The elephant in the Andriod room.......Lag, and to leave or not because of it

[nasellok]

Lag - Some people have it, some don't..........not sure why, but I think most of us have experienced a non responsive rebooting phone. It drives me crazy........If your like me, the full smartphone experience/phenomenon has waned a bit..........apps no longer really make a difference to me - Ive downloaded apps upon apps, upon apps, only to realize that I never use any of them. If I really need to edit a photo, im going to load it up on my computer, and use real software....I really only use my phone for a few things........Phone, Messaging, Email, Camera, Facebooking, and the occasional game. Out of those (6) things I actually use my phone for, only (1) is technologically differently specified in any of the devices listed, and that would be the Camera. Now, all of the phones listed are a decent step above my current phone (The Galaxy Nexus), the all inheritably run Android, which I have come to loathe over the past 5 years, and (3) phones. My OG Droid, was amazing when I got it, same as Droid X, and Galaxy nexus........but after tinkering, and rooting, and flashing roms, all so I can customize to my hearts content, they all had 1 thing in common.........they were all LAGTASTIC. I see it in my friends brand new quad core phones - the GS4, and G2, the Note3 - they stutter all the time, press the home button, nothing happens, the things crash all the time. So, ive come to a line in the road, my contract is up, and what do I do.....do I give Android 1 more shot....or do I try something different. I have realized that the Camera is most important, so I am going to give a trial run to one of those new Nokia Windows phones (I know, bash me all you want, but I have Windows 8 PC, and love the interface)........maybe ill be back, maybe it will stick...but im just sort of fed up with my phone, and would have threw the thing into oncoming traffic If it weren't for the stupid contracts. Anyone else have any similar experiences?

 

[Golfdriver97]

Lag - Some people have it, some don't..........not sure why, but I think most of us have experienced a non responsive rebooting phone. It drives me crazy........If your like me, the full smartphone experience/phenomenon has waned a bit..........apps no longer really make a difference to me - Ive downloaded apps upon apps, upon apps, only to realize that I never use any of them. If I really need to edit a photo, im going to load it up on my computer, and use real software....I really only use my phone for a few things........Phone, Messaging, Email, Camera, Facebooking, and the occasional game. Out of those (6) things I actually use my phone for, only (1) is technologically differently specified in any of the devices listed, and that would be the Camera. Now, all of the phones listed are a decent step above my current phone (The Galaxy Nexus), the all inheritably run Android, which I have come to loathe over the past 5 years, and (3) phones. My OG Droid, was amazing when I got it, same as Droid X, and Galaxy nexus........but after tinkering, and rooting, and flashing roms, all so I can customize to my hearts content, they all had 1 thing in common.........they were all LAGTASTIC. I see it in my friends brand new quad core phones - the GS4, and G2, the Note3 - they stutter all the time, press the home button, nothing happens, the things crash all the time. So, ive come to a line in the road, my contract is up, and what do I do.....do I give Android 1 more shot....or do I try something different. I have realized that the Camera is most important, so I am going to give a trial run to one of those new Nokia Windows phones (I know, bash me all you want, but I have Windows 8 PC, and love the interface)........maybe ill be back, maybe it will stick...but im just sort of fed up with my phone, and would have threw the thing into oncoming traffic If it weren't for the stupid contracts. Anyone else have any similar experiences?

The only thing I can suggest is getting a different line of phone. Samsung's Touchwiz is a memory hog, and a big culprit to lagging. The G2 I am honestly surprised at, but it is still an LG skin, and that can be a factor.

I would say give the Nexus 5 a shot. If it still doesn't impress you, then perhaps changing platforms is the best solution.

 

[araskin]

I have heard many people complain about Android being laggy but I find most of the Android apps run quite smoothly on my Z30. Perhaps there is some way to tweak your phone to make it run smoother?

Posted via Android Central App

 

[1812dave]

To answer your question, no

 

[JRDroid]

I do not own an S4, Note 3, or G2, but I did have an HTC One (and my Moto X is coming tomorrow). I was really torn between the One and the S4 when I got the One. A major deciding factor was I went into the store and played with them side by side. I could easily get the S4 to stutter or lag and I couldn't get the HTC to exhibit the same behavior no matter what I tried. All that to say, the manufacturer skin can make a HUGE difference. Try a One or a Moto X in store, you might be surprised. I too had an OG Moto Droid. It was great when I got it. Then I started romming and modding and things went down hill fast. I've noticed that tends to be a trend with Android devices. Once you start flashing ROMs, the further you get from what actually shipped on the hardware, the less stable it is. I ran ROMs on my One, but they were either lightly modified stock ROMs or the stock Google Play Edition software, and it literally never crashed or lagged once. And I am someone who left Android for Windows Phone due to stability and lag issues (curse you MyTouch 4G!!!) and came back, so I definitely hear where you are coming from.

