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Debating the switch to Android

T

TechnicalMarvel

Lurker
I'm seriously considering switching from iPhone XS Max to Galaxy S10+? Has anyone done this? if so what were your thoughts? Im a bit jubious as my last android phone was a galaxy s3 and I hated it. Awful interface and terrible battery life

Thanks

TM
 
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I've not done that particular switch, but the phrase "awful interface" caught my eye. Because whether an interface is good or bad is something that is often subjective, and always coloured by what people are used to. I would always advise someone switching, even switching Android ROMs or brands, to give it at least a few days, because the first things you'll find are the frustrations when things don't work the way you expect, and the benefits of a different interface tend to come later. But the biggest advantage Android has over iOS is the extent to which you can change the interface rather than accept what you are given.

So whether you would find the S10's interface still "awful" is hard for anyone but you to know. But if you can remember what you found awful about it then maybe someone will be able to advise.
 
From what ive seen of the S10, it looks massively improved compared to the S3, which was running, what, Android Jelly Bean or Kitkat? My biggest annoyance by far was the battery life, and dreadful camera, the other issue I had was the speed of the phone and how rapidly it slowed down.
 
Android has continuously and measurably improved with each version since 2012 but it's pretty clear your biases and prejudices lean towards an iPhone. Unless you do have specific reasons on migrating away from the Apple-verse, my suggestion is for you to just continue using what you're most comfortable with.
(My S3 is semi-retired but still use it daily as a media player and Chromecast controller, all without the 'rapid slow down' you're claiming.)
 
What a lovely welcome for a new member. That just sounds like an android fan attacking an apple fan, who is clearly not so much of an apple fan as hes asking in an android forum for advice about switching away from apple. Can one be prejudice to a piece of technical hardware? I think thats a bit dramatic I came here thinking I could get some advice about leaving the 'apple verse' as you call it, because I like the options that android has to customise the phone and I dont like the way that apple is doing very little in the way of improvements from one iphone to the next, and other questionable practices like throttling the older phones to encourage users to buy the next one, and ramping prices up. My friend who also had the same phone as me (both were locked to the '3' network) and had the same frustrations. I'll go and ask elsewhere, whilst you continue to fly the android flag and defend the android name against those bad apple users who are all clearly there to slag it off.
 
Well on battery life if you can believe reviews the s10+ will more than match the iPhone XS Max (I've no experience with either, as I'm not into large phones).

Cameras have come on a lot, and most reviewers reckon that the best Android phones matched or overtook the iPhone a few years ago. But I'd personally always recommend looking at real world samples in a range of lighting conditions and making your own mind up. The differences are not as marked as they were, but different manufacturers still have their own processing styles and people have different tastes in what they consider to be good: do you like natural and accurate colours or vibrant and enhanced? Do you prefer the photos to reflect the lighting of the time or to look brighter and warmer? Do you prefer more detail even if there's some noise, or no noise even if it removes some detail? Samsung used to be (personal opinion here) pretty bad for exaggerated colours, over-sharpening and smearing out detail through aggressive noise reduction, but their current cameras are much better than they were, certainly can stand with other flagships these days. But what matters is which you like best. All of them will have some things they do better and some less well (e.g. I think the iPhones have always been good at the "bokeh" effect), and while all of them will produce good shots in a range of conditions there may be a particular aspect that matters more to you, or you may just prefer the look of one model's pictures to another.

My advice with any phone purchase, and especially one as expensive as this, would be to have a play with one for a while. In the shop if you have to, but if you know someone who owns one and who'll let you have a proper test then that's even better.
 
