Have you switched Phones?

[Rustic23]

I switched from a Samsung to Iphone about six or seven years ago. It was a Galaxy S I believe, one of the first or second Samsung phones. The GPS was horrible, took forever to chime in and I was leery of the Play Store as there seemed very little oversight of their apps.

I have been happy with the Iphone, currently a 6s, but thinking of upgrading. So if you have switched, either direction, Android to IOS or IOS to Android, in say the last two years or so. Why, and are you happy with your choice.

 

[COcheesehead]

Went from a 5 to an 8. Seamless, works great with my Apple Watch. Better camera. Staying within an ecosystem makes transitions simple. My wife went from Apple to Samsung and it was brain damage to get everything back in place, calendar, music, photos etc.

 

[rpguy4]

DW just had to replace her MotoX Gen 2(Android) due to a cracked screen. We purchased a Moto E4 Plus. The phone itself is bigger, and I think she would of opt'd for something a tad smaller. The Moto4E Plus had good reviews (from what we could find), and it was priced right.

 

[W2R]

My iPhone 5S on Verizon, was becoming impossible for simple phone calls. People couldn't hear me unless I shouted each sentence several times, and I couldn't hear them either. What to do? iPhones on Verizon are not cheap and I didn't want to take on extra monthly payments just for a phone.

So, a year ago I switched to Cricket Wireless and they gave me a free, brand new LG Spree phone for doing so. Right now the Spree is apparently outdated but Cricket is offering the LG Fortune phone for free if you transfer your number over.

I love my LG phone. I probably wasn't a "power user" of my iPhone. My LG phone does everything that I need for it to do, and to me the user interface is prettier and much more intuitive. Not only that, the SOUND!!! It's as though the person I am talking to, was right there in the room with me. I love that aspect.

I do think the camera on my iPhone was easier to use. I haven't taken many photos with the camera on my LG phone. But that's the only disadvantage that I have found, and it is outweighed by the improvement in sound quality.

 

[6miths]

Went from Blackberry's to iPhones DW, DD and I. IPhone is much more web friendly but Blackberry was far superior for e-mail use and BBM was outstanding and beats iMessenger hands down. Blackberry now suing Apple for swiping BBM features.

Other DD and one DS went from Samsung S5 to iPhone 6 and haven't complained and have liked being with the family on iMessenger.

Other DS is still an Android hold out with a Pixel 2 and very much likes it. We all use a Facebook Messenger group to include him.

Blackberrys were bulletproof in our experience. Once left one on the ground outside in the open for two weeks (at cottage) with at least two driving rainstorms. Dried it out and it worked fine for another year before being upgraded. My experience with the iPhones has been good. I have been impressed with how robust they are after hearing many horror stories.

 

[phil1ben]

I have had an iPhone 5, 5s and 6. I upgraded in December to the iPhone X and like it very much. The phone keeps a charge for at least two days, is faster, clearer and takes better pictures. Also do not like the PLUS size because it is too big. The iPhone X is about the size of the earlier phones but has a screen almost as large as the PLUS. I know it is more expensive but for something I use so often it was worth it to me.

 

[njhowie]

Until October, I had a Samsung Intercept...old enough that it still had the slide out keypad. I kept it only because I was able to use it as a wifi hotspot for no additional charges in my $25/month (plus taxes) Virgin plan by loading an app. With newer phones, Virgin put something in place to block apps from doing that, but not my older Samsung. So, I kept it until things became too slow that it no longer paid to stick with it.

I upgraded to a ZTE ZMax Pro with MetroPCS - which offers the hotspot capability included with the data with no extra fees. I am now at $30/month (taxes included), but with much better phone, keeping my hotspot capability, and T-Mobile's network (which MetroPCS uses) is better than Sprint's (which Virgin uses).

I feel spoiled with the upgrade.

