I’m planning on switching platforms and I’m just curious of the opinions of people here. I think that Android can have advantages in areas of privacy and external app installation, but most of the benefits come with a lot of tinkering out of the box.

I’m a very capable person at modifying my phone and I don’t generally mind doing that. I can make the interface work however I want. But I find myself caring less and less about how I interact with things in the light of what Apple is doing.

I’m looking at Android and it seems to be pretty far behind iOS at the moment. The messaging service is a huge sticking point and progress isn’t being made to unify iMessage with RCS apps. It seems to me like Samsung is making more progress with the platform than Google itself is. Like they’re the ones carrying it right now.

Keep in mind, I’m not a shill here. I haven’t used iOS in years. I still think they’re overpriced phones and Apple isn’t a great company. And I wish USB-C was a thing. This isn’t an ad. I’m just frustrated with the android platform and Apple seems to be leaving it behind.

Example features: FaceID, iMessage, home screen UX, battery life, and extended software support.

So can anyone tell me if they feel the same or help me in my decision? Not trying to start a tech war btw

  • @wvenable@lemmy.caEnglish
    4•1 year ago

    In my family, everyone else has an iPhone and I have Samsung S23. So I can maybe give both perspectives. If you just want a phone to be a phone, it’s hard to go wrong with an iPhone. It’s always the best default choice. That being said, I personally can’t go back to an iPhone. Lots of people recommend Google devices because of the “stock” Android experience but I greatly prefer the interface, integration, and customization of Samsung devices.

    Anyway, in no particular order why I like Android/Samsung:

    1. The ability to just copy movie and TV shows files onto the device and play them with VLC. This is a must for me for travel. iOS is still a pain in the ass for this.
    2. In screen finger-print reader and face unlock (both are useful)
    3. Ability to cast a Dex desktop to my TV with one click for showing off content
    4. Customized gesture navigation (swipe up middle - home, swipe up right - back, swipe up left - apps) – full screen is available no button bar
    5. THE BACK BUTTON – every time I use an iPhone I hate hate hate the lack of a back button
    6. Browsers with ad block
    7. Customized YouTube with ad blocking (revanced)
    8. Customized notification icon bar – hide icons that are always on (bluetooth, etc), battery percentage no icon.
    9. Separate profile for Work and Personal – my employer has control only of the work profile and can’t remote wipe my entire phone.
    10. Custom home screen apps (I use Nova 7)
    11. USB-C – one single charger for all my devices (phone, laptop, tablet, buds, etc).
    12. Ability to wirelessly charge my watch and my ear buds using the back of the phone (this is great for travel)
    13. Open source console emulators

    I can probably think of more but that’s a good start.