TechnicalMarvel said:
What a lovely welcome for a new member. That just sounds like an android fan attacking an apple fan, who is clearly not so much of an apple fan as hes asking in an android forum for advice about switching away from apple. Can one be prejudice to a piece of technical hardware? I think thats a bit dramatic I came here thinking I could get some advice about leaving the 'apple verse' as you call it, because I like the options that android has to customise the phone and I dont like the way that apple is doing very little in the way of improvements from one iphone to the next, and other questionable practices like throttling the older phones to encourage users to buy the next one, and ramping prices up. My friend who also had the same phone as me (both were locked to the '3' network) and had the same frustrations. I'll go and ask elsewhere, whilst you continue to fly the android flag and defend the android name against those bad apple users who are all clearly there to slag it off.
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Wow, that's a lot of drama. You have some judgemental opinions yourself so I was just reacting to your bias. My apologies for commenting.
 
Hi, welcome to AF @TechnicalMarvel. :) I hope if you decide to try Android again your experience is better. As has been said, Android has come a long way since the S3. I never used an iPhone, so I can't speak to the transition, but I wanted to chime and and say our community is friendly and there are many folks here that do use both iPads and Android phones. Hopefully some will see this and offer their thoughts. :)
 
I would recommend going to the store and looking at the S10, hands on. I had the S3 and the S8+ and they made so many strides and improvements IMHO.
 
TechnicalMarvel said:
I'm seriously considering switching from iPhone XS Max to Galaxy S10+? Has anyone done this? if so what were your thoughts? Im a bit jubious as my last android phone was a galaxy s3 and I hated it. Awful interface and terrible battery life

Thanks

TM
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Yeah, S3 was a loooooooooong time ago. Try a newer phone. If you don't like it? Stay with Apple. Isn't it great that we have choice? At the end of the day? It's just a phone. Some like apple others like android. Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward men. :)
 
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Hi @TechnicalMarvel, we would love to help you transition to an Android phone. Is the S10+ your only choice? I ask because I have never been a great Samsung fan. I've had a few, including the S3 and have been underwhelmed.

We've got many levels to get through with this type of question. With Apple you had your choice of Apple or Jail breaking Apple (if that's even still possible) and that's it. It's shopping for hats in a boutique where all they sell is blue hats. Android, OTOH is shopping for hats at the mall where you can easily get distracted by the pretzel stand or Victoria's Secret displays :o before you ever get to the hat store. Even then, when you finally get to the hat store, you've got everything from a $5 ball cap to a silk top hat, to a reproduction of Carmen Miranda's fruit salad. It can be overwhelming to someone coming from a platform where your options have been limited. While @svim's comment may seem a bit flippant, it isn't necessarily bad or intended to be discouraging.

The thing is, at the end of the day, dollar for dollar, feature for feature what you can do with a top of the line iPhone isn't going to be all that different from a Flagship Android. And switching from one to the other isn't without it's challenges.

Myself, I don't use iPhones, but I do support them (<-- IT manager in a mid-sized logistics company) and I do use an iPad relatively frequently so I can discuss the advantages and limitations of each platform. It's really going to depend on your wants, needs and expectations whether it's a good idea to switch. Give us some specifics about how you use mobile phones and we can tell you if it could be a jump up or a tumble down a rabbit hole. :)
 
@svim is somewhat right. The issue I have and something you might encounter is when you make the switch apple makes it super hard to move everything over to android. Like your music you bought in iTunes..... so just prepare yourself to run into some issues in that sense.

I didn't like the S3 either when it came out. It's the reason I kept my HTC evo 4g and waited for the note 3 to come out...... so I don't blame you there.
 
Hello @TechnicalMarvel and may I Welcome you to Android Forums! One of the most beautiful advantages to Android devices are the ability to install Custom ROMs (OS, operating systems) and really expand the inherent capability and gain faster/better security updates. Each manufacturer and sometimes device model will determine whether you can install them but it's an option that makes Android more desirable, IMO.
 
