Other First week on iOS for me and second week for my wife

[tonybarnaby]

Her previous phones were an s7 and an s8
Mine were OnePlus 3, Moto z play, s7e and finally s8+


We’re big Samsung fans. I’ve owned every galaxy phone besides the s5. I was thinking about getting a note 8 this year, but T-Mobile has a bogo sale on the s8/+, so I picked them up. Bogo on the note 8 wouldn’t help me, since it’s way too large for my wife.

So far we are absolutely loving the Apple life. I got us series 3 watches with cellular. I realize now that cellular is not really useful for us, so I’m going to potentially cancel that service. Everything else is a dream. I’m already looking to replace my windows 10 pc with a MacBook Pro.

I’ve had a week to use my 8 plus and my wife’s x. We both have the perfect phone for us. The x is much flashier, but it’s too small for me and I like the home button. The 8 plus may look old and dated, but considering I’ve never had an iPhone it’s new enough to me. I’ll probably consider an x plus next year, but the x should last my wife for a few years.

Android definitely has some advantages over apple, but I really don’t feel like I’m missing out. Hardware wise, I still think Samsung makes the best phone. Between the s8, s8+ and note 8, there’s a phone for everyone. Samsung has really optimized their software, but after using the iPhone for a week I am seeing a lot more stutter than I ever did on my s8+. I actually sold it last night, so this is the first time since the original galaxy that I haven’t had at least 1 Samsung phone at home. I do feel the s8+ is the best phone of the year, but I’m liking my 8 plus more if that makes sense.

My wife is a power user, but the x battery is more than sufficient. She tops it off periodically to avoid the painfully long charge times. A fast charger is an option, but so far she hasn’t needed one. Battery life for me lasts several days, so I can’t complain. My s8+ gets better battery life while in use due to the amoled screen and snapdragon 835, but from morning to bedtime I routinely end the day with more battery in my 8 plus than I did with the s8+. Standby drain is obviously very impressive with the iPhones.

I’m not sure how ideal the iPhone is for a power user, but it’s perfect for me as a casual user. The battery efficiency is excellent, but the capacity is small on every iPhone and laughably small on the smaller phones. If all phones had the same battery as iPhones, Apple would win every battery life test. As it is, android is still the way to go for power users. You can always get a battery pack or portable charger, but if you want to be on your phone all day long, the iPhone is lacking in a way. I was sick a few months ago and was on my Moto z play for over 4 hours straight, following an AMA. In those 4 hours, I lost only 24%. I could routinely get 10h sot over a 72h period. Perfect balance. The 8 plus is not lacking at all, and it’s actually better than most androids when you consider a regular 16h day where you aren’t on the phone constantly. I’m finding my iPhone to be way more predictable than any phone before it.

All in all, the iPhone 8 plus is my phone of the year. My wife says her x is the best phone she’s ever had, and she hasn’t been this blown away since the galaxy s4. We are Apple for life now. At least until the note 9 drops next year lol. Giving up my Apple Watch will probably be the reason I never leave Apple.

 

[macher]

Her previous phones were an s7 and an s8
Mine were OnePlus 3, Moto z play, s7e and finally s8+


We’re big Samsung fans. I’ve owned every galaxy phone besides the s5. I was thinking about getting a note 8 this year, but T-Mobile has a bogo sale on the s8/+, so I picked them up. Bogo on the note 8 wouldn’t help me, since it’s way too large for my wife.

So far we are absolutely loving the Apple life. I got us series 3 watches with cellular. I realize now that cellular is not really useful for us, so I’m going to potentially cancel that service. Everything else is a dream. I’m already looking to replace my windows 10 pc with a MacBook Pro.

I’ve had a week to use my 8 plus and my wife’s x. We both have the perfect phone for us. The x is much flashier, but it’s too small for me and I like the home button. The 8 plus may look old and dated, but considering I’ve never had an iPhone it’s new enough to me. I’ll probably consider an x plus next year, but the x should last my wife for a few years.

Android definitely has some advantages over apple, but I really don’t feel like I’m missing out. Hardware wise, I still think Samsung makes the best phone. Between the s8, s8+ and note 8, there’s a phone for everyone. Samsung has really optimized their software, but after using the iPhone for a week I am seeing a lot more stutter than I ever did on my s8+. I actually sold it last night, so this is the first time since the original galaxy that I haven’t had at least 1 Samsung phone at home. I do feel the s8+ is the best phone of the year, but I’m liking my 8 plus more if that makes sense.

My wife is a power user, but the x battery is more than sufficient. She tops it off periodically to avoid the painfully long charge times. A fast charger is an option, but so far she hasn’t needed one. Battery life for me lasts several days, so I can’t complain. My s8+ gets better battery life while in use due to the amoled screen and snapdragon 835, but from morning to bedtime I routinely end the day with more battery in my 8 plus than I did with the s8+. Standby drain is obviously very impressive with the iPhones.

I’m not sure how ideal the iPhone is for a power user, but it’s perfect for me as a casual user. The battery efficiency is excellent, but the capacity is small on every iPhone and laughably small on the smaller phones. If all phones had the same battery as iPhones, Apple would win every battery life test. As it is, android is still the way to go for power users. You can always get a battery pack or portable charger, but if you want to be on your phone all day long, the iPhone is lacking in a way. I was sick a few months ago and was on my Moto z play for over 4 hours straight, following an AMA. In those 4 hours, I lost only 24%. I could routinely get 10h sot over a 72h period. Perfect balance. The 8 plus is not lacking at all, and it’s actually better than most androids when you consider a regular 16h day where you aren’t on the phone constantly. I’m finding my iPhone to be way more predictable than any phone before it.

All in all, the iPhone 8 plus is my phone of the year. My wife says her x is the best phone she’s ever had, and she hasn’t been this blown away since the galaxy s4. We are Apple for life now. At least until the note 9 drops next year lol. Giving up my Apple Watch will probably be the reason I never leave Apple.

Yes the 8+ might be ‘dated’ but it’s the culmination of a perfected device.

 

[eyoungren]

Yes the 8+ might be ‘dated’ but it’s the culmination of a perfected device.

We have to define perfection here.

That camera boil on the 7/8 and the camera pill that looks like Bender from Futurama on the 7+/8+ does not say 'perfected device' to me. Far from it.

The 8/8+ is a great phone and I am glad the OP likes it.

But my definition of perfection seems to be quite different than others here.

 

[tonybarnaby]

Yes the 8+ might be ‘dated’ but it’s the culmination of a perfected device.

Internally it’s amazing. I’m not even mad at the bezels. The feel in hand is a bit lacking compared to my s8+, but I obviously liked it enough to buy it. I can say without a doubt that the 8 plus is the best phone I’ve ever used in terms of texting or posting to forums. Keyboard is wide and super responsive.
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We have to define perfection here.

That camera boil on the 7/8 and the camera pill that looks like Bender from Futurama on the 7+/8+ does not say 'perfected device' to me. Far from it.

The 8/8+ is a great phone and I am glad the OP likes it.

But my definition of perfection seems to be quite different than others here.

I will say if the s8+ ran iOS and was compatible with Apple Watch, I might not have switched. It’s a shame Apple and Samsung will never team up. Apple makes the best chips and internals and Samsung makes the best hardware. In my opinion, of course.

 

[MrAperture]

My wife is a power user, but the x battery is more than sufficient. She tops it off periodically to avoid the painfully long charge times. A fast charger is an option, but so far she hasn’t needed one. Battery life for me lasts several days, so I can’t complain. My s8+ gets better battery life while in use due to the amoled screen and snapdragon 835, but from morning to bedtime I routinely end the day with more battery in my 8 plus than I did with the s8+. Standby drain is obviously very impressive with the iPhones.

If you want your phone to charge more quickly you can put it in low power mode in the battery settings. I do that if I need a "quick charge." I added the low power mode to my control center so I easily can access it when I need to.

