Considering jumping from Apple to Android - Who's done it?

StalkingIbis on 03/11/2015 - 19:04
Last edited 03/11/2015 - 19:05

Its time to upgrade my 5c. Ive had iphones for the last 6 years, i like they way they feel, i like the way they look, i like the support you get for them and all the accesories available. I seem to be part of a minority that actually likes itunes (all i use it for is to organise music and sync my phone). I like the simple operating system on the phones….But the battery life is starting to suck, i want a bigger screen…. and the 6S is $1200!!!!!

im heavily considering getting the nexus 6p for 744.

I dont use any apple specific apps. What can i expect going from apple to android? whos done it? what surprised you? what did you miss? what do you like better about android?

please no fanboys, they are all good phones and people arent stupid for picking one or the other.

Mobile

Comments

  • samjacksonau on 07/11/2015 - 16:59
    +3

    I moved from iPhone 4S to LG G4 and loving it.

    No more iTunes & apple bloat-ware (bonjour & what not) on my laptop which used to get updated every freaking night.

    Seamless integration of superior Google maps & chrome is cool. Best part was the price. I got G4 for only $550 & added 128GB memory card. It came with screen protector pre-installed, no more bubbles.

    I can't believe Apple still follows planned obsolescence. Google it: obsolescence iphone

    • dbun1 on 09/11/2015 - 07:32
      -1

      Don't believe everything you read on the internet - planned obsolescent haha - I better go tell my sister's 3GS that it shouldn't be working anymore……

  • YousufEDGE on 07/11/2015 - 17:19
    +3

    Trust me I have done it and I have been using android ever since. If you are a power user then Android is the best OS for you. You can use external devices like keyboard mouse,Xbox wired controller and even TBs of external HDD using otg cable. Possibilities are endless but I recommend you to get a decent phone like note series or s5 at least. Have a great day =)

  • sonicstabber on 07/11/2015 - 19:10
    +4

    I made the change from iOS to Android when the Nexus 5 came out in November 2013. The Iphone 4 I was using was okay but was really sluggish on iOS 7 and I wasn't ready to pay almost double the cost of a new Nexus 5 for a newer iphone which did the same thing.

    The learning curve is surprisingly not that bad, the main thing is to not compare Android to iOS. I found Android to be a lot more like using a PC, where you have more say in how it looks and feels and choosing what works for you, because it's YOUR phone. That may seem really daunting since you've never had to do it before but it was fairly painless. Just need the right guidance. I'll give you some tips that I used when I changed over.

    Here's a general guide on the layout and functions:
    http://lifehacker.com/5581029/jumping-ship-from-iphone-to-an…

    If you're wanting to transfer your pictures, videos, contacts and SMS from your iphone, you can use the guides in this link: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/how-to-switch-from-iphon…

    For contacts and SMS, it took 30 minutes or so for my phone to transfer contacts (300+) into 'People' and upload my messages (1500+) into 'Hangouts' which is the standard app for sms/mms. I used the iSMS2droid app for the messages. Since then, I have changed to Google's "Messenger" app, which seems much more fluid.

    For contacts, you can also use your gmail to sync them between your phones, but when I did it, it also allocated email addresses without phone numbers to a contact, so had to clear out those.

    For pictures and videos, you just transfer it onto a pc using a usb cable and then transfer it back onto your Nexus. I chose to start fresh and leave all the photos/videos backed up on my PC, but it's up to you.

    For music, Play Music is actually really great. It syncs your itunes library to a cloud (up to 20000 songs for free) and you can listen to them from an internet browser after you login to google music or anywhere the play mucis app is installed (even on iOS). This does use your phone's data, so change the settings to 'Download via Wifi-only'. Any songs you listen to constantly are stored in the cached data on the phone, so you can listen to them over and over without downloading them everytime.

    For the screen brightness managment (to save battery life), I use lux lite dash which is free. If you hate seeing the icon, you can go to the settings on this app and turn off persistent notification.

    For notifications, there's a small LED near just below the home button on the Nexus phones. Apps like Light Flow (lite and paid version) allow you to set up different colours for notifications, such as white for texts, red for missed calls, blue for facebook, yellow for low battery or no signal. On the paid version, you can put them in priority order if multiple notifications are there.

    Another thing I did to save battery, I changed the location settings to 'Battery Saving' and found my battery lasting all day with no issues. You can find this in Settings>Location. Also, while you're here, you can disable Google Location reporting which saves a heap of battery life. If you use Maps for directions, this won't affect it. It will only affect using the GPS function, where you can turn it back on just for using it as a GPS then turning it back off.

    There's much more you can do with an Android phone. I recommend also looking at the Nexus 6 which is still a pretty decent phone, and you can get it for around the $400-500 price when it's on sale.