I had the Galaxy S3 it was my last Galaxy/Samsung phone. On my list of top ten favorite phones I have owned and use, the S3 sets at spot 3. I really like it.
This how I look at phones and what we want them to do regardless if they are iPhones, Android, blackberry, or a Windows phone simple four things,
1) make phone calls and receive phone calls
2) send and receive text messages
3) send and receive emails
4) surf the web
Those are four basic things we want our phones to do. I am not taking about anything else. I think most of us could use whatever if push comes to shove.
Sorry I don't put alot of stock in the whole iPhone vs Android beef so many people have. Too me they are both simply cellphones
 
This might be useful with the switch if you get an Android phone. :thumbsupdroid:


Switching to Android:
https://www.android.com/switch/

1. Download Google Drive to your iOS device and sign in with your Google account.

2. In Google Drive, open the backup wizard by selecting Menu > Settings > Backup. Choose the content that you want to back up, or simply back up everything by clicking "Start Backup".

3. Sign in to your Google account on your new Android device. Make sure to use the same account that you used to back up your iPhone. Don’t forget to turn off iMessage - Learn more.

More help:
https://support.google.com/android/answer/6193424
 
kate said:
This might be useful with the switch if you get an Android phone. :thumbsupdroid:


Switching to Android:
https://www.android.com/switch/

1. Download Google Drive to your iOS device and sign in with your Google account.

2. In Google Drive, open the backup wizard by selecting Menu > Settings > Backup. Choose the content that you want to back up, or simply back up everything by clicking "Start Backup".

3. Sign in to your Google account on your new Android device. Make sure to use the same account that you used to back up your iPhone. Don’t forget to turn off iMessage - Learn more.

More help:
https://support.google.com/android/answer/6193424
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nice well i'm glad google has made it easier to switch. also once you get an android phone make sure you get google photos installed. it automatically backs your phone to the cloud and you do not have to worry about your photos again. you do not even need a sd card!!!!!
 
ocnbrze said:
@svim is somewhat right. The issue I have and something you might encounter is when you make the switch apple makes it super hard to move everything over to android. Like your music you bought in iTunes..... so just prepare yourself to run into some issues in that sense..
Click to expand...
Music bought in iTunes is no problem at all to transfer. Apple dropped all DRM on iTunes music many years ago, and provided a way of redownloading older stuff without DRM. So it's just a matter of copying (which if you sync the iPhone with a computer is then trivial).
 
I just switched from iPhone X to S10 and now the S10 Plus. I switched because I could manage my daughters phone easier if it's an Android. I am pleasantly surprised by this phone in every way. Camera, battery, fingerprint sensor, face recognition all work way better than iPhone. I'm not anti apple now or anything. Love my MacBook and my iMac but Samsung kicks iPhones ass in most every way.
 
jmdwifi said:
I just switched from iPhone X to S10 and now the S10 Plus. I switched because I could manage my daughters phone easier if it's an Android. I am pleasantly surprised by this phone in every way. Camera, battery, fingerprint sensor, face recognition all work way better than iPhone. I'm not anti apple now or anything. Love my MacBook and my iMac but Samsung kicks iPhones ass in most every way.
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UPDATE
The most annoying thing is having to give permission for this thing to talk to my motorcycle and truck. I wish there was a setting to always remember. It's not horrible in the truck but on the bike, it will not play the music bluetooth unless I give it permission and if I use the cable, it has to read every song first, then it just plays starting with the first song. I will say the iPhone was much better for music and podcasts listening.
 
Funny, I don't use any vehicle connection but have never had a phone repeatedly ask for permission to play anything through bluetooth (kitchen radio and desktop speaker being the devices I use fairly often: just let it connect and it plays through them automatically). I don't know whether that's some quirk of the devices in your vehicle or the S10 - are you using any particular app, some "car mode" or anything like that?
 
Android has, unfortunately, been "late to the party" with a lot of vehicle implementations. For example, the Toyota RAV4, the single best selling vehicle in the U.S. didn't adopt Android Auto until the 2020 model year. :( I would guess you are struggling with outdated technology in your vehicles.

As far as the permission thing goes, it sounds like you are connecting the device as storage and not a media player every time you plug it in. That's why it asks for permission and has to refresh the media lists. What app are you using to playback media?
 
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