The thing that annoys me about Apple and the iPhone is that they keep coming out with a new upgraded model every year. If I'm not mistaken, there's an iPhone 6 now. Why are they always adding to it?
While I do like Apple consumer products, though not their computers, the iPhone has one huge disadvantage in that you can't play any emulator games on it. I have Sega Genesis, SNES and Playstation 1 emulators on my old Galaxy and I could play all those games. The newer Galaxy models even let you hook up a bluetooth wireless controller to play them which is worlds better than having to use the keyboard like I did on my Galaxy 2.
I got a Nexus 5 a while back and have been pretty happy with it. Big screen, vanilla Android, no unnecessary features, $400. Depends what you want out of the phone. If you have a DSLR, don't want the Samsung or HTC software, and don't have much need for all the bells and whistles, then the Nexus 5 is a good choice. Hell, even if you do want all the bells and whistles the Nexus 5 is a good choice. Software is really where it's at atm. No contract either.
I'd get the Nexus 5 then. It will work on AT&T. And I'd recommend paying retail for it if you can afford it (the 32 gig version is under $400), to avoid binding yourself to a contract. The One+1 is even cheaper and should also work on AT&T. It has even better specs for a lot of stuff, and should also get great support. http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/08/oneplus-one-review/ - 64 gig model is $350...that is extremely impressive. There is no bigger bang for the buck on the internet right now.
The only thing I miss a DSLR for is optical zoom. If it was not for that, I'd have no use for a DSLR. Smartphone cameras are that good.
You'd have to put "upgraded" in quotes, since there is not a huge difference in the new models. Mostly Apple just adds a few features that Android has already had for years. If you're lucky...if you're unlucky, they will epically break something instead. The problem is not that they are always adding to it...the problem is that they are rarely adding to it. They just now got around to adding multi-tasking last year, something Android has had at least since 2009. Still no Widgets support...still no 3rd party app integration (and likely never will be). Even low end cheap Android phones have a better pixel density now than the so-called "retina" display. 720p displays are low-end by Android standards now. They are years behind Android in actual features, while Android has completely caught up to them in UI performance, which used to be the feather in Apple's cap. Apple is coasting on name recognition at this point. To add insult to injury, they are still charging a premium despite this. If you buy Apple, you better have deep pockets. You will be paying out the nose for peripherals and repairs as well as new hardware. For performance comparisons, see the videos above...the Nexus 5 is half the price of the iPhone 5s, and it is completely spanking it in speed.
I like my DSLR. I wouldn't trade it up for anything. It's all preference really - you just can't have the level of control with a smartphone camera: ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and the wide range of applications: macro photography, telephoto zoom, ultra wide angle, astrophotography, etc. It's all preferences. If you are just doing casual photography (at music festivals, selfies, standard angle, relatively low zoom photography) then smartphone cameras will be quite adequate. They've really come a long way from the days of 2MP flip phones.
First, as for software quality, in respect to the higher-profile apps, they are virtually identical between iPhone and Android - at least in functionality. However, in practice, most apps will both run faster (due to better hardware) and look better (due to much higher resolution/pixel density) on an Android. The bigger apps aside, both have a large of amount of absolutely worthless and horrible apps. You must remember, this is software. One system will not inherently have better software than the other, it's all in the hands of the developer(s). That said, the hardware can play a part - as pointed out above, Android hardware is generally much better than iPhone, which positively affects how the software runs. Plus, the Android ecosystem is simply more open - you can do more with it. These are objective truths, not opinion. Lastly, as for physical size, this is mostly individual preference/opinion. Personally, I think the iPhone screen is much too small. I prefer a phone around 5", and definitely at least full 1080p HD resolution. I mean no offense, but you sound like a typical iPhone fan-boy making excuses for an inferior phone. Of course, it is perfectly acceptable that you personally prefer an iPhone, that just doesn't necessarily make it "better" (depending on the context/definition used).
As Sadistic-Savior pointed out, the changes between models are usually very minor. They keep releasing "new" models simply because they know there are a lot of suckers that will keep buying them every year.
Very interesting and informative thread. Sadly, I seem to be the only one who uses a phone for making calls...lol. I found out recently that reception is dependent on what type of smart phone you use. Any thoughts on that?
