A week using an Apple iPhone -- An Android user's perspective

[mnementh]

I'm using a $150 Android smartphone that is less than a year old. I'm ALWAYS using a ~$150 Android smartphone that is less than a year old; I kill phones. They are a consumable supply to me, not an investment. 

mnem
"Oooohhh... lets see how many skips I can get before it sinks..."

[Halcyon]

My time with the iPhone has ended; A little over two weeks, but I'm glad I did it. It gave me a chance to experience something first hand, that I never would normally have done.

I can see Apple's appeal to some users, but are these handsets worth the money? In my opinion, no. Comparing the current line-up of Apple iPhones to the offerings of Samsung, LG, Motorola and even some of the Chinese phones, spec-for-spec, you get much better bang-for-buck with something other than an Apple handset (but that's not really a surprise to most people).

My biggest gripes over the last few weeks were with the operating system rather than the hardware. Even running the latest version of iOS available today (12.3.1) it still feels unrefined at times. Even small things like activating buttons or moving levers/progress bars, I was forced to literally drag them, rather than simply tap on them. Android gives me the option of both, drag or tap. I found myself double, triple something quadruple tapping things because they didn't respond "logically" to me (or responded in the wrong place). At first I thought this was application specific, but it seems to be the case across the board, even in the OS itself.

The obvious lack of customisation was also a huge negative for me. I totally understand that many users don't want to "fiddle" with their phones and that's perfectly fine. But I think even the most basic of users should have the option to if they wanted. One of the most annoying things was not having the ability to download software updates over the air, even when cellular data was on, it insisted on Wi-Fi. With unlimited data quotas on cellular networks these days, this is a stupid limitation but notwithstanding that, it should be my choice as the user how I update my device (particularly when annoyed with constant pop-ups about a software update).

As I mentioned in another post, I felt the UI itself was trying to make up for the lack of features or usability with pretty animations, swooshes, fades and jiggles, which while they might appeal to some people, were slowing me down. I just wanted to get the job done. Even activating the "reduce motion" option under "accessibility" did very little.

The mandatory requirement to sign up for an Apple ID was also a huge turn-off. I didn't want or need it or any of the other garbage that came along with it, but there was no option to skip.

Finally, the inability to connect the iPhone to a PC and use it as a mass storage device was a major disadvantage (although I could access the photos directly via gPhoto2 on Linux).

In terms of the hardware I used (iPhone SE), it was average at best and felt like I was back to using an Android, Motorola or Nokia handset from 2010. The audio from the loud speaker was very quiet by comparison and somewhat distorted (even at lower levels and it didn't matter what content I was playing), the colours on the genuine Apple LCD looked a little subdued or washed out, the touch response was awkward (I felt like it was making assumptions on where I was pressing which were often wrong) and the call quality over Bluetooth sounded like an AM radio regardless of the device I paired it to. I'm assuming all of these have improved in later models.

On the positive side, I did love the physical form factor and size of the SE and the overall fit and finish felt solid. The standby battery life was quite adequate and easily got me through the day. I did however find that once the battery was low (under 25%), it dropped off very quickly with even light use. The "Measure" application which is included with iOS 12 also worked very well. Installing and using applications was as easy as one would expect (but the constant advertising in the "App Store" is very disappointing).

Overall, if you're already a user who is stuck in the Apple "ecosystem" and you want a fairly basic handset that does a reasonable job at most things and has a respectable level of data security, then an iPhone is an excellent (but expensive) choice.

For those of us who use Linux and/or Windows and don't use Apple services or if you want greater control and flexibility of your device, then an iPhone will leave you feeling frustrated.

[brucehoult]

One of the most annoying things was not having the ability to download software updates over the air, even when cellular data was on, it insisted on Wi-Fi. With unlimited data quotas on cellular networks these days, this is a stupid limitation but notwithstanding that, it should be my choice as the user how I update my device (particularly when annoyed with constant pop-ups about a software update).

A lot of opinions here, fair enough, but this is simply wrong.