 

[Cobra9777]

Went from Blackberry's to iPhones DW, DD and I. IPhone is much more web friendly but Blackberry was far superior for e-mail use and BBM was outstanding and beats iMessenger hands down. Blackberry now suing Apple for swiping BBM features...

Blackberrys were bulletproof in our experience. Once left one on the ground outside in the open for two weeks (at cottage) with at least two driving rainstorms. Dried it out and it worked fine for another year before being upgraded...

I was a Crackberry user during my Megacorp road warrior days. I always had the latest device and a worldwide unlimited everything plan. No matter what obscure part of the developing world I touched down in, I was caught up on email before we reached the gate and on the phone with the local Megacorp driver picking me up. Those were amazing devices.

After a brief love affair with the Palm Pre, I've been an Android addict ever since... Galaxy S3, Nexus 5, and now OnePlus 3T. I can't imagine ever leaving the Android ecosystem.

DW was a dumbphone holdout until about 2012 when she got an iPhone 4. She loved it but when it came time to upgrade a couple years ago, I got her a Moto-something-or-other... midrange Android. It was a rough transition from iOS to Android for her but I think she's finally there. The whole family communicates via Hangouts on Android.

 

[cathy63]

I switched from iPhone (employer paid) to Android (Google Fi, self paid) when I retired in 2016. Most of my apps had Android versions, so the switch was pretty easy.

 

[Souschef]

We switched from flip phones to low priced Alcatel smart phones. Our provider is Tracfone, which is a pay as you go plan.
I use mine for e-mail and occasional phone calls and messaging. I also have used it to call a Lyft car,which is very easy.
My wife uses hers for Pandora Bluetooth so she can listen to music in her Mazda CX-5 through the Bose speakers.

 

[Katsmeow]

I think this was a little more than 2 years ago maybe 4. We had iPhones and switched to Android. It was then top end Galaxy as I recall. I absolutely hated it. Theoretically I liked the idea of Android. I liked the greater customization and didn't like all the limitations on iOS. I am a Windows person so not tied to Apple at all. Theoretically I liked the Android idea.

Within 6 months or so I bit the bullet and moved back to an iPhone. DH waited longer -- about 2 years but also moved back. Everything seemed needlessly complex. I don't mind a learning curve but it seemed never ending. The bigger issue was that a shockingly high number of apps weren't available on Android. I didn't expect that but some of the apps I most wanted to use were Apple only. That really ended up being the real decided for us.

I've been on Apple ever since (currently using an iPhone X). I've been very happy with it. I sort of wish I wasn't tied into Apple at all but I check periodically and still find that I am happier with Apple app choices.

 

[ncbill]

switched to a new Moto G5+ last year for under $200.

same for the iPhone SE (well, they were closer to $150) for each kid.

 

[Ready]

My experience is that once you've chosen between iPhone and Android it's unlikely you are going to switch. You've already invested in the ecosystem, you are familiar with it, and you probably have other hardware and software tied into the phone that would require a major hassle to redo.

I've had a few friends get frustrated with Android over the years and switch to iPhones. But they still complain about how walled in you are with the Apple ecosystem. Ultimately they just decided they would rather have a phone that works well than one that gives you complete freedom to get yourself in trouble with.

 

[pb4uski]

.... Blackberrys were bulletproof in our experience. Once left one on the ground outside in the open for two weeks (at cottage) with at least two driving rainstorms. Dried it out and it worked fine for another year before being upgraded. My experience with the iPhones has been good. I have been impressed with how robust they are after hearing many horror stories.

Me too. I lost one while skiing in 2 feet of fresh powder in February 2008 on Purgatory Mountain in Colorado. We searched high and low for it (I knew roughly where I fell) but no luck so I went back to my old Blackberry.

In August, I get a call from our IT dept that someone found my phone and called the 800 number that was on the opening screen. I call the guy... he found it hiking and charged it up and it turned on.

I figure... ah, what the heck... and have him mail it to me and reimburse him the postage. I used it for 18 months after that before I got a new phone. The only thing that was wrong with it was a few of the keys were tarnished.

