headache.

Apps wise, it will be a big change too. Generally the Play store isn't nearly as bad as some would have you believe, but generally iOS does offer more and shared apps seem to be updated first on there.

Although iOS feels stale, it gets a lot right. You just set it up and go, it takes 10 minutes at most. A week later I'm still trying to refine my Android experience to a point where it's acceptable.

My carriers given me another week to decide whether I want to keep the S4. I'm about 50:50 at the moment.