[cryptarchy]

Although I come from a tech background, I don’t like to tinker with my devices and software. Because my work is very focused, I just need things to work. That is why I like Apple products because it just works.

[DRIV3R]

Folks who still think taking screenshots and files transfer to windows is tough with iPhone need to update themselves a bit.

Screenshots are very easy, there are many ways to do it, my favourite would be the double tap on rear of the iPhone followed by the accessibility soft button screenshot option.

File transfers are very easy too, you don't even need iTunes or such. Of course you cannot write back to the iPhone for obvious reasons.

[jmshaw]

I have been an Android user as well as a OnePlus user for 7 years now. Got my 6T in Nov 18 on launch and typing this msg from it. Firstly, iOS IMHO is not user friendly. My wife is an iPhone user for past 6 years and taking a simple photos backup to my laptop is still a challenge (i wont allow install of iTunes on my laptop). With my 6T a simple usb cable and in 10 mins i have the entire back up straight on my laptop. With the iPhone and its complicated photo storage with multiple folders, no thank you. When I bought my 6T there was no fast charging available on iphones if I remember right, so to me OnePlus was already ahead of iphone on practicality. Today iphones have fast charging but don't even ship with chargers
I am a power user and use file explorer extensively, I don't think iphone allows it in the same way as Android. Annoyances like the above have kept me clear from iOS and don't see that changing in the near future.

And still can't wrap my head around the huge notch on the iphone and then not having a % battery indicator also!

[srikanthmadhava]

Nokia 6070 - 2 years
I got my first phone gifted by my aunt from Dubai. It was Nokia 6070, way back in 2006. It was a whole new world for me and came with a camera.

Nokia N82 - 5 years
Then, in 2008, I got my first smartphone - an N82 from Nokia. This costed me around 18k (I remember saving money for this), one of the costliest gadget purchases in our family. This was my college time and I had a blast with this phone for about 5 years.

Samsung Galaxy S3 - 2 years
In 2013, I bought my first Android Smartphone - Samsung Galaxy S3. Costed me around 21k, it was some months post launch.
Andorid OS, samsung specific software features, that display, that camera and everything was so much superior than my N82. It was an awesome upgrade.
But the joy did not last long as my S3 started 'lagging' behind. It had become a real pain to use within 2 years. I had no option but to switch. My relationship with Galaxy series had a bitter end.

OnePlus 2 - 3 years
Oneplus 2 had released around that time and it had an important feature I wanted - a fingerprint sensor. I took the plunge after checking initial reviews. I got mine for 22.5k and it was an amazing experience. An absolute value for money top notch experience. I watched my friends buy iPhones and Galaxies for more than double my purchase cost, without ever feeling like my phone lacked anything.
After a good 3 year period, the battery started becoming weak. The phone worked like charm, but I could not get a replacement battery from Oneplus service centers. None were available.

With a heavy heart, I had to let go of my OP-2.
But OnePlus had left an impression on me. I waited for sale-time on amazon for my next OP phone.

Oneplus 6 - 3.5 years and counting
Oneplus 6 came home in 2018, for 26k after all discounts (6T release was eminent and hence OP6 was heavily discounted). Incredible value for money for me. Only features I wished for additionally were wireless charging and water proofing.
This was another joyful experience that I am still holding on to, even though the software (Android 11 based Oxygen OS) is showing its ugly side every now and then. Lags and stutters have started popping up. Camera app is also very slow now.

What Next?
I am now slowly thinking about my next purchase. And I don't find any disrupting player like Oneplus (of the past) in the 20-30k range.
My friends have moved on to even costlier iPhones, but I see them retaining their phone for around 5 years.

Oneplus do not have the same impression in me anymore. They have moved up in the price chain and moved down in value/software departments.
If I have to buy a Oneplus phone for 60k (that too without Oxygen OS), I would prefer to add that 10k more and get a Galaxy S series. iPhones are also available in same price range.

I do like the stability and longevity that iPhones provide, but they do present me with usability issues (like position of back button, missing UI customizations).

iPhones were always expensive. Now Android flagships (well, I mean Samsung and Oneplus flagships. No other real mass market flagships in India now - LG, Motorola, HTC, Pixel are all miniscule, at least in India) are matching iPhones in price. Samsung almost matches them in software update promises with 4 years of android updates and 5 years security patches.

