Phones Switching from Iphone 5s to Samsung Galaxy S5

[brownmamba24]

I currently have an iphone 5s but I'm looking to switch over to the S5. Although the quality and reliability of apple products is ideal, I think samsung phones more customizable and they have better overall features.

My only concern is that currently, I have a Macbook Pro that is synced (iMessage, Email, notes, etc.) with my iPhone. I really like that I can text via my laptop and that the two devices run so well together.

Will switching over to the S5 pose problems for me since I have a Mac?

 

[Fanaticalism]

I currently have an iphone 5s but I'm looking to switch over to the S5. Although the quality and reliability of apple products is ideal, I think samsung phones more customizable and they have better overall features.

My only concern is that currently, I have a Macbook Pro that is synced (iMessage, Email, notes, etc.) with my iPhone. I really like that I can text via my laptop and that the two devices run so well together.

Will switching over to the S5 pose problems for me since I have a Mac?

Have you considered the i6? Granted it doesn't offer anything different from the 5 aside from pay and a larger screen, but IMO a larger screen does allow a better UX. Who knows, jailbreak may offer greater functionality in comparison to previous gens.

If you were intent on switching, there are ways to integrate messaging into your mac via pushbullet and notes is easy, just use a different app.

 

[bkends35]

You'll regret it since you have a Mac and have everything synced. Not to mention the S5 is by far the worst android flagship on the market. Look into the HTC One M8, it's definitely the best android phone with the best skin. Of course the Nexus 6 should be good when it comes out too.

 

[thedeejay]

I currently have an iphone 5s but I'm looking to switch over to the S5. Although the quality and reliability of apple products is ideal, I think samsung phones more customizable and they have better overall features.

My only concern is that currently, I have a Macbook Pro that is synced (iMessage, Email, notes, etc.) with my iPhone. I really like that I can text via my laptop and that the two devices run so well together.

Will switching over to the S5 pose problems for me since I have a Mac?

You'll still be able to text via your Mac. So not it doesn't really pose a problem. Only thing may be that it won't "sync" anymore. If you don't care then go for it.

 

[Chodite]

You'll regret it since you have a Mac and have everything synced. Not to mention the S5 is by far the worst android flagship on the market. Look into the HTC One M8, it's definitely the best android phone with the best skin. Of course the Nexus 6 should be good when it comes out too.

LOL @ this.

Get the M8 if you like taking s****y pictures.

My wife was team iPhone for the past few years. I even bought her an iPhone 6 at launch.. until I saw that I could turn that $750 phone into $1,200 on eBay. I then bought her a Galaxy S5. Told her it was a loaner until I could get her another iPhone 6.

I install Nova Launcher on it and set it up for her so it's familiar. Kind of mirroring her iPhone experience (just better).

A few days later, I ask how she likes it. She surprises me and tells me she really likes it. I tell her I'll check back in a week.

Week goes by - she's all in on the S5. Doesn't want the iPhone 6. Enjoys the S5 more than expected.

"Worst Android flagship"? LOL

 

[bkends35]

LOL @ this.

Get the M8 if you like taking s****y pictures.

My wife was team iPhone for the past few years. I even bought her an iPhone 6 at launch.. until I saw that I could turn that $750 phone into $1,200 on eBay. I then bought her a Galaxy S5. Told her it was a loaner until I could get her another iPhone 6.

I install Nova Launcher on it and set it up for her so it's familiar. Kind of mirroring her iPhone experience (just better).

A few days later, I ask how she likes it. She surprises me and tells me she really likes it. I tell her I'll check back in a week.

Week goes by - she's all in on the S5. Doesn't want the iPhone 6. Enjoys the S5 more than expected.

"Worst Android flagship"? LOL

Use the S5, Nexus 5, G3, M8, Z3, Moto X for a week each and tell me which one is the worst. Touchwiz sucks plain and simple, that's why it's the worst. It makes the experience terrible. I'm not saying it's a bad phone, just the worst out of the bunch of flagships.

 

[Klyster]

You'll regret it since you have a Mac and have everything synced. Not to mention the S5 is by far the worst android flagship on the market. Look into the HTC One M8, it's definitely the best android phone with the best skin. Of course the Nexus 6 should be good when it comes out too.

