[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by gururajrv

Trust me - I was with Apple from 2009 to 2022. Was a fanboy, quite literally!

Originally Posted by car_addict

Ha! I did the opposite in 2020. I was on android since late 2000's. Had bought all the Oneplus's, Pixel's every year.

I have been an user of both iOS and Android devices since its inception (my first smartphone was iphone 3G in 2008). Even now, I use devices on both platform

Broadly speaking, if you have a habit of changing phones frequently, you are better off with Android devices (wide price range, different brands, good display/cameras, better integration with windows desktop/laptop, dual SIMs, larger collection of apps etc).

However, if you value longevity, nothing beats iPhones/iPad. Battery life (the type that is measured in years, not hours) is much better than android devices. And more importantly, old iphones do not slow down or become laggy with time. My 2016 iPad is slicker than 2020 Lenovo tablet. This is probably down to Apple's commitment to OS upgrades even for older devices and much more stricter Appstore rules.

I even did a 'review' of my old iPhone 8 plus (running iOS 16.7.5!!), and it is as smooth/lag-free as it was many years ago.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadge...martphone.html (Comparison: 6-year old flagship smartphone Vs latest entry-level smartphone)

[padmrajravi]

Samsung flagships now match the longevity provided by Apples. There is 5 years of android updates and they don't lag ever since the One UI came into picture. There is no point comparing manufacturers like Lenovo to Apple. The comparison must be between a Pixel or Samsung flagship with Apple. I use an iPhone 14 and an S23 Ultra. The OS experience in S23 Ultra is far ahead of iOS in my opinion. The iPhone does not even have a system wide common button/gesture for 'back' functionality. Even though my iPhone 14 is far smaller than the S23 Ultra, one handed usage is so much better with the Samsung. Battery life is also better in Samsung for me. The iPhone Pro models still have a minor advantage when it comes to camera though. But the things you lose out in iPhone for that small advantage in camera is far too high at this point.

[Joe367]

Originally Posted by dragonfire

Samsung cheats!

Cheating is not the right word to use here.Smartphone photography is heavily dependent on software processing due to hardware limitations. All manufacturers use some form of software processing to enhance details, adjust skin color, separate subject from background etc. Samsung camera app has this clever feature which can detect the moon as subject and can generate more details - and I beleive it can be turned off in the settings as well.
We can also take a decent image of the moon in S23 Ultra or S24 Ultra in manual mode or inside third party apps like Lr or Open camera without any AI software processing - with help of 5X or 10X optical zoom lens.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by padmrajravi

There is no point comparing manufacturers like Lenovo to Apple. The comparison must be between a Pixel or Samsung flagship with Apple.

Interesting take. We should not compare price but brands?

Does that mean a Rs. 60k Samsung/ Google phone is likely to maintain its battery health/slickness better than a Rs. 60k Chinese brand (OnePlus/Vivo etc) over longer timeframe?

Don't they all have more or less the same hardware & software? I thought the software (eg: One UI, Oxygen OS etc) was just a tophat over Android, that allows for more customization.

[padmrajravi]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Interesting take. We should not compare price but brands?

.

Yes, because different brands have different approaches towards OS updates and have different capabilities in tuning the OS. Samsung provides 5-year OS updates, which plays a big role in their phones remaining slick. My last Lenovo Android phone got a single OS Android update, while my erstwhile Note 10 Lite got 3 OS updates. From my experience of using Mi and Lenovo phones, I felt One UI makes a big difference and is superior to all other Android skins out there.

About your comparison, if your 2016 Ipad and your 2020 Lenovo tablet had the same price in 2020, the comparison makes sense and Apple will win that for sure. I will never even consider Lenovo in that scenario. But Samsung flagships ( ever since One UI) and Pixel's case is different. They go neck to neck with similarly priced iPhones in longevity, battery life and almost all parameters except the camera.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by padmrajravi

About your comparison, if your 2016 Ipad and your 2020 Lenovo tablet had the same price in 2020, the comparison makes sense and Apple will win that for sure.

Correct. In the world of tablets, flagship android tablets are priced similar to entry level iPad (around Rs.30k to 40k in both cases).

However, Android tablets will be feature rich(Eg: AMOLED screen, higher refresh rate, larger storage capacity, larger screen etc). Suitable for somebody who anyway has a habit of buying new devices every 2 or 3 years. Examples:
https://www.amazon.in/Xiaomi-Qualcom...dp/B0CC8QGXHL/
https://www.amazon.in/Lenovo-AMOLED-...dp/B0B2R8MYTC/

But entry level Apple iPad you buy now is likely to offer nearly the same user experience for years together. Hence it is more suitable for somebody who values longevity over features.

Samsung has Rs. 30K to 40k tablets too, but I do not have first-hand experience with them.

[sgmuser]

Originally Posted by Docmukul

Shifted from ios to android after 8 years. I think apple has stopped innovating .bought a s24 ultra and was quite impressed by the screen which was far better than my 15 pro max . Also I felt cameras are better and as such android allows more flexibility AI is good and not gimmick. Took a picture of full moon with my new phone

I have been using 22Ultra and if you dig deep the moon photos arent real. 24Ultra could be different but in 22U software takes a unique route of picking a suitable pre-shot moon photo from a library + AI processing with the correct angle and finally tada a great looking moon photo. Frankly, I'm not sure how it's done in 24U.

