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iPhone vs Android – The FIVE Year Test

jakkuh_t

A look into whether an updated Android phone from 5 years ago is still usable today, compared to it’s STILL updated Apple

 

 

 

Tutorial: 

 

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Will not lie, not sure if it was pointed out specifically, but G3 had a problem of using Snapdragon 801 on a resolution of 1440 x 2560 for which it was not powerful enough, so if you get a phone with a 1080p resolution you might get even better performance. 

The ability to google properly is a skill of its own. 

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It was kinda cool to see the G3 still kicking. Just a shame you have to go through all that work just to make it a good option. 

Laptop: 2019 16" MacBook Pro i7, 512GB, 5300M 4GB, 16GB DDR4 | Phone: iPhone 13 Pro Max 128GB | Wearables: Apple Watch SE | Car: 2007 Ford Taurus SE | CPU: R7 5700X | Mobo: ASRock B450M Pro4 | RAM: 32GB 3200 | GPU: ASRock RX 5700 8GB | Case: Apple PowerMac G5 | OS: Win 11 | Storage: 1TB Crucial P3 NVME SSD, 1TB PNY CS900, & 4TB WD Blue HDD | PSU: Be Quiet! Pure Power 11 600W | Display: LG 27GL83A-B 1440p @ 144Hz, Dell S2719DGF 1440p @144Hz | Cooling: Wraith Prism | Keyboard: G610 Orion Cherry MX Brown | Mouse: G305 | Audio: Audio Technica ATH-M50X & Blue Snowball | Server: 2018 Core i3 Mac mini, 128GB SSD, Intel UHD 630, 16GB DDR4 | Storage: OWC Mercury Elite Pro Quad (6TB WD Blue HDD, 12TB Seagate Barracuda, 1TB Crucial SSD, 2TB Seagate Barracuda HDD)
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I don't understand why linus always acts like a phone without updates might as well be paper weights

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He used my Guide in this video!

 

I loved the G3 back when I owned it (which also created that guide)  It has not aged well though software wise. So custom roms are now the way to go for it. 

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52 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

It was kinda cool to see the G3 still kicking. Just a shame you have to go through all that work just to make it a good option. 

you don't have to, no one uses a phone for 5 years. Galaxy S3 I747M that i bought on launch day 2012 is on March 2019 patch. Rooting, Roms are not for everyone, still its really impressive to see, a 7 year old device is ancient in tech term. FYI apple dropped support for 2011 MacBook pros in Mojave. 

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1 minute ago, nerdslayer1 said:

FYI apple dropped support for 2011 MacBook pros in Mojave. 

Yeah? And? Who’s talking about Macs? 

Laptop: 2019 16" MacBook Pro i7, 512GB, 5300M 4GB, 16GB DDR4 | Phone: iPhone 13 Pro Max 128GB | Wearables: Apple Watch SE | Car: 2007 Ford Taurus SE | CPU: R7 5700X | Mobo: ASRock B450M Pro4 | RAM: 32GB 3200 | GPU: ASRock RX 5700 8GB | Case: Apple PowerMac G5 | OS: Win 11 | Storage: 1TB Crucial P3 NVME SSD, 1TB PNY CS900, & 4TB WD Blue HDD | PSU: Be Quiet! Pure Power 11 600W | Display: LG 27GL83A-B 1440p @ 144Hz, Dell S2719DGF 1440p @144Hz | Cooling: Wraith Prism | Keyboard: G610 Orion Cherry MX Brown | Mouse: G305 | Audio: Audio Technica ATH-M50X & Blue Snowball | Server: 2018 Core i3 Mac mini, 128GB SSD, Intel UHD 630, 16GB DDR4 | Storage: OWC Mercury Elite Pro Quad (6TB WD Blue HDD, 12TB Seagate Barracuda, 1TB Crucial SSD, 2TB Seagate Barracuda HDD)
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Basically my parents should only use an iPhone to guarantee that their phones will still receive the latest patches for the next five years. 

There is more that meets the eye
I see the soul that is inside

 

 

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Just now, nerdslayer1 said:

you don't have to, no one uses a phone for 5 years. Galaxy S3 I747M that i bought on launch day 2012 is on March 2019 patch. Rooting, Roms are not for everyone, still its really impressive to see, a 7 year old device is ancient in tech term. FYI apple dropped support for 2011 MacBook pros in Mojave. 

In general, Samsung is much better than most OEMs. They still provide 2 major ANdroid updates for (most) phones as other OEMs, but since their S line is part of an enterprise program or something like that, the S line gets security patches for a long time. S6 got a security patch this year. That's (sadly) outstanding for Android. 

The ability to google properly is a skill of its own. 

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1 minute ago, DrMacintosh said:

Yeah? And? Who’s talking about Macs? 

I was pointing out support, and use cases. computers are used a lot longer than phones.  

