Gardinho Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 Hi All I'm a long-time iPhone user becoming increasingly disillusioned with Apple. Now looking to try something new. What do fellow geeks use and how do you rate it? I'm tempted by the Ubuntu phone just to have a play and see what I can do to customise it. I have never used Android or Windows Phone either. I'm completely open to suggestions.
Roberto Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 Hi All I'm a long-time iPhone user becoming increasingly disillusioned with Apple. Now looking to try something new. What do fellow geeks use and how do you rate it? I'm tempted by the Ubuntu phone just to have a play and see what I can do to customise it. I have never used Android or Windows Phone either. I'm completely open to suggestions. I'm an iPhone fan myself but I think I'm open minded enough to contribute something: I think the question you should ask yourself is why are you disillusioned with the iPhone? Not so you can post it here and myself and other Apple fans can make jerks of ourselves by explaining why you're wrong ;-) but because it informs your choices for a new kind of phone. Microsoft, for example, lock down the Windows app store in a similar way to Apple so if this is part of your issue with the iPhone then a Windows Phone may not be for you. Despite their weak market position though, there are some nice pieces of kit out there and they may make a good choice if the app-store gets a few more key apps in it. Saying "I want to try Android" doesn't really do much for you - An Android phone from Samsung might be a very different proposition to an Android phone from HTC or LG,- not just in terms of hardware but in terms of philosophy around how extras work, how well the phone is supported/updated, etc. I know some people who love their Windows Phones and some who love their Android phones of various ilks just as much as I love my iPhone - and none of us are wrong but we are interested in different things. I will say I think the Ubuntu phone will crater as anything other than a curio and possibly a very low cost option for phones in 'less mature territories' (I think that's actually where the Ubuntu phone is intended to be positioned)... 3
hardtailstar Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 If you want to try Android go for the Nexus line, either the 5 or 6. Its pure Android. You can get Google play editions of other phones but they seem to be High end HTCs and Samsungs. Are you locked into Apple with itunes or do you use other services? You may not get some of the same features on Android and windows phones as you do on iphones but there is also an alternative. See what you use and find out if you can use it on android and windows. 1
Gardinho Posted March 12, 2015 Author Posted March 12, 2015 (edited) Thanks for commenting Roberto. I know people feel very strongly either for or against Apple. I'm not either. I recognise what they do very well. I love my Macbook Pro, and have thoroughly enjoyed using both my previous iPhones over the last 8 years. Why I'm becoming more frustrated with Apple: I'm leaving myself open to criticism here, so this is just my own humble opinion. I'm particularly fed up that the hardware spec of the iPhone that doesn't reflect the price. Don't get me wrong, I love the build quality, but at £620 for the 64GB model I expect more. It's not even worth considering the 16GB model. There is also an accumulation of little things that I find tedious. I'll admit that this is childish, but the branding/marketing and how they can justify prices just because they know that people will pay it. Look at the new watch for example. Now it's obviously a nice bit of kit, but it's going to be £300! The adverts are beginning to wind me up a little, and other little things like forcing that U2 album onto everyones device. I don't want to reignite the old Apple vs everyone else debate. I also realise that Apple are the market leaders so it's obviously hilarious that some IT nerd can criticise their business model, I'm really not. I guess I'm just becoming a little bigoted towards Apple for little/no good reason. I know it sounds ridiculous! The top and bottom of it is I'm just getting a little bored with it and I'm ready for something different. What I use my phone for, predominantly, is pretty standard stuff. Emails, web browsing, GPS Navigation, remote for my xbmc/amp/tv etc. Nothing major. I'm not particularly tied in with Apple apps. I'm also a tech nerd at heart. Much much more than a trend setter, that's for sure! I'm probably after something that gives a little more control to the user. Something that will inspire me to try more tech stuff myself (which is why I thought Linux/Ubuntu). I get my contract paid for, so it's a case of just buying the device myself. Edited March 12, 2015 by Gardinho
Arthur Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 If you want to try Android go for the Nexus line, either the 5 or 6. It's pure Android. +1, although Google stopped selling the Nexus 5 yesterday when they launched their new online store. Only the Nexus 6 is available directly from Google. You can get Google Play Editions of other phones but they seem to be high end HTCs and Samsungs. Not any more. 2
Oaktech Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 Sony Xperia Z3 Compact here. Almost virgin android, shortly to become 5.1. Blistering processor speed, sufficient storage, good battery life and not too big in the hand. Not to mention water resistant. 1
Gardinho Posted March 12, 2015 Author Posted March 12, 2015 Sony Xperia Z3 Compact here. Almost virgin android, shortly to become 5.1. Blistering processor speed, sufficient storage, good battery life and not too big in the hand. Not to mention water resistant. I've read the reviews. This looks rather nice!
