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iPhone vs Android - why I came back
- Thread starter Phil A.
- Start date
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you seriously think the build quality of the iPhone 4 is superior than most other smartphones? So you think a phone made of all glass, front and back means great build quality? Do you realize that return rates for the iP4 is much higher than any other iPhone in the past? Do you realize how easily the glass scratches, even with bumpers scratching the iP4 from rubbing?
The iP4, does NOT have good build quality. Whoever thought of having a glass phone for durability should be fired. I was actually thinking of purchasing an iP4 until I realized the phone was made of all glass. ROFL. I'm still laughing over this.
That's also why Apple is incapable/unable of producing a working White iPhone 4. Because the back is made of GLASS!
Yes, I do. I'd much rather have a glass and stainless steel phone than something like a Samsung Galaxy S which feels extremely cheap and plasticy. Having owned an iPhone 4 for a few months now I've had zero problems with the glass back and front. If anything it makes it feel more solid, and I look after it well. I don't keep it in a case and it's got zero scratches.
The iPhone 4 is hands down the highest quality handheld electronic that I've ever used. That it is glass doesn't mean anything about the build quality. All phones are susceptible to damage and I'll bet that the scratch resistance and crack ratings are comparable to any plastic phone... the difference is that people tend to not care so much when their blackberry gets all dinged up because to be honest, it wasn't that pretty of a machine to begin with!
I'm fairly rough with my phones and I've only found two small scratches on my iPhone 4. I chalk it up to standard wear and tear and am actually surprised there's not more.
No doubt about the iPhone 4 is very high quality built, the glass and the stainless as opposed to a lot of the "plasticy" feeling phones out there.
The iPhone 4 is hands down the highest quality handheld electronic that I've ever used. That it is glass doesn't mean anything about the build quality. All phones are susceptible to damage and I'll bet that the scratch resistance and crack ratings are comparable to any plastic phone... the difference is that people tend to not care so much when their blackberry gets all dinged up because to be honest, it wasn't that pretty of a machine to begin with!
I'm fairly rough with my phones and I've only found two small scratches on my iPhone 4. I chalk it up to standard wear and tear and am actually surprised there's not more.
QFT .........
My previous BB & WM phones which some I still have are either dinged up at the sides or cracked. When I sold my 3GS it was in almost mint condition(just one tiny scratch on the apple logo) after about 10 months of use. I never had any other phone in such a good condition after that long of usage.
Not to mention ... You have to drop the iPhone pretty damn hard in order to break the actual screen itself. Unlike most other devices which the actually screen breaks even if the device lands on it's back.
Now don't get me wrong .... I'm not saying the iPhone 4 isn't fragile being surrounded by glass. But don't confuse fragile with build quality. I bet if you drop most other devices from 3 stories high it will completely break apart. Most likely the iPhone will stay intact with just the glass shattered.
I love my 3GS. When I recently changed positions at my work, they decided to deploy me a company smart phone. I chose the Droid X over the Droid 2 (I really cant stand blackberrys for some reason).
I have to say, I was somewhat impressed at first, but became underwhelmed very quickly. As long as I have had my 3GS (launch day) it feels like right around the corner I always come across something that makes me love it even more - especially since it is jailbroken and I have the ability to use backgrounder, winterboard, etc.
After awhile I was discussing this with a co-worker that had a personal Droid X. He was actually the one that talked me into getting it over the Droid 2. So he started to show me the wonderful world of rooting, aka the Android equivalent of jailbreaking.
After he tossed on a ROM for increased speed, put a theme on it and then showed me how to overclock, I asked him what else he could do. His silence was golden. Once I showed him everything the iPhone really offers (he's one of those i hate apple but know nothing about apple products kind of guys) he was still speechless. The iPhone just feels right in my book - but I do give Android props for coming as far as they have in such a short time.
I have to say, I was somewhat impressed at first, but became underwhelmed very quickly. As long as I have had my 3GS (launch day) it feels like right around the corner I always come across something that makes me love it even more - especially since it is jailbroken and I have the ability to use backgrounder, winterboard, etc.
After awhile I was discussing this with a co-worker that had a personal Droid X. He was actually the one that talked me into getting it over the Droid 2. So he started to show me the wonderful world of rooting, aka the Android equivalent of jailbreaking.
