iSwitched to Android: From An Apple Fanboy

[Guest]

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WARNING: VERY LONG, DO NOT COMMENT OPINIONS IF YOU TL:DR THIS REVIEW! I WILL REPORT OBVIOUS BS POSTS- PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL!

 

Preface

First things first (no, I'm not the realist). I am, however, quite possibly Apple's biggest fan. I love Apple! I would never let go of my precious 4S for even Android's highest-end flagship, forget about Windows Phone. But, for two weeks, I have put away my shiny glass cube of Apple love, and picked up a budget Android phone- the Motorola Moto G, and have used it without even thinking about picking up my 4S. This is a review of the Moto G, Android, and the Google ecosystem, coming from a diehard iOS fanboy. This is iSwitched to Android.

 

Act I: The Hardware

The Moto G is, in a word, extraordinary. Not because it's a great phone, but because its a good phone at a ridiculous price. For just $99 on Boost or Verizon (or, in my case, $79 after price matching from Walmart), you get a sleek, completely unassuming block of soft-touch plastic and Gorilla Glass, another surprising touch. But inside, you get some heated specs for less cash than some people spend on a pair of jeans. The Moto G packs a quad-core Snapdragon 400 chip clocked at 1.2GHz, an Adreno 305 graphics chip, and a surprising whole gig of RAM. Most phones at this price range have specs that were good in 2010- and not a single one I found had more than 512MB of RAM at this price point. Lastly, a crisp 4.5" 720p display is present, at 329PPI, just a tad under the 5S. With specs like these, expect any app to run, and even most games to play without a hiccup. However, there's certainly no power to spare- boot up a game, and going to the homescreen will take a good two seconds to load, the icons taking another to pop in.

 

While the Verizon Moto G has already received the latest Android update, 4.4.4 Kit Kat, The Boost variant is still lagging behind with 4.4.2- still Kit Kat, but without some bug fixes and UI tweaks introduced in later patches. Using some ingenuity, I was able to register my (Boost) Moto G on Ting wireless by activating the IMEI through their Bring Your Own Device program while it was still in the box, as the phone isn't activated with Boost until you first boot it up. With that out of the way, I booted it up, and got to downloading. My phone was actually still on 4.3 Jelly Bean (seriously, these names are ridiculous), so I had to go through one large and one small patch to get up to date. Here's where I started to hate Android. But first, a disclaimer: I tried. I really, really did. I customized, tweaked, setup everything to my OCD's content, and I hated it. Android is, in a word, incoherent. Apps may have their navigation bars on the bottom, the top, the side, and different UI styles are frustrating- Twitter's modern, flat look, Facebook's 3D blue effect, and then back to flat with Instagram. Google's own apps are pretty consistently designed, but 3rd party apps are a guessing game at best.

 

Act II: The Software

While the Verizon Moto G has already received the latest Android update, 4.4.4 Kit Kat, The Boost variant is still lagging behind with 4.4.2- still Kit Kat, but without some bug fixes and UI tweaks introduced in later patches. Using some ingenuity, I was able to register my (Boost) Moto G on Ting wireless by activating the IMEI through their Bring Your Own Device program while it was still in the box, as the phone isn't activated with Boost until you first boot it up. With that out of the way, I booted it up, and got to downloading. My phone was actually still on 4.3 Jelly Bean (seriously, these names are ridiculous), so I had to go through one large and one small patch to get up to date. Here's where I started to hate Android. But first, a disclaimer: I tried. I really, really did. I customized, tweaked, setup everything to my OCD's content, and I hated it. Android is, in a word, incoherent. Apps may have their navigation bars on the bottom, the top, the side, and different UI styles are frustrating- Twitter's modern, flat look, Facebook's 3D blue effect, and then back to flat with Instagram. Google's own apps are pretty consistently designed, but 3rd party apps are a guessing game at best.

 

Kit Kat is pretty zippy, and battery life was respectable, but the stock Motorola launcher (which, to be fair, isn't as heavily modified as many manufacturers make theirs) isn't as good as the Google Experience Launcher, which has bigger icons, a simpler design, and supports 'Ok Google' speech recognition from anywhere. But there is one thing I absolutely CANNOT stand about Android: notifications. If you get a text, there is no way of knowing, unless you have your phone screen-side up (not my first choice), and even then, it's a dinky LED that flashes. You don't know what type of notification it is or anything, and if you unlock the device, you still don't know; you have to swipe down the notification drawer to see. This is awful- iOS has had lockscreen notifications since its inception, and Android L is getting them, but right now, this is seriously stupid. The screen should light up and display the notification, or at the very least, have it waiting when you unlock your device. But NOPE, that's too much ingenuity for Google. If I get a text at my desk, I want to see it, not take four steps to see a snippet of it, which I need to further tap and wait for the respective app to open it fully. Unacceptable. It seems like such a simple thing, but without it, your phone becomes a hassle to use instead of a tool. Kit Kat is much better than Jelly Bean, but I'd take ease of use and a consistent UI over a focus on customization any day.

