Experience switching from iOs / android / windows & pros/cons

wand3r3r

Diamond Member
May 16, 2008
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My phone isn't taking a charge so I'm checking out the options.


1. Galaxy s5 or iphone
alternatively
2. Lumia 1020

Being used to iOs and the iphone, what have been the features you either miss or love in iOs/android/windows?

I haven't played with Android much other then on someone elses device to check out the basics. I like the iphone and when I started using it with retina it was great but since they basically keep repacking the same thing I feel the hardware hasn't improved much. I'd like a bigger screen for browsing the web, but I'm not sure how that translates into pocket size and if it would be irritating. I have bought some iOs apps which would be a slight nuisance but will not affect this decision.

Some of my thoughts.

I like visual studio so it could be fun to play around with a windows phone but I'm not 100% sure if I'm ready to make the switch. I don't mind, actually I have pretty much enjoyed some of the new features under the win8 changes (I generally use the desktop anyway).

The galaxy s5 is appealing since the hardware is great, older android oses which I briefly tried were primitive feeling (several years ago) compared to iOS but I believe the new android os is more polished. I have experience with lumia 800 or 900 which was windows phone 7.5 iirc. It was ok, but not convincing enough to make the switch for me.

Since I've generally kept the phone for a while (1-2 yrs) I am not sure if I should make the switch or not. The iphone was good but lately feels lackluster and really isn't that impressive anymore.
 
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aaksheytalwar

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2012
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As far as hardware goes iphone 5S is one of the fastest in terms of real world app performance and being lag free.

In terms of software nothing comes close to ios7 with airplay, AirDrop, FaceTime and iMessage.
 

MarkizSchnitzel

Senior member
Nov 10, 2013
450
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91
If you are considering WP, why not 930/Icon? Camera on 1020 is not that much better, and everything else on 930 is current (1080p, S800. Future proofing).

WP has matured some in the last year. You should try it and check out apps you need to see if it suits you. For example, in Croatia two of the biggest banks now have beautiful and fully functional wp apps, which was unimaginable last year.
 

Sheninat0r

Senior member
Jun 8, 2007
515
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i own a lumia 1020. it's heavy and the bezels are big; it's just as wide as the lumia icon/930, which has a .5" larger screen. the only reason to get a 1020 over a 930 is if you really want to have the best camera.

as for windows phone, i feel that with the release of 8.1 it's by far the best mobile os. android is slow and laggy and stuttery no matter how much "project butter" or optimization you throw at it, all the apps feel poorly designed and barely cohesive from a design standpoint, and chances are your android phone will stop getting updates 15 months after its release unless you root it, which brings its own set of problems. ios is just terrible, i don't know what else to say about it.
 

bassoprofundo

Golden Member
Oct 26, 1999
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If you are considering WP, why not 930/Icon? Camera on 1020 is not that much better, and everything else on 930 is current (1080p, S800. Future proofing).

WP has matured some in the last year. You should try it and check out apps you need to see if it suits you. For example, in Croatia two of the biggest banks now have beautiful and fully functional wp apps, which was unimaginable last year.

If he's looking at the 1020, he's probably on AT&T, which means no Icon (or 930 anytime soon.) :( If that's true, you're looking at the 920, 925, 1020, or 1520 in terms of the high end.

I switched from an iPhone 4 over to a Lumia 900 back in the day and have stuck with Windows Phone since. I did carry an HTC One as my personal phone for a while (and moved my WP over to my work account). I was spoiled by the Lumias' cameras, though, and there was nothing in Android that really made me want to stay put. Windows phone is just a pure pleasure to use. As long as you aren't 100% dependent on some apps that iOS has and WP does not, I say make the jump. I have a 1520 as my primary phone, a 1020 for work, a 920 (now my spare), an HTC 8x, and a 520, and all have been superb phones.
 

Commodus

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 2004
9,215
6,818
136
My phone isn't taking a charge so I'm checking out the options.


1. Galaxy s5 or iphone
alternatively
2. Lumia 1020

Being used to iOs and the iphone, what have been the features you either miss or love in iOs/android/windows?

I haven't played with Android much other then on someone elses device to check out the basics. I like the iphone and when I started using it with retina it was great but since they basically keep repacking the same thing I feel the hardware hasn't improved much. I'd like a bigger screen for browsing the web, but I'm not sure how that translates into pocket size and if it would be irritating. I have bought some iOs apps which would be a slight nuisance but will not affect this decision.

