Longtime iPhone user - Android switch?

[Aneres11]

Hey hey.

 

So every year I buy the new iPhone the day it comes out. I buy sim free.

My phone contract is with Vodafone and is 12 months. I get 25% line rental discount through working for Barclays so get pretty good deals from them when it comes to upgrading etc.

 

Today I planned to upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S4. Whenever I upgrade my actual contract I just sell whatever handset I get (usually most expensive one) and then that money goes towards / pays for the inevitable yearly iPhone.

 

Yes. I'm an Apple sheep. Baaah.

 

Anyway, no S4's available without pre-order so I quickly did an eBay search in the Voda store and plumped for the new HTC One 4g. Now I know nothing about any other mobile phone out there other than iPhone. I used to know every phones specs, features, price, pros, cons and OS years ago as I used to buy and sell them on eBay and make money. The market changed though and I have always stuck to iPhone.

 

When looking for info on this HTC One to sell on eBay earlier, I began to read reviews and they are pretty glowing for this thing.

I've never used an Android device so can't say whether I like it or not, I've just always favoured the iPhone as I use it as an iPod first and phone second ha.

I guess that's why nothing else has ever appealed to me. I am in the small minority of people who like iTunes and I understand how it works and like how my play lists are set up and how I sync my music. This is the biggest thing for me in my phone - as strange as that sounds.

 

So the more I have looked at the HTC the more appealing it's becoming.

Could I switch to Android?

What are the pros over the iPhone? (Unbiased, please!)

What are the cons for those who have experienced both?

Will my music be as easily managed with a HTC device and iTunes on my MacBook?

 

I understand some of these questions are unasnwerable as it will be for me to choose. But I don't want to rip the cellophane off this new HTC and then regret the day the minute I start using it!

 

Sorry for long post - but any help would be appreciated.

I hate this OS war that happens with smart phones these days and kinda feel like a change from the iPhone would maybe be nice until they change their handset up a bit. I don't see them doing that too much this year (prob just a 5s) so I'm open to the idea of switching for a bit if I know I'll be able to use this with the same ease as my iPhone 5.

 

Thanks for any help guys!

[Sheikah]

Android is exactly the same in every respect but better. No controlling Apple and easy to install externally downloaded apps.

 

Really surprised you buy iPhones on D1. Literally money down the drain, you're just paying for the name. :p

[Aneres11]

Android is exactly the same in every respect but better. No controlling Apple and easy to install externally downloaded apps.

 

Really surprised you buy iPhones on D1. Literally money down the drain, you're just paying for the name. :p

 

Thanks for reply.

 

And re the day 1 thing. It'd be money down the drain if I bought it and never used it. The fact it's the same as upgrading every year with the way my 12 month Vodafone contract works virtually evens it out.

[Sheikah]

But you could buy a Nexus 4 for 230 quid, get a giffgaff PayG sim and not upgrade for a few years.

 

How much do you pay each year then, including your tariff and new phone?

 

As it stands I pay 120 a year and keep my phone for at least 3. You can save sooo much money leaving Apple, and have a better phone.

[MoogleViper]

Yeah, Android is as good as iOS, except much cheaper, better hardware, and more customisable. I've not checked, but I'd be highly surprised if there wasn't a custom ROM to make Android work exactly the same as iOS.

[Ashley]

If you want to try out the music side of things beforehand check out Google Music. Could upload a few albums on there and see how you feel about making playlists etc. If you want to stick to iTunes though...not so sure. I think it's theoretically possible, just going to be problematic because that's how Apple play (no bias, its genuinely Apple who punish anyone that doesn't go all in )

 

On the phone it may be a bit different. There is a Google Music app, meaning that it would be similar to the above, but then there are also many other music apps so the experience could vary.

[Cube]

A note about Google music: You have online storage space for 20,000 songs.

 

Once they have been uploaded, you can stream or download these on your phone.If you really want to sync to iTunes there's a £2.99 app that will do it (however, if you have older "protected" music, that won't be synced.

 

Here are some pros of Android

 

- Customisation. Change the homescreen, change the SMS app, change the email app, change the contacts app - pretty much the only thing you can't replace is the settings (but you can get apps for quicker access to some functions).

 

- Sharing. Go to the gallery, view a picture, click the share button. You can then open the picture with any app that can do something with pictures (social media, photo editor). This applies to other things that can be shared between apps.

 

- Variety of apps. Due to the more open nature of Android, and the Play Store, you can get apps which wouldn't be possible on iOS or wouldn't be allowed on the App Store.

 

And some cons:

 

- It's more complicated (although I can't get my head around how an iOS device works. The settings are all over the place, and using the keyboard without the case showing looks strange)

 

- If you choose a non-Nexus device, updates can take a while.

[Aneres11]

Thank you for the responses.

 

I still am really unsure.