 

[eyoungren]

I will say if the s8+ ran iOS and was compatible with Apple Watch, I might not have switched. It’s a shame Apple and Samsung will never team up. Apple makes the best chips and internals and Samsung makes the best hardware. In my opinion, of course.

Recently, I've begun to appreciate Samsung's aesthetics, but I am just not there yet.

My next device will be Android though, I just have not ultimately decided on which.

My current iPhone is jailbroken so I've been able to mitigate a lot of the issues I have with Apple/iOS, but the chances of my being able to do that now are slim.

Enjoy your phone. It's a good phone and will serve you well.

 

[tonybarnaby]

I slept for 8 hours last night and my phone lost 5% just idle. It doesn’t lose that much at work on lte, but it did on my home WiFi network. The only thing I can think of is that I have background app refresh off on lte and on while I’m on WiFi. Is losing 4-5% over 8 hours normal? I only have a few social media apps, in addition to a bunch of others.

I remember when I got the phone and hadn’t added much, it lost 1% in 7h overnight. Is this all down to app refresh?


One more thing I was wondering is can you make the battery icon green/red/yellow while using the phone? When you plug it in, it turns green. Can I always have the color reflect the charge level, or does it have to be plugged in? Right now it’s the default black and white. Thanks

 

[eyoungren]

I slept for 8 hours last night and my phone lost 5% just idle. It doesn’t lose that much at work on lte, but it did on my home WiFi network. The only thing I can think of is that I have background app refresh off on lte and on while I’m on WiFi. Is losing 4-5% over 8 hours normal? I only have a few social media apps, in addition to a bunch of others.

I remember when I got the phone and hadn’t added much, it lost 1% in 7h overnight. Is this all down to app refresh?


One more thing I was wondering is can you make the battery icon green/red/yellow while using the phone? When you plug it in, it turns green. Can I always have the color reflect the charge level, or does it have to be plugged in? Right now it’s the default black and white. Thanks

I can't tell you about the charge, but probably your iPhone checking in periodically for mail, etc. I usually plug my phone in at night as it's off the charger all day.

As far as changing anything like icons, etc…no.

That's one of the things you gave up going to iOS. Apple doesn't allow very much customization. If you want to do what you wish you need to jailbreak. But, right now there is no jailbreak for iOS 11.

 

[C DM]

If you want your phone to charge more quickly you can put it in low power mode in the battery settings. I do that if I need a "quick charge." I added the low power mode to my control center so I easily can access it when I need to.

How much quicker is that? I know that enabling airplane mode would make the charging somewhat quicker, I'm not really sure if just enabling LPM would be all that noticeably quicker since the radios are still enabled just as much of everything else.

 

[tonybarnaby]

I can't tell you about the charge, but probably your iPhone checking in periodically for mail, etc. I usually plug my phone in at night as it's off the charger all day.

As far as changing anything like icons, etc…no.

That's one of the things you gave up going to iOS. Apple doesn't allow very much customization. If you want to do what you wish you need to jailbreak. But, right now there is no jailbreak for iOS 11.

Thanks. It’s not a huge deal, just an idea I had.

I am trying to keep my phone from 40-80%. I know a new battery is $80, but I have some long standing battery ocd. I’ve had several android phones in the past with laughable battery life.

I’m finding that I only use 25-35% of my battery per day. So in my case, keeping it in a “healthy” 40-80% range works. My wife is a power user and uses her X all day and charges it overnight. I have a feeling my battery will have much more longevity than hers, but we’ll see. If I had to charge my phone twice a day in order to keep it between 40-80, I wouldn’t do that. As it is, it’s either charge most nights from 45-80% or 100% down to 65, and repeat. I’m probably not gaining a ton, but I’m set in my ways after some of the awful galaxy devices before the s7 came out.

 

[I7guy]

I’m not sure how ideal the iPhone is for a power user, but it’s perfect for me as a casual user.

Maybe you didn't mean it as it sounds, but for you what is a power user vs casual user? For me what I want to do on my phone is not the same thing I want to do on my computer.

 

[tonybarnaby]

Maybe you didn't mean it as it sounds, but for you what is a power user vs casual user? For me what I want to do on my phone is not the same thing I want to do on my computer.

