# Alternatives to the iPhone?



## macmac (Oct 22, 2006)

Hi all,

So I've had an iPhone since the very early days, before even available in Canada. Purchased in NY, jail broken and very pleased.

Updated to the 4, and have enjoyed the incremental changes. Anyhow, iOS7 has been a massive tun off for me. Although my 4 still works, it is a few years old and I want to upgrade.


For those of you using non iPhones, which phone are you using? How happy are you using? Has anyone switched away from the iPhone and been even happier?

Samsung? BBz10/30, Windows/Nokia? Other?

I am looking for a phone that will play nice with my Mac desktop(personal) and iPad(work) 

Thanks


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

I'm somewhat in the same boat - except I want an iPhone. But can't afford it here in Mexico since there are no phone/plan combos to lower the price. It's unlocked, full-price, or nothing.

So what are my alternatives....? From my pokings around on the interwebs, the two likeliest candidates are the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy phones.... that's performance=wise. Haven't dared look at pricing yet....


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## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

I have a Samsung Galaxy III, Not that I want it, I'd rather have an iPhone,
But it's all I can afford at the moment.

It comes in handy for backing up phone photographs to Google Plus though,
That's one feature that I like using for sharing images.

The phone works alright and can be had for next to nothing right now.


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

Just had a look around for prices here in Mexico - pretty unbelievable. There is one available that might fill the gap for me until I get out of this country - anybody want to chime in on the *Motorola XT914 RAZR D1* ? Android Jellybean... I really just need something that works as a phone, text messages, and a decent camera. Anything else is a bonus... (link to Mexico's TelCel online store info on the RAZR D1)


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## IllusionX (Mar 10, 2009)

CubaMark said:


> Just had a look around for prices here in Mexico - pretty unbelievable. There is one available that might fill the gap for me until I get out of this country - anybody want to chime in on the *Motorola XT914 RAZR D1* ? Android Jellybean... I really just need something that works as a phone, text messages, and a decent camera. Anything else is a bonus... (link to Mexico's TelCel online store info on the RAZR D1)


Do they really come unlocked? Last time i got a TelCel phone, it wasn't unlocked... Actually, i've had 2 telcel phones... Samsung Galaxy Ace and a Sony Xperia.. both were not unlocked.


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

No - in this case it would be locked to Telcel. No $$ on hand for an unlocked phone. But since I'm already a Telcel Amigo chip-holder (pay as you go), it doesn't really matter. When I get back to Canada I'll pick up an iPhone on contract.


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## macmac (Oct 22, 2006)

Money isn't really the problem...I just want a unique phone and something better than the new crappy iOS7

It seems the options are apple and Samsung. I want some variety.


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## Paul82 (Sep 19, 2007)

macmac said:


> Money isn't really the problem...I just want a unique phone and something better than the new crappy iOS7
> 
> It seems the options are apple and Samsung. I want some variety.


If you want unique and variety I'd probably go with a Nokia 1020, it's a Windows phone so it'll have the unique factor (for good or bad) personally I see it as a bad aspect as it means smaller less vibrant ecosystem of apps and accessories. 

That said the phone itself has good specs and a great camera. I'm not sure if it's out in Canada just yet, but it's been announced it is coming here.


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## macmac (Oct 22, 2006)

Paul82 said:


> If you want unique and variety I'd probably go with a Nokia 1020, it's a Windows phone so it'll have the unique factor (for good or bad) personally I see it as a bad aspect as it means smaller less vibrant ecosystem of apps and accessories.
> 
> That said the phone itself has good specs and a great camera. I'm not sure if it's out in Canada just yet, but it's been announced it is coming here.


I've thought of that one as well. Another reason to ditch my iphone is that Rogers is demanding from me a minimum $70 per month fee for an iPhone5s upgrade. Considering I'm not a fan of the OS, Rogers wanting more money per month that I refuse to pay, I think I'm done with iPhone.

I'm thinking of the Z30. BB may not have the millions of apps, but really, I just need a phone that can surf, check email, text and make calls. Shazaam is my most widely used app.