I'm going to do some more research into the phone itself rather than Android before I make a decision as I don't doubt that Android can offer me everything that iOS can.

 

Ashley I had a look at the Google Music thing - seems very interesting. That's another thing I'd like to investigate before making a decision.

Do you use Google Music then? Thoughts?

 

Cheers

 

Edit as just seen your response @Cube

 

Brilliant - thanks for the reply. I must admit I do get frustrated with the lack of customisation on Apple's devices. I think that's something I will enjoy with Android.

[Charlie]

Android is exactly the same in every respect but better. No controlling Apple and easy to install externally downloaded apps.

 

Really surprised you buy iPhones on D1. Literally money down the drain, you're just paying for the name. :p

 

Really disagree. I use Android a lot at work and the OS is far more clunky, less user-friendly and imo, not as good.

[Cube]

Ashley I had a look at the Google Music thing - seems very interesting. That's another thing I'd like to investigate before making a decision.

Do you use Google Music then? Thoughts?

 

I've started using it all the time. I got the 8GB Nexus 4 and it means that I can listen to massive playlists without having any music on my phone.

 

Because it pre-loads the next couple of songs, I've not encountered any lag or pausing on my bus route, which has periods of low and no signal.

[Ashley]

 

Ashley I had a look at the Google Music thing - seems very interesting. That's another thing I'd like to investigate before making a decision.

Do you use Google Music then? Thoughts?

 

I don't use it much/to its full potential. I primarily use it as a backup to Spotify, either when I can't access the player or if there's stuff not on Spotify. But I find it quite useful. The only downside I find is uploading music can take a long time, but I suppose it's something you only do once!

 

 

Really disagree. I use Android a lot at work and the OS is far more clunky, less user-friendly and imo, not as good.

 

I think neither is really better than the other, you just become accustomed to either. I use my iPod touch, iPad, Nexus 7 and Samsung S2 on a regular basis. I can find the iPad infuriating at times because I'm used to the Android experience, but then others who have become used to iOS will find Android weird.

 

There may be a small learning curve, but ultimately they're both easy OSes to get used to. If they weren't, they wouldn't be as popular as they are.

 

Re-reading this...it sounds annoyingly obvious. Basically, it may take some getting used to but it's not like learning about nuclear physics

Edited April 27, 2013 by Ashley

[Shorty]

Have you at least jailbroken your iPhone(s)?

 

If not, it's going to blow your mind how much more a phone should be able to do. If your iPhone is jailbroken, the difference isn't so great, but more effort has to go into customising the phone to get it up to Jelly Bean's level.

 

For me there's only one thing the iPhone currently has going for it, and that's the app support. You get better games, better apps, sooner because they're developed for a single platform on a small number of different devices. Equivalent Android apps are often way behind or never come out at all.

 

The only other thing holding me back from just selling my 4S and switching up is the sheer number of apps I own that I wouldn't be able to carry over.

 

Only ever had iPhones, but plenty of experience using and working with Androids, if my iPhone vanished today, I'd probably replace it with a Nexus 4.

[Cube]

Out of interest, @Shorty, what apps are those?

[Shorty]

OK, just a quick look through my own apps....

 

I very much remember you posting positive reactions to updates to the Xbox app about features I had been using for at least 6 months.

 

Cut the Rope is several versions behind, missing a good number of levels.

 

Sonic Dash is not out, nor is Sonic All Star Racing.

 

Temple Run 2 works on a HTC Desire S but not a Samsung Galaxy S.

 

You do not have Tiny Wings but some rip off (the Play store is also full of a lot of rip offs).

 

Although Peggle exists on Android it has not been updated for a long time and has disappeared from the Play store.

 

GTA3 came out significantly later than on the iPhone and took a long time not to be broken on some flagship devices such as Galaxy S3, same from Simpsons Tapped Out.

 

Whale Trail has weird black lines across it on Jelly Bean on a Nexus 4, and is another game that was 6 months+ behind the iPhone release.

 

Asana (great task manager) only has a web app version which sucks.

 

Logmein, there is only rescue (basic) and ignition (around £20), iOS has a full, native and free app.

 

Other games I have on iOS that aren't on Android...

 

Final Fantasy Tactics War of the Lions

Final Fantasy V

Dungeon Defenders

Ghostbusters

Bejeweled Blitz

Street Fighter IV

Injustice: Gods Among Us

(There's plenty more but not big hitters that anyone would care about)

 

Edit: just to clarify, my point on my previous post about not being able to carry apps over was a separate point to the one about apps that don't exist, didn't make that clear. I meant that, because I've bought them on iOS, I wouldn't want to buy them all again.

Edited April 27, 2013 by Shorty

[Sheikah]

Really disagree. I use Android a lot at work and the OS is far more clunky, less user-friendly and imo, not as good.