Link here

[dragonfire]

I think customisation is overrated. I mean it is fun, but is eventually a waste of time. Unless you got nothing worthwhile to do, lay off it.

Until 2022 I had an Android phone (Oneplus, Nokia, Motorola etc) as my primary device and an old iPhone 6S as my secondary device. Then I realized that the iPhone is better at getting things done and hence replaced the 6S with an iPhone 13 which became my primary device. Now I use a Motorola Edge 20 as my secondary phone. I still love it, but I run it stock. No custom launchers, icon packs etc. I don't have time to waste over such useless stuff.

Originally Posted by Joe367

Samsung camera app has this clever feature which can detect the moon as subject and can generate more details

Sigh! Please read the article linked in an earlier post. Samsung was replacing the clicked moon photo with a stock photo.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by dragonfire

I think customisation is overrated. I mean it is fun, but is eventually a waste of time. Unless you got nothing worthwhile to do, lay off it. ... ... ... I run it stock. No custom launchers, icon packs etc. I don't have time to waste over such useless stuff.

How long does it take? An hour or two when the phone is new? And when one is likely to want to play with the new toy anyway. A few minutes if it is just installing a different launcher.

I'm fussy about the look and feel of my phone (and my computer). I want it to be substantially the same as the last one. That is absolutely not a waste of my time. Your value judgements are valid only for you.

Having said that, I am doubting that I'll root my next phone. Not at first: I'll have to see what I miss, and how much I miss it.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I'm fussy about the look and feel of my phone (and my computer). I want it to be substantially the same as the last one.

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one. I have an OCD regarding how my phone should look:



1) Frequently used apps on 1st screen. Certain apps have to be at a specific location on the sreen.
2) If I swipe left, nothing should happen (no news for example). No popout sliders either
3) No weather, no Google search on 1st screen (or any other screen)
4) Absolutely no notifications (except for phone/whatsapp calls)
5) No background refresh (except for Google Photos). This extends battery life
6) Get rid of all brand apps and replace it with Google's
7) More app icons that it can fit on the screen (eg: 5 in a row) the better.
8) Google wallpaper app (that changes wallpaper daily)
9) Preferably 'round' apps, rather than 'square' ones.

[Small Bot]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one. I have an OCD regarding how my phone should look:

I do too. I insist on throwing apps in respective folders in both my personal and work profiles. And I don't like any apps spilling into another page.

I've blurred out certain apps that could identify the company I work for though.

[Joe367]

Originally Posted by dragonfire

Sigh! Please read the article linked in an earlier post. Samsung was replacing the clicked moon photo with a stock photo.

I did use the term 'generate' and not 'enhance'. And it is not the same as 'replacing moon photo with a stock image'.

[smnrock]

Originally Posted by dragonfire

Samsung cheats!

Everyone cheats then, heard about antennagate, batterygate...?

Who knows maybe Samsung itself created this controversy to help S24 series marketing, Otherwise this is just another usual product launch like X % better than the previous model.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one. I have an OCD regarding how my phone should look

Originally Posted by Small Bot

I do too. I insist on throwing apps in respective folders

I'm a folders man too. I think I have three home-screen pages. One displays a calendar app, but the others display a beautiful picture of a wave, along with five basic apps (actual phone and messaging stuff, plus camera) and one line of folders. Oh, recently I added a page with three widgets on it, as I use them very often. But no search bar or anything like that. There is a clock+weather display: very low-key, no fancy graphics, and colour matched to the palette of the wallpaper.

If a new phone has a launcher that allows me to do that, and maybe it comes with other new features I'd like to try, I might give that a go. Otherwise, I'll just switch to Nova launcher and replicate (or even restore, if it works) the settings.

None of this will take long; it's not a waste of time, it is restoring a work space to the way I work.

I've mentioned rooting. Currently my phone is rooted, and I use some Xposed stuff too. All that is time consuming. But one only does it if one takes pleasure in techie-ing about, enjoys a certain challenge/risk factor, and wants the results. Different kettle of fish.

My Lenovo tablet is not rooted. I buy, rather than see ads, on any app I use regularly; I subscribe to YouTube Premium. I don't feel any great disadvantage in it being not-rooted and probably won't bother with the next phone.


PS: I buy apps, even on a rooted phone with all ads squashed at source, because I want to support developers of the handful of apps I use often. Or, of course, to get the additional features.

[fhdowntheline]

So I tried out the Live Interpreter feature today on the S24 Ultra at a Samsung Showroom. I downloaded German language on the phone and my wife spoke in German, and I was expected to receive decently accurate English translation. Forget the translation, the phone did not recognize the German words at least 50 % of the time (my wife has fairly good command over the language). So I think the AI stuff is still rough around the edges, in spite of the fanfare with which it has been launched.

Meanwhile, I also saw the One Plus 12 and it is not bad a phone frankly. It has flagship specs for half the price of the other flagships, and I am getting a good deal for exchange on my S21 Ultra, where the net price comes to just 37K INR. 4 years of OS upgrades is what OP is also saying. Until this point, I was actually a bit more inclined towards the Pixel 8 Pro, just for the photography aspect of the device. I am going to have a hard look at OP 12 as well.