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1 minute ago, captain_to_fire said:

Basically my parents should only use an iPhone to guarantee that their phones will still receive the latest patches for the next five years. 

Or a Samsung S line model, per se. Read my response below yours. But basically yes. Even Google provides only 3 years for Pixel devices. 

The ability to google properly is a skill of its own. 

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1 hour ago, poochyena said:

I don't understand why linus always acts like a phone without updates might as well be paper weights

Because if a company makes a phone, it should be common sense for that company to support that device for years to come.

 

In fact, it would be the company in subject that would be treating their older phones as paperweights since they will no longer support them.

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5 minutes ago, captain_to_fire said:

Basically my parents should only use an iPhone to guarantee that their phones will still receive the latest patches for the next five years. 

Can you point out the place where apple guaranteed that? iPhones are supported for a long time but it's not a guaranteed far as i know. 

 

 

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1 minute ago, seoz said:

it should be common sense for that company to support that device for years to come.

 

you also have to remember Apple is a hardware company first. A lot of people pass on older iPhones to their children, so it's in their best interest. 

 

 

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Just now, nerdslayer1 said:

you also have to remember Apple is a hardware company first. A lot of people pass on older iPhones to their children, so it's in their best interest. 

 

 

Even more a reason for Android comparitives to support their phones for longer. If Apple can do it, why don't companies like Samsung and LG who are arguably even more hardware-first take more time into supporting their customers with software updates that don't take a year to arrive...

mechanical keyboard switches aficionado & hi-fi audio enthusiast

switch reviews  how i lube mx-style keyboard switches

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Still going strong with my Nexus 4 on Android Pie with the April security update. Ask any iPhone 5 user how they're doing... especially since so many iPhone apps have dropped support for 32-bit devices...

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5 minutes ago, nerdslayer1 said:

Can you point out the place where apple guaranteed that? iPhones are supported for a long time but it's not a guaranteed far as i know. 

My old iPhone 5s from 2013 still received the latest iOS 12 update even though it will be the last iOS update it'll receive.

 

There is more that meets the eye
I see the soul that is inside

 

 

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1
10 minutes ago, seoz said:

 
Just now, seoz said:

If Apple can do it, 

Apple controls everything in their phones, from SOC( even the GPU after they switched over from power VR), so things like drivers are easy for them to make. This is what makes iPhones. Most companies rely on a SOC vendor like Qualcomm, who doesn't support their phones for 3 years( you can get experimental drivers, but they will not be useful in an official ROM). Samsung can with Exynos but that would create a problem, giving one version of the phone more support over the other. 

 

10 minutes ago, seoz said:

supporting their customers with software updates that don't take a year to arrive.

 

Yeah, in terms of security. OS updates are different, the hardware is uniform now( even software). even a cheap Moto G7 plus will give you a good experience, so companies make their own skin to stand out. IMO Samsung one UI on the note 9 is excellent, its much better than stock. 

 

10 minutes ago, seoz said:
 
 
 
8 minutes ago, seoz said:

 hardware-first

The fold is really badass, i was looking at the teardowns. Thinking of picking one up or waiting for the 2nd gen. 

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3 minutes ago, captain_to_fire said:

My old iPhone 5s from 2013 still received the latest iOS 12 update even though it will be the last iOS update it'll receive.

 

That's not a guarantee, that's one instance. 

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It's nice to see that there's an option for making an older Android phone usable, but the condensed five minute setup process speaks volumes as to why people like the iPhone.

 

1 hour ago, poochyena said:

I don't understand why linus always acts like a phone without updates might as well be paper weights

Because once you're no longer receiving security updates on a device, using it poses a considerable security risk.

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Cool guide - but c'mon... the amount of work to get it up to snuff with flashing and rooting, etc? That was a fuck ton of work.

 

I would say that given the cost savings on the G3, it's a wash at best, considering the effort involved (Whereas the iPhone just needs the latest update).

 

Both are good options. The Android phone is a good option if you are a tinkerer or otherwise have lots of time to spare. The iPhone I think is better for the average person, since average people are no way in hell going to root/flash a phone.

 

Now, using the old android phone without updating it? Sure, it's still usable. But it's definitely a downside without the updates.

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And in complete opposite to this I had to disable updates for the phone app so my phone would keep working. 

Grammar and spelling is not indicative of intelligence/knowledge.  Not having the same opinion does not always mean lack of understanding.  

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2 hours ago, poochyena said:

I don't understand why linus always acts like a phone without updates might as well be paper weights

Maybe security reasons.

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2 hours ago, poochyena said:

I don't understand why linus always acts like a phone without updates might as well be paper weights

Might as well be botnet nodes, you mean. 

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3 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

Just a shame you have to go through all that work just to make it a good option. 

It isn't as complicated as it looks I promisse!

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