    Hope this helps, let me know if y-ou have any specific questions:)

  • lonix on 07/11/2015 - 20:19
    +1

    After iPhone 3gs i gave up on Apple forever, and I'll never go back, i feel too caged in!

  • Pyrock on 07/11/2015 - 21:19
    +2

    went from the iphone 4 to the galaxy s5 last year and have not looked back - definitely will not be returning to apple and dont know how i lasted so long on it.

  • Diji1 on 07/11/2015 - 21:22

    Surprising question given the state of Android these days with regards to security … well, barring non-Googley Androids I suppose. You should also know that the app "ecosystem (sorry) is much less polished due to laxer constraints on developers.

    I'm contemplating jumping to Apple. Android is fun if you like tinkering I suppose but the security situation and the feeding data to Google isn't worth it for me. I'll likely keep an Android tablet for tinkering but I am desiring a device that doesn't fall apart worse than good ol' Winder XP over time.

    Eric Schmidt, (former) Google head honcho no less, doesn't use Android. He uses a Blackberry.

    • Ramrunner on 08/11/2015 - 10:55

      The new blackberry runs Android dude. No joke.

  • Super8Tab on 07/11/2015 - 21:45
    +1

    Switched last year and i don't think i will be back, the Sony's battery life and external storage is making me happy !

  • britta on 07/11/2015 - 21:51
    +1

    I switched from iPhone to windows phone then quickly to android about 4 years ago

    The slow dripfeed of inovation that apple supply just didnt do it for me. It always the same as the last plus just enough to make you want to upgrade.

    As there are so many adnroid phones on the market you find these company's tend to throw everything they have on the market.

    Perfect example. Apples "Live photos". Can someone please give me 1 reason why this isnt available on any previous iPhone….?????

    Im currently loving my LG G3 with quad HD display

  • abacus on 07/11/2015 - 21:53

    Best way is just buy one and see. E.g. I bought the Harvey Norman $50 Nokia 635 to see what a Windows phone is like and hated it, but now I know. It does take time to get used to a phone and know where all the settings are however.

  • CanadaAye on 07/11/2015 - 22:17

    I switched because I needed to get a new phone as my 4S power button failed. I put up with a soft power button for a while and then decided it was time to get a new phone. At the time the 6 was not yet out and the iPhone's were no longer available on any reasonable plans. I wanted a phone that I could add storage to for a myriad of reasons including the ability to load my phone up with viewing content for commutes. In terms of the value proposition android won hands down. I bought a new unlocked Sony Xperia Z2 from a physical store outright for $650. The screen was such an improvement over my iPhone (which obviously wasn't current gen).

    It took a while to get used to Android but it wasn't that difficult an experience. Android OS isn't quite as stable as my experience on IOS but not much in that at all, and from what I have heard from others on newer IOS there has been quite a lot of bugs.

    All in all the switch is not difficult if you're willing to spend a little bit of time researching anything that isn't intuitive. There are still things I miss about IOS most notably the built in podcast app which did all the little things right (I use pocket casts on Android which is reasonable) also the swipe down universal search on IOS is excellent.

  • ozibargainer on 07/11/2015 - 23:25

    I tried Samsung NOTE. Bought new & sold within a week as I didn't like it. But you may like the "freedom" of Android. Try it out that's the only way to find out. Good Luck.

  • onlyletters on 08/11/2015 - 00:08

    Android devices provide the most value for money, if you've had an iPhone your whole life, you might find the Androids a little complicated, having said that, moving your data over can be a pain for messages, you'll also need to de-activate your imessage otherwise many of incoming messages will be delayed by a few days..

  • beoluch on 08/11/2015 - 00:31

    Recently got the iPhone 6S and I'm impressed with how smooth iOS is. Going back and forth through applications is okay, but it may be because of the 3d touch feature. One think I didn't like is how troublesome it is to go to the setting. With my galaxy s4 I could easily drag down the panel and go to the setting. Another thing is that there is no fast charging implemented on the iPhone. I can imagine how useful it is to come back from work and plug your phone while you shower etc. and your phone will be ready the next time you are going out.

  • antler on 08/11/2015 - 10:29
    -2

    I've done the switch to Android twice and come back to iPhone. First was the HTC Desire (from an Iphone 3Gs); secondly it was the Galaxy S3 4G from an iPhone 4S. I then moved on to the Xperia thinking that it would be better than the S3. I finally moved back to the iPhone 6 (and I hope not to upgrade to anything else for a while).

