Hard choice

[cdmoore74]

I hear a lot of people looking at iPhone but let me explain why I personally went back to my Note 3 after 8 days of playing with a iPhone 6.

1. Android is the best OS. Being with Android since the Droid OG days we start to forget all the improvements Google has made with Android. Using iOS for the first two days are refreshing no doubt but you start to see the limitations in the home screen, command center, notifications, widgets, settings and just plan usability. Android does everything better in this department.

2. iOS and it's apps are not bug free. I've ran into many issues while using iOS and there is now so much "fragmentation". I was still running into apps designed for the 3.5" screen size which don't scale. Many games just crash to the home screen or have graphic anomalies with the hardware/iOS 8. I figured that using a Apple device should be reliable and fast but it's just not the case. It felt like I was a beta tester.

3. The Apple store is a mess and I can't find the same apps I'm accustomed to. Google remote desktop works beautifully and it's free. And there are plenty of Android video playback apps that work with any format video I throw at it on Android. Much more freedom if you download or view various video formats. It's like using a computer with Android. The video playback selection in iOS is a joke.

4. Android phones have matched or surpassed Apples build quality and design. The 2014 Moto X is built like a tank and looks good. The M8 looks better. And the Note 4 and Alpha use quality materials. The iPhone 5/5S look and feel better than the iPhone 6 so in my opinion they took a step back.

5. The iPhone 6 plus is just a large iPhone 6 with just a few apps taking advantage of the screen. It's going to take time to see any benefit with apps. The phone is taller than the Note 3 and 4.

6. Price sucks. Need I say more?

7. iTunes suck and was not reliable.

8. If you're slightly interested in smartwatches your choices are very limited with Apple. With Apple it's love or hate with iWatch and the starting price is over $350 for the ladies model. With Android you have more Android Wear selection and many more price levels.

Now it was not all bad. iTouch is excellent, the camera was excellent, the OS is fast, very bright display with good resolution, super fast updates, excellent accessory options and tons of apps. But using the device after using Android feels like a downgrade.

So after using iPhone and not liking it I have narrowed my selection to a few devices.

1. Note 4
2. Droid Turbo
3. Nexus 6 (if on Verizon)
4. Moto X

I'm leaning towards Note 4 just because of Gear VR. Gear VR may not be perfect but for a first gen device I'm impressed by what I see. With phone resolutions increasing and processors getting more powerful it's going to get even better. Plus with the Note it's not a one trick pony. My only negative is with skin jobs aka touchwiz. I just wish Samsung would leave the look alone and just add features like Motorola does with the Moto X.
Droid Turbo matches Note 4 resolution, cpu and memory but in a smaller body with a rumored larger battery. Plus it has near stock Android with useful features.
If the price is right with the Nexus 6 it's a winner. And you can't really go wrong with the Moto X. To me the Moto X is Android's iPhone.

 

[cdmoore74]

You went around the world in 2 days. LOL

I have an iPhone 6. In fact, I typically do buy each new iteration of the iPhone - but not as my primary phone. My office mail and calendar is connected to it. But for my regular day to day use - I continue to stick with Android. To be honest, I think it comes down to which ecosystem you want. I have discovered this time, however, that the ecosystem doesn't really play into a lot of people's minds. I read about people switching to the other because of the big size. I could just never bring myself to it. The freedom Android brings to me is something I treasure and will keep me with it.

10+ more days of waiting while my GS4 is slowly dying. The Note4 launch can't come soon enough.

For the typical user today both iOS and Android are great. But if you're a season vet/power-user with Android you will not like iOS. You must truly hate Android to make that type of jump. But 3 years ago I made the mistake of getting my wife a Android phone; the OS was just too much for what she does. Today I would feel really good in getting my wife a Moto X. Then again she still loves her iPhone 5 and after 2 years it's just as quick and after a battery replacement it's like new.

 

[jaj324]

Not seeing a build issue with the Note 3 or expecting one with the Note 4 (used one for 45 minutes and build was good).

What IS the most statistically high issue though is battery decline and failure. Simple fix for the Notes but not devices with fixed batteries.

This is especially true for keeping a device beyond a year. Some Apple users do not get it when after a year they start harping on battery life. The correlation to battery life is far closer to battery age/use than an OS update.

I don't keep any phone longer than a year. Usually not that long. Since I bought the 6+ on the Next plan I will keep it exactly one year. Not a day longer.

 

[cdmoore74]

I don't keep any phone longer than a year. Usually not that long. Since I bought the 6+ on the Next plan I will keep it exactly one year. Not a day longer.

I plan on getting the Note 4 (or Droid Turbo) on Verizon's Edge plan. Because of this I'm treating the phone as a rental but I will still protect it with a case and not try to drop it. For me the Edge plan is perfect because I always upgrade on a yearly basis and after 12 months you always lose so much unless it's a nexus device. So after the $25 discount on my $40 device plan I will be only paying $10 extra a month compared to what I was paying before ($35 device plus $15 for access) and this is no money down. And If I want to upgrade 2 month early it's like $70.

 

[jaj324]

Not seeing a build issue with the Note 3 or expecting one with the Note 4 (used one for 45 minutes and build was good).

What IS the most statistically high issue though is battery decline and failure. Simple fix for the Notes but not devices with fixed batteries.

This is especially true for keeping a device beyond a year. Some Apple users do not get it when after a year they start harping on battery life. The correlation to battery life is far closer to battery age/use than an OS update.

The Note 3 is awesome if you don't mind cheap plastic imitating chrome and a home button that doesn't seem to fit it's opening.