The dreaded iPhone v Android question

bobby
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Posts: 28

The dreaded iPhone v Android question Mar 9, 2020 22:42:04 GMT

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Post by bobby on Mar 9, 2020 22:42:04 GMT

2014-2017 I had my first iPhone, an iPhone 6.
2017-present an iPhone 7

Time to change next month and battery life is diminishing even though I got a new battery on the Apple battery replacement scheme.

Seriously thinking of moving to Android as prices seem to be around a tenner a month less for say a Samsung S10 compared to IPhone 11. Of course, it all comes down to what deals are available and what special deals there are (both my daughter and missus got Black Friday IPhone 11 deals that still cannot be matched currently).

Prior to the iPhones I was android with a Samsung and a Sony Xperia but my biggest grumble with them was the Android software. There would be a new Android release but this would then filter down with the manufacturers and the providers putting these out at various times, sometimes months after the release was available. Is this still the case nowadays or is everything more streamlined? With iOS, Apple write the software for their devices. You don’t have the scenario where a manufacturer blames the software provider.

I honestly don’t have any grumbles with IPhones other than price. They release updates, you get them and they tend to mostly work. It links with my car well and just does what it says on the tin. Ironically probably one of the points making me think of change is purely to get a new toy! If I get a new iPhone, I sync it with iTunes and my new toy looks exactly like my old toy!

I have read some comments suggesting Google and Huawei aren’t seeing eye to eye and google may pull their support? Is that realistic and if so what is the relationship with the other suppliers like Samsung?

Any comments feedback etc would be appreciated especially from anyone who has maybe swapped from one to another and what their opinions are?

Rob
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The dreaded iPhone v Android question Mar 9, 2020 23:45:05 GMT

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Post by Rob on Mar 9, 2020 23:45:05 GMT

New phones are arriving now like the Samsung Galaxy S20 (already in other territories) so the price of the S10 for example is sure to come down. I have an S9 and have for a while and see no reason to change it yet - also selected the hybrid dual SIM version so I have personal and work SIMs in one phone. Very handy. I rarely get a phone call to the work phone but carrying two phones is a pain.... go on holiday and I swap it out for an SD card.

Samsung since the Galaxy S6 has been a lot lighter on their changes to stock Android. And what they do change can be lived with. Stock Android is probably still best but the big names all have their own launchers, etc. but at least the bloatware is much reduce.

Upgrade for the S9 to Android 10 happened fairly recently - if you had a phone running stock Android you'd get upgrades much sooner. Apple have the advantage of tuning the OS and apps to their hardware so they have never needed the most powerful CPUs (although they are up there) because they are more efficiently using the hardware.

Personally I'm not sure I could have an iPhone. Had the iPod touch when it came out and as a music/video device with limited apps it was okay. But the same interface on a phone would have been a pain for me. And iOS has not moved on that much and I like the extra on screen buttons.

If you want to get a BMW again soon then they do not yet support Android Auto.

Your comment on Huawei and Google falling out is not quite right. Trump has stopped Google working with Huawei so you don't get the Google Services so no Play Store, etc. It can be side loaded and then apps added from the store but it's not the best option.

There's plenty of very good phones from other Chinese based brands though. OnePlus is very good and is part of the same overall company as Oppo and others.

As I said at the start there are lots of new phones due to hit the market anytime soon including the SGS20's.

Rob
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Posts: 2,721

The dreaded iPhone v Android question Mar 9, 2020 23:46:45 GMT

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Post by Rob on Mar 9, 2020 23:46:45 GMT

Another comment... apart from battery life.... why change? Why not keep the iPhone7 and swap to a SIM only deal and save? It's not as if you have to get a new phone (yet). I don't know what network the phone is locked to (but it can be unlocked) but some good SIM only deals.

Vodafone currently have a deal for 60GB data with unlimited minutes/texts and an entertainment package like Netflix or Spotify for £27/month for 12 months. For 5GB it is £22pm.

I wouldn't consider 5G phones personally because using 5G drastically reduces battery life.

Last Edit: Mar 9, 2020 23:51:05 GMT by Rob

bobby
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Posts: 28

The dreaded iPhone v Android question Mar 10, 2020 22:49:51 GMT

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Post by bobby on Mar 10, 2020 22:49:51 GMT

I got this phone in 2017. Last year I went on to a 12 month SIM only contract and also got a new battery.

I am now a train commuter and using the phone more and would like a bigger screen and better camera. Don’t get me wrong, if nothing comes up in way of good deals I’ll just switch to pay monthly sim until one does.

Rob
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Posts: 2,721

The dreaded iPhone v Android question Mar 11, 2020 0:19:42 GMT

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Post by Rob on Mar 11, 2020 0:19:42 GMT

What do you need a bigger screen for out of interest? Watching videos, reading, surfing the net, ...? Because if this was me and I had a small rucksack or a briefcase I might have a smallish tablet with me. And you could have a small USB charge pack in there for the phone but you can re-charge in the office.

Camera wise... what's wrong with the iPhone 7 camera? I know phone cameras have got better etc. What sort of improvement are you after? Low light photos/zoom/better auto focus? Ironically I got a phone with a camera that was really good but others panned the choice of HTC at the time. They went with lower resolution but larger photo sensor sites to improve low light photography. I got excellent photos with that phone. Now that phones are bigger and so bigger camera modules an option then the same approach or similar is common now (e.g. combining multiple pixels to make a photo.... the 108MPixel S20 Ultra does this for 12MP photos).

Your requirements seem to be:

- A better camera but we don't know what needs to be better than the iPhone 7
- Bigger screen

And of course bigger screen needs a much bigger battery to avoid poor battery life.

I suspect you just want a new phone

Last Edit: Mar 11, 2020 0:24:24 GMT by Rob

EspadaIII
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The dreaded iPhone v Android question Mar 11, 2020 20:40:50 GMT via mobile

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Post by EspadaIII on Mar 11, 2020 20:40:50 GMT

I have gone through various Android phones from Huawei, Sony, Samsung and Motorola. The Moto G6 I am using to type this on was about £200 for a dual SIM fairly powerful phone with reasonable camera and close to stock Android which is updated frequently.

It is without doubt the best smartphone I have had. More reliable, more robust, less flaky.

Some of my family have iPhones but a lot of third party apps are less intuitive, mainly because of the lack a back button. That for me is a deal breaker. Waze for example is much easier on Android.

Buzzz, bang, ouch!