Apple(iOS) vs Samsung(Android)

[GoSlash27]

Not to mention, y'know, the expandable storage. How much is a 64GB microSD card these days?

Roughly a buck a gig, and I'm with you. I have no use for "cloud storage" and prefer to keep my media on my phone. It's great to be able to swap micro SDs and access my entire audio and video media libraries.

[GreeningGalaxy]

I have an old iPod Touch (4th generation) which, objectively speaking, is probably the crappiest computer I've ever owned. It surpasses every other device I have, even my 12-year-old Dell laptop running Debian 6, in terms of how capable (or incapable) it is vs. what it can be reasonably expected to do. Its home button only responds every third or fourth time you press it (which is not actually a button hardware issue, I've discovered, it's just the software being really bad at reading button events), its CPU and RAM aren't adequate to run the majority of apps without crashing frequently, and it lasts less than half an hour on a battery charge (for active use; when on standby mode and not connected to wifi, it can last almost three hours) despite the fact that it's only about three years old. The screen is also way too tiny for me to type effectively on, and is easy to smear but very hard to clean effect8ve.

I realize that Apple's tech has improved significantly lately (and is probably better if you shell out the whole $800 for the best stuff instead of buying a $300 knockoff), but that experience was enough to turn me away from wanting anything else they've sold since.

I now have an LG Nexus 5, which replaced a Samsung Galaxy S2 which I had to return because of a defective charging port. The Nexus has so far given me a little trouble here and there (no expandable memory, rather ornery MTP performance when trying to move pictures to my laptop, and the occasional corporate BS pulled by Google) but it's given me no trouble compared to the problems I had with Apple and is very good hardware for its $350 price tag.

I'm not going to say that everything Apple makes is crap or that everything that runs Android is the best technology ever to befall the Earth, but my own experience has made me wary of Apple's fully-closed business model.

[Duke23]

I don't like all this "cloud" stuff either. It has its uses but it's too slow to be a primary means of storage and then your data is "out there" for someone to hopefully not hack into. I have my own cloud... My computer at home. I can access the files on it any time I want from any device and it's securely in my possession on my property.

I prefer android in general because it strives to be more. It's less limited and more customizable. I stopped carrying a laptop around when I got an android tablet. More power to Apple, they give their customers what they want just like any good company does. And for everyone else that the Apple world doesn't work for, we have our options too. My Galaxy S4 was one of the best purchases I've made recently. Don't like something apple did? Hope they take heed if enough people agree. Don't like something Samsung or Google did? Root the sucker and fix it. Easy? Apple. Powerful? Android all the way.

[Dispatcher]

Off topic/ I didn't mention pads & tablets because I don't have my own and no comparative opinion. The one I use from work is a Kindle; makes a great paperweight. I also have no interest in "the cloud". Local storage/ archiving technologies are just fine for me. /Off topic

I like what others above have to say about their choices, or choosing in general.

[Kryten]

As what seems to be one of the last remaining people with a limited-data plan (250mb/month), sod 'the cloud'.

[rtxoff]

Wow, that's bold! Don't you worry about breaking or scratching it? The thought of chucking an unprotected smartphone in my pocket and walking around makes my skin crawl! O_o

Best,

-Slashy

Well you don't have to worry about it that much if you have a high quality smartphone. My actual smartphone is already the 3rd one, the 2 older ones looked almost as new when i sold them. I guess i am pretty good in caring about my stuff. The problem with the cases is that phones with cases almost never fit into car/bike holders and it annoys me too much to remove the case every time i drive with my car or motorbike.

[GoSlash27]

Off topic/ I didn't mention pads & tablets because I don't have my own and no comparative opinion. The one I use from work is a Kindle; makes a great paperweight. I also have no interest in "the cloud". Local storage/ archiving technologies are just fine for me. /Off topic

I like what others above have to say about their choices, or choosing in general.

Same here. I have no use for a tablet because my phone does everything I would use a tablet for. Anything bigger than that... that's what my desktop is for.

Best,

-Slashy

[Dispatcher]

My smartphone is first generation (as in Edge network, rather than 2, 3 or 4G or whatever). The case is a simple rubberized back which wraps around the sides. The entire front face is exposed and there are designated holes for camera lens, earphones/ mic and charger. I have never dropped it, and I use it every day. It has never slipped out of my shirt pocket (where it always is unless I've set it down or am holding it); even when hiking and panning for ... mostly mercury it seems, with the occasional gold fleck. The case was worth the $20 or so it cost me.

