New to Android (Galaxy S4) came from Iphone 5...My 2 cents

[carpenj]

Coming from iPhone 4 to iPhone 5 to Samsung Galaxy S4...please find below a list of all the "cons" in the OP that I have yet to experience. lol.

1. I am sure is not Android OS fault but the Galaxy s4 is very Laggy, even after doing all of the suggestions around here. I really miss the IOS simplicity and smoothness. Galaxy S4 has no lag for me, and neither did iPhone 5. iPhone 4 had some at times.
2. Gimmick features, I have to say even at the store I disabled many of them, hover over the screen"Really" why? Disable them. God forbid you have options! Options are the worst!!
3. None of the browser are even close to Safari, sorry but even chrome on the iPhone is better I prefer Google Chrome, which is the only one I use now, a thousand times over Safari and then some. On my phone or PC.
4. Unusable pre-installed software, If i don't want it let me remove it...what happened to the "free to do anything" So you can remove these pre-installed apps and such on your iPhones? Don't think so. And you CAN at least hide them with a Droid phone, never to be seen again if you don't want.
7.Not sure if its the Samsung crappy GUI over the OS but apps are just not as smooth compare to the same app in IOS...Why? this things hardware specs are so powerful... Again, disagree. I haven't had my GS4 very long but everything feels every bit as smooth and fast as iPhone 5 to me.
8. I cant set Gmail as exchange in the mail app...WTF? i have to use the gmail app just to get gmails...ok this one is just crappy...really google? I assume you have multiple email addresses, is that the issue here? I don't, really (have a work email but I don't check it unless I'm at work generally). That's the only issue I could see you having here, and I've done no research to know whether you can still make it work or not without "Exchange" specifically.
9 Samsung gets in the way too much i think, will prefer just vanilla android for sure. That's fair enough I guess. I like most of the Samsung features. I'd probably rather have the Google S4, but not going to drop $650 on it.

 

[iamchanel]

Like many of you here.. I have had every version of the iPhone since 2007 (all jailbroken). I left the iPhone 5 for the GS4. Here are my points.
1. I adore the screen real estate. 5" makes a world of a difference.
2. GS4 DOES lag more than all IOS devices. I mean when I open chrome I have to literally wait before I can type something in the url bar.. it's like the phone is trying to keep up with me.
3. Having to use third party apps for EVERYTHING is a bit of an adjustment. I can see why you'll need more storage.
4. I love having options by default to use certain programs for different things. (browsers... galleries.. text...etc.)
5. The notification bar is cluttered because there is no true badge notification option that I had to hide my bar altogether.
6. I love my GS4 but I can't wait to root it because honestly IOS does a little better job at the basics.. but that's it.. you're almost stuck at basic with apple even with jailbreaking.
7. I feel like I left the "cool kids" club. Almost everyone I know still has an iPhone. And most apps are made for iPhone only (and maybe release for Android later on)
8. I passed my 14 day return date so I guess I kind of like the phone.
9. I think iPhone just flows better as a device. Everything has the same feel to it. I'm searching for a rom that will give me that "premium" feeling again. If it doesn't work with android over the next 12 months... I hope the iPhone 6 has a bigger screen.

I do understand everything the original poster said here.

 

[toujours_frais]

If only Apple has a 4.85" iPhone, I wouldnt have gotten an android.... Sigh....

 

[badbrad17]

Like many of you here.. I have had every version of the iPhone since 2007 (all jailbroken). I left the iPhone 5 for the GS4. Here are my points.
1. I adore the screen real estate. 5" makes a world of a difference.
2. GS4 DOES lag more than all IOS devices. I mean when I open chrome I have to literally wait before I can type something in the url bar.. it's like the phone is trying to keep up with me.
3. Having to use third party apps for EVERYTHING is a bit of an adjustment. I can see why you'll need more storage.
4. I love having options by default to use certain programs for different things. (browsers... galleries.. text...etc.)
5. The notification bar is cluttered because there is no true badge notification option that I had to hide my bar altogether.
6. I love my GS4 but I can't wait to root it because honestly IOS does a little better job at the basics.. but that's it.. you're almost stuck at basic with apple even with jailbreaking.
7. I feel like I left the "cool kids" club. Almost everyone I know still has an iPhone. And most apps are made for iPhone only (and maybe release for Android later on)
8. I passed my 14 day return date so I guess I kind of like the phone.
9. I think iPhone just flows better as a device. Everything has the same feel to it. I'm searching for a rom that will give me that "premium" feeling again. If it doesn't work with android over the next 12 months... I hope the iPhone 6 has a bigger screen.