I just turned off my wifi, went to the AppStore and downloaded an update for an app on LTE.

[mnementh]

My time with the iPhone has ended; A little over two weeks, but I'm glad I did it. It gave me a chance to experience something first hand, that I never would normally have done.

I can see Apple's appeal to some users, but are these handsets worth the money? In my opinion, no. Comparing the current line-up of Apple iPhones to the offerings of Samsung, LG, Motorola and even some of the Chinese phones, spec-for-spec, you get much better bang-for-buck with something other than an Apple handset (but that's not really a surprise to most people).

My biggest gripes over the last few weeks were with the operating system rather than the hardware. Even running the latest version of iOS available today (12.3.1) it still feels unrefined at times. Even small things like activating buttons or moving levers/progress bars, I was forced to literally drag them, rather than simply tap on them. Android gives me the option of both, drag or tap. I found myself double, triple something quadruple tapping things because they didn't respond "logically" to me (or responded in the wrong place). At first I thought this was application specific, but it seems to be the case across the board, even in the OS itself.

The obvious lack of customisation was also a huge negative for me. I totally understand that many users don't want to "fiddle" with their phones and that's perfectly fine. But I think even the most basic of users should have the option to if they wanted. One of the most annoying things was not having the ability to download software updates over the air, even when cellular data was on, it insisted on Wi-Fi. With unlimited data quotas on cellular networks these days, this is a stupid limitation but notwithstanding that, it should be my choice as the user how I update my device (particularly when annoyed with constant pop-ups about a software update).

As I mentioned in another post, I felt the UI itself was trying to make up for the lack of features or usability with pretty animations, swooshes, fades and jiggles, which while they might appeal to some people, were slowing me down. I just wanted to get the job done. Even activating the "reduce motion" option under "accessibility" did very little.

The mandatory requirement to sign up for an Apple ID was also a huge turn-off. I didn't want or need it or any of the other garbage that came along with it, but there was no option to skip.

Finally, the inability to connect the iPhone to a PC and use it as a mass storage device was a major disadvantage (although I could access the photos directly via gPhoto2 on Linux).

In terms of the hardware I used (iPhone SE), it was average at best and felt like I was back to using an Android, Motorola or Nokia handset from 2010. The audio from the loud speaker was very quiet by comparison and somewhat distorted (even at lower levels and it didn't matter what content I was playing), the colours on the genuine Apple LCD looked a little subdued or washed out, the touch response was awkward (I felt like it was making assumptions on where I was pressing which were often wrong) and the call quality over Bluetooth sounded like an AM radio regardless of the device I paired it to. I'm assuming all of these have improved in later models.

On the positive side, I did love the physical form factor and size of the SE and the overall fit and finish felt solid. The standby battery life was quite adequate and easily got me through the day. I did however find that once the battery was low (under 25%), it dropped off very quickly with even light use. The "Measure" application which is included with iOS 12 also worked very well. Installing and using applications was as easy as one would expect (but the constant advertising in the "App Store" is very disappointing).

Overall, if you're already a user who is stuck in the Apple "ecosystem" and you want a fairly basic handset that does a reasonable job at most things and has a respectable level of data security, then an iPhone is an excellent (but expensive) choice.

For those of us who use Linux and/or Windows and don't use Apple services or if you want greater control and flexibility of your device, then an iPhone will leave you feeling frustrated.

Yeah, sorry... an SE nowadays is literally 4 (or 5?) generations out of date; it was deliberately made a generation behind everything else iPwn as an entry-level device. So that is hardly an Apple to apples comparison. You got exactly what you expected. I USED to buy or rebuild broken last-gen iPwns for my daily driver; I could usually do so for ~$200 and I was more than happy, especially once I gave Asshats,Twats &Titty-twisters the royal heave-ho. 

I have no idea what you're talking about with Android feeling "more polished"; that's just nucking futs. The one thing iOS has always been about is the "Apple-polishing". Not near as many options to twiddle, but for most people, their default implementation of most features is, quite frankly, better than Android's and doesn't need to be tweaked because they already DID the detail-work and tweaking instead of passing it on the the customer as an unpaid beta-tester.