 

[Old Stoneface]

*shrug* My Android tablets (Vizio VTAB1008 & Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1) have generally worked pretty smoothly. VTAB1008 could be laggy, but it was a fairly low-end device. The Tab 2 has been real nice under CM. My phone...? It's sometimes annoyingly laggy--particularly when just woken up, sometimes. But it's two-year-old tech: An HTC Sensation 4G for which I paid a whopping $150.

What're my choices? Let's see: iThings and Microsoft. The iThings strike me, ironically, as uninspired. They're said to be very reliable. Very... consistent. To me they seem very limiting. Very boring. And Microsoft? Not. On. Your. Life. I administer a herd of PeeCees at work for a living. I'm fed up with Microsoft's sorry designs and even more sorry code quality. I'd rather a sharp stick in the eye. My wife's MS-Win install is being replaced with Linux and, after a I retire, I look forward to never having to touch another God-forsaken MS-Win thing again as long as I live.

So I guess I'll live with Android's warts

 

[mayconvert]

So you root, ROM and customize all your android phones and Then they lag. I have the moto x and had the note 3. Neither of them lag.
Yes, once in a blue moon something may take an extra second or two to load, but its rare or nearly non existent on those devices.
Have you tried buying a phone with software that you Like so you don't have to root and ROM?
The WP8 is an awesome, lag free OS. I agree that windows 8 desktop OS is pretty cool too.
And although you don't need many apps, isn't it nice to know you CAN download an app when you want it?
You won't have that with WP8. They don't have a single Google app. Even Facebook doesn't make an app for WP8. Its made by MS.
My wife has a WP and it took MS 8 months to do One update to the app and it's still missing features that are on iOS and android.
In not saying don't try a WP. Just know that it has nearly zero developer support.
I don't Do much on my phone either but for me to have a WP I want the following apps.
Starbucks
My local federal bank
g+ / Google apps
GEICO insurance app

That's not a big list but None of those exist in WP market place.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[xyzlene]

i like everything about windows phone accept lack of apps.. its ux is so fluid... if google apps were tied to windows i would jump ship immediately. I'm digging the moto x. very fluid phone... throw nova on it, and you will barely experience a hiccup.

 

[sauce_a_poutine]

I don't want to be rude, but I believe it is likely you chose the wrong devices. These phones are no less than full fledged portable computers. as such one has to carefully choose not only the OS, but one has to mind the vendors, and their ill-coded, laggy and imposed proprietary "traybar apps", A.K.A. : all the junk which runs in the background. Android phones are no different from Windows PCs. You have chosen devices who's makers have preloaded too much junk, and got blinded by the marketing hype and hardware design hoopla.

In such a case, one has to clean up what runs in the background and stop useless processes. This may lead to lost functionality, but it just shows how important it is to choose well.

My two cents.

 

[xyzlene]

windows phone has quite a lean footprint pertaining to their os, compared to android. pretty much all windows phones are the same spec wise. Microsoft lays out a guideline to all manufacturers.

only nokia / windows phone differs a bit.. still quite fluid.

all phones will lag, jank, stutter eventually. The iphone 5 runing ios7 trips up every now and then. Lag happens.

just my opinion.

 

[beeare]

The new Motorola line of devices really exhibits no lag at all compared to every other flagship smartphone from all the main manufacturers. I've tested and observed all of them fairly thoroughly. The camera may not be the best, but it's serviceable and the Lag, as I said, is virtually non existent.

Sent from my XT1080 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[bubba3595]

I was worried about lag when I was deciding to switch from my iphone to a Nexus 5. For all the thing Iphone's cant do, they are smooth as hell for 99 percent of tasks. Once I got my Nexus 5 though, I forgot all about the smoothness of Apple, and realized how smooth the N5 really is. NO issues at all for me with lag or choppiness.

 

[Ry]

Moto X.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[tgp]

I recommend trying a Nexus 5 or a Moto X. They're low cost, even off contract. They both have very good performance. And since you're not a power user, the stock experience should be good for you.

Out of the other platform options, there are caveats to each of them as well. My only beef with the iPhone is the small screen. I could switch over if they offered a screen larger than 4". I'm not saying I would switch, but I could be satisfied there. If the camera is important to you, the iPhone is excellent.

Windows Phone is fluid and smooth for the most part, but it's got more bugs than a windshield in the evening. Developer support is nowhere near Android & iOS. The apps WP does have are for the most part lower quality than their iOS & Android counterparts. The Facebook experience is very poor. At this point I wouldn't recommend WP unless you're completely fed up with Android and won't get an iPhone for whatever reason. All that said, the higher end Nokia phones have great cameras.