We'll see


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## Paul82 (Sep 19, 2007)

macmac said:


> I've thought of that one as well. Another reason to ditch my iphone is that Rogers is demanding from me a minimum $70 per month fee for an iPhone5s upgrade. Considering I'm not a fan of the OS, Rogers wanting more money per month that I refuse to pay, I think I'm done with iPhone.
> 
> I'm thinking of the Z30. BB may not have the millions of apps, but really, I just need a phone that can surf, check email, text and make calls. Shazaam is my most widely used app.
> 
> We'll see


As much as I hate to say it, I wouldn't touch a BB here... even before today's announcements and even more so after them. They just haven't sold enough of the new phones with the new OS to have much in the way of apps/accessories, and now it's looking like a very real possibility/probability that the whole company could go down/be sold off. Depending on how it all goes down this could be a BIG problem for current blackberry users as I believe they require blackberry's servers to be operating in the back-end in order to function, I'm a little light on the technically details, but I believe the reason bb's are considered so secure is that all your traffic is encrypted and routed through their "secure" network.


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## a7mc (Dec 30, 2002)

I switched from iPhone (had original, 3, and 4) to Windows Phone over a year ago. I have the Lumia 920 and I couldn't be happier. It does play nice with my Mac and syncs almost the same as an iPhone. They have a Windows Phone app in the Apple App Store you can download, and it just connects to iTunes and iPhoto and does the sync seamlessly. There's even a "remote" app you can download if you want to control your iTunes remotely (just like the "remote" app for iOS). The OS is slick, has a great UX, and is fast and responsive. The cameras in the Lumia 920 and 1020 are so much better than anything else out there, especially in low light conditions.

Things to note: The app ecosystem is not 100% there yet. Most major apps are there, or have a 3rd party solution. I have not run into any problems... there isn't a single app I need that isn't available for Windows Phone. And if you have any DRM tracks in iTunes (i.e. music purchased from the iTunes store) it won't play those files (no device other than iOS devices can).

A7


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## macmac (Oct 22, 2006)

Thanks for the tips....I think BB will be around ...I doubt it will be sold off anytime soon. The most likely scenario is to go private and have a small scaled business with no need to report findings. 70 million users and a growing business in the emerging markets (as that's where their focus should be) is no small feat. 

As for the windows phone....to be honest I have considered it....but I should take a good look at it. Next time I drop by the Rogers store I will inquire 

About the apps, I think that is the worst argument anyone can use for a smart phone. I think people forget how few apps apple and google had at launch. Also, how many apps does someone need? 10, 100, 1000, 10,000? I find most apps I see are utterly useless but most people are not like me who mostly use free apps. And those are just time wasters for the most part. I've only ever bought 2-3 apps. Apple might have hundreds of thousands of apps, but in terms of useful apps, productive apps, I think the numbers are equivalent across the board.


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## TheBat (Feb 11, 2005)

macmac said:


> Money isn't really the problem...I just want a unique phone and something better than the new crappy iOS7
> 
> It seems the options are apple and Samsung. I want some variety.


The Google Nexus 4, at $199, unlocked, is an impossible to beat deal. I have one, and use it as my travel phone. Has worked everywhere (Europe, Africa, USA). Very good camera.


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## jhuynh (Mar 21, 2011)

FYI, regarding Blackberry being sold: BlackBerry Fairfax Financial buyout: $4.7 billion | BGR


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

If you don't mind the security issues, TheBat makes a good point on the Nexus 4: it's unlocked, it's one of the VERY few Android phones that get updates in a timely manner, and by all accounts its as good an Android experience as one gets.

The Nokia 1020 is a pretty nice camera (apart from a serious yellowing issue in the camera, dunno what's up with that but I hope they fix it), and while a lack of useful apps is a BIG issue, it doesn't have the security problems of Android, Google doesn't want anything to do with WP8 (a big PLUS in my view), and while it may not be perfect, Windows Phone 8 is its own creation and not a bad Java knockoff of iOS.

BB is going down like a cheap hooker. I don't consider it an option. Sorry, Canada.

Regarding iOS 7: I had more than a few concerns about it ahead of time (particularly the thin fonts and use of white), and I don't think it's perfect. However, it's a great deal better than I expected, and I'm glad I kept my mind open and gave it a real shot rather than being close-minded.

Good luck to you.


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## dwp (Aug 12, 2003)

After owning four iPhones over the years I made the switch a year ago to the Samsung Galaxy Note II.
While it doesn't sync as smoothly as the iPhone did with my Macbook Pro I'm happy with the Note II and don't miss the iPhone at all.