A power user to me is someone who is on their phone all day long. Not so much what they are doing on it, just that they’re using it a ton throughout the day.

 

[eyoungren]

Thanks. It’s not a huge deal, just an idea I had.

I am trying to keep my phone from 40-80%. I know a new battery is $80, but I have some long standing battery ocd. I’ve had several android phones in the past with laughable battery life.

I’m finding that I only use 25-35% of my battery per day. So in my case, keeping it in a “healthy” 40-80% range works. My wife is a power user and uses her X all day and charges it overnight. I have a feeling my battery will have much more longevity than hers, but we’ll see. If I had to charge my phone twice a day in order to keep it between 40-80, I wouldn’t do that. As it is, it’s either charge most nights from 45-80% or 100% down to 65, and repeat. I’m probably not gaining a ton, but I’m set in my ways after some of the awful galaxy devices before the s7 came out.

I can empathize, but it's not something I do.

My wife and I moved from flip phones to smartphones in 2009 and it came as a rude shock to us that we had to plug our phones in once a day. We were used to plugging them in once every 2-3 days.

But we were starting to do more with our phones at that time so there's that.

When we went to iPhones in 2012 it was much better. At the time we were plugging our old WinMo phones in at home and at work. Being able to plug in once a day was fine by us.

Since then I've never had battery issues. There's a handful of times where we had to plug in during the day but that was usually because the phone was being used non-stop.

Normally, I go to bed and the phone has around 70-75% of battery left. I get up at 5:30am and go to bed around 11pm to 1am.

Just not something we worry over.

PS. My iPhone 6s+ is over two years old, all original. It's a launch weekend phone and has never needed repair or replacement. I have 277 cycles on the battery and the amount I quoted you that I go to bed with is for this phone.

Don't know if that helps you at all or not.

 

[I7guy]

A power user to me is someone who is on their phone all day long. Not so much what they are doing on it, just that they’re using it a ton throughout the day.

That would be me. I am on the phone all day long, in-between working of course.

 

[eyoungren]

A power user to me is someone who is on their phone all day long. Not so much what they are doing on it, just that they’re using it a ton throughout the day.

Yeah, I had mentioned that earlier.

People are confused on this particular forum about your definition of that because people here define a power user as what someone DOES with their phone.

Going by your definition all the people around here who stream Youtube videos on their phone all day would be power users.

 

[tonybarnaby]

I can empathize, but it's not something I do.

My wife and I moved from flip phones to smartphones in 2009 and it came as a rude shock to us that we had to plug our phones in once a day. We were used to plugging them in once every 2-3 days.

But we were starting to do more with our phones at that time so there's that.

When we went to iPhones in 2012 it was much better. At the time we were plugging our old WinMo phones in at home and at work. Being able to plug in once a day was fine by us.

Since then I've never had battery issues. There's a handful of times where we had to plug in during the day but that was usually because the phone was being used non-stop.

Normally, I go to bed and the phone has around 70-75% of battery left. I get up at 5:30am and go to bed around 11pm to 1am.

Just not something we worry over.

PS. My iPhone 6s+ is over two years old, all original. It's a launch weekend phone and has never needed repair or replacement. I have 277 cycles on the battery and the amount I quoted you that I go to bed with is for this phone.

Don't know if that helps you at all or not.

Great info. Will Apple ever make it easy to check battery cycles on iOS 11? I know about coconut battery, but I don’t have a Mac and don’t plan to buy one.
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Yeah, I had mentioned that earlier.

People are confused on this particular forum about your definition of that because people here define a power user as what someone DOES with their phone.

Going by your definition all the people around here who stream Youtube videos on their phone all day would be power users.

I guess that’s the android in me coming out

 

[eyoungren]

Great info. Will Apple ever make it easy to check battery cycles on iOS 11? I know about coconut battery, but I don’t have a Mac and don’t plan to buy one.

I don't know. Frankly I was quite shocked to find that this is not something visible any more with iOS 11 (I'm on iOS 9.0.2). I doubt it though. Once Apple takes something away it's very difficult to get it back.

