Anyone switch from iPhone 5/5S to Nexus 5? Any regrets?

Zendroid1

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I have a 5s and a 5. I am happy with the 5 but find myself very tempted to go back to my 5s for these reasons:

1. iMessage - Much better than hangouts or any 3rd party app i have used. The fact that I dont have to compress pictures/videos myself and can just send away and they are always received and in the correct orientation is huge.

2. Camera - It may be software related but I just find the camera on the 5 so far to be slow and clunky. It is very capable of taking nice pictures if you have a static subject and have all kinds of time and patience to see if it exposes the scene correctly. The 5s has a much quicker shutter, is more reliable in terms of exposing correctly and gets the shot right the first time most of the time. I just hate the software on the 5.

3. iCloud - Titanium backup is nice but does not work with ART currently. iCloud is just thoughtless to me. I don't have to think to use it and it backs up everything without me even knowing it.

4. TouchID - Yes, I thought this was gimmicky at first but now that I don't have it on my 5 I realize how much i miss it. It saves me a half a second or so here and there but it all adds up. Its easier to hold your finger on a spot than draw a pattern/enter a code.

5. Battery Life - I leave everything on with my 5s and charge overnite (even bluetooth). When I go home from work the next day I'm at around 50%. With my 5, I'm at less than 25%.

6. Smoothness - Everything on the 5s is just smoother. Scroller in browsers is much much smoother than any browser I've used on the 5. And the 5s picks up my touch much better than the 5. If i touch the screen somewhere on the 5s it reacts instantly and correctly. The 5, not so much. Browser scrolling is just too jittery still on the 5.


With that being said I like the following things about the 5 better than the 5s:

1. Android OS - iOS is flat out boring. Yes it works and is quick and easy to use but it's boring. I love the customization I can do with Android. It makes me happy to know I can make it look exactly how I want.

2. Screen - The 5 screen is beautiful and large. The 5s screen is small not outstanding. I miss the screen big time whenever I go back and use my 5s. It feels like I am playing on a toy almost (a toy that works great but a toy nonetheless).

3. Wireless Charging - This is great. I have one at work and just throw my phone on it and grab it when I need it. No having to grab a cable and be careful about plugging and unplugging it.

4. Form factor - In addition to the bigger screen I love the feel of the 5 over the 5s. It feels good in my hand. I know the 5s has better materials and is built better but I prefer the overall feel of the 5 over the 5s. I love the non slippery back on the 5. Great job by LG/Google on the phone design IMO.

5. Google Now - Google Now blows away Siri in my opinion. I only used Siri for occasional directions and to set a reminder. It was more fun use Siri to get funny responses. With Google Now I actually use it and enjoy it. It knows me and knows what I want (almost scary).

6. Ok Google Command - I thought this was gimmicky when I first got the 5 but it comes in very handy. I wish it worked when the phone was sleeping / screen off but it is still very handy when I need to be semi hands free.


So the jury is still out. I'm currently switching back and forth between the 2. My mind is not made up yet. I really want the 5 to win but I'm not sold yet. I hope this is unbiased a summary as you can get. I'm not a fanboy of either platform. I know some of my comments are subjective so take them as you will.
 
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JeffDenver

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If Apple's business model--with its still-rising iPhone sales despite not presenting anything revolutionary lately--is an example of shooting oneself in the foot, does anybody have a Sig Sauer I can borrow?
No. This is an example of it shooting itself in the foot.

900px-World_Wide_Smartphone_Sales_Share.png


You can't tell me Apple thinks declining marketshare is a good thing. I don't believe you.
 

soma4society

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No. This is an example of it shooting itself in the foot.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...g/900px-World_Wide_Smartphone_Sales_Share.png

You can't tell me Apple thinks declining marketshare is a good thing. I don't believe you.

You don't have to. I'm not a market expert, and even if I was there's some disagreement about Apple's approach for the long haul. But a recent Forbes article titled "Apple can ignore Android market share stats all the way to the bank" sums it up nicely for this lay person. Apple has never been overly concerned about commanding market share. Let's face it: if they were, they EASILY could have afforded to price the iPhone 5c as a loss leader at $299 unlocked, undercutting even the Nexus. After all that fruity company has $146 *billion* cash on hand. But Apple's not gonna chase the low end of the market (no offense to Android here, which I both love and use) just to spread their wares around. They want to manufacture, sell, and profit from premium products. Pure and simple. And despite the market becoming far more competitive (which logically would slow even Apple's sales and profits somewhat), that model is working.

Q4 2013 profits? 7.5 billion, which is down from 8.7 billion for the same time last year, but is still quite enviable--and was bolstered by iPhone sales that were "up sharply" according to the NYT. Like I said, I'll take that kind of "problem" anytime....as would most business people I suspect.