Although my experience with S3 has not been great, I have a feeling current Galaxy S series is really good. But they cost a lot, latest ones even reaching beyond a lakh like iPhones. Affordability aside, I find it really hard to justify that kind of money for a phone.

I find current phones in the 20-30k range very much capable from hardware perspective, but they seem to lack the software polish that Oxygen OS/ Pixels of the bygone era had. OEMs are adding more and more bloatware and adware in to their mid range phones. Of course, the flagships provide way better hardware and experience.

Looks like OEM's are forcing us to pay up for better software, which seem to be completely against the 'free to use opensource software' that android was supposed stand for.

[Shanenanigans]

This is quite an interesting thread. The last time I used an Android phone as a daily driver was back in 2014 (Galaxy Note II). At that time I switched over to an iPhone 5S (gift) and even though the screen was small (5.5" to 4") I rather liked the usability and constant fluidity of the OS. When I had my Note II, and the android phones before it (T-Mobile G2, Motorola Milestone) I was constantly switching ROMs and tweaking the phone. Occasionally this resulted in plenty of slowdowns and I began to hate using them.

I did jailbreak my 5S, and the 6S after for that added convenience, but once I switched over to my XS, I stopped bothering. I had learned my way around the limitations of the "customizability" of the phone that Android users crave so much. More importantly, because of the nature of my job, I required a headache-free phone, and iOS has been the forerunner in that regard, even after the recent iOS bugs and glitches.

The ecosystem that Apple built over the years is immense and extremely well integrated. At this point, I don't worry about the walled garden limiting me in any way that I use my phone. And I use my phone for calls, text, browsing, social media, streaming video, navigation, photos/videos - everything anyone else would use their phone for. Even then, it's not like I am completely out of touch with what's happening in Android. My partner has a XR now (about 3 years or so), but she had a OnePlus 6 and that phone, for its time, was incredibly fast and fluid. I regularly fix my parents' Android phones, right from cheap motorolas and vivos, to the OnePlus 8T. But I rarely, if ever, have to help someone fix an iOS device.

The latest iterations of the iPhone last year, the 13s were marginal improvements over the previous generation in every way, except one - the batteries, which was a pretty big step up. After using my XS for 3.5 years I finally decided to pick up a new phone and decided that I didn't want to spend 1.2L for 120hz (I've been on high refresh rate monitors since 2014) and the pro camera enhancements weren't for me. As a result, I picked up the regular 13 as my last purchase of 2021 (literally Dec 31st) and I'm ecstatic with the battery life.

That said, if people ask me for recommendations for a phone, I usually ask them if they want a headache free phone with standard updates over years or more customization/lesser headache transferring data over from Androids. From their responses, it would seem that most people still associate iPhones with the snob value, but the new Android flagship prices are nothing to sneeze at. With moving over from Android to iOS, certain things can't change - for example, you still cannot transfer Whatsapp chats from Android to iOS although there is some work underway for that, and when my partner moved to iPhone, Apple's Move to iOS app did all the heavy lifting except for Facebook's green messenger.

At the end of the day, you're either in one ecosystem or the other. And the perception of which one is better is entirely up to eyes of the beholder. We all pick up what works for us. But we most certainly could do less with Android vs iPhone discussions on which is better.

[FrAgile]

Originally Posted by vb-san

It is simple and powerful. Simplicity comes from the fact that everything works in precision. All the apps are highly optimized for iOS and crashes almost never happens. The said boredom is from the fact the everything works as expected and they continue to perfect on perfection. For e.g., the iPhone 12 to 13 update looks more like a facelift rather than a new generation. But they have made the camera even better, the pro models are now battery monsters, and so on. I feel Google also follows similar approach. A major design change came in after 4 generations of releases.

