[Closed] Tempted by iPhone 13 Pro.... cheating on Samsung?

Seems a bit of an extreme change for that one feature. Plenty of other Android phones will take a 1Tb SD card, for a lot less money too.

Do you even need to upgrade or can you keep using the same phone?

I can't believe people actually buy (either outright or via contract) £1300+ phones, seems utterly mental to me. I have a £170 Xiaomi (that will take a memory card btw) and it's perfectly decent.

I would imagine the higher end Xiaomis would be very good, and still way less than a new iPhone.

I did a swap across for a few months once. It was a bit of a PITA getting everything across, and i hated the lack of expandable memory. I hated the job more though so gave it back when i left 🙂

The apps were much more restricted and the interface takes a while to get the hang of (not too long though).

In all honesty there's not a great deal of difference, they're all horrible life-sapping devices.

I've switched between iOS and Android.

Went from an iphone6 to Samsung S10 mainly for the waterproof and wireless charging on the S10.

If you like tinkering with themes in the android then you might not like the more restricted iOS.

For the price of a shiny new iPhone you could get 10 years of subscribing to a music service like Spotify.

But if you are just looking for an excuse to upgrade then go for it. I've nothing bad to say about either os.

I can’t believe people actually buy (either outright or via contract) £1300+ phones, seems utterly mental to me. I have a £170 Xiaomi (that will take a memory card btw) and it’s perfectly decent.

I can’t believe people actually buy (either outright or via contract) £5000+ bikes, seems utterly mental to me. I have a £200 bike from QVC (that has front and back suspension btw) and it’s perfectly decent.

The functional difference between a £200 bike and a £5k bike is in no way comparable to the difference between a £150 phone and a £1500 phone - but nice try.

I can’t believe people actually buy (either outright or via contract) £1300+ phones, seems utterly mental to me

I can't believe people pay a lot of hundreds of £ for tablets, but they do. A high end phone generally does a better job and apps are optimised for phones rather than tablets. I also can't believe people pay multiple thousands for a computer, but I rarely use one and when I do it's a 5 year old, £500 Lenovo laptop. And don't get me started on £50k German cars and Range Rovers. Grrrr

For the price of a shiny new iPhone you could get 10 years of subscribing to a music service like Spotify.

I already subscribe to Spotify (as mentioned in the OP). Each year an annual subscription is my Christmas gift from my father. But I can't search for music that I haven't made available offline if I have no/weak signal or bandwidth is taken up in crowded places.

Yes I can carry on using the same phone (Galaxy S10+) but as my 10 year old daughter's current phone is failing to even send texts I'd like to give her this one, but if I change phones now I'd rather get the next gen rather than a "that'll do the job I suppose" option.

The functional difference between a £200 bike and a £5k bike is in no way comparable to the difference between a £150 phone and a £1500 phone – but nice try.

Apples to apples (no pun intended) on a 1:5 ratio, I'd say a £1000 bike will be far more functionally comparable to a £5000 bike than a £200 phone is to a £1000 phone.

The functional difference between a £200 phone and a £1000 iPhone 13 pro will be enormous. I speak from having a £150 work phone and an iPhone 11 pro. The lag when using apps on the cheap android is awful. If it gets too many notifications, it almost grinds to a halt. The camera is like something from the FIRST iPhone. Low light? Forget it. Portrait? No. HDR? Ha!, VR Apps? Not a chance.

Also, you tend to use your phone for 1-2 hours a day, every day, for all kinds of things. So the cost based on use is actually quite low vs say a laptop.

OP - from experience of having an iPhone and a Galaxy watch, the most notable absence at the time (2 years ago) was Apple/Android pay. You couldn't do either. Notifications for text and emails were fine as were fitness features.

I'd say a £1000 bike will be far more functionally comparable to a £5000 bike than a £200 phone is to a £1000

Sounds like you made your mind up. I'm tempted by the iphone13 pro for the camera.

Have you used iTunes before? You'll probably need to use that to transfer your music over.

Anyone made the switch from Samsung to Apple and been happy? Or filled with regret and self loathing because of it? Either way, why?