    I've found Android to be lacking in a lot of areas. Some of the major ones include:
    - The music player (seriously Google, get your shit together). I don't want to pay for a decent player.
    - Messaging. Google has completely abandoned the ASOP messaging app in favor of Hangouts (which integrates Google+ and other crap).
    - Mail. I don't know how people function using the in-built mail app. I'm not saying that iOS' app is that much better, but Android's built-in one is complete crap. It doesn't even support modern push protocols such as IMAP-P. Google has also abandoned this app in favour of their GMail app.
    - Calendar. Google's abandoned this one too… You need to download and link Google Calendar to Google's service.
    - Photos. How many built-in photos app do you need?
    - Updates. If you're not on the Nexus line of phones, and you're lucky enough, you might get an update to the latest version of Android three to six months after Google releases it for their Nexus line. If you bought your phone through a carrier, count yourself lucky to get an update at all.
    - Bloatware. Don't get me started.

    • ozhunter on 08/11/2015 - 11:42
      +1

      Wow, Google preinstalls their own messaging and gmail app on their OS; so does Apple and Microsoft…

      Aren't Apple and Samsung a tie when it comes to bloatware?

      • antler on 08/11/2015 - 12:54
        -1

        Wow, Google preinstalls their own messaging and gmail app on their OS; so does Apple and Microsoft…

        Your point being?

        Aren't Apple and Samsung a tie when it comes to bloatware?

        Have you used an iPhone? When I use an Android phone, I don't want to deal with the Touchwiz crap. Sony comes close to perfect, but they still manage to tie-in a whole heap of stuff promoting Sony warez. I've already seen Spiderman, I don't want to re-live it.

        • ozhunter on 08/11/2015 - 13:24

          Your point being?

          You complain that Google integrates hangouts and gmail when Apple does exactly the same thing. What's your point?

          Yea I have used an iphone; I also have an ipad.

          I don't want to deal with the Touchwiz crap

          Get a Nexus phone. It's like complaining there are Apple apps on an iphone…

          Sony comes close to perfect, but they still manage to tie-in a whole heap of stuff promoting Sony warez

          Sony putting their software on their own phone? Outrageous!

        • antler on 08/11/2015 - 14:23
          -1

          @ozhunter: You complain that Google integrates hangouts and gmail when Apple does exactly the same thing. What's your point?

          There are two different mail apps: Gmail and ASOP. The ASOP hasn't received much attention from Google. This is the default mail app on most Android phones.

          Get a Nexus phone. It's like complaining there are Apple apps on an iphone…

          Um, okay…. That's what the OP is considering.

          Sony putting their software on their own phone? Outrageous!

          There's a difference between advertising and putting their apps.

          Settle down. The OP asked for honest opinions and experiences, not fanboy crap. I've switched back and forth multiple times and I've put forward my experience.

        • ozhunter on 08/11/2015 - 18:12

          @antler:

          Settle down. The OP asked for honest opinions and experiences, not fanboy crap. I've switched back and forth multiple times and I've put forward my experience.

          It's just funny that some of the complaints you made about android is the same on ios.

    • aussieprepper on 08/11/2015 - 17:16

      i have had most of the sony xperias and you can not beat Walkman app! drag and drop flac files into a folder and play its bliss! plus with all the sd cards sold on here we need some phones that can use them lol the built in amp has gotten much better it easily competes with my walkman! the walkman also walks all over iPods in sound quality!

  • captobvious on 08/11/2015 - 14:25

    For my phone i went from apple to Android. Essentially both have the same apps. I still have the Ipad and all the apps/Games i had on the iphone I use on the Ipad.

    Everyday use I've enjoyed the android much more than the iPhone, drag and drop instead of iTunes has just made life so much easier to transfer music, photos and videos. I'm a frequent traveler and drag a drop for speed and simplicity.

    When I am at work, i can just ask around and I will find a micro usb charging cable quite easily. Lightning cables are rare at my work and apple products are getting rarer. So for charging on the go, go the android. Just to add many lightning cables have broken on me whilst I am away and depending where I am I cant find a replacement as easily as a micro usb.

    NFC, wow what a change connecting my phone to my various wireless speakers. I cant believe how backward apple is using a wired dock. I also use NFC for door entry at home,looking forward to when NFC can be used for keyless entry and starting of the car

  • aussieprepper on 08/11/2015 - 17:12
    +2

    okay its now time for my stand up show!

    you could always use windows with bing 8.1 hahahaha!

  • Maxamillion21 on 08/11/2015 - 18:03

    Instead try Windows 10 Mobile with the Lumia 950 out soon.

    Awesome specs and with Windows Continuum you can use it like a PC! https://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/phone/lumia950/

  • congo on 08/11/2015 - 18:08

    I have both nexus 5 and iPhone 5s.
    I use the nexus 5 more because of the larger screen.

    I find android to be much better value.
    For iOS you can probably get 50% off iTunes GC max.
    For google play I use my Telstra credit. I have more credit than apps that I want to buy, so it's a great problem to have :)

    The 5.7" screen is great.
    Iphone plus is just too expensive, I rather get a laptop for that price.

    Just signup with Optus for the Nexus 6p.
    Wife has nexus too. So no problems with hangouts and weechat for video calls.

