Anyone considering giving up Android for iPhone 4S?

[Frisco]

Add to your cons...

No LTE
Can't be used as a hotspot
No voice guided navigation
No ability to change icons, themes or launchers
No swype keyboard
No ability to change stock keyboard
Can't upgrade or remove memory
Can't upgrade or change battery

Some of those I didn't even know about. No voice nav? No themes?

 

[A.Nonymous]

I have to be honest here. I keep eyeballing the iPhone just for the form factor. I hate, despise and detest all the 4" and greater phones. But I am eligible for an upgrade. I just can't bring myself to give up all the customizability that Android offers. My next phone needs to be the 3.5" form factor or very close to it. There are no high end Android phones period that are in that form factor. My next phone may or may not be rooted. I'm not sure I need root just for day to day stuff. I may root just to get a better backup though.

 

[floosy]

Meh, I have an SG2 why on earth would I want to downgrade to an iPhone?

 

[jerofld]

Add to your cons...

No LTE
Can't be used as a hotspot
No voice guided navigation
No ability to change icons, themes or launchers
No swype keyboard
No ability to change stock keyboard
Can't upgrade or remove memory
Can't upgrade or change battery

I'm sure there are more I came up with when I was deciding this too, just can't remember

I'm responding to the bolded commments:

The iPhone can act as a wifi hotspot. I'm not sure about a USB hotspot, though.

How to Turn your iPhone into a WiFi Hotspot (how to) | GadgetReview

Also no voice nav? Mapquest disagrees.

MapQuest Brings Free Voice Navigation to the iPhone

Google search FTW.

 

[storm14k]

Man I've been away from here for a long time.

No I probably would never switch. I work in a startup group after hours and it just so happened that we all had Android phones. We live in different parts of the U.S. but through Android and its ability to be customized, widgets etc. and Google Apps we conduct business seamlessly across our phones and computers. When I look at iPhone features or check them out I don't see where it could hold up to the same tasks and thats before dealing with the screen size issue.

The iPhone 4S really only brings Siri to the table as a new feature and I don't know if its been mentioned but Speaktoit Assistant matches and even surpasses Siri in some areas. The only place it falls short to me is graphically and the synthesized voice is not as smooth. Neither reason would make the 4S worth the purchase.

 

[rui-no-onna]

I'm responding to the bolded commments:

The iPhone can act as a wifi hotspot. I'm not sure about a USB hotspot, though.

USB tethering is supported. Bluetooth, too I believe. You can have 3 tethered devices on wi-fi, 1 on USB and I think 1 on bluetooth.

 

[moparharn]

"Add to your cons...

No LTE
Can't be used as a hotspot
No voice guided navigation
No ability to change icons, themes or launchers
No swype keyboard
No ability to change stock keyboard
Can't upgrade or remove memory
Can't upgrade or change battery "


1. with the speed of the 4S I think not having LTE is okay, it is still pretty fast, but I don't download big files much
2. It can be a hotspot, I have already used it.
3. Voice Nav- that sucks I love google nav. I will check mapquest for apple.
4. Icons and lauchers are not a big deal for me, just moving them around is all I need.
5. No swype- SUCKS!
6. removeable memory- no big deal
7. removeable battery- could be a problem if battery life sucks, but so far it does not.

If I cannot find a way to get web pages to display text large enough to read and that AUTO SIZES, this thing is going back for sure. So far Verizon and Apple tech cannot find a way to solve my auto sizing problem. This was NEVER an issue on Android. If they fix this though, I might keep this little bugger. Bill

 

[moparharn]

CANNOT BE FIXED. Who makes phone that you cannot read when browsing without having to scroll left and right and up and down? This is unbelievable to me. If this holds true the Iphone is going back for sure. I use my phone like a computer when away from my computer. I must be able to browse, and that means viewing test large enough to see without having to scroll all over the place and lose my position on the page. I was really starting to like this phone. Bill

 

[aysiu]

Swype is overrated. The stock Gingerbread keyboard is still the best and fastest I've used.

