Thinking about going from a Droid to an IPhone 5 (C or S)

[chrisofpa]

I have finally decided to upgrade my Motorola Droid Bionic to something newer as the battery is screwed up, it dropped dead on me this week after 4 hours in stand by and a 15 minute phone call. Plus it has been running much slower than normal over the last 6 months. Now that I have a much better paying job I can start purchasing things I have been putting off for a long time. I wanted to get another Motorola since I had smartphones from them since they released the original Droid in 2009 and they have proven to be incredibly durable. For example I have dropped this phone several times on cement hard and except for the battery/back cover popping off I just dust it off, it takes a really extreme impact for even minor scratches to show up. Performance from their phones except for the last 6 months has been pleasing.

Problem is I won't buy another Motorola since they got bought out by Lenovo so that is taking me to other models of smartphones. Overall, I am disappointed in the current crop of smartphones and nothing really grabs me. I narrowed my final choice down to the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the IPhone 5C, or possibly the S if I can get it from Verizon for $100. The problem I have with the current IPhone is the hardware, it really isn't much better on paper than my current phone which is nearly 3 years old. Plus I absolutely hate the fact that I cannot throw an SD card into this phone like I did with my last two Motorola's, I like it because I can save my 700+ photos if the phone gets destroyed and instantly transfer them to another phone. However, I really like the build quality and over the long haul IPhones seem to run faster than Droid phones. My friend recently upgraded to a 5C and he had a IPhone previously for 3-4 years but the phone still ran great.

Now for the Samsung Galaxy S4, my other friend is a big cheerleader for them and has been trying to sell me on one since I planned on getting a new smartphone 8 months prior. On paper the hardware is great and I like that the phone can take SD cards plus large capacity batteries but it seems to suffer from bloatware that can't be resolved unless the phone is rooted and they seem to slow down over time too. With my smartphone I used an app to kill other app's that hog resources but the app's always turn back on shortly. My other issue with the S4 is it feels kinda cheap in my hands, like it isn't too durable.

At the end of the day fast operation over the long term, durability and battery life mean the most to me not just paper specs. The IPhone has terrible battery life just like the S4 with the stock battery but I see they make cases with extended batteries to resolve this. I also want a full proof way of preserving my photo's in case my phone gets destroyed, I believe Apple has a free iCloud service that does this but I don't know much about it. I have to hear more about importing old photos from my current phone to an IPhone and keeping them preserved in case the phone gets physically destroyed. I think I read iCloud only keeps photos for 30 days and only 1000 photo's. I need to know the iPhone 5C/S has software that will automatically save my photo's somewhere without my interference.

So I am on the fence with this decision, I just like to hear from peoples experiences here since I know folks here have both phones. I will be heading out tonight to take my father out for his birthday and while I am getting his gift I plan on taking the plunge with a new phone. So let me hear your experiences.
__________________

 

[T5BRICK]

Since you haven't completely written off Android, I suggest you take a second look at Motorola. The Moto X is an awesome phone with pretty good battery life.

In the case of the iPhone 5c/5s, and even the Moto X, don't let the specs on paper fool you. The hardware in any of these phones is more than enough for even power users.

I believe Dropbox can backup your photos automatically, although, it may only do it when the app is opened and running in the background.

*edit* It seems like Dropbox can:

 

[sviato]

Problem is I won't buy another Motorola since they got bought out by Lenovo

Why is that? I'm more likely to consider a Motorola phone since the buyout (considering Google didn't really do much with the company, Lenovo actually might).

 

[M5RahuL]

God... a ' Cliffs Notes ' at the end would be great..!!

Anyway, I suggest Nexus 5 or Samsung Note 3 [ if you can wing it .. ] before jumping ship. My personal fav is Note 3 and it's a monster in every conceivable way!

Between the iPhone 5C or 5S, it's your choice... The 5C is basically a 5 redone in colors.

I would give Android another shot too...

 

[chrisofpa]

Since you haven't completely written off Android, I suggest you take a second look at Motorola. The Moto X is an awesome phone with pretty good battery life.

In the case of the iPhone 5c/5s, and even the Moto X, don't let the specs on paper fool you. The hardware in any of these phones is more than enough for even power users.

I believe Dropbox can backup your photos automatically, although, it may only do it when the app is opened and running in the background.

*edit* It seems like Dropbox can:

If I was going to get another Motorola it would be the Motorola Maxx. It has one of the largest permanent batteries (3300 mah), it has that QI wireless charging which I wanted and I heard it runs Android the best. As for the hardware I am sure it's fine for my needs, the most labor intensive thing I do is play streaming content off of YouTube and Netflix.

