I actually did this challenge with my wife's iPhone 5 and my S3. Listen to this guy he's right.
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Traded iPhone 4S for Galaxy S3....Big mistake
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I actually did this challenge with my wife's iPhone 5 and my S3. Listen to this guy he's right.
Rather than listening to random android fans on this forum, with unsubstantiated claims and nonstandardized tests, I'd rather listen to a prominent tech website and their thorough battery testing with a well-established methodology. Seems simple, but I'm not surprised none of you are willing to accept it since it doesn't give the results you want.
Pretty sure you mean fluid not fluent.
There is no denying that the latest popular Android smartphones, running the latest version of Android--or at least jb--are just as fluid as the iPhone. Heck the notification drop-down on my Nexus is noticeably smoother and more fluid than on my iPhone.
Is it fluid? Don't take my word for it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqHOcwzT5eY
That figure is simply not true. Not just a little untrue. Ridiculously untrue:
"The numbers follow a report from Chitika 24 hours after iOS 6 was released, which said that 15 percent of iOS users were already on the newest OS."
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-5...dy-on-60-percent-of-iphones-in-north-america/
And you are ignoring the fact that you don't need to have the latest version of Android in order to have the core apps updated. On iOS you do. You can't get the features that iOS 6 brought to Safari on the original iPad (but you can run the latest version of Chrome
). Nor can you can get turn-by-turn navigation on the iPhone 4. Google updates core apps all the time, and that includes older devices.All that said, the Android OS update situation has apparently improved. The current most-popular smartphones seem to be doing OK, update-wise.
Moreover, the Nexus line gets updates immediately. I'm certainly running the most-current version of Android on my Nexus 4. And I will get the next update as soon as it arrives.
Michael
According to CNET the iPhone 5 is capable of four times the brightness of the S3, so do you really think its fair to make the iPhone go 400% as bright to compensate for a 20% smaller screen?
Seems grossly unfair to me. iPhone should be on less than half brightness (half brightness makes it still twice as bright as the S3 on full, so it's still too much because the S3s screen is not double the size nor does it have double the pixels).
Even then it's a bad test, because OLEDs are much more power efficient at handling blacks and much worse at handling whites.
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It is not like the only people to test battery life are "random android fans on this forum" and Anandtech.
I don't have an iPhone 5 or S3 but I would not personally put too much faith in Anandtech for battery life testing. He is all over the map with that. According to him the iPhone 5 has 25% better battery life than the iPhone 4S.
But a little hole in the wall called MacWorld had different results. This is what they said about the iPhone 5:
http://www.macworld.com/article/2010535/lab-tests-how-long-does-the-iphone-5s-battery-last.html
If I cared about it I am pretty sure I can find another respected tech site that claims the S3 has better battery life than the iPhone 5.
Edit: And, sure enough I just did. Considering the review ended in favor of the iPhone 5 I am going to have to say this was not a "random Android fan."
In my not so humble opinion to continue to harp on Anandtech, and only Anandtech, is disingenuous. But I won't call you a "random iOS fan."
Michael
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It's ridiculous for Macworld to claim that the iPhone 5 has poorer battery life than the 4S. Anyone who has owned both phones will tell you that the 5 is an improvement. Here's more proof: according to Laptop Mag, the iphone 5 beats not only the 4S but also the GS3.
http://m.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/how-does-iphone-5-battery-life-stack-1B6102050
That is not proof. That is a citation to support your assertion. I could just as easily offer another citation that goes the other way. More importantly, that citation does not agree with Anand: it shows the two are very close in battery life. My only point in this discussion was that I would not trust Anand on it. You pretty much supported my point with that citation.
Seems to me the two are about equal, give or take, battery-life-wise. Both will apparently get most folks through the day. Both would likely be an improvement over my Nexus 4 (ugh) or even my 4S.
Michael
Man this thread got funny in a hurry.
I sincerely hope iOS doesn't become more like Android - I also don't want the opposite to occur.
Each exists for different users. Each also implements certain features in their own ways, which is why iOS has its following and Android has its.