Yeah, If you're comparing the SE to even my current Oreo box, yeah... you're gonna call it "old"... because it IS effing old. Smeesh. 

Calling Android in ANY flavor in the last decade an "OS" is being generous. It is a horribly mismanaged collection of apps, of which the UI "Launcher" is just ONE. 

Android is, and always has been, the mobile OS that is perpetually "half-finished". Stupid changes in every aspect of the UI EVERY FUCKING RELEASE... dumb shit that people complain LOUDLY about and THEY NEVER FIX; they just get to work on the NEXT candy flavor. If they DO fix some major fuckup with the new version, they fuck up 6 other things that WERE WORKING RIGHT.     And even though they PROMISE every time that "The settings are finally all going to be in the same place from now on!", the next version they just kick you in the balls again and say "Catch me if you can!"  and run away

THEN they let the fucking carriers fuck it up even MORE... constantly changing where even the most basic settings are, taking them away and hiding them so they can lock you into or out of services.

That said... Apple's pricing on the iPwn has gone completely batshit off-the-rails crazy, especially for the ones big enough to USE. Apple charging a PREMIUM for 6 INCHES is an obscenity; it is the minimum usable size nowadays.

I've been able to buy a 2-3GB RAM ~6" Android phone at 32-64GB storage PLUS SD PLUS Dual-SIM for $150 NEW for YEARS NOW. A 5.5in 7Plus is still $200 USED.    The next version of the phone in my pocket, the BLU Vivo XL4+, is again 3GB/32GB with 6.2" screen running Oreo. I bought one for my wife at Christmas; I'm still rocking the XL3+ with 3GB/64GB I bough factory refurb for $99.

Yeah, sure... neither of these is a flagship phone. But they're more than usable, and more than enough to run my business, and the financing is awesome: $140 down, NO PAYMENTS FOREVER AFTER. Ka-Ching!!! 

With the money I saved I bought my daughter a brand-new A10 128GB 10" iPad for Christmas. Now THERE is a place where Apple's value-to-price ratio is OFF-THE-HOOK. 

mnem
fuck iPwn.

[Halcyon]

One of the most annoying things was not having the ability to download software updates over the air, even when cellular data was on, it insisted on Wi-Fi. With unlimited data quotas on cellular networks these days, this is a stupid limitation but notwithstanding that, it should be my choice as the user how I update my device (particularly when annoyed with constant pop-ups about a software update).

A lot of opinions here, fair enough, but this is simply wrong.

I just turned off my wifi, went to the AppStore and downloaded an update for an app on LTE.

Sorry, I should have been more clear, I wasn't talking about application updates, I was talking about iOS system updates. It specifically said on the screen that I must use Wi-Fi to download the update, there was no way around this from what I could find. The download/update button didn't activate until you connected to a Wi-Fi access point.

Yeah, sorry... an SE nowadays is literally 4 (or 5?) generations out of date; it was deliberately made a generation behind everything else iPwn as an entry-level device. So that is hardly an Apple to apples comparison. You got exactly what you expected.

Re-read my post, I said comparing current iPhone models to the other offerings, spec-for-spec, price-for-price, the iPhone isn't a great choice. I wasn't comparing the handset I used against current models. But you'll also note that most of my gripes were with iOS, not with the hardware itself. These problems/issues/limitations still exist in todays current iPhone models as it runs exactly the same OS.

I also acknowledged the fact that I was using older hardware, but come on, we're not talking a decade old, the iPhone SE was released just 3 years ago! If you want a fair comparison, put it side by side with a Samsung Galaxy S7 which is still a much more capable device.

