Android VS iOS

[berdinkerdickle]

Although, I should mention. The Galaxy Note line has been pretty rock solid.

 

[syspry]

Although the OP shared her experiences on how she uses and finds the differences between these two devices I'm not sure other than being a nicely written posting translates to others
(Before I continue I would say Australian phones tend to be unlocked international versions that usually get OTA updates first unlike some US carriers and there are more apps than Imessage for "free" WiFi messaging etc for all platforms)

I'm a gadget freak and must have the latest and equally I ensure my family are also up to date, with iphones and macbooks, etc although I run Windows 8 not IOS, we have all ditched the Ipads we have tried.

However, as you would expect on forums like this (and my posting) there is a certain amount of bias as we are all most probably more enthusiastic about our phones, far more postings are from US users.

Step outside the US, Europe and major cites and few other capitals and talk about Apple store service eco systems of cross devices, contracts and packages/bundled deals etc become less meaningful

I'm sure there are many more users who buy "smart phones" that simple do not customize them, never update, load limited apps or have data plans etc etc, There's a whole army of grannies and granddads with tablets/iPads for playing solitaire and reading the news

For these users many of the issues we discuss or find annoying are irrelevant to them, the have a nice phone that they could do things with that have good battery life in their experience and of course they are even less likely to be posting here

My usage of my data plan despite being an enthusiast is very light ie mainly emails work/personal (200 ish per day) I don't play games or stream video/youtube so my battery like tends to be good on my S6 if not better than my S5. I have not had a contract phone with bundled txt's/calls for over 18 years so I have no compulsion to try and get my monies worth of using up my call time or sms allocation etc that some feel the have too. Consequentially my OST is low.

In my travels in the Middle East and Far East I meet far more people without data plans and Iphones, simple sharing data with these people is easier with a non IPhone device. I don't know if its a DOS or Windows thing or I'm just getting old but I like directories and folders, android allows this and in drag and drop which allows me to structure my data and music how I want.

I have done my time with customization with Windows CE/ROMs/jail breaking and found I spent more time fiddling than anything else, Android IMO allows the right amount of customization without it becoming a full time hobby

As you can read I am a strong believer of the silent majority and how one uses his or her device varies greatly and so battery expectations will also be different. I would say one of our biggest downfalls is we spend more time moaning at companies like Samsung than the average Apple owner. This IMO is not only a bit self defeating it may also be in part why we lost some features on the S6's.

It's not that I disagree with any of this, but since we're all tech enthusiasts here having this discussion, does it really matter to us how this discussion translates to others? I mean tech-wise in the here and now, and aside from how sales might affect future development

 

[syspry]

What do you think would need to happen for the carrier bloat issues to go away, since at least here in the US, the big 4 will not accept a no bloat phone from anyone but Apple thus far? Or is that a pointless question where the deck of cards will permanently be stacked against Android?

Posted via the Android Central App

I wish I had the answer. All I know is that Google has been struggling to solve this for years now with only marginal success. Something drastic would have to be done at this point.

 

[Infinitez_72]

I didn't read through all of the replies, but I do agree that iPhones have excellent idle time. But there's just one thing I'd like to say about OP's post..... you're comparing a 2550mAh battery to a 2915mAh battery. There has got to be some differences in that alone.

I've had no major battery problems with my own S6 so far. It lasts me through the day, and from this morning until now (about 11 hours now) I've only dropped from 97% to 72% with light use and some occasionally downloading from the Google Play Store. My iPhone does last a little longer overnight but if I were to take in the full specs of both phones (along with what I have installed on them), I'm not too surprised that the S6 would take up more battery percentage over time.

 

[anon(5719825)]

Here's another thing.
Does Apple have as many returned devices as others?
You read of so many Android users going back for a 3rd or more replacement.
The carriers don't want to deal with that crap.

Yes they do. I've read on other sites how people have returned iPhones/iPads 7-8 times or even more because they don't think the display has even lighting or some other supposed defect.

Apple surely has their own quality issues. Read theApple forums or other sites and you will see for yourself.

 

[razza1987]

Although the OP shared her experiences on how she uses and finds the differences between these two devices I'm not sure other than being a nicely written posting translates to others
(Before I continue I would say Australian phones tend to be unlocked international versions that usually get OTA updates first unlike some US carriers and there are more apps than Imessage for "free" WiFi messaging etc for all platforms)

I'm a gadget freak and must have the latest and equally I ensure my family are also up to date, with iphones and macbooks, etc although I run Windows 8 not IOS, we have all ditched the Ipads we have tried.