I will have to look into dropbox, it would be neat if Photobucket had a service.

Why is that? I'm more likely to consider a Motorola phone since the buyout (considering Google didn't really do much with the company, Lenovo actually might).

I am not thrilled that they got bought out by the Chinese and I am concerned they're going to gut the company and just use the name. I actually liked that the phones were designed by Americans and built like tanks, I am not convinced those aspects will carry over now that the company is in Lenovo's hands.

At least with Samsung and Apple you still know where they stand, Motorola that remains to be seen.

----------

God... a ' Cliffs Notes ' at the end would be great..!!

Anyway, I suggest Nexus 5 or Samsung Note 3 [ if you can wing it .. ] before jumping ship. My personal fav is Note 3 and it's a monster in every conceivable way!

Between the iPhone 5C or 5S, it's your choice... The 5C is basically a 5 redone in colors.

I would give Android another shot too...

Sorry but at least I broke my "novel" up into paragraphs, many don't even extend that courtesy.

The Nexus and Note are "phablets" though, aren't they?

 

[cynics]

If I was going to get another Motorola it would be the Motorola Maxx. It has one of the largest permanent batteries (3300 mah), it has that QI wireless charging which I wanted and I heard it runs Android the best. As for the hardware I am sure it's fine for my needs, the most labor intensive thing I do is play streaming content off of YouTube and Netflix.



I will have to look into dropbox, it would be neat if Photobucket had a service.







I am not thrilled that they got bought out by the Chinese and I am concerned they're going to gut the company and just use the name. I actually liked that the phones were designed by Americans and built like tanks, I am not convinced those aspects will carry over now that the company is in Lenovo's hands.



At least with Samsung and Apple you still know where they stand, Motorola that remains to be seen.

----------





Sorry but at least I broke my "novel" up into paragraphs, many don't even extend that courtesy.



The Nexus and Note are "phablets" though, aren't they?

Note series is, Nexus is not.

 

[chrisofpa]

Based on what I read here I am thinking of sticking with the S4 for now, how that phone performs over the next two years will determine if I still with Android or go to Apple. My experience with Android has been mostly good with the exception of just recently when my old phone started to slow down and the battery started losing it's capacity to hold a charge.

Note series is, Nexus is not.

Yep I stand corrected. By the way very nice Glock, I like the FDE models. Personally though I am more of a Smith and Wesson M&P 9 fan, excellent pistol. I have been waiting for them to come out with a VTAC 45 ACP model forever though...

 

[iolinux333]

I switched 6 months ago after Android for 3 years. It's the best tech decision I ever made. I warn you however it takes about 2-3 months to really get used to iOS and can be frustrating from time to time. But every other day it seems I discover a neat little niceness hidden away in iOS that makes Android look like the disjointed pile of poo that it really is under the surface. On the other hand, I despise the "flatness" fad - but realize it's just a fad which will go away eventually. And also I have a lot of other things to bitch about in iOS, but compared to *any* Android device it's a beautiful dream of a phone (and tablet but I'm waiting for next iPad before I get one). Also I bitch a lot about iOS because I just like bitching; also all the bitching around here eventually gets noticed by Apple and helps make iOS better.

 

[Tthomas612]

The iPhone 5s is probably one of the fastest phones on the market. My 5s outperforms the S4 by a lot. The hardware is sufficient

Also idk that the S4 is a great choice as the S5 is literally around the corner

 

[Bacong]

Since you haven't completely written off Android, I suggest you take a second look at Motorola. The Moto X is an awesome phone with pretty good battery life.

agreed, the Moto X is a fantastic phone.

 

[C DM]

agreed, the Moto X is a fantastic phone.

Perhaps not the camera so much from what I hear.

 

[Bacong]

yeah, the camera isn't very good

 

[T5BRICK]

yeah, the camera isn't very good

Better than the HTC One(2013)...but that probably isn't saying much...

 

[jr866gooner]

Problem with a few of the handsets in the s4 era is that the camera is damn slow! Even the ip4 was fast camera wise!

 

[Fernandez21]

ICloud will automatically upload your photos to your computer when you put the phone on the charger at night, though it doesn't do video like Dropbox. I use Dropbox and the only problem with that is it only uploads when you open the app, so you have to remember to open the app every couple of days if you take a lot of photos.

As for androids, the s4 is fine and seems to have everything you want, so I would recommend just getting that. The Moto X is an awesome device, but it doesn't have an SD card.

The new HTC One just came out and there is a code where you can get 30% off ($60), so it comes out to $140, and if you have two lines there is also a BOGO deal you can use with it, I believe the code is RMN30. It also has an SD card and sense is much better than touchwiz IMO, plus the build is nicer. But it is larger and has a lower megapixel camera than the s4, if those things are important to you.

