iOS 7 refugee looking for new phone options

perse · Oct 17, 2013

Hi everyone.
I'm new to the forums, but not to the Mac world. I've owned every iPhone model, cept the 5s, ipads , macbooks, apple tv, airport express and so much more. I converted my company to apple also. But I am so frustrated with iOS 7 that I am looking for other options now.

I'm on the road pretty constantly, And the iPhone has been part of my mobile office. I loved the iPhone experience and ease of use up through iOS 6. I don't run a ton of apps, 20 maybe, but use things like notes and calendar constantly. of course, those apps are changed the most in iOS 7, and work no where near as well as they used to. Ever try reading yellow text on a white background outside?

Anyhow, so what I am looking for is the speed, simplicity and ease of use of the ios6 iPhone. Amy suggestions?

perse · Oct 17, 2013

As an aside, I have been playing with a Nexus 4. Not ideal as it sits, but it has a lot of good features.

JC17 · Oct 17, 2013

Depends what you want really. Is screen size important? Battery life? Build quality?
There's a great range of choice out there. The G2 and Note 3 are probably the best out there atm but there's the new Nexus5 being released at some point in the near future and this years releases such as the HTC One and S4 are also great phones.

perse · Oct 17, 2013

JC17 said:
Depends what you want really. Is screen size important? Battery life? Build quality?
There's a great range of choice out there. The G2 and Note 3 are probably the best out there atm but there's the new Nexus5 being released at some point in the near future and this years releases such as the HTC One and S4 are also great phones.

Thanks!
Now that I have more options, a bigger screen would be nice. I'm used to crap iPhone battery life, so battery life is not that big of an issue. Plus, I spend a lot of time in the car, so I can plug I all I want. Build quality is nice, but not that huge of an issue.

I did play with a BB q10 on the weekend too, and it seemed to have a very nice os. The keyboard felt weird to me, however, but I likely could adjust.

Dr McKay · Oct 17, 2013

Seeing as pretty much every android phone has a bigger screen than iPhone, you need to let us know what else is important.

What is your screen size limit? Is it specs you're interested in? Camera?

sarcosis · Oct 17, 2013

perse said:
Thanks!
Now that I have more options, a bigger screen would be nice. I'm used to crap iPhone battery life, so battery life is not that big of an issue. Plus, I spend a lot of time in the car, so I can plug I all I want. Build quality is nice, but not that huge of an issue.

I did play with a BB q10 on the weekend too, and it seemed to have a very nice os. The keyboard felt weird to me, however, but I likely could adjust.

Give the Moto X a try. You should get good battery life and the closest stock Android experience you can get with a carrier phone. It's quick, just a tad bigger physically than the iphone, but you get a bigger screen and is built very well.

mortenandersen · Oct 17, 2013

What about Xperia ZR?

Dr McKay said:
Seeing as pretty much every android phone has a bigger screen than iPhone, you need to let us know what else is important.

What is your screen size limit? Is it specs you're interested in? Camera?

I you would like a somewhat bigger screen, but not so big as a 5" screen, the Xperia ZR is probably an OK or good phone, with its 4,55" screen. Also, the now soon one year old Xperia V with a 4,3" screen, has got good results in tests. These phones also are to some degree water resistant, if we are to believe the reports.

SR71 · Oct 17, 2013

I'd recommend the G2 just based off of all the rave reviews. It's got an awesome camera, amazing battery life, possibly the best display on ANY smartphone (some reviewers even claim it bests the display on the HTC One, which was the previous king of displays), and is super fast.

From my own experience, whatever you decide to get, DO NOT GET THE GALAXY S4. Please. Save yourself the frustration and wasted time of even dealing with that POS.

LIVEFRMNYC · Oct 17, 2013

You really can't lose with most of the latest popular Android phones. Currently use the S4 and love it.

kenknotts · Oct 17, 2013

perse said:
Anyhow, so what I am looking for is the speed, simplicity and ease of use of the ios6 iPhone. Amy suggestions?

You wont find the combo of all that on an Android phone. Ive owned 10 of them, every manufacturer, so I should know.

perse · Oct 17, 2013

kenknotts said:
You wont find the combo of all that on an Android phone. Ive owned 10 of them, every manufacturer, so I should know.

Sadly, I won't find that on an Apple phone anymore either.

kenknotts · Oct 17, 2013

perse said:
Sadly, I won't find that on an Apple phone anymore either.

Well if iOS 7 is too complicated for you to use, you definitely want to avoid Android.

Sounds Good · Oct 17, 2013

sarcosis said:
Give the Moto X a try. You should get good battery life and the closest stock Android experience you can get with a carrier phone. It's quick, just a tad bigger physically than the iphone, but you get a bigger screen and is built very well.

Is the Moto X enough of an increase in screen size (from the iPhone)?

mortenandersen · Oct 17, 2013

He didn't complain about iOS 7 being "complicated"...

kenknotts said:
Well if iOS 7 is too complicated for you to use, you definitely want to avoid Android.

He didn't complain about iOS 7 being "complicated" but had reasonable critical comments about for instance that it is not easy to read yellow typing on a white background outside of a house, among different other things.

JC17 · Oct 17, 2013

kenknotts said:
Well if iOS 7 is too complicated for you to use, you definitely want to avoid Android.

All I see from you is 'droid hate. I'm sorry, but whenever I've handed my phone over to a iPhone user friend, they seem to be able to grasp how it all works.
If you can actually give me a valid example of how it's complicated then...

Moto X is 4.7 inch which I would guess is large enough, same screen size as HTC One.
However it is only 720p, so it obviously won't be as good as the One, or any other 1080p phone for that matter.

sarcosis · Oct 17, 2013

Sounds Good said:
Is the Moto X enough of an increase in screen size (from the iPhone)?

I would think so. It's 4.7 vs 4. You loose about 0.2 of an inch for the on screen keys, but it is noticeable that it is larger screen wise, but with the thin bezel, it still makes it small enough for one handed use.

mortenandersen · Oct 17, 2013

What are your specific complaints?

perse said:
Hi everyone.
I'm new to the forums, but not to the Mac world. I've owned every iPhone model, cept the 5s, ipads , macbooks, apple tv, airport express and so much more. I converted my company to apple also. But I am so frustrated with iOS 7 that I am looking for other options now.

I'm on the road pretty constantly, And the iPhone has been part of my mobile office. I loved the iPhone experience and ease of use up through iOS 6. I don't run a ton of apps, 20 maybe, but use things like notes and calendar constantly. of course, those apps are changed the most in iOS 7, and work no where near as well as they used to. Ever try reading yellow text on a white background outside?

Anyhow, so what I am looking for is the speed, simplicity and ease of use of the ios6 iPhone. Amy suggestions?

I re-read your opening post and the thread, and I wonder a bit what are your specific complaints about iOS 7? You mention apps like notes and calendar, and as a understand you: You don't think they work near as well as they used to. And so you mention the yellow text on a white background.

As far as I can see, that's all you complain about - have I understood you right?

Regarding speed, simplicity and ease of use I cannot - with good will - see that iOS 7 is not as good as iOS 6. If you disagree, please give specific examples of what you complain about in iOS 7 that is not working so well as in iOS 6.

TacticalDesire · Oct 17, 2013

I would also recommend the Moto X. It's the simplest of the carrier android phones, very snappy, has great battery, near stock android and despite the larger screen isn't too much bigger than the iPhone.

perse · Oct 17, 2013

kenknotts said:
Well if iOS 7 is too complicated for you to use, you definitely want to avoid Android.

Not too complicated at all. I've been using an iPhone for 6 years. Nor do I find the Androids complicated at all. I'm just looking for the best possible phone for heavy use.

kenknotts · Oct 17, 2013

perse said:
Not too complicated at all. I've been using an iPhone for 6 years. Nor do I find the Androids complicated at all. I'm just looking for the best possible phone for heavy use.

Ok, well you mentioned "simplicity" and "ease of use" as your big concerns but then a post later said you wont find that on an iPhone running iOS 7. That sounded to me like you were saying iOS 7 was too complicated for you. What do you mean then?

perse · Oct 17, 2013

mortenandersen said:
I re-read your opening post and the thread, and I wonder a bit what are your specific complaints about iOS 7? You mention apps like notes and calendar, and as a understand you: You don't think they work near as well as they used to. And so you mention the yellow text on a white background.

As far as I can see, that's all you complain about - have I understood you right?