This is personal preference really. Touchwiz takes a lot of flack, and though I would also prefer a more stock Android experience, it's not as bad as some make it out to be. To it's credit, it has gotten better over the years. That said, once Verizon finally released the KitKat update recently, I was able to install the stock Google launcher. No more Touchwiz! Well, mostly - there are still a few things that haven't been replaced, like the atrocious dialer, which unfortunately cannot be replaced without rooting (which I've been considering). By the way, Google's stock KitKat launcher is on the official Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.launcher Currently, it only allows you to install it if you have one of the Google Play Edition phones (Nexus/Galaxy/One), but since it's now an official app, it can be easily side-loaded on most newer phones without rooting (which is what I did) and works perfectly fine on my Verizon SG4. The only downside from doing it this way is that you'll have to manually grab new versions when they're released, it won't update automatically like other Play apps. You can get it from here (this site is safe, it's where I downloaded it from): http://gappsearly.com/google-apps/google-now-launcher.html (Also, FYI, if you're not happy with your current camera app, Google also recently released their new KitKat camera app on the Play store. It's pretty nice.) As long as you have KitKat, the only unique feature the Moto X has with regard to voice control is that it works when the phone is locked and the screen is off (has special hardware for this). Every other phone can do the same stuff once the phone is unlocked (Google Now is pretty powerful - better than Siri).
Sitting back and thinking "our product is so perfectly awesome that it needs no improvement" is the thinking that sent BlackBerry from the most dominant phone on the planet to a mere fringe player in few short years...
For good reason. It is packed with gimmick features most people don't use, which would not be a problem itself except that Samsung will not allow you to uninstall it, and it slows the UI down to a crawl. The Nexus 5's UI is lightning fast compared to the Galaxy S5, and this should not be true since the S5 has better hardware. There is no possible reason other than touchwiz. Touchwiz is bad and Samsung should feel bad. I use it on a regular basis. My BF has a Samsung phone. It is as awful as people think it is. That is like crediting the Klan with being slightly less racist than they were in the 50s. Samsung should abandon it. It adds nothing to the experience IMO...most people I know with Samsung phones who modify their phones, do so primary to circumvent touchwiz. Touchwiz is the guy trying to grope you at a party that won't take no for an answer. I don't use it. I use Nova Launcher instead. The new camera can only be used on phones with Kitkat or above unfortunately.
Moto seems to have the best hardware for voice. The iPhone also has excellent hardware for voice. That will change now that HD voice is becoming a standard. HD Voice uses your data channel to provide higher resolution audio than normal telephones provide. I have an ex that has a Nexus 5, and can use HD voice with his phone when I call him...and it is awesome. It is like hearing the call in stereo or something. It is much more clear than even the best signal on a normal phone, or anything I have heard on a land line. But...both phones have to support the HD protocal (most major phones released in the last 12 or 18 months do) and your carrier has to support it as well. I know for sure T-Mobile supports it, and AT&T is adding support for it now.
I can confirm the performance claim is false. Especially now that the ART runtime is becoming standard. ART basically make all apps behave like native apps on Android (as opposed to Dalvik, which used a translation layer). With Dalvik, Android would have to translate the App to machine language every time you run it. ART does this ahead of time now, when you install the app. So after you install it, it will always run as if it is machine language. You can see this in that video I posted above where the Nexus spanks the iPhone in app load times...ART is one of the reasons the Nexus is so fast. ART was only introduced in KitKat, so only KitKat phones can use it. I will concede that iOS apps do still look better (on average anyway...). This is also changing now that Google has become more strict in it's UI standards. And Flat UIs are now fashionable, so Google no longer has to twist developers' arms to get them to make UI's consistent with the OS.
My Note is messing up but it's not the phone, it's an app I installed that I can't figure out which one it is. It was working great one day, then I downloaded a bunch of apps, then it started choking up. But I still recommend it. I can't fault the phone for performance like this because I downloaded a crap app. That would be like faulting the car for running bad when you pump it full of bad gas.
I won't argue with the fact that they install/add a ton of mostly junk apps/features - it sucks (and is a reason why I'm really excited about Google's Android Silver program). However, you can turn off all the unwanted features in the settings, and while you can't uninstall their crapware apps, you can disable them, which has the same affect (save for taking up storage space). Doing so will also greatly improve the battery life. Every phone has some cons. I haven't found a perfect phone yet. Before I bought my current phone (just after the SG4 came out), I did extensive research to find what I felt was the best phone out there. It was down to the SG4 and the HTC One - the SG4 ended up on top. The hardware is great, there's just a few software deficiencies (Touchwiz, crapware), though they can largely be corrected quite easily. Not going to disagree. I would rather have a Nexus (or a Google Play Edition Galaxy) with stock Android. The problem was the upfront cost. The major carriers, save T-Mobile recently, charge you the same amount for your phone/data service if you bring your own phone as they do when you get a phone from them under contract. If I could get a Nexus or GPE phone at a discount from Verizon under contract, I would. If I could purchase a Nexus or GPE phone then bring it to Verizon for a monthly discount, I would. It's not worth it to me to pay the extra $200-300 for a "clean" phone and still pay the same monthly fee. (Unfortunately, in my area, T-Mobile doesn't have great service, so isn't an option.) I agree they should abandon it. Stock experience is much better. Luckily, you can (mostly) get that now without rooting. Unfortunately, that isn't going to happen unless Google implements their Silver program. Though there's speculation that if they do, Samsung will back out of the Android market. I'm not a Samsung fanboy, or adverse to other manufacturers, I just feel they have the best phones right now. HTC usually consistently looks good, but either their hardware is usually slightly under par, or they're missing features I want. Other brands just don't look or feel as good, or have specs that aren't as good. For example, except for the Moto X (because Google bought them and designed it themselves), I don't think there has ever been a Motorola phone that looked even half-way decent. They all look horrendous - though I know that's personal preference. However, the Moto X didn't exist when I bought my SG4, otherwise I would have considered it. LG and Sony are the same - they all just look...bad (although the LG G3 looks pretty nice).
You cannot restore the stock dialer or lock screen or settings menus or default calendar UI...if you attempt to install another app over it, you will get mixed results. I know, I've tried. It is NOT the same as stock. The only way to get around it is to remove the component completely, which requires root access and a lot of tinkering. As an example, my BF installed a new Calendar app. He installed a shortcut to add new entries with...but it always defaults to the touchwiz Calendar UI. There is no way around it short of removing the touchwiz calendar. Touchwiz is pervasive like a virus. The Nexus 5 comes close. My only real complaint is lack of SD or removable battery. In every other way it is the ideal phone...awesome camera, very fast and smooth UI, quick and reliable and long term updates, Wireless charging, NFC, excellent display. T-Mobile will finance any phone for you that they sell at 0% interest...including the Nexus. I financed my Nexus 4 through them. The easy solution is to just leave Verizon. I did that last year and have never regretted it. The service difference is not nearly enough to make me miss them. And this was before T-Mobile was offering to pay ETFs. I actually paid mine (about $260). It was worth every penny. On Verizon, I still would pass on Samsung...the LG G2, G3, or Moto X are better IMO. I'd probably have gotten a G2 if I were still on Verizon. As much as I bag on Touchwiz, I would still prefer it to any iPhone. Using iPhones now feels to me like trying to kung fu fight in a closet. It is just too restrictive. I'd rather use my Droid 1 than any iPhone.
I actually hardly ever use it for talking on. Lol I think the reception depends on the quality of the carrier.
It doesn't. The same phone will have different reception on different carriers, because they will have different signal strengths. Some phones can do more with a crappy signal than others. Hardware definitely matters when it comes to voice quality. But most phones nowadays are acceptable IMO. Moto and Apple probably have the best hardware for voice if voice is what you care about most and you can't use HD voice.
I use the Google Calendar app. The Touchwiz app never gets in the way - I never use it or see it. It's a shame about the dialer though. I'd much rather use the stock dialer, especially the new one in KitKat. The Touchwiz dialer is perfectly functional, but it looks horrendous and lacks more advanced features. As I said, unfortunately, T-Mobile's coverage in my area isn't adequate, otherwise I'd switch to them in a heartbeat. None of these phones were available when I got the S4. If they were, I would have considered them. At the time, the S4 was the best phone their was - not that I consider it a consolation, I've been more than happy with it.
I am talking about apps like this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.shortcuts It will default to your "default" Calendar..which in this case is touchwiz. They all do this. Your system will not recognize the non-touchwiz calendar as your default.
I have the Droid HD, but next time will get one with a battery I can change, I do not like non-user-replaceable batteries, can't carry a spare for when you need them, probably go with a Samsung GALAXY or the CASIO G’zOne next time .
