Thinking of swapping from Apple to Android...any pros/cons I should be aware of?

[sourceofvegemite]

As the title suggests, I'm thinking of upgrading my current iPhone SE (1st gen) to something a little bit more modern.  I don't really use my phone for much else other than light puzzle games, social media and managing my business - but I'm thinking of making the swap to Android after being a long time Apple user.

 

Looking at a budget of around $1k AUD maximum... let me know if you have any recommendations for either platform

 

EDIT: Additional info from a reply I made further down.

 

I've had lots of positive experiences so far with the 1st gen SE. 

But there are lots of software/hardware issues currently that I'm dealing with.

• Battery is no longer reliable and drains fast - I've had multiple shutdowns and reboots when my phone has displayed up to 25% current battery capcacity
• Load times on apps are increasing rapidly, and becoming slow/unresponsive very frequently - sometimes the phone will lock itself in a horizontal landscape even when vertical, resulting in a restart being required
• Occasionally stuck in a boot loop - quite scary as this happened once when updating my phone, ended up wiping a lot of critical data that I had neglected to back up on the cloud... silly me
• Buttons no longer working or working when they feel like it - Touch ID sensor is cooked, work about 25% of the time.  Lock screen button occasionally faulty.  Not the end of the world, but a nuisance

The above is a bit of a smorgasboard of hardware/software fixes, and even if I invest in replacing parts myself (battery, home button etc), it is likely that software issues will still remain.  And the CPU in the 1st gen SE is not really keeping up I feel.

 

Some things that I wish were better, or that I would love to have on my phone:

• Larger display to assist in reading emails and sending messages to clients - the small display on a 1st gen SE does not cut it anymore.  No two ways about that unfortunately
• Better software stability and responsiveness - Not much to add here to be honest
• Competitive battery capacity and storage - Able to be used all day, frequently.  I should say that as part of my education I do a lot of recording/videoing with the camera for self-critique, and having decent storage and quality microphones would be a massive bonus.

I think a new phone would benefit me greatly, but also the tech nerd part of me wants to be satisfied as well I guess haha.

Also fyi hope the conversion worked out, but it roughly goes to $645USD.  So definitely not looking at any current flagships.  Budget would include decent case/glass protector as well for the long term.

 

I'm hoping to make a good investment now that will last me maybe 4/5 years (I understand tech is moving so fast that this is likely impossible).

[CopiWasTaken]

1 minute ago, sourceofvegemite said:

As the title suggests, I'm thinking of upgrading my current iPhone SE (1st gen) to something a little bit more modern.  I don't really use my phone for much else other than light puzzle games, social media and managing my business - but I'm thinking of making the swap to Android after being a long time Apple user.

 

Looking at a budget of around $1k AUD maximum... let me know if you have any recommendations for either platform

The galaxy s10 is really nice!

[Letgomyleghoe]

The new iPhone se is really good all around, the battery life looks low compared to similairly priced androids, but android tends to absolutely succ battery life, and the se is also using a downclocked a13 so it won’t us as much battery.

[EL02]

9 hours ago, scuff gang said:

but android tends to absolutely succ battery life

Im getting 9h SOT on my android phone(4000mah)...

9 hours ago, sourceofvegemite said:

As the title suggests, I'm thinking of upgrading my current iPhone SE (1st gen) to something a little bit more modern.  I don't really use my phone for much else other than light puzzle games, social media and managing my business - but I'm thinking of making the swap to Android after being a long time Apple user.

If you like ios, i would suggest the iPhone 11, but it's like $77 more.

BUT on the android side of things, the OnePlus 7 Pro looks like a pretty good deal, considering it has a 90Hz screen and sd855. However, if you aren't keen on high refresh rate screens, the Xiaomi K30 Pro is faster due to the sd865 chip and is also cheaper.

[Letgomyleghoe]

7 minutes ago, EL02 said:

Im getting 9h SOT on my android phone(4000mah)...

Samsung?

 

7 minutes ago, EL02 said:

If you like ios, i would suggest the iPhone 11, but it's like $77 more.

Why not get the se?

[sourceofvegemite]

59 minutes ago, ItzCopiouz said:

The galaxy s10 is really nice!

