Quick context: I have always been an Android user ever since 2010 when I first got my hands on a smartphone (I won a lucky draw from HTC, sadly no more luck ever since haha). Since then, I developed some sort of reputation as an Apple hater, which for the record, I have been critical, but I appreciate it when Apple comes out with innovative and easy-to-use products (I've never been impressed by the price tag though).
Anyway, after about 8 years of using Android and at a moment of angst when my S7 battery dies every 5 hours, I jumped the gun and got myself an iPhone 8 Plus. And so far, I've really enjoyed it. I think innovation-wise, Android phones are still ahead, but I can see why people would stick to Apple and it's more about the little things that really make the experience with an iPhone quite seamless and enjoyable.
What I like:
1. (this is also one of the main reasons why I decided to try out an iPhone) Notifications! Android notifications are always displayed on the notification bar and for someone like me who likes to procrastinate on the notifications yet gets easily distracted and is always eager to clear notifications, the iPhone notification system just works better for me. I like how easy it is to just ignore a notification since there is no persistent icons that I can immediately see, yet the notifications stay and I can clear them at my own timing. The notifications are also individual (e.g. single messages, emails etc instead of one notification for one whole app like in Android, so again I can clear something first, and then come back to other less urgent messages later without completely forgetting about them).
2. Camera roll: the interactions between the apps and Camera Roll are very controlled, so I can save the photos I want from, let's say, WhatsApp, much more easily compared to in Android where you have to download everything in order to see the photos, which makes for very annoying housekeeping later when you decide what photos to keep and what to delete.
3. Battery & speed: I know this is a new phone and I have heard so many complaints about how the phones will slow down and the battery will slowly suck (which happens to all phones I believe), but so far this is the best battery life on a phone I've ever got. I can easily go for 1.5 days, if it's a working day and I don't use my phone as intensively, or 1 day if I use it intensively with YouTube and whatnot. Honestly, I really hated how erratic Android phones can be, especially with the software updates that somehow just kills the battery for 2 weeks and then it gets back to normal, so I hope that with the tightly-controlled ecosystem that Apple creates for iPhones, this will be OK. And if in the future Apple keeps to its promises of not slowing down phones with new software updates, I could just change the battery it the battery turns bad. So fingers crossed!
4. The camera: I don't know what it is, but I feel like the camera and the image processing are just a tiny bit faster and more snappy compared to Android. I don't feel like I need to worry about random photos being blur without realising that during the photo-taking process. Again it might be placebo but well, it's good for now.
5. Apps support: another main reason why I switched is, and this has nothing to do with Apple but more like app developers who still prefer iOS over Android, the support for apps on iOS is soooo much better. I hold grudges against Instagram for the longest time for not utilising Android cameras as well as iPhone cameras, leading to people believing that Android cameras suck even though it's more like the apps don't want to make use of the cameras and somehow provide shit video and photo qualities. Same goes to apps that don't even exist on Android like Huji Cam, making us Android users struggle to find the alternatives, which usually suck. So now I'm finally on the privileged side of things lmao.
Things I don't enjoy:
1. Front camera: I miss the wide-angle S7 front camera!
2. Poor support for external keyboards: I wanted to use Gboard because mainly of the swipe function, but iOS makes it so difficult to use and it keeps lagging (which I'm sure is not Google's fault).
3. WHERE IS MY HEADPHONE JACK? Even though I enjoy the EarPods quality and I've been using bluetooth earphones anyway, IT'S SO ANNOYING TO NOT HAVE THE HEADPHONE JACK ugh.
4. Apple Pay popping up randomly: this is a minor thing but for example when I tap the back of my phone (where I put my EZ-link card), the Apple Pay feature will pop up because it probably detects a potential payment system. Not that annoying but I'm just scared for my privacy.
5. The size: I would've totally gotten an iPhone 8 if not for the inferior camera on the 8. Still not used to the big size of the 8 Plus especially when I want to use the phone with 1 hand. I'm still glad I chose this over the iPhone X, but once in a while when I reach back to my S7 I really miss how compact and comfortable that phone was.
