Deciding between the GALAXY Note 3 and iPhone 5S

[Minto]

I've been using an iPhone 4 for the past few years and since then I've been oblivious to any other phone. However, it's broken now and that kind of forced me to take a look at my options, and the Note 3 really piqued my interest. Specifically the S Pen.

For those who switched from iOS to Android and viceversa, why? Is there something you miss about the other OS?

What I like about the 5S:

• Comfortable with using iOS - simple, works
• iOS has a better app ecosystem with less junk and they seem to look/work better or more fluidly
• FaceTime
• I use a Mac.. iCloud syncing + backup
• Easy syncing/backing up of everything (I heard Android is more difficult to backup or doesn't back up everything like iOS? Not sure)

What I like about the Note 3:

• Widgets (I know)
• Multi-window
• S Pen and its related features
• Screen size is better for browsing, reading, etc. (though I don't care too much about that - it might be too big)
• 13MP Camera
• iOS 7 icons are ugly

For those with a Note 2, how often do you use the stylus? Was it as useful as initially thought? While the Note 3 has a bunch of shiny new features, I'm not sure if they'll be worth switching over for if I might end up not using them after the excitement/hype dies down.

[DC5-S]

I'm getting note 3 because I love to draw.
Posted via RS Mobile

[SkinnyPupp]

iOS has a better app ecosystem with less junk and they seem to look/work better or more fluidly

[!Aznboi128]

I switched from ios to android and back couple of times, used all the iPhones, s3, note 2.

I must say it's hard to switch from iOS to andriod especially if you have a lot of Apple products. Everything working together with iCloud makes life that much easier (especially with Cloud password ). With the new iOS update altho I'm not a big fan of the icon size, I think they're too big, it works well and the new security features is a big bonus.

if you're worried about specs read this

if you're thinking about the camera specs read this

For myself when I had my note 2 I never used the stylus and I never draw anything other for that one game Draw Something.

[vafanculo]

Honestly..if u had an iPhone 4..you already had an iPhone 5+

Just better hardware specs. Go android you won't regret it. The fact I can download torrents straight to my phone (without rooting/jailbreak) is good enough for me to take my business.

Both phones will do the same at the end of the day..but android gives you more freedom.
Posted via RS Mobile

[zetazeta]

Originally Posted by Glikoe

For those who switched from iOS to Android and viceversa, why? Is there something you miss about the other OS?

For those with a Note 2, how often do you use the stylus? Was it as useful as initially thought? While the Note 3 has a bunch of shiny new features, I'm not sure if they'll be worth switching over for if I might end up not using them after the excitement/hype dies down.

I switched because after jailbreaking my ip4 and doing a few tweaks here and there, there was nothing else I could do to improve my phone. I wanted to try something new, and see what it would be like having a phone which is much more customize-able and with a bigger screen. On the ip4, I almost never browsed the net because the screen size was simply too small. I hate mobile version of many websites and always found it a pain to use.

Since getting the N2, I've browsed forums, web pages, blogs, you name it. I use desktop view for my browser (dolphin) and after a few months of getting the N2, I stopped using my desktop/laptop to browse the net. Almost every month, I hit 4-5gb of data used. However, this might be because of the fact that I don't own a tablet, so the N2 has acted as a tablet for me.

Other than the screen size, I would say the most convenient factor has been the customization. For example.... I have all my favourite apps icons right on my lock screen (allowing me to access it faster). Through tasker (an amazing app to let you create unlimited "if _X_ then _Y_" situations on your phone) coded to automatically adjust all my profiles/volumes/settings depending on my location. Even my auto-rotate function and GPS features are automated through tasker. There's also cool little widgets you can put on your main/home screen... for me I have a weather forecast and a neat lil tool to adjust the different volume settings of my phone. There's a lot more cool things you can do, but YOU HAVE TO PUT IN EFFORT TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR PHONE. I found the learning curve quite steep for the first month, but once you get used to it, it's simply amazing.

I used multi-window for a bit but realized it's honestly not that convenient. Much faster to simply switch apps. Only time I use it (and it's very rare) is when I want to stream music on youtube while using another app.