    I only wished that the 6p had external memory

  • retiredfeline on 08/11/2015 - 18:09

    Jumping from Apple to Android: Yes, I have stamped on both types of phones in frustration. :) :)

  • samvox on 08/11/2015 - 18:13
    +1

    I went from iphone to Android (Samsung S4 2 years) and I just went back to iphone 6s Plus.
    I love new tech so I thought the Android switch would be fun. It was for a while.

    There are pros with Android and iphone. Android had all of the features which I had to JB my iphone to get.
    But the things which I hated was the continuous updates from google features that used to work breaking after updates
    ie bluetooth playback in car etc. I can install non-authenticated apps on the Android was a real plus for me. I can use
    emulators on the PC with Android s/w.

    My Bros all switched to Android the Nexus 5 and all of them like me have switched back to Apple.

    Why ? It just works i don't have my battery drain for no reason. I don't need to continuously reboot my phone
    I don't have wtf updates from google. My Olds all used iphones because the GUI is consistent and simple makes it
    easier for me to use FT and imessage with them. Things to take into account.

    This is IMHO

    • GameChanger on 08/11/2015 - 20:03

      No doubt Android is the more powerful OS, but you don't need a super complex system for a mobile. The primary purpose of a phone is to do the basics really well. Android imo over complicates things which results in many basic issues that are of great annoyance. I dare say the Windows platform runs better because like iOS the user is limited on customization.

  • Serapis on 08/11/2015 - 22:22
    +1

    I dunnit, went from Galaxy S to iPhone 4. The glass on the iPhone cracked so I bought a Galaxy s3.

    Now using Galaxy s5 and have never considered going back to the iPhone again, I like Android far more than iOS. Both have positives and negatives but Android just serves me better due to more customisability.

    If you do not use either apple or android specific apps (your daily use is mainly web surfing, texting, calling and the occasional Youtube), shouldn't matter which platform smartphone is best, just go with whatever your budget permits.

  • notout50 on 09/11/2015 - 10:32

    Too many comments to read, but just putting my own 2 cents in… Don't do it.
    As soon as I read you like your iTunes organized, I stopped reading and came to my conclusion. I got the HTC One M8 last year and absolutely hated that I couldn't use all the iTunes data (playlists, star ratings, genres), so went to the iPhone 6 when it came out and am very happy.

  • Charity on 09/11/2015 - 10:52

    Biggest Difference:

    Android = for people that want to customise

    Apple = if you just want something basic to work out of the box.

    Also, you pretty much need to customise everything on Android. This however is perfect if you are technically-minded and want the phone to work how you want.

    Contrastingly, Apple gives you 2 choices. It's Apple's way or … Apple's way. Fortunately, Apple out of the box is set-up pretty good for the average person.

    Overall, depends what you want

  • stingy-oz on 09/11/2015 - 10:52
    +2

    I have done both ways and still gone back to Apple.

    Apple:
    1. I love the support. They are trained with good support and if L1 support can't help you at least they can direct you to a store or you can send the phone/mac to the Apple
    2. Closed environment (good and bad). All the apps you see on app store tends to have been vetted by Apple. Integrate strongly with Mac and Macbook air. If this is important to you, it'd be a pro.
    3. I hate the premium price that i tend to have to pay for and that includes the phone and friggin accessories.
    4. I hate the non-expandable storage.
    5. I liked the stable apps.

    Android
    1. It's open. This depends on how you see it. Most android these days are locked down by the service provider unless you root it.
    2. I like the expandable storage, especially.
    3. I literally hate many of the support from Android phones - especially Samsung dealt with them and I almost wanted to bazooka the office.

    Here's my history.

    I started with HTC Desire, moved on Samsung Galaxy 2, Galaxy Note 4 (also Galaxy Tab), Sony xPeria, LG and finally did the jump to iPhone. During the time with Android, i have seen failed devices, crashed apps, some limitations like changing DNS (i know it's been fixed in lolipop and above), bad support experiences. Most brand are OK but Samsung has worst quality with bad support. I had 3 failed devices and my Samsung Note4 were sent back for warranty (was then replaced) 3 times. And the the new replaced Note 4 died on 2nd week.

    I have been using iPhone 4, 5 and 6 so far, haven't had an issue - however notably I did send my iPhone 5c for battery replacement program.

    Again, anything apple is premium priced and I hate it

  • itsfree on 09/11/2015 - 13:12

    It sounds like you're really satisfied with the Apple ecosystem. I personally wouldn't switch at this point – I have a 6s Plus and I am so thoroughly impressed by it. It's basically replaced most of my primary PC usage – it's a desktop-class smartphone. Battery life is amazing, especially with Low Power Mode. I have had the phone last hours longer than it should – at less than 10% battery – simply due to LPM.

