New Phone Dilema

[Supra725]

so my upgrade has come and I can't decide which one to get..

Currently I have an Iphone 4 32 gb... I like the os.. is very easy to...

however, when the Iphone5 came out I was kinda of disappointed.

It did have an slightly bigger screen than my Iphone 4 but only by 0.5 in.. it has the same ram as before.. and an faster processor..

I have been looking at the Samsung S3 and the note 2... I like them both.. especially the 5.5 in screen on the note 2 along with the quad core processor.. and ths s3 offers double the ram of the Iphone 5..

I use my phone for pretty much everything, web surfing, email. music, navigation... but I don't know If I should give the note 2 or s3 an try.. cause I haven't tried the andriod os... is it better than the apple os?

which one would you recommend chaps? gals?

thanks..

 

[CXS]

apple vs android - you've opened a can of worms so I'll start by saying apple is far superior just to irk the android fans.

 

[Kung]

I use my phone for pretty much everything, web surfing, email. music, navigation... but I don't know If I should give the note 2 or s3 an try.. cause I haven't tried the andriod os... is it better than the apple os?

Oy. I almost hate it when this question is asked, because answering it is loads of fun.

IMHO, it's like owning a vehicle; you buy one (hopefully) according to your preferences, what you use it for, etc.

I compare the whole Apple vs. Android thing to, say, a Toyota Camry vs. a Kia Optima. The Toyota Camry isn't the fastest car; it doesn't have all the latest features; and so on. However, it's been the best-selling car for a number of years for a reason - it's well-designed (despite some problems and quirks), it has been steadily improved upon over the years, etc.

The Kia Optima is a NICE looking car that you can get comparatively cheap with a lot of nice features; and unlike the past, it's started to come into its own, both personality-wise and reliability wise. However, all the bells and whistles don't change the fact that design-wise, it may not be as reliable as the Camry is.

What I usually tell people is that if they want to hack the heck out of the phone, have the latest features, or conserve on the cost of their phone a bit (or just hate Apple), go with an Android phone; and from there, pick the manufacturer (HTC, Samsung, Sony, etc.) based on what phones they make, which are most reliable, etc.

If they want ease of use (especially if owning other Apple products), guaranteed frequent updates (this means you, Samsung), a well-designed phone (despite the latest iPhone 5 scratch debacle), and customer service that's worth a darn, go with an iPhone.

 

[rebelbowtie]

Oy. I almost hate it when this question is asked, because answering it is loads of fun.

IMHO, it's like owning a vehicle; you buy one (hopefully) according to your preferences, what you use it for, etc.

I compare the whole Apple vs. Android thing to, say, a Toyota Camry vs. a Kia Optima. The Toyota Camry isn't the fastest car; it doesn't have all the latest features; and so on. However, it's been the best-selling car for a number of years for a reason - it's well-designed (despite some problems and quirks), it has been steadily improved upon over the years, etc.

The Kia Optima is a NICE looking car that you can get comparatively cheap with a lot of nice features; and unlike the past, it's started to come into its own, both personality-wise and reliability wise. However, all the bells and whistles don't change the fact that design-wise, it may not be as reliable as the Camry is.

What I usually tell people is that if they want to hack the heck out of the phone, have the latest features, or conserve on the cost of their phone a bit (or just hate Apple), go with an Android phone; and from there, pick the manufacturer (HTC, Samsung, Sony, etc.) based on what phones they make, which are most reliable, etc.

If they want ease of use (especially if owning other Apple products), guaranteed frequent updates (this means you, Samsung), a well-designed phone (despite the latest iPhone 5 scratch debacle), and customer service that's worth a darn, go with an iPhone.

Best iOS vs Android response I think I've ever read.

 

[Thai]

It did have an slightly bigger screen than my Iphone 4 but only by 0.5 in.. it has the same ram as before.. and an faster processor..
thanks..

The screen is taller. But, the screen itself is superior to iP4 despite the same resolution. Colors are more accurate. Display itself is more real-life simply because of the in-cell technology. Processor is tons better in every which way...it is the best processor (CPU & GPU) currently, bar none. Camera is far superior to iP4. RAM for iP5 is 1 GB, which is more than iP4/4S. What else were you expecting??