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## ldphoto (Jul 9, 2009)

Over the last few months, I've had the chance to try out every major platform for extended amounts of time (my day job is in the wireless industry). Here's my take on the various OSes and devices:

*WP8:* I've use a Lumia 920 and 520. The 520 is the best value smartphone out there for sure. The 920 has a very good camera, but it's quite heavy. I have no issues with WP8, and I like a few features it has such as reading text messages out loud when connected to bluetooth in the car. Wireless reception of the Nokias is really good. The people app is nicely done, and I really like the way you can link some inboxes together but not necessarily all of them. That way I can have me personal accounts linked in a unified inbox and keep work mail in a separate inbox. What kills WP8 for me is the lack of apps for some key tasks. I use the OnStar RemoteLink app daily with my Volt, and it's not available on WP8. Neither is a Google Music or iTunes Match client for streaming my music collection. I use Square to process credit card transactions, and there is no app for WP8. Mobile banking apps are also lacking. In essence, the phone and OS are very nice, but it can't do what I need it to do so a no-go.

*Android:* I've used a Nexus 4, as well as a Sony Xperia ZL. Both great, fast, and have the app support I need. For the price, the Nexus 4 was a great deal, but it's no longer available, so that may be moot. I like the customization of the home screen so that calendar and email summaries can be shown. I wasn't too impressed with the cameras on either phone; the photos seemed washed out to me. Megapixels aren't everything. Personally, I'm not a huge fan od the dark UI in Android, but I realize they did this to save power on OLED displays. Processing speed was quite fast, but I'm not a great fan of the Android on-screen-keyboard. Transferring music and videos from a Mac or PC isn't as easy as with other platforms, but it's not that bad either. the only real downside to the N4 is poor WiFi performance, and so-so cellular reception. I could easily live with a Nexus 4 though, and in fact, I did use it for quite a long time. The Xperia had poor viewing angles, which annoyed me a lot. If the Nexus 5 is released at a similar price that the N4 was, it will be a really good value.

*BB10:*I have an acquaintance that works at BB, so I was able to get a Z10 at a killer price. This is the phone I really wanted to like, but in the end, I just couldn't keep on going with it. Radio-wise, BB is still tops. The Z10 works in places where other phones have no service. Wi-Fi performance is also very good. The on-screen keyboard is hands-down the bests I have ever used. IT predicts and corrects amazingly well, and works in multiple languages simultaneously, which is extremely useful to me. If BB released their keyboard as an App for android or iOS, I'd buy it in an instant, regardless of price. Messaging-wise, the Hub is really useful; no other mobile OS has such aggregation capability. Apps-wise, things aren't so great. BB Maps is awful at finding places, and the browser is OK but not stellar. Luckily, android apps can be sideloaded from a PC or MAc, so I had a way to get the apps I needed. Unfortunately, those apps do not update, and sometime, the old versions stop being supported. This happened to me with the OnStar app, which required an update to connect, but I couldn't do so without access to my computer with the sideloading tools. The form Factor of the Z10 and its hardware are great however. If whoever buys BB can get Android running on it with the Hub and keyboard added in, that'll be a great platform.

*iOS*I've used iOS for many years off and on, and I've recently returned to iOS with an iPhone 5s. A few reasons that drew me back are the complete app support for everything I do, as well as the best display of any phone colour-wise. I also prefer the form factor compared to the larger standard Android phones are converging to. The keyboard isn't as good as the BlackBerry, and the camera isn't as good as the Nokia 920, but they're both good enough I don't get frustrated with them. I also get some very nice features like AirPlay, which has no equivalent in the Android world (even If I were to buy new speakers and receivers). Cellular and WiFi performance are not as good as Nikia of BB, but the WiFi is better than the N4. In the end, the iPhone is somewhat of a compromise, where it does everything well enough, but doesn't have a truly outstanding feature (like the camera on the Lumia, or the Keyboard on the BB, or the great price on the N4). Perhaps that's why it appeals to so many people.


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

I really wanted to like my BlackBerry Z10, and there are certainly things I miss about it, or at least features in 10.2. However, I just have no faith in the company itself; from sluggish release schedules, to botched releases. The few nice things weren't worth the frustrations. I would avoid BlackBerry, at least until the dust settles.


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## a7mc (Dec 30, 2002)

ldphoto said:


> Over the last few months, I've had the chance to try out every major platform for extended amounts of time (my day job is in the wireless industry).


Same here, though I've only used BB10 for a few hours, not an extended period.

What you wrote is a highly accurate and well thought out description of each platform, and I pretty much agree on all fronts, with a few exceptions:

For WP8, I would not say it is missing "app for key tasks". I would argue that it's niche apps that are missing. All the major apps have official or 3rd party apps. And for the record, the OnStar app is now available, Xbox music would handle your streaming music (those are all proprietary to each platform anyway), and there's a Square alternative too.