    You should just wait for a deal to come up and score the 6s Plus at a discounted price. The extra price is worth it simply due to the superior value retention that Apple products have, as well as the extended lifetime compared to the average Android smartphone (software updates; hardware quality; generous customer support).

  • jackdao on 09/11/2015 - 14:45
    -1

    Take it easy, mate!
    On Android, you may root your device for using tons of cracked apps - $0
    Using Android means that you are playing around with Google services. e.g. Gmail, Google calendar, Google search, Hangouts, Google Photos…

    Speed: Android device cannot beat Apple device on opening or switching apps. It's true.

    You may buy an iPad mini/iP4s for backup in order to keeping in touch with all your Apple contacts.

    Your choice.

  • cannedhams on 09/11/2015 - 14:45
    +2

    I have an ipad, but just cant justify buying one of their phones, their phones seem so absurdly priced compared to the ipad.

    I have had Android, Windows phones and an Ipad. I have not had any difficulty using any of them. I think the loyalists on both sides are full of sh*t. Its Ford vs Holden, Pepsi vs Coke, there are tryhards but most people just get on with their lives.

  • songford on 09/11/2015 - 15:13

    I've originally had 3 generations of Nexii phones, an iPad Mini and a MacBook, and that was a pretty annoying experience: I have to purchase two sets of exactly same apps, photos have to be treated separately since iPhoto and Google Photo don't get along very well, and doing cloud back up on both ends is a pain in the ***. So I happily sold my iPad Mini and got my hands on a Nexus 9.

    IMHO both Apple and Google are great companies. I myself prefer Google's material design principle, and I just love how Google Apps taking care of everything. And most importantly I agree with OP, that Apple devices are too expensive for myself to stick onto every release.

    With an Android device you can put pads onto your desktop (Sort of like Windows Phone's magnetic tiles but in my opinion Google's solution is much better.) I'm currently putting a calendar pad, a fitbit step tracker pad and Google Newsstand's pad on my front screen and it saves me a lot of effort digging into app list and tapping on the icon, just for getting some very brief information like how many steps I've made so far today.

    Almost every app you're currently using have an Android counterpart in Play Store. There are a lot of games are iOS exclusive atm so you might want to think twice if you're a heavy gamer.

    In my opinion if OP doesn't use any Apple-specific apps then the transition is supposed to be smooth. In my own experience since I was syncing everything to Google's services on my iPad (photos, mails, contacts, … everything other than apps) I'm not particularly missing anything I once had on my iOS devices.

    But please be advised that if you're using a Mac, the connection between your Android devices and your computer can get tricky. Mac doesn't support Android's file transfer protocol natively therefore the connection is handled with an app called AFT (Android File Transfer), and in its current state it is buggy as hell. However, I haven't hooked my devices onto my laptops for ages since the philosophy of Android devices is that it should be able to take care of itself without a laptop around, so I'm not finding it especially disappointing.

    Nexus 6P is a great device. I'm not either a Google or an Apple fanboy but I'm thinking 6P is providing a much louder bang for your bucks comparing to a 6s.

    • knk on 09/11/2015 - 15:18

      Yeah so the problem here was locking yourself in to either Apples or Googles services, something I`m guilty of doing with gmail. (Android user)

      I imagine however the issue with your photos could have been mitigated to using neither google photos or apples offering. Personally I use Dropbox, however I imagine there are quite a few alternatives in that space.

      One thing I will say about Android devices is that they vary greatly. In the last few years I have only ever gone for high end devices and at times I have still been disappointed. Had an LG G2 for 2 years before the battery began giving out on me, great phone and very responsive. I wish I could say the same thing about the G3 which replaced it, the stock lollipop firmware is terrible and I`ve ended up replacing it with Cyanogenmod (I believe at the expense of some battery optimisations).

      As said the nexus line is a no brainer, frequent updates and generally all round very responsive well put together phones.

      • songford on 09/11/2015 - 15:28

        Exactly. ANDROID DEVICES VARY GREATLY! (Sorry for the all caps!)

        Therefore it is very irrational to say "Ahh my Android phone sucks because it's laggy/ugly/feels cheap/battery life terrible so that all Android phones are like that!" I owned a Sony before but I especially hate its UI, but this doesn't necessarily mean Android has an inferior UI design, quite on contrary, I think material design wins current iOS designing principle a decisive edge. But it's just most companies(LG, Samsung, Sony, fill in this blank) throw it away for whatever reason it is.

        Personally I think if you hate Nexii then you'll probably hate Android. Otherwise try a Nexus and see what you've got.

        • knk on 09/11/2015 - 15:31

          Yep, when you take an OS and slap it on someone elses hardware this is what happens.

          People say windows sucks because their $300 Harvey Norman special isn`t as good a performer as your $2000 macbook.

