The 9/9/2014 Apple Launch Event Thread

Page 24 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
Unrelated - what's the real-world-use battery life of an iPhone 5/5s/5c? Just curious if they are still better than Android there. Is it about a day or is it 2+?

It's very hard to give an answer because it really depends on your own usage. For me I have felt that my Android phones gave me better battery life, but someone else could have the opposite experience as me.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
126
I read one article that explained the different pretty well, something like Apple is for people who want an appliance, a tool that they don't tinker with, and Android is for people who want the power & tinkerability of a desktop computer in their mobile device - latest hardware, customize everything, etc. It's almost like consoles vs. gaming computers - you can have a tailored experience that "just works" with a console, or get bigger, badder hardware in your gaming PC & customize it to your liking.

I'd argue that was the case 2-3 years ago. Now not so much. Especially with the heavily skinned products from Samsung/HTC/ect. Those are groomed UI's that try to keep you within the design language of that manufacturer. There's not much for people to really add or tinker with short of a few widgets or default apps.

What has changed in the last few years is the maturity of Android. The battery life and quality of Android devices. And their relatively desirable pricing. You aren't compromising now like you did 3 years ago. I actually see more android devices out in the wild than I do iPhone. The iPhone used to be the defacto standard in Smart Phone use in most affluent and professional industries. Android was relegated to geeks and IT guys. Not the case anymore. So many people that are taking the smart phone plunge and going on the dirt cheap $.99 "last year" model of whatever Galaxy S phone is available as a 2 for 1 deal. Samsung devices are *everywhere* now. Kids. Doctors. Grandmas. Soccer moms. You name it.

Little has changed in iOS in that time (iOS7 was a step backwards IMHO) and the hardware has taken small, measured updates to keep performance in check.

Bigger screens, lower costs, and Android maturity has given Google a massive push that Apple will never recover.
 

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
1,049
126
Then again, I'm in a very niche field - there's not too many people who shoot video heavily on their iPhone for short movies & stuff, haha.

Please, no more vertical videos for fug sake.

It's very hard to give an answer because it really depends on your own usage. For me I have felt that my Android phones gave me better battery life, but someone else could have the opposite experience as me.

People will always say Android is a day and they put it on the charger every night, so I was wondering if iPhones are no better. The Note 3 and its larger capacity has allowed me 1.5 days usually. Can the iPhones do that without the larger batteries but more efficient display?
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
126
People will always say Android is a day and they put it on the charger every night, so I was wondering if iPhones are no better.

It really comes down to personal use. I could go two full days easily on my Note II and not worry about battery life. But I'm not a chronic phone user. I make a few calls, send a few texts, browse the web a bit on it. It's no big deal. My wife is constantly needing to top off her 5S and it is usually dead by the end of the day. But she is on it non-stop.
 

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
1,049
126
You know what Android can possibly do better? A native version of Facetime. Go.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
126
It would be up to Apple to create an Android version of Facetime, and that's never going to happen.

No I think he means an Android equivalent to Facetime. Droidtime...where you click an app and then do a video call to another gmail user.
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,811
126
Well, Samsung should be happy. Apple just raised the price on premium phones and validated the Note sized devices pioneered by Samsung. All the high end Android phone makers should benefit from higher priced phones. 16gb is really not enough on the iPhone as iOS apps are really large in storage requirement compared to Android. I had no problem with 16gb on Android phone. With the 16gb iPhone, I'm near the storage limit.

$300 for 64gb 4.7" iPhone 6 + $40 carrier activation, + $30 sales tax = $370 phone even with 2yr contract subsidy.

$474 for 64gb 5.5 iPhone 6 with 2yr contract subsidy.

Yeah I think the cost of the phones are ridiculous even with subsidy. Apple shareholders should be happy.
 

sze5003

Lifer
Aug 18, 2012
14,318
682
126
No I think he means an Android equivalent to Facetime. Droidtime...where you click an app and then do a video call to another gmail user.

You can do that in hangouts, what was previously called Google talk or gtalk.
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,811
126
You know what Android can possibly do better? A native version of Facetime. Go.

FaceTime and iMessage are the two features that's preventing me from switching back to Android phone. My daughter FaceTime and iMessage me everyday when I'm at work. I can't give that up.
 

dawheat

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2000
3,132
93
91
People will always say Android is a day and they put it on the charger every night, so I was wondering if iPhones are no better. The Note 3 and its larger capacity has allowed me 1.5 days usually. Can the iPhones do that without the larger batteries but more efficient display?

To generalize, I think last spring, about 1/2 the Android flagships finally caught up to the iPhone in battery life. Last fall (Note 3, G2), the newest Android flagships were a bit better.

