Talk me off the ledge, guys...

[jsarino]

The iPhone 5S is miles ahead of that Nexus 5

Both phones have their strengths and weaknesses, both have very similar approaches, but are at the same time are very different. I can objectively say (and I can explain my reasons later) that it's more a draw on which phone is better...I got to test drive a iPhone 5S for a day, and have owned the Nexus 5 for two days, just in case you were wondering. So, how do you objectively conclude that the iPhone 5S is, as you put it, miles ahead of the Nexus 5?

 

[draztikrhymez]

People complain about the camera and battery on the Nexus. They try and compare those and build quality to high end flagship phones and say why can't Google get it right?

This is a phone that off contract is $350!!! You really expect the same camera as a high end $600+ flagship?

The Nexus 5 looks great and if it wasn't for having a company phone I'd probably try it out.

 

[solitude1984]

Again, I don't think I'm displeased with iOS. Its just, can I keep using google fully and am I going to be forever locked into Apple?

Why are you going to be forever locked into apple? I bought apps for my blackberry phones and, when they didn't suit my needs any longer, I switched to Apple. I've bought many, many apps from the App Store (I had an iPod touch before I got an iPhone) and guess what? If IOS no longer met my needs I would switch.

I love the look of the nexus 5 and would buy it in a heartbeat if I had the money. But I don't, so I'm going to enjoy my iPhone.


Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

 

[tack]

After reading about the Nexus 5 battery life, I would not touch one.

 

[solitude1984]

Apparently both the battery life and the camera are quite bad. There's a review by someone called MKBHD on YouTube that you might like. He's a great reviewer.

http://youtu.be/1dg2UIzIt4s


Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

 

[Trees]

Apparently both the battery life and the camera are quite bad. There's a review by someone called MKBHD on YouTube that you might like. He's a great reviewer.

Google Nexus 5 Review! - YouTube


Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk

Agree on the review and reviewer. Like his style and content on this and other reviews I've watched.

From what was mentioned, sounds like the camera and battery issues could be addressed with a software update.

 

[jsarino]

I do like Marques Brownlee's (aka MKBHD) style, seeing a video review of the MacBook Air from him sometime ago. Very even-handed. I do agree that the speaker placement on the Nexus 5 is disappointing. They should've placed it either elsewhere, or have used both speaker grilles in some way. Instead, like the iPhone 5s, it was placed only in one grille, and can easily be muffled by your hand.

I found the camera to be average...not great, not bad, but average, so I agree with him there. I disagree with him though that it takes good low light shots. The low light shots I took tend to grain, and even tinkering with the settings didn't improve much for me. I thought it took really good outdoor shots, especially when you use the HDR+ feature. Also, I disagree that the camera startup, in-between time, and HDR+ modes are slow. Mine started up just fine, I saw no lag between shots, and HDR+ is supposed to be a little slow as it's taking multiple shots at the same time. I've used HDR on other phone cameras, and they took an eternity to pull off a shot. Not as bad as he makes it out to be on this one. the shutter speed isn't THAT bad. Would I want no-lag shutter speed? Sure! But, the shutter speed on this phone is worlds faster than the Galaxy S4, which oddly enough reviewers didn't address that, and many users of that phone complain about it constantly on the forums. Videos on it is as good as MKBHD says it is.

As for the battery life, I wish LG had placed the 3000 mAh battery instead of the 2300 mAh. That being said, I'm getting anywhere from 16-25+ hours of battery life (with 3ish hours of screen-on time) on each charge. So, I don't know how most people use smartphones, but I don't find the battery life as bad...average like the camera maybe, but again, not bad. Keep in mind too that the battery is powering a 5 inch HD IPS screen, and the culprit on what's causing the battery to drain is mostly coming from that. About 40-50% of the battery life drain is coming from that when I look in settings.

Since I'm here of course on iMore, what's the battery life been for the iPhone 5s? Even with a smaller screen, I've read that it isn't all that great partly due to iOS7. True?

Anyways, there should be some software updates to address the camera app soon, and hopefully the battery to quiet the complainers. If you guys (and gals ) have any questions about the Nexus 5, feel free to ask me. Heck, I'm even thinking of making a separate thread just on the phone to dispel any misconceptions.

Edit: my Nexus 5 review is here... http://forums.imore.com/other-oss-devices/269946-nexus-5-a.html

 

[jsarino]

I routinely get 7+ hours of usage and 18-24 standby in my 5S. Yes there have been people on the forums with less but a lot of the battery posts are along those lines.

HDR on the 5S is nearly instantaneous. I can barely tell the different between HDR mode on and off. However it was slower on the 5 I had previously. I'm generally happy with the HDR photo quality on the 5S but do not know how that compares with the Nexus 5.

