Not anymore. That was true for a few years but iOS has definitely overtaken Android. Plus when you include the entire Apple devices ecosystem, Arcade, TV+, Homepod, Continuity etc iOS FAR, FAR outstrips Android.
Android is a stand alone device but iPhone is one piece in a mosaic of devices and services.
This is why now, after the last 4 years on Android, I’m switching back to iPhone.
Plus the hardware and cameras on budget Android devices are shit and I’m tried of paying for shit.
The Snapdragon 695 came out 3+ years ago and yet Qualcomm just released this year the Snapdragon 6s gen 3, which is … the 695 with a slightly higher clock speed… 🤦
For €300 - €550 they keep selling us the same junk with a different name and colour and I’m done with that bs.
As someone that flips between Samsung and iPhone they all are selling us the same shit every year. Smartphones in general have gotten stale. I can’t remember anything in the last 5 years that anyone has announced that made me think I have to upgrade my device. Maybe it’s just me but the tech seems boring now.
Phone tech is really boring. Almost everything looks the same, they are all x% faster than last year’s model which still does everything perfectly fine. In terms of hardware, the phone has kinda reached the optimal place.
I’m not the target audience for bleeding edge phones though. I take photos, listen to music(using Bluetooth and wired headphones), browse the web and message people. I don’t really play games or use it for work.
By far the most interesting thing to me is foldable phones. I really like the idea of a flip phone, but I don’t think it would be too happy sitting in my sweaty pocket while I cycle.
Same, but I don’t really take pictures either, despite having arguably the best smartphone camera on the market (Pixel 8). I bought my phone because it has 7 years of updates, and I got a good deal on a used one.
So yeah, smartphones really aren’t my thing. If it browses the web, makes texts and calls, and works with my bluetooth headphones, I’m happy. I don’t need a big screen (I even “downgraded” a bit in screen size) and I’d prefer no selfie cam (almost never use it for video calls), but I work with what I’ve got to choose from.
Foldable phones are the dumbest shit. Only for people who like to spend too much money on an everyday object. It’s introducing an unnecessary potential point of failure.
Except the iPhone isn’t junk - best in class CPU, best in class cameras, best in class accessories, magsafe, best in class security(FaceID), best in class messaging with iMessage, best in class emoji/animoji/memoji, best in class OS updates, busy in class animations and app design, best in class post sales service, best in class devices ecosystem…
iPhones haven’t had best in class cameras in years. One of the pain points of moving to iPhone was giving up the superior camera experience of Google pixels and Samsung phones.
Not at all. iPhones are very capable point and shoot camera phones, but even at a more budget price point iPhone cameras haven’t been best in class in at least 5 or 6 years.
The pixel 5-6 were like $600 phones with unmatched cameras and even better camera software. The modern non-pro pixels like the 7 and 8 also beat out all but the pro max models of recent iPhones.
Similar to that the Samsung fan edition phones were beating out iPhone cameras at a $600 price point brand new.
That isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with iPhone cameras, but they’re not nearly the best either. Even at lower price points. Like it’s becoming quite clear that you are just saying things at this point because you really like iPhones. But almost none of the things you claim are remotely true.
You are in the US so pixels are widely available and cheap. As is the FE series.
Where I live, outside the US, the Pixel is not sold nor will Google let you buy it. So pixel is a no go.
The Fan Edition Samsung costs virtually the same as the regular edition where I live, if you can find an FE. It costs €700+…
99% of our population can only afford €250-300 phones. €700 is out of reach unless you’re single, hehe a great job and still live with mum and dad. Or you are the 1%.
So at that price ALL the android cameras are shit, shit, shit.
So, if I import from the UK a used iPhone 12 it will cost about €350. At that price NOTHING can touch it below €700.
Everything below €700 is Chinese cheapie and Samsung cheapie, also known as crap phones.
I don’t get it. I live in Germany and own a pixel 7 pro. I had no trouble buying it. In fact, I just bought one for my wife. Decided I don’t need the pixel 8 because the 7 pro works like a charm. Where do you live that you can’t buy Pixels?