I got an iPhone XR back in 2019, having been an Android user prior. And I lasted about 2 months before I gave it to my daughter and went back to Android... iOS might have improved since then, but when I tried it I found it very clunky compared to the Android I was used to, with lots of minor irritants - no major issues, just little things got in the way. Of course it's quite possible that if I'd been an Apple user and bought a Samsung I'd have felt exactly the same!

@Daffy sounds like you have a bad cheap android. I have a Xiaomi 10t lite 5g and it's great - fast, decent camera, nice big high res screen. Comparable to a top iPhone from maybe two generations ago.

Have you used iTunes before?

Not for a very long time.... since the iPod classic when it wasn't called classic, just iPod. I've not made my mind up yet, still debating the Galaxy S21 Ultra 512gb for ease of transferring stuff

Might be cheaper to get a new SIM card? You shouldn't really be having issues streaming Spotify in a city centre. I find the EE network (and cheapo Plusnet mobile which runs on it too) to have the best reception.

I can’t believe people actually buy (either outright or via contract) £1300+ phones, seems utterly mental to me.

I can't believe how people actually buy (either outright or via finance) £6000+ bikes, seems utterly mental to me. I have a £150 shopping bike and it's perfectly decent.

Is there an echo in here? I'm gonna shut up cos I don't want to derail the thread, but I think a lot of you would be very surprised if you actually used a decent budget-midrange android phone (in a way you wouldn't be by a £200 bike).

Can't believe I'm entering into this, but the cost of ownership of a high end iPhone is not the big headline number people like to throw around.

Real life example - I have a iPhone 13 Pro arriving this week - £1049, I'll be selling my old phone (an iPhone 11 Pro which cost the same amount new), for £550. Therefore the cost of ownership for 2 years is £499, or £21 per month (+ £6 a month for my SIM). To me that seems pretty good value for the single item in my life that I use the most. Yes, I could get most of the performance for a bit less, but the jaw dropping quality of the cameras nowadays is worth it for the shots of the kids and family quite frankly.

(I do realise I've written out word for word the "Islabike vs. cheap kids bike" argument there!)

Good point from Timmy. We get fancy pants phones which then work there way down through the pecking order of our children before eventually being spat out the other end and sent for trade in. Even old iPhone 7's get a couple of hundred quid after years or use and abuse.

I think a lot of you would be very surprised if you actually used a decent budget-midrange android phone

I have a Google Pixel so don't look at me.

I've switched from Android to Apple and back a few times, it's not the end of the world.

I've got a 12 Pro Max now and it's frankly fantastic, now I'm used to the bulk of the thing. The camera / screen is the best thing about it for me.

OP will have to get used to the Apple way of things though, I think you can get non-Apple music player apps for MP3s etc, but it will all integrate better if you use Apple Music, you can upload your current music files to iTunes, it will allow to decide if you need all 650 albums on your device all the time. Same goes for the Photos, If you don't need need all 1500 on your device it might be cheaper to buy a smaller capacity iPhone and pay a a couple of quid a month for 2TB of Cloud storage, I know you don't like the idea of it, but it does work pretty seamlessly, but admitted there may be that 1 time you need a photo from 6 years ago at the very time you're in a mobile dead zone, it's not happened to me yet though.

As for the cost of the thing, well it's going to cost you £50-£60 a month, to some people that insane, to others it's not. Personally I don't pay for mine, if I had to, I don't think I could justify it, but I wouldn't say it's not worth it per-se.

well it’s going to cost you £50-£60 a month

But it's not unless you are stupid enough to take out an expensive contract and literally throw it in the bin when you get a new one! As above, it costs me £21 a month for the hardware, and £6 for the SIM.

Personally, and having used both extensively, there really isn’t very much in it. Just make sure all your contacts are stored on some form of server than an be accesses by both. Ditto photos etc (I have all my camera photos backed up to OneDrive as it is trivial to have them accessed by any device).

If I were you though I would wait to see what Samsung do with the S22 which is due any time now. If the pre-release leaks are anything to go by it could be the one to go for…

If I were you though I would wait to see what Samsung do with the S22 which is due any time now. If the pre-release leaks are anything to go by it could be the one to go for…

The rumours suggest that the batteries are getting even smaller, and previous experience with a S10+ was that the battery didn't last long (with my usage), whereas my iPhone 11 pro which replaced it lasts at least twice as long as my S10+ did.