Many of the things mentioned in this thread (LED notification light, dedicated back button, "file manager", widgets etc....) are things that may be great for some and superfluous for others.
If I say "an LED notification light is superfluous" why is the first instinct of many Android users to foam at the mouth and berate me? What if I always have my phone on my person and don't need a light to tell me when I have a notification. Does that bother you in some way? Does it make your phone better than mine? In your mind perhaps, but that's fine.
Why do those of us - who are perfectly content with iOS as is (generally speaking - there are always improvements to be made with any software, Android included) HAVE TO HAVE all these "features" Android has - when a lot of them are redundant and unnecessary.
As I said - each OS exists for separate purposes and users. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with this. I prefer iOS - and frankly don't care if you can't understand why. I'm the only one who needs to be satisfied why my tech purchases and usage. Same as you are the only one you need to convince of your phone's "superiority".
Lastly, just because someone stated they didn't need LTE on the 4S and then subsequently praised LTE on the 5 doesn't mean they are a contradictory moron.....
LTE was not that widespread and there were many issues related to battery life in LTE handsets. Apple chose to wait for a certain LTE radio (the Qualcomm one that came out not long before the 5) and implemented the tech then. What's so terrible about this? Apple adds a more mature implementation of LTE - and I can't be excited about it? Even if I didn't mind the absence of the less mature LTE on the 4S? Again, why does this piss so many people off?
There are two strategies here - iOS seems to be about matured simplicity and efficiency. Android seems to be a grab-bag of bleeding edge technology - whether it be ready for prime time or not. If someone wants the matured simplicity (and is happy to let Apple roll out tech when they feel its ready because that consumer hasn't minded Apple's decisions in the past) let them have it! If another wants the absolute fastest processor there is (even if there's literally no app that takes advantage of it and it affects battery life or efficiency of the phone) then great, there's an OS/phone for you as well.
But cut this nonsense that Apple needs to make iOS more like Android. And let's be realistic - both OSes have flaws, not just iOS. Those who are looking at switching because you feel Apple's decisions haven't been best this go around, that's completely understandable. I, personally, am content with my phone - it's not a computer. It's a great many things for me (music player, communication device, browser, media player, information hub) but it's not a personal computer.
Maybe one day the smartphone and PC will be the same - I still don't think something, even with a 5.3" screen, can be that hybrid - but that's just my opinion.
I sincerely hope iOS doesn't become more like Android - I also don't want the opposite to occur.
Each exists for different users. Each also implements certain features in their own ways, which is why iOS has its following and Android has its.
Many of the things mentioned in this thread (LED notification light, dedicated back button, "file manager", widgets etc....) are things that may be great for some and superfluous for others.
If I say "an LED notification light is superfluous" why is the first instinct of many Android users to foam at the mouth and berate me? What if I always have my phone on my person and don't need a light to tell me when I have a notification. Does that bother you in some way? Does it make your phone better than mine? In your mind perhaps, but that's fine.
Why do those of us - who are perfectly content with iOS as is (generally speaking - there are always improvements to be made with any software, Android included) HAVE TO HAVE all these "features" Android has - when a lot of them are redundant and unnecessary.
As I said - each OS exists for separate purposes and users. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with this. I prefer iOS - and frankly don't care if you can't understand why. I'm the only one who needs to be satisfied why my tech purchases and usage. Same as you are the only one you need to convince of your phone's "superiority".
Lastly, just because someone stated they didn't need LTE on the 4S and then subsequently praised LTE on the 5 doesn't mean they are a contradictory moron.....
LTE was not that widespread and there were many issues related to battery life in LTE handsets. Apple chose to wait for a certain LTE radio (the Qualcomm one that came out not long before the 5) and implemented the tech then. What's so terrible about this? Apple adds a more mature implementation of LTE - and I can't be excited about it? Even if I didn't mind the absence of the less mature LTE on the 4S? Again, why does this piss so many people off?