I honestly don't know why people get so defensive about Apple products. If Samsung turned around tomorrow and dropped the ball and started producing crap hardware, I'd be looking at alternatives. I've kept every phone I've ever owned and it includes Nokia, O2, Sony, Motorola (pre-Google), LG, Samsung and Blackberry among others. I'm not so invested in a brand and perhaps more importantly I'm not tied to any particular brand or workflow. If you think my judgement or review of the iPhone is unfair, please, let me know, but as I said, I went into this with an open mind. I also made it quite clear that there were things about the iPhone which were unsatisfactory or mediocre, it doesn't mean everyone has to share my view point. If someone wrote a similar review about Android or Linux, I wouldn't be getting so defensive about it.

Basically if you want choice and flexibility both in terms of hardware or software, iPhone isn't the product for you. If you want a phone that's easy to use and works well with other Apple products, then it probably is. I'm not sure how anyone can legitimately dispute that?

People also commonly claim "oh well, Apple have better support". Yes, sure, maybe, in some cases this is true. In other's it's far from it. In the case of my primary phone which developed a fault, it was covered under warranty and Samsung replaced the handset, no questions asked. Then again, I looked after my phone, it was free of damage, none of the humidity indicators were tripped and I didn't try to lie and bullshit a company about something that I had caused.

[tautech]

I ventured down the Apple path starting with my daughters old 3S when she went to a 4S then 5 then 6........
Then when a 2nd hand ex family 4S became available that became my upgrade and over the years it's been my preferred phone mainly due to compact size and cost. Only one has been bought new and that from China for much less than they were retail here. It performed without issue.
I've busted a few, replaced batteries in a few but only one has needed a new charging port.
Older ones have kept others going and now I have a good pile of donors for 4S. 

For many years I've kept them regularly synced on iTunes so that when the inevitable breakages happen it's easy to configure another and just carry on.
Recently a buddy must have felt sorry for me and dropped his 5S in my lap as a gift.
So a few weeks back I thought it was time setup the 5S and as it had been completely reset I had to go through all the setup steps before I could import my stuff from iTunes.
Now comfortable with Apple devices and also averse to their 'you must do this and must do that' the setup was done with the utmost distaste for all their BS which BTW most you can step around.....NO iCloud, Apple ID, face rec, fingerprint or even PW !
It didn't much like it flicking warning flags up all the time and still it wants me to 'finish setting up my phone' ! 
Cancel, cancel, cancel........... 

Yes always iOS updates have been WiFi and when we had data caps care was taken when to do them, usually overnight on the last day of the plan so if it throttled back to snails pace....overnight who gives a damn. 

There have been PANIC times when a 4S had busted and didn't have the parts so I grabbed a cheap Android to keep me going........barely used and back in its box !

So it looks like I'll have to start collecting old 5S now to build up my donor parts stocks again............ 

I look forward to the day when good new phones don't need to be the size of an A6 book and until then I'll be faithful to my Scots tight arse heritage but I could be tempted to reach into my pocket if the right sized new Apple phone comes along.

[mnementh]

Yeah, sorry... an SE nowadays is literally 4 (or 5?) generations out of date; it was deliberately made a generation behind everything else iPwn as an entry-level device. So that is hardly an Apple to apples comparison. You got exactly what you expected.

Re-read my post, I said comparing current iPhone models to the other offerings, spec-for-spec, price-for-price, the iPhone isn't a great choice. I wasn't comparing the handset I used against current models. But you'll also note that most of my gripes were with iOS, not with the hardware itself. These problems/issues/limitations still exist in todays current iPhone models as it runs exactly the same OS.

I also acknowledged the fact that I was using older hardware, but come on, we're not talking a decade old, the iPhone SE was released just 3 years ago! If you want a fair comparison, put it side by side with a Samsung Galaxy S7 which is still a much more capable device.

I honestly don't know why people get so defensive about Apple products. If Samsung turned around tomorrow and dropped the ball and started producing crap hardware, I'd be looking at alternatives. I've kept every phone I've ever owned and it includes Nokia, O2, Sony, Motorola (pre-Google), LG, Samsung and Blackberry among others. I'm not so invested in a brand and perhaps more importantly I'm not tied to any particular brand or workflow. If you think my judgement or review of the iPhone is unfair, please, let me know, but as I said, I went into this with an open mind. I also made it quite clear that there were things about the iPhone which were unsatisfactory or mediocre, it doesn't mean everyone has to share my view point. If someone wrote a similar review about Android or Linux, I wouldn't be getting so defensive about it.