REMEMBER, specs mean nothing. iP5 outperforms the phones you mentioned from Samsung...sometimes by a wide margin...despite underclocking CPU and a mere 1 GB RAM. For example, S3 (USA version) has 2GB RAM...but a processor that simply can't come close to iP5 A6. In the end, A6 outperforms GS3 (USA & international) by a big margin.

Here is a recent post that may help with your questions...click on it: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/1251624-post226.html

Are you on Verizon/Sprint or ATT/TMo?

 

[zonianbrat]

I'm no phone guru by any means. I personally think it depends on what your phone habbits are. Do you spend a lot of time surfing the web on your phone? Do you use a lot of apps? Or do you mainly use it for txting and talking? I owned a iphone 4s for about a year. It was a great phone and easy to use. I ended up switching carriers due to poor cell service where I moved to and I could have gotten another iphone but a friend suggested the Droid Bionic. It's about as old as the Iphone4 but after thinking of what I really did with my phone I decided to give Androids a shot. I might not ever go back. My dual processor is faster with this phone, the screen is bigger and it is more rugged because of the gorilla glass. I will admit I really miss my itunes being handy on my phone but it's all good. Just thought I would share my .02. Iphones are fantastic but for my preference right now it's all Android.

 

[Thai]

iPhones have Gorilla glass also and processors are very good, especially iphone 5. iOS is also smoother. Safari is speedy, beating Chrome.

 

[zonianbrat]

I stand corrected. I will say that a co-worker of mine dropped his Iphone4 on the table at work and it cracked in the corner (very minor). Mine has been dropped out of the truck onto the concrete driveway yet all it did was scratch up the corner. After that I bought the otter box for it and now it can double as a blunt weapon!! I am sure the iphone 5 smokes my droid in most all aspects and I would like to have one but for now I am happy with my bionic. I will also say it is nice not to have the exact same phone as ever other swinging pee-pee/va-jay-jay in town.

 

[Lineman]

No phone here. If its an emergency, I'll borrow someone's. If my vehicle breaks, I'll walk. Plus no one can get a hold of me :

 

[rebelbowtie]

I stand corrected. I will say that a co-worker of mine dropped his Iphone4 on the table at work and it cracked in the corner (very minor). Mine has been dropped out of the truck onto the concrete driveway yet all it did was scratch up the corner. After that I bought the otter box for it and now it can double as a blunt weapon!! I am sure the iphone 5 smokes my droid in most all aspects and I would like to have one but for now I am happy with my bionic. I will also say it is nice not to have the exact same phone as ever other swinging pee-pee/va-jay-jay in town.

Gorilla glass is an idiom for most people since its the trademarked brand they heard of first. And the iPhone 4/4S you notice has exposed edges on the glass. The edge is the weakest point of the glass especially since its been tempered, it doesn't take much to break of you strike the corners.

 

[Thai]

I stand corrected. I will say that a co-worker of mine dropped his Iphone4 on the table at work and it cracked in the corner (very minor). Mine has been dropped out of the truck onto the concrete driveway yet all it did was scratch up the corner. After that I bought the otter box for it and now it can double as a blunt weapon!! I am sure the iphone 5 smokes my droid in most all aspects and I would like to have one but for now I am happy with my bionic. I will also say it is nice not to have the exact same phone as ever other swinging pee-pee/va-jay-jay in town.

iPhone 4/4S has glass front and back along with what rebelbowtie wrote. It has nothing to do with Gorilla glass. The new Android phone called Nexus 4 suffers the same fate because LG (its manufacturer) went after the iPhone 4/4S look with Gorilla Glass 2 front and back...and well, the thing is a shatter puppy!

iPhone 5 will likely beat your Bionic's toughness or, at the very least, match it. iPhone 5 glass is Gorilla Glass 2. And as shown in many drop tests, it beats out most Android (including GS3), except the Nokia 920 (a Windows phone).

Without Steve Jobs (thus, Apple), we would all be tapping on plastic screens!! Steve Jobs is who pushed Corning into making Gorilla Glass again...but this time for iPhone. See: One of the Best Steve Jobs Stories -- Gorilla Glass | Boardwalk Capital

Everyone here in the USA has an iPhone because...well...it's good. Why do everyone drive a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord or Lexus RX? Well, because it's worth it!