I completely agree with you on every point. The one thing that is very likeable about apple's products is it's ecosystem(an evil too...). The new universal control is sic. Having apple's own OS on it's devices, the seamless connectivity is something to vouch for. Experiencing that speed and simplicity of transferring stuff from one device to another or switching devices itself and having everything beautifully synced up makes you realize each and every time that yes, this is something special. Just think of it, airpods (2 or 3) aren't the best sounding or special in any way when there are better set of tws earphones in the market like Jabra, Sony, Bose, RHA, or infact IEMs too. The only reason they sell is, ease of use and simple and fast connectivity, all this for 10-18k.

They are known for having stuff build near to perfection. But the con that comes with apple's ecosystem and to enjoy that perfection is to work on their terms. As they are one of the older players in the market and have substantial market share and following, people follow what they do, and they become sort of trendsetters, which is not always good. Still can't understand that why the headphone jack was killed. Also, the software restrictions are another thing. Then comes the repair cost and effort.

Just a simple thing, like transferring whatsapp data is still not there! It was released only for iPhone to samsung in Nov IIRC. Again, what's the logic? They have the tech ready, they have done enough testing, why so long to roll out? I know this is whatsapp's job, but this is because they know that this was never possible in the past because either the buyers of apple really didn't care, that is, who wants apple, buys apple, or else, it doesn't matter if it takes longer.

As this is a forum for car enthusiasts, I would like to wrap up my post by saying that Apple products are like VAG cars, or luxury cars. They sure are really good looking, feels good to have, very smooth in operation and seamless to use, have the best performance with good efficiency but some things always erk of which you need to work your way around, and the repairs cost a bomb
On the contrary, a well maintained apple product has the best resale value

[VaibhavShatna95]

I started my phone journey itself with a smartphone "Samsung Galaxy 3". It was one of the first android phones in India. Went flagship to flagship since then.
Galaxy 3>Xperia S>Galaxy S5 4G>Oneplus 3>Iphone 8>Galaxy S20

I generally use my phones for 2 years, S20 is proving to be the only exception, since general performance has become saturated.
My favourite phone was Oneplus 3 although it had the shortest duration of 1 year before I broke its screen and changed it with a spare Iphone 8 at home.

I love the performance that Apple brings to the table with its A1X SOCs but at the same time hate everything else about their ecosystem.
The file manager is absolute crap. Haven't seen remotely something as shitty on any other platform. The UI is pretty restricted too with no options for tinkering.
I would recommend an Iphone to my father or anyone else in the family who is not particularly tech savvy for the longevity and security it offers.
At the same time anyone remotely tech savvy would become bored of IOS. Android is miles ahead in tinkering and app support, atleast in India.
Samsung Pay is one of the coolest feature I have experienced in Indian context and coupled with Samsung's new update policy I will have a hard time to shift to anyone else. The resale is also quite good if you upgrade directly from Samsung.

After using both for multiple generations and from multiple OEMs back and forth I think while Android has grown into a mobile version of desktop OS, while IOS is still rooted to its past of being a walled garden and something that is competing with Symbian era.
I also do not promote their policy of all the app payments being routed through their systems where they take a 30% cut from developers (read EPIC+ROW vs Apple). I wish legislators could actually see the threat that Apple poses to a free and open internet era and make them mend their ways (wishful thinking in a Capitalistic world? ��)
It seems somewhere along the way they forgot about round pegs in square holes, went mainstream and became evil incarnate. Oh how I long for the Apple of yore.

[RGK]

Originally Posted by Carpainter

OnePlus 7 was released less than 3 years ago so that's not entirely true.

Sorry about that. It was a OnePlus 6 that she purchased in August of 2018.

With an average daily usage of 5 to 6 hours, it is in good shape.