MatthewL Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 I have the Samsung S4 at the minute, think this is my 2nd or 3rd Android phone and in a few months I will be going for the S5 or S6, Samsung all the way for me now. 1
rich_tech Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 I own a 4s and I can understand the disillusionment entirely, It can be such a love hate swinging relationship with them, they do make some aesthetically lovely kit, but are stingy or expensive in equal measure, in terms of the addon's offered, with the iphone 6 the prices and models offered were terrible in terms of memory and cost of ownership I felt, 16gb storage is ridiculous these days for a high end product that it proclaims to be with the 6/6+ and I think they knew that and actively want people to struggle on the lower end of storage to buy upgrades. I also think the telephone companies are getting a bit ridiculous too though in equal measure, to get a 6+ here they are trying to push me onto a mega contract way in excess of what I use for data and calls per month. I wouldn't even consider the 16gb one either, a staff member here plumped for the 16gb version and has been told in the phone shop that to update their phone they need to plug it in forever and manually carry out an upgrade over itunes, rather than over the air. Storage is another frustration too, I am paying about £1 a month here now for an icloud storage upgrade to 20gb of space, as the ipad mini and iphone 4s I have cannot be backed up in the free 5gb of space, that payment by comparison to competitors amounts offered is ridiculous, I would get 100 gb a piece on OneDrive/Google for a same price I think the apple watching world cried out where's the 32gb model when they landed, but at the same time everyone would have plumped for the cheapest model then and it wouldnt drive up the upgrades. 1
sonofsanta Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 Nokia Windows Phones are really, seriously nice bits of hardware - my wife has the Lumia 930, all of £23 a month for the top end device, and it's gorgeous. WP is a surprisingly slick OS as well; yes, the app store is nowhere near the size of Apple/Google, no, you can't configure the phone to the same extent you can an Android, but out of the box it is very slick and usable, and the hardware really does feel premium. Android... I love Android, because I like to tweak, but my Nexus 4 has been out of contract and I can't decide what I actually want. I like pure Android, but the Nexus 5 isn't enough of an upgrade to be worth the money, the Nexus 6 is too flipping huge & pricey, and no-one does the Moto X (which looks really lovely) on contract, and I'm not spending £460 on a new phone I don't actually need, only want. Samsung/HTC/Sony/LG etc. bog their phones down with too much cruft for my liking, and it only slows down updates - the HTC One M7 only just got Android 5, for example, about 3 or 4 months after my Nexus 4 did. 2
Gardinho Posted March 12, 2015 Author Posted March 12, 2015 I own a 4s and I can understand the disillusionment entirely, It can be such a love hate swinging relationship with them, they do make some aesthetically lovely kit, but are stingy or expensive in equal measure, in terms of the addon's offered, with the iphone 6 the prices and models offered were terrible in terms of memory and cost of ownership I felt, 16gb storage is ridiculous these days for a high end product that it proclaims to be with the 6/6+ and I think they knew that and actively want people to struggle on the lower end of storage to buy upgrades. I also think the telephone companies are getting a bit ridiculous too though in equal measure, to get a 6+ here they are trying to push me onto a mega contract way in excess of what I use for data and calls per month. I wouldn't even consider the 16gb one either, a staff member here plumped for the 16gb version and has been told in the phone shop that to update their phone they need to plug it in forever and manually carry out an upgrade over itunes, rather than over the air. Storage is another frustration too, I am paying about £1 a month here now for an icloud storage upgrade to 20gb of space, as the ipad mini and iphone 4s I have cannot be backed up in the free 5gb of space, that payment by comparison to competitors amounts offered is ridiculous, I would get 100 gb a piece on OneDrive/Google for a same price I think the apple watching world cried out where's the 32gb model when they landed, but at the same time everyone would have plumped for the cheapest model then and it wouldnt drive up the upgrades. I'm glad I've found someone like-minded! I thought I was going mad and was seriously setting myself up for ridicule!