Worst how? I went from note 3 to S5, no regrets.

Best battery life I've had on a smartphone, awesome screen, great camera, TW doesnt give me any grief, how's it the worst?

 

[wilky76]

The S5 believe it or not is one of the best Android smartphone out.

It's got one of the best camera's.
It weather resistant.
One of the best screens.
Not as big as some of the others Android handset's.
Removable battery.
Brilliant battery life.
It's now pretty cheap considering what your getting.

If i was to get a Android handset again, the S5 is what i would get.

The other options would be either the Note 4 or the Galaxy Alpha, had a look at both of them the other day and both are superb.

 

[Bobmaster]

I currently have an iphone 5s but I'm looking to switch over to the S5. Although the quality and reliability of apple products is ideal, I think samsung phones more customizable and they have better overall features.

My only concern is that currently, I have a Macbook Pro that is synced (iMessage, Email, notes, etc.) with my iPhone. I really like that I can text via my laptop and that the two devices run so well together.

Will switching over to the S5 pose problems for me since I have a Mac?

Don't do it, I did and was not good. Sold the S5 and now have a 6 plus. I have MBPr and iPad Air too. You will lose all your syncing like you said. Even more with Yosemite coming. Samsung don't play nice with Mac.
Also:
Camera is not as good, very slow, hopeless indoors.
Charge port a pain.
Doesn't charge as fast if you use your macbook.
It's a ram hog, laggy and continually gets battery drain from rogue apps.
Back is ok, sides cheap.
Screen is ok, but there is iphone 6 plus now. Blows it away.

 

[kevinof]

Wow. Did you join MR today just to post that?
Most of what's in here is rubbish. S5 is a very good phone and you would have no problems with it.

To the OP:

My question would be - Are you thinking of switching because you are tied of the phone or tired of ios? If just the phone then there are alternatives in the iphone 6 and 6+. So if it's a larger screen you want then look at these.

If it's IOS then the S5 is a good choice. I think Apple users think too much about syncing and how good it is with a mac/iphone. There are solutions out there and there's lot of people on MR that can suggest alternatives.

Don't do it, I did and was not good. Sold the S5 and now have a 6 plus. I have MBPr and iPad Air too. You will lose all your syncing like you said. Even more with Yosemite coming. Samsung don't play nice with Mac.
Also:
Camera is not as good, very slow, hopeless indoors.
Charge port a pain.
Doesn't charge as fast if you use your macbook.
It's a ram hog, laggy and continually gets battery drain from rogue apps.
Back is ok, sides cheap.
Screen is ok, but there is iphone 6 plus now. Blows it away.

 

[Klyster]

Hi Robster3, see you're back again ☺

 

[jamezr]

Hi Robster3, see you're back again ☺

I was wondering too........

 

[jamezr]

I currently have an iphone 5s but I'm looking to switch over to the S5. Although the quality and reliability of apple products is ideal, I think samsung phones more customizable and they have better overall features.

My only concern is that currently, I have a Macbook Pro that is synced (iMessage, Email, notes, etc.) with my iPhone. I really like that I can text via my laptop and that the two devices run so well together.

Will switching over to the S5 pose problems for me since I have a Mac?

I have all Macs at home with one Win8 laptop. I have both Android phones and iPhones and an iPad Air.
I sync all my information between them all and never lose anything. Here is how I have mine.

Dropbox....i use this instead of iCloud. I have all of my photos from my Android phones and my IP6 automatically uploaded to Dropbox. It is very easy to use and Dropbox can be installed on all devices. So it makes all of you photos available on all Macs...PCs.....and iPhones and Android phones. You can also share photos and data with others just be emailing them a link.

Contacts and Calendar.... I use Google for all of this. It syncs across all my devices. All my info is the same. Make one change and it syncs across all devices.

iSyncr. (for iTunes syncing).....can be found in the App Store and Google Play. It will sync all of your music and playlists and movies that you have purchased from iTunes.

Android File Transfer (AFT) is a free download from Google. It will let you use your Android phone and an SD card if it has one as a external hard drive. You can drag and drop files and data. This will let you use it as a storage drive no need to carry and external drive.