[jaganm]

While it's good to see so many people enjoying their iphones, I've tried multiple times to switch to iphones and never succeeded. I changed to Samsung S21 Ultra last year and it has got me further away from switching. Here are a few reasons why iPhone is not the best choice for many Indians

- SMS spam : this is one of the biggest issues, the amount of spam we get. Close to 50-60 messages a day. This is a problem with Apple policy because they do not allow any kind of 3rd party app to access sms. I use an app from Microsoft which nearly organises messages into personal, transaction, promotions. It deleted messages automatically, gives me OTP in a clear visible format and best of all, gives me a clear view of all my accounts based on the sms. I lose all this on the iPhone. And don't even get me started about the primitive interface for deleting messages on iOS

- Google maps : unless you are an NRI who is living in India and longing for life back in the US, Google maps is just better. While there is the app on the iPhone, some features like bike directions are not present the last time i checked. PIP mode is super helpful as well

- Samsung Pay : i didn't have it until i got my galaxy, but it has become invaluable. We make tens of micropayments a day through UPI. Having it available through the home screen is a huge time saver. And since i have my credit cards stored as well, i can go about without my wallet everywhere.

These are just a few, there are many more reasons. As someone who is a prime candidate for the Apple "ecosystem" as i have the iPad, MacBook Air and Mac mini as my other devices, it is logical for me to get an iPhone. I do have an iPhone 11 that i use as a backup phone but i find the barriers too high to make it my primary phone.

[clevermax]

This thread has been very useful in deciding whether I should consider iPhones as an option at all. Some of the experiences shared in this thread have made the decision of sticking with Android and upgrading to a premium model (north of 40K) easier.

• I want to easily manage my photos, and definitely don't want to end up in a photo hell of WhatsApp media plus the photos I click. I certainly don't want to connect my phone to a PC to do photo management.
  
• I don't want to face any sync issues at all.
  
• I certainly don't want app sizes of 350MB for every other app. I prefer to install some of the apps just when I want to use them, and uninstall them right after use. for example - Uber, Swiggy, and so on.
  
• I like to retain the freedom to select what my home screen should look like and behave.
  
• All my Android phones were boot-loader-unlocked I have had multiple custom OS'es running in them. It is total fun, being able to extract more out of the same hardware. I don't want to get bored with a device whose mod-ability is zilch.

Even though I have never used iPhones as my daily driver, I do use them in the lab, as test devices. So I am familiar with iOS and the UI experience. I already have a host of other reasons why I will not prefer that UI anyway.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by jaganm

- Google maps : unless you are an NRI who is living in India and longing for life back in the US, Google maps is just better. While there is the app on the iPhone, some features like bike directions are not present the last time i checked. PIP mode is super helpful as well

Bike directions are available on the iOS app.

Originally Posted by jaganm

- Samsung Pay : i didn't have it until i got my galaxy, but it has become invaluable. We make tens of micropayments a day through UPI. Having it available through the home screen is a huge time saver. And since i have my credit cards stored as well, i can go about without my wallet everywhere.

Apple Wallet offers the same.

Not looking to join the debate on which is better, only clarifying so that the playing field is level.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by jaganm

SMS spam

Truecaller integration does allow you to filter. I agree deleting needs more clicks.

Google maps

There is no difference in Google Maps behavior between the iOS and Android versions in terms of directions. The differences are only on speedo display and Timeline. Bike directions, Transit, Walking directions are there.

Originally Posted by clevermax

I want to easily manage my photos, and definitely don't want to end up in a photo hell of WhatsApp media plus the photos I click. I certainly don't want to connect my phone to a PC to do photo management.

I've been doing Camera Upload only to my Onedrive (have a O365 Family account). Never in 2 years, have I used a cable to sync photos. Even in android days, I used to upload to Picasa/Google Photos and later switched to OneDrive after the subscription.

[mobike008]

Nice thread and topic.

Well, my phone journey like everyone started with Nokia and then I used almost every version of Blackberry which I loved a lot. I still feel sad they lost the race due to their poor eco-system.

After my Blackberry Passport in 2015, I moved to iPhone (never even considered Androids) and used almost every version of iPhone since then as I have a bad and wallet emptying habit of changing phones around once a year.

I used the iPhone 6S, 7, 8, XSMAX, 11Pro, 12 Promax and now I am enjoying the 13 Promax since November 2021.

Amazing journey and there is nothing really not to like about iPhones as their UI is flawless, feels super premium, cameras are unbeatable, last way longer than androids and finally, their eco-system is mind boggling.

My mom is only person in our family who uses an Android. Otherwise we are an entire iPhone family. Sometimes, I play with her Samsung S20 once in a while and it feels ancient compared to current-gen iPhones. Besides, the habit of using iOS from 7 years and androids UI feels "basic" and not as slick as iOS.