Some of my thoughts.

I like visual studio so it could be fun to play around with a windows phone but I'm not 100% sure if I'm ready to make the switch. I don't mind, actually I have pretty much enjoyed some of the new features under the win8 changes (I generally use the desktop anyway).

The galaxy s5 is appealing since the hardware is great, older android oses which I briefly tried were primitive feeling (several years ago) compared to iOS but I believe the new android os is more polished. I have experience with lumia 800 or 900 which was windows phone 7.5 iirc. It was ok, but not convincing enough to make the switch for me.

Since I've generally kept the phone for a while (1-2 yrs) I am not sure if I should make the switch or not. The iphone was good but lately feels lackluster and really isn't that impressive anymore.

Before anything else: remember that there's likely a larger iPhone and iOS 8 coming down the pike this year, so if you're not in a rush, you may want to wait for those before making a decision.

Beyond that, I'm fortunate enough to have experience with modern phones from all three platforms, so I can hopefully provide some useful advice.

If you're looking at Android. I wouldn't fixate on the GS5. Lots of bloatware and bigger than it has to be, although it does have a good camera and a nice display. I would also look at the new HTC One and the LG G2, since they have more appealing designs and less cruft... maybe the Nexus 5 if you prefer 'pure' Android. Of the bunch, the One feels the most complete and exciting, from my hands-on time. The main catches to the platform: lagging development and updates. On iOS, you can expect to get big-name apps first, and updates as soon as they're finished; on Android, you frequently have to wait weeks or months for both (only the Nexus line tends to get OS updates right away).

Windows Phone is good, at least as of 8.1, but now wouldn't be a good time to get the 1020 -- it's most of the way through its life cycle, and it's going to feel old pretty quickly. I have one and enjoy it, but I wouldn't suggest that someone buy it new. Look at the 1520 if you don't mind a big phone, and the Icon if you're not beholden to one US carrier. And if you're not in the US... well, that may throw a monkey wrench into things, depending on where you live. The main concerns with WP are sub-par Google service integration (Google is purposefully avoiding app support to hurt Microsoft) and a smaller app ecosystem than either Android or iOS.
 
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Yuriman

Diamond Member
Jun 25, 2004
5,530
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I'm not a big fan of iOS if you take the hardware out of the equation, but I can imagine a larger iPhone having phenomenal battery life, and the app store tends to have better games.

Haven't had a chance to play with WP much. A friend of mine has a 1020 and he's always talking about how he'd rather have my Moto X because of missing apps, a better camera for the kinds of things we do (surprisingly the X takes significantly better pictures of things very close to the camera or through microscopes) and the quality of the screen. I don't think it's nearly so bad as he makes it out to be, but even with how great the camera is, I probably wouldn't recommend the 1020 at this point.

I think the G2 is probably my vote for "best current Android phone", but there are some new devices coming down the pipe right now that might change my mind. LG has a history of being slow with software updates and Samsung's Touchwiz kills me, but you could always load up the ROM from the developer edition. I enjoy the level of integration with Google services and feel the app store is stronger than iOS's when it comes to utilities and emulators. Plus, you can't get a big iPhone yet. I'd like to see the Moto X's refresh, it's a nice size for a phone and active notifications is a fantastic feature.

My thoughts on device size, taken from another thread:

My wife and I are both relatively short. I'm 5'6" and she's 5'1". I have a few pairs of cargo pants, some skinny jeans, and some in the middle.

If I'm wearing cargo pants, I have no problem putting a 2012 Nexus 7 with a beefy case in my pocket, or a Kindle + wallet + Moto X (same pocket). With the skinny jeans, I fit my Moto X + wallet in with no problem, though it's less comfortable if I have a case on the phone. I typically put my wallet in one pocket with my keys, and my phone in the other, to protect the screen.

My wife used to have an iPhone4 (3.5") which she used without a case. In some jeans, she couldn't put the phone in her pocket... but she really couldn't put anything in the pocket except for a few folded bills anyway. The Moto X (4.7") didn't change that. When she's wearing looser-fit jeans, she pockets her phone, case and all. When she's wearing tight jeans, the Moto X goes into her purse, just as the iPhone did. For her, the biggest reason to get a smaller phone would be the reach of her hands, a 4.7" screen is a two-handed device for her for some things.
 
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wand3r3r

Diamond Member
May 16, 2008
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Thanks guys. Props for keeping it very neutral! There were some good points brought up and made me think a bit. It was a tough choice.

