I switched to the N4 9 days ago from an iPhone 5 and wanted to share my experiences and thoughts on the two platforms in case there are others contemplating a similar switch. I've been very pleased so far. Im not a huge tech nerd... just an average joe trying to post some experiences for other average joes contemplating making the jump. I tend to switch phones a lot... my wife says I have a problem... I just like new toys to play with every few months or so.
A little history about my phone usage... I've primarily been an iphone user since day one. I would occasionally switch back to a Blackberry (9700 and 9900) throughout the years but always ended up back on the iPhone. I wasn't dissatisfied with the iPhone 5, actually quite the contrary. I love the iPhone 5.... Especially the hardware. I could take or leave a bigger screen, so that wasnt a huge issue for me. Software wise... I was just bored. I've tried Android on a couple of different occasions but never could commit and returned both the HTC One and Galaxy S3 within the return window. I wasn't happy with the software that was currently running at the time with the HTC One (primarily Sense), it just seemed to lag for me on a regular basis. In my opinion it wasn't up to par with iOS in terms of smoothness in day to day useage. Im not quite sure why... it just didnt feel right. I wasn't a big fan of the S III either. I wasn't satisfied with the plasticky nature of the phone and not a fan of the samsung skin either. I probably didn't give that one a fair shot either because I was thrilled with the new iPhone 5 i had. I decided I was going to try the Nexus 4 a few weeks ago. I told myself that running pure android along with the great build quality of the device could romance me into a long term relationship. I even insured I was going to give it a fair shot by giving away my iphone before the Nexus even arrived. Like it or not, I was going to be an android user for at least 6 months.
The phone arrived a week after ordering. I was instantly a fan of the build quality. Ive always preferred glass over plastic and (knock on wood) have always used my iphones without a case and have never broken one (unlike my wife..... I digress... Cases are better for some than others). Im sure I just mega jinxed myself though... I did things a little different this time... Instead of trying to turn my Nexus into an iphone I was going to appreciate the differences and nuances of Android and change my usage patterns to the phone instead of trying to turn my phone into something it wasn't.
Things I like...
Keyboard (switching between swiftkey and stock keyboard) - this is one of the things Ive enjoyed the most. Ive adopted using swype (especially when only one hand is available) and I love the predictive choices the software throws up on the screen as I type. I can't emphasize this enough. I really like the keyboards in comparison to the iPhone. They just work better for me.
Jelly bean 4.2 - ive found the software to be on par or better than iOS 6. I love the overall snappiness of day to day usage. When I switched in the past I was never satisfied in this regard.
Notifications - I love the pull down bar. I can pull down to see my SMS or emails even when the phone is locked. I love this feature. I never used the notification center much in iOS, Im not sure why, the android implementation just seems to work better.
Phone - the phone app is more enoyable to use. I like how my "favorites" are displayed with their pictures when I open the app and underneath are my most contacted which also seems to add to quick calling experiences.
Quick Settings - I turn my wifi on and off many times throughout the day. It is easier and quicker to tap the widget instead of drilling down into the settings app on my iPhone.
Widgets - I really like being able to see the weather on my screen or sports scores. I also use a battery meter which tells me how much battery is left. I know I could turn the percentage on with my iphone but for some reason on some days it really bothers me to be front and center. I can put the widget one home screen over so it isnt always in my face but is convenient to see with one swipe over. I would ultimately end up turning the battery percentage off on my iphone and end up drilling down into settings to see how much battery I have left.
Apps - I am a big pandora one user. So much so that I dont even store music on my phone. I use it every time im in the car. During past phone switches it was my experience that the android version didnt work as well, it would freeze while changing songs and I would have to quit the app and start over. This hasnt happened as much this time. I still think the Pandora iOS app is better but it is a lot closer now. SCORE app - I use this app a lot for sports scores. I have actually found the android version to be more enjoyable to use than the iOS counterpart. It sounds simple.. but it seems prettier and works quicker IMO. I also use iheart radio a lot to listen to a sports radio station i like and have found it to be quicker than the iOS version also.
Auto App updates - speaks for itself. Its awesome I dont have to update each app manually. Click the auto update box and never waste time updating. The apps just update in the background. I would have at least 2 or 3 apps to update every day and its annoying on iOS.
Maps and navigation - I prefer the Android versions. I had google maps installed on my iphone but I like this one better.
Battery Settings - I really like being able to see what is using my battery and how much time my phone has been off the charger. This is awesome.