Now who's got that Sig Sauer I asked for dammit? :)

Posted from my N5 via the Android Central App
 

Zabigayle

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I switched from an iPhone 5s to a Nexus 5 and have 0 regrets at the moment. Initially I was a bit bummed by the battery life on my Nexus, but then I rooted and installed Greenify and that helped. I definitely prefer my Nexus 5 over the iPhone 5s!

As a side note, I've been in iOS for the last 5 years and have spent a lot of money on apps etc. I've switched to Android 4x before this and always came back to iOS within the week. This time I haven't ran back to iOS and it's been over a week now. :)
 

JeffDenver

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You don't have to. I'm not a market expert, and even if I was there's some disagreement about Apple's approach for the long haul. But a recent Forbes article titled "Apple can ignore Android market share stats all the way to the bank" sums it up nicely for this lay person.
Well, as an end user, I am ok with Apple making as much money as they want. As long as their closed system is not the standard. I am not cheerleading Android...I am cheerleading "open" and "choice", and right now Android is the captain of that squad.

But that being said...marketshare does matter.
"Apple's profits fetish could spell its DOOM" - Apple's profits fetish could spell its DOOM ?€? The Register
 

dc9super80

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Nothing against Apple, I think they do great work. That said I am in the market for a change and I am thinking about the Moto X. In fact I am almost sure it is going to be the Moto X. My contract is up in a couple weeks. If Apple does come out with a bigger screen iPhone next year I will look at it. No guarantees though.
 

JeffDenver

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Without Apple bashing, the weird thing to me is the lack of choice. Apple has offered choices before in their other products. They sell more than one kind of music player for example. And I don't mean price...a nano is not just an expensive version of the shuffle. I don't know why they won't do the same thing with phones.
 

soma4society

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Nothing against Apple, I think they do great work. That said I am in the market for a change and I am thinking about the Moto X. In fact I am almost sure it is going to be the Moto X. My contract is up in a couple weeks. If Apple does come out with a bigger screen iPhone next year I will look at it. No guarantees though.

Maybe consider a very reasonably priced and quite good nexus 5 as a holdover, then next year you can choose from the iPhone 6 and and the moto x 2? In the meantime you'd have a great phone that might just cause you to forget about Motorola and Apple altogether lol.

Posted from my N5 via the Android Central App
 

soma4society

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Well, as an end user, I am ok with Apple making as much money as they want. As long as their closed system is not the standard. I am not cheerleading Android...I am cheerleading "open" and "choice", and right now Android is the captain of that squad.

But that being said...marketshare does matter.
"Apple's profits fetish could spell its DOOM" - Apple's profits fetish could spell its DOOM • The Register

Here's my pithy and admittedly non empirical response to that contention: overall market share absolutely does *not* matter, unless and until we begin to see a dearth of middle and upper class purchasers with money to burn...and/or those that actually can afford the iPhone premium begin to view it as a product that doesn't warrant its sticker price....due to a decline in manufacturing quality or whatever.

Til then, I'd wager they're golden.

Posted from my N5 via the Android Central App
 

dc9super80

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Maybe consider a very reasonably priced and quite good nexus 5 as a holdover, then next year you can choose from the iPhone 6 and and the moto x 2? In the meantime you'd have a great phone that might just cause you to forget about Motorola and Apple altogether lol.

Posted from my N5 via the Android Central App

Problem is I am not in the US. Its too much drama to get an N5 here in Mexico which on MercadoLibre (our eBay) costs more than a Moto X from the same source. Were I in the US I would surely pick up a N5. But the Moto can come with my contract renewal , no drama.

Tapatalking on the N7....
 

flick0416

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Somethings were easier to do on iOS but that could be my learning curve on the Android. My biggest complaint so far is how apps look on my Nexus. Some look great where as others look blurry due to the scaling. Ever App that I used on the iPhone was designed for the screen/resolution so it looked great. Even some App icons look blurry and that takes away the experience for me. However, I have been searching for highly recommended Apps and those have been quite good. I am also having some difficulty switching from iCloud since all of my contacts, calendars, notes etc. are on it and switching over has been time consuming.

Just curious, but which apps have you found this with? I've never heard of this happening with Android phones, only tablets (specifically, the N10). Not questioning your experience at all, just curious to know where you've seen this.

Also, if you want some better looking icons, there are icon packages you can download off the Play Store to customize your icons. If you don't want to mess with a third-party launcher, check out Desktop Visualizer to apply the icons. It takes a little bit of effort, but like most things in Android, if you put the time into it, you can get your phone to look/behave pretty much however you want it to.
 

