iPhone or Android?? Getting a Verizon upgrade soon

<p>Hey everyone, </p>

<p>So, I've been due to upgrade my phone, and I'm very torn on which way to go. I know that there are diehard Apple and Android fans, and as such, I'd like to hear some more opinions. </p>

<p>Here's why I'd like to stay with Android, specifically to go with the new Galaxy S4:</p>

<ul>
<li>more memory with micro SD card </li>
<li>can use it as a flash drive by downloading documents and then switching over to your computer </li>
<li>can download mp3 files for free on the Internet </li>
<li>I'm already familiar with the market and layout </li>
<li>bigger size and so more like a tablet</li>
</ul>

<p>I have just a regular Asus laptop, but it's starting to slow down (got in Jan of '12). I'd like to stretch it out till I graduate, but if I do want a new phone, I think I'd consider a Mac. </p>

<p>Reasons for maybe choosing the iPhone 5S:</p>

<ul>
<li>a lot of friends/family have it so we could do facetime </li>
<li>very light weight and easy to carry</li>
<li>nice, sleek design that both feels good and looks awesome </li>
<li>the Apple market has more apps than Android's</li>
<li>I've never had the pleasure of having an ipod or anything, so this could be both a phone and ipod </li>
</ul>

<p>In addition, I'm thinking of maybe getting an Android phone and an ipad, or an iPhone and an Android tablet. </p>

<p>Thoughts? Experiences?</p>

<p>I had an Android phone (Galaxy S3) and I recently switched back to an iPhone 5S. Before my Galaxy, I had an iPhone 4.</p>

<p>I preferred the larger screen of the Galaxy S3. I also liked the customization options on my Android phone, especially the messaging app and the SwiftKey keyboard (which I really miss). I could make my phone look however I wanted it. One of the reasons I originally switched to Android was expandable memory, but I ended up never getting an SD card and using it anyway. I also had no need for flash storage because I store everything in the cloud these days, and you can get free cloud storage with Google Drive or Dropbox.</p>

<p>But I switched back to the iPhone 5S mainly because I am pretty deep into the Apple ecosystem (I have a Macbook and an iPad) and it was just easier for me to automatically sync my reminders, notes, and calendars using iCloud than trying to use a variety of different apps to do that efficiently. Plus I do like the smaller form factor of the iPhone 5S, and the fingerprint sensor has actually ended up being really nice. And the nicest thing is that it serves as both my phone and my mp3 player; I don’t have to carry two devices. My battery life is also WAY better with my iPhone 5S than it ever was with my Galaxy S3. My Galaxy S3 would die halfway through the day. I also find that iOS is simpler to use than the Android OS; it takes me less time to do basic tasks. I had my Galaxy S3 for a year and it still took me a while to certain things on that phone. This is also a really vain reason, but there are so many more accessories for the iPhone than the Samsung. I switch my case out a lot and there were always really cute cases for the iPhone hanging around, whereas there weren’t always cute equivalents for the Samsung phone. Most were utilitarian and even kind of ugly. Also all of my family has iPhones so iMessaging and FaceTime are definitely a thing, although I could also FaceTime with my iPad if I was on WiFi.</p>

<p>The things I miss most about my Android phone are the bigger screen and the keyboard - Apple’s native messaging app is mediocre and I think SwiftKey is such a better keyboard, but Apple doesn’t allow you to replace the things that you don’t like about its OS (and that is my one issue with Apple). Also, yes, Apple has more apps than Android but that has no bearing for 95% of users, I would say - your most-used apps are likely available on both Android and Apple. When I switched, I was able to find an Android version of almost everything that I had on Apple, or an Android app that was the equivalent. And vice versa when I switched back. I also miss my widgets, especially my weather widget - I liked being able to glance at my screen and see the weather without firing up the app. Something I thought I would miss, but do not, is the customization (aside from the keyboard). I had a different skin on my Android - I didn’t use TouchWiz - and a different lock screen and I thought I would miss being able to customize the way my phone looks, but I found that changing the wallpaper is enough for me. I do wish I could add a skin to iOS’s native messaging app like I could with GOSMS on my Android phone, but that doesn’t bother me much.</p>

<p>I had an Android phone plus an iPad for a year; they can work well together depending on what you want to do. I could sync my calendar over Google calendar; there are a variety of to-do list apps that work on both Android and iOS (I used Wunderlist); I never could find a good note app that would sync my notes across devices, though.</p>

<p>Having owned both, I personally prefer having an iPhone/iOS for various reasons, but the thing is that Android phones and iPhones all do basically the same thing.</p>

<p>You know, after reading your response and looking stuff up like crazy, I think I might convert to Apple products…</p>

<p>I’m very, very close to buying an iPad Air. I literally almost bought one a few hours ago but then stopped to consider if I should go wifi + cellular or not. I think I might pay the extra for cellular because I live in the middle of nowhere with no wifi and am always on the go. </p>

<p>And if I do buy the iPad, the new iPhone 5S would compliment it well.</p>

<p>If you’ve got the money to throw around for it…
Personally I think a lot of the Apple products are over-priced (phones, iPads, and laptops), and unless you’re fully vested in the Apple ecosystem, you don’t get the full benefit of them. I am constantly frustrated by my iPad/iPod not playing nice with my Linux system.
I also feel like the extra cost of the cellular plan for the iPad could also add up pretty quickly.</p>

<p>Between what we own at home and through my wife’s business, we have 5 iPads, 2 (now unused iPhones), numerous iPods, 3 Android Nexus tablets, and 3 Android Nexus phones. I think Apple makes the best 10" tablet, whereas Android has the best phones and 7" tablet. </p>

<p>Apple wins on the 10" tablet size because it has better tablet-optimized Apps. </p>

<p>Android wins because its phone OS is vastly superior to Apple iOS. I particularly like the “pure Google” versions available with Nexus.</p>

<p>Yeah, Apple products are really expensive… I’m still teetering on which side I want to go. I like the idea of being able to sync everything, and as one who’s always had Android, it’d be cool to try out another OS. </p>

<p>And that’s interesting about the 10" vs. the 7" tablets, hebegebe. I was leaning towards a smaller tablet anyway (so more like the newer iPad mini coming out), but you think Android devices are better with a smaller screen?</p>

<p>I’d definitely recommend Android over iOS. So much more you can do with it. Go with the HTC One. Has the beautiful design you like about the iPhone and is in every way better.</p>