There are two strategies here - iOS seems to be about matured simplicity and efficiency. Android seems to be a grab-bag of bleeding edge technology - whether it be ready for prime time or not. If someone wants the matured simplicity (and is happy to let Apple roll out tech when they feel its ready because that consumer hasn't minded Apple's decisions in the past) let them have it! If another wants the absolute fastest processor there is (even if there's literally no app that takes advantage of it and it affects battery life or efficiency of the phone) then great, there's an OS/phone for you as well.
But cut this nonsense that Apple needs to make iOS more like Android. And let's be realistic - both OSes have flaws, not just iOS. Those who are looking at switching because you feel Apple's decisions haven't been best this go around, that's completely understandable. I, personally, am content with my phone - it's not a computer. It's a great many things for me (music player, communication device, browser, media player, information hub) but it's not a personal computer.
Maybe one day the smartphone and PC will be the same - I still don't think something, even with a 5.3" screen, can be that hybrid - but that's just my opinion.
Funny. You just agreed with what I have been saying. Just to be clear for everyone, you admit the S3 has bettery battery life.
BTW, iphone is brighter, but doesn't have to work as hard pushing pixels on that tiny 3.99" screen.
Funny. You just agreed with what I have been saying. Just to be clear for everyone, you admit the S3 has bettery battery life.
BTW, iphone is brighter, but doesn't have to work as hard pushing pixels on that tiny 3.99" screen.
I said absolutely nothing of the sort, where did you get that from what I said?
The S3 has a 20% bigger screen than the iPhone and 20% more pixels. So how is it fair for the iPhone to shine 400% more brightly?
That makes no sense
If you're referring to my AMOLED comment, I said that it's great at handling blacks but not so good at whites. An AMOLED screen uses no power for blacks, but three times as much power as a backlit LED for whites. So if your phone is all black then, yes, it would easily beat the iPhone on battery life, but if it's white it would die really quickly. Many of Google's apps are white, like Gmail, Google Drive, Google+, etc., so they will not be very good for battery on an AMOLED screen.
That's racist!
(Just kidding
)Look guys, does it really matter? Whether the iPhone 5's battery life is better than the GS3's or not, the iPhone 6 and GS4 will likely be even better than both of them. Does the phone last throughout the day for your usage? If yes, great. If not, buy a battery case or portable battery for your phone. Is there no battery case available for your phone? Well, come up with another solution - it doesn't mean that the phone is better or worse for it.
Android doesn't appeal to me. That doesn't mean that Android is a junk operating system, or that Android phones are junk phones. It just means I'm going to keep using iPhones until some major shift occurs such that iOS no longer fulfills my needs, or Android does it better. Similarly, folks who use Android and feel it does what they need, fantastic! It doesn't mean iOS is crap, it just means that Android is the better choice for you, and I'm glad you found it.
What's the point of these pissing contests anyway? Use what you have and enjoy it!
That's racist!
(Just kidding
Look guys, does it really matter? Whether the iPhone 5's battery life is better than the GS3's or not, the iPhone 6 and GS4 will likely be even better than both of them. Does the phone last throughout the day for your usage? If yes, great. If not, buy a battery case or portable battery for your phone. Is there no battery case available for your phone? Well, come up with another solution - it doesn't mean that the phone is better or worse for it.
Android doesn't appeal to me. That doesn't mean that Android is a junk operating system, or that Android phones are junk phones. It just means I'm going to keep using iPhones until some major shift occurs such that iOS no longer fulfills my needs, or Android does it better. Similarly, folks who use Android and feel it does what they need, fantastic! It doesn't mean iOS is crap, it just means that Android is the better choice for you, and I'm glad you found it.
What's the point of these pissing contests anyway? Use what you have and enjoy it!
When I see stupidity I just have to speak up, and his so called "challenge" had absolutely no thought put into it as to whether it was actually fair or not.
I have absolutely no desire to convince people that their choice of device is bad!
Well said; excellent points all round. It's not a zero sum game where one side must "die" so the other may "live." I use both iOS and Android devices and love them both for their strengths and weaknesses.
With the Jelly Bean update, low light pictures are no problem and along with the camera effects, they are in a menu right when you open the camera app.
Some examples (all apply to video recording as well) include color seperation. Want to only capture green? The feature is there while all other color is filtered out to black & white. Other filters are similar to what you would find in Instgram or other post processing apps.