  • John on 09/11/2015 - 15:35

    I made the jump and went back to Apple. Mainly because I still very much prefer Apple phones. And also because I already am invested in their apps and music. So kinda don't see the real benefit of jumping to Android.

    If budget is your issue, I recommend buying a secondhand iPhones. Much cheaper than buying brand new. Esp if you don't mind with iPhones one generation behind. You can always re-sell it again one day with a reasonable value.

    Battery life on the iPhone 6 Plus is great. I have one and hardly run out on battery as long as I keep it fully charged once a day.

  • wheretobuychocettes on 09/11/2015 - 18:30
    +2

    I'm in the same boat as you, OP, except my boat is a bit faster and went somewhere marginally different. I haven't read any other responses, for what it's worth.

    Been iPhone for the last 5 years or so (iPhone 3G, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s) and just bought the Nexus 5X. I'm only a few days in as it only arrived on 5th, setting up was pretty easy and your day to day app use is much the same, with some navigational differences due to not having that physical "home" or back button that the iPhone has.

    Most of my friends, technically inclined and not so much, are Android users. The tech savvy ones were always Android and always wondered why I am not, seeing that I love Google and use almost all their services and am also technically minded etc. So they gave me some app suggestions and setting changes etc. and I've customised it to how I like with very minimal use of widgets (Google calendar and Google now are the only ones currently) and the rest is just your usual apps. Hangouts is practically a replacement of iMessage, or depending on your friends, Facebook Messenger is also there and all work equally well.

    I'm yet to really try out a podcasting app on Android, but so far the one I have (which was the top result) seems difficult to navigate and get what I want done, also seems to be lacking settings that the iOS app has and prove to be useful.

    So far, I'm pretty disappointed with 3 major things that at this stage I am not sure I can/will get over, but I'm giving myself a month until I decide which device to sell (iPhone 6s or Nexus 5X).

    1. Battery life. Despite the mAh being significantly more on the Nexus 5X, it doesn't provide a great battery life. Sure, the screen is larger and pushes a higher resolution, but I don't feel that it's proportional still or that the benefits outweigh the cons. If you can get through the day without much screen on time, it will do pretty well, but whenever the screen is on the battery just goes. That 10-20 minute window of checking emails/Facebook/etc. in the morning would cost me often like 0% or 1% on iPhone, and 5% or more on the Nexus 5X. The week ahead will see this put to more normal use, so perhaps I'll see a positive change.

    2. Screen sensitivity. The iPhone is really sensitive, I can type without looking at the device at all and not have made any mistakes, and often hit send without even looking for errors (besides, the errors, if they happen, can be funny). The Nexus 5X isn't nearly as responsive, it feels almost like I have to press the screen to get it to respond. I think I am slowly starting to press harder after consciously thinking about it, but it often results in a lot of mistakes regardless of me watching what I'm doing.

    3. The auto screen brightness adjusting on the Nexus 5X (Android in general?) sucks! I rely heavily on this on iOS, cause I shouldn't need to constantly be adjusting it manually. On iOS it adjusts between minimum brightness and maximum brightness depending on your lighting environment, how it should. With my Nexus, it seems to get a "base" brightness (which it treats as minimum I think) and then adjusts up and down from there only. Right now I have it set to minimum and auto adjust, and very often, indoors when light isn't always necessarily pointing directly at the face of the screen (but the room is still well lit) it thinks it's dark, and very suddenly and rapidly will auto-adjust to minimum brightness. iOS would do this also, but at a much slower rate, so if you could see it becoming an issue, you could change it manually and it would stick for a period before going back to automatic after some time.
      With the combination of bad battery life and seemingly needing to bump up my brightness so I can actually see, I can't see the battery life getting much better if I use my phone a reasonable amount, which is the entire point of having a smart phone.

    I really wanted to make the switch over to Android with this device, but at this stage it looks unlikely that I will be staying long term.
    Still, as I said, I'm giving it a full month and I am not touching the iPhone at all in this time, in fact it's actually wiped and with a friend who is trialling Apple after years of Android. We compare notes.

    I realise it's very early days, but that's where I'm at right now. I guess I'll report back (if anyone cares) later on in the month. :)

    • theguyrules on 10/11/2015 - 14:53
      +2

      More than likely the battery on your Nexus 5X needs to settle before it's really good.
      A lot of people get their new phone and are annoyed that the battery life isn't amazing, but it takes a few days to even a week for it to settle and be at its best.
      The 5X is an LG phone, same as my new-ish G4 which has an awesome battery life, so yours should be good too.

    • StalkingIbis on 11/11/2015 - 21:13

      thanks man. Definitely report back! I might still be deliberating/too scared to fully jump in the cold water.

