Why did you buy an iPhone?

[LinusTech]

So my iPhone Xs video ended up being a rant about the things that bug me about the iPhone experience. It wasn't intentional, but that's what it was.

 

I was kind of thinking a nice accompanying piece would be 10 GREAT Reasons you Should Buy an iPhone. I'll start with a couple:

 

- Apple legitimately takes end-user security seriously. They don't have a perfect track record here, but they can also be credited with creating pressure on other industry players to move in this direction.

- Device support - Batterygate notwithstanding, Apple's track record for phone support is untouchable. Show me one company that provides phone OS updates more consistently and for longer than apple.

 

*** I don't really want to hear from the Android owners here. I want to hear from current iPhone users - For bonus points, please list what iPhone you're currently using and why you are using that particular one ***

[Guest]

Seamless backup & restore. Aside from re-entering some credentials, there was little else I had to do when upgrading my phone.

XS User.

[Fasauceome]

I provide a lot of support for the Apple users in my family despite my own Android preference. My cousin constantly needs upgrades due to phone dropping and smashing, and the iPhone user experience of transferring files and data, and having the aforementioned longevity of the OS, creates unparalleled convenience.

[Zando_]

Using an iPhone X rn. For me it's just that I prefer small things iOS has over Android. IMO the navigation (especially settings) are more intuitive, I like the notifications, and the keyboard was a biggie, couldn't find anything close to it on Android. The reason I specifically chose and X is pretty simple, I was upgrading from a 6 Plus, didn't want an android, and wanted a form factor change. The 8 Plus is an awesome phone but it's the exact same form factor as my old 6 Plus and I wanted something fresh. So far I really enjoy my X, have had it since April or so and have had basically 0 issues (A few software ones but that's down to me running beta version of iOS all the time on my daily driver phone...).

[TacoSenpai]

Yes I'm a long time android user but let me tell you one big reason I'm seriously considering making the switch in the future with my next phone. 

 

Google.  I'm tired of wondering what Google may or may not do to collect more data on me without my knowledge and use for god knows what.  The constant location tracking whether you like it or not (and then the usage of that information to build a profile of you aka the storage of it) is bad enough in my book and given that they keep wanting to be more similar to Apple in regards to the OS then its like well why would I go to them and not just get an Apple device. 

 

 

[Unhelpful]

21 minutes ago, LinusTech said:

 

My phone history is as follows:

iPhone 4, Galaxy S3, HTC One M7, Nexus 5x, Pixel, iPhone X.

 

Google has atrocious QA for RMA equipment. I had four Pixels in total. The first one was great for half a year, but slowed down drastically after 2 patches. It then stopped staying on for longer than 20 minutes at any point. The RMA device had the same issue. The second RMA device stopped turning on at all after about a month. The third RMA device / fourth Pixel was fine, just slow as fuck after 2 or 3 patches.

 

Apple throttles their phones with updates, but not nearly as much as Google in my experience. My Pixel ended up feeling roughly as snappy as my Mom's iPhone 4. 

 

I was also tired of the "premium" phones (Pixel, HTC One M7) feeling roughly as cheap at the Nexus 5x. The Nexus 5x was up there with the Pixel and M7, but was half the price. None of them every felt premium, they each had a cheap feel (with the exception of the M7 which I loved until updates made it slower than my second-gen iPod touch). So I decided to try the iPhone X for this generation... I fucking love it. It actually feels premium, the camera is fantastic (and the camera app is actually decent), and it's well-supported. Apple slows shit down during patches, but never as badly as Google does.

 

Oh. And because of the cancerous growth called Hangouts. Hangouts would be unable to pull from my contact list for a few days every couple months, so every chat was just by phone number.

 

I have the 256gb iPhone X and got it for $600 after the Verizon deals and a discount through my company. My girlfriend also has one. After 3 months it feels drastically snappier than any of my Android phones did after 3 months, it has no noticeable slowdown. My Pixel felt bogged down after 1 month.

 

The only thing I miss is a good keyboard. I loved Android Swiftkey, sadly iOS Swiftkey isn't event comparable. No long-press on letters for special characters, no number bar, etc. It's basically the stock keyboard with word suggestions.

 

Also I know that the phone I have will still be well supported in 5 years. Something you can't get with literally any android phone.

[jiyeon]

I'd used an iPhone 6S from Dec 2016 until May 2018.

 

The reasons I chose it, in no particular order:

1) Software updates - Apple are undoubtedly the best at this, all of my friends whom also used iPhones were on iOS 11 the same time as me and it was fantastic to feel that Apple were able to update everyone in one sweep.

 

2) Design of the iPhone - The iPhone's now-infamous design (particularly the 6/6S in this case) was perfect, everything was placed in the right position such as the camera, headphones jack, speaker grilles, and especially the home button which also doubled as the TouchID fingerprint scanner.

 

3) Simplicity - I loved that it took me mere minutes to get from a sealed-box iPhone 6S to the home screen with everything set up, no frills or strings attached with the exception of the iCloud which I didn't ever activate. The simplicity of the phone's software allowed it to be one of the most easy phones I've ever used with the settings, apps screen, and even the control center being designed so nicely and seamlessly.

 

4) Optimisation - The iOS platform is so optimised that literally no app ever stuttered. That about sums up iOS as a whole.

 

5) Android is too fiddly - Android was far too fragmented with the software updates and the actual software itself with its whole range of customisation options that the iPhone 6S was the phone to choose at the time due to its simplistic nature as mentioned above. My previous Nexus 5X had slowed down to a screeching halt.

 

 

My phone history is: Samsung S2, Samsung S4, Nexus 5, OnePlus One, Nexus 5X, iPhone 6S, Samsung S8.

 

It's also worth noting that the iPhone 6S was the longest span I had ever owned and used a phone.

[IdiotPenguin]

For me it’s just simple preference over android. I like the way the UI looks and it’s more secure as well. I’m not much of a phone person though so I can’t say much more

 

Iphone X btw

[bcredeur97]

Long term software and security support. also more secure in general.

[niofalpha]

I have 2 main reasons: iMessage, and optimization

 

1. Having recently gone through Hurricane Michael, which ravaged my hometown, most of the cell towers in my area were down. I was unable to use text messaging, but since I, and several buisinesses had WiFi (and some weird data Limbo where I could browse the internet but not call/ text) I could use iMessage to other Apple devices. This was essential in coordinating movement of supplies to those heavily affected, and contacting family members to tell them I wasn't dead. Sure, there are other things like Facebook messenger, but it's so much easier to just have it as the default text client on your phone. Plus WiFi texting is good if you go to school in a concrete box located in a Service deadzone.

 

2. In my experience, having used both iOS and Android devices, I find that most apps on the app store were more optimized compared to on Android phones. I think it's more to do with there being fewer hardware configurations to optimize for on iOS compared to Android.

 

 

Currently, I have an iPhone 7, planning on getting a 10x max next time we can get a line s.

[EPENEX]

I'm an Android user, but I'll pitch in the positives I see about iPhones. They have good security, such as iCloud lock. Longer official support, you'll continue to get updates for years without having to hack your way around like in Android. For me those positives don't do enough to make me switch as I see too many negatives.

[Surpuppa]

I only had awful experiences of my cheap Android way back in 2012 (I believe). It crashed, bugged and was generally slow and had very low build quality (Screen was bendable plastic).  They then updated Android so that there was the Google Play Store, and the old Android Store(?) which I had on my phone wasnt supported anymore. With no phone update I could no longer install any new apps which made me furious. The fully metal and glass construction of Iphone was the biggest plus, and the speed was also incredible.

[wANKER]

I'll take a slightly different approach here. I personally don't. But do, and have argued against doing otherwise, use iPhones/iOS in an enterprise environment - around 100+ devices. 

 

Personally, I see the absolute major advantage of an iPhone being you have one point of contact and one point of control - Apple. Apple controls everything. For me it's more than just an Apple ecosystem - your iPhone can do x/y/z with your Mac etc. There's one entity overseeing the entire process, and everything about it. 

 

• Their enterprise tools/systems/support is second to none. Zero touch deployments, supervision and full control after the phone is given to the user is an absolute god send. 
• Consistent and reliable updates
• Volume App Purchasing
• Security is a given 
• Simplicity for users
• Undeniable control and ownership. A lot of challenges in a corporate environment stem from users treating devices/equipment as if it's their own. With the way iOS operates, paired with the protocols and systems provided by Apple, alongside the likes of Meraki or Airwatch, you have complete control. 

 

[Pixel5]

does it count if i didnt buy one but still got one?

 

i got mine as a company phone and the reasons why we got iphones for the whole company are as follows.

 

• Board member is an apple fan boy
• The IT has more control over the device and can control what we are allowed to install
• Generally they wanted to have a rather secure device for our business
• And the most important reason: they came for free with the contracts.

Also just to add i got a 6s which is ok in my opinion but needs a bigger screen, my main pro of the phone is the long stand by time.

[Husky]

iPhone 7 Plus 32GB - Intel Modem (A1784 Model)

 

I got an iPhone (my first Apple product) after using and loving many Android phones over the years (Samsung Galaxy Pocket, Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy Note 4), I even loved modding and rooting and installing custom ROMs on all of my devices.

 

One day, I got really tired of the lag on my Note 4, and even after Factory Resets, it still felt weighed down and bloated. There were no stable custom ROMs for the Note 4 at the time. My dad (also an Android lover) came home one day with an iPhone 6 128GB because he needed AirPlay and Apple Music for an AV Receiver he bought. After I played around with it for a bit, I found that I actually really liked it and decided that I will get an iPhone as my next phone - so I got an iPhone 7 Plus.

 

I like my iPhone because:

 

- Speed, this thing is still screaming fast and never lags, can't say that about my Note 4.

 

- Stability, I have never had anything crash on my phone, my Note 4 was also quite stable but it used to lockup occasionally (not just mine - my dad's Note Edge also had it's fair share of issues)

 

- Design, you have to admit, Apple makes beautifully designed and manufactured hardware. Being water-resistant is also a plus.

 

- iOS Experience, iOS is just such a smooth, fast, elegant, stable, refined and beautiful OS. It is much more pleasing to use than my Note 4.

 

- Insane update support, I am confident that my iPhone will be supported for an extremely long time, my Note 4 only got 2 updates in it's entire life.

 

- Great battery life, for some reason my iPhone gets much better battery life than my Note 4, even though the Note 4 has a massive 3220mAh battery.

 

- Responsive touchscreen, the touchscreens on iPhones seem to be more responsive than Android phones, when I first typed on an iPhone, one of the first things I noticed was that the keyboard felt alive and responded to my input instantly as if I was touching a real thing.

 

- General smoothness, I have already mentioned this, and I don't know if Android phones have improved, but iPhones just feel so smooth.

 

Things that I don't like:

 

- Lack of customization, my Note 4 could be themed like crazy and I could really make it my own phone, whereas my iPhone looks like John's iPhone, and also Mary's iPhone, and everyone else's iPhone.

 

- Lack of features, my Note 4 was absolutely packed with features, one of my favorites was the S-Pen with it's screenshot, markup and notes features.

[Guest]

I have the iPhone 6 SE. The iPhone 5 size phone with the iPhone 6 internals. 

 

1. It just works. Every android I had automatically restarted itself within the first 2 weeks of owning (new)

2. It has a very long battery life. Lasts all day, or up to 2 days. 

3. It’s responsive. Sometimes androids just freak out. 

4. The components work most of the time. Many cheaper android screens & buttons break after short amounts of time. 

5. The lightning connector is durable. Kinda moot nowadays with the usb C, but it was a deciding factor. 

6. It’s easy to use & intuitive. There’s only 1 button. Press it once to leave apps, twice to close apps. Swipe up from the bottom for some extra controls. Flashlight, turn off cellular to limit data usage, enable WiFi, screen lock, calculator, brightness & volume. I don’t have to go all the way to the settings & there’s not much I need to control. 

7. I can actually hold it in my hand. Many androids are huge. The iPhone I have is small & actually fits in my hand. 

8. Ability to text and call people anywhere in the world that has WiFi. With iMessage I can talk to people using WiFi and not pay the absurd data fees associated. I have relatives & friends elsewhere & it makes it easy to use WiFi. Sometimes people don’t have texting & can only use iMessage. Finally, people do have phones that their SIM card or cellular breaks. WiFi still lets you talk & text. Yes there’s whatsapp but not everyone uses these. I don’t. 

9. Audio messages

10. FaceTime & FaceTime audio. 

 

It should be noted that all I use my phone for is texting, calling, Time, alarm, camera & safari for the most part. If I need to game or do anything that requires computing, I’m not too far from a computer. I’m not too impatient. The iPhone does everything I need it to. Also blue chat bubbles allow group chats without data. When you send a message your friend needs to see, their read tags tell you they’ve seen it. You don’t have to say “k.” It already says that it’s been seen. 

 

Edit:

apple crossover. I can use Apple TV in half a second to watch something on tv. I can text using a Mac. My pictures are already viewable on macs without configuration. I can send you anything I need in a second. When my last iPhone broke, all I needed to do was login to my Apple account on my new iPhone & bam, my pictures, texts, notes & contacts were right there. 

 

Edit edit

itunes’ availability on Mac AND Windows let’s me easily load new music & media swiftly to my phone when I need it. As far as I know, there’s no brain dead easy way to do it on android. 

 

Edit edit edit

i find it interesting Linus dislikes the iPhone. I find his requests for phones baffling. 

I don’t even understand half the features he looks for. I’m my opinion it’s 2018 and I can’t buy a phone that holds a charge for a whole month. 

As Linus seeks power user features & forgets most people use texting snapchat and tinder, I forget that people will actually pay for ice in their soda. 

[Blancaster]

The overwhelming amount of accessories and ease of problem solving. 

 

iPhones have everything when it comes to accessories, which means a bigger variety and choice.

 

Also, if you have a problem it is generally easier to solve because someone else has also probably had the problem too. There's also the much maligned Apple Support, I know sometimes they can be a major pain in the ass, but it's nice to be able to go to a physical store and have the problem diagnosed and possibly solved quickly.

 

Edit: I forgot to mention I used an iPhone 6s for 3 years and just picked up the iPhone XS.

 

Edit 2: The reason I chose iPhone is simplicity. I had an HTC One M8 as my first smartphone, and I'll be honest I loved it and didn't particularly have many problems with it. But I wanted to try iPhone, so I did and I haven't looked back. I am not a power user, I'm not a photographer, and I'm not one that has a particular need to be in control. So to me total features, cameras, and customization, are not a priority to me. I just wanted a reliable and high quality phone, I knew that iPhone could provide that.

[TB4211]

On my second iPhone now, 5s -> 7 Plus.

The main reasons I use this phone are:

• The large screen - better battery life
• Dual Cameras 
• W1 chip
• Water Resistance
• Stereo Speakers
• Cheap price on my network: £30 per month

My reasons for using iOS are:

 

• Year after year consistent software support - helps keep my phone feeling new meaning I won’t feel the need to get a new one
• I can trust Apple with my data - I’d rather not run the risk of having my data sold to some third party company by Google or Facebook (Facebook selling data didn’t affect iPhone users)
• Seamless backup and restore - when I got my phone replaced at the Apple Store I set up my new one with my iCloud and everything was there straight away
• No questions asked in warranty repair at Apple stores - After having the repair to my first iPhone 7 Plus making the phone worse, they decided to replace it with no hesitation
• The ecosystem works well with iPads, Macs and my Apple Watch - It is very simple to start growing a webpage on an iPhone and just pick it straight up on a Mac 
• iMessage
• The ease of use of iOS
• How well iOS works with older phones (makes the iPhone 5S still very functional in 2018)
• AirDrop (seamless file sharing between devices and friends) 
• Better and quicker app support
• Much less chance of viruses infecting the phone
• Find my iPhone
• Performance - even last years iPhone isn’t being beaten by the latest Android chips 
• Little things like: tap to top, the vibrations when scrolling through menus, the good quality of the built in apps. 

I think think that is all for now but iOS really isn’t as bad as Android fanboys make it out to be. 

[Phentos]

Not an iPhone user yet but plan on switching to the Xs next month. 

 

My personal reasons for jumping ship are the following:

1. Getting tired of Android's temperamental nature and its inevitable bloat. 
2. Android 8 is the last that my current phone will support. Android 8's much expanded per-app notification settings is the feature I love from this version though. However I've had my fair share of bugs and issues with it, including occasional random reboots when opening my camera or bootlooping after installing an update, though the problem went away after I let the phone die.
3. Lack of curation in the Google Play Store. I'm very selective about the apps I install, but rather all the crap on the Play Store just makes it seem crowded and amateurish. 
4. Wifi calling never works properly with my phone. I have very bad reception around my house even though it's in the middle of a large city, so I rely on Wifi calling but the calls always seem to drop off when I leave the house. I'm the kind of person who wanders all over the place when in the middle of a long phone call.
5. This reason is entirely related to my phone, but its camera SUCKS... I mean SUCKS! I want a phone with a great camera this time around, and I figure since I plan on jumping ship, why not get the best in that ecosystem.

[QuantumBit]

Easy to use, nice OS, and many others have them making things like AirDrop useful. Also a bit of social status but shhh...

[DexterSmythe]

I am an iPhone 8 Plus user.

I like the focus on security by Apple.

Devices are supported for long and are guaranteed updates for way longer than Andriod phones.

I like how apps are generally a little better or updated sooner on iOS and have less issues due to less devices to support.

iMessage is handy with other iPhone users in the family.

Cameras are generally not the best in the biz, but still really good. 4k recording doesn't have time limit.

[VirtualBlack]

I am an iPhone X user,

My reasons to prefer iphone over any android are: 

 

1) iOS, i feel is way more intuitive and easy to use than android, is more focused in the user experience

2) Updates: you don´t have to wait till your carrier relases the OS update to your phone

3) Design: In my opinion apple has the best designs, they always find a way to make the phone look stunning, they also add more premium feeling using better materials

4) Camera: You can film at 4K 60 fps in a phone, when you normally need a reflex DSLR to do that

5) Processor: when apple relases a new iphone, it has the most powerful chip avalible, maybe just the top-tier samsungs (galaxy and note) can archive a similar performance

6) Durability: The iphones usually last longer, my last iphone was an iphone 6, and it last me 3 years, and it is still working but i decided to upgrade to the X

[ElZamo92]

I buy iPhones because Android is absolute and complete GARBAGE, and Windows Phone is dead. Not to say that iPhone’s are free of criticism.

Edit: I own an iPhone 8 which has served me well for this past year, and I don’t plan on replacing it anytime soon. 

[Canada EH]

Iphone 4 and 5 user for the last handful of years, 2, 3+ maybe 4

cells before that were android, Samsung new ones for the time, screen cracked very quickly

they were cheap $20 and $30 respectively

nothing special, no need for much of anyone to drop big coin

I may splurge and get a $150 new phone, maybe

battery is slowly degrading

I need to get solid reviews on battery life of the phone I want, gsm arena is a good site

I break my phones too easily

My phones fall out and into streams and lakes I am boating or fishing on

I dont use them for anything other then calling, texting, a few pictures

 

end user security - look no further then the publicity stunt apple did when police wanted into a perps cell.

[captain_to_fire]

Currently using an old iPhone 5s looking forward for an iPhone 7+ or iPhone Xr.

• Hardware based security (Secure Enclave, file level encryption, Find My iPhone, USB Restricted Mode that defeats hardware based attacks like GrayShift by stopping read/write of data in the lightning port after an hour of being locked. Let’s not forget that once Erase Data is enabled, it will securely wipe all data after accumulating 10 failed passcode attempts. 
• While Apple’s bug bounty remains invite only, they quickly patch vulnerabilities when reported 
• iMessage and FaceTime are end to end encrypted which is more secure than client to server encryption used by other chatting apps. 
• Most of my iOS concerns are one tweet away thanks to [at]AppleSupport 
• Most of the iPhone apps I use have an equivalent iPad app that is properly scaled 
• transferring files between my iPhone and my iPad is easy thanks to AirDrop 
• As long as I have wifi and the person I’m calling is also an iPhone user who’s internet connected, I can just use FaceTime Audio even though I have zero reception 
• System wide Spotlight search is a plus (can be turned off on a per app basis, Settings > Siri & Search) 
• It’s a mobile OS my parents can figure out with little supervision 
• The best app ecosystem. A lot of developers make iOS apps first before they are ported to Android 
• Because iPhone/iPad users are restricted to a single App Store, they’re less likely to be infected by malware (not saying there ain’t one but it’s rare) 
•  A more consistent user experience across iPhones (can’t expect that when moving from a Galaxy S9 to a Pixel 3) 
• while the iPhone is no longer the best smartphone camera, it still has one of the best cameras. 
• Backing up to iCloud is optional