Regarding speed, simplicity and ease of use I cannot - with good will - see that iOS 7 is not as good as iOS 6. If you disagree, please give specific examples of what you complain about in iOS 7 that is not working so well as in iOS 6.

For me, as a heavy user and business user, iOS 7 has changed the iPhone from the clearest and easiest to use smartphone on the market, to an ergonomic and visual nightmare. The new design makes things much harder for me to use at a glance. I'm constantly searching and reading instead of just using. I also use it all the time out doors, and the skinny fonts and low contrast washes out constantly. It's sad, because iOS 7 has so many good features. But the visual design is an unmitigated disaster.

I usually use my phone 4000-5000 minutes a month, with a couple of thousand text messages and 6-10 gig of data, not including wifi, of course. And who knows how many emails. So I am on it all day long. I want a device that makes life easier for me. iOS 7 fails in this regard. Notes and calendar, for all their flaws, were apps I used constantly, and they have just lost their usability and usefulness for me.

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kenknotts said:
Ok, well you mentioned "simplicity" and "ease of use" as your big concerns but then a post later said you wont find that on an iPhone running iOS 7. That sounded to me like you were saying iOS 7 was too complicated for you. What do you mean then?

Nothing complicated about it. Just that the usability of it has dropped dramatically with the "upgrade". Yes, I tried it for a few weeks. No, there was nothing I couldn't figure out. Nor am I married to fake wood and leather. I just expect the display and graphics to be clear and easy to use, at a glance. Low contrast color schemes and skinny fonts do not pass this test. And yes, I have adjusted the font size and bolded it.

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LIVEFRMNYC said:
You really can't lose with most of the latest popular Android phones. Currently use the S4 and love it.

I looked at a Galaxy Note 3 today, and was very impressed. Love the huge screen. Don't know how it will work outside, but having that much real estate is certainly very nice.

----------

Thanks also for the Motorola and LG recommendations. I'll definitely have a look at both!

kenknotts · Oct 17, 2013

perse said:
I looked at a Galaxy Note 3 today, and was very impressed. Love the huge screen. Don't know how it will work outside, but having that much real estate is certainly very nice.

I see. Well I am not sure what to tell you other than try out some phones and see what you like. Ive owned Samsung, HTC, LG and Motorola Android phones and used all their UIs. I find iOS to be much easier to use then any of them and Siri is more advanced and does more for you than S voice or any of the other assistants on Android. Try some out though.

perse · Oct 17, 2013

kenknotts said:
I see. Well I am not sure what to tell you other than try out some phones and see what you like. Ive owned Samsung, HTC, LG and Motorola Android phones and used all their UIs. I find iOS to be much easier to use then any of them and Siri is more advanced and does more for you than S voice or any of the other assistants on Android. Try some out though.

I will do that.

I never have used Siri much, so that is pretty much a non issue, for me. I'd say the "bones" of iOS are still amongst the best out there, and from an ease of use perspective, a notch above Android. BB10 might be better than most, as an OS, but there are other issues there, of course.

That's the silliness of the whole thing. Without the "redesign", I'd likely be happily using iOS 7 on a new 5S. I was an ultimate Apple fanboy and wouldn't have even looked at anything else. I would have never left Apple.

kenknotts · Oct 17, 2013

perse said:
That's the silliness of the whole thing. Without the "redesign", I'd likely be happily using iOS 7 on a new 5S. I was an ultimate Apple fanboy and wouldn't have even looked at anything else. I would have never left Apple.

Sounds like you dont like change. You do realize the Android OS changes MUCH more frequently than iOS right? Its changed about 4-5 times just in the last few years.

perse · Oct 17, 2013

kenknotts said:
Sounds like you dont like change. You do realize the Android OS changes MUCH more frequently than iOS right? Its changed about 4-5 times just in the last few years.

I wondered who would come up with that insulting comment first. That seems to be common attack against people who don't like iOS 7. It's plain stupid. It's insulting. It's offensive.

I like change just fine. Which is why I upgraded the day iOS 7 became available. Just like I'm embracing change by looking at leaving the iOS world and embracing new technology. I just prefer my "change" to be for the better, which iOS 7 certainly is not.

And please don't make this an iOS vs Android thing. That's your battle, not mine. I've used every OS out there, Cept for windows, and am open to anything.

iOS 7 refugee looking for new phone options

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