It's great that some people find a cheap android works for them. It doesn't work for everyone, and I have a cheapish Motorola (G30) and it is rubbish compared to my iPhone. It's newish, laggy and Camera is pants. That is comparing 2 year old flagship to budget phone TBF.

I find Android bloated, and clunky, but that's just my experience and preference.

I also have an iPhone 13 pro arriving on Friday.

TIA for not making this a hate filled tribalistic thread

@timmys

I think your maths/logic is wrong on the cost of ownership. If you have to sell an asset worth £550 to put into the purchase, that £550 should be counted as cost of ownership. You can certainly suggest that the new purchase might have a value about or above £550 at the end of the 24 months, but if that value is then put into the purchase of iPhone 15/16, it will then be part of the cost of ownership of that one.

Moto G 5G plus here, brilliant thing, with 5G I’ve almost never connected to WiFi away from home, and a big SD card holds all my stuff. Battery big enough I charge it twice a week or so.

I've had quite a few Samsung and HTC handsets over the years, mainly on 24 month contracts. As mentioned above, I've found Android to be clunky and the handsets performing significantly slower towards the end of the contract. A few years ago, I switched to the 1st generation SE and it was a step up both in terms of build quality and performance. I ran it for 4 years until earlier this year I upgraded to the iPhone 12. I honestly don't see me making the switch back to Android / Samsung.

On the watch, there are features on mine that only work when you have a Galaxy phone. Blood pressure and ECG for example.

I'd stick with Samsung I think. Why not get a deal on an S20 before they are replaced so you get a card slot? Dunno if it works like that with contract phones.

https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=9535&idPhone2=10377&idPhone3=10040

You shouldn’t really be having issues streaming Spotify in a city centre.

In Milton Keynes there is no 5G coverage and on a busy day it's virtually impossible to even connect to the Internet, let alone download or stream. No phone will improve that

they’re all horrible life-sapping devices.

Amen brother.

I'm no huge Apple fan but my wife is and has had various iphone's since the early days so I've used hers. I also had one of her cast offs for a while. My last three phones have been Samsung Galaxy, via work and the current one is a 9. If I was buying my own I'd go no where near Samsung and straight to Apple. They're just better.

Saying that, I really liked my Windows Nokia and Blackberry's before that so what do I know!

Those who are wary of iTunes for managing music Doppler is where the smart kids are playing nowadays.

If I was buying my own I’d go no where near Samsung and straight to Apple. They’re just better.

Is it only Samsung and Apple that make phones?

Try a Xiaomi, the performance/price is ridiculous honestly.

Always had the cheapest Android I could (A3, A5, A10, etc), been perfectly adequate for me - recently went SIM-only and treated myself to an A52 and it's been fantastic, really quick, 5g, great battery life, lots of storage, fast charging and takes a memory card. Not massively expensive (list price £400, Amazon did an offer for £320 if you're happy with an odd colour (I am) and Samsung done fifty quid cashback) but noticeably better performance than the cheapster models I had before, very happy with it.

Works phone is an iPhone XR, can't suss it out. Took me ages to work out how to turn the bloody thing off!

Sounds to me like you need a non-Samsung Android phone.

https://www.android.com/intl/en_uk/one/

Try a Xiaomi, the performance/price is ridiculous honestly.

Yep, I'm guessing there's nothing as quick at getting your personal data, beliefs and political affiliations logged on the Chinese government's databases.
(Apart from a fwaway of course.)

As opposed to just letting Google/Apple/FB have it, which is totally fine? That ship has sailed.

AFAIK Google don't have a track record of genocide and killing swathes of their own population. So I'm more at ease with giving them my money and letting them have my data.

Is it only Samsung and Apple that make phones?

Try a Xiaomi, the performance/price is ridiculous honestly.

I'm very happy that you like your phone but since my experience in the last 5 years or so has been either Samsung or Apple and the fact the OP specifically asked about Apple and Samsung, that's kind of where I'm at.

I'm sure your phone is very nice though, well done.

It sounds like a bit of work to transfer over and if you love the watch functionality (I just don’t get the whole android / Apple Watch thing at all) then you’re going to lose a few bits. Guess you could sell your current watch and get an Apple one if it’s that important to you.

How can Milton Keynes be that bad on mobile phone coverage - what network are you on?