I'm going to finally get a new smartphone, only because I want to switch carriers to one which gives me better coverage in my area (there was only one carrier available for this phone when it was launched, so by now you've probably figured out which smartphone I have). My local coverage with my current carrier is actually a little worse than it used to be, but the phone works well and I only charge it about every 5 or 6 days; and it is hardly ever switched off. Oh, yes, original battery. Due to my positive experience using my smartphone, I will be buying from the same company again, if the new case is similar to the one I use now. Too bad the form factors between phones differ or I'd just continue using my existing case.

[Seret]

Well you don't have to worry about it that much if you have a high quality smartphone.

Any screen will crack if you drop it the wrong way. Phones with glass backs are especially bad, double the chance of shattering. I know, I've been there with my Nexus.

[GoSlash27]

My smartphone is first generation (as in Edge network, rather than 2, 3 or 4G or whatever). The case is a simple rubberized back which wraps around the sides. The entire front face is exposed and there are designated holes for camera lens, earphones/ mic and charger. I have never dropped it, and I use it every day. It has never slipped out of my shirt pocket (where it always is unless I've set it down or am holding it); even when hiking and panning for ... mostly mercury it seems, with the occasional gold fleck. The case was worth the $20 or so it cost me.

I'm going to finally get a new smartphone, only because I want to switch carriers to one which gives me better coverage in my area (there was only one carrier available for this phone when it was launched, so by now you've probably figured out which smartphone I have). My local coverage with my current carrier is actually a little worse than it used to be, but the phone works well and I only charge it about every 5 or 6 days; and it is hardly ever switched off. Oh, yes, original battery. Due to my positive experience using my smartphone, I will be buying from the same company again, if the new case is similar to the one I use now. Too bad the form factors between phones differ or I'd just continue using my existing case.

No idea what phone you chose, and it's immaterial to me. If you like it, more power to ya Different people have different needs, and this is why a wide array of choices is a *good* thing.

What stuck out for me was the "5 or 6 days battery life" thing. Folks seem to have forgotten that this was the norm not too long ago, and believe you me you'll miss that when it's gone!

Nowadays 2 days is a lot of charge time and while capabilities have gone through the roof... the phones lack the charge necessary to actually do all that stuff.

I say all that to say this: If your battery is removable, then it's upgradeable. If you upgrade your battery, you will regain the freedom you've become accustomed to and your phone will be able to function to it's full potential. Just puttin' that out there

www.zerolemon.com

Best,

-Slashy

[GreeningGalaxy]

As what seems to be one of the last remaining people with a limited-data plan (250mb/month), sod 'the cloud'.

I don't have any data plan, so I'm stuck with hopping wifi networks when I want to use the cloud. Which is not any fun at all. I too am a big proponent of local storage, and hope enough people stay that way that 'cloud-only' devices like chromebooks don't proliferate too much. Why pay for someone to keep your stuff safe (assuming you have more than a few gigabytes and can't just get by with free space) when you can keep it locked up on your home computer that's only online when you need it to be?

[GoSlash27]

Any screen will crack if you drop it the wrong way. Phones with glass backs are especially bad, double the chance of shattering. I know, I've been there with my Nexus.

Agreed. And gorilla glass isn't armor. If you drop it, it'll break. If you have sand in your pocket, it'll scratch.

I've had my phone for 3 years, and it'd be indistinguishable from NIB... but nevertheless I've kept it in a case, with screen protector, and waterproofed the innards just to be sure.

/all about the peace of mind

-Slashy

[Capt.Joseph Kerbertson]

Agreed. And gorilla glass isn't armor. If you drop it, it'll break. If you have sand in your pocket, it'll scratch.

I've had my phone for 3 years, and it'd be indistinguishable from NIB... but nevertheless I've kept it in a case, with screen protector, and waterproofed the innards just to be sure.

/all about the peace of mind

-Slashy

There are already videos of people dropping the iPhone 6 and it doesn't do as well as you'd hope.

[Seret]

Agreed. And gorilla glass isn't armor. If you drop it, it'll break. If you have sand in your pocket, it'll scratch.

The problem is that the two types of damage you mention there require two different mechanical properties to resist, and unfortunately optimising for one generally means reducing performance for the other. Making a material very hard (resistant to plastic deformation such as scratches) generally makes it less tough (more likely to fracture or shatter). You can't have your cake and eat it. Most manufacturers go for a very hard screen to stop it picking up scratches, but the end is a screen that will go bang if you hit it hard enough.