For Android, I absolutely HATED the customization. For one, sure, it's great that I can do whatever I want and make anything any size and put it anywhere, but why should I have to? It's a pain in the a$$ to spend hours upon hours customizing it just to make it remotely useable. And second, most of the interface is horribly ugly. I had to spend days researching which <insert key app here> to download so I didn't cringe every time I opened my phone. And the battery life on my Nexus 4 was abysmal.

In the end, we buy what suits our needs best. Every phone is a compromise in some way, as you pointed out. One simply needs to weigh their real priorities (not perceived ones... who cares about a million apps if you've only ever downloaded 2) and make an informed decision. It's time to stop to silly brand loyalty and recognize different devices have different uses, strengths and weaknesses. 

A7


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## ldphoto (Jul 9, 2009)

a7mc said:


> For WP8, I would not say it is missing "app for key tasks". I would argue that it's niche apps that are missing.


That's true, but those niche apps are key for me. I am curious about the alternative to Square (although I do not have a WP8 phone anymore). Has square opened up their API for 3rd party developers, or have they released a WP8 app in the last 4 weeks?


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## a7mc (Dec 30, 2002)

ldphoto said:


> That's true, but those niche apps are key for me. I am curious about the alternative to Square (although I do not have a WP8 phone anymore). Has square opened up their API for 3rd party developers, or have they released a WP8 app in the last 4 weeks?


Yup. That's why I made sure to say "In the end, we buy what suits our needs best". Clearly, it was an issue for you, and it's a perfectly valid reason.

The Square alternative I mentioned is not "Square" at all. By alternative, I mean a whole different system. It's called InnerFence. And it works on Mac, iPhone, Android, and WP8.

A7


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## mgmitchell (Apr 4, 2008)

Old thread, thought I'd jump in.
Switching from the iPhone SE to an Android. Had enough of the Apple mobile world. I still have and enjoy the Mac Air, no issues there. Any "issues" I should be prepared to encounter with the switch? Thanks.


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

mgmitchell said:


> Old thread, thought I'd jump in.
> Switching from the iPhone SE to an Android. Had enough of the Apple mobile world. I still have and enjoy the Mac Air, no issues there. Any "issues" I should be prepared to encounter with the switch? Thanks.


Sure. The biggest would be, depending on the vendor of your phone, you're at the mercy of your service provider for software updates. Could be months after an official release, if not longer since the vendor adds their stuff to the official Googly version, THEN the service provider has their stab at it. (IF you even get an update) I would stick with Google's offering over say Samsung.

There is (or was) a lot of sketchy junk in the Play store. But lots of great stuff too. And Google often throws incentives like rebates around. Avoid non-official channels for software.

As an aside, I don't trust Google at all with any of my data. But that's just me.


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## mgmitchell (Apr 4, 2008)

Thanks for the tips.


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## Commodus (May 10, 2005)

mgmitchell said:


> Thanks for the tips.


As someone who regularly exists on both sides of the fence (primarily iPhone, but I have a modern Android phone that I use to some extent virtually every day), I may have some extra pointers.

First: make sure you deactivate iMessage on the phone if you've used the feature at all (that is, you've had blue chat bubbles in Messages). You don't want to miss out on conversations from iOS users just because they're being routed to the void.

Be sure to choose your phone carefully, because the software experience varies widely. I prefer phones with stock or near-stock Android, because the heavily customized interfaces tend to bog down over time and often get OS updates months after Google releases them (that should get better now that Android Oreo has been around, but we'll see).

On that note, if you want timely OS updates and stock or near-stock Android, your best choices are Google's Pixel line, OnePlus, Essential, Nokia and a few others. I actually tend to avoid Samsung as its phones are notoriously top-heavy with custom software and frequently get updates _several_ months after Google pushes them out. I like to joke that Samsung makes a convincing case for iPhones.

And when it comes to Google and privacy... I honestly think a lot of the fear is overblown. Apple does do a better job of putting privacy first, but no, Google isn't listening to everything you say or sharing your most intimate details with advertisers. You still have to grant permission for key features, and you can go into a dedicated privacy control section to determine what it knows about you. Basically: review your settings and relax.


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

I have both - the last several years on an Android (Motorola - nice with near-stock OS) and recently to an old iPhone 5 (not "s" - stuck at iOS 10).

I very, very much like iPhone's integration with Photos (my biggest beef while on Android); iCloud Drive; general integration with Mac ecosystem. Some things still bug me, like less customization than with Android when it comes to notifications (again, I can't upgrade to newer iOS, so this may be moot).

Android's access to apps seems wider via the Play Store, but there have been so many security issues with those apps, you really need to stay on top of things.

And the Android OS update delay... there are ways around it if you want to get your hands (really) dirty, otherwise it's a waiting game.


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