The reasoning is probably something like "The user shouldn't be concerned about battery cycles."

 

[tonybarnaby]

I don't know. Frankly I was quite shocked to find that this is not something visible any more with iOS 11 (I'm on iOS 9.0.2). I doubt it though. Once Apple takes something away it's very difficult to get it back.

The reasoning is probably something like "The user shouldn't be concerned about battery cycles."

The fact Apple won’t replace batteries over 80% capacity (even if the owner pays) also shocked me.

 

[eyoungren]

The fact Apple won’t replace batteries over 80% capacity (even if the owner pays) also shocked me.

Yeah, I agree. Even if you are willing to pay for it.

Apple is becoming more and more authoritarian. You won't buy a Mac, but I've got several older Macs and I've always worked on a Mac. Apple has been removing certain things from later versions of OS X over the last few years and that combined with what they are doing with iOS/iPhone has turned me off for my next updgrade/updates.

 

[tonybarnaby]

Yeah, I agree. Even if you are willing to pay for it.

Apple is becoming more and more authoritarian. You won't buy a Mac, but I've got several older Macs and I've always worked on a Mac. Apple has been removing certain things from later versions of OS X over the last few years and that combined with what they are doing with iOS/iPhone has turned me off for my next updgrade/updates.

Apple has a great ecosystem, but they lack the limitless options android has. You can pretty much do anything you want on android. There are so many smart developers that have done so much. It also seems like Apple doesn’t care what it’s users want. I like what they’ve given us, but some things they omit and nickel and dime us over are anti consumer.

 

[eyoungren]

Apple has a great ecosystem, but they lack the limitless options android has. You can pretty much do anything you want on android. There are so many smart developers that have done so much. It also seems like Apple doesn’t care what it’s users want. I like what they’ve given us, but some things they omit and nickel and dime us over are anti consumer.

Apple's ecosystem is overrated.

Sure, it's great if you use it and want what they offer. But if you can't use it, or don't have any use for the 'features' they offer then it's really not a selling point like it's made out to be.

My iPhones have never synced with my 2003-2006 era Macs so I've had to use third party services to do what the Apple ecosystem would do if I had more modern Macs. That means I am not dependent on Apple or it's ecosystem and I much prefer that. I have no need for a lot of what they offer.

My original problem with Android was that although it was open, the UI was infantile and cartoonish. There was no sense to it, it was disorganized and followed no particular set of requirements.

Apple gave me order but jailbreaking also allowed me to open up my device. Lately, jailbreaking has been declining as Apple has locked things down more and more. But at the same time Android has managed to establish some sense of order and improved the OS and it's UI.

That has me gravitating towards it now as my next upgrade.

I'm not a fan of paying money only to be restricted in how I can use my device.

 

[tonybarnaby]

Apple's ecosystem is overrated.

Sure, it's great if you use it and want what they offer. But if you can't use it, or don't have any use for the 'features' they offer then it's really not a selling point like it's made out to be.

My iPhones have never synced with my 2003-2006 era Macs so I've had to use third party services to do what the Apple ecosystem would do if I had more modern Macs. That means I am not dependent on Apple or it's ecosystem and I much prefer that. I have no need for a lot of what they offer.

My original problem with Android was that although it was open, the UI was infantile and cartoonish. There was no sense to it, it was disorganized and followed no particular set of requirements.

Apple gave me order but jailbreaking also allowed me to open up my device. Lately, jailbreaking has been declining as Apple has locked things down more and more. But at the same time Android has managed to establish some sense of order and improved the OS and it's UI.

That has me gravitating towards it now as my next upgrade.

I'm not a fan of paying money only to be restricted in how I can use my device.

Apple ecosystem to me is the Apple Watch and my iPhone. That’s all I need at this point in my life.

