I've been using an Android phone (as my primary personal phone) for three and a half years. I currently have a Galaxy S3 for almost 2 years. My work phone was a BlackBerry and it was upgraded to an iPhone 5S a month ago. Although I mostly use the iPhone for work, I took the opportunity to compare some things on the iPhone with what I use on my Galaxy S3. I didn't do much on my old BB other than phone calls, texts and email and I was not very impressed, so my impressions of the iPhone will be from a long time Android user's point of view.
The first thing I notice is the size. Going from a 4.8" screen to a 4" screen is a significant change. You see less text on the iPhone and images are going to be smaller. On the other hand, it is easier to reach all 4 corners of the screen with your thumb when using the phone with only one hand. My previous phone was 3.7". When deciding on what phone to upgrade to, I was actually looking for a not so large phone before ultimately deciding on the Galaxy S3. Now, I don't think I can go smaller.
The one feature that I really looked forward to trying is the fingerprint unlock. I currently use the pattern unlock because it is the fastest way for me to unlock the phone and it offers some security. I absolutely love the fingerprint unlock of the iPhone 5S. It works reliably almost every single time and is more convenient than pattern unlock. I also used face unlock on my Transformer tablet. Face unlock is not as reliable. The lighting has to be right. If there are any bright lights or bright background behind me, the face unlock fails. The fingerprint unlock is the one iPhone feature I really want.
The iPhone keyboard is the same keyboard I remember seeing on the original iPhone. I was able to type fairly well on it. It wasn't difficult for me to type on the iPhone keyboard considering it is different than the one I currently use on my Android phone (Kii Keyboard). What I did have difficult with was numbers and punctuation. Kii keyboard makes it easy to type numbers because the layout includes number keys. Punctuation is easier as well because I can just long tap a key to get the symbol. The punctuation and other symbol is written on each key so I know which key to long press. I'm used to the many Android keyboards I can choose from with so many features such as multiple layouts and gesture typing. The iPhone keyboard works, but just feels so out of date.
The apps that I primarily use on the iPhone to compare with Android are Pulse (a news reader), Google+, Yahoo! Weather and Gas Buddy (gas prices). These apps are on both my iPhone and Galaxy. Default apps I use or have tried are Safari, Mail, Message, Calendar and Apple Maps.
When using these various apps, what I notice most on the iPhone is that before a page completes loading, I can often start scrolling. This is most prevalent in the web browser and Pulse. On the Galaxy, if the page hasn't finished loading, there is a delay before the page scrolls or you cannot scroll at all. I like the fact that if I happen to finish reading what is on the page, I can immediately scroll down some more on the iPhone. The effect is most noticeable on more complex web pages I am viewing. On some apps like Google+, I don't notice it much on my Galaxy.
In terms of app quality, I have heard it mentioned many times that the app quality is better on iOS than Android. The apps that I use on both devices (Pulse, G+, Yahoo! Weather and Gas Buddy) I feel this is not the case at all. Google+ is better on my Galaxy. I would expect this since it is made by Google. Pulse, Yahoo! Weather and Gas Buddy are independent of Google. Of these three, Yahoo! Weather is about the same, but Pulse and Gas Buddy is better on Android.
Yahoo! Weather has some minor differences between the iOS and Android version. The differences are really minor and overall, both work equally well. I didn't understand why there were differences. It just looks like the developers just overlooked something on each version.
Pulse is one of the apps I use the most. The Android version is superior because it has a feature that makes it more convenient on the Android version. That feature is to set the default to display the articles of a particular feed in web mode. The iOS version does not have this feature and I have to press extra buttons. I'm not sure why it doesn't have this feature, but I find it to be a glaring omission.
Gas Buddy also has a glaring omission in the iOS version. On the Android version, I have a list of favourite gas stations. There is no such feature on iOS. This makes it highly inconvenient as I have a points card for only certain gas stations and only go to those gas stations.
I only have a short list of apps that I put on my work phone. I picked these apps because they are ones that I use often and are ones I can find on both iOS and Android. This certainly isn't a sufficient sample size to conclusively determine whether or not app quality is better on iOS or Android. Other than missing features and just different UI conventions, I just don't see much of a difference between the app quality on the two platforms.
The UI conventions are different between the two platforms. The one thing that I really miss from Android when using the iPhone is the back button. After using the iPhone for a while, I realise how much I use the back button and how much I miss it. On iOS, the way you go back to a previous screen is highly inconsistent. Depending on the app and where in the app, the way you go back to the previous screen is different. You often see a button that has a lable of the previous screen or a button to close the current screen. However, these buttons are not on the same place all the time. Often they are on the top left (which makes it easy to reach on a smaller phone). Sometimes it is the top right or elsewhere. The way you go back/close the current screen is to try to scroll beyond the bottom of the screen. Drag the screen up and release. Sometimes you drag the screen right from the centre of the screen. Sometimes you swipe inward from the left edge of the screen. There are just so many ways that even after a month, I still get mixed up and use the wrong gesture sometimes. On Android, the single back button is used.
For other UI differences, they are just different and just takes some getting used to. I'm used to Android, but other than the back function, I feel I can get used to it.
There are a number of things I can do on Android that I cannot on iOS. These have been discussed many times already in great detail and there is no need for me to rehash it.
I did take this opportunity to really use an iPhone to see if I would like the iPhone enough to consider one when it is time to upgrade my Galaxy. Unlike trying one at a store, I got to install some apps and sign in with my own account and spend a lot more time with it. After my experience with the iPhone, I would not choose to get one at this time if I have to replace my current Galaxy. As much as I like fingerprint unlock and being able to scroll web pages without waiting, I feel that I would lose a lot of other funcitonality. I would not have a choice of using my favourite keyboard, have no choice of default apps, no widgets, etc. For me, the disadvantages of iOS just outweigh the benefits.