I do think the S3 is a great phone but lost my trust as a brand new memory card was destroyed by the S3 and many photos would have been lost if it wasn't for Dropbox. Game data and saves were lost forever including much grinding on The Bard's Tale.
I'm back using my 4S which feels a bit weird due to the much smaller display area. Once T-Mobile starts selling the iPhone, I may buy a newer model. Hopefully it will still work with my Sony bookshelf stereo the same way it works with my old iPod nano and my iPhone 4S.
I like keeping things simple. With multiple devices such as my iPad and other iPods, the new lightning connector will annoy me as an adapter from the standard 30 pin iPod connector may not work as intended.
Yep, that's the one I was referring to (though there are lots of others if for sine reason you don't trust anand.
Sorry for bringing up such an old post, but I couldn't help but to comment on such an interesting post:
First off, I'd like to clarify that the iPhone 5 DOES have a "larger" battery than the 4S if both are on 3G network. I have owned both phones before so I know the difference. Although the batteries of both phones are surprisingly about the same size, the iphone 5 is more power efficient due to its updated chips.
Secondly, although iOS and Android each have their own merits, how it is suited to the individual depends on his or her needs. For me, it is iOS. My iphone 5 was actually destroyed by the rain about 4 months back (very unfortunately). So although I can pick up a iphone 4, I chose to buy a Galaxy Nexus. I was mainly attracted by the OS experience it offers. However, within 3 months, I switched back to the iphone (currently using a 4S). The battery life was ridiculously short, as the AMOLED screen simply saps up too much power. Although Android batteries in theory are much larger or even two times larger than iphone batteries, iPhones are still the best in battery, and only beaten by the RAZR MAXX. This is due to not only iOS programmed to be very efficient, but also Apple's circuitry design. A Galaxy Nexus or Nexus 4 with a 1900mAh battery won't last longer than an iPhone 4.
Not only is the battery life bad, but as a Mac user I was also very frustrated that the Nexus totally couldn't sync to my Mac running Mountain Lion. I wasn't even expecting to sync it to iTunes, but only to appear on my desktop folder to be synced but it couldn't even get the job done. Also, with regards to GPU performance alone, the Galaxy Nexus does lag a lot when running games as its GPU is really outdated. The GPU performance is about the same as an iPhone 4. (Thought I saw a few comments discussing about the GPU).
Although we tire of iPhones for a while after using it, but only after having the iPhone taken away do we realize we are taking the services and stability for granted. The Nexus for me was buggy, laggy, plaqued with problems, although I did enjoyed fooling around with JellyBean 4.2, Google Now and the rest of the other stuff. As a daily driver, the Galaxy Nexus simply isn't good enough for me. Or as a matter of fact, most Android phones won't be good enough for me. The system simply draws too much power doing mundane tasks (for an iPhone). The day I switch to Android again will be the day when Android phones finally get their battery problems fixed, has a proper Mac syncing client and is waterproof, which probably won't be happening for a while.
Lastly, with regards to the comments about the battery life on iphone 4S/5 versus the S3. I've seen it with my own eyes before, the S3 AMOLED IS very dim. The iPhone brightness at about 40% is already the S3 brightness at full. Also, I seriously don't think the S3 can really beat an iPhone when it comes to battery life. AMOLED displays and Android OS is simply too power inefficient. My Galaxy Nexus has a way larger battery than my 4S but yet it can only be used for a fraction of what the iPhone offers.
First off, I'd like to clarify that the iPhone 5 DOES have a "larger" battery than the 4S if both are on 3G network. I have owned both phones before so I know the difference. Although the batteries of both phones are surprisingly about the same size, the iphone 5 is more power efficient due to its updated chips.