Not so good ....
Battery Life - Not quite as good as iPhone 5. It is really important to me that I can make it through a full day. Some days it lasts, but more often than not Im looking for a charger in the late afternoon. I would obviously prefer a bigger battery. I wouldnt describe the battery life as bad, and it has actually been better than what i expected but still wish the battery was a little big bigger.
Camera - Its just not as good as the iPhone 5. This bothers me because I take lots of pics of my young children and feel like i'm missing opportunities to get some great shots sometimes.
Picture syncing - I loved how easy it was to store my pics in iphoto from my camera and I miss photo stream. I've worked around this somewhat by auto loading my pics to dropbox where I can then easily import them into iphoto or share to photostream from my ipad mini every night. I miss being able to see pics my family and friends upload to photostream throughout the day and now only see them on my ipad at night. I knew this would be the case when I switched to the Nexus but didn't think I was as hooked on photostream as I had become. If I switch back to an iphone this will be the primary reason.
Storage - I need more, but I knew that going in so this isn't a surprise. Ive been trying to use dropbox to bridge the gap. Maybe this will turn into a positive at some point... time will tell
]Good and Bad[/B]
Notifications - This suprised me.. but I actually enjoy not having a pop up on my screen when a notification comes in. Ive turned off any notifications for email and have a beep for incoming text messages. This has helped me not waste time opening the email app just to erase the red number thing on the app avatar on my home screen. This bothered me at first but really like not seeing numbers on the app that I have to go delete within the app. One of my biggest problems with the N4 is not being able to hear the incoming text message dings or phone ringer at max volumes. I simply can't hear my phone ring or beep in a busy place. The speaker sucks on the nexus... I wish I had the ability to increase the volume to a more audible level.
iMessage - I dont miss this and I thought I would. I have unlimited texts through my plan so it doesnt matter to me if the message is classified as data useage or a sms. I would sometimes have problems with iMessages going through when I was in bad cellular data area but have never had a problem using SMS. I've enjoyed using the messaging app on my N4
I could probably keep going but will stop because this is long enough already and my main likes and dislikes are above. I knew going in that I probably wouldn't care for the things I dislike, so I cant complain too much. What has been nice are the things Ive liked. I didnt know I would like them till I switched and continue to find these things the more and more I use my phone. I hope this helps someone contemplating a similar switch. I'm gonna stick with this phone for at least 6 months so maybe I will update this some as I go.
A little history about my phone usage... I've primarily been an iphone user since day one. I would occasionally switch back to a Blackberry (9700 and 9900) throughout the years but always ended up back on the iPhone. I wasn't dissatisfied with the iPhone 5, actually quite the contrary. I love the iPhone 5.... Especially the hardware. I could take or leave a bigger screen, so that wasnt a huge issue for me. Software wise... I was just bored. I've tried Android on a couple of different occasions but never could commit and returned both the HTC One and Galaxy S3 within the return window. I wasn't happy with the software that was currently running at the time with the HTC One (primarily Sense), it just seemed to lag for me on a regular basis. In my opinion it wasn't up to par with iOS in terms of smoothness in day to day useage. Im not quite sure why... it just didnt feel right. I wasn't a big fan of the S III either. I wasn't satisfied with the plasticky nature of the phone and not a fan of the samsung skin either. I probably didn't give that one a fair shot either because I was thrilled with the new iPhone 5 i had. I decided I was going to try the Nexus 4 a few weeks ago. I told myself that running pure android along with the great build quality of the device could romance me into a long term relationship. I even insured I was going to give it a fair shot by giving away my iphone before the Nexus even arrived. Like it or not, I was going to be an android user for at least 6 months.
The phone arrived a week after ordering. I was instantly a fan of the build quality. Ive always preferred glass over plastic and (knock on wood) have always used my iphones without a case and have never broken one (unlike my wife..... I digress... Cases are better for some than others). Im sure I just mega jinxed myself though... I did things a little different this time... Instead of trying to turn my Nexus into an iphone I was going to appreciate the differences and nuances of Android and change my usage patterns to the phone instead of trying to turn my phone into something it wasn't.
Things I like...
Keyboard (switching between swiftkey and stock keyboard) - this is one of the things Ive enjoyed the most. Ive adopted using swype (especially when only one hand is available) and I love the predictive choices the software throws up on the screen as I type. I can't emphasize this enough. I really like the keyboards in comparison to the iPhone. They just work better for me.