I used to have Samsung phones - liked the S2 I had but when I upgraded that (it just seemed to be slowing down and down like it was inbuilt to make you upgrade) I went for a Samsung A3 and it was just a bit crap.

Went to a iPhone 6s, then 7 and now SE2020. It all just works and integrates with stuff pretty nicely. The whole no sd card thing is a bit annoying but I’ve got a 64gb phone and have iCloud storage linked. It leaves say all the photos on the phone in low resolution and when you click on them it quickly grabs stuff from iCloud to go full resolution.

Battery life on iPhones is nothing to write home about - no better / worse than Samsung were when I had those.

Once you’re on Apple you’ll end up tied into it a bit I find - I now can’t be bothered to try android again. I’ve still got a year left on my 2 year contract - I might try a 12 ‘mini’ come renewal time as I’m not bothered about the very latest phone and my wife’s new iPhone 12 is too bulky for my liking. Seems to have got thicker as well as a tiny bit taller / wider than the 8/SE size.

AFAIK Google don’t have a track record of genocide and killing swathes of their own population.

This would be the same Google that were developing a censored search engine for said despotic regime, and only stopped due to outcry from their staff and human rights organisations, and who haven't ruled out doing similar in future. Or a different Google?

I’m sure your phone is very nice though, well done.

Ooh get you!

Interesting read on phones and privacy/data etc - https://www.nextpit.com/how-well-do-samsung-xiaomi-and-oppo-protect-your-privacy

tl;dr - Apple is significantly better than Android, all Android phones are really quite bad for privacy

Maybe I’m getting old, but I did some surfing and gee whizz, trying to interpret the “best*” phone from any manufacturer is a nightmare, with various versions of various ranges available.

I was quite interested in the Android One link, but which Nokia is the right one, and where are the prices?

Perhaps this is where Apple helps a little, the higher the number the better an newer the phone, with only about 3 variants all based on screen size, an easy pick.

*best according to ones own criteria.

Music, Internet and Sat Nav use may well end up being my deciding factors. Downsides to Apple at the mo are Google Maps apparently doesn't work as well (might have changed now) and no Poweramp app so would need to either use Apple music or find a new more customisable app for my owned albums. Kinda swings the balance back to the Samsung S20 or S21 (512gb version).

I was quite interested in the Android One link, but which Nokia is the right one, and where are the prices?

I've been an iOS user for probably 15 years or so, and bought a Nokia 3.2 handset (£79) running Android One a couple of years ago. Mainly to use on the bike for navigation/Trailforks etc, but also just to see if I could get used to Android again after years of Apple. It's perfect for bike use but (for me) isn't a replacement for my iPhone 8 - its clunkier, slower to respond and generally frustrating at time, although some of that will be my unfamiliarity of Android compared to iOS.

For the OP, could an alternative be a standalone music player in addition to your current mobile? Not necessarily an iPod: https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/portable/best-portable-music-players

For the OP, could an alternative be a standalone music player in addition to your current mobile? Not necessarily an iPod:

That unfortunately doubles the number of devices I have to carry/use. I plug the phone into the car via aux lead at the mo and have both music and sat nav directions (when needed) come through the speakers. Having a separate music player means the music volume isn't lowered when directions are coming through.

@timmys

£6 a month for my SIM

Link please - I've just dropped my EE contract to a sim-only and I'm paying, I think, £20 a month. Obviously I need to shop around....

but seconded on your maths. The residual values are what make Apple devices nearly always better value than the competition.

In Milton Keynes there is no 5G coverage and on a busy day it’s virtually impossible to even connect to the Internet, let alone download or stream. No phone will improve that

Well, it might actually, but a change of network probably would.

That unfortunately doubles the number of devices I have to carry/use. I plug the phone into the car via aux lead at the mo and have both music and sat nav directions (when needed) come through the speakers.

Don't forget none of the newer iPhones or top Galaxy models have a headphone socket. But you could do a lot worse than getting a Samsung A72, if this is something that you need. I've just switched from an A70 to a S21, as I wanted waterproofing and a smaller size as it's better for when I'm out running. Otherwise I was pretty happy with the phone - it's not quite as slick as the S21, but that's not really noticeable in day-to-day use. It did feel a bit more plastic, but once you've got a cover on it again you won't notice it. And the battery life was great, easily got two days use out of it.