Basically if you want choice and flexibility both in terms of hardware or software, iPhone isn't the product for you. If you want a phone that's easy to use and works well with other Apple products, then it probably is. I'm not sure how anyone can legitimately dispute that?

People also commonly claim "oh well, Apple have better support". Yes, sure, maybe, in some cases this is true. In other's it's far from it. In the case of my primary phone which developed a fault, it was covered under warranty and Samsung replaced the handset, no questions asked. Then again, I looked after my phone, it was free of damage, none of the humidity indicators were tripped and I didn't try to lie and bullshit a company about something that I had caused.

Who's being defensive? You phrased the topic as an honest attempt to evaluate an iPhone, from an Android user's perspective. Yet your test mule is literally one that was designed to be a throwback, so people would buy the better model next time around. And even THEN, it's 4 generations out of date. Shockingly, you found its UI to be clumsy and dated. 

I've used both... I use Android now, and I give Apple their due where appropriate. What they're all about is being the company that lets you trade money for saving you time and hassle. Which is really not a bad deal; your time is you most valuable resource. As long as you buy fully into their ecosystem, if you smash your phone, no big deal. You take it to the Apple bar, hand it to some agent who hands it to a tech, and go shopping or eat in the food court and when you come back a few hundred dollars lighter, you have all but the last day of your e-life right back where you left it, only now on the latest, shiniest model.

If you have the money to spend, it's a fucking STEAL of a deal! Unless you're a colossal klutz like me who treats a phone as a tool, and takes it on the jobsite all the time and shit happens to it every few months. Then the Apple ecology is pretty effing expensive and hard to keep up with. The premium they charge for 6-ish inch display is just sociopathic. So no, not me. I'll keep flogging my cheap android phones and treat them as a consumable.

As for Samsung... their business model is vertically integrated SHIT. They make a few flagship model products, which even THOSE eventually have some massive clusterflop issue happen... and the rest of their crap is... crap. They have fucked me personally too many times... too many phones, DVD/Blu-Ray players, toasters & TVs that eventually fucked themselves due to old unsupported software that NEVER NEEDED TO BE THERE, or worse yet, devices that EFFING BRICK THEMSELVES DOING AN UPDATE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY CHOICE ABOUT. 

Not one device, but MANY. Not just one TYPE of device, but pretty much EVERY EFFING KIND OF THING THEY MAKE they have screwed me on.

So fuck Samsung too. I'll NEVER willingly pay money for their goods again; I know they're just going to kick me in the balls someday. SOON.

mnem

[bd139]

Their SSDs are good. As for everything else, yup.

[Halcyon]

Who's being defensive? You phrased the topic as an honest attempt to evaluate an iPhone, from an Android user's perspective. Yet your test mule is literally one that was designed to be a throwback, so people would buy the better model next time around. And even THEN, it's 4 generations out of date. Shockingly, you found its UI to be clumsy and dated. 

Now I'm not sure if you're trolling me or not. Did you not read any of my posts? My "test mule" was iOS version 12.3.1, explain how the user experience would have been any different on a brand new iPhone?

[Mechatrommer]

the iPhone SE was released just 3 years ago! If you want a fair comparison, put it side by side with a Samsung Galaxy S7 which is still a much more capable device.

swmbo's samsung S4 and my KZoom are 5 years old and are still working fine. we had no issue with say dated OS or clumsy GUI, everything was just as smooth as todays galaxy A7, except A7 has faster cpu and alot larger internal storage, i still miss KZoom smartphone's super lens. durability is one of people's argument to choose iphone? lets say it can live 10 years, fun. but you are left with 10 years back dated smartphone technology. so people will inevitably change their phone before end of life, durability point is then moot. planned obsolescence got its point.

if you smash your phone, no big deal. You take it to the Apple bar, hand it to some agent who hands it to a tech, and go shopping or eat in the food court and when you come back a few hundred dollars lighter

if you watch rossman video earlier, if you got a smashed lcd, you'll have to go to food court everyday in 2 weeks or month until you get your phone back from apple factory. if their support is so amazing, why dont they just let you keep the new replacement phone, and they get to keep your damaged phone after repair? you can mirror image your system back from icloud into the new phone in 5 second right?