I feel like the iphone has stagnated since the 4s/5/5s are barely different then each other, but I'll probably see what's available in a year or two and contemplate switching again. It just happens to be bad timing since the 5s and 925 are a bit older and I would have preferred to wait for the 6/930 as my first options but since my phone died I was forced to make a choice immediately. The s5 has great specs but I'm not "quite" convinced to switch to android.

I wasn't quite sure what to do since I wanted something a little bigger but I was hoping for it to be better (then the 5s). Since I wasn't quite convinced about the S5 and the htc One camera seemed a little lacking (otherwise it looks good), while the 925 is far outdated (nearly a year old already), I decided to stick with the familiar (5s) for now.
 

bearxor

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
6,605
3
81
It's a good choice. The 925 is really a year and a half old. The hardware is the same as the Lumia 920 released in Nov 2012, aside from the screen.

And I don't think Windows Phone is a good choice. I was patiently waiting for 8.1 and now that I've gotten it and used it for about a week, I don't see how people on Windows Phone aren't pulling their hair out, like all the time. Internet Explorer in particular is terrible compared to Safari.

Unfortunately, Apple is likely to lose me next cycle on camera alone. A thinner iPhone with, essentially, the same camera they've been using since 2011 is not something I'm looking forward to.

But the iPhone 5S is still pretty new, it's only about six months old and it's running circles around the 925 in terms of usability.
 

alexeus

Member
Apr 28, 2014
29
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In terms of operating system ... Android it's better then all imo. I used Android phones for years and now I switched to Windows Phone... All I can say bearxor it's right ... it's a mess, and not only the browser. Android it's much easier to navigate with a lot more good apps. Never tried iPhone tho, so can't say anything about it.
 

tsupersonic

Senior member
Nov 11, 2013
867
21
91
Having used all three OS's, I can say Android is my preferred OS. I just recently switched from Android to iOS (got the iPhone 5S), and it's a BIG disappointment if you are any sort of power user (hell even just a regular user). It is so frustrating how many limitations there are to iOS. It is just too restrictive for my taste. Hardware wise, I miss my 1080p display, and the 4" form factor is too small for media consumption or even simple things as typing (iOS keyboard isn't helping either). Battery life on 5S is not great either.

Windows Phone has so much potential, but they are missing vastly simple features iOS and Android have had for a long time. Plus the app marketplace on WP is just laughable. With Android, you have a platform that is highly tweakable with an very strong app marketplace.
 

InfiniteLurker

Senior member
Mar 3, 2004
235
1
81
Windows Phone has so much potential, but they are missing vastly simple features iOS and Android have had for a long time.

Are you talking pre-Windows Phone 8.1? If not, what are some of the missing features? Just curious on some of the details here...
 

AznAnarchy99

Lifer
Dec 6, 2004
14,695
117
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App polish on the iPhone blows Android out of the water. There's no tweaking needed for a clean experience. Also group messaging works without a hitch with your friends. Fingerprint reader is definitely not a gimmick.

Things I hate? The keyboard. I love swiftkey and nothing compares to that. I also love the size of the S4. Not too fond that the S5 got bigger. iPhone is a tad too small but it works.

That being said, I don't use any Apple services on my phone. I have gmail, Google Music, Google Now, Google Maps, etc etc on my iPhone lol.
 

wand3r3r

Diamond Member
May 16, 2008
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Excellent points, keep them coming. I can see the logic behind them and agree with many thoughts brought up here, it's interesting to hear from those of you with more recent experience on multiple platforms.

It's a lot of food for thought and unless the iphone 7 is amazing and not just another incremental update I will be gone.

I dislike the apple monopoly where they try restrict everything you can do (flash) and lock you into their limited eco-system. While ios is polished it's also very limited and runs on a few devices whereas the competitors are far more varied. It would be a lot easier to ensure the experience is good if you only have to support 3 hardware configurations. (not that it's an excuse for shoddy end user experience)

Of course certain things are only opinion and it's easy to be biased based upon what you are comfortable etc, but I value the opinions of those who have seen more then the single OS and can see some of the differences.
 