Jelly bean 4.2 - ive found the software to be on par or better than iOS 6. I love the overall snappiness of day to day usage. When I switched in the past I was never satisfied in this regard.
Notifications - I love the pull down bar. I can pull down to see my SMS or emails even when the phone is locked. I love this feature. I never used the notification center much in iOS, Im not sure why, the android implementation just seems to work better.
Phone - the phone app is more enoyable to use. I like how my "favorites" are displayed with their pictures when I open the app and underneath are my most contacted which also seems to add to quick calling experiences.
Quick Settings - I turn my wifi on and off many times throughout the day. It is easier and quicker to tap the widget instead of drilling down into the settings app on my iPhone.
Widgets - I really like being able to see the weather on my screen or sports scores. I also use a battery meter which tells me how much battery is left. I know I could turn the percentage on with my iphone but for some reason on some days it really bothers me to be front and center. I can put the widget one home screen over so it isnt always in my face but is convenient to see with one swipe over. I would ultimately end up turning the battery percentage off on my iphone and end up drilling down into settings to see how much battery I have left.
Apps - I am a big pandora one user. So much so that I dont even store music on my phone. I use it every time im in the car. During past phone switches it was my experience that the android version didnt work as well, it would freeze while changing songs and I would have to quit the app and start over. This hasnt happened as much this time. I still think the Pandora iOS app is better but it is a lot closer now. SCORE app - I use this app a lot for sports scores. I have actually found the android version to be more enjoyable to use than the iOS counterpart. It sounds simple.. but it seems prettier and works quicker IMO. I also use iheart radio a lot to listen to a sports radio station i like and have found it to be quicker than the iOS version also.
Auto App updates - speaks for itself. Its awesome I dont have to update each app manually. Click the auto update box and never waste time updating. The apps just update in the background. I would have at least 2 or 3 apps to update every day and its annoying on iOS.
Maps and navigation - I prefer the Android versions. I had google maps installed on my iphone but I like this one better.
Battery Settings - I really like being able to see what is using my battery and how much time my phone has been off the charger. This is awesome.
Not so good ....
Battery Life - Not quite as good as iPhone 5. It is really important to me that I can make it through a full day. Some days it lasts, but more often than not Im looking for a charger in the late afternoon. I would obviously prefer a bigger battery. I wouldnt describe the battery life as bad, and it has actually been better than what i expected but still wish the battery was a little big bigger.
Camera - Its just not as good as the iPhone 5. This bothers me because I take lots of pics of my young children and feel like i'm missing opportunities to get some great shots sometimes.
Picture syncing - I loved how easy it was to store my pics in iphoto from my camera and I miss photo stream. I've worked around this somewhat by auto loading my pics to dropbox where I can then easily import them into iphoto or share to photostream from my ipad mini every night. I miss being able to see pics my family and friends upload to photostream throughout the day and now only see them on my ipad at night. I knew this would be the case when I switched to the Nexus but didn't think I was as hooked on photostream as I had become. If I switch back to an iphone this will be the primary reason.
Storage - I need more, but I knew that going in so this isn't a surprise. Ive been trying to use dropbox to bridge the gap. Maybe this will turn into a positive at some point... time will tell
]Good and Bad[/B]
Notifications - This suprised me.. but I actually enjoy not having a pop up on my screen when a notification comes in. Ive turned off any notifications for email and have a beep for incoming text messages. This has helped me not waste time opening the email app just to erase the red number thing on the app avatar on my home screen. This bothered me at first but really like not seeing numbers on the app that I have to go delete within the app. One of my biggest problems with the N4 is not being able to hear the incoming text message dings or phone ringer at max volumes. I simply can't hear my phone ring or beep in a busy place. The speaker sucks on the nexus... I wish I had the ability to increase the volume to a more audible level.
iMessage - I dont miss this and I thought I would. I have unlimited texts through my plan so it doesnt matter to me if the message is classified as data useage or a sms. I would sometimes have problems with iMessages going through when I was in bad cellular data area but have never had a problem using SMS. I've enjoyed using the messaging app on my N4
I could probably keep going but will stop because this is long enough already and my main likes and dislikes are above. I knew going in that I probably wouldn't care for the things I dislike, so I cant complain too much. What has been nice are the things Ive liked. I didnt know I would like them till I switched and continue to find these things the more and more I use my phone. I hope this helps someone contemplating a similar switch. I'm gonna stick with this phone for at least 6 months so maybe I will update this some as I go.
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