If you want good photos, buy a real camera with a good lens and learn to manipulate raw files. Smartphone pictures will only look good on a tiny screen. The amount of postprocessing that takes place without any of your input makes the photos look bland. That said, android phones do have the better hardware and by saving the raw files you at least get to develop the pictures yourself, the way you want it, sort of.
I have a great pocket camera but it’s not practical to carry it wherever I go. Most photos are taken spontaneously and for that reason you want a great camera on your smartphone.
I don’t know about CPUs, but that’s kind of a non-issue as phones are very fast anyway, even the low-budget ones. I’ll bet there are android phones with higher performance though.
face unlock has got to be the dumbest way to secure your phone. All one has to do is point the damn thing at your face and it’s unlocked
MagSafe is a weird thing to list. Wireless charging kind of makes it redundant, right? Plus there are aftermarket usb-c adapters to have the exact same thing.
no one uses iMessage outside of the USA
emojis? Seriously?
I’ll give you the updates one, it’s easier to update hardware that’s trapped in a walled garden
animations?
iOS has some very high quality apps, I’ll give you that one too
All of the above doesn’t really matter though. I have an iPhone for work and I just hate the user interface. It’s just very inefficient and clunky. The worst thing is how it’s so difficult to get some real ad blocking going. Also, the feeling of being trapped in their ecosystem has an almost claustrophobic effect on me.
Google sucks a big dick too however, just like the internet itself does. I’m really contemplating on going back to a feature phone soon.
What’s more far ahead than an ecosystem that you can’t leave without replacing all devices because they work poorly with anything other than Apple. If you don’t like all their products or Apple makes changes that you disagree with then sucks to be you, I guess.
Exactly. I have a work Macbook Pro, which I honestly dislike, and my wife has an iPhone and iPad (iPad is for drawing because the Apple pencil is better than alternatives). My wife won’t use an Apple computer because her games don’t work (mostly Lost Ark, but also others), I won’t use one because I much prefer Linux, and we don’t want yet another streaming service.
So Apple gets a big “meh” from me. It’s better than Windows for me, so I guess there’s that, but I’m really not interested in an “ecosystem.”
Aren’t wacoms PC-accessories? She wants an independent tablet for drawing at the park and whatnot.
She has a wacom tablet for home though, but she’s never gotten the hang of it. Maybe I’ll push her to try again now that she’s more familiar with digital art.
There’s the MobileStudio Pro and Wacom is hardly the only brand. There’s also the Huion Kamvas Studio. Both are cheaper than an iPad Pro and both come in multiple sizes. I’m not sure about Huion but Wacom has had rotating barrel sensors on the pen for almost a decade.
That is the catch. I agree that there is lock in, I’ve experienced that, but in return you get unparalleled interconnectivity.
Plus you get 5+ years OS updates on iPhone and iPad Vs 2-3 years on Android, budget Android. And for the money, the cameras will be better than any budget Android and the CPU will be better for gaming. Plus there is a world of accessories you just don’t get with Android.
As cool as it is to have split screen or an SD card on my phone, when I need to take a picture with friends/family and they always come out terribly because all Android’s under €750 have shit cameras, then none of that matters. An experience I recently had. We tried 3 android phones and in the end the friend with an iPhone got the best shot and that one was shared on the group.
Super embarrassing for Android that 3 different phones tried to get a decent semi low light photo and couldn’t but a year’s old iPhone got a great shot with 1 click.
Oh no most definitely. Since I’ve been using iOS (IOS 15) every update is just playing catchup on Android features. It’s actually why I finally switched from Android to iOS. iPhones have abandoned so much of their own design philosophy in favor of Androids, that iOS is practically just another flavor of Android like Samsungs or Huaweis. The friction to switch between phones has never been lower. I did however have to wait for iPhones to finally bring decent refresh rates to iOS before switching (above 60hz).
Not anymore. That was true for a few years but iOS has definitely overtaken Android. Plus when you include the entire Apple devices ecosystem, Arcade, TV+, Homepod, Continuity etc iOS FAR, FAR outstrips Android.