Commodus

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 2004
9,215
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I dislike the apple monopoly where they try restrict everything you can do (flash) and lock you into their limited eco-system. While ios is polished it's also very limited and runs on a few devices whereas the competitors are far more varied. It would be a lot easier to ensure the experience is good if you only have to support 3 hardware configurations. (not that it's an excuse for shoddy end user experience)

In fairness, some of that has merit. Flash is actually a better example. Over virtually its entire existence, mobile Flash never quite worked right. It was a battery hog and a security risk; many sites didn't have the touch-friendly optimizations needed to make it work. I can't imagine Apple wanting to adopt something that was more likely to worsen the experience than improve it, especially when it wasn't a real standard like HTML5.

The histrionics from Adobe in 2010 over Flash support didn't help, either... why would you want to work with a company that treats you like the devil incarnate just because you didn't agree to use its code?
 
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desura

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2013
4,627
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I have an android phone. I'm kinda meh about it. Functional, but not in love with it.

Generally I would say that ios and windows phone have better apps than android. The eBay app is much better on ios than android for instance.

Having a great camera probably makes up for any app deficit. Also, ios and windows phone have better scrolling in all of their apps than android. It is subtle but changes your immersion experience while using.
 

AznAnarchy99

Lifer
Dec 6, 2004
14,695
117
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In fairness, some of that has merit. Flash is actually a better example. Over virtually its entire existence, mobile Flash never quite worked right. It was a battery hog and a security risk; many sites didn't have the touch-friendly optimizations needed to make it work. I can't imagine Apple wanting to adopt something that was more likely to worsen the experience than improve it, especially when it wasn't a real standard like HTML5.

The histrionics from Adobe in 2010 over Flash support didn't help, either... why would you want to work with a company that treats you like the devil incarnate just because you didn't agree to use its code?

That reminds me. The video playback from websites are 1000000x better than Android. Back with my Nexus I used to have random issues with videos from different sites because they would not always revert back to the Android player. With the Apple one they always open the stock iPhone player and it works.

Also Apple needs to up the resolution on their phones already. The 1080p screens are beautiful and while retina was awesome when it first came out its kinda lacking now.
 

tsupersonic

Senior member
Nov 11, 2013
867
21
91
Are you talking pre-Windows Phone 8.1? If not, what are some of the missing features? Just curious on some of the details here...
Both. I had the wretched HTC Trophy (Only WP7 on Verizon), and the experience was meh, even compared to the Droid Incredible (which had Android 2.3 Gingerbread back in the day). The notification center can be improved in WP8.1. Cortana is a good start, but again late to the game. Everything MS adds feels like they're late to the game and adding features because iOS and Android have them. This is not a bad thing if execution is perfect, and I commend the WP team for making good efforts.

I like seeing competition amongst these companies. Better products for us consumers. This is not to say WP8.1 sucks, it just isn't for me based on its current state.
 

fandroid

Banned
Apr 28, 2014
10
0
0
I'm a proud owner of an Iphone 5S . IPhone’s user experience is unmatched, the app, accessory, and services unequaled, and the customer service the best in the business. Undisputed winner no doubt.
 

InfiniteLurker

Senior member
Mar 3, 2004
235
1
81
Both. I had the wretched HTC Trophy (Only WP7 on Verizon), and the experience was meh, even compared to the Droid Incredible (which had Android 2.3 Gingerbread back in the day). The notification center can be improved in WP8.1. Cortana is a good start, but again late to the game. Everything MS adds feels like they're late to the game and adding features because iOS and Android have them. This is not a bad thing if execution is perfect, and I commend the WP team for making good efforts.

I like seeing competition amongst these companies. Better products for us consumers. This is not to say WP8.1 sucks, it just isn't for me based on its current state.

I'm still curious on the explicit details of what features are missing... Honestly, just looking for what the gaps are from a curiosity/development perspective.

In my experience, the notification center in WP8.1 has resolved the last remaining issues I had with the platform - knowing at a glance any/all notifications I might have missed. Cortana has been icing on the cake for me, and I've already used it substantially more, specifically for location and contact based reminders with better outcomes, than I ever used Siri on iOS.
 

bearxor

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
6,605
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81
I'm still curious on the explicit details of what features are missing... Honestly, just looking for what the gaps are from a curiosity/development perspective.

In my experience, the notification center in WP8.1 has resolved the last remaining issues I had with the platform - knowing at a glance any/all notifications I might have missed. Cortana has been icing on the cake for me, and I've already used it substantially more, specifically for location and contact based reminders with better outcomes, than I ever used Siri on iOS.

Here's my opinion on the Windows 8.1 Notification Center and why I think iOS's is still superior.