After he tossed on a ROM for increased speed, put a theme on it and then showed me how to overclock, I asked him what else he could do. His silence was golden. Once I showed him everything the iPhone really offers (he's one of those i hate apple but know nothing about apple products kind of guys) he was still speechless. The iPhone just feels right in my book - but I do give Android props for coming as far as they have in such a short time.
I had a Samsung Vibrant for 2 weeks and came back to iPhone but this time to the iPhone 4. It's the best phone out there... can't explian why but its just the best thing I have ever own... Love with it!!!... Thanks Apple!
You obviously have no idea whatsoever what build quality means.
Sit in a jeep wrangler, then go sit in a bentley. Tell me which is built better. Then go off roading in the jeep, and do the same in a bentley. Just because the bentley would get destroyed off road doesn't mean its build quality sucks.
Durabilty does not equal build quality.
thats one Android line of phones out of many. Have you held the Droid X? Droid Incredible, or the new Defy? The durability is much higher.
I guess I meant durability than build quality. Whats fact is that accident rates for the iPhone 4 are higher than the 3GS. I personally liked the 3GS build/durability. When I found out the iP4 was made of all glass I was a bit disappointed as I expected a more robust phone. Dropping an iPhone 4 would be potentially more costly as there is greater rate of cracked glass since the entire body of the iP4 is made of glass. On a side note, there is no confirmed proof that the glass is made by Corning, aka Gorilla glass. There is no valid source, specifically.
You do realize HD2 is meant to run WM6.5, not Android natively, right?
Lol yeah, i was the one who Set up android on it so i was well aware that its a winmo phone. It runs android pretty much perfectly depending on the rom you use. Its actually easier than an android phone in many ways, since you can have multiple roms loaded at once and if anythibg goes wrong you have winmo to fall back on.
I took into account that it is not a native abdroid phone, but using a friends nexus one i faced the same experience as with my HD2, the OS simply was not as sharp and responsive as iOS.
I've held a few HTC Android handsets, most recently the HTC Desire HD and yes, it feels a damn nice and solid phone, but I still prefer the materials, build quality and industrial design of the iPhone 4, those things combined make it feel like a much more "premium" device.
On a sidenote, I had a play with one of the new Windows Phone 7 phones today, the HTC Mozart, and was very impressed. Didn't think it was possible but the browser actually felt even more fluid than Safari, and the UI with the tiles felt refreshingly different to Android and iOS. Kinda got me thinking my next phone could be a WP7 phone
Windows Phone 7 is ahead of Android IMO. So is webOS. Android is fine considering that you can get the top range phones free on a mid level contract. Its fine for those who just want a phone to be a phone, listen to some music and use a couple of apps. The app store needs work though. The iPhone doesn't hold much interest to me since the iPad came out.
Actually glass can be quite strong and durable. Presumably you do not laugh at your car's windshield, the nosecones of guided missiles, bulletproof glass, or Pyrex dishes - all of which are pretty tough. It's just depends on how the glass is manufactured.... And certainly plastic has weaknesses as much as glass. What would you have preferred? Transparent aluminum?
I work for AT&T, I have IPHONE 3GS/ SAMSUNG GALAXY S CAPTIVATE/ SAMDUNG INFUSE. Ive had HTC INSPIRE and MOTO ATRIX. all are great devices. I am an ANDROID FAN> ive had Blackberry as well and nothing beats Android.
ANDROID
1st PRO - INSURANCE - any kind of coverage i can get.
2nd PRO - MULTITASKING - browsing multiple pages/apps/email - FAST
3rd PRO - CAMERA QUALITY - i dont skype or vid chat, so NBD on front facing
4th PRO - ANDROID MARKET - wayyyyy better choice in apps, FREE APPS.
5th PRO - MY android looks like an iphone, txts/keypad/lockscreen/ literally.
6th PRO - Samsung android - SWYPE TEXTING, the best EVER
CON 1 - BATTERY LIFE. but idc because i have ext. battery.
CON 2 - Thats all I can think of.
MICRSOFT - WINDOWS 7 DEVICES
Not a huge fan of these but they are great for business. I have a couple customers who are executive board members of DowJones and BJC - STL MO hospital systems, that will swear by them
1. Create Office documents
2. Plug into computer and edit/save/print documents
3. Manage employees via Online server from your company.
4. BEST EMAILING DEVICE. EVER.
I only have an Iphone because I need to know how to use it for my customers who HAVE to HAVE it. Its all HYPE. Android is in a new age, and just like RIM, Apple is getting left in the dust.