Link please – I’ve just dropped my EE contract to a sim-only and I’m paying, I think, £20 a month. Obviously I need to shop around….

That is iD mobile (uses Three network). For my £6 I get unlimited calls/texts and 3 Gb data (which very usefully rolls over unused to the next month) at a glance it looks at though you might get 4 Gb currently. This is a one month rolling SIM only contract. They are one of the few virtual networks that support WiFi calling which was vital to me. Currently still have free EU roaming, but I am sure it is only a matter of time till that goes.

If you want to stick with an operator that uses the EE network, then here is the full list;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Kingdom_mobile_virtual_network_operators

Don’t forget none of the newer iPhones or top Galaxy models have a headphone socket

True but there are cheap adapters for iPhones and Androids which allow using headphones and aux cables. Also available with power if needed. And yes, it is step backwards but not a show stopper.

Don’t forget none of the newer iPhones or top Galaxy models have a headphone socket

Bluetooth headphones are joyous to use.

I was quite interested in the Android One link, but which Nokia is the right one, and where are the prices?

Oddly enough, Nokia's website.

https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_gb/compare

I got a Nokia two or three years ago. It's not perfect - notably the camera is toilet and it bizarrely doesn't support adopted storage - but other than that for £200 it's been faultless.

The point of the Android One programme is that it's as close to a First Party experience as you'll get. Ie, no shit foisterware (I'm looking at you, Samsung) and guaranteed updates for at least two years (I'm looking at you, Sony).

Link please – I’ve just dropped my EE contract to a sim-only and I’m paying, I think, £20 a month. Obviously I need to shop around….

Look at Smarty. I've not found anything that beats them (including timmys' link, 4GB on Smarty for £6 vs iD's 3GB), I was about to jump ship after being on an O2 contract since the 1990s until lockdown happened and a generous data plan was suddenly less important.

Have a look at sky for sim only.

Currently £6 for 3gb, you can change the plan anytime if you need more data.
The unused data rolls over for 3 years and you can transfer data each month from another sky sim.

I had 12gb data before lockdown but have now reduced my plan to 2gb data and just add more when I need it from a 'piggybank' of unused data.

Bluetooth headphones are joyous to use.

Until they run out of power.
Or you want to play something on an older HiFi without Bluetooth.
Or your Bluetooth drivers on your PC mysteriously disappear, like they have done today.

Just put the bloody socket back!

Samsung A series seem to be the sweet spot atm. Memory card, headphone socket etc.

Until they run out of power.
Or you want to play something on an older HiFi without Bluetooth.
Or your Bluetooth drivers on your PC mysteriously disappear, like they have done today.

Err charge them? Don't have that issue, everything I want to listen to on headphones is on my phone, that last one is weird though, what a PITA!!

(semi) Seriously though wandering about doing various stuff while listening to Spotify while the phone's sitting on the counter top in the kitchen...What a time to alive!!

Yeah, they're great.

But if I'm camping or touring they're just another thing that needs charging.

And my point about using the socket as a line out is valid.

Just include the bloody socket, it's harming no one 🙃

Just put the bloody socket back!

You can get a dongle that plugs into the USB-C port that does what you want. Only problem is then you cannot charge the phone and listen at the same time.

Just include the bloody socket, it’s harming no one

Not sure you understand how difficult it is to cram everything into a phone these days 🙂

But if I’m camping or touring they’re just another thing that needs charging.

Yeah, tru dat.

Just buy the adapter and be done with it 🙂 I rather have waterproof phone than the 3.5mm socket.
Apple 3.5mm adapters have been surprisingly good in audiophile reviews:
https://www.audioreviews.org/apple-audio-adapter-review/

Have Apple stopped including the headphones that come with a lightning plug already on them? Certainly the last few I have bought have them in the box.

You can listen to wired headphones simple enough while charging either by using a wireless charger or a 2 to 1 lightning or usb C port. Maybe not as convenient as just plugging a socked in but the benefit of not having that socket outweigh the minor additional complication of listening to music while you're charging the phone...especially while there several different ways you can achieve this.

You can get a dongle that plugs into the USB-C port that does what you want. Only problem is then you cannot charge the phone and listen at the same time.