Anyway, it's been about 1 month and I've enjoyed the experience so far. Not an Apple fanboy by any mean, but the products do deliver and I should be an iPhone user for at least the next 2 years or so (that's how long I usually use a phone for), so we'll see how it goes from here!
Anyway, after about 8 years of using Android and at a moment of angst when my S7 battery dies every 5 hours, I jumped the gun and got myself an iPhone 8 Plus. And so far, I've really enjoyed it. I think innovation-wise, Android phones are still ahead, but I can see why people would stick to Apple and it's more about the little things that really make the experience with an iPhone quite seamless and enjoyable.
What I like:
1. (this is also one of the main reasons why I decided to try out an iPhone) Notifications! Android notifications are always displayed on the notification bar and for someone like me who likes to procrastinate on the notifications yet gets easily distracted and is always eager to clear notifications, the iPhone notification system just works better for me. I like how easy it is to just ignore a notification since there is no persistent icons that I can immediately see, yet the notifications stay and I can clear them at my own timing. The notifications are also individual (e.g. single messages, emails etc instead of one notification for one whole app like in Android, so again I can clear something first, and then come back to other less urgent messages later without completely forgetting about them).
2. Camera roll: the interactions between the apps and Camera Roll are very controlled, so I can save the photos I want from, let's say, WhatsApp, much more easily compared to in Android where you have to download everything in order to see the photos, which makes for very annoying housekeeping later when you decide what photos to keep and what to delete.
3. Battery & speed: I know this is a new phone and I have heard so many complaints about how the phones will slow down and the battery will slowly suck (which happens to all phones I believe), but so far this is the best battery life on a phone I've ever got. I can easily go for 1.5 days, if it's a working day and I don't use my phone as intensively, or 1 day if I use it intensively with YouTube and whatnot. Honestly, I really hated how erratic Android phones can be, especially with the software updates that somehow just kills the battery for 2 weeks and then it gets back to normal, so I hope that with the tightly-controlled ecosystem that Apple creates for iPhones, this will be OK. And if in the future Apple keeps to its promises of not slowing down phones with new software updates, I could just change the battery it the battery turns bad. So fingers crossed!
4. The camera: I don't know what it is, but I feel like the camera and the image processing are just a tiny bit faster and more snappy compared to Android. I don't feel like I need to worry about random photos being blur without realising that during the photo-taking process. Again it might be placebo but well, it's good for now.
5. Apps support: another main reason why I switched is, and this has nothing to do with Apple but more like app developers who still prefer iOS over Android, the support for apps on iOS is soooo much better. I hold grudges against Instagram for the longest time for not utilising Android cameras as well as iPhone cameras, leading to people believing that Android cameras suck even though it's more like the apps don't want to make use of the cameras and somehow provide shit video and photo qualities. Same goes to apps that don't even exist on Android like Huji Cam, making us Android users struggle to find the alternatives, which usually suck. So now I'm finally on the privileged side of things lmao.
Things I don't enjoy:
1. Front camera: I miss the wide-angle S7 front camera!
2. Poor support for external keyboards: I wanted to use Gboard because mainly of the swipe function, but iOS makes it so difficult to use and it keeps lagging (which I'm sure is not Google's fault).
3. WHERE IS MY HEADPHONE JACK? Even though I enjoy the EarPods quality and I've been using bluetooth earphones anyway, IT'S SO ANNOYING TO NOT HAVE THE HEADPHONE JACK ugh.
4. Apple Pay popping up randomly: this is a minor thing but for example when I tap the back of my phone (where I put my EZ-link card), the Apple Pay feature will pop up because it probably detects a potential payment system. Not that annoying but I'm just scared for my privacy.
5. The size: I would've totally gotten an iPhone 8 if not for the inferior camera on the 8. Still not used to the big size of the 8 Plus especially when I want to use the phone with 1 hand. I'm still glad I chose this over the iPhone X, but once in a while when I reach back to my S7 I really miss how compact and comfortable that phone was.
Anyway, it's been about 1 month and I've enjoyed the experience so far. Not an Apple fanboy by any mean, but the products do deliver and I should be an iPhone user for at least the next 2 years or so (that's how long I usually use a phone for), so we'll see how it goes from here!
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