I get a notification. By the time I get it out of my pocket, I can't see the notification. That's because you're limited to one application having extended information on the lock screen. And I'm limited to five applications to even get a "count" of what I've missed. And I have to pick them!

So I have my important ones. Phone calls, text messages, lync, exchange and outlook.

So say I get a twitter notification. I get a vibration, because my phone is never (let me repeat that, NEVER) off silent mode. I don't know what it is, because it just vibrates. I pull it out, and look at my glance screen. I don't see any notifications. What notification did I get? Was it Twitter? Facebook? Baconit? Who knows? So I power it on and look at the lock screen. Well hell, I still have no idea. So now I can pull down the notification center to find out.

On iOS? Press the power button, see the notification, press the power button.

When I used Windows Phone last year, on WP8, I was amazed at just how scatterbrained it is. There's no order to anything. There's no flow. Everything was just kind of thrown at you and Microsoft says "well, you'll figure it out!"

Prime example. Settings screen. This is how you do a settings screen:
ios-7-settings.PNG


This make sense to me. Put your important things up top and then categorize other things so they're logically easy to find. This is why a "control center" quick action icon was never a big deal for me. Turning on or off WiFi was really quick and easy to do on an iPhone. But the control center added a lot of nice features like being able to choose which bluetooth device is selected easily and control brightness without having to go in to settings.

Now how about this?
qoEdCQ6.png

What... In the actual fuck? WALL OF TEXT INCOMING!!!
u4rfi9h.png

Oh, there's bluetooth. Nice to see it on THE SECOND PAGE.
http://i.imgur.com/VJTjcKd.png
VJTjcKd.png

Hey, there's my brightness... ON THE THIRD PAGE! And my screen rotation! SWEET! I've only had to scroll a little bit to get here.
kIXKEdN.png

Hey! I found my GPS settings. Way down here halfway through the list!

I just can't imagine the thought process behind this settings menu layout. It's like, they were working on the operating system, and this was the order they did stuff in.

"Well, we finished the lock screen and are working on the ringtones now. Where should those go in the settings screen?"

"It's the second thing you've worked on, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Well just put it under whatever you worked on last!"

That's how I envisioned Windows Phone development went. They were so focused on getting something, ANYTHING out there, that they've essentially thrown usability out the window. You can set up Windows Phone to cover basic tasks easily and quickly but that takes a fair bit of work.

Windows Phone 8.1 hasn't changed my mind. I've said it before, and it's the reason I've spent so much time for one thing on this post, Windows Phone is the most frustrating thing out there for me right now. Microsoft has, I think, the best idea in OS design philosophy. It tries to take the best parts of Android and the best parts of iOS and make it all work. When it does, it's beautiful. But more often than not, it's just implemented so poorly that it's more frustrating to use. I'm certain that with the right UI design team, Windows Phone could blow away anything Apple and Google have to offer but they can't seem to commit all the way.

I don't really want to end on my last paragraph but don't know what else to say. I'm afraid that I might come off on some of my posts as a Windows Phone hater, but nothing could be further from the truth. I really, really, REALLY want to like Windows Phone and the fact that Microsoft keeps somehow missing the mark just infuriates me so much.
 

Yuriman

Diamond Member
Jun 25, 2004
5,530
141
106
I picked through the WP app store earlier to see if I could find everything I need, and was actually quite surprised by how much it has improved. Some things that are still missing:

Bus app for my school

Campus map and directory / alterts app for my school

Parking garage app for my school

Screen dimmer

USB OTG (not an app specifically)

MyQuest app (links to my doctor's office)

US State and National Parks app

My bank's app (it's one of the major banks)

I wasn't able to find something like WiFi analyzer on Android or inSSIDer for Windows desktop

A few apps that are free on Android were $1-3 in the WP app store
 
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bearxor

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
6,605
3
81
I've been trying to achieve app parity on Windows Phone for over a week now. I'm missing:
Pedometer (ok, ok, this is an iPhone 5S specific thing, but I REALLY like having it)
My bank's app (to do mobile deposit, can't really blame MS for this, but...)
Amazon Instant Video
YouTube (well, this is never going to happen anyways)
WWE
HBO Go
Cisco AnyConnect (hopefully soon with WP 8.1 release)
AD Helpdesk (there's no ADUC app for Windows Phone that I see)

I have some various other apps, like games and some apple or google specific things which will never happen on Windows Phone, but I wish I could do casting from a WP Youtube app but, again, not likely to happen.