 

Android is very customizable. In fact, it crushed iOS in this respect. But as soon as you start installing custom ROMs (I tried Cyanogenmod, and quickly went back), launchers, and tweaks, you break features, you lose support, and you create recurring crashes. Google, in all its omnipotence, cannot regulate Android. Its app store is riddled with a hundred shoddy apps before you find one from a respectable developer, and I have a feeling they let their guidelines slide in order to claim they have more apps than iOS' App Store. Android is so customizable because it desperately needs to be. Out of the box, it's broken and missing features that iOS has had since it debuted in 2009. Android is complicated, and because it has to run on a thousand devices, it is glitchy and at times apps just refuse to run. Google forces Google+ on you, needing certain services to connect to it in order to work. News flash, NO ONE USES GOOGLE+.  And the biggest fallback of all (though not really a fault of Android), investment. I have probably $200 invested in the App Store, and the last thing I'm going to do is pay for apps again on the Play Store. Apps on Android are typically not as polished, and are more complicated than their counterparts on iOS. Twitter is awkward, and the status bar on top is hard to reach unless you have giant hands- and the Moto G's 4.5" screen is small by Android standards. Facebook likewise has a status bar on the top, and the Facebook Messenger app has one on the bottom. The screen rotation is strange, and if you don't want it to go, you must delve deep into the Settings app, but since almost every app rotates, it's annoying, but disabling it makes videos refuse to go landscape- and to change it you have to go back to settings. Apple has orientation lock in Control Center, but Android's version of it doesn't even have that option. People complain Apple steals the features and ideas of Android, but their versions are so much more polished, whereas certain aspects of Android seem cobbled together without a thought of usability. This is a central theme to my experience with Android, from day one.

 

Act III: The Verdict

 

Moto G

The Good

-Awesome Build Quality
-Replaceable Shells
-Thoughtful Design
-Gorilla Glass
-329PPI Display

The Bad

-Mushy Buttons
-Shells Are Expensive
-Battery Isn't Replaceable
-No SD Card Expansion
-Miserable Cameras

 

Android

The Good

-Kit Kat is Efficient
-Customizable
-Data Management Options

The Bad

-Inconsistent UI
-Google+ Integration
-Awful Notifications
-App Store is Full of Crap
-Carriers, Update OS, So Long Delays in Patches

 

-----

 

Overall:

Moto G - 8000/10000 Lumens

Android- 6500/10000 Lumens

[Guest]

RESERVED

[Enderman]

DO NOT COMMENT OPINIONS IF YOU TL:DR THIS REVIEW! I WILL REPORT BS POSTS.

This is a perfect example of "how not to make friends on this forum".

[Guest]

This is a perfect example of "how not to make friends on this forum".

By that, I mean don't read the title, and say 'Wow fanboy, just stop complaining'

 

I can tell the difference.

[spwath]

Nice review, i would like to point out, my moto x has speech from anwhere, and a great speaker.

 

That said, i am thinking of switching to windows phone soon.

[Guest]

Nice review, i would like to point out, my moto x has speech from anwhere, and a great speaker.

 

That said, i am thinking of switching to windows phone soon.

Well the X can do it when locked- the G doesn't have that. And the speaker sucks

[spwath]

Well the X can do it when locked- the G doesn't have that. And the speaker sucks

Right, thats what i was saying, my phone has some problems fixed. It really is a great speaker on mine, and can get loud, but no HTC one

[Guest]

Right, thats what i was saying, my phone has some problems fixed. It really is a great speaker on mine, and can get loud, but no HTC one

Yeah, but I don't have the money for the X

[spwath]

Yeah, but I don't have the money for the X

I did, because i used republic wireless, and i refered people, so i got 2 years of free service, so my parents let me get a nice phone

[Enderman]

By that, I mean don't read the title, and say 'Wow fanboy, just stop complaining'

 

I can tell the difference.

That can be said in a less abusive manner though...

[Guest]

That can be said in a less abusive manner though...

I changed it. Added 'please be respectful'

[Guest]

I did, because i used republic wireless, and i refered people, so i got 2 years of free service, so my parents let me get a nice phone

I wanted RW, but it's $150 for the G, and I got mine for $70.

That company seems like the shit though, but you can't just flash their ROM onto another phone

[spwath]

I wanted RW, but it's $150 for the G, and I got mine for $70.

That company seems like the shit though, but you can't just flash their ROM onto another phone

Yeah, the only reason i got republic was i won a free motorola defy xt with a free 6 months service (the first phone their)

 

They are great, they gave me:

Free phone, free 6 months service, free 2 years service, free shirt, free stickers, free speaker. 

[LarsReviews]

 

If you get a text, there is no way of knowing, unless you have your phone screen-side up (not my first choice), and even then, it's a dinky LED that flashes. You don't know what type of notification it is or anything, and if you unlock the device, you still don't know; you have to swipe down the notification drawer to see. 