Android is a stand alone device but iPhone is one piece in a mosaic of devices and services.
This is why now, after the last 4 years on Android, I’m switching back to iPhone.
Plus the hardware and cameras on budget Android devices are shit and I’m tried of paying for shit.
The Snapdragon 695 came out 3+ years ago and yet Qualcomm just released this year the Snapdragon 6s gen 3, which is … the 695 with a slightly higher clock speed… 🤦
For €300 - €550 they keep selling us the same junk with a different name and colour and I’m done with that bs.
You are using “they keep selling us the same junk with a different name” to justify apple? Hilarious.
As someone that flips between Samsung and iPhone they all are selling us the same shit every year. Smartphones in general have gotten stale. I can’t remember anything in the last 5 years that anyone has announced that made me think I have to upgrade my device. Maybe it’s just me but the tech seems boring now.
Phones aren’t stale. They peaked. That’s like saying umbrellas design has gotten stale. You just can’t improve the design much more.
Phone tech is really boring. Almost everything looks the same, they are all x% faster than last year’s model which still does everything perfectly fine. In terms of hardware, the phone has kinda reached the optimal place.
I’m not the target audience for bleeding edge phones though. I take photos, listen to music(using Bluetooth and wired headphones), browse the web and message people. I don’t really play games or use it for work.
By far the most interesting thing to me is foldable phones. I really like the idea of a flip phone, but I don’t think it would be too happy sitting in my sweaty pocket while I cycle.
Same, but I don’t really take pictures either, despite having arguably the best smartphone camera on the market (Pixel 8). I bought my phone because it has 7 years of updates, and I got a good deal on a used one.
So yeah, smartphones really aren’t my thing. If it browses the web, makes texts and calls, and works with my bluetooth headphones, I’m happy. I don’t need a big screen (I even “downgraded” a bit in screen size) and I’d prefer no selfie cam (almost never use it for video calls), but I work with what I’ve got to choose from.
Foldable phones are the dumbest shit. Only for people who like to spend too much money on an everyday object. It’s introducing an unnecessary potential point of failure.
For me it’s foldables, those have come a long way in a short time and I find them to be very compelling.
Once they perfect it though it’s going to be back to the same stale shit.
Proceeds to buy an iPhone.
Except the iPhone isn’t junk - best in class CPU, best in class cameras, best in class accessories, magsafe, best in class security(FaceID), best in class messaging with iMessage, best in class emoji/animoji/memoji, best in class OS updates, busy in class animations and app design, best in class post sales service, best in class devices ecosystem…
Huge difference.
iPhones haven’t had best in class cameras in years. One of the pain points of moving to iPhone was giving up the superior camera experience of Google pixels and Samsung phones.
For the price of a used iPhone there is NO phone that can take as good photos and videos
Not at all. iPhones are very capable point and shoot camera phones, but even at a more budget price point iPhone cameras haven’t been best in class in at least 5 or 6 years.
The pixel 5-6 were like $600 phones with unmatched cameras and even better camera software. The modern non-pro pixels like the 7 and 8 also beat out all but the pro max models of recent iPhones.
Similar to that the Samsung fan edition phones were beating out iPhone cameras at a $600 price point brand new.
That isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with iPhone cameras, but they’re not nearly the best either. Even at lower price points. Like it’s becoming quite clear that you are just saying things at this point because you really like iPhones. But almost none of the things you claim are remotely true.
I’m not saying that because I like iPhones.
You are in the US so pixels are widely available and cheap. As is the FE series.
Where I live, outside the US, the Pixel is not sold nor will Google let you buy it. So pixel is a no go.
The Fan Edition Samsung costs virtually the same as the regular edition where I live, if you can find an FE. It costs €700+…
99% of our population can only afford €250-300 phones. €700 is out of reach unless you’re single, hehe a great job and still live with mum and dad. Or you are the 1%.
So at that price ALL the android cameras are shit, shit, shit.
So, if I import from the UK a used iPhone 12 it will cost about €350. At that price NOTHING can touch it below €700.