The 2014 flagships (S5, M8, Z2) bested the Note 3 by a fair amount and were better than the 5S.

The iPhone 6, based on Apple's estimates, I'd guess are probably somewhere between the 5S and the 2014 flagships. The 6 Plus looks to be class leading.
 

SlitheryDee

Lifer
Feb 2, 2005
17,252
19
81
People will always say Android is a day and they put it on the charger every night, so I was wondering if iPhones are no better. The Note 3 and its larger capacity has allowed me 1.5 days usually. Can the iPhones do that without the larger batteries but more efficient display?

The most recent android device I have had contact with is my nexus 7 2013, but comparing it to my apple devices the most striking difference is battery drain while the device is asleep. My iphone, ipod, or ipad could sit unused for days and only lose a small amount of charge. In the same amount of time my nexus 7 would have completely drained it's battery. Battery drain while actually using the devices are similar, but considering how long they sit between uses, idle battery drain may account up the majority of people's perception of battery life.

I believe some tweaking of what android is doing while asleep could improve this, but I really don't want to delve into that anymore. I did it with all my android phones in the past and I'm just tired of micromanaging something that should work without it. Aside from generally glitchy behavior, it's one of the reasons that my last phone was an iphone.
 

sze5003

Lifer
Aug 18, 2012
14,318
682
126
The most recent android device I have had contact with is my nexus 7 2013, but comparing it to my apple devices the most striking difference is battery drain while the device is asleep. My iphone, ipod, or ipad could sit unused for days and only lose a small amount of charge. In the same amount of time my nexus 7 would have completely drained it's battery. Battery drain while actually using the devices are similar, but considering how long they sit between uses, idle battery drain may account up the majority of people's perception of battery life.

I believe some tweaking of what android is doing while asleep could improve this, but I really don't want to delve into that anymore. I did it with all my android phones in the past and I'm just tired of micromanaging something that should work without it. Aside from generally glitchy behavior, it's one of the reasons that my last phone was an iphone.

You must have some app running in the background unfortunately. Android will continue to run items in the background due to dependencies. I'm surprised the drain was pretty bad. My m7, droid DNA, could sit idle for a day or two if I didn't touch them. While I was using another phone the m7 lasted about a week without any use.
 

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
My daughter FaceTime and iMessage me everyday when I'm at work. I can't give that up.
Just have her do both on Hangouts instead. It's a great app even on iOS (arguably better! - native voice call initiation). You can do that switch even before/without switching devices.
 

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
As I said yesterday, the one thing I think Apple got right is the two-size watch. Wear devices are still clearly targeted towards (only) guys.
 

trmiv

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
14,670
18
81
Can't decide if I want a 6+ or a Note 4. Only reason I'm considering the 6+ is the camera. I still prefer Android overall, but I think the iPhone camera and iOS camera software is better. I have a Galaxy S4, but the low-light performance and general speed of the camera just aren't great. Two years ago it didn't matter to me, but I have a 16 month old daughter now, so camera quality and speed have moved up on the priority list to pretty much the top. I have a DSLR for quality shots, but so often she does something and I only have my phone and the damn S4 camera app fires up too slow, and inside pics aren't great. I test drove a 5S for a week on the t-mobile thing and side-by-side the 5s camera was just better overall for what I need it to do. I need to test the Note 4 and iphone 6+ camera though before I decide.
 

openwheel

Platinum Member
Apr 30, 2012
2,044
17
81
Can't decide if I want a 6+ or a Note 4. Only reason I'm considering the 6+ is the camera. I still prefer Android overall, but I think the iPhone camera and iOS camera software is better. I have a Galaxy S4, but the low-light performance and general speed of the camera just aren't great. ....

Note 4 has an upgraded camera module which includes OIS which dramatically improves on low light performance. So it will be a huge improvement over S4. Check out pictures taken in the Note 4 thread.
 

Zaap

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2008
7,162
424
126
Sure, if you ignore the existence of the Note...
Why would I ignore the existsnce of the Note? My next Phone is likely a Note 4. Its just nice to see a larger iPhone... finally.
 

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
I mean, I'd hope the 5S - a device 18 months after the S4 - would have a better camera.my sense of time is screwed up, but the S4 was 6 months before

The Note 4 has OIS along with the same sensor in the S5 (which is great in regular light). This should make it the first Android to excel in low and bright light at the same time. You can check out some shots in the Note 4 thread.

Its just nice to see a larger iPhone... finally.
Agree with that, though the prices are extortionate.

IMO the $400/500 prices for the reasonable-storage i6+ are going to leave room for off-contract phablets to make their mark... like maybe the Nexus 6? Naah, Google will screw people on storage for that one too.
 
Last edited: