Zendroid1
Trusted Member
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.
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.
Last edited: