Looking for a new Phone: iPhone, Android, or Windows?

[Nashten]

Greetings, everyone.

I've been looking at getting a new phone to replace my Nexus 6 that I've had since its release.

The phones I have been looking at:

- Nexus 6p
- Lumia 950 XL
- iPhone 6s Plus
- Open to any other suggestions. Budget isn't too much of a concern. I'll either upgrade on my plan now, or go to a different provider to save on my internet bill at home (linked service accounts = you save $5 on each plan).

Of those few, what would you choose and why? No silliness, please. I've at one point or another had either type of phone, Android, iOS or Windows... so... I am relatively unbiased in that regard. However, I am just torn because I want something new.

My use cases mainly include:

- Lossless music. I have around 6000+ lossless music files. I have an application suitable for converting to ALAC.
- Word and Excel documents on the go. Okay, I'm a baker and I use my phone a lot to make formulae and adjust them, plus a production planner for the bakery that I fill out on it.
- Company scheduling. The app that we use is available on all platforms.
- Macro photography. I've gotten really good at taking excellent macro photographs with smartphones.
- Lots of eBooks and Audiobooks.

Thank you!

 

[Artdeco]

The nexus or the 6s+, both will meet your needs. Flip a coin.

I'd pick a 6s+ because I'm sucked into the Apple ecosystem, it's sort of cool to answer the phone and text from my laptop and tablets.

 

[Nashten]

The nexus or the 6s+, both will meet your needs. Flip a coin.

I'd pick a 6s+ because I'm sucked into the Apple ecosystem, it's sort of cool to answer the phone and text from my laptop and tablets.

I'm somewhat sucked into the Apple system. I used to have a MacBook Air and iPad, then I sold them and got other devices... However, I am a bit more invested in the Android system as right now I have a Nexus 6 (which I still like a lot)...

Choices.

 

[desura]

Windows phone has sort of dropped lately. It isn't even a value proposition anymore...don't even consider.

For lossless, you want as much storage as possible and only android phones have sdcard storage. You can also get foobar on them now.

I have a moto e 2nd gen and it would prob be good for u too.

 

[Artdeco]

I know you said you weren't price sensitive, but here's a great price for a 6P, just cancel Project Fi

https://fi.google.com/about/phones/#phone-prices

 

[Commodus]

If you can hold out until September, the iPhone 7 (or whatever it's called) should show up then. Good news: it may have up to 256GB of storage and a seriously improved camera. The bad news: it might not have a 3.5mm headphone jack. You'd have to use an adapter (it might come in the box), Lightning-based headphones or Bluetooth. I wouldn't consider that a deal breaker, but it may lead to an extra expense.

The Nexus 6P's successor might also show up sometime around then, or in October. You might not get as much storage, but you'd probably get a fresh camera and other perks.

And if you just gotta get something now... the iPhone 6s Plus is still fast, packs a good camera and has that headphone jack if you need it.

 

[maevinj]

Windows phone has sort of dropped lately. It isn't even a value proposition anymore...don't even consider.

For lossless, you want as much storage as possible and only android phones have sdcard storage. You can also get foobar on them now.

I have a moto e 2nd gen and it would prob be good for u too.

The 950XL has sdcard storage.

 

[core2slow]

WP is dead.

Sounds like you should just get the 6plus.

 

[s44]

Exynos S7E

 

[Artdeco]

WP is dead.

Sounds like you should just get the 6plus.

And MS has a bad habit of abandoning platforms.

 

[Commodus]

And MS has a bad habit of abandoning platforms.

Sad but true... Windows 10 Mobile is technically likely to last longer since it's inherently tied to the desktop version, but even that's uncertain given how far Windows mobile efforts have fallen. That and third-party app support is fading, not growing.

One thing's for sure: with 6,000 lossless songs, you're going to want a lot of built-in storage. On non-microSD phones like the iPhone 6s Plus and Nexus 6P, that means 128GB is virtually mandatory. Either that or consider ponying up for a lossless streaming music service (and a large data plan).

 

[desura]

Windows phone had a lot of promise when it came out...just for some reason MS wasn't able to keep the momentum for it. My first smartphone was WP and I loved it.

WP has a lot of weird features like a dedicated button to Bing--clear sign of corporate interference.

 

[Nashten]

Thank you everyone for your replies. It definitely seems each phone has it's upsides and downsides.

I've narrowed it down to this: I want to experience a different operating system for my mobile phone. Thus, Android will get the boot for a little while until something really piques my interest (which nothing does at the moment).

Apple and their 3D touch looks neat and the improvements coming to iOS 10 are worth trying at least... And Apple's OS support for phones as they age is phenomenal, like Nexus devices.

Though the 950XL still looks like a great phone and Windows 10 Mobile does tick categories for me also.

I'll end up getting an iPhone 6s+ in the coming days as it's more readily available.

 

[quikah]

I played with the 3D touch on my wife's iPhone for a bit, seems generally pointless. Maybe if you used it everyday it could come in handy...

I have all three and still prefer Windows interface by a HUUUGE margin. Too bad it has been so poorly supported by devs.