 

[sviato]

I am not thrilled that they got bought out by the Chinese and I am concerned they're going to gut the company and just use the name. I actually liked that the phones were designed by Americans and built like tanks, I am not convinced those aspects will carry over now that the company is in Lenovo's

Meh, Lenovo bought IBM's PC division and is now putting out the best laptops on the market and is the only company that's seeing growth in PC sales. If it can do something like that with Motorola's handset division then I'd say the company's best phones are still on the horizon. Consider rethinking your reservations about the Chinese in the near future

 

[chrisofpa]

Thanks all, I ordered myself the S4. I was a bit nervous doing it though since this is my first upgrade since Verizon canned "unlimited data". I used the method of getting the upgrade on one of our "dumb phones", activating it and then transferring it over to the line with the unlimited data. The Verizon kiosk at my local mall said it couldn't be done and when I called Verizon the first operator said that "corporate" caught onto it so it's no longer possible. I went back to the Droid forums and see people still did it so I called Verizon again to see what the deal was, the second operator said I can still use that method and was able to get the S4 on the other line for $149 (Plus a $50 mail in rebate). So hopefully when it arrives the activation and transfer to the unlimited line will go smoothly.

In the future though I will be watching Apple and Motorola as I may chose to jump from Samsung to another manufacture, it's just right now the S4 seems to fit me best.

 

[kaielement]

Nexus 5, Moto X or iPhone 5s are my top choices.

 

[Max(IT)]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Moto X is a little bit pricey for what it offers (it's no more the latest and greatest and sports a mediocre camera) ...

 

[IFRIT]

I have finally decided to upgrade my Motorola Droid Bionic to something newer as the battery is screwed up, it dropped dead on me this week after 4 hours in stand by and a 15 minute phone call. Plus it has been running much slower than normal over the last 6 months. Now that I have a much better paying job I can start purchasing things I have been putting off for a long time. I wanted to get another Motorola since I had smartphones from them since they released the original Droid in 2009 and they have proven to be incredibly durable. For example I have dropped this phone several times on cement hard and except for the battery/back cover popping off I just dust it off, it takes a really extreme impact for even minor scratches to show up. Performance from their phones except for the last 6 months has been pleasing.

Problem is I won't buy another Motorola since they got bought out by Lenovo so that is taking me to other models of smartphones. Overall, I am disappointed in the current crop of smartphones and nothing really grabs me. I narrowed my final choice down to the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the IPhone 5C, or possibly the S if I can get it from Verizon for $100. The problem I have with the current IPhone is the hardware, it really isn't much better on paper than my current phone which is nearly 3 years old. Plus I absolutely hate the fact that I cannot throw an SD card into this phone like I did with my last two Motorola's, I like it because I can save my 700+ photos if the phone gets destroyed and instantly transfer them to another phone. However, I really like the build quality and over the long haul IPhones seem to run faster than Droid phones. My friend recently upgraded to a 5C and he had a IPhone previously for 3-4 years but the phone still ran great.

Now for the Samsung Galaxy S4, my other friend is a big cheerleader for them and has been trying to sell me on one since I planned on getting a new smartphone 8 months prior. On paper the hardware is great and I like that the phone can take SD cards plus large capacity batteries but it seems to suffer from bloatware that can't be resolved unless the phone is rooted and they seem to slow down over time too. With my smartphone I used an app to kill other app's that hog resources but the app's always turn back on shortly. My other issue with the S4 is it feels kinda cheap in my hands, like it isn't too durable.

At the end of the day fast operation over the long term, durability and battery life mean the most to me not just paper specs. The IPhone has terrible battery life just like the S4 with the stock battery but I see they make cases with extended batteries to resolve this. I also want a full proof way of preserving my photo's in case my phone gets destroyed, I believe Apple has a free iCloud service that does this but I don't know much about it. I have to hear more about importing old photos from my current phone to an IPhone and keeping them preserved in case the phone gets physically destroyed. I think I read iCloud only keeps photos for 30 days and only 1000 photo's. I need to know the iPhone 5C/S has software that will automatically save my photo's somewhere without my interference.

So I am on the fence with this decision, I just like to hear from peoples experiences here since I know folks here have both phones. I will be heading out tonight to take my father out for his birthday and while I am getting his gift I plan on taking the plunge with a new phone. So let me hear your experiences.
__________________

There is any number of different services that will backup your pictures on both platforms, Googles own solution will backup automatically and gives you 15GB free and unlimited storage for photos under a certain resolution, dropbox is also very good as well.

 

[Camoxide]

The HTC One M8 looks pretty good. Unlike The Samsung Bandaid S5.

If i was going to switch to an iPhone i'd probably wait for the 6 and the likely bigger screen though.

Have you thought about replacing the battery in your Droid?

 

[chrisofpa]

Just an update, I got my S4 in the mail on Friday using one of our dumb phones for the upgrade. I got it transferred over to my line hassle free so I was able to keep my unlimited data.

I was exhausted from work so I really didn't get a chance to play with the phone until the weekend but I spent a large chunk of my free time setting it up to make it mine. I got myself some nice gun chicks to grace my lock screen and home screen, downloaded and cut some clips from "Archer" for my Ringtone/Notifications Sounds (Text Messages), downloading apps and of course playing with some of the more mundane settings to make it user friendly for me. At first I had some teething issues with the phone, it wouldn't play nice with the Ford Sync Infotainment system in our 2009 Escape, hopefully it goes smoother with my 2012 Mustang. It would sync up but I would get no sound on the Bluetooth phone nor the Bluetooth audio. I haven't upgraded the firmware in this vehicle so I figured I would need a trip to the dealer to get it done. Thankfully over two days I kept trying and by the 5th try uninstalling/reinstalling the phone to Sync it finally worked right. It still doesn't connect automatically sometimes but its getting better.

Second issue was moving all my photo's/videos from my old 16 GB card to a new 64 GB card my friend gave me loaded with his music library. I dragged and dropped the photos without issue then the next day I checked my gallery just to notice everything I moved disappeared. I don't know what happened but I did it a second time and everything stuck that time. My friend raved about the Samsung Kies software (I downloaded Kies 3) and it was ****. It would take 10 minutes just to access my phones memory/SD card so I stopped using it. Last issue is the radio strength with this phone, I don't think it's as good as my Motorola. I have weak coverage where I am and a few times I had to send out text messages 2-3 times before it went through, I didn't have that issue with the Motorola.

Otherwise I love the phone, I am glad I bought it. The screen is the sharpest I have seen on a mobile yet. The high res photos I put on the lock and home screen really pop. The phone is fast and the base battery holds the charge well plus recharges fast. Today though I got my Zero Lemon 7500 mah battery, case and belt clip in the mail. I don't know much about Zero Lemon but their products seem well made. The new battery makes the phone thicker and heavier but it feels good to me, not too heavy at all. I need that extended battery since I am outdoors most of the time and the case is really rugged which I need on my job. I have some photos with the case just to show you guys, pistol added for scale:














I am telling you the photos don't do this phones screen justice. I got the S4 for $158 and the Zero Lemon 7500 mah battery/case and belt clip for $61 on Amazon. I am happy with this purchase and I don't feel like I got reamed. I have to put this battery through its paces before I say how good it is. Apple is still on my mind though, I could still switch in the future. Thanks everyone for the input.

I decided to opt against upgrading the battery on my Bionic since it was old hardware and showing it's age after 3 years, it was time for it to be retired.

 

[Allanb1985]

The 2 biggest android phones this year have to be the HTC One M8 and the Sony Xperia Z2. The Samsung Galaxy S5 bores me to tears. The design is horrid and spec wise is equally as poor. It seems to me Samsung have wasted precious time and resources trying to come up with something and totally panicked realeasing the S5 to try and rival Sony and HTC. In my opinion HTC have came a long way! Like everyone else on this forum I am really interested in technology and gadgets. I am in no way an Apple fan boy or an Android for that matter because frankly both have their issues and my switch from my Galaxy S3 was a personal choice not because one is better than the other. I am glad you have chosen to go with the S4. My mate has it and its an excellent handset with good performance and a decent level of build quality just a shame they have gone back the way!

 

[chrisofpa]

The 2 biggest android phones this year have to be the HTC One M8 and the Sony Xperia Z2. The Samsung Galaxy S5 bores me to tears. The design is horrid and spec wise is equally as poor. It seems to me Samsung have wasted precious time and resources trying to come up with something and totally panicked realeasing the S5 to try and rival Sony and HTC. In my opinion HTC have came a long way! Like everyone else on this forum I am really interested in technology and gadgets. I am in no way an Apple fan boy or an Android for that matter because frankly both have their issues and my switch from my Galaxy S3 was a personal choice not because one is better than the other. I am glad you have chosen to go with the S4. My mate has it and its an excellent handset with good performance and a decent level of build quality just a shame they have gone back the way!

I agree, I really liked what the S4 offers for the price but the S5 is a major disappointment. That's why I feel once this phone gets old I will probably jump ship to Apple or another Android make.