As for web browsing--yes, Safari kind of stinks in terms of rendering for mobile (pinch-to-zoom is a great feature for photos and maps, but for a website, it shouldn't be necessary). That's why it's a good thing you can install Dolphin or Opera for the iPhone for free.

 

[psychotron]

"Add to your cons...

No LTE
Can't be used as a hotspot
No voice guided navigation
No ability to change icons, themes or launchers
No swype keyboard
No ability to change stock keyboard
Can't upgrade or remove memory
Can't upgrade or change battery "


1. with the speed of the 4S I think not having LTE is okay, it is still pretty fast, but I don't download big files much
2. It can be a hotspot, I have already used it.
3. Voice Nav- that sucks I love google nav. I will check mapquest for apple.
4. Icons and lauchers are not a big deal for me, just moving them around is all I need.
5. No swype- SUCKS!
6. removeable memory- no big deal
7. removeable battery- could be a problem if battery life sucks, but so far it does not.

If I cannot find a way to get web pages to display text large enough to read and that AUTO SIZES, this thing is going back for sure. So far Verizon and Apple tech cannot find a way to solve my auto sizing problem. This was NEVER an issue on Android. If they fix this though, I might keep this little bugger. Bill

So you are cool buying a phone with only 16 or 32GB of storage and then having to buy a new phone or start deleting stuff once you fill it? Ok...Battery life isn't the only issue, once the battery fails, bye bye iPhone, you have to buy a new one. You can't just simply swap it out for a new one. Again, if you are willing to take that risk with your money, ok...I also disagree on build quality. I have seen some many iPhones with cracked screens its not even funny. I rarely see or have had any friends that have cracked Android screens.

 

[moparharn]

So will Dolphin or Opera resize the web pages for me, or give a larger rendering for the double tap? Is this a viable work around for me, and are there any downsides to this? Thanks for your help! Bill

 

[psychotron]

CANNOT BE FIXED. Who makes phone that you cannot read when browsing without having to scroll left and right and up and down? This is unbelievable to me. If this holds true the Iphone is going back for sure. I use my phone like a computer when away from my computer. I must be able to browse, and that means viewing test large enough to see without having to scroll all over the place and lose my position on the page. I was really starting to like this phone. Bill

Yup, was one of the deal breakers for me too. Its ridiculous trying to view a desktop version of a site with a lot of text on the tiny screen. Also, try going into ESPN or Yahoo and pinch to zoom, won't work. Works just fine on my ET4G though.

 

[amsid]

Nope, definitely not after this, haha:

iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S2 Drop Test

i can play hockey with my gs2 once i get it

 

[Stuntman]

CANNOT BE FIXED. Who makes phone that you cannot read when browsing without having to scroll left and right and up and down? This is unbelievable to me. If this holds true the Iphone is going back for sure. I use my phone like a computer when away from my computer. I must be able to browse, and that means viewing test large enough to see without having to scroll all over the place and lose my position on the page. I was really starting to like this phone. Bill

My understanding of the iPhone browser is that they went with the decision to zoom according to the column width. If you use a different zoom level, you may need to scroll sideways. With the stock Android browser, the reflow text feature makes it easy to read the text in the frame you are zooming to. However, if there is some fields to the left or right, you need to side scroll. On some occasions, I would have preferred not to have text reflow, but most of the time, I like the text reflow.

So will Dolphin or Opera resize the web pages for me, or give a larger rendering for the double tap? Is this a viable work around for me, and are there any downsides to this? Thanks for your help! Bill

Opera Mobile will do reflow text on Android. Not exactly sure about on iOS. I believe it is free, so you can just download it and try it out.