DOES YOUR IPHONE TURN INTO A COMPTER?
MOTO-ATRIX does.
''IS IT A LAPTOP OR A COMPUTER? - YES"
ANDROID
1st PRO - INSURANCE - any kind of coverage i can get.
2nd PRO - MULTITASKING - browsing multiple pages/apps/email - FAST
3rd PRO - CAMERA QUALITY - i dont skype or vid chat, so NBD on front facing
4th PRO - ANDROID MARKET - wayyyyy better choice in apps, FREE APPS.
5th PRO - MY android looks like an iphone, txts/keypad/lockscreen/ literally.
6th PRO - Samsung android - SWYPE TEXTING, the best EVER
CON 1 - BATTERY LIFE. but idc because i have ext. battery.
CON 2 - Thats all I can think of.
MICRSOFT - WINDOWS 7 DEVICES
Not a huge fan of these but they are great for business. I have a couple customers who are executive board members of DowJones and BJC - STL MO hospital systems, that will swear by them
1. Create Office documents
2. Plug into computer and edit/save/print documents
3. Manage employees via Online server from your company.
4. BEST EMAILING DEVICE. EVER.
I only have an Iphone because I need to know how to use it for my customers who HAVE to HAVE it. Its all HYPE. Android is in a new age, and just like RIM, Apple is getting left in the dust.
DOES YOUR IPHONE TURN INTO A COMPTER?
MOTO-ATRIX does.
''IS IT A LAPTOP OR A COMPUTER? - YES"
This says everything about you already.
This statement alone proves not only your ignorance, but also enforces that you truly do work for AT&T.
Once Wp7 picks up thanks to more apps and Nokia hardware i wonder if android will keep on for long. I just had three of my friends switch back from a year of using android to the iPhone 4 and one just bought a samsung focus. All are very happy and seem to have no interest in ever going back.
And those are the peeps who used to make fun of me and the antennagate whenever i would take out my iPhone 4 to answer a call lol.
And those are the peeps who used to make fun of me and the antennagate whenever i would take out my iPhone 4 to answer a call lol.
hmmmmm
This debate is always interesting, why not throw in my 2 cents...
I recently switched from a Droid v1 to an Iphone 4 and have lots of mixed feelings... Why did I switch? Well...
I was working and pulled my droid out of my pocket a bit too vigorously, throwing it a couple feet onto the cement floor. Oops. Screen is shattered. Slider function is jammed.
Luckily I had insurance, yet the copay was $125 or something. Brand new iPhone 4 was $200 with my upgrade I had stashed away. Easy decision.
Here are some initial thoughts from a recent convert, in no particular order.
-I have already dropped/thrown my iPhone on accident multiple times. Although it DOES have a case on it (LESSON LEARNED!) I feel my old Droid would have been toast again.
-WIDGETS. I can't believe people argue against widgets. This alone has me trying to jailbreak already. It should NOT take me 15-20 seconds to find out the weather when it took me <1 second to find out on my 3 year old droidv1. Stupid. Very stupid.
-Notifications. Yep, it's that bad. Luckily it sounds like the new iOS will address this, but I'll believe it when I see it in action, in my hand. Until then, I am vastly underwhelmed. The LED notification (lack thereof) is actually my biggest complaint. SOOO many times I have missed a call or not responded to a text/email timely because I am so used to quickly glancing at my phone to see if the led is blinking. iPhone has no way of letting me know aside from the initial popup.
-iPhone 4 is about 100x more responsive and snappier than the Droid. No contest here. Surfing the web was a chore on Android, its a breeze in Safari.
-The screen orientation on the Droid drove me NUTS. When I had the phone sitting on the passenger eat navigating, it would be switching from landscape to portrait incessantly, all the time, never stopping. iPhone just sits there in the proper orientation.
-Google Maps. Really miss the navigation capabilities of the Android.
-Google. Apples calendar app IMO is worthless next to the one I had on the droid. Same with the email. "Starring" emails is a crucial part of my "workflow" with clients, and not being able to mark an email as important in the Mail app renders it useless. Instead I have a shortcut to my gmail inbox on my dock. Not as fast, but oh well.
-It is nice having consistent apps between iphone and ipad.
-I absolutely can not stand only having one button on the front of the phone. I terribly miss the "back" button on my droid, which I used in most of the apps.
Overall the iPhone takes it, but I am certainly not committed to it. Actually, the direction apple is going with their iOS "ecosystem" is putting me off more and more.
