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Help Lifelong iphone user thinking about switching

thisISjoel

thisISjoel

Android Enthusiast
Hi guys, I've been on iphone since the 3GS (3GS, 4S, 5 and 5S) but I'm thinking now might be the time to make the switch. I like the idea of the nexus because one of the things that always held me back from android was knowing that all the different brands put their oem crap on their phones and the updates aren't available straight away. The nexus solves that problem.

I am, however, a little tempted by the song xperia z1, too.

I guess what I'm looking for is advice as to which phone I will be best with and also some reassurance as it's a bit daunting to be seriously considering leaving the safety of the apple bosom for the first time.

Thanks.
 
If you are on a contract,you could get any of those you mention,try them for a while and if you don't get on with them send them back within the cooling off period and try another.I'd like to say go for the Nexus but i've had issues with all of mine.
Having the latest updates is great except when you have to endure all the teething problems.
 
I made the switch about a year and a half ago and I haven't regretted it once :) the nexus is good if you can absorb the upfront cost. Otherwise, at least recently, Motorola has had the best track record with updates, but they're up in the air now since Lenovo bought them. I would say go to your carrier store and try out all the different manufacturer UI's, including a Motorola one to see if you like the "stock" UI, and picking the device you want based on that.
 
I recently made the switch.......people say how much better android is, it's true if that's the thing your looking for......however, if you really have been used to iOS it does take time, android still has problems, but nothing like a couple of years ago which I say was a joke back then.

Personally I think it's shallow to knock any particular platform if your really into tech but then I enjoy each platform pushing each other to be better, the nexus 5 is a fantastic device with what is now a slick OS.

At this time I would wholeheartedly say........go for it!

But stay clear of samsung............damn! Did I just knock technology? ;)
 
I'm at the point now where I won't get a mobile 'smart' device unless it's a Nexus. I might consider a GPE device, but what's the point when there are Nexus devices that are just as good, if not better, at a lower price?

Essentially, in my opinion Nexus devices are real Android and everything else is bloat. Android (Nexus) devices are hugely customizable, even without rooting them, so if you want more functionality in some kind of way: There's an app for that. ;)

It might take a little time learning how to set up your Nexus 5 how you want it, but that can be fun in and of itself too, if you're into that sort of thing like I am, tinkering around with stuff.

The Nexus 5 is a great device and is on the forefront/cutting edge of 'smart' device capability and technology still in most ways, and is more powerful than most other things out there at the present (all iPhones included).

Not to be rude, but why anyone would waste money on devices that are less capable and cost significantly more is beyond me. Although, to be fair, Nexus devices aren't advertised nearly as heavily as the main competitors out there. I rather like it that way; It's almost like a secret club for people in the know.

Beyond that, all that's left really are just fit and finish personal preferences.

The Nexus 5 isn't perfect though, so to be fair: It doesn't have expandable internal memory, nor an easily replaceable (user serviceable) battery. The on-board speaker isn't that great either. But, it's a phone speaker. I would hope people aren't expecting too much from a phone speaker. If you want high quality audio, get some good speakers or headphones, and maybe an equalizer app.

Despite some of the ongoing criticism, the camera on the Nexus 5 takes great pictures. Just use HDR+ and tap on the menu to navigate it instead of trying that silly menu drag interface that everyone seems to try fumbling with when they don't have to. A friend of mine is the proud owner of a golden iPhone 5S, but we took side by side pictures, and we both agree the Nexus 5 takes much better pictures. It was actually pretty surprising, after all the negativity out there directed at the Nexus 5's camera. Maybe people/reviews just never learned how to use it, nor used it after the 4.4.2 update.

Anyway, if you do decide to pick up a Nexus 5, feel free to ask me and others in this forum for pointers and any questions you might have about it.
 
Congratulations! You'll thoroughly enjoy your nexus. It truly is a joy to use. I have owned Nexus phones since the Nexus S, and I've always been happy with my decision.
 
Thanks again everybody for your responses, I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on this phone and discovering all that the world of android has to offer :)

To that end, I was hoping that someone could give me the super-simple cliff's notes run down of what rooting is? I know there are threads about it and I can google it (and I will probably read those threads and watch youtube videos and that) but I was hoping someone might give me a really quick snap shot of what it is.

Cheers :)
 
Welcome to the forums man! I hope that you'll enjoy your N5. As far as for rooting goes, it rooting gives your phone administrative access like being able to over/under clock your CPU and install custom modifications etc.
 
thisISjoel said:
Thanks again everybody for your responses, I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on this phone and discovering all that the world of android has to offer :)

To that end, I was hoping that someone could give me the super-simple cliff's notes run down of what rooting is? I know there are threads about it and I can google it (and I will probably read those threads and watch youtube videos and that) but I was hoping someone might give me a really quick snap shot of what it is.