You can get adaptors that give you a charge port AND a headphone/line out socket.

Just buy the adapter and be done with it 🙂 I rather have waterproof phone than the 3.5mm socket.

Shan't.
I'll just buy a cheaper phone instead.
And I've had several waterproof phones with headphone sockets.

Maybe not as convenient as just plugging a socked in but the benefit of not having that socket outweigh the minor additional complication of listening to music while you’re charging the phone…

What's the benefit of not having the socket?
Genuinely interested, not being arsey.

What’s the benefit of not having the socket?

Cheaper to build, fewer mechanical bits to go wrong.

Over here in my area of MK Three mobile works really well. I have unlimited mobile browsing and very rarely do I not have a very good signal.
However, in London at the weekend it was appalling! Three Mobile used to be really good in Central London, not sure why it was so poor (wasn’t just my phone, all 4
Of the family on the same network had problems).
My contract is up soon, I’ll stay with Apple just because the family are trapped into the ecosystem.

Cheaper to build, fewer mechanical bits to go wrong.

That's not a benefit to me!
Never had a problem that couldn't be solved by contact cleaner.
It's a retrograde step.

Yesterday I swapped my Samsung to an iPhone, it probably takes an hour or so to transfer everything over (there's a 'Transfer to iOS app') and re-signing in to everything but its mostly ok, there's hints and tips for how to do things but its mostly been Ok, there's the usual mix of stuff that's better on iPhone / better on Android but I'm going to stick my neck out and say its a relatively straightforward process.

That’s not a benefit to me!
Never had a problem that couldn’t be solved by contact cleaner.
It’s a retrograde step.

Might be a benefit if the phone is cheaper or lasts longer as a result.
It's difficult though because we all value things differently.

Have Apple stopped including the headphones that come with a lightning plug already on them?

Yes you literally get a phone and a lightning to USB-C cable in the box (not even a charger). All about the environment innit. The 13's coming this week don't even have plastic shrink wrap on the boxes apparently.

Can't imagine there's that much difference to either price or reliability, I suspect the main reason is the one @molgrips mentioned: there's not much space in a phone, and a headphone jack is a relatively large component.

Ok, there’s the usual mix of stuff that’s better on iPhone / better on Android but I’m going to stick my neck out and say its a relatively straightforward process.

That was my experience - I came down on the Android side, but there wasn't much in it, and changing from one to the other was pretty painless.

Yes you literally get a phone and a lightning to USB-C cable in the box (not even a charger). All about the environment innit. The 13’s coming this week don’t even have plastic shrink wrap on the boxes apparently.

Same with Samsungs, or at least my S21 came with exactly one USB-C to USB-C cable, which is close to f-all use as most of the chargers I've got lying around are USB-A. No shrink wrap, either.

Can’t imagine there’s that much difference to either price or reliability, I suspect the main reason is the one @molgrips mentioned: there’s not much space in a phone, and a headphone jack is a relatively large component.

Price and reliability is dependent on design, therefore including it is going to increase the price and (possibly) reduce the reliability. Probably by only a small amount, but marginal gains and all that.

The ability to join a FaceTime call just became available on Androids.

Just saying.

Good there's a wide range of choice of manufacturer and lots of Androids are available with headphone sockets. And with Apple.. no wait, it's tough shit for you!

The ability to join a FaceTime call just became available on Androids.

It's all a bit clunky though and calls have to be scheduled and links shared.

For video calls between Android and Apple I just use WhatsApp video.

The ability to join a FaceTime call just became available on Androids.

Just saying.

I never, EVER, use any video calling system as I despise cameras being pointed at me and hate holding my phone in front of me to talk. That's one feature on my next phone that really doesn't matter to me in the slightest. The screen cut away to fit the camera in however.... that's a different matter. It's one thing that is putting me off the iPhone.

Op: the s21 Fe might keep the SD slot. I've am S20 Fe (might be an option?) And it still has one, I think the s21 Fe is our in a month or 2

I never, EVER, use any video calling system as I despise cameras being pointed at me and hate holding my phone in front of me to talk. That’s one feature on my next phone that really doesn’t matter to me in the slightest.

They didn't build it just for you though.

 no wait, it’s tough shit for you!

You know I  thought it was going to be a PITA not having a phone jack, but I think maybe once I've really needed it...