Anyways, not here to debate which is better. I made a choice of iPhone and love it and don't think I will ever change to any Android in future.

Here is my iPhone 13 Pro Max pictures and an unboxing video. This flagship phone is a beast both from battery perspective (Lasts 28 hours to 42 hours) and camera quality is a different level (even better than 12 Promax)

Cheers to iPhones.

Unboxing video of 13 Promax

https://youtu.be/5Ec_mTPbg90

A few compare shots of my outgoing 12 Promax with 13 Promax.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by AutoConsultant

Samsung S21/S22 series

The S21 is a excellent device. It sticks to the Samsung flagship experience. Excellent cameras and possibly the best build for an Android device. When it comes to flagship android devices, Samsung's are hard to beat. Longevity is mostly a miss with any Android phone.

Good call on skipping One Plus. They've lost the plot.

I went the other way round, that is iOS to Android. This was done only for cost reasons. I did not feel like putting down $>1500 for another iOS device. I was moving up from an iPhone 6. I pushed this phone to the limit, by almost 5 years. It was functionally fine. The issue was that I bought a 16gb device (a joke today) and could no longer deal with a lack of internal storage. I had a icloud subscription too but that is more for backup purposes. It is not a replacement for a phones local storage.

Before going the iOS route, I had a Motorola Atrix 2. My first smartphone. It was no flagship device. It worked okay for a couple of years and I was done with it. With the office offering to pay 50% of the cost of a new device, I used this opportunity and picked up an new iphone 6. I was basically following the tribe of two of my close colleagues I used to drink chaii with it. Both of them carried iOS device and used Apple equipment at home. According to them, it is THE BEST. All this Windows, Android boxes are for bakra's. That maybe going a bit too far but thats their view. I would never side with what they said. Its only after I bought my first iphone and used it did I understand what they meant. If you're the kind of person that wants a device that works without a hitch, there is nothing to beat an iOS device. I don't care what anyone says about the fact that Android has evolved and all that. It ain't a patch to an iOS product. It never will. Compared to previous iterations of Android operating system, sure, the change is huge. I would not bother comparing the two operating system or devices. They are polar opposites in how they work and last as a device.

If I had the dough, an IOS device is an eyes closed buy. With Android, one need to read pages of reviews, user reports and what not just to be sure you're buying the right device. It does not end there. After you buy the device, you're sort of secure for the first two years, post which you'll likely be sitting on the fence for software updates from the manufacturer. My current Android device is an old Mi 9. A flagship device from the brand. It works alright except that I am far behind the latest and greatest Android updates. I won't be getting them too. That has been decided by the manufacturer. This is quite a normal experience or practice with Android, unless you're using a device from Google or Samsung. I think the latter is a bit inconsistent with updates or reliable updates.

When it was time to buy a new device for my wife, I told her to stick to an IOS. She had an iphone 6 too. I know what she expects out of a phone. It should be flawless. There is a certain logic Apple have applied to how things work in IOS. Its not what most would see as perfect execution. Just that, once you get used to it, its hard to break away or change. For someone going from an iphone 6 to the latest iphone, it felt more like the same. Just better response and much improved camera optics. Another thing Apple have done consistently better is phone audio. The built in speakers are outstanding. Android has caught up but you are limited to experience this only on a flagship device. On an Apple device, you get good audio no matter what the device.

Android gives you heaps of variety and hardware as options. Its more interesting than Apple actually. All of this is a bit short lived though. When my wife picks up my Android to do something with it, the first thing she says is, why did you buy this piece of krapp!

[Mortis]

The wife is going to be switching to a 13 Pro from Android soon. Since the last iPhone I used was a 3GS waaaay back when it was still a novelty in India, I'm a bit out of touch and would need some help in migrating her stuff from an OnePlus Nord to the 13 Pro and mainly with the initial setup.
Can someone point me to a quick guide that covers the essentials ?
I believe iTunes on the PC is still required with an Apple account. Where do I go from there ? I heard that transferring WhatsApp is a pain point too