 

Where is the issue?

 

[Guest]

Yeah, the only reason i got republic was i won a free motorola defy xt with a free 6 months service (the first phone their)

 

They are great, they gave me:

Free phone, free 6 months service, free 2 years service, free shirt, free stickers, free speaker. 

Damn

[Guest]

Where is the issue?

 

That doesn't happen on the Moto G- if I got texts, I had to unlock it, then look in the ND for them. They weren't on the lockscreen. Did you install something?

[spwath]

That doesn't happen on the Moto G- if I got texts, I had to unlock it, then look in the ND for them. They weren't on the lockscreen. Did you install something?

Oh yeah, moto x has a thing built in, active notifications, so you can preview ur texts

[LarsReviews]

That doesn't happen on the Moto G- if I got texts, I had to unlock it, then look in the ND for them. They weren't on the lockscreen. Did you install something?

 

No, go to secruity and aktivate widgets. Than lock the screen and swipe to the left and touch the plus to add widgets. When the widget is added, swipe down the clock and swipe from left to right. And the picture is from a Moto G that I have as a test unit. Comparing it to the Nexus 4, it is heavier, but the battery life and the screen seem to be better, even though it is just a lcd.

 

LOL 555th POST!!! YEAY ME!!

[Guest]

No, go to secruity and aktivate widgets. Than lock the screen and swipe to the left and touch the plus to add widgets. When the widget is added, swipe down the clock and swipe from left to right. And the picture is from a Moto G that I have as a test unit. Comparing it to the Nexus 4, it is heavier, but the battery life and the screen seem to be better, even though it is just a lcd.

Yeah, widgets from individual apps you set- I mean every notification goes onto the lockscreen, as in iOS.

[Guest]

Oh yeah, moto x has a thing built in, active notifications, so you can preview ur texts

Yeah, the X has an OLED display so it can only turn on the pixels it needs. So such luck with the G

[LarsReviews]

Yeah, widgets from individual apps you set- I mean every notification goes onto the lockscreen, as in iOS.

 

Ok, I only use that app for messaging so it is fine for me. I agree with the buttons the are really wobbly.

 

You don't have to swipe down the clock. I don't know why I always did that

[Mew]

This pretty much sums up my decision about mobile phones for the past 4 years or so. I originally had a LG GW620 (LG's first android phone). It was complete garbage, but I was always excited to try out new roms and what not. Eventually, I bricked my phone trying to flash it back to the original firmware. My friend was kind enough to lend me his iPhone 3GS. Right off the bat, the iPhone felt more polished and was a lot more responsive. However, at the time I did not like Apple at all and kept pointing out the disadvantages of the iPhone, even saying that iOS was not a real smartphone os. A couple months later, I got the iPhone 4s and it has served me well for the 2 years I had it. I recently settled on the 5S seeing that the state of Android was trending towards a direction that I can no longer support or enjoy- mainly larger screens, spec wars, Android not improving as much as iOS. 

[Guest]

This pretty much sums up my decision about mobile phones for the past 4 years or so. I originally had a LG GW620 (LG's first android phone). It was complete garbage, but I was always excited to try out new roms and what not. Eventually, I bricked my phone trying to flash it back to the original firmware. My friend was kind enough to lend me his iPhone 3GS. Right off the bat, the iPhone felt more polished and was a lot more responsive. However, at the time I did not like Apple at all and kept pointing out the disadvantages of the iPhone, even saying that iOS was not a real smartphone os. A couple months later, I got the iPhone 4s and it has served me well for the 2 years I had it. I recently settled on the 5S seeing that the state of Android was trending towards a direction that I can no longer support or enjoy- mainly larger screens, spec wars, Android not improving as much as iOS. 

I agree, and I just bought another 4S- I gave one to my brother, then got the Moto G (hence the review), and returned it. I just don't like android, even taking out all the fanboy stuff. I'd rather have my 4S, even if it's unsupported when iOS 9 drops.

[jhajhria]

switching from iphone to moto G or comparing iphone to moto G??? i am sorry to say this but its dumb (this was the most polite word hat i could think of) buy an android phone with not the same price but atleast he same price range. buying an android phone that is less than half the price of iphone, and comparing it and saying its camera is not good, screen, buttons, build, speaker etc is not that good. that's just.......(this time can't think of any word which won't lead to heated arguments) 

[Mew]

switching from iphone to moto G or comparing iphone to moto G??? i am sorry to say this but its dumb (this was the most polite word hat i could think of) buy an android phone with not the same price but atleast he same price range. buying an android phone that is less than half the price of iphone, and comparing it and saying its camera is not good, screen, buttons, build, speaker etc is not that good. that's just.......(this time can't think of any word which won't lead to heated arguments)

He's mainly comparing the os-ios vs android.