Secondly, although iOS and Android each have their own merits, how it is suited to the individual depends on his or her needs. For me, it is iOS. My iphone 5 was actually destroyed by the rain about 4 months back (very unfortunately). So although I can pick up a iphone 4, I chose to buy a Galaxy Nexus. I was mainly attracted by the OS experience it offers. However, within 3 months, I switched back to the iphone (currently using a 4S). The battery life was ridiculously short, as the AMOLED screen simply saps up too much power. Although Android batteries in theory are much larger or even two times larger than iphone batteries, iPhones are still the best in battery, and only beaten by the RAZR MAXX. This is due to not only iOS programmed to be very efficient, but also Apple's circuitry design. A Galaxy Nexus or Nexus 4 with a 1900mAh battery won't last longer than an iPhone 4.
Not only is the battery life bad, but as a Mac user I was also very frustrated that the Nexus totally couldn't sync to my Mac running Mountain Lion. I wasn't even expecting to sync it to iTunes, but only to appear on my desktop folder to be synced but it couldn't even get the job done. Also, with regards to GPU performance alone, the Galaxy Nexus does lag a lot when running games as its GPU is really outdated. The GPU performance is about the same as an iPhone 4. (Thought I saw a few comments discussing about the GPU).
Although we tire of iPhones for a while after using it, but only after having the iPhone taken away do we realize we are taking the services and stability for granted. The Nexus for me was buggy, laggy, plaqued with problems, although I did enjoyed fooling around with JellyBean 4.2, Google Now and the rest of the other stuff. As a daily driver, the Galaxy Nexus simply isn't good enough for me. Or as a matter of fact, most Android phones won't be good enough for me. The system simply draws too much power doing mundane tasks (for an iPhone). The day I switch to Android again will be the day when Android phones finally get their battery problems fixed, has a proper Mac syncing client and is waterproof, which probably won't be happening for a while.
Lastly, with regards to the comments about the battery life on iphone 4S/5 versus the S3. I've seen it with my own eyes before, the S3 AMOLED IS very dim. The iPhone brightness at about 40% is already the S3 brightness at full. Also, I seriously don't think the S3 can really beat an iPhone when it comes to battery life. AMOLED displays and Android OS is simply too power inefficient. My Galaxy Nexus has a way larger battery than my 4S but yet it can only be used for a fraction of what the iPhone offers.
As much as I dislike them - I actually believe that is their saving grace. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought AMOLED displays were actually MORE efficient than IPS LCDs.....IGZO LCDs will trump both, but we have to wait for that.
The relatively poor battery life for Android phones vs the iPhone (or disparity in size to achieve similar results) mostly stems from the poor optimization of the OS and bulk of the skins I would imagine, which in turn requires a much beefier processor setup to run as smoothly. Again - someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Test is flawed since S3 has a low max brightness compared to iphone 5 brightness. The S3 is very dim.
Why are iOS users against widegts, notifications lights, ect? They dont HAVE to be used, you know? Turn them off, simple as that. A large number (probably a majority) would like those things, to some extent. Apple could simply ALLOW devs to make widgets for iOS...Give us more choice!
Id like to CHOOSE my keyboard, for example...Why does Apple care which keyboard I use? Also, options for a little more eye candy are nice...
OPTIONS people!Id actually NOT like Apple to be in control of new widgets...Apple is boring, IMO...Id rather create devs make this stuff for us...Apple just needs to allow them to.
Id like to CHOOSE my keyboard, for example...Why does Apple care which keyboard I use? Also, options for a little more eye candy are nice...
OPTIONS people!Id actually NOT like Apple to be in control of new widgets...Apple is boring, IMO...Id rather create devs make this stuff for us...Apple just needs to allow them to.
It's not so much that we're AGAINST widgets - simply that some of us don't care enough to whine and complain about it. Plus it doesn't fit with Apple's philosophy for iOS which is centered around the in-app experience. Widgets bring you out of that experience.
That's how I see it anyway. There are a few widgets I use on my N4 - but they don't really do a ton for me. They're just kinda there - if Apple were to add them I wouldn't really care, though it would concern me as it would signal they were becoming more like Android - which shouldn't happen. They are two distinct OSes for a reason.
If Apple does do widgets, I'd expect it won't be in the same way we see them on Android. Same goes for notification lights - not against it, just simply not a big deal (or any deal) to me at all. Apple could actually make a really cool notification light - make the square on the home button glow.