      • wheretobuychocettes on 01/12/2015 - 17:01
        +1

        So it's been about a month of solid use now. Revisiting my complaints from last time:
        1. Battery life is much more bearable now, will comfortably make it to the end of the day (before the bed time use) with 40% or more in the tank. That's using Bluetooth audio in the car to and from work (30 minutes each way) and a minimum of 1.5-2 hours of screen time. I don't feel the need to plug in at work, partially because it doesn't charge well from the front side USB port on my work PC, and also because I leave work with 75-80% battery still.
        2. I must have gotten used to the screen sensitivity. There are times, like when trying to find the exact symbol that I want on the keyboard, that I just want iOS back, but that will be something to get used to over a longer period of time I suppose, no big downside there.
        3. Doesn't seem to be as much of an issue. It still occasionally jumps dramatically from a decent brightness level to super dim when I/the lighting hasn't changed… but since bumping up the minimum to just a bit before half way seems to mean that I can always see the screen in those situations. If doing small text reading you might need to adjust more frequently to get the best battery life and viewing conditions.
        I assume the reason for this is that the light sensor is a little bit inside the phone body, and not on the surface of the glass sort of how iPhone is. Bit of an oversight in manufacturing that results in a slightly negative user experience.

        Having said all that though, I have decided to stick it out with Android. It's about $300 cheaper for the Nexus 5X 32GB than my iPhone 6S 16GB - and roughly the same overall experience at the end of the day. For that alone it's worth the jump to Android.

        I've done a bit of customising with a different launcher, blah blah, nothing that you really need, but it's nice to have a little more control about where you want icons and folders instead of "no, must be from left to right and top to bottom, no gaps!" from iOS. Widgets aren't really something I can get into, on iOS I was more a fan of seeing my background than covering it with heaps of icons on the home screen. I'm the same on Android I guess.

        Most of the apps I had are big name apps with Adnroid equivalents, so that's not a big deal. There are some I'm surprised don't have an equal on Android, like the Pedometer app on iOS, just simply counting steps with a nice graph of the history. Google Fit gets nearly all the way there, but the interface isn't as streamlined as it's trying to do a few other things than just count steps.

        Sometimes I'm weary of Android apps because they ask for permissions up front to access a crazy amount of information on your phone, I know the new Android update has changed so that it only asks for permission when relevant, like iOS has done for years now, but a large number of big name apps still haven't been updated to take advantage of it. So the less-used apps that ask for permissions often get a big "no" from me.

        Not sure how long the stay with Android will be, but I can question that more when the iPhone 7 and iOS 10 are both around. :P

  • randomhero24 on 10/11/2015 - 03:22

    Calam05, OP, do you work for a research company?

    I am asking if you asked the question that is the topic of this thread, purely to get a discussion on various phones and services to generate feedback.

    • StalkingIbis on 11/11/2015 - 21:08

      no Im a school teacher, but maybe a research company should employ me. Look at all these comments!!!

  • ChatCPT on 10/11/2015 - 12:16
    +3

    I switched from iPhone twice, both times to the latest android flagships at the time. Lasted less than a year both times and bought back into the next iPhone that came out.

    It really puzzles me being a ozbargainer cheap ass. I just can't handle android it's needlessly complicated and poorly designed (OS) in my opinion obviously. Every time my inner cheapness kicks in I think to myself this is the best android according to mkbhd it's gotta be great but I don't like the os. Call me crazy but the iPhone photos look better!

    The two most important things to me - OS and camera

    OP - I'd suggest borrow a family/friends android for a day. Don't just play with the display model or look at online reviews. If you can last a day. Go for it! Don't be surprised if you come running back. Lol

  • fruit on 10/11/2015 - 16:10

    OPs question seems pretty loaded, and I'm an Apple fan.
    You've given so many reasons to just buy that iPhone… why not?

    It's iTunes on Windows that sucks (intentionally) iTunes on Mac is fine.

    • StalkingIbis on 11/11/2015 - 21:18

      Ive been with iphone for the last 5 years. People tell me android is better, so i can at least assume it is worth comparing. There is the aspect of potentially not knowing what im missing out on.

      Price is another big factor. The nexus 6p can be had for $500 cheaper than a 6s plus…Thats a big consideration if i want to keep upgrading every 2 years like i have been.

      I was about to pull the trigger on one tonight, but came back in here first and saw all the comments about spontaneous screen cracking and bending/weak spot issues and got scared off.

      My 5c died on me before i even made it home from school today without much use. Thats the main issue that made me look to an upgrade.

  • Austin316 on 12/11/2015 - 10:36

    I moved from Iphone 5 > Xperia Z3. Using android OS was strange at first but once you become savvy, its fantastic.