 

It is exactly the same layout and usability as an iPhone. Apps are laid out in a rectangular array, and apps load near instantly. In fact functionality and ease of use is better with things like widgets and customisable layouts. I switched from an iPhone to a Nexus 4 recently and I would never go back. In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing better about iPhones bar app support, yet there's no app I've wanted so far that I've wanted but couldn't get.

 

Android phones, cost for cost, will run faster and smoother than iPhones. Pretty much because Apple hardware is seriously overpriced, so for the same price you will get a better, higher spec android phone that is not tied to a duff contract.

 

Biggest deal for me is that Apple are a really controlling company want to tie you using their apps. Unlike iPhones, you don't need to jailbreak your Android phone to do a lot more. And when you jailbreak your iPhone it creates a huge hassle when it comes to updating.

 

Ugh, so glad to be free of Apple.

[Guy]

As someone who actually finds the ability to tinker with something a massively unwelcome timesink, I'm happy to have a functional and simple device in an iPhone. It does exactly what I need it to do. Android OS would be an endless list of things to download, use and then try to improve my experience with.

 

Android has gotten a lot better in recent years, but it still can't offer me a better basic user experience over iOS.

[Aneres11]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

It's an interesting one.

 

I am still in the iPhone camp at the moment purely because it is familiar and probably easier to just sell my upgrade as per the original plan.

 

However, I will still be taking some time later today to properly look into what the HTC One can offer me and whether I will make the most out of Android or whether I'll just end up mirroring an iOS set - which will kinda defeat the object haha.

 

But everyones opinions have been very helpful so thank you.

[Ashley]

Have you gone into a store and tried out the HTC One?

[david.dakota]

It is exactly the same layout and usability as an iPhone. Apps are laid out in a rectangular array, and apps load near instantly.

 

Eek! Do you work for Apples legal team? I am sure Samsung has spent $billions illustrating the differences between the iPhone home screen and the Android App Drawer!

 

If you really want to sync to iTunes there's a £2.99 app that will do it.

 

Google Music has a free uploader app for Windows and Mac - this is free and will upload your iTunes library too.

 

I have never really got on with iPhones, @lindsey had one (I think 1st generation) and I found it incredibly boring to use. I find it frustrating that I have to conform with Apples view of what a phone is; I want to use my phone the way I want to not how Steve Jobs said I should. Personalisation is the key difference between the two platforms. I think its fair to say that most of the popular apps will appear on both platforms.

 

Samsung are as overated as Apple are. The S3 - and more so the S4 - really haven't improved much on the S2. The amount of bloatware (unnecessary and near-immovable apps) rivals, no exceeds, that on the iPhone - and much of it also duplicates whats available within Android and the Google suite of apps.

 

Although I have been looking at the HTC One (mainly for the incredible design and camera) I would also advocate a pure Android experience with the Nexus program.

[Aneres11]

Have you gone into a store and tried out the HTC One?

 

I haven't actually.

 

I literally had no intention of keeping whatever upgrade I got - I just planned to put it on eBay and sell it.

But as I looked for a description of the handset to paste into my auction I started reading reviews and info on it and my interest peaked slightly.

 

And now I find myself in a predicament ha.

 

 

Would be a good idea to try one though like you say.

[Sheikah]

Eek! Do you work for Apples legal team? I am sure Samsung has spent $billions illustrating the differences between the iPhone home screen and the Android App Drawer!

 

 

 

Google Music has a free uploader app for Windows and Mac - this is free and will upload your iTunes library too.

 

I have never really got on with iPhones, @lindsey had one (I think 1st generation) and I found it incredibly boring to use. I find it frustrating that I have to conform with Apples view of what a phone is; I want to use my phone the way I want to not how Steve Jobs said I should. Personalisation is the key difference between the two platforms. I think its fair to say that most of the popular apps will appear on both platforms.

 

Samsung are as overated as Apple are. The S3 - and more so the S4 - really haven't improved much on the S2. The amount of bloatware (unnecessary and near-immovable apps) rivals, no exceeds, that on the iPhone - and much of it also duplicates whats available within Android and the Google suite of apps.

 

Although I have been looking at the HTC One (mainly for the incredible design and camera) I would also advocate a pure Android experience with the Nexus program.

 

Considering I spent the rest of the post slagging off Apple, pretty unlikely. :p

 

Google Nexus 4 > Samsung smartphones, tbh.

[bob]

I haven't actually.

 

I literally had no intention of keeping whatever upgrade I got - I just planned to put it on eBay and sell it.

But as I looked for a description of the handset to paste into my auction I started reading reviews and info on it and my interest peaked slightly.

 

And now I find myself in a predicament ha.

 

 

Would be a good idea to try one though like you say.

 

My mum had a similar thing when she won a iPad mini in a competition. We told her that she might like it, but she wanted to sell it and if she opened it up to play around, the price would go down.