Roberto Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 Thanks for commenting Roberto.The top and bottom of it is I'm just getting a little bored with it and I'm ready for something different. I think that's entirely reasonable. I'm lucky that I get to play with all the platforms quite a bit so I get that itch scratched... What I use my phone for, predominantly, is pretty standard stuff. Emails, web browsing, GPS Navigation, remote for my xbmc/amp/tv etc. Nothing major. I'm not particularly tied in with Apple apps. I'm also a tech nerd at heart. Much much more than a trend setter, that's for sure! I'm probably after something that gives a little more control to the user. Something that will inspire me to try more tech stuff myself (which is why I thought Linux/Ubuntu). I think you might find the Android stuff to be most suitable from what you're saying - providing you find a phone that runs a more 'pure' strain of Android as others have hinted here. There's also a website that I used to be active on called XDA developers that has a very active community for modding and supporting and playing around with Android. If you want to get under the bonnet a bit you may find that interesting. 1
JJonas Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 Sony Xperia Z3 Compact here. Almost virgin android, shortly to become 5.1. Blistering processor speed, sufficient storage, good battery life and not too big in the hand. Not to mention water resistant. The Sony Z3 series appears to be prone to cracked screens from very small drops. This happened to a friend of ours with her Sony Z3 and there are reports of the same problem on the Carphone warehouse site. 2
Gardinho Posted March 12, 2015 Author Posted March 12, 2015 Thanks for all the input guys. Really interesting stuff. Can anyone give a balanced opinion of either going from iOS to Android or vise versa? What do you prefer about each?
Oaktech Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 The Sony Z3 series appears to be prone to cracked screens from very small drops. This happened to a friend of ours with her Sony Z3 and there are reports of the same problem on the Carphone warehouse site. Interesting... I've cracked the back of mine, but the front seems pretty robust. Having said that I do have it in a hi-vis orange silicon case with a screen protector because I know I'm hard on phones.
Disaster Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 No deals with unlimited data for under £20. It's rubbish out there at the moment! 1
featured_spectre Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 Right now, I have the Xperia Z1 ultra. I love it, however, I will likely be going to Windows Phone next. I was Apple for a while, but after the 3G I didn't bother as I hated having to jailbreak the phone after every iOS update so I could customise it a bit, so I moved to android. have been on droid since, now as much as I like the droid, its getting a bit too clunky. Droid software is fine, but I have grown bored of it, even rooting my phone. I played with a Windows phone, and enjoyed it, so thats likely my next move. Before you commit to a phone, play with one in the shops if you can, try before you buy so to speak, and learn what you like. 1
Gardinho Posted March 12, 2015 Author Posted March 12, 2015 good advice @featured_spectre, thank you.
