This blog post is going to be very different from my usual posts. I'm going to tell my honest thoughts after using an iPhone for the past 3 days as my main phone. First, let me say, an iPhone is extremely fast. You can maneuver through apps & screens with extreme speed. There is absolutely no lag what so ever. Now, I'm comparing that to the Samsung's that I've used for over 10 years. I've been in love with Samsung since the first time I touched one. With that being said, maybe I'm a little biased. But, I want to give my honest thoughts.
So, again, iPhone is extremely fast. I believe they try to keep it as simple as possible so even your Grandma can use it. The icons are huge & everything is labeled. Now, I've never used an iPhone prior to iOS 14, so I can't give an opinion on prior versions. iOS 14 is pretty amazing. There are FINALLY widgets & some options to customize your phone. Some people don't care about customization, so to them that's not a big deal. I'm definitely different. I've been part of a phone community for over a decade, that goes back to the Blackberry days. At that time Blackberry was the most coveted phone & everyone had one or wanted one. Then came iPhone & Android & everyone branched off to choose one of them. Many of my friends in the phone community chose iPhone, many chose Android. Everyone was looking for what suited them. Like I said previously, I was & still am, a Samsung lover.
iPhone has features that Samsung doesn't. FaceTime & iMessage are the 2 biggest differences, & people love both of those features. I'll admit, I think FaceTime is amazing. iMessage really isn't any different than any other messaging app to me. Some people may feel different about that. I can honestly say that I'm not impressed. Now as far as FaceTime goes, I've been using Google Duo on my Samsung for years & it does exactly the same thing as FaceTime so that isn't a deal breaker for me either. I don't notice any difference in video call quality or function. The only issue I have is everyone in my family has an iPhone & some refuse to download another app similar to FaceTime so who I can video call is limited. I do like being able to stay connected to my Grandbabies & all of them were raised on iPhone, so that's what they have & what they're use to. So, from that aspect alone, I love iPhone. That is the main reason that I wanted one. I really love the face unlock. That's quick & a very easy feature. That can spoil you.
Another big factor for iPhone users is the camera. I'm not a big picture taker so that isn't really an issue for me, but I can definitely see how it would be for others. Society today is so focused on pictures & sharing their lives so image quality is important. iPhone definitely reigns supreme in the camera aspect.
Let's talk about function. iPhone functions very well from a phone standpoint. You can easily go from one app to the other & it's really basic in function. It's quick & to the point. You can make calls & message people very quickly. That is definitely a plus because, let's be honest, isn't that what a phone is supposed to do? I think it's impressive that anyone from the age of 2 to the age of 70+ can use an iPhone with ease. I can see how people are really drawn to that. It's basic & simple function can appeal to anyone. It groups all your apps into folders in the App Library, which is a plus, considering Android has always had this feature, I just wish it was user friendly. Apple should let the user choose what folder an app goes in. I like the stack widgets. That's a great feature as far as function goes. You can easily see the weather, battery status, your bank balance, whatever you choose to place in the Widget App Stack. The icons are huge on iPhone, so it definitely makes it easier to see them. Shortcuts are a great way to get to what you want fast. The iPhone does have an easy & smooth transition through out the phone. I think that is mainly because there isn't as much taking up space. On Android, you can download different launchers & apps that can make your phone run slightly slower. I guess that's a trade off.
Now, I'm going to tell you all of the things that I don't like about iPhone, Please don't bash me! This is just my opinion...
The keyboard sucks! There is no dedicated number row? This makes it extremely hard for me to type quickly & functionably. That needs to change.
One huge blunder for iPhone is the Photos app. There is no built in photo editor like Samsung has. You can do anything with Samsung's stock gallery app. You can add images on top of other images, edit them basically any way you want. This is horrible for me.
The App Store is garbage. I do everything on my phone. I mean EVERYTHING! You can't download a simple app to do simple things. I've used PhotoGrid for years. It is so much better on Android. I just don't understand why there are so many differences? Shouldn't an app function the same for both phones? I realize this isn't an iPhone issue, it's the app developers issue, but they need to get it together. You can download apps for Android to do anything! I was so frustrated trying to use the iPhone. I'm so used to using my Samsung & I wanted to scream!! I had to just put it down & walk away several times.
I create everything on my phone. I mean everything!! I make wallpapers, icons & so many other things for customization & there is absolutely no way to do this on iPhone. I do realize that for the majority of people they don't care about that but, me personally?? That's everything!!
As for as customization goes, iPhone is so far behind Android that it's mind blowing. I truly can't believe that it's 2020 & iPhone is still functioning like it's 2010?? Is it for the simplicity or speed? What is the reason? People love iPhone even though it's so basic. So, if Apple could or would change this they could surpass Android.
The calculator on iPhone is extremely basic as well. Where is the history? Sometimes I go back & look to see what I've calculated. You would think that something so minor would be on an iPhone.
You can not close out all the open apps on iPhone at one time. You have to manually close each one. That is ridiculous & a waste of time. You can press close on Android & close them all or just close out specific apps. This needs to be changed on iPhone.
I have a Fitbit Versa 2. You can not reply to messages on the watch while using iPhone. Samsung you can. I'm sure this is another way for Apple to keep it's users dependant on it's products.
Samsung (Android) is much more versatile for so many reasons. I may add to this post as I use the iPhone more. I am still using it as my main phone. I can easily switch back & forth between my 2 phones, because I'm on Cricket Wireless & it only takes a simple swap of my sim card. I want to try to use the iPhone. You have to step outside of your comfort zone every once in awhile & that's exactly what I'm trying to do. Using it has definitely taken me out of my comfort zone. I can't even count the times I've been overly agitated trying to do something that I'm so accustomed to doing easily on my Samsung. I am a big fan of function so I just have to fight through the learning curve to make a more thorough judgement.
What are your thoughts? What do you prefer & why?
Android phones have features that iPhones don't have. Plus some of the new features iPhone is putting out has been on Android phones for years now. While yes, iPhones are fast, have good camera quality, etc. It has so many things to improve on. Customization being the biggest factor. I had an iPhone XS (got it from a raffle) but sold it and never opened it. I then bought a laptop instead much more useful.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I want from an iphone I wished Android has are the apps. Developers tend to lean more on making apps for iPhones rather than apps for Androids. My guess is primarily because it is easier to mod or hack Android apps.