I do understand everything the original poster said here.

Nexus is what you should have got IMO. It's just smoother and more responsive. I press chrome and it pops up instantly. The S4 is still amazing. The screen is very nice.

You may want to try Nova launcher. You can tweak the transition speed. Makes it feel much faster and responsive. Plus you can also adjust animations in your developer options which speeds things up.

The 3rd party apps is the best solution IMO. This way I can install only what I want. There are lots of apps on iphone that I can't even hide from the screen.

You can easily add badges with Nova launcher. There is always a solution on Android. I think that in 2 months you will pick up an iPhone and wonder how you ever lived with it. I use my daughters and it's like comparing a DVD player to a computer.

Keep playing and making the phone your own. Cheers.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[snookasnoo]

4. Sync any music...no matter how you got it...

You can do the same with an iPhone.
Try InoMail for mail. It's based on iOS Mail.
You will find many apps are poorer quality than on iOS devices and any do not look very good or clash with the overall OS, especially Touchwiz.
I really think previous iPhone users should just get a Nexus. All the slapped on Samsung stuff will not appeal and the Nexus is faster and smoother. Too abd it doesn't have LTE or is on Verizon. I think it would really take off then. Right now its a nich for Android geeks.

 

[kirkhere]

Have you seen Sense 5?

I have, and no offense, but I didn't like it.

I am also new to Android coming from iPhone. I had bought the HTC One, but returned it and got the GS4 instead, largely because I prefer the features of TouchWiz and Samsung's core apps like phone, contacts, email and calendar. There are huge differences between the HTC and Samsung software, even if you ignore all of Samsung's gimmicky S-features (all of which I have disabled).

Like the OP, the lack of visual voicemail as a basic Android feature is baffling to me too. Fortunately if you are on AT&T you don't need a 3rd party app nor the complexity of Google Voice. AT&T provides a visual voicemail app that is available for free in the play store, and it's simpler that then integrated messaging app that they pre-install on the phone:
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...m.att.mobile.android.vvm&hl=en&token=NXsydd1J

Switching to Andriod is a big adjustment, and there are definitely things that Apple does better. If Apple made a phone with a larger display, I might have stuck with them. But I'm confident that I will adapt and be happy with the GS4.

Note that Samsung's Kies desktop software sucks. I liked using iTunes to backup and manage my iPhone (didn't use it for my media), but Kies is not comparable. It lacks features and polish. I had trouble installing it. It doesn't support syncing Outlook notes. Yuck. HTC Sync manager looks better, but I haven't actually used it.

 

[madlaw1071]

Like many of you here.. I have had every version of the iPhone since 2007 (all jailbroken). I left the iPhone 5 for the GS4. Here are my points.
1. I adore the screen real estate. 5" makes a world of a difference.
2. GS4 DOES lag more than all IOS devices. I mean when I open chrome I have to literally wait before I can type something in the url bar.. it's like the phone is trying to keep up with me.
3. Having to use third party apps for EVERYTHING is a bit of an adjustment. I can see why you'll need more storage.
4. I love having options by default to use certain programs for different things. (browsers... galleries.. text...etc.)
5. The notification bar is cluttered because there is no true badge notification option that I had to hide my bar altogether.
6. I love my GS4 but I can't wait to root it because honestly IOS does a little better job at the basics.. but that's it.. you're almost stuck at basic with apple even with jailbreaking.
7. I feel like I left the "cool kids" club. Almost everyone I know still has an iPhone. And most apps are made for iPhone only (and maybe release for Android later on)
8. I passed my 14 day return date so I guess I kind of like the phone.
9. I think iPhone just flows better as a device. Everything has the same feel to it. I'm searching for a rom that will give me that "premium" feeling again. If it doesn't work with android over the next 12 months... I hope the iPhone 6 has a bigger screen.

I do understand everything the original poster said here.

iPhone ceased being "cool" at least a year ago precisely because everyone you know has one lol. You are now cool with your S4 and welcome to android. Show it off to your friends and dazzle them with your coolness.

 

[LegalAmerican]

2. GS4 DOES lag more than all IOS devices. I mean when I open chrome I have to literally wait before I can type something in the url bar.. it's like the phone is trying to keep up with me.