[GoSlash27]

There are already videos of people dropping the iPhone 6 and it doesn't do as well as you'd hope.

Or at least as *some* would hope. I personally have no illusions about the survivability of an unprotected smart phone. My hat's off to anyone who can keep their phone looking like new without casing it, but I don't recommend that.

#PracticeSafeText

-Slashy

[GoSlash27]

The problem is that the two types of damage you mention there require two different mechanical properties to resist, and unfortunately optimising for one generally means reducing performance for the other. Making a material very hard (resistant to plastic deformation such as scratches) generally makes it less tough (more likely to fracture or shatter). You can't have your cake and eat it. Most manufacturers go for a very hard screen to stop it picking up scratches, but the end is a screen that will go bang if you hit it hard enough.

No argument here, and it goes back to my point:

Most people protect their phone with a case and screen protector, and I'm in that group. Therefore, how the phone looks & feels when out of it's case is irrelevant... or at least should be. "Premium" to me is all about function, not form. I don't want an aluminum bezel if the back doesn't come off. I don't want a thinner profile if it means a weak battery.

I don't care if the back is made out of glass, or metal, or plastic, or naugahide for that matter...

I'm gonna have it in a case!

But apparently "premium look and feel" matters to somebody. If I was in the majority on this, it wouldn't be a selling point. But it is, so I must be wrong *shrug*

/Microsoft Zune had *excellent* "premium look and feel"...

-Slashy

Edited September 21, 2014 by GoSlash27

[Norcalplanner]

GalaxY it came down to one thing - you can remove the back of the Galaxy S4 and put in a memory card and a new battery. You can't do that with the iPhone.

[Red Iron Crown]

GalaxY it came down to one thing - you can remove the back of the Galaxy S4 and put in a memory card and a new battery. You can't do that with the iPhone.

I'm on my third Galaxy series phone and I've never availed of those features, though I might be in the minority. I also store just about everything in my dropbox (which Samsung was kind enough to enlarge by 50GB), it makes syncing between multiple computers and other devices a breeze. I also keep my music collection locally on my phone (a dropbox option) and have it only sync over wifi, as I have a modest metered data plan.

The big thing that drew me to Android over iOS was better and larger screens (love AMOLED and its infinite contrast ratio) and 3rd party keyboards. I tried the iOS keyboard and hated it around the 3GS/4 era, and replacing it with something better was not supported. Now that those features have finally come to iOS, I have too much invested in my Android software collection and the Apple hardware, while nice enough, is a poor value proposition. Apple would have to be significantly better than Android in most regards for me to consider changing at this point; they are not and don't seem likely to ever be again.

[rtxoff]

Yes, already invested money in apps is an strong motivation to stick to one of these camps. I would never consider changing only because of this.

[Norcalplanner]

I'm on my third Galaxy series phone and I've never availed of those features, though I might be in the minority. I also store just about everything in my dropbox (which Samsung was kind enough to enlarge by 50GB), it makes syncing between multiple computers and other devices a breeze. I also keep my music collection locally on my phone (a dropbox option) and have it only sync over wifi, as I have a modest metered data plan.

The big thing that drew me to Android over iOS was better and larger screens (love AMOLED and its infinite contrast ratio) and 3rd party keyboards. I tried the iOS keyboard and hated it around the 3GS/4 era, and replacing it with something better was not supported. Now that those features have finally come to iOS, I have too much invested in my Android software collection and the Apple hardware, while nice enough, is a poor value proposition. Apple would have to be significantly better than Android in most regards for me to consider changing at this point; they are not and don't seem likely to ever be again.

I bought a 32 GB memory card 2 days after I got the phone, put it in, and I now have 48GB of on-board storage. The card cost me $25. When compared to the price differential for various flavors of iPhones, it seems like a heck of a bargain.

[SpaceXray]

GalaxY it came down to one thing - you can remove the back of the Galaxy S4 and put in a memory card and a new battery. You can't do that with the iPhone.

You can change an iPhones battery for less than 20$ and anyone can do it with a 5$ kit(included in that 20$)

[Kryten]

That voids the warranty.

[Red Iron Crown]

Just use Wave:

[rtxoff]

Can't believe that actually someone put it into the microwave. Dumb people, lmao.

[Red Iron Crown]

Can't believe that actually someone put it into the microwave. Dumb people, lmao.

I have low expectations of intelligence for someone who chooses the Twitter handle "iPunchhBabiies".