Everything below €700 is Chinese cheapie and Samsung cheapie, also known as crap phones.
I don’t get it. I live in Germany and own a pixel 7 pro. I had no trouble buying it. In fact, I just bought one for my wife. Decided I don’t need the pixel 8 because the 7 pro works like a charm. Where do you live that you can’t buy Pixels?
Cyprus. Also in the EU but no official sales or support. I’m sure it’s the same in most countries in South America, Africa, Asia and the Far East.
If you want good photos, buy a real camera with a good lens and learn to manipulate raw files. Smartphone pictures will only look good on a tiny screen. The amount of postprocessing that takes place without any of your input makes the photos look bland. That said, android phones do have the better hardware and by saving the raw files you at least get to develop the pictures yourself, the way you want it, sort of.
I have a great pocket camera but it’s not practical to carry it wherever I go. Most photos are taken spontaneously and for that reason you want a great camera on your smartphone.
Also, most Android phones cannot capture RAW.
All of the above doesn’t really matter though. I have an iPhone for work and I just hate the user interface. It’s just very inefficient and clunky. The worst thing is how it’s so difficult to get some real ad blocking going. Also, the feeling of being trapped in their ecosystem has an almost claustrophobic effect on me.
Google sucks a big dick too however, just like the internet itself does. I’m really contemplating on going back to a feature phone soon.
What’s more far ahead than an ecosystem that you can’t leave without replacing all devices because they work poorly with anything other than Apple. If you don’t like all their products or Apple makes changes that you disagree with then sucks to be you, I guess.
Exactly. I have a work Macbook Pro, which I honestly dislike, and my wife has an iPhone and iPad (iPad is for drawing because the Apple pencil is better than alternatives). My wife won’t use an Apple computer because her games don’t work (mostly Lost Ark, but also others), I won’t use one because I much prefer Linux, and we don’t want yet another streaming service.
So Apple gets a big “meh” from me. It’s better than Windows for me, so I guess there’s that, but I’m really not interested in an “ecosystem.”
I can see your wife has never actually used a good drawing tablet. Wacoms beat even the latest iPad for drawing and are a tiny fraction of their cost.
Aren’t wacoms PC-accessories? She wants an independent tablet for drawing at the park and whatnot.
She has a wacom tablet for home though, but she’s never gotten the hang of it. Maybe I’ll push her to try again now that she’s more familiar with digital art.
There’s the MobileStudio Pro and Wacom is hardly the only brand. There’s also the Huion Kamvas Studio. Both are cheaper than an iPad Pro and both come in multiple sizes. I’m not sure about Huion but Wacom has had rotating barrel sensors on the pen for almost a decade.
Cool, I’ll put that on the list next time we shatter a screen or something.
That is the catch. I agree that there is lock in, I’ve experienced that, but in return you get unparalleled interconnectivity.
Plus you get 5+ years OS updates on iPhone and iPad Vs 2-3 years on Android, budget Android. And for the money, the cameras will be better than any budget Android and the CPU will be better for gaming. Plus there is a world of accessories you just don’t get with Android.
As cool as it is to have split screen or an SD card on my phone, when I need to take a picture with friends/family and they always come out terribly because all Android’s under €750 have shit cameras, then none of that matters. An experience I recently had. We tried 3 android phones and in the end the friend with an iPhone got the best shot and that one was shared on the group.
Super embarrassing for Android that 3 different phones tried to get a decent semi low light photo and couldn’t but a year’s old iPhone got a great shot with 1 click.
As evidenced by: this article
Oh wait
Are you on weed? This is my opinion, it doesn’t need any article…🤦
No the article you are replying to, lay off the crack.
😂. Good one! Touché
Oh no most definitely. Since I’ve been using iOS (IOS 15) every update is just playing catchup on Android features. It’s actually why I finally switched from Android to iOS. iPhones have abandoned so much of their own design philosophy in favor of Androids, that iOS is practically just another flavor of Android like Samsungs or Huaweis. The friction to switch between phones has never been lower. I did however have to wait for iPhones to finally bring decent refresh rates to iOS before switching (above 60hz).