The stylus is amazing for drawing. I draw on the bus, on the skytrain, when i'm taking a shit, etc... Beyond that, the stylus has limited usage, but since I love drawing (one of the main reasons I got a Note 2), I find it very crucial.

SOME CONS ABOUT ANDROID (FOR ME):
-I really liked how everything was so integrated in the iPhone. I have multiple apps, tweaks and settings to do features that are super easy to do in ios. I also had to root to truly appreciate my android.
-Rooting is much much harder than jailbreaking.... which was 1 button.
-I personally liked my ip4's keyboard more than the stock google keyboard I'm using. I found the autocorrect, keyboard size/sensitivity, and auto-learn features to be much better than any android keyboard I've tried (swift, google, go, etc.).
-I still haven't found a good email app I like. The one I'm currently using is decent but I liked my ip4's

Originally Posted by DC5-S

I'm getting note 3 because I love to draw.
Posted via RS Mobile

Same here. Main reason I got my Note 2.

[mos_skeeto]

I went from iPhone to Android and back to iPhone.

iPhone works well if you have lots of friends on it, if you have a buncha apple products (apple tv, iPad) and if you want something to work well without fiddling. iOS also integrates into my car way better.

I enjoyed doing things on my Android I couldn't do on my iPhone including playing DS games, adding home screen widgets and themes. I find that iOS suspends applications better for battery life. Sometimes on my Nexus, the battery drops like a brick and it's because some background app crash or was stuck in a loop. I also get odd data spikes.

Overall I find apps crash more often on Android and I have more day-to-day problems. The UI can be clumsy and the App Store is way better than the Play Store for content. The only thing I miss is the bigger screen.

[Minto]

Originally Posted by !Aznboi128

I must say it's hard to switch from iOS to andriod especially if you have a lot of Apple products. Everything working together with iCloud makes life that much easier (especially with Cloud password ).

I have a Mac, but can't say I find iCloud all that useful. The only thing I sync that I use are calendars, but then I started using Google calendars anyway.

Originally Posted by zetazeta

Since getting the N2, I've browsed forums, web pages, blogs, you name it. I use desktop view for my browser (dolphin) and after a few months of getting the N2, I stopped using my desktop/laptop to browse the net. Almost every month, I hit 4-5gb of data used. However, this might be because of the fact that I don't own a tablet, so the N2 has acted as a tablet for me.
Yeah I didn't realize it, but I hated using Safari. It was a hassle to use. I didn't think I would care for the screen size but after playing around with my dad's Note 8 I realized how much more convenient and useful a larger screen is.

Other than the screen size, I would say the most convenient factor has been the customization. For example....
Sounds amazing! Reminds me of If This Then That (https://ifttt.com/). What are some other useful features/customizations you'd recommend?

SOME CONS ABOUT ANDROID (FOR ME):
-Rooting is much much harder than jailbreaking.... which was 1 button.
But does rooting slow down your phone like jailbreaking does?
-I personally liked my ip4's keyboard more than the stock google keyboard I'm using. I found the autocorrect, keyboard size/sensitivity, and auto-learn features to be much better than any android keyboard I've tried (swift, google, go, etc.). Really? After trying out the swiping keyboard just a few times, I sometimes accidentally try to do it on my iPhone T_T

Originally Posted by mos_skeeto

Overall I find apps crash more often on Android and I have more day-to-day problems. The UI can be clumsy and the App Store is way better than the Play Store for content. The only thing I miss is the bigger screen.

I had the same problems when I had a Transformer Prime . Crashing and freezing.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by mos_skeeto

Overall I find apps crash more often on Android and I have more day-to-day problems. The UI can be clumsy and the App Store is way better than the Play Store for content. The only thing I miss is the bigger screen.

That's true. For some strange reasons from time to time my note2 will lose all singal (I will not be able to use my data, get/recieve calls text).... the only way is to power off my phone and power it on again. Also from time to time after I listen to my music when I want to close the music player app, it would freeze and after 10secs or so it will pop a menu that says "Players have stopped working". Other than that I have no major issue. I didn't use a custom rom or a custom firmware on my note 2.