As for Samsung... their business model is vertically integrated SHIT. They make a few flagship model products, which even THOSE eventually have some massive clusterflop issue happen... and the rest of their crap is... crap. They have fucked me personally too many times... too many phones, DVD/Blu-Ray players, toasters & TVs that eventually fucked themselves due to old unsupported software that NEVER NEEDED TO BE THERE, or worse yet, devices that EFFING BRICK THEMSELVES DOING AN UPDATE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY CHOICE ABOUT. 

it only happened to you not us, maybe due to your climate condition? i'm not sure. but we have no trouble with samsung "not flagship" smartphone, but for computer lcd screen, yes it sucks to me personally. maybe their workflow or supply chain in smartphone production is ok, but others are so so... ymmv.

btw... i can walk faster than 5mph, if you cant cycle/motor more than that, please stay away from the road, be considerate, simply walk on your feet on the side otherwise you'll cause unnecessary road congestion, if your road is same as our road here. cheers.

[bd139]

if you smash your phone, no big deal. You take it to the Apple bar, hand it to some agent who hands it to a tech, and go shopping or eat in the food court and when you come back a few hundred dollars lighter

if you watch rossman video earlier, if you got a smashed lcd, you'll have to go to food court everyday in 2 weeks or month until you get your phone back from apple factory. if their support is so amazing, why dont they just let you keep the new replacement phone, and they get to keep your damaged phone after repair? you can mirror image your system back from icloud into the new phone in 5 second right?

Err that's exactly what happens. When I had a minor screen fault they said come back in 2 hours. Sorted. Went shopping, came back. They said they couldn't recalibrate the screen afterwards properly so gave me a new handset. The invoice had the cost of two screens they tried to fit and the replacement handset cost and a refund for the full price so payable was £0. I walked out of there 2 hours later with a brand new 128Gb 6s. Same story over and over again on all our corp phones. If we smash the screen it's same day replacement and £25. If we destroy the handset, £79.

And there's this: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/iphone/repair/service/express-replacement

This I've observed tens of times without problem so I'm less inclined to trust a youtuber with an agenda over my own experience.

[Mr. Scram]

Err that's exactly what happens. When I had a minor screen fault they said come back in 2 hours. Sorted. Went shopping, came back. They said they couldn't recalibrate the screen afterwards properly so gave me a new handset. The invoice had the cost of two screens they tried to fit and the replacement handset cost and a refund for the full price so payable was £0. I walked out of there 2 hours later with a brand new 128Gb 6s. Same story over and over again on all our corp phones. If we smash the screen it's same day replacement and £25. If we destroy the handset, £79.

And there's this: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/iphone/repair/service/express-replacement

Is it really Apple service, though? It's an additional insurance you purchased and it's limited. You may still need to pay out of warranty replacement fees if it's used more than twice and is only valid for two years.

[Mechatrommer]

Err that's exactly what happens.

will this apply infinitely? if the replacement phone got damaged again, will you get another new replacement phone? if this happening 10x, means 10x new phone? because the way i understand from the following statement from the page, it only apply once..

If you’ve already used both incidents of accidental damage that come with AppleCare+, you’ll pay an out-of-warranty fee for your replacement, as shown on our pricing page.

[bd139]

Yes it only lasts two years. Yes you can only smash it twice. Yes it costs money.