    Android Pros for me:
    Drag drop mp3 songs / videos / pics or other files to your phone.
    widget and other phone customisation
    Miracast support to my TV
    Enable to use Utorrent. (becomes handy when traveling)
    Better battery life (thats because i have an Xperia)

    IOS pros:
    iMessage - (not big of a deal as i have unlimited txt plan and i use whatsapp most of the time)
    Facetime - The best thing about iPhone that i miss. Although now i use Google hangout, i find the video quality is better in Facetime
    App security - There is no need to download antivirus and etc to safeguard your phone
    Better looking apps
    Works better for people with other apple products. (i dont own any)

    My advise, if you only need a phone for basic use, you better off to use an iphone. Android will serve you better if you are willing to learn and apply its function.

    • ozhunter on 12/11/2015 - 10:40

      Just curious, what do I have to learn on the android phone that I don't on the iphone?

  • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 18/11/2015 - 17:08

    I have both. I made the switch from the iPhone 4 to Galaxy s4.

    Pros (s4) s4 had removable battery, free navigon gps, could download files and mp3s from the Internet on the fly

    Negs: battery never lasted as long on a full charge, at the 2 year mark the s4 became laggy, requires resets often, and generally wasn't as stable. Updates take an eternity to roll out, resell value was poor (losing at least $200 a year), but you may encounter some of these on iPhone too.

    I made the switch from s4 to iPhone 6, mainly I liked the design better over the s5/6, and wasn't willing to pay about the same for the iPhone for the Samsung, and I managed to scoop up on the 6 when eBay had 20% off. Also iOS has the find friend app which a few of my close friends started using together with me

    • DARK KHAOS on 18/11/2015 - 18:30

      This is a good point.
      recently I reached a cross road after 11 months with an s4 and stuck on kitkat with no otw updates since original purchase.
      So I upgraded to lollypop manually and wow I have a modern ui phone again with no lag.

      I highly recommend anybody in the same boat to explore this option (cheap option!!!)

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 18/11/2015 - 19:53

      Also worth pointing out that even 4-5 years after the iphone 4 was stop being used as a phone, it still serves as my media player and remote control for apple TV and itunes, and occasional "toilet" entertainment unit

      • DARK KHAOS on 18/11/2015 - 21:27

        Or a hand me down ipod for kiddies

  • StalkingIbis on 04/02/2017 - 10:06

    I've done it!

    Gave it another crack and have been using a Nexus 5x since Christmas.

    I had an iphone 5c, not sure if the newer ones have some of the features i will report. Here are some observations for anyone who cares.

    Phones are customised so much to the way we like them, a new phone that is different will feel very weird. You need to set up the apps, menus and wallpapers etc. as best you can to what you are used to before you can consider yourself having given it a fair chance.

    Of course the lack of physical button took me a while to get used to, but generally its not too bad. Just swipe up from the bottom when its not present and then press it…one extra button push a million times adds up though, but im not too bothered.

    Phone takes quite a while to boot up from power off.

    The back button is cool. The square button to switch between apps is redundant. A double press or some other gesture would have been fine.

    The forward button in the internet browser is hidden in a menu.

    "Ok Google" seems to be miles better then Siri.

    The gmail app reads my emails and tells me when my bills are coming up and how much they are…I didnt tell it to do this, doesnt really help me because im already pretty organised wit that stuff, but it weirded me out a little.
    The google approach seems to want to do lots of intuitive stuff for you, like tell you what the traffic is like on your usual route at about the time you usually finish work. Unnecessary for me, but the tinfoil hat kinds will definitely hate it.

    I love the notification light on the android, dislike not having little notification balloons on the apps themselves.

    The android keyboard delete button is cool how you can press it then swipe back to delete whole words or groups of words. I really dislike trying to put my cursor in a specific spot. The apple keyboard will magnify the text above your thumb to let you see where you are moving it to.

    Calendar widget is awesome. Takes up a quarter of my homescreen and i can scroll it up or down without having to go into the app.

    Dislike the colours for contacts and conversations in messages. They are random and can only be changed one at a time.

    The Music situation is far better on apple. I cant figure out how to make playlists or the like. There is certainly no available software on my computer to toy around with it and then just sync it up.

    Finding a case wasn't hard online.

    I like the fingerprint reader, but dislike only being allowed 5 fingerprints. Sometimes its easier to use my left/right hand, index/middle finger…thats only 4 right? Saved my wife's fingerprints too.

    Pressing the screen lock button while on speaker hangs up -_-. I had to find an option to allow the lock button to actually hang up. It was so painful to try and end a call before i enabled that one. Now while on speaker the screen stays on which is annoying if the call goes for any period of time.

    The settings menus on the android are hard to understand and find things. Advanced menu, system tuner etc. I just want to enable my battery percentage!

    I have listed several gripes but overall there are things that this phone does better than iphones, how important those features are to you will help you decide if you want to switch…A key feature for me is price, and I feel like for the money that I can save every couple of years by purchasing a cheaper android phone I'm glad that I switched over now. However, with the new google phones being the same price as the new iphones, I'm not sure I would purchase the android at the same price point due to the styling and simplicity of the iphones.

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