I can certainly appreciate a lag free device, but I guess my life isn't so rushed that it's that big of a deal for me to wait a short period of time to type a URL. If nothing else, it gives me a chance to look up from what i'm doing so I don't walk into a lake or a closed door or something.

It would be cool to have zero wait time between these requests we make of our phones, but it just sounds so high maintenance to get too worked up over half a second of waiting. Especially when we're talking about mini handheld computers that process so many pieces of information every tenth of a second. iPhone has no lag because it doesn't multi task. Android is doing multiple things at once and I can appreciate that.

 

[JeffDenver]

I can certainly appreciate a lag free device, but I guess my life isn't so rushed that it's that big of a deal for me to wait a short period of time to type a URL.

Her point is valid...why should we have to wait at all? All those little delays add up. If I can think or act faster than my computer, it means my computer is not fast enough. Technology should always be faster than us. If it is not, that is a flaw.

It is obviously possible on Android. The Nexus 4 does it. The problem is with Touchwiz. Samsung needs to optimize it more.

It would be cool to have zero wait time between these requests we make of our phones

Why would it be cool? You just got done saying it is an asset. "it gives me a chance to look up from what i'm doing", right?

Obviously, slowness is NOT an asset. It is an annoyance. It is great that you have found a way to avoid this annoyance, but that does not mean that slowness is desirable.

iPhone has no lag because it doesn't multi task.

Which is ture. iOS has many limitations. But Android also has much better hardware. So it should be able to compensate...it should be able to multi-task AND provide a responsive UI. .

My nexus reacts like an iPhone. I do not wait for stuff on the Nexus...it is immediate like on iOS. It is obviously possible to do on Android.

 

[JeffDenver]

I really think previous iPhone users should just get a Nexus.

This.

iOS users will not care about the flaws in the Nexus (No SD or removable battery), and they will like that it is as fluid and responsive as the iPhone they had before.

 

[LegalAmerican]

Her point is valid...why should we have to wait at all? All those little delays add up. If I can think or act faster than my computer, it means my computer is not fast enough. Technology should always be faster than us. If it is not, that is a flaw.

It is obviously possible on Android. The Nexus 4 does it. The problem is with Touchwiz. Samsung needs to optimize it more.


Why would it be cool? You just got done saying it is an asset. "it gives me a chance to look up from what i'm doing", right?

Obviously, slowness is NOT an asset. It is an annoyance. It is great that you have found a way to avoid this annoyance, but that does not mean that slowness is desirable.


Which is ture. iOS has many limitations. But Android also has much better hardware. So it should be able to compensate...it should be able to multi-task AND provide a responsive UI. .

My nexus reacts like an iPhone. I do not wait for stuff on the Nexus...it is immediate like on iOS. It is obviously possible to do on Android.

9 times out of 10 when someone picks apart someone else's post to the degree in which you've done here, they are overthinking it. You tried to make it sound like I contradicted myself but I didn't. I said it's perfectly okay with me if I can glance away from my screen for half a second while the webpage loads. However, it would also be cool if it was instantaneous. But that doesn't mean I'm angry if it isn't. I am fine either way. That is not a contradiction unless I said I HAVE to have the time to look up while i'm walking. I didn't say that. I said it's not a big deal to me.

Her point IS valid. I didn't say it wasn't. I was just saying for me, it's perfectly okay if I need to wait for a fraction of a second between commands. We all have to wait for a while anyway when going to different webpages. Very few places get strong enough service that webpages load immediately. So until Verizon, at&t, Sprint, or T Mobile can provide lag free service that loads pages as fast as I can think, i'm not going to get too worked up over the phone computing.

I'm not interested in a sentence by sentence debate because I wasn't claiming anything as fact or making bold statements. I was stating my opinion which I do not have to defend. I accept that you will feel differently than I do and that doesn't threaten me in any way.

 

[JeffDenver]

9 times out of 10 when someone picks apart someone else's post to the degree in which you've done here, they are overthinking it.

So you are saying it is possible I am not overthinking it.

I said it's perfectly okay with me if I can glance away from my screen for half a second while the webpage loads.

That is what I said...you have found a way to live with this flaw. That does not mean it is not a flaw. You should never be the one waiting for your computer to catch up. Ever.