 

Definitely try and find one in a shop to play with first - but if you do decide to sell it, those positive reviews should help the price skyrocket!

[Aneres11]

Went into a store. Just got home.

 

They didn't have the new HTC One but they had the HTC One X or something? The model below?

 

Very very confusing.

 

Wasn't too sure what the 3 'buttons' were for along the bottom row and actual navigation around the phone felt a bit clumsy.

I'm guessing it's purely because I'm used to one button that just returns to the start of your app list.

 

There was all sorts of what looked like apps scattered around the home screen, that looked really untidy and messy. Presumably people have dragged them there and these can be cleared but I wasn't sure.

I spent a good 10 minutes trying to get me head around it, but a lot of the stuff I wanted to see (settings etc) were locked by the store and required a password.

 

It was very much a case of my idea of Android being sloppy and clumsy being a reality. It just does not seem use friendly to me in the slightest. Again, I know that this is a store model and will not be set up anywhere near the same as my personal device - but I can't see how anyone who hasn't used Android or iOS before, look at a shop Android device and a shop iPhone device, and go for Android.

 

I did like the music play list though from what I saw, but they were just random tracks and not albums that were uploaded.

So that was good!

 

And that's really all I got. No more further into a decision then lol.

 

My mum had a similar thing when she won a iPad mini in a competition. We told her that she might like it, but she wanted to sell it and if she opened it up to play around, the price would go down.

 

Definitely try and find one in a shop to play with first - but if you do decide to sell it, those positive reviews should help the price skyrocket!

 

Yup totally hearing you.

 

I've already been following one that is unopened and still sealed on eBay and it's on £490! So I may just keep the pennies.

[Ashley]

Wasn't too sure what the 3 'buttons' were for along the bottom row and actual navigation around the phone felt a bit clumsy.

I'm guessing it's purely because I'm used to one button that just returns to the start of your app list.

 

There was all sorts of what looked like apps scattered around the home screen, that looked really untidy and messy. Presumably people have dragged them there and these can be cleared but I wasn't sure.

I spent a good 10 minutes trying to get me head around it, but a lot of the stuff I wanted to see (settings etc) were locked by the store and required a password.

 

It was very much a case of my idea of Android being sloppy and clumsy being a reality. It just does not seem use friendly to me in the slightest. Again, I know that this is a store model and will not be set up anywhere near the same as my personal device - but I can't see how anyone who hasn't used Android or iOS before, look at a shop Android device and a shop iPhone device, and go for Android.

 

I did like the music play list though from what I saw, but they were just random tracks and not albums that were uploaded.

So that was good!

 

And that's really all I got. No more further into a decision then lol.

 

Again, it's a case of six of one. I find just one button annoying. The three buttons (from left to right) are back, home and task list (presuming they've not made any adjustments from the standard).

 

They'd be a mix of widgets and apps, and yeah they will have been dumped there. You can have it as tidy or messy as you want. For example, on my phone I just have the time and a folder of most used apps. On my Nexus 7 each of the five screens has a different function (Play Store stuff, every day stuff (time, calendar, Drive, email, social networks, Now), another for business stuff, one for travel and another for when kids get their hands on it :p).

[Sheikah]

Went into a store. Just got home.

 

They didn't have the new HTC One but they had the HTC One X or something? The model below?

 

Very very confusing.

 

Wasn't too sure what the 3 'buttons' were for along the bottom row and actual navigation around the phone felt a bit clumsy.

I'm guessing it's purely because I'm used to one button that just returns to the start of your app list.

 

There was all sorts of what looked like apps scattered around the home screen, that looked really untidy and messy. Presumably people have dragged them there and these can be cleared but I wasn't sure.

I spent a good 10 minutes trying to get me head around it, but a lot of the stuff I wanted to see (settings etc) were locked by the store and required a password.

 

It was very much a case of my idea of Android being sloppy and clumsy being a reality. It just does not seem use friendly to me in the slightest. Again, I know that this is a store model and will not be set up anywhere near the same as my personal device - but I can't see how anyone who hasn't used Android or iOS before, look at a shop Android device and a shop iPhone device, and go for Android.

 

I did like the music play list though from what I saw, but they were just random tracks and not albums that were uploaded.

So that was good!

 

And that's really all I got. No more further into a decision then lol.

 

 

 

Yup totally hearing you.

 

I've already been following one that is unopened and still sealed on eBay and it's on £490! So I may just keep the pennies.

Again, the latest revision of the Android OS runs much smoother and faster than iOS, in part due to the generally higher specs of android phones (within the same price bracket). I think you answered your own comment there - it was a store model so had probably been fucked around with. Otherwise the layout and everything else is the same or better. Having on screen widgets means you don't need to loads up apps for info - the info is always visible in the background.

 

My expedience comes from using iOS for approximately 3 years continuously, and more recently the latest Android for around 3 months. Not store models!