This debate is always interesting, why not throw in my 2 cents...
I recently switched from a Droid v1 to an Iphone 4 and have lots of mixed feelings... Why did I switch? Well...
I was working and pulled my droid out of my pocket a bit too vigorously, throwing it a couple feet onto the cement floor. Oops. Screen is shattered. Slider function is jammed.
Luckily I had insurance, yet the copay was $125 or something. Brand new iPhone 4 was $200 with my upgrade I had stashed away. Easy decision.
Here are some initial thoughts from a recent convert, in no particular order.
-I have already dropped/thrown my iPhone on accident multiple times. Although it DOES have a case on it (LESSON LEARNED!) I feel my old Droid would have been toast again.
-WIDGETS. I can't believe people argue against widgets. This alone has me trying to jailbreak already. It should NOT take me 15-20 seconds to find out the weather when it took me <1 second to find out on my 3 year old droidv1. Stupid. Very stupid.
-Notifications. Yep, it's that bad. Luckily it sounds like the new iOS will address this, but I'll believe it when I see it in action, in my hand. Until then, I am vastly underwhelmed. The LED notification (lack thereof) is actually my biggest complaint. SOOO many times I have missed a call or not responded to a text/email timely because I am so used to quickly glancing at my phone to see if the led is blinking. iPhone has no way of letting me know aside from the initial popup.
-iPhone 4 is about 100x more responsive and snappier than the Droid. No contest here. Surfing the web was a chore on Android, its a breeze in Safari.
-The screen orientation on the Droid drove me NUTS. When I had the phone sitting on the passenger eat navigating, it would be switching from landscape to portrait incessantly, all the time, never stopping. iPhone just sits there in the proper orientation.
-Google Maps. Really miss the navigation capabilities of the Android.
-Google. Apples calendar app IMO is worthless next to the one I had on the droid. Same with the email. "Starring" emails is a crucial part of my "workflow" with clients, and not being able to mark an email as important in the Mail app renders it useless. Instead I have a shortcut to my gmail inbox on my dock. Not as fast, but oh well.
-It is nice having consistent apps between iphone and ipad.
-I absolutely can not stand only having one button on the front of the phone. I terribly miss the "back" button on my droid, which I used in most of the apps.
Overall the iPhone takes it, but I am certainly not committed to it. Actually, the direction apple is going with their iOS "ecosystem" is putting me off more and more.
Alot of this is based on things we are already accustomed to. The problem is we get spoiled too much and want to be WOWED again by Apple, so we become complacent with iOS and start to look elsewhere. We take for granted things that is already is better in the first place. Like organizing multimedia and its ecosystem. The multimedia aspect is unbeatable right now and millions are already are used to it if they ever had an iPod. I don't love iTunes, but it is much better than DoubleTwist. And if I want a song or new app, I can always go to the store and buy an iTunes card. No credit cards needed.
Perfectly said. Your pro's of Android are exactly the same as mine.
I loveee widgets.
I went from a 3GS to the Droid X almost a year ago now. Partly because of wanting to try something new and mainly to switch to anything other than AT&T. I keep hoping Apple will release an iPhone that makes me re-consider allegiance. iOS5 will add some much needed implementations, but they must come up with a larger screen as well . . . something in the 4" range. Problem is your talking about several months at best and who knows where Android will be at the time?
Just like MattSepeta, I have just switched from an Android phone to iPhone 4 on Verizon. My previous phone was Nexus One on T-Mobile, running latest CyanogenMod. I loved the phone, unfortunately the coverage that T-Mobile provides in my area just drove me nutts, and I decided it's time. Since I just got a brand new MBP, I figured I will try the iPhone.
I know that a lot of people get used to what they have and it's hard for them to get used to something new and different. Polish of iOS is undeniable, and combined with great looks/fantastic screen, the iPhone 4 has a lot of appeal. As an Android user however, it is very difficult for me to get used to the idea of having one way of doing everything, however well thought out it is. Few examples:
1. My Nexus One has a tracball with an LED - I can make the LED light up with different colors for different types of notifications, plus blend the colors, etc. So while my phone is lying on my desk, if it's blinking blue, I know I got a text. Red? Voicemail. Yellow? Email. etc, etc. I can also choose different tones for every notification, etc. Not even commenting on the overall notification system, since that's a well-known iOS issue, and will be fixed in few months.