The android smart watches are extremely lacking to me. I considered the gear s3, but it is just ugly as hell in my opinion. My galaxy s8+ is arguably better hardware than even the X:
6.2” qhd screen
Headphone jack
3500mAh battery with great battery life
Micro sd support
Fast charging and wireless charging stock
Tons of custom roms if you don’t like Samsung ui

The note 8 offers that and more. To someone who doesn’t want an Apple Watch, I think the note 8 or the galaxy s8 phones are hard to beat. I’m a lifelong Samsung rube, and it still feels weird to have left. What I lose in options and customization, I gain in simplicity and smoothness. I’m happy now, but if the note 9 comes out with some huge new features, I wonder if I will be tempted to get one.

As of now I have my 8 plus, an s8 with a slightly cracked screen(not worth fixing and selling, thanks to androids laughable resale value) and a mint condition z play (also impossible to sell for much, due to resale value)

It’s nice to have an android and an iPhone.

 

[Harmonious Zen]

Yeah, I agree. Even if you are willing to pay for it.

Apple is becoming more and more authoritarian. You won't buy a Mac, but I've got several older Macs and I've always worked on a Mac. Apple has been removing certain things from later versions of OS X over the last few years and that combined with what they are doing with iOS/iPhone has turned me off for my next updgrade/updates.

I think it’s partly because the darn things are so hard to disassemble and reassemble. They’re not designed to be modular. That’s why the iPhone X back cover glass is so expensive to replace. It’s a complicated process to get the glass properly aligned.

 

[eyoungren]

Apple ecosystem to me is the Apple Watch and my iPhone. That’s all I need at this point in my life.

The android smart watches are extremely lacking to me. I considered the gear s3, but it is just ugly as hell in my opinion. My galaxy s8+ is arguably better hardware than even the X:
6.2” qhd screen
Headphone jack
3500mAh battery with great battery life
Micro sd support
Fast charging and wireless charging stock
Tons of custom roms if you don’t like Samsung ui

The note 8 offers that and more. To someone who doesn’t want an Apple Watch, I think the note 8 or the galaxy s8 phones are hard to beat. I’m a lifelong Samsung rube, and it still feels weird to have left. What I lose in options and customization, I gain in simplicity and smoothness. I’m happy now, but if the note 9 comes out with some huge new features, I wonder if I will be tempted to get one.

As of now I have my 8 plus, an s8 with a slightly cracked screen(not worth fixing and selling, thanks to androids laughable resale value) and a mint condition z play (also impossible to sell for much, due to resale value)

It’s nice to have an android and an iPhone.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not coming down on Apple. I just don't care for a lot of the decisions they make and despite using Apple since 1999 when I got my first job using a Mac, I've never been one of the Apple fanatics.

I like a lot of things Apple offers, or at least I used to. I just don't see anything Apple is offereing currently that I do like. iOS, macOS, Mac, iPhone. The one exception would be the iPad.

My wife wants an Apple watch, but I do not. I prefer my analog Seiko Kinetic. It's all metal and it looks better to me. On top of that, I finally inherited the family pocket watch and I'm using it so there is that.

Simplicity and smoothness is what Apple offers and that's fine. A lot of people gravitate to that. It just works has always been Apple's mantra and controlling the system so it DOES just work is important to Apple.

All I'm saying is that I have grown uncomfortable with Apple's decisions and Android has improved enough for me to jump to it.

But Apple will give you what you are looking for. Enjoy your phone and enjoy what Apple has to offer.
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I think it’s partly because the darn things are so hard to disassemble and reassemble. They’re not designed to be modular. That’s why the iPhone X back cover glass is so expensive to replace. It’s a complicated process to get the glass properly aligned.

Well, just look at the iMac and the MBPs.

Apple has made moves in such a way that repairs or replacements are brought to them. It's all about maximizing the profit.

 

[tonybarnaby]

If you do go Android, I’d look into OnePlus if you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg. The OnePlus 5T is a crazy good deal, assuming $500+ for a phone can be considered a deal. It doesn’t have qhd or micro sd card support, but they offer a large storage option for a very reasonable price. Also has great battery life, THE BEST charging system I’ve ever used, and one of the best communities and developer scenes. You can do a lot worse for $5xx than a 5T.