Phones Keep iPhone 6 Plus or buy Oneplus 3T/Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

[andy317]

Hi all,

I currently have a iPhone 6 Plus (128GB) and (in theory) could have upgraded to the iPhone 7/Plus as I buy my phones every two years outright.

I've been toying with the idea of getting the OnePlus 3T or even a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and passing my iPhone to the Mrs as she has an iPhone 5 (16GB). I really don't fancy forking out £819 to get the equivalent of my current iPhone when I could get a OP3T for £439 (128GB). I've also seen the S7E for around £500.

My options are keep my iPhone or get the OP3T/S7E and would like your opinion.

I'm sure someone on here could provide me with an idea of what Android is like as I've never used it before and what it's like switching from iOS.

I must admit that I'm more invested with Google than Apple. I do have an iPad and MacBook but I don't use iCloud and I'm not too bothered about iMessage and FaceTime as Whatsapp is what I tend to use and I use Google for most services (Gmail, Drive, Contacts, Calendars, Maps and Photos).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Andy

 

[Oohara]

Hey,

Be prepared that Android is quite different. I made the switch a few times and mostly loved it. It's great fun to customise your phone and really streamline it to your way of using it, after years of using an OS you really can't adjust whatsoever. The hardware sometimes also offers more versatility, with SD cards etc (and now even a headphone jack ).

By the same token though, Android is, in my experience, often an OS that you have to micro manage for it to work like you want it to. For me (owned Note 2 and Note 3), that ended up being a chore sometimes. Some apps would suddenly start sucking battery like crazy and need to be removed or have their settings fiddled with, notifications could get unreliable due to one of my one hundred apps suddenly getting updated with a strange new function and it'd take me weeks to identify it, etc...

I eventually went back to iPhone with the 6+ and it was relieving in some ways. In others, it was frustrating. Lately I was in exactly your situation, looking at getting a last year's flagship Android handset for a cheap buck. I ended up going for the 7+ instead when I was made a very nice deal including a free bluetooth speaker.

I use a MacBook Pro 15" and have an Apple Watch, and for me personally, the 7+ has turned out to be kind of "new enough", i.e. it's actually a substantial upgrade from the 6+. I'm noticing some of Apple's slick functionality better now that I have a quick phone again; how passwords are handled, AirDrop actually works now, etc. So I'm happy with my 7+. For the time being...

...because I can never quite get over Android. It was fun to use, even if slightly frustrating sometimes. And those points I'm sure are less frustrating today (haven't used the last years' flagships much to be honest). And iOS continues to be very frustrating at times, though it mostly does the job very well, and very reliably.

So, Android might be great for you, if you're prepared to get your hands dirty a bit, and probably lose one or two convenient functions that you're using with iOS perhaps even without thinking about it. Maybe it's a sound idea to pick up a cheap handset about on par with the 6s in terms of horsepower. It'll definitely save you a pretty penny, and give you a cheap introduction to Android - which you can then move back from if you don't like it. Be prepared however that Android phones often give you far less second hand value than an iPhone would...

If on the other hand you could live with spending as much as a new iPhone would cost, the alternatives get quite enticing. The new Android flagships is where it's really at, in my view, and if I would switch today I'd invest in a Mate 9, Pixel XL, or hold out for the S8 or G6...or Note 8... Where the display to footprint ratio is currently being revolutionised in a way that makes the 7+ feel antiquated and boring.

I know you didn't state that as an option, but just sharing my feelings on Android today, having once been in exactly your predicament...

In any case, hope you find the right phone for you!

 

[drinkingtea]

I had an S7 for two weeks about three months ago but then I traded it in for a 6S Plus.

I've only ever had the iPhone (since the first generation), so deciding to make the switch to Android took a lot of debating. But I've been so unhappy with Apple these last several years, both with their phones and their MacBooks. I find iOS to be stale, and Apple/Tim Cook appears to be concentrated solely on profits versus innovation.

So, I decided to give the S7 a try when I upgraded last year from a 6S. I only lasted two weeks with the phone because it still cannot match the reliability of an iPhone. I got the S7 from Verizon, so both Verizon and Samsung loaded their own apps on the phone, so I had two of everything (messages app, calendar app, etc.), and that contributed a lot to the phone being bloated immediately after it was unboxed. I had to download different apps for them to do basic iPhone functions, such as having unread badge counts for certain apps, but most of the time, these apps would not work. There were other things that just bothered me about the phone (TouchWiz especially), but I don't have time to go into these issues individually.

So, I traded in my S7 for the 6S Plus. But the thing is, I still miss certain functions of the S7 that I just don't have with my 6S Plus (better screen, a great Swype keyboard, great widgets, being able to hover my hand over the phone to wake it, and etc.). I still think about these features months after trading in my S7. I've looked at S7 Edge videos on YouTube and the Edge functionality that Samsung has created is way ahead of what iOS is capable of doing.

The main reason I went back to the iPhone is because of its reliability. Apple still leads in this, especially with their Messages app. Otherwise, I would have stayed with the S7, because, damn, iOS is boring and too closed for my preference. I'm not even excited about the iPhone 8.

Samsung is doing great things, and I'm tempted to get the S8 if they overhaul TouchWiz when it is released next month. I've considered getting the Pixel (I would much rather have a pure Android experience), but the phone looks dated and clunky and I haven't heard great things about it from the research I've done.

Long story short: I would wait to hear what Samsung is going to do with the S8 and TouchWiz later this month and then go from there.

Also: The S7 was the comfiest phone to hold ever. I love, love the all-glass design.

 

[Klyster]

Can only vouch for the S7, it's been great.

 

[lugworm]

I switched from a 5s to a OP3t last month. Love it ! Android has come on so much since my last non-apple phone, should have made the move sooner.
Pretty much everything synchs with my ipad air, which was my one big worry, but so far it has been a joy to use. 64 gb is more than enough for me, and the dual sim is a real bonus.

 

[Hicksmat1976]

I posted a similar thread to this a few weeks ago. Look it up. Also in the UK too. Bottom line was I got a new sealed 6S plus 128gb off eBay for £450. Result. I didn't want to pay £819 for a 7 plus and I couldn't stomach a move to android.

 

[andy317]

I switched from a 5s to a OP3t last month. Love it ! Android has come on so much since my last non-apple phone, should have made the move sooner.
Pretty much everything synchs with my ipad air, which was my one big worry, but so far it has been a joy to use. 64 gb is more than enough for me, and the dual sim is a real bonus.

I do like the look of the OP3T and I think it will serve me well but the only thing that is putting me off is the reports about the camera. I have seen that people are slating the camera which is the reason why I have been thinking about the S7E. Although I'm not a big photo/video taker I would always like to have the option of a good camera.

I like the thought of moving to Android as I've read a bit more into it having never used it before.

The one thing I know is that if I do get any phone then 128GB is a minimum really as my iPhone 6 Plus is 128GB and I only have 19GB free.