Mmmm but I'm a bit worried about the lack of software/security support after 2 years...(not sure if I did my research right)?  Unless there's a way to jerry-rig updates in the future.

 

56 minutes ago, scuff gang said:

The new iPhone se is really good all around, the battery life looks low compared to similairly priced androids, but android tends to absolutely succ battery life, and the se is also using a downclocked a13 so it won’t us as much battery.

Yeah definitely been eyeing up the new SE since it's announcement.  But I'd like something that doesn't feel last-gen design wise, I think I'm ready for a change in that regard (I've been using the iPhone 5 model for about 5/6 years now).  Main worry with that phone is defintely the battery as well, as with my experience with my current SE is that after a significant update the battery absolutely tanks and has been completely blacking out on me at 25% capacity displayed...

 

50 minutes ago, EL02 said:

BUT on the android side of things, the OnePlus 7 Pro looks like a pretty good deal, considering it has a 90Hz screen and sd855. However, if you aren't keen on high refresh rate screens, the Xiaomi K30 Pro is faster due to the sd865 chip and is also cheaper.

I mean some cutting edge tech would definitely be nice!  Do you have experience with Xiaomi?

[EL02]

8 hours ago, sourceofvegemite said:

I mean some cutting edge tech would definitely be nice!  Do you have experience with Xiaomi?

Yes, i do. The only con is that xiaomi releases updates a little too late.

[sourceofvegemite]

3 hours ago, huilun02 said:

$1k for light games and social media, interesting

 

What about your old SE you wish was better?

As it stands I dont see any reason as to how a new phone will result in any benefit to you

Yup!  Sounds very weird I know...

I've always been a fan of tech and it would be really nice to have a phone that lasts me a long period of time.  I guess part of me wants something that's actually nice and new, now that I'm independent enough to afford something.  Longevity is a key point for me.

 

I've had lots of positive experiences so far with the 1st gen SE. 

But there are lots of software/hardware issues currently that I'm dealing with.

• Battery is no longer reliable and drains fast - I've had multiple shutdowns and reboots when my phone has displayed up to 25% current battery capcacity
• Load times on apps are increasing rapidly, and becoming slow/unresponsive very frequently - sometimes the phone will lock itself in a horizontal landscape even when vertical, resulting in a restart being required
• Occasionally stuck in a boot loop - quite scary as this happened once when updating my phone, ended up wiping a lot of critical data that I had neglected to back up on the cloud... silly me
• Buttons no longer working or working when they feel like it - Touch ID sensor is cooked, work about 25% of the time.  Lock screen button occasionally faulty.  Not the end of the world, but a nuisance

The above is a bit of a smorgasboard of hardware/software fixes, and even if I invest in replacing parts myself (battery, home button etc), it is likely that software issues will still remain.  And the CPU in the 1st gen SE is not really keeping up I feel.

 

Some things that I wish were better, or that I would love to have on my phone:

• Larger display to assist in reading emails and sending messages to clients - the small display on a 1st gen SE does not cut it anymore.  No two ways about that unfortunately
• Better software stability and responsiveness - Not much to add here to be honest
• Competitive battery capacity and storage - Able to be used all day, frequently.  I should say that as part of my education I do a lot of recording/videoing with the camera for self-critique, and having decent storage and quality microphones would be a massive bonus.

I think a new phone would benefit me greatly, but also the tech nerd part of me wants to be satisfied as well I guess haha.

Also fyi hope the conversion worked out, but it roughly goes to $645USD.  So definitely not looking at any current flagships.  Budget would include decent case/glass protector as well for the long term.

 

I'm hoping to make a good investment now that will last me maybe 4/5 years (I understand tech is moving so fast that this is likely impossible).

 

31 minutes ago, EL02 said:

Yes, i do. The only con is that xiaomi releases updates a little too late.

How would you rate their implementation of Andriod OS?  Is it a boot-up and go experience or more of a sit down one?

[EL02]

1 hour ago, sourceofvegemite said:

How would you rate their implementation of Andriod OS?  Is it a boot-up and go experience or more of a sit down one?