 

[Nashten]

I played with the 3D touch on my wife's iPhone for a bit, seems generally pointless. Maybe if you used it everyday it could come in handy...

I have all three and still prefer Windows interface by a HUUUGE margin. Too bad it has been so poorly supported by devs.

I guess it is down to how Apple is implementing 3D Touch. I would liken it to a right click on a PC, just much more limited?

I do fancy the Windows 10 Mobile interface because it is a wolf amongst the sheep, really. The last Windows Phone I played with was Windows 8 and it was decent, though back then I preferred iOS and Android moreso because I was familiar with both.

Comparatively, the screen on the 950XL looks to be better than both other options I am looking at to boot, which of course, would help with making the interface stand out more.

Edit: Another plus if you BYOD is that you can save quite a few bucks on a phone plan.

 

[Artdeco]

I guess it is down to how Apple is implementing 3D Touch. I would liken it to a right click on a PC, just much more limited?

I do fancy the Windows 10 Mobile interface because it is a wolf amongst the sheep, really. The last Windows Phone I played with was Windows 8 and it was decent, though back then I preferred iOS and Android moreso because I was familiar with both.

Comparatively, the screen on the 950XL looks to be better than both other options I am looking at to boot, which of course, would help with making the interface stand out more.

Edit: Another plus if you BYOD is that you can save quite a few bucks on a phone plan.

You know, there's a dozen reasons WP is nearly dead, right?

Why post a thread and ignore our advice?

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/23/11743594/microsoft-windows-phone-market-share-below-1-percent

Sigh...

 

[maevinj]

You know, there's a dozen reasons WP is nearly dead, right?

Why post a thread and ignore our advice?

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/23/11743594/microsoft-windows-phone-market-share-below-1-percent

Sigh...

Just because WP is "dead" based on market share doesn't mean people shouldn't consider getting a WP if it meets their needs. WP (the operating system) isn't going away anytime soon. Also, it can't get market share if people aren't willing to try it. It's a great OS, I don't have a problem recommending it when it meets a users needs.

 

[Nashten]

You know, there's a dozen reasons WP is nearly dead, right?

Why post a thread and ignore our advice?

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/23/11743594/microsoft-windows-phone-market-share-below-1-percent

Sigh...

I'm not ignoring it.

It's either going to be a 6S+ or the 950 XL. We'll see what payday dictates.

 

[ImKrispy]

People recommending windows phones....good troll.

 

[ItsMeeYourDaddy]

easy explanation-

Iphone=simpler,less in depth, easy to use.

Android=more in-depth, more access to programing, its like comparing a Mac computer to a PC.

Windows phone=dead, gone, Smithsonian exhibit, ancient artifact.

 

[Roland00Address]

Just because WP is "dead" based on market share doesn't mean people shouldn't consider getting a WP if it meets their needs. WP (the operating system) isn't going away anytime soon. Also, it can't get market share if people aren't willing to try it. It's a great OS, I don't have a problem recommending it when it meets a users needs.

The Windows 10 mobile OS is not going to get the same turn around of adding new features as Android and Apple

You are getting a glorified internet mobile browser since Windows Phone App development is dead, since it takes resources for the app developer to maintain any form of apps and the market share is so small that the app developers are not going to bother wasting time. That same glorified internet mobile browser also works on android and apple but they actually have apps, and their updates to the underlying OS as well as their internet browsers occur at a more frequent pace.

Windows Phone is dead, dead, dead, and this is coming from a person who liked windows phone.

 

[Commodus]

easy explanation-

Iphone=simpler,less in depth, easy to use.

Android=more in-depth, more access to programing, its like comparing a Mac computer to a PC.

Windows phone=dead, gone, Smithsonian exhibit, ancient artifact.

Only your first two examples don't really fly.

iOS has stricter rules on what apps are allowed to do; that doesn't mean that it's not in-depth. It'd be fairer to say that Android offers more customizability.

And saying that Windows is more flexible than a Mac... well, you probably haven't used a Mac in a while. Bash command line terminal, anyone? Heck, the macOS kernel code is open source... let me know when Microsoft open-sources Windows 10's core. The Mac has its limitations, but depth and access to programming aren't part of them!

 

[ItsMeeYourDaddy]

Only your first two examples don't really fly.

iOS has stricter rules on what apps are allowed to do; that doesn't mean that it's not in-depth. It'd be fairer to say that Android offers more customizability.

And saying that Windows is more flexible than a Mac... well, you probably haven't used a Mac in a while. Bash command line terminal, anyone? Heck, the macOS kernel code is open source... let me know when Microsoft open-sources Windows 10's core. The Mac has its limitations, but depth and access to programming aren't part of them!

yeah my phone analogy was pretty vague. Actually im sitting on a mac right now typing this but i was really talking more about hardware comparison not anything with the OS, i kinda meant a PC(android)is more customizable and a mac(iphone) is less/more fixed base, again my bad for the vagueness. i think i might to do some proofreading. and as far as windows, ive never had it in my life untill i install it on my first pc build in a few days. its been a mac, ubuntu/linux diet i was on.

 

[Weiwei0]

You can wait for iphone 7