Chrome browser..... It works across all platforms. It will let you have all of your bookmarks\favorites in one location. It will also let you sync open tabs. So if you are surfing on your MBP.....you can pick up where you left off on your Android phone with open tabs. It is very nice.... It works on Macs, PCs phones and tablets.

But as others have pointed out. You will lose some integration between IOS and OSX. Such as notifications. Like getting a text being notified on your Mac and being able to respond.

It really comes down to what your use cases are. what really fits your style and how you use your stuff. Anyway hope this helps.....

 

[bkends35]

Worst how? I went from note 3 to S5, no regrets.

Best battery life I've had on a smartphone, awesome screen, great camera, TW doesnt give me any grief, how's it the worst?

Worst how? Let's see...
Camera is useless in poor lighting, M8 blows it away in low light
Touch wiz hogs ram like no other, stock android on N5 doesn't.
Feels like a plastic toy even compared to the N5 which is half the price
M8, Z3 and G3 have even better battery life
Touch wiz Lag... Shouldn't need to explain, all other flagships don't lag like touch wiz

There's a lot more. The S5 really doesn't do anything better than any of the other flagships, people buy it because Samsung spends way more money marketing it than any other android manufacturer.

 

[Oohara]

Android File Transfer (AFT) is a free download from Google. It will let you use your Android phone and an SD card if it has one as a external hard drive. You can drag and drop files and data. This will let you use it as a storage drive no need to carry and external drive.

Sweet! I recently got my first MBP but I didn't know about this one, thanks!

But as others have pointed out. You will lose some integration between IOS and OSX. Such as notifications. Like getting a text being notified on your Mac and being able to respond.

You can get this on OSX too! Just use Pushbullet for Chrome - it shows all notifications as a popup window in OSX even if Chrome is in the background/minimized, and you can quick reply to text messages. If you prefer to use Safari, you can use MightyText on your Android and just log in to MightyText.net and leave it open on one tab. MightyText has the advantage that you can write and send text messages from your Mac, not just reply to them. BTW MightyText have a desktop app in the works for OSX, you can join the beta now.

 

[jamezr]

Sweet! I recently got my first MBP but I didn't know about this one, thanks!


You can get this on OSX too! Just use Pushbullet for Chrome - it shows all notifications as a popup window in OSX even if Chrome is in the background/minimized, and you can quick reply to text messages. If you prefer to use Safari, you can use MightyText on your Android and just log in to MightyText.net and leave it open on one tab. MightyText has the advantage that you can write and send text messages from your Mac, not just reply to them. BTW MightyText have a desktop app in the works for OSX, you can join the beta now.

Thanks Oohara! I will look into those options! This will make it a seamless experience!
Congrats on the new MBP!

 

[ggibson913]

Worst how? Let's see...
Camera is useless in poor lighting, M8 blows it away in low light
Touch wiz hogs ram like no other, stock android on N5 doesn't.
Feels like a plastic toy even compared to the N5 which is half the price
M8, Z3 and G3 have even better battery life
Touch wiz Lag... Shouldn't need to explain, all other flagships don't lag like touch wiz

There's a lot more. The S5 really doesn't do anything better than any of the other flagships, people buy it because Samsung spends way more money marketing it than any other android manufacturer.

I have a Galaxy S5 and I haven't experienced the lag issues. I didn't like the HTC One M8 because the camera blows out the highlights in daytime shots every time and I couldn't beat IP67 Water resistant. Try to rinse off an HTC One M8 under the sink and see what happens.

 

[bkends35]

Touch wiz lag is real. Even the note 4 lags with touch wiz. IMO IP67 is more of a pain just because of that dumb flap for the charger. Heck, my friends broke off after a few weeks. But then again I've never dropped any of my phones in water so I don't care for the compromise.

 

[jamezr]

Touch wiz lag is real. Even the note 4 lags with touch wiz. IMO IP67 is more of a pain just because of that dumb flap for the charger. Heck, my friends broke off after a few weeks. But then again I've never dropped any of my phones in water so I don't care for the compromise.