No, not like that. There is some bloatware that you will have to uninstall. Now miui 12 is starting to roll out, which seems pretty promising. Also they have a huge community base. If xiaomi stops supporting the device after 2-3 years, you will still have a lot of very stable custom roms to choose from.

[sourceofvegemite]

2 hours ago, huilun02 said:

Any idea of where you intend to buy from?

So I can have a look at whats the best option for your budget

Honestly likely from online.  Will need to be somewhere reliable.

 

2 hours ago, EL02 said:

No, not like that. There is some bloatware that you will have to uninstall. Now miui 12 is starting to roll out, which seems pretty promising. Also they have a huge community base. If xiaomi stops supporting the device after 2-3 years, you will still have a lot of very stable custom roms to choose from.

https://fossbytes.com/xiaomi-devices-found-tracking-and-recording-browsing-data-of-millions/

Just saw this on Reddit....big yikes for a Xiaomi reccomendation

[EL02]

Just now, huilun02 said:

I'm no Australian or in Australia, so...

 

So it says the tracking is in Xiaomi's Mi browser and music app. You would be able to avoid it by using another browser and music app

Yeah was about to say that. It's not like google is any different.

[sourceofvegemite]

9 hours ago, EL02 said:

Yeah was about to say that. It's not like google is any different.

I'll keep it in mind!

9 hours ago, huilun02 said:

I'm no Australian or in Australia, so...

So online stores such as JB-HiFi, Dicksmith, Kogan, Amazon, or even eBay if needed

Would likely go instore to Apple if I choose to go that route!

 

But I think I'm more interested in some recommendations, and then I can price hunt myself if needed  

 

So far I've been recommended:

Xiaomi K30 Pro (~$700 AUD)

https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_k30_pro-10140.php

 

Samsung Galaxy S10 (~$969 AUD but seeing a lot of different prices in different places...)

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s10-9536.php

 

I've also just seen the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite/e edition which looks actually quite nice and is priced similarly to the iPhone SE

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s10_lite-9917.php

 

iPhone SE ($750)

https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_se_(2020)-10170.php

 

[TheBean]

you get endless customization on android. if you use magisk or root, then you get even more options, heck you can change the operating system entirely too. On android you can do almost anything you want. 

 

Edit: I would recommend samsung s10 or oneplus 7t

Edited May 2, 2020 by Saksham

[sourceofvegemite]

3 hours ago, Saksham said:

you get endless customization on android. if you use magisk or root, then you get even more options, heck you can change the operating system entirely too. On android you can do almost anything you want. 

 

Edit: I would recommend samsung s10 or oneplus 7t

I think I'm swaying towards the endless customisation.  It seems like a lot of fun and I love having things be a little bit more "personal", even if I have to sacrifice the convenience of iMessage.

1 hour ago, huilun02 said:

 

Leaning towards the K30 Pro after you and @EL02's recommendations.

 

One thing I'm also weighing up is the 90hz display on the One+ 7 series.  Obviously it's battery capcacity is limited, but would it be worth it in your opinions (or anyone who has recommended a 90hz display)?

[Darkseth]

5 hours ago, sourceofvegemite said:

One thing I'm also weighing up is the 90hz display on the One+ 7 series.  Obviously it's battery capcacity is limited, but would it be worth it in your opinions (or anyone who has recommended a 90hz display)?

Do you like "smoothness" when scrolling? Because that's how you get it.

It's VERY noticeable to have more than 60 Hz, and 60 Hz alone seems like a Bottleneck considering the immense performance, modern Flaggships have today.

I mean, it doesn't matter how much the Performance of the SoCs will rise in the next 10 years. Even if it rises by 2000%. As long the Screen has 60 hz, it will look less smooth than any other 90 Hz screen, that runs at 90 fps.

 

Do you "need" 90 Hz? Nah of course you don't.

But it does look really great.

 

If possible, go into a store and test 90 Hz.

 

But tbh, if you spend 500 bucks (aka, Oneplus 7T price~ kinda), i wouldn't buy anything anymore that has only 60 Hz screens - since i like the smoothness.

[sourceofvegemite]

5 hours ago, huilun02 said:

Animations will look smoother, but at the cost of higher battery consumption

Combined with the lower battery capacity, this means they cant compare to the K30 Pro in terms of battery life per charge and overall service life

 

I have an OP7P myself, although if you seriously (seriously) want the device to hold up for 4-5 years, the K30 Pro is clearly more suitable. Not to mention it has a flat screen that will be easier to protect from damage.

 

At 4-5 years, software support becomes moot because the defining factor for usability becomes the hardware, if it will be able to hold up for that long. Your current iPhone SE looks dated and screen is small? Then dont buy another SE... let alone knowing that you are already going to have to spend more money to keep the battery alive.

Great, SE is definitely off the list then.

 

Some people in real life that I've been consulting too have warned about buying Chinese phones, as they claim Google will potentially blacklist them all from using the Google Store.  But as far as I know, the best workaround is just to install an OS by myself and that should easily circumvent the problem if it actually arises.

 

The only thing I'd likely be iffy on is the mechnical pop-up camera on the K30 Pro.  I've had a peek at the K30 5G (which has no pop up cam), but it's running a lower spec CPU unit (Snapdragon 765G).  Might just have to be very careful with how I handle the phone if I decide to pull the plug.

 

[sourceofvegemite]

1 minute ago, Darkseth said:

Do you like "smoothness" when scrolling? Because that's how you get it.

It's VERY noticeable to have more than 60 Hz, and 60 Hz alone seems like a Bottleneck considering the immense performance, modern Flaggships have today.

I mean, it doesn't matter how much the Performance of the SoCs will rise in the next 10 years. Even if it rises by 2000%. As long the Screen has 60 hz, it will look less smooth than any other 90 Hz screen, that runs at 90 fps.

 

Do you "need" 90 Hz? Nah of course you don't.

But it does look really great.

 

If possible, go into a store and test 90 Hz.

 

But tbh, if you spend 500 bucks (aka, Oneplus 7T price~ kinda), i wouldn't buy anything anymore that has only 60 Hz screens - since i like the smoothness.

I imagine the difference is very similar to the experience of swapping from 60hz to 120hz displays.

 

If the hardware is there for the 90hz (like in the One+ 7T series), and I don't have to worry about an occasional drop busting a mechnical component in the camera (I do use the front camera excessively), then I would be willing to cope with a slightly lesser battery/potentially replacing in order to calm those worries.

 

 

[freeagent]

A couple of months ago I retired my iPhone 7 and bought a certified pre owned XS Max 256 from my carrier for half price. It’s a brand new phone.. anyways it was a solid upgrade and I love my new phone. I did not know about the SE 2020 at the time, but now that it’s out I think I’d still rather have my phone, even if it is a little older now.

[EL02]

The pop up camera wont break on its own. If it falls while taking a selfie or smth it will retract a little faster than normal.

[JoostinOnline]

So obviously your experience will likely vary, but this is what I consider the main differences between Android and iPhone. Android offers a lot more freedom, but that comes at the cost of having far less polished stock apps. The only three stock apps I still regularly use are Google Maps, Gallery (only for pictures, not videos), and Gmail. I've replaced just about everything else. I don't even use the stock dialer app, as I consider exDialer to be a lot better for contacts. I use Next SMS for sending messages, ES File Explorer for file management, SwiftKey for my keyboard, etc. There's pretty much always something far better out there, but that also means your out of the box experience probably won't be the best.

 

If you want speed and good battery life, a Oneplus phone might be good for you. I got a OnePlus 6 when they were brand new and it's only just starting to show some wear. It's possible that it's fine though. I might be spending way more time on it because of the quarantine. Personally, I'm not going back to Samsung phones. They lock down too many features, but I'm the kind of person who loves to tinker with a phone.

[TheBean]

15 hours ago, sourceofvegemite said:

even if I have to sacrifice the convenience of iMessage.

  17 hours ago, huilun02 said:

If you happen to have a mac (or are able to purchase an old mac mini for around $70) you can set up an AirMessage server so you can still use IMessage on android. But the implementation is not perfect

[sourceofvegemite]

I've decided!  I'll invest in a K30 Pro.  Very keen to tinker around with a brand new OS experience.  Thanks for all your helps guys.

[DotoreN]

2 hours ago, sourceofvegemite said:

I've decided!  I'll invest in a K30 Pro.  Very keen to tinker around with a brand new OS experience.  Thanks for all your helps guys.

K30 pro (or poco F2) looks really promising in terms of value (hardware/price). Just keep in mind that Xiaomi has been in bad daylight recently (link shown below). Even though basically any phone company is involved in tracking data one way or another. It's worth reading into it and seeing how it evolves.

I believe Xiaomi already replied to the "accusations" and claiming some of them were false, but I haven't gone to deep into it.

 

I myself am looking for a new device aswell and i'm atm considering the OP8 coming from the oneplus 2 myself. My current oneplus 2 cost ~300euro in 2015ish and lasted me 5 years, so i'm really, really satisfied with this brand. It's just that they've become a flagship nowadays, rather than a flagship killer they used to be and thus increased in price. Oneplus also gives 3 years of updates instead of 2 and their OxygenOS is better than stock android. (perhaps a bit biased since i'm a OP user) but a lot of phone reviewers think the same. I just wish OP8 wasn't that big (16cm+) is just.. so large.

 

[JoostinOnline]

2 hours ago, sourceofvegemite said:

I've decided!  I'll invest in a K30 Pro.  Very keen to tinker around with a brand new OS experience.  Thanks for all your helps guys.

Just another note, check out the Airdroid app if you want to be able to use your phone from your computer, or transfer any files. It will make the transition from iPhone easier. Those other apps I mentioned are great too.

[maizenblue]

On 4/30/2020 at 7:28 PM, sourceofvegemite said:

As the title suggests, I'm thinking of upgrading my current iPhone SE (1st gen) to something a little bit more modern.  I don't really use my phone for much else other than light puzzle games, social media and managing my business - but I'm thinking of making the swap to Android after being a long time Apple user.

 

Looking at a budget of around $1k AUD maximum... let me know if you have any recommendations for either platform

 

EDIT: Additional info from a reply I made further down.

 

I've had lots of positive experiences so far with the 1st gen SE. 

But there are lots of software/hardware issues currently that I'm dealing with.

• Battery is no longer reliable and drains fast - I've had multiple shutdowns and reboots when my phone has displayed up to 25% current battery capcacity
• Load times on apps are increasing rapidly, and becoming slow/unresponsive very frequently - sometimes the phone will lock itself in a horizontal landscape even when vertical, resulting in a restart being required
• Occasionally stuck in a boot loop - quite scary as this happened once when updating my phone, ended up wiping a lot of critical data that I had neglected to back up on the cloud... silly me
• Buttons no longer working or working when they feel like it - Touch ID sensor is cooked, work about 25% of the time.  Lock screen button occasionally faulty.  Not the end of the world, but a nuisance

The above is a bit of a smorgasboard of hardware/software fixes, and even if I invest in replacing parts myself (battery, home button etc), it is likely that software issues will still remain.  And the CPU in the 1st gen SE is not really keeping up I feel.

 

Some things that I wish were better, or that I would love to have on my phone:

• Larger display to assist in reading emails and sending messages to clients - the small display on a 1st gen SE does not cut it anymore.  No two ways about that unfortunately
• Better software stability and responsiveness - Not much to add here to be honest
• Competitive battery capacity and storage - Able to be used all day, frequently.  I should say that as part of my education I do a lot of recording/videoing with the camera for self-critique, and having decent storage and quality microphones would be a massive bonus.

I think a new phone would benefit me greatly, but also the tech nerd part of me wants to be satisfied as well I guess haha.

Also fyi hope the conversion worked out, but it roughly goes to $645USD.  So definitely not looking at any current flagships.  Budget would include decent case/glass protector as well for the long term.

 

I'm hoping to make a good investment now that will last me maybe 4/5 years (I understand tech is moving so fast that this is likely impossible).

I cant imagine going back to Android. My Samsung Galaxy was just a buggy laggy virus laden mess at times, especially after owning it for a while. Security was an issue. Never have had any issues like that with my Iphone. Its always been butter smooth. Im looking to upgrade to an Iphone 8 plus, which is around 450 USD for a new one on Ebay.