Thanks for enlightening me on this. I had been hearing about iOS7 eating up battery life more, but I wasn't sure how much of it is due to the software or hardware on the 5s. On the Nexus 5, HDR+ mode is roughly a second or so longer than regular, so to me I didn't find it to be all that slow. The slowest feature in the N5 is Photosphere (360-degree photo), but it's understandably slow due to having to take multiple shots at angles all around you to generate a 360-view effect. I don't have a sample Photosphere shot to share to the group (I tried one, but I messed up and didn't render properly), but here's a compilation of Photospheres from Hugo Barra (formerly of Google) if anyone is interested: https://plus.google.com/+HugoBarra/posts/bCtd4urVNX2

 

[RavenSword]

Here's a weird observation I had: I think a reason I'm considering android again is that there devices are usually cheaper in price than apples. Like, the nexus 7 is half the price of a similar ipad and the nexus 5 is half the price of a iPhone and so on.

But perhaps I should consider that I MIGHT be getting what I pay for and the fact that Apple stuff is so well built that I could potentially hold on to it longer than a similar android device.

 

[BlackBerry Guy]

Here's a weird observation I had: I think a reason I'm considering android again is that there devices are usually cheaper in price than apples. Like, the nexus 7 is half the price of a similar ipad and the nexus 5 is half the price of a iPhone and so on.

But perhaps I should consider that I MIGHT be getting what I pay for and the fact that Apple stuff is so well built that I could potentially hold on to it longer than a similar android device.

I think with the Nexus devices specifically, they are designed to represent a tremendous value for the dollar, which is why many tech geeks are drawn to them. But as with most things of this nature, there's always going to be a trade off somewhere. I find with most Apple products, they are designed to take into consideration the overall experience, not just the performance of a device, but the aesthetics and actual feel of the device in hand. I really like my Nexus 5, but I would love for it to have a great camera like on the 5S and a nice, even partially metal, body.

 

[RavenSword]

Honestly, right now I cant afford to get a android phone like the nexus 5 while I still have to get my car fixed. Once I pay for that, I'll then evaluate things, but I need to pay the 400 dollars or whatever on that first. Then at that point, I think I'm going to hold off and wait until this iPhone is paid off or I have another subsidized upgrade available. Because I'm not unhappy with iOS, I just think I like android a bit more as a total experience.

So, I probably won't get a android phone until at least another year or two. By then the mobile landscape could look radically different anyway. But I have other financial obligations to consider first.

I am going to try and find ways not to get further "trapped" into the apple ecosystem . Meaning finding ways not to buy content through iTunes like movies,tv shows and books that have Apple drm. Meaning I'll probably start buying through amazon video more and continue using kindle. That way if I do switch away in the near future, it'll only come down to app investment if anything.

 

[jsarino]

RavenSword, you may want to consider using apps that are more cross-platform, which for the most part both OS'es have all the major players. Also, if you use alot of the Google apps and services (Gmail, Drive, Play, Calendar, etc.), then the transition will be even easier if you do decide to switch over.

 

[RavenSword]

RavenSword, you may want to consider using apps that are more cross-platform, which for the most part both OS'es have all the major players. Also, if you use alot of the Google apps and services (Gmail, Drive, Play, Calendar, etc.), then the transition will be even easier if you do decide to switch over.

Yeah, that's why I'm going to try and buy through amazon video more when I do buy video content and keep buying stuff on kindle. Music I use all access for anyway, and I already have the google apps installed.

I am finding that maybe the video playback on the amazon instant video app isnt quite as good as iTunes videos. Like, there seems to be artifacting on the amazon app.

 

[RavenSword]

I really wish I had the funds to get the nexus 5 and see how much I like it, but im also saving for a ps4, so I'm deciding which I want to go for.

Anyway, I'm unsure how much I'm being swayed by podcasts I listen to. A few times they said why the show host went from iOS to android and maybe that's subcnociously making me think there's something wrong with apple or something. And I do subscribe to a few android podcasts, so hearing them talk about stuff is making me envious.

 

[sting7k]

Moto X is on sale off contract on Monday for the same price as a Nexus 5 direct from Motorola.

Wait a bit for the ps4.

 

[RavenSword]

Moto X is on sale off contract on Monday for the same price as a Nexus 5 direct from Motorola.

Wait a bit for the ps4.

Problem is I'm not going to have the money by Monday

 

[GibMcFragger]

After years of Apple (4, 4s, 5, 5s), I jumped the fence. Rogers let me renew over a year early with only a $15 penalty and let me keep my current plan, so I snagged an LG G2 (Beefed up Nexus) for $0 on a Black Friday deal. After using it for a week, I can honestly say that it's a beast. As a quick comparison:

Display: G2 kills the iPhone 5s
Battery life: Much better than my 5s
Speed: G2 is faaaaast
Sound quality: about the same
Camera: Slight edge for clarity to the iPhone 5s, but the G2 camera is a close second. The 5s beats is handily in low light though.

After staring at this monster 423 ppi HD display, I don't think I could go back to the tiny 5s, lol.

 

[TiredOfPhoneWar]

Meh

 

[RavenSword]

It's just I'm resistant to keep getting apple stuff because of the lock in. It's why I'm not sure if I'm still going to buy video off iTunes.

But since I have this 5s, naturally I am going to be further locking myself down into apple by my continue use if it.

 

[cjohn4043]

Why not just keep the iPhone and get a Nexus 7? You can get the best of both worlds really. I have a Nexus 7 and I personally love it. It's portable enough to take anywhere and it's one of the best Android experiences out there. Plus, you will get pretty fast updates.