2. Widgets. Miss them dearly. I can understand that if you have never used a phone with widgets, you might not see their value. Once you do get used to them though, it's hard to go back. Let's use an Apple analogy! You never thought you needed/wanted a tablet, but now that many of you have had the iPad, can you imagine a life without it?
3. Multitasking, although it is such a double-edged sword. On one had, it is great to have full multitasking, but I can certainly understand Apple's position that it steals battery life, and makes the entire experience less fluid, especially when apps start slowing down the phone. So, I miss it, but I like the trade off of longer battery and more uniform iOS performance.
4. Options galore, for everything from individual apps, to app lunchers, to system behavior. You can literally customize almost everything. Comparing same apps between Android and iPhone - usually the Android app has many more options to change its behavior to the way you like it. Again, I can see the argument that people just don't care about it - they just want the stuff to work. No doubt, for the most part, iPhone just works. However if I spent the time customizing an app/system to work exactly the way I want it, and then I have to use the iPhone version that isn't as tailored to me, it makes me appreciate Android.
Overall, I like the iPhone, and will keep it for the next contract period. I want to get used to it, and to try my hand at programming for it. It's fun to play with something new (and as good looking as iPhone is, both hardware and software-wise) and the Apple ecosystem has it's advantages. However not being an Apple or an Android fanboy, I don't see one being much better than the other, as many people claim on each side of the argument. They are definitely different though.
Polbit
I know that a lot of people get used to what they have and it's hard for them to get used to something new and different. Polish of iOS is undeniable, and combined with great looks/fantastic screen, the iPhone 4 has a lot of appeal. As an Android user however, it is very difficult for me to get used to the idea of having one way of doing everything, however well thought out it is. Few examples:
1. My Nexus One has a tracball with an LED - I can make the LED light up with different colors for different types of notifications, plus blend the colors, etc. So while my phone is lying on my desk, if it's blinking blue, I know I got a text. Red? Voicemail. Yellow? Email. etc, etc. I can also choose different tones for every notification, etc. Not even commenting on the overall notification system, since that's a well-known iOS issue, and will be fixed in few months.
2. Widgets. Miss them dearly. I can understand that if you have never used a phone with widgets, you might not see their value. Once you do get used to them though, it's hard to go back. Let's use an Apple analogy! You never thought you needed/wanted a tablet, but now that many of you have had the iPad, can you imagine a life without it?
3. Multitasking, although it is such a double-edged sword. On one had, it is great to have full multitasking, but I can certainly understand Apple's position that it steals battery life, and makes the entire experience less fluid, especially when apps start slowing down the phone. So, I miss it, but I like the trade off of longer battery and more uniform iOS performance.
4. Options galore, for everything from individual apps, to app lunchers, to system behavior. You can literally customize almost everything. Comparing same apps between Android and iPhone - usually the Android app has many more options to change its behavior to the way you like it. Again, I can see the argument that people just don't care about it - they just want the stuff to work. No doubt, for the most part, iPhone just works. However if I spent the time customizing an app/system to work exactly the way I want it, and then I have to use the iPhone version that isn't as tailored to me, it makes me appreciate Android.
Overall, I like the iPhone, and will keep it for the next contract period. I want to get used to it, and to try my hand at programming for it. It's fun to play with something new (and as good looking as iPhone is, both hardware and software-wise) and the Apple ecosystem has it's advantages. However not being an Apple or an Android fanboy, I don't see one being much better than the other, as many people claim on each side of the argument. They are definitely different though.
Polbit
I dont think you will ever see apple go to a 4+ inch screen unless they could do it without increasing the form factor. (which I believe is impossible) Their whole montra is smaller, slimmer, sleeker. increasing the size is against the grain.
I am all for choices and for those of you that want a huge screen you have your android devices. I for one would hate to see a 4" screen on the iphone. I have an HTC inspire that I tested for a few weeks, I hate the size of the screen. honestly, I think there are more people that feel the way I do than want a bigger screen. at least that is the feedback I get to those I have spoke with.
I hate when people generalize.
The iphone 4 has the best build quality of all phones. Wrong
Casio 1 is a heavy duty android Phone. It is able to be submerged in water, dropped from from twenty feet with no scratch. It feels cheap in your hand though but that quality beats all phones on the market.
The iphone 4 has the best build quality of all phones. Wrong
Casio 1 is a heavy duty android Phone. It is able to be submerged in water, dropped from from twenty feet with no scratch. It feels cheap in your hand though but that quality beats all phones on the market.