I'm not interested in a sentence by sentence debate

You do not have to debate at all. responding to posts is voluntary. I quote this way so there is no ambiguity as to what I am responding to.

 

[LegalAmerican]

That is what I said...you have found a way to live with this flaw. That does not mean it is not a flaw. You should never be the one waiting for your computer to catch up. Ever.

Where is this world you speak of where people never wait for computers to catch up? And how did you get to it? Because from work, to cell phone, to home I can find many things that I have to wait for my computer to do. And I would venture a guess that this world doesn't actually exist.

I get that iOS might do some functions faster than Android and that's fine with me. But I don't think there's anyone here even with top of the line equipment that never ever has to wait for computers.

 

[FishenFool]

Where is this world you speak of where people never wait for computers to catch up? And how did you get to it? Because from work, to cell phone, to home I can find many things that I have to wait for my computer to do. And I would venture a guess that this world doesn't actually exist.

I get that iOS might do some functions faster than Android and that's fine with me. But I don't think there's anyone here even with top of the line equipment that never ever has to wait for computers.

I was just thinking the same thing. People are far too spoiled and impatient nowadays. Either they weren't born yet or don't remember when we had to program some kind of progress indicator on the screen so that impatient people wouldn't shut their computer off in the middle of a process because they thought it was stuck or hung.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

 

[LegalAmerican]

I was just thinking the same thing. People are far too spoiled and impatient nowadays. Either they weren't born yet or don't remember when we had to program some kind of progress indicator on the screen so that impatient people wouldn't shut their computer off in the middle of a process because they thought it was stuck or hung.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

I honestly don't think I ever want to have such a busy life that I can't survive waiting a few seconds for something to load up. I'm okay with a slower pace in life because that's more enjoyable to me. I'm not talking dinosaur pace and waiting for 10 minutes, but I am pretty sure I can handle a fraction of a second of "lag" before I start to plan on switching phones.

 

[JeffDenver]

Where is this world you speak of where people never wait for computers to catch up?

It is called "an ideal world". Any world where you are waiting on the computer is called the "less than ideal" world.

Slow computers are never a good thing. And a computer that you have to wait on is a flawed computer.

I can find many things that I have to wait for my computer to do.

It must be great that you are willing to put up with that. For me it is annoying as hell. That is why I spend more on faster computers.

I get that iOS might do some functions faster than Android

Right now it does nothing faster than Android. It does, however, do some stuff faster than Touchwiz. That URL-box lag is a good example.

 

[JeffDenver]

I was just thinking the same thing. People are far too spoiled and impatient nowadays.

If I am spending hundreds of dollars on a phone, I think I am entitled to be spoiled and impatient. A top tier phone is not a trivial purchase for me.

Either they weren't born yet or don't remember when we had to program some kind of progress indicator on the screen so that impatient people wouldn't shut their computer off in the middle of a process because they thought it was stuck or hung.

I am old enough to remember that. Which is exactly why I am so demanding now. That sucked. It was like being in the dark ages.

 

[LegalAmerican]

It is called "an ideal world". Any world where you are waiting on the computer is called the "less than ideal" world.

Slow computers are never a good thing. And a computer that you have to wait on is a flawed computer.


It must be great that you are willing to put up with that. For me it is annoying as hell. That is why I spend more on faster computers.


Right now it does nothing faster than Android. It does, however, do some stuff faster than Touchwiz. That URL-box lag is a good example.

Until this ideal world exists, I wont get too worked up over tenth of a second "lag".

 

[badbrad17]

I was just thinking the same thing. People are far too spoiled and impatient nowadays. Either they weren't born yet or don't remember when we had to program some kind of progress indicator on the screen so that impatient people wouldn't shut their computer off in the middle of a process because they thought it was stuck or hung.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Android Central Forums

LOL> Made me think of this hilarious bit by Louis CK. "Everything is amazing and nobody is happy". Only available with Russian subtitles, but it is so funny if you haven;t seen it. Для тех, кто постоянно недоволен - YouTube

 

[badbrad17]

If I am spending hundreds of dollars on a phone, I think I am entitled to be spoiled and impatient. A top tier phone is not a trivial purchase for me.
I am old enough to remember that. Which is exactly why I am so demanding now. That sucked. It was like being in the dark ages.

Ha Ha... really? Someone call a Waaambulance. I had to say that. Sorry Jeff you asked for it.