 

[Mechatrommer]

yeah i think they play insurance or "gambling casino" business model... they charge a bit higher price to cope with possible disasters. they have statistical data on their phones failure rate and will not expect everybody to send their phone for replacement, only some small percentage. if they charge twice the cost, they can still receive 50% of their customers damaged phone twice, the rest of the population that do not experience failure will cover the cost. have you wonder why insurance agencies will reject elderly, people with high risk or diseases and wont cover mass scale disaster such as earthquake or hurricane, otherwise a premium price insurance... they try to avoid losing business using calculated risk/statistics, imho...

[bd139]

Actually the faulty phone/replacement thing is only a problem in the US because you have shitty consumer protection laws.

Over here in the UK you are entitled to a cost free repair or replacement on all consumer purchases for six years from the date of purchase if they are faulty through normal use. I'm paying for AppleCare to hedge the risk of my incompetence on top of that.

In fact when you walk into the Apple store and ask for a repair they ask you if you want to do it using AppleCare or your consumer rights. If you choose the latter you don't lose the repair from your repair credit on AppleCare. They explain that to you as well. My 6s screen defect was covered under CRA and was free and didn't affect my AppleCare.

It's in Apple's interest to make things that work.

[mnementh]

Yes it only lasts two years. Yes you can only smash it twice. Yes it costs money. 

THIS is what I was saying when I said "If you fully buy into their ecology."

If you're a wingnut who can't stand the fundamental invasiveness of cloud backups, etc and have to harp on every "Security issue" (which by their essential nature, an internet-connected device with GPS in your pocket explicitly IS, no matter the brand) and insists on FIXING rather than REPLACING your phone... if you're like that, and you BUY an iPwn KNOWING these things about it then you ARE a wingnut... then you DESERVE to have a effing horrible experience. You're buying something that is explicitly NOT what you like, and then hating on it for not being what you like. 

the iPhone SE was released just 3 years ago! If you want a fair comparison, put it side by side with a Samsung Galaxy S7 which is still a much more capable device.

swmbo's samsung S4 and my KZoom are 5 years old and are still working fine. we had no issue with say dated OS or clumsy GUI, everything was just as smooth as todays galaxy A7, except A7 has faster cpu and alot larger internal storage, i still miss KZoom smartphone's super lens. durability is one of people's argument to choose iphone? lets say it can live 10 years, fun. but you are left with 10 years back dated smartphone technology. so people will inevitably change their phone before end of life, durability point is then moot. planned obsolescence got its point.

if you smash your phone, no big deal. You take it to the Apple bar, hand it to some agent who hands it to a tech, and go shopping or eat in the food court and when you come back a few hundred dollars lighter

if you watch rossman video earlier, if you got a smashed lcd, you'll have to go to food court everyday in 2 weeks or month until you get your phone back from apple factory. if their support is so amazing, why dont they just let you keep the new replacement phone, and they get to keep your damaged phone after repair? you can mirror image your system back from icloud into the new phone in 5 second right?

As for Samsung... their business model is vertically integrated SHIT. They make a few flagship model products, which even THOSE eventually have some massive clusterflop issue happen... and the rest of their crap is... crap. They have fucked me personally too many times... too many phones, DVD/Blu-Ray players, toasters & TVs that eventually fucked themselves due to old unsupported software that NEVER NEEDED TO BE THERE, or worse yet, devices that EFFING BRICK THEMSELVES DOING AN UPDATE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY CHOICE ABOUT. 

it only happened to you not us, maybe due to your climate condition? i'm not sure. but we have no trouble with samsung "not flagship" smartphone, but for computer lcd screen, yes it sucks to me personally. maybe their workflow or supply chain in smartphone production is ok, but others are so so... ymmv.

btw... i can walk faster than 5mph, if you cant cycle/motor more than that, please stay away from the road, be considerate, simply walk on your feet on the side otherwise you'll cause unnecessary road congestion, if your road is same as our road here. cheers.

The rest of your post sounds like Samsung fanboi butthurt. I don't mind their COMPONENTS. They make pretty good memory chips & batteries. Good enough to be an Apple channel partner back when that MEANT something, until they had to rip them off and get booted. 