Cheers :)
Click to expand...

Go to the sticky posts at the top of this forum "Nexus 5 FAQs", item number 6.

Welcome to Android. I was an iPhone convert, 3, 3G, 4. At present there's no chance I'd go back. That's not to say iPhones aren't good, but IMO the best Android phones are streaks ahead of the iPhone, in both form factor and OS.

WRT rooting, if you're going to do it, it's less painful to do it straight away, most rooting procedures cause you to lose all of your data.

That said, I don't root and I there's still a whole heap of stuff I can do. Take a look at some of the alternative launchers, Nova Launcher is a favourite of mine.
 
Think along the lines of Jailbreaking for iOS.

You can alter system settings, install custom ROMs etc which are usually not accessible to the user.
 
Simply put, root is gaining administrator rights to your phone.

It will allow you to change darn near anything, and since android is open source its the way we really get the most out of our devices.

Root allows you to install a custom recovery and create full snapshot backups in case something goes wrong, it enables you to install custom kernels that can increase battery life or performance, and it can allow you to flash custom Roms that add functionality and bells and whistles.

There's also apps that can gain root access, and they're able to do some pretty powerful things like backup other apps, block ads, control your kernel settings, monitor battery use, ect.

Rooting is the very first thing I do when I get a device. I won't buy one that can't be rooted.

My advice...If you're considering rooting, unlock the boot loader when you first get it. That will save you from having to wipe the data later on if you do root.
 
In regards to rooting your Nexus 5:

Rooting is basically unlocking/installing/enabling administrative privileges on the device. This is needed in order to have su ("super user," or "switch user," etc.) rights/controls (this comes from the su command in Linux [which Android is built from] and is most often used in a terminal interface to gain administrative privileges), and is also needed for some additional functionality and for using apps that need these privileges in order to perform their desired functions.

If you do decide to root your Nexus 5(s), it's best to do it sooner rather than later as going through the process of unlocking your device(s) will in effect factory reset it(them). (Edit: Or as Rxpert83 pointed out above, unlock the boot loader first.)

In my opinion, this isn't really needed to effectively use a Nexus device, but may be something you want to look into if you want certain apps that need root privileges in order to work, and/or you want to modify your device beyond what it is capable of with stock vanilla Android.
 
To be fair, with you coming from ios, you'll probably not even want to root your nexus 5 because you'll probably find much greater freedom to do things with the android os anyway.

Also, I don't know if there's a list of apps that don't work on rooted devices floating around somewhere on the internet, but my banking app for example won't work on rooted phones. Something to bear in mind when deciding to root or not.
 
Omar Days said:
To be fair, with you coming from ios, you'll probably not even want to root your nexus 5 because you'll probably find much greater freedom to do things with the android os anyway.

Also, I don't know if there's a list of apps that don't work on rooted devices floating around somewhere on the internet, but my banking app for example won't work on rooted phones. Something to bear in mind when deciding to root or not.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks. I think I probably won't root it, at least not right away.

Can anyone tell me 'launchers' are?
 
welcome to the bright side :D
i came to nexus 5 from a samsung andriod phone that was rooted after six months use. used that for two years of bliss that you get from bloatware free custom rom. this time picked a nexus to make it easier to root. the truth is its almost three months and i have yet to root. :o the nexus is everything that i want in a smartphone and it is so highly customizable even with out root that , its not funny. only thing lacking is a perfect carrier bundled with the phone ;)
as long as you do not want it to be an iphone and do things the iphony way you will be ok. think of it like leaving the three dimensional world and entering the ten dimensional world of string theory. wayyyy more degree of freedom :party:
 
thisISjoel said:
Can anyone tell me 'launchers' are?
Click to expand...

Quick overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz1HuO3_xTs

Be sure to let us know you're initial thoughts when you've spent a couple of days using the phone. OS aside, the form factor was the first thing that hit me. After using that piddly little iPhone for years, the screen size jump was great.

Oh, and try out AirDroid, that's one app that should impress a non jail broken iPhone user.
 
OK, I've been doing some reading and I think I might like to at least keep the door open for the possibility of installing a custom rom so in that case should I root the phone as soon as I get it so I won't lose anything? Also, if I root it and don't do anything for a few weeks, months etc. and then decide to install a rom later will I lose anything or does it not work that way?
 
thisISjoel said:
OK, I've been doing some reading and I think I might like to at least keep the door open for the possibility of installing a custom rom so in that case should I root the phone as soon as I get it so I won't lose anything? Also, if I root it and don't do anything for a few weeks, months etc. and then decide to install a rom later will I lose anything or does it not work that way?
Click to expand...

Typically, installing a new ROM means that you wipe all the data (or at least the vast majority of it) off your device before you install the new ROM
 
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