Sharky19

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Just curious, but which apps have you found this with? I've never heard of this happening with Android phones, only tablets (specifically, the N10). Not questioning your experience at all, just curious to know where you've seen this.

Also, if you want some better looking icons, there are icon packages you can download off the Play Store to customize your icons. If you don't want to mess with a third-party launcher, check out Desktop Visualizer to apply the icons. It takes a little bit of effort, but like most things in Android, if you put the time into it, you can get your phone to look/behave pretty much however you want it to.

Some of the Apps that I have been a little disappointed with are CNN (blurry icon), RBC for my banking where the App looks blurry and navigation is different and doesn't feel as polished. 1Password is one of my favourite on my Mac and iPhone/iPad but on the Android, it is just a joke. Terrible implementation and read only. You can't even add new passwords. I deleted a few apps right away because of how they looked so I don't have it on my phone any more.

I am very happy with the Nexus 5 and plan to keep it but really hope that some of these apps that I use regularly will be updated soon.
 
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bubba3595

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I have an iPhone 5 right now and have ordered a nexus 5. I already have a nexus 7 so I understand android and what it can and can't do as well as iOS. For me, it came down to customization of the look and fell of the device, and screen size. I have big hands, and while I don't find texting on the iPhone troublesome, the size of the phone overall feels to small for me

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 

MrVivekB

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I switched 18 months ago from years of using apple to Android. For me I seriously effing hated iTunes and iTunes Match. I couldn't get wireless sync to work right, iTunes kept crashing my server (tried 3 different machines), and iTunes Match is a joke. The one big huge breath of fresh air is using the Cloud to sync, and not relying on PC-based sync'ing.

But...I still own probably $50K of AAPL between my 401(k) and kids savings accounts, so I think you need to not only stick with the 5s, but also buy one for all your friends. And their friends.
 

Amy wineBerry

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I have an iPhone 5s and recently got the Nexus 5. I have AT&T so it makes it easy to just switch the sim between devices with an adapter. I am deeply tied into the Apple eco system, with multiple Mac's, iPads, etc. All my family and friends are also all Apple people. So far I am really liking the Nexus 5. I love the screen size and it is such a smooth phone. I haven't had any problems in my first week. The battery life is always what scares me away from Android, but amazingly so far the battery life is better then I was getting with my 5s, so I am happy. I would say the biggest thing I miss so far from the iOS side is iMessage. It has been hard to give that up! I have been missing a lot of texts because people are still trying to use iMessage. I have tried to make sure iMessage is deactivated on all devices and unregistered my iPhone, but I know I am still missing texts..hopefully that problem will go away soon. I plan on keeping my iPhone for awhile to make sure I don't miss it to much.

I'm curious to know which adapter you're using for your SIM? I don't want to purchase one of the ones that get stuck in the device...

I have an iPhone 5s and the Nexus 5. The Nexus 5 definitely takes some getting use to. I haven't had an Android device in over a year and several things have changed. I definitely enjoy the Nexus 5 more than I enjoyed the GS3 I had. I'm apprehensive about leaving my iPhone because of the integration with the iPad and Mac. Additionally, I share calendars and reminders with other iPhone users. As much as I enjoy the Nexus 5, I'm debating sending it back because it pains me to think of all the use it may not see from me...

I will say do not do a straight trade for your iPhone. From an economic standpoint, you're definitely losing money on the trade. If anything, have them throw in some cash as well.
 

flick0416

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Some of the Apps that I have been a little disappointed with are CNN (blurry icon), RBC for my banking where the App looks blurry and navigation is different and doesn't feel as polished. 1Password is one of my favourite on my Mac and iPhone/iPad but on the Android, it is just a joke. Terrible implementation and read only. You can't even add new passwords. I deleted a few apps right away because of how they looked so I don't have it on my phone any more.

I am very happy with the Nexus 5 and plan to keep it but really hope that some of these apps that I use regularly will be updated soon.

Yeah, you're right. I just downloaded the CNN app and the icon does look a little fuzzy.

One thing I've noticed with the few banking apps I've tried is that they don't really follow common Android development practices. I don't know why, but maybe it's due to tighter security restrictions. I dunno.

You might want to check out PasswordBox. I don't use it, and don't know how 1Password works, but it looks like a similar app, and it has high reviews. Might be a good replacement.
 

Sharky19

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Thanks, flick0416

My Nexus 5 died on me yesterday at around 8:00 pm. That has never happened to me before with my iPhone :-( I really hope Google is able to do something about the battery drain. I hear the Camera app is also a huge drain. Do you guys know how to disable location services on the camera alone?