Sometimes the graphics of the same app will look different. For example, if you compare candy crush to iphone and the android version you will notice that the color on the android is more cartoony (at least for my note2). Also on Moviefone on my ipadmin the app will rotate depending on how you hold your tablet but on my note8 it will only rotate while I play a trailer.

There are little things here and there that are different.

[BBMme]

I would go with the iphone because it just work, plus the app selection is quite nice
Posted via RS Mobile

[zetazeta]

Originally Posted by Glikoe

What are some other useful features/customizations you'd recommend?

There's too many customizations to recommend, I've seen everything from auto-replying messages when driving, to security features like using the camera to take pictures when someone enters the pin/lock twice.

I haven't gone about customizing my phone to that extent yet, but I do have my volumes/ringer configured based on my location. Auto-silences everything at work, and turns it all back on when I'm off work. Another neat one I have is I can text a special code from another phone to my #, and it will automatically turn on the GPS and text back the coordinates of my phone, incase I ever lose it, or it gets stolen. I have another one that will turn on the media volume and play a song, for situations where I've silenced my phone and forgot when I placed it.

When I get home, it will disable my lock screen, turn on the volumes, turn off mobile data, connect to wifi, adjust the screen brightness, activate auto-sync..... And reverses everything once I leave the house. There's a whole subforum on reddit dedicated to this... Tasker: Total Automation for Android

Originally Posted by Glikoe

But does rooting slow down your phone like jailbreaking does?

No, rooting it actually made mine faster. Depending on where you buy your phone, it often comes with a lot of bloatware that were installed by Samsung or your carrier (rogers/bell/etc). Rooting the phone allows you to install just the stock android version without all the excess apps that slow down your phone and consume the battery. I flashed cleanrom ace on mine, and used another app (Titanium Backup Pro) to further disable features I don't use on my phone. Overall, I would say it has increased my phone's speed and also decreased battery usage.

Edit: here are some really cool tasker automations people have made:
What's your favorite tasker task you made? : tasker

[Hondaracer]

My gf was deciding between the galaxy S4 and the 5S, there's no one in there right mind IMO who can hold both demo models and play around with them and tell me the S4 runs better than the 5S, I'm not an apple fan boy by any means but the S4 was hanging and slow to react to almost every action where as the 5S couldn't be smoother

I know the S4 isn't the same as the note but essentially yea..
Posted via RS Mobile

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

My gf was deciding between the galaxy S4 and the 5S, there's no one in there right mind IMO who can hold both demo models and play around with them and tell me the S4 runs better than the 5S, I'm not an apple fan boy by any means but the S4 was hanging and slow to react to almost every action where as the 5S couldn't be smoother

I know the S4 isn't the same as the note but essentially yea..
Posted via RS Mobile

I don't know about the S4, and I also don't know about the Nexus 4 with stock rom. However Nexus 4 with Purity rom I am using.. wow.. Every single thing you do is smooth and fast. Way faster than the iphone 5 I was using for the last 2 months.

If the S4 has the hardware, you can probably get it running just as fast if not faster with an close-to-stock-android custom rom.

[mos_skeeto]

I've used a Nexus 4 with stock rom and can confirm that it's mostly lag free. Seeing as the S4 is superior in hardware I think S4 + a close to stock rom would be less laggy.

[Cassijon]

what do you guys think of the LG G2? supposed to be released this week'ish

[370z370z]

both IOS and Android is getting old, I am looking at the next WP 8.1 products with Nokia

[terkan]

lol i can't decide which one to get either.. so i did a HUP on my corporate plan which cost me 209 + 90 for early upgrade fee.. and then i went online to order the galaxy note 3.. i love corporate plans lol i got an upgrade for iphone 5 1 year ago.. and now i get to do another hup and only cost me 90bux upgrade fee get rid of my iphone 5 and gs4 and it adds up to costing me nothing to get iphone 5s and a gnote 3.. only downside is i went for the hype and reserved a gold.. god knows when i'll see it