Impressive.

 

[Midpack]

I went from Android to iPhone, and don’t plan to go back. There are risks with either, but Apple protects users privacy much better than Google, but I’ve been on this soapbox before so I won’t elaborate further. The case has been well detailed online for anyone who wants to read up.

 

[6miths]

That is a much more impressive story pb4uski - snow, rain, freeze/thaw. Blackberry didn't really have to advertise I guess but that would have been a good one. My other torture test was dropping mine 18 feet onto a concrete floor with no protective case on and having nothing happen to it. As impressed as I have been with the iPhones, they all have Otterbox cases on them.

 

[Dawg52]

Still using a Samsung 3 Mini. Works fine.

 

[albireo13]

Plan to leave iPhone soon.
Not impressed with Apple

 

[aja8888]

In my family, and extended family, everyone has an iPhone and some have iPads (DW included). I am the only one swinging with an Android Nexus 5X.

I'd rather flight than switch..

 

[CaptTom]

We've been very happy with the Moto G line. A fraction of the cost of i-anything, but very functional. I see no need to impress anyone by flashing the Apple logo around, or pay almost $1K for a phone that'll be obsolete in 18 months. But hey, I wear flannel shirts, so don't choose your fashion accessories by what *I* say!

I'm seriously looking at moving to Google Fi as a provider, for a number of reasons. The phone choice is limited, but they have an inexpensive Moto X which seems perfect, although a little weak in the camera department.

 

[ivinsfan]

Most of these replies remind me of back in the day when you were either a Ford or a Chevy fan...no switching the streams there either.

After using a dumb phone with no texting plan during my work life, I upgraded myself to my DD's wireless plan on Black Friday and got a deal on a Samsung 8....talk about an upgrade.

I was considering many of the lower price android phones mentioned here, but got over ruled by my SIL, who is a software developer and my DH who said you keep your phones so long, you need to go with a newer phone so it doesn't get obsolete...it's certainly a lovely shiny new thing...and I find it pretty easy to operate. The bad news is I probably wouldn't be happy in the future with an older phone..

 

[Chuckanut]

I had a bad experience with an Android phone years ago. It had problems about 1/2 year out of warranty. It would reboot at 2:00 AM every morning and loudly shout the word 'DROID!'. It looped through this over and over again. The only way to stop it was to turn it off and on. Every darn morning at 2:00 AM. Every one. Each of the three outfits involved - Google, the phone company and the phone manufacturer - pointed two fingers at the others. I eventually got rid of the phone after less than two years which made it the most expensive phone I have owned.

That's when I bought my first iPhone. And I have been happy with both of them.

But....

Lately, Apple is pricing their phones as though we are all tech billionaires, so I may try another Android phone again at some future time.

 

[Ready]

Lately, they are pricing their phones as though we are all tech billionaires, so I may try another Android phone again.

True, but remember the real price you pay for a phone is the difference between what you buy it for and what you sell it for, and iPhones hold their value while Android phones tend to drop significantly after the first year of use.

I realize this is more relevant to people who trade in their phones every couple of years though. If you like to keep a phone for 4-5 years it probably doesn't matter.

 

[chicamuxen]

I take a lot of pictures with my phone. So a good camera is important. Actually, i rarely talk on my phone. I went from Samsung to Google Pixel 2 XL. It is a great phone, and got a great sale price. Takes great pictures.

 

[Chuckanut]

True, but remember the real price you pay for a phone is the difference between what you buy it for and what you sell it for, and iPhones hold their value while Android phones tend to drop significantly after the first year of use.

I realize this is more relevant to people who trade in their phones every couple of years though. If you like to keep a phone for 4-5 years it probably doesn't matter.

That's me. I treat my phone like my car. I keep it until it no longer works and is not worth fixing. My old 4s is basically used as mp3 player now. And it is great at that, though the bluetooth is not up to specs.