The first thing I notice is the size. Going from a 4.8" screen to a 4" screen is a significant change. You see less text on the iPhone and images are going to be smaller. On the other hand, it is easier to reach all 4 corners of the screen with your thumb when using the phone with only one hand. My previous phone was 3.7". When deciding on what phone to upgrade to, I was actually looking for a not so large phone before ultimately deciding on the Galaxy S3. Now, I don't think I can go smaller.
The one feature that I really looked forward to trying is the fingerprint unlock. I currently use the pattern unlock because it is the fastest way for me to unlock the phone and it offers some security. I absolutely love the fingerprint unlock of the iPhone 5S. It works reliably almost every single time and is more convenient than pattern unlock. I also used face unlock on my Transformer tablet. Face unlock is not as reliable. The lighting has to be right. If there are any bright lights or bright background behind me, the face unlock fails. The fingerprint unlock is the one iPhone feature I really want.
The iPhone keyboard is the same keyboard I remember seeing on the original iPhone. I was able to type fairly well on it. It wasn't difficult for me to type on the iPhone keyboard considering it is different than the one I currently use on my Android phone (Kii Keyboard). What I did have difficult with was numbers and punctuation. Kii keyboard makes it easy to type numbers because the layout includes number keys. Punctuation is easier as well because I can just long tap a key to get the symbol. The punctuation and other symbol is written on each key so I know which key to long press. I'm used to the many Android keyboards I can choose from with so many features such as multiple layouts and gesture typing. The iPhone keyboard works, but just feels so out of date.
The apps that I primarily use on the iPhone to compare with Android are Pulse (a news reader), Google+, Yahoo! Weather and Gas Buddy (gas prices). These apps are on both my iPhone and Galaxy. Default apps I use or have tried are Safari, Mail, Message, Calendar and Apple Maps.
When using these various apps, what I notice most on the iPhone is that before a page completes loading, I can often start scrolling. This is most prevalent in the web browser and Pulse. On the Galaxy, if the page hasn't finished loading, there is a delay before the page scrolls or you cannot scroll at all. I like the fact that if I happen to finish reading what is on the page, I can immediately scroll down some more on the iPhone. The effect is most noticeable on more complex web pages I am viewing. On some apps like Google+, I don't notice it much on my Galaxy.
In terms of app quality, I have heard it mentioned many times that the app quality is better on iOS than Android. The apps that I use on both devices (Pulse, G+, Yahoo! Weather and Gas Buddy) I feel this is not the case at all. Google+ is better on my Galaxy. I would expect this since it is made by Google. Pulse, Yahoo! Weather and Gas Buddy are independent of Google. Of these three, Yahoo! Weather is about the same, but Pulse and Gas Buddy is better on Android.
Yahoo! Weather has some minor differences between the iOS and Android version. The differences are really minor and overall, both work equally well. I didn't understand why there were differences. It just looks like the developers just overlooked something on each version.
Pulse is one of the apps I use the most. The Android version is superior because it has a feature that makes it more convenient on the Android version. That feature is to set the default to display the articles of a particular feed in web mode. The iOS version does not have this feature and I have to press extra buttons. I'm not sure why it doesn't have this feature, but I find it to be a glaring omission.
Gas Buddy also has a glaring omission in the iOS version. On the Android version, I have a list of favourite gas stations. There is no such feature on iOS. This makes it highly inconvenient as I have a points card for only certain gas stations and only go to those gas stations.
I only have a short list of apps that I put on my work phone. I picked these apps because they are ones that I use often and are ones I can find on both iOS and Android. This certainly isn't a sufficient sample size to conclusively determine whether or not app quality is better on iOS or Android. Other than missing features and just different UI conventions, I just don't see much of a difference between the app quality on the two platforms.
The UI conventions are different between the two platforms. The one thing that I really miss from Android when using the iPhone is the back button. After using the iPhone for a while, I realise how much I use the back button and how much I miss it. On iOS, the way you go back to a previous screen is highly inconsistent. Depending on the app and where in the app, the way you go back to the previous screen is different. You often see a button that has a lable of the previous screen or a button to close the current screen. However, these buttons are not on the same place all the time. Often they are on the top left (which makes it easy to reach on a smaller phone). Sometimes it is the top right or elsewhere. The way you go back/close the current screen is to try to scroll beyond the bottom of the screen. Drag the screen up and release. Sometimes you drag the screen right from the centre of the screen. Sometimes you swipe inward from the left edge of the screen. There are just so many ways that even after a month, I still get mixed up and use the wrong gesture sometimes. On Android, the single back button is used.
For other UI differences, they are just different and just takes some getting used to. I'm used to Android, but other than the back function, I feel I can get used to it.
There are a number of things I can do on Android that I cannot on iOS. These have been discussed many times already in great detail and there is no need for me to rehash it.
I did take this opportunity to really use an iPhone to see if I would like the iPhone enough to consider one when it is time to upgrade my Galaxy. Unlike trying one at a store, I got to install some apps and sign in with my own account and spend a lot more time with it. After my experience with the iPhone, I would not choose to get one at this time if I have to replace my current Galaxy. As much as I like fingerprint unlock and being able to scroll web pages without waiting, I feel that I would lose a lot of other funcitonality. I would not have a choice of using my favourite keyboard, have no choice of default apps, no widgets, etc. For me, the disadvantages of iOS just outweigh the benefits.