Mind you, the ONLY reason why iPhones are popular here in the States is because most of us signs contracts with our carriers...thus, we get iPhones at "discounted" prices even though we eventually pay more for it thru our 2 year contracts. But that is another story.

Over in Asia or Europe, there is very little contracting b/w customers and carriers. Over there, i believe that GSM rules. So, you buy SIM cards from carriers (pre-paid). But, this requires you to buy the phone first at full price. There are no $200 iPhones over there. There are only $650+ iPhones! This is why Android dominates over there and around the globe (for the most part). Android phones range from cheap stuff to expensive stuff. Apple can't compete at the cheap level right now because all their stuff are expensive to make (relatively)...and thus cost more to customers to buy. I believe that this is where iPhones get their reputation as being a "status" symbol.

This is why the new Google Nexus 4 has been such a huge hit everywhere. It costs a mere $299 (8GB) or $349 (16GB) out of your pocket. Yes, this is full retail price, not contract price. And it is a very good quality phone! LG can't keep up with demand! But, this phone is mainly for folks who are on GSM network and are into pre-paid services (such as Straight Talk). But, you can tell that Google is going after folks who demand a quality phone for cheap. Nexus 4 delivers that and plenty more! Nexus 4 sold out in Europe within 1 hour or less i believe!!

So, yeah, the whole iPhone is everywhere statement...well, that is really ONLY in USA. Everywhere else, your Android phone is common place...and iPhones are luxury relatively rare items. The same "complaint" will be heard in the very near future with Nexus 4.

 

[Thai]

I will say this again...if your contract is ending (ANY carrier) and you have good AT&T cell reception in your area, then get STRAIGHT TALK!!

If you have GSM (AT&T or TMo), then you need to terminate that contract and go to STRAIGHT TALK!! Do the math...even if you terminate early and buy Nexus 4, over two years with Straight Talk, you end up saving money!

The ONLY real negative to Straight Talk is that there is no LTE...but you do have access to AT&T HSPA+ network...which provides semi-LTE data speeds.

And yes, if you have a GSM iPhone, then it will work with Straight Talk.

For me, ATT reception sucks where i work...so, no go there. I am stuck with Sprint. But, i do envy the Straight Talk folks!

 

[Thai]

One important reason why I prefer Apple over Android...security: USA TODAY

"Apple, Microsoft and Research In Motion smartphones are much less targeted. That's because Google designed Android as an open system, making it easy for handset makers and Web-application developers to jump on board. Android has become the world's most popular smartphone platform. But it has also become the biggest hacker target."

 

[rebelbowtie]

That is a pretty weak phishing attempt and I am shocked people still fall for obvious threats like unsolicited text messaging that promises free apps.

 

[Thai]

That is a pretty weak phishing attempt and I am shocked people still fall for obvious threats like unsolicited text messaging that promises free apps.

Android users...what did you expect?

 

[Supra725]

So in the end..

I choose the Iphone 5... Best Buy had it down to $249 for the 32 gb plus an additional 10% off.. I wanted an 64gb but all they had was in Black and I wanted white..

is anyone running the 64gb?

needless to say.. I was happy... .. which is still cheaper what I paid for my 4 32gb 2 years ago..

now though, what case is everyone using for their Iphone 5?

 

[rebelbowtie]

Good choice, I think Thai has owned every iPhone 5 case sans Lifeproof so check out the iPhone thread.

 

[Thai]

I have iPhone 5 64 gb BLACK. I had a 32gb 4S, but i ran out of room because i had movies on it along with games. So, i went with 64gb this time around...and will likely stick to 64gb in the future.

As for case, THE best case that i have found is this: PureGear Utilitarian System which is a case and holster combined. eBay and Amazon has it for around $17-21. I have found that this PureGear is better than anything from Otterbox (owned a bunch), Speck, Griffin, etc.. However, if you need water resistance, then there is really only one choice...Lifeproof.

 

[Kung]

I've got a green Urban Armor Gear case; it's actually just a standard TPU/polycarbonate case, but looks cool as hell. And believe it or not, it's protected the heck out of the phone (iPhone 5 16Gb, black) - I've dropped it a million times with no problems.