However, as you would expect on forums like this (and my posting) there is a certain amount of bias as we are all most probably more enthusiastic about our phones, far more postings are from US users.

Step outside the US, Europe and major cites and few other capitals and talk about Apple store service eco systems of cross devices, contracts and packages/bundled deals etc become less meaningful

I'm sure there are many more users who buy "smart phones" that simple do not customize them, never update, load limited apps or have data plans etc etc, There's a whole army of grannies and granddads with tablets/iPads for playing solitaire and reading the news

For these users many of the issues we discuss or find annoying are irrelevant to them, the have a nice phone that they could do things with that have good battery life in their experience and of course they are even less likely to be posting here

My usage of my data plan despite being an enthusiast is very light ie mainly emails work/personal (200 ish per day) I don't play games or stream video/youtube so my battery like tends to be good on my S6 if not better than my S5. I have not had a contract phone with bundled txt's/calls for over 18 years so I have no compulsion to try and get my monies worth of using up my call time or sms allocation etc that some feel the have too. Consequentially my OST is low.

In my travels in the Middle East and Far East I meet far more people without data plans and Iphones, simple sharing data with these people is easier with a non IPhone device. I don't know if its a DOS or Windows thing or I'm just getting old but I like directories and folders, android allows this and in drag and drop which allows me to structure my data and music how I want.

I have done my time with customization with Windows CE/ROMs/jail breaking and found I spent more time fiddling than anything else, Android IMO allows the right amount of customization without it becoming a full time hobby

As you can read I am a strong believer of the silent majority and how one uses his or her device varies greatly and so battery expectations will also be different. I would say one of our biggest downfalls is we spend more time moaning at companies like Samsung than the average Apple owner. This IMO is not only a bit self defeating it may also be in part why we lost some features on the S6's.

Thank you for trying to tell me how updates work here when you don't even live here. I didn't say that updates come out here months after they come out in America for no reason

 

[razza1987]

The iPhone 6 plus is $970 before tax and the s6 is $750 before tax in my country, and that is the base model for both. The iPhone is 200$ more expensive so that's why I am getting mad that people are comparing a cheaper phone to an expensive one. If the prices are the same in your country then sorry for my arrogance.

Ps. I live in Canada

Posted via the Android Central App

Here the S6 is more. The six plus 128gb is $1240 and for the samsung you pay $1120 for ONLY the 64gb version

 

[razza1987]

I didn't read through all of the replies, but I do agree that iPhones have excellent idle time. But there's just one thing I'd like to say about OP's post..... you're comparing a 2550mAh battery to a 2915mAh battery. There has got to be some differences in that alone.

I've had no major battery problems with my own S6 so far. It lasts me through the day, and from this morning until now (about 11 hours now) I've only dropped from 97% to 72% with light use and some occasionally downloading from the Google Play Store. My iPhone does last a little longer overnight but if I were to take in the full specs of both phones (along with what I have installed on them), I'm not too surprised that the S6 would take up more battery percentage over time.

I don't know how many times I need to say that I wasn't comparing the specs of the battery but was comparing my experiences with the different phones. Geez. Stop taking things so seriously

 

[sjaduae]

It's not that I disagree with any of this, but since we're all tech enthusiasts here having this discussion, does it really matter to us how this discussion translates to others? I mean tech-wise in the here and now, and aside from how sales might affect future development

I also don't disagree with your comments

I think that most of us who engage in forums like these are in the top few % of people who are trying to maximize their usage and enjoyment of their device and have much higher expectations than many others.

Sorry for the rant but I'm fed up listing to the so called advantage of eco system that only works on a minority of systems and customer support that does not happen for many owners around the world, its all part of the apple hype IMO.

 

[sjaduae]

Thank you for trying to tell me how updates work here when you don't even live here. I didn't say that updates come out here months after they come out in America for no reason

Then your experience with Australian devices is different to my own.

Australian grey imports are very common here and are unlocked international versions that often receive updates ahead of some US carriers, also our company phones and laptops were supplied from Perth head office and we had no problems with updates.

So yes I don't have to live in Australia to have 1st hand experience or be blunt and I also still own 2 ATT S4's from the USA from my time in Houston

 

[Hectorius]

It boils down to this quote................

iOS works the way that Apple has chosen for you, whereas Android can be highly customized to work the way YOU want it to work.

 

[Manic Droid]

^ Not really, if you jailbreak your iDevice you'll be able to customize it to work the way you want, too. Yeah, you'd have to do it, but I'm also sure that there are tons of people who root their Android devices to have more control over it.

I'm recently starting on Android, and in my experience so far was that I really liked it, Will have to continue to know it, but AFAIK I haven't had major issues with it.

But going back to the topic, I like gaming a lot, so I suppose that it depends on the way you use your device.

 

[syspry]

Yesterday I posted in this thread that I have a gut feeling that Apple's going to come out swinging this year with an iPhone 7 that's going to kick Android right in the nards. Tonight I ran across this at Macworld. If even only 60% of it pans out to be true, I'm going to go on record now to say it's going to be a better smartphone than the S6, G4, and Z3+ regardless of OS preferences. The tech Apple is putting into this year's gen looks insanely ahead of anything the Android OEM's are putting out, and it looks like Apple is getting set to offer a rebuttal to the advantages Google Now currently offers over Siri (which anyone could have predicted was bound to happen soon).
The only thing I can see killing this is if Apple totally fumbles the ball and the iP7 somehow manages to bypass their QC with serious flaws. I doubt that's going to happen. Despite attempt to deride the iPhone 6+ with Bendgate articles etc, I'm not uncomfortable saying the 2014 6+ is a better overall smartphone than the 2015 S6 right now. It runs better, has better battery life, far fewer issues.

 

[Aquila]

Yesterday I posted in this thread that I have a gut feeling that Apple's going to come out swinging this year with an iPhone 7 that's going to kick Android right in the nards. Tonight I ran across this at Macworld. If even only 60% of it pans out to be true, I'm going to go on record now to say it's going to be a better smartphone than the S6, G4, and Z3+ regardless of OS preferences. The tech Apple is putting into this year's gen looks insanely ahead of anything the Android OEM's are putting out, and it looks like Apple is getting set to offer a rebuttal to the advantages Google Now currently offers over Siri (which anyone could have predicted was bound to happen soon).
The only thing I can see killing this is if Apple totally fumbles the ball and the iP7 somehow manages to bypass their QC with serious flaws. I doubt that's going to happen. Despite attempt to deride the iPhone 6+ with Bendgate articles etc, I'm not uncomfortable saying the 2014 6+ is a better overall smartphone than the 2015 S6 right now. It runs better, has better battery life, far fewer issues.

That article conspicuously doesn't say anything. They 'might' improve the camera, they 'probably won't' improve battery life, 'maybe' they'll increase display resolution, but probably not - no new features, same story, different verse. I'm expecting to see an iPhone 6/6+ with mildly updated specs, a very respectable 3rd or 4th place camera, decent build quality and a great processor that is underclocked and almost completely not utilized by the OS.

 

[grover5]

That article conspicuously doesn't say anything. They 'might' improve the camera, they 'probably won't' improve battery life, 'maybe' they'll increase display resolution, but probably not - no new features, same story, different verse. I'm expecting to see an iPhone 6/6+ with mildly updated specs, a very respectable 3rd or 4th place camera, decent build quality and a great processor that is underclocked and almost completely not utilized by the OS.

That sounds about right. I'll continue to enjoy my nexus 6 and take a wait and see approach.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Zoostation]

That article conspicuously doesn't say anything. They 'might' improve the camera, they 'probably won't' improve battery life, 'maybe' they'll increase display resolution, but probably not - no new features, same story, different verse. I'm expecting to see an iPhone 6/6+ with mildly updated specs, a very respectable 3rd or 4th place camera, decent build quality and a great processor that is underclocked and almost completely not utilized by the OS.

Agreed as well. There's nothing substantial in there and even a serious iPhone fan would be/should be disappointed with that article.

 

[UJ95x]

That article conspicuously doesn't say anything. They 'might' improve the camera, they 'probably won't' improve battery life, 'maybe' they'll increase display resolution, but probably not - no new features, same story, different verse. I'm expecting to see an iPhone 6/6+ with mildly updated specs, a very respectable 3rd or 4th place camera, decent build quality and a great processor that is underclocked and almost completely not utilized by the OS.

The camera is already in 3rd or 4th place. They definitely be moving up. And the processor isn't underclocked. It's just low by default. Underclocked means it started at a higher speed and was brought down

Sent from my Note 4 via Tapatalk

 

[syspry]

That article conspicuously doesn't say anything. They 'might' improve the camera, they 'probably won't' improve battery life, 'maybe' they'll increase display resolution, but probably not - no new features, same story, different verse. I'm expecting to see an iPhone 6/6+ with mildly updated specs, a very respectable 3rd or 4th place camera, decent build quality and a great processor that is underclocked and almost completely not utilized by the OS.

I agree with the mildly updated specs part. But the thing is, the A8 with 1 GB of RAM is running iOS far better than the qualcomm+3GB RAM beasts are currently running Lollipop. Just bumping up modestly to the A9 and 2GB RAM is just going to seal the deal vs anything we've seen on Android OEM's thus far this year.

Where I'm not on the same page with you is the camera. If this pans out to be true then I agree with the poster above me: It's already in the top 3-4 as it is right now. This is a step up from that. I also feel you're not on the mark with how Apple is behaving lately. Their pace with the iPhone/iPad and iOS very much appears to be going quicker than ever before lately. And let's be honest here - nobody ever gave a crap about Google Wallet until Apple gave the nod to paying with smartphones with Apple Pay. All of a sudden it was interesting. Whether you like it or not, Apple is still setting the tone with the general public.

OTOH, what I've seen at I/O definitely has my attention. But If I do decide to continue my android streak into 2015, it's going to have to be with a Nexus. Historically I alternate between Nexus and OEM because I can only stand OS update delays for one hardware upgrade cycle. My last was OEM so this time around, and my "must haves" from Android M being things only update-able at the OS level, I'll be going Nexus or nothing.

What I can tell you is what will kill my streak with Android this year: A Nexus release with hardware level deal-killers. And let's be brutally honest, there have been some. The nexus 4 had the worst mobile data radio reception I've ever owned. The N7 tablet caused me to return my device 3x to get one that only had mild multitouch issues. And just to head off all of the personal anecdotes from some people, both issues were documented to death on both XDA and google support. So yes, they were well known issues. Those are just a couple of examples. I'm probably going to ruffle some nexus owner feathers by saying this, but anyone who's going to tell me they're in the same league as an iPhone for QC needs a serious reality check.

My bottom line - It's going to be the 2015 Nexus with Android M head to head against the 2015 iPhone with iOS9. My main categories are going to be, IN ORDER:

1. Above average hardware quality
2. Above average software optimization and quality
3. Battery
4. Camera
5. Most compelling features

I have to quantify that list with one simple statement. After being a former heavy tinkerer, those days are done for me and I don't have the time, patience, or inclination to do any legwork for phone manufacturers that don't have their act together right out of the gates. Now, a smartphone for me is first and foremost an approximately 5" device that I can communicate with and compute with and launch apps, and for me that means it better be the best quality device at doing that.

Once the cards are down from both companies I'll decide from there.

 

[UJ95x]

I have to quantify that list with one simple statement. After being a former heavy tinkerer, those days are done for me and I don't have the time, patience, or inclination to do any legwork for phone manufacturers that don't have their act together right out of the gates. Now, a smartphone for me is first and foremost an approximately 5" device that I can communicate with and compute with and launch apps, and for me that means it better be the best quality device at doing that.

Once the cards are down from both companies I'll decide from there.

Didn't want to quote the whole reply, but I pretty much 100% agree with this. Since Lollipop I haven't felt the need to tinker with anything, so I'm looking for the phone that works best for me unmodified, but I also want a phone with great hardware. This year that was the Note 4, slightly ahead of the 6+. I felt the Nexus 6 hardware was lackluster so I decided not to go with that. If the next one can match (or at least come close to the Note 4 now), I'd probably go with that. But iOS definitely has a lot of appealing features. Some of which Android added today with M

 

[syspry]

Didn't want to quote the whole reply, but I pretty much 100% agree with this. Since Lollipop I haven't felt the need to tinker with anything, so I'm looking for the phone that works best for me unmodified, but I also want a phone with great hardware. This year that was the Note 4, slightly ahead of the 6+. I felt the Nexus 6 hardware was lackluster so I decided not to go with that. If the next one can match (or at least come close to the Note 4 now), I'd probably go with that. But iOS definitely has a lot of appealing features. Some of which Android added today with M

This has been a device specific case for me as well. My phone required very little modification to get working right after 5.x, but my tablet... that's been another story. I'm still fighting massive battery drain from Play Services when WiFi is enabled. The thing that bugs me is that you never can really know whether the manufacturer got everything you wish for right until you're past the store exchange/return window and into manufacturer warranty.