But their consumer products are in general shite. Absolutely no consideration of the customer themselves as a person in the design, and after support is a fucking joke, unless they're FORCED to provide it.

Not sure where you're going with this... statement, I guess you'd call it...? It seems to meander off into the wastelands of your mind. Are you trying to say I'm fat? 

mnem
It's only money.

[bd139]

Yes it only lasts two years. Yes you can only smash it twice. Yes it costs money. 

THIS is what I was saying when I said "If you fully buy into their ecology."

If you're a wingnut who can't stand the fundamental invasiveness of cloud backups, etc and have to harp on every "Security issue" (which by their essential nature, an internet-connected device with GPS in your pocket explicitly IS, no matter the brand) and insists on FIXING rather than REPLACING your phone... if you're like that, and you BUY an iPwn KNOWING these things about it then you ARE a wingnut... then you DESERVE to have a effing horrible experience. You're buying something that is explicitly NOT what you like, and then hating on it for not being what you like. 

I was trying to avoid the word wingnut but you're 100% right.

It's like buying a barbecue when you're afraid the black bits on your food will give you ass cancer.

[garethw]

I’ve had Windows Phones, Androids and currently have an iPhone. I liked the Windows Phone except that you couldn’t get any apps!! Android was great, only let down due to the lower spec Samsung phone but it was all I could afford at the time. Jan 2017 I bought my current iPhone 7. Yes it is different to the android OS. Yes, you have to have an Apple ID but I only use it as a login for my iCloud, which just works away in the background.
As has been said lots before, these phone ecosystems are separate entities which have their own evolutions. Getting cross with Apple because it’s not like an Android is a bit stupid. If Apple knocks out products so terrible, so awful, so insecure then why is Apple the highest value company in the world? I’m certainly not an Apple fanboy and will most likely buy an Android when my iPhone 7 croaks it but I’ve enjoyed my iPhone experience and wouldn’t talk bad about it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mnementh]

Gawddammitt, bd... only YOU could make me snicker uncontrollably at "ass cancer". You bastard!

mnem
*toddles back off into the real world...*

[james_s]

I don't understand how people go through phones so fast. I've had 3 phones in 11 years and the first two were retired due to obsolescence, they still work fine. My old iPhone 4 still looks brand new, I carried it in my pocket for over 4 years. Just put it in a case when new and treat it like the expensive piece of precision equipment that it is and phones last a long time. I don't get why so many people are so careless with their belongings.

[Halcyon]

I guess all this thread has really shown is what most of us knew all along...

• You'll never change the mind of an Apple fanboy.
• Android users who are critical of Apple will be accused of being "biased" or just plain wrong. Windows Phone users will be ignored because they "don't exist".
• Those who need a tool to do what they want... will choose whatever is best for them on the market at the time, regardless of brand.

[james_s]

I quite liked the Windows phones at one time, I never bought one though because app support was spotty, Microsoft has a longstanding habit of abandoning product lines on a whim, and then I was so mad with the direction they took Windows starting with Win8 that I wanted nothing to do with the platform. They had a good thing going for a while though, I just don't think there is room for more than two big players in the smartphone market which is a shame really because I can't say I'm a fan of either one.

[Halcyon]

I quite liked the Windows phones at one time, I never bought one though because app support was spotty, Microsoft has a longstanding habit of abandoning product lines on a whim, and then I was so mad with the direction they took Windows starting with Win8 that I wanted nothing to do with the platform. They had a good thing going for a while though, I just don't think there is room for more than two big players in the smartphone market which is a shame really because I can't say I'm a fan of either one.

Likewise, I actually quite liked the earlier Windows phones, they worked very well. But like you, I abandoned decades of being a Windows user after Windows 8/10 were released in favour of Linux.

[Mechatrommer]

before android, i always was with nokia bricks, then comes android and samsung, nokia came late but when they did, they choosed windows, was having a brief moment playing with nokia windows phone and by that time i already got the impression of Windows 10 (when it had no start menu button nor a taskbar ), so the avid WInXP user has to say good bye to nokia...