I have a GS5 and it does not lag. I agree with you that the flap is a PITA! that is why i got a wireless charging back cover. So now I never have use the flap.
I am outdoors a lot hiking around streams and lakes. Sometimes i get wet....fallen into a stream or creek while crossing. Sometimes I am out by my pool with my kids. Sometimes life happens and things gets wet. I never have to worry about it with my GS5. If it gets wet while hiking, fishing, or around the pool...no big deal. If it is raining or snowing and i want to take a picture...i just point and say "shoot" and pic is taken.

 

[bkends35]

I have a GS5 and it does not lag. I agree with you that the flap is a PITA! that is why i got a wireless charging back cover. So now I never have use the flap.
I am outdoors a lot hiking around streams and lakes. Sometimes i get wet....fallen into a stream or creek while crossing. Sometimes I am out by my pool with my kids. Sometimes life happens and things gets wet. I never have to worry about it with my GS5. If it gets wet while hiking, fishing, or around the pool...no big deal. If it is raining or snowing and i want to take a picture...i just point and say "shoot" and pic is taken.

This is what's called touchwiz lag...

 

[Klyster]

Worst how? Let's see...
Camera is useless in poor lighting, M8 blows it away in low light
Touch wiz hogs ram like no other, stock android on N5 doesn't.
Feels like a plastic toy even compared to the N5 which is half the price
M8, Z3 and G3 have even better battery life
Touch wiz Lag... Shouldn't need to explain, all other flagships don't lag like touch wiz

There's a lot more. The S5 really doesn't do anything better than any of the other flagships, people buy it because Samsung spends way more money marketing it than any other android manufacturer.

I'll give you the first one, but if the S5 is useless, the the rest of them are poor, you're exaggerating. No smartphone takes good night shots.
Unless you're a vampire, the HTC M8 has a below average camera, the N5 is average, the Sony (Z2) are good but should be better.

The rest it just rubbish in my opinion.
My battery life is stellar, reviews back this up.

I don't have ram issues, I don't have lag issues, the feel is subjective, I always use a case anyway, let's see a tesla run any of the other phones and see how they handle it.

The one think that is poor is the speaker, but you never mentioned that. Makes me wonder if you've even used an S5, it's the worst thing about the phone.

So the worst? Nope. The best? When I purchased it, there wasn't much competition in my opinion. Then again, I'm not saying it's the best or the worst. You are.

Looks at how it compares to a new phone that's bring touted as the best.

http://youtu.be/oE8jHskLNfQ

Anyway, I disagree with you and I also think your just parroting what you've read and not talking from experience.

 

[jamezr]

This is what's called touchwiz lag...

Yeah...i have seen all kinds of them. I never said it did not exist in certain situations. I have had the S3 and S4 and S5 and have not had the lag on those videos. Could it happen? Sure it could. I also think if you want to produce a video with lag....you will find a way to make that happen.

 

[coldjeanzzz]

If you're going from iOS to Android, getting a Samsung device is one of the worst phones to go with it. They couldn't be further apart in terms of philosophy. Samsung's is to throw everything including the kitchen sink at you and do it in the least visually pleasing way possible while Apple's is to keep it a simple and do everything in a clean fashion. You will be banging your phone against the wall once you eventually frustrated enough at how much crap you have to deal with on Touchwiz. I can't for the life of me understand how anyone could think Samsung's extra "features" make using the phone a better experience.

 

[wilky76]

If you're going from iOS to Android, getting a Samsung device is one of the worst phones to go with it. They couldn't be further apart in terms of philosophy. Samsung's is to throw everything including the kitchen sink at you and do it in the least visually pleasing way possible while Apple's is to keep it a simple and do everything in a clean fashion. You will be banging your phone against the wall once you eventually frustrated enough at how much crap you have to deal with on Touchwiz. I can't for the life of me understand how anyone could think Samsung's extra "features" make using the phone a better experience.

Gotta disagree with you there I've had Samsung devices in the past, you turn off things you don't need, and I've never had a problem with touchwiz in the past, plus if touchwiz bothers you then you just install another launcher like nova.

Out of all the current Android flagships the S5 is the most safe bet & that why alot of people go for it, over the likes of Sony,LG HTC ect.

 

[Vetvito]

Touch wiz Lag... Shouldn't need to explain, all other flagships don't lag like touch wiz

.

Careful you can't say Lag around these parts of the forum. It doesn't exist and you will be thoroughly attacked. Trust me.