 

[IOWA]

Well I am a big Android fan, have had one since the Hero. However, I have grown tired of not having the latest version of Android and wondering if I will ever get it or if Sprint will skip it etc...or worse yet, having to buy a new phone 6 months later to get the update because Sprint decides to stop updating a year old phone. It's become quite a mess.

6 months? All android handsets are promised updates to the latest and greatest 18 months after the handsets release. Sounds pretty fair to me.

 

[psychotron]

6 months? All android handsets are promised updates to the latest and greatest 18 months after the handsets release. Sounds pretty fair to me.

Well that wasn't in my contract, so promises mean nothing. Hoping for the best with the ET4G

 

[moparharn]

I donwloaded the opera app. when you go into settings and select single column, the app makes the forums I read legible for me after a double tap zoom. Nice app actually. Battery at 8:53 is now at 16%. I wish the battery had a little better performance. My X would be higher than this after the same usage. Bill

 

[geetechfever]

I have to say, the siri on iPhone 4S is really really cool. Noticed a message claimed there is a equal app for Android, but can't find anymore. Any one know this? Thanks.

 

[Sak01]

I have to say, the siri on iPhone 4S is really really cool. Noticed a message claimed there is a equal app for Android, but can't find anymore. Any one know this? Thanks.

Vlingo and Speaktoit are two that I've been using recently.

 

[Pitamakan]

I have to say, after checking out the announcements for ICS and the Nexus, I was fairly underwhelmed. The Nexus is just too big for someone like me who wants a pocket-sized, one-handed phone ... it'a almost a mini-tablet, really. And ICS isn't much more than a gussied-up version of Honeycomb. So I think I'm leaning towards making the switch now ...

 

[IOWA]

I have to say, after checking out the announcements for ICS and the Nexus, I was fairly underwhelmed. The Nexus is just too big for someone like me who wants a pocket-sized, one-handed phone ... it'a almost a mini-tablet, really. And ICS isn't much more than a gussied-up version of Honeycomb. So I think I'm leaning towards making the switch now ...

Meh, seems like all phone announcements this year were kind of a dud. I'm sure there are lots of enhancements in ICS, especially when it comes to compatibility. I do like doing away with dedicated capacitive buttons. But something that's always bothered me about honeycomb and now ICS is no freaking dedicated search button. Seriously, how does a Google phone NOT have a dedicated search button!!

Oddly enough what I'm looking forward to the most is coming directly from Sprint lol.. and that's a PTT android that is compatible with legacy Nextels. Strange feature to be pining over eh?

 

[DexTyler]

Considering I can get an Android for half the price with double the amount of customization (among other things), I would never think about getting an iPhone or anything Apple. I'd rather not pay out the nose for a year just for a brand name.

 

[Pitamakan]

Meh, seems like all phone announcements this year were kind of a dud. I'm sure there are lots of enhancements in ICS, especially when it comes to compatibility. I do like doing away with dedicated capacitive buttons. But something that's always bothered me about honeycomb and now ICS is no freaking dedicated search button. Seriously, how does a Google phone NOT have a dedicated search button!!

Yep. Maybe it's partly just because the smartphone market has matured over the last few years, but the pace of worthwhile change has definitely slowed. And I'm with you ... a Google OS needs a search button!

 

[jeffreyjames]

I am very interested in getting the 4S, but I don't know if I can handle the screen size. Going from 4.3 to 3.5 seems like a down grade. Does anyone else agree, or have similar concerns?

 

[daveybaby]

a Google OS needs a search button!

I've had an xperia arc for 6 months now, which doesnt have a search button, and i have to say i havent missed it for a second. However i am dead set against losing any other buttons - home, back and menu are indispensable (and personally i want physical buttons not capacitive ones).

I am very interested in getting the 4S, but I don't know if I can handle the screen size. Going from 4.3 to 3.5 seems like a down grade. Does anyone else agree, or have similar concerns?

My biggest gripe with the iphone screen is the amount of wasted real estate. They could easily fit a 4"+ screen in the same sized case.