abillybob Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 (edited) Interesting thread I was thinking about going back iOS style. Though I do love my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 I'm just sick of the slow release of updates and have been with android for years now so just seems boring to me now, Google Voice I use a lot in the car and normally it works really well though if you have more than one music app for example you'll be asked "what do you want to open with this" which is annoying, I'd rather it just be efficient and do what I ask it, it's nice for the choice but GAAAA I'm driving. I used to love it; Rooting them, installing custom ROMS and Recoveries, all of that jazz although grown bored of that after about a year as you miss out on OTA updates and certain apps don't like Rooted phones such as my banking app that I use a lot so I leave it as stock now, plus if it goes wrong you'll know about it. People say it's different to me android is android. I've had a Nexus, Samsung, Sony and OnePlus One and at the end of it all they all function kind of in the same way. Some have different features than others though, but I have found these are more of a gimmick, like the S Pen which I hardly ever use. I like the use of widgets though that's one thing I'll miss if I convert, but I'm yet to find a phone that feels as nicely polished in the hand as the iPhone does, maybe the S6 will change that. Though I'm very aware of the latest technologies for example my Note 4 has a QHD screen yet the iPhone only has 1080p in it's 5.5" model when comparing them side by side the screen I think looks better on the iPhone, colours are more vibrant and it just looks clearer. I prefer something of quality now for home devices, in a school I'm quite the opposite and will go for best price for performance but for home use different story. If someone could point me in the direction of an android phone that has all the best specs, guaranteed updates as they comes out, no bloatware and feels as good as the iPhone in my hand then I'd like to hear the suggestions. Nexus 6 yeah maybe but there's something about the boringness of vanilla android that gets to me..... I wouldn't go Windows because of the unavailability of main apps and I wouldn't go Ubuntu because of the same problem plus the phone looks vile. Edited March 12, 2015 by abillybob 1
featured_spectre Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 See Apps isn't a big thing for me, all I use on my phone are Edugeek Tapatalk Reddit Internet Whatsapp Youtube Mail and a smattering of games and banking apps (which have iOS and Windows versions anyway).
Gardinho Posted March 12, 2015 Author Posted March 12, 2015 @billybob, thank you for taking the time to post such a comprehensive and useful post. I think I'll give Android a go, as it will be good to experience something different. The iPhone does feel premium in the hand, you're definitely right about that. Android is obviously well established, and by the time I come to change my next phone then Windows/Ubuntu might have a bit more about them in a few years. I quite like the look for the HTC. Build quality looks similar to iPhones (*disclaimer, never actually had one in my hand!). - - - Updated - - - See Apps isn't a big thing for me, all I use on my phone are Edugeek Tapatalk Reddit Internet Whatsapp Youtube Mail and a smattering of games and banking apps (which have iOS and Windows versions anyway). I'm exactly the same. Apps are definitely not a deal breaker for me either.
abillybob Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 See Apps isn't a big thing for me, all I use on my phone are Edugeek Tapatalk Reddit Internet Whatsapp Youtube Mail and a smattering of games and banking apps (which have iOS and Windows versions anyway). Suppose not so bad for you then heres my list :~| FaceBook Google Maps YouTube Internet Banking App Whatsapp Edugeek Instagram (Not that I use this at all really though) FaceBook Messenger TeamViewer PlayerFM Amazon eBuyer Google+ Sleep for Android Remote Desktop Client eBay Flixster Snapchat 08 Wizard OneNote HUKD Tonido Rightmove XBMC Remote Control iPlayer Steam AutoTrader 4od ITV Player Microsoft Office Mobile Top Cashback Nectar Clubcard Quidco Google Fit My Passwords Amazon Prime Instant Video Yatse Barcode Scanner Orbot & Orweb Flashlight Soooooooo yeah
Gardinho Posted March 12, 2015 Author Posted March 12, 2015 (edited) I want to add another reason why I'm frustrated with Apple. How you always have to send your kit off for repair JUST so they can over-charge you for bog-standard services. An example of this is my Macbook Pro. Nearly 5 years old. My finger pad was sticking. The cause was the battery swelling. I couldn't simply buy a new battery and fit it myself (which is literally a 10 minute job), I had to send it off to Apple and received a bill of £130. All internal screws are pretty unique JUST so they can retain nearly all repair costs. Sorry to go a little off-topic. Back to phones for discussion. Edited March 12, 2015 by Gardinho
matt40k Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 No deals with unlimited data for under £20. No such thing as unlimited. It's all capped, you go over the cap, they send you a message telling you how evil you are ruining the network for everyone then punishing you by rate limiting you. 1
rickjames Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 Also on a hunt for a new phone; for two years I've had a Nexus 4 with increasing signal issues, particularly indoors. Gone and replaced the battery which was a fault to no avail, ordered a new antenna for it this week and if not that's it. Really want a Nexus 6 but can't justify the price when I paid just a smidgeon under £300 for my N4. Constantly tempted by the OnePlus but reading people having all sorts of issues (that do get fixed, it seems) followed by a shoddy looking customer service makes me wonder if it's worth forking out. 1
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