My trips to the dark side and back again

[TripleOne]

Dude , you are at U.S.?

Maybe

 

[AustinIllini]

It was hardware for me. IP68, OLED screen, wireless charging, minimal bezel.

Not into the customization thing.... no biggie, as an iPhone user, I am use to it.

The customization is nice, but I kind of agree with this. Get the phone and enjoy it as the manufacturer intended. I would love to talk to one of the AC guys about how they deal with that.

They can't possibly test every device with the Nova Launcher.

 

[TylerXIII]

I actually have it running on an S7 Edge I own as well as the BB Launcher too! So much better than TouchWiz haha

 

[Tech_User16]

For what it's worth I just want to preface this by saying I enjoy aspects of all mobile operating systems, my main two favorites being iOS and Android. I switch semi often and always come back. Below is my most recent experience.

March 11th: Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge comes out and like the tech junkie I am I decided to give it a spin. I had grown bored with iOS but that always happens. I stick with iPhone for the same reasons, iMessage and FaceTime, but something on the new models of iPhone was disappointing, 3D Touch. I never use it. The feature, while neat, is not a killer feature. Sure being able to peek and pop is nice and the added benefit of getting access to Live Photos was cool if somewhat gimmicky but, for me, it's lame. After much deliberation I was off into Android world and setting up my phone was a breeze. I used to included dongle that Samsung makes and plugged my iPhone into the Galaxy and all of my music, memos, photos, messages and other important items were transferred over. The process took about an hour but I was at work and didn't mind. Once the phone was up and running I decided to try out a few things, sending messages, setting up Samsung Pay, browsing Google Play and more. The batter seemed to have sprung a leak. I went from 60% after everything had transferred to somewhere near 35% in about 2 hours without doing too much. Disappointment set it and I went to bed that night without doing much with the phone.

I woke up the next morning with 100% battery and all of my stuff on it. I went to work in the yard and listened to some music native to the phone. After about 3 hours of yard and house work I was at 90% Not bad considering my iPhone was usually at about 95% once I got through lunch on weekends (I'm never on it) and I felt like I used it for awhile. Fast forward to 8pm when my day wound down. Not much use from the phone, but I was at home connected to Wifi for most of the day. Battery on the S7 Edge-53%. Wait, what? 53% and the screen on time was just shy of half an hour. Okay not good and why would this happen. GSam battery said wifi used 55% of my battery with Android services accounting for another 25%. Let me reiterate that WIFI USED HALF OF MY BATTERY. I tweaked some settings and decided Sunday would be better.

Sunday I started at 46% and sure enough, the phone died by noon with light use. I also couldn't message anyone which was super awesome!

Monday the phone was returned.

Fast forward a week and my itch had come back. My iPhone was acting weird and battery on it had become erratic. Last Thursday I decided to give the S7 Edge one more try with the Gear S2 to replace my Apple Watch. Thursday was the same setup process and so I didn't get to play with it.

Friday at work I used it how I would use my iPhone, listen to music, watch a few videos, text, email, and make calls. By lunch I was under 50%. I had done some major tweaking but the battery wouldn't last. The true test would be the weekend when I would be taking pictures and videos of my daughter and using it for navigation or anything else one would do on the weekend. Saturday was much better. 100% of my battery to start, 71% at bed time with a fair amount of use.

Sunday my wife dropped her iPhone and it broke, shattered on concrete inside her case. She started saying how she liked my phone and wanted to try it.

Monday I went and got her an S7 Edge to match mine and we picked her out a case and Memory Card to mimic our 128gb iPhones.

Since that day everything has been a compromise. Messaging is a hassle as most Android keyboards have weird autocorrect and prediction. Video calling wasn't so bad to set up but the quality. Wow was it bad. Sending video is even worse because of compression. Call quality was fantastic. Better than my iPhone by a long shot but once I started moving I noticed the signal played a big factor and the S7 had weaker signal in general than my iPhone. Finally, my Bluetooth headphone batter indicator on my iPhone is awesome and I'm never left without juice because I know when to charge it. Android doesn't have this and so it was kind of the last straw.

I am returning to iOS after two brief stints with Android. I'm sure I'll go back again but here's to hoping the iPhone 7 has a better feature than 3D Touch.

You say messaging is a hassle because of autocorrect and prediction with the Android device you used. Why not just change the settings? I use numerous keyboards on ALL my Android devices. I go into the settings for all my keyboards and change the settings to be to my liking. If I don't like the settings on one of the keyboards it's not a big deal because I have numerous keyboards I enjoy and am allowed to change all those things you said you didn't like.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Those saying the android experience gets worse after a few months. Here's a tip.

Don't use themes or icon packs
Don't switch launchers
Don't root or load ROMs
No customizing period.

Just leave it stock... in other words. Pretend its an iPhone. It is what it is.

Problem solved.

Or just get an iPhone.

 

[TripleOne]

Or just get an iPhone.

Or get a Nexus

Avoid TouchWiz IMO if you want to try Android.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Or get a Nexus

Avoid TouchWiz IMO if you want to try Android.

Nah I prefer an Os that is properly supported and has a more cohesive experience. Android is only really good for those within the foogle ecosystem and I find google subpar outside YouTube and search.

Ill stick to iphone and android. Especially when reports show thayast years iphone bests this years galaxy note in performance. Which is sad enough till you also realize the note has twice the specs. Lmaoo

Nexus is good for app support but the phones are inferior compared to other flagships as far as specs and features and design imo. So you tree one aspect and kiss another bye.

 

[Tech_User16]

Nah I prefer an Os that is properly supported and has a more cohesive experience. Android is only really good for those within the foogle ecosystem and I find google subpar outside YouTube and search.

Ill stick to iphone and android. Especially when reports show thayast years iphone bests this years galaxy note in performance. Which is sad enough till you also realize the note has twice the specs. Lmaoo

Nexus is good for app support but the phones are inferior compared to other flagships as far as specs and features and design imo. So you tree one aspect and kiss another bye.

You mentioned the Nexus device and the trade offs. The same thing could be said about any device. Even the iPhone. You go iPhone and don't get (at least in comparison to Galaxy devices) what's tested to be the very best display on ANY smartphone year after year. "Well it's good enough", "Don't care the Galaxy device has 1440P display and the iPhone has the 750P or 1080P display since you can't tell the difference". "Don't care it's waterproof and the iPhone isn't". "I don't drop my device in water anyway". On and on about why it doesn't matter the iPhone doesn't offer certain features or do certain things.

I don't say this because I think one is better than the other but because I see plenty of people who do think exactly that.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

You mentioned the Nexus device and the trade offs. The same thing could be said about any device. Even the iPhone. You go iPhone and don't get (at least in comparison to Galaxy devices) what's tested to be the very best display on ANY smartphone year after year. "Well it's good enough", "Don't care the Galaxy device has 1440P display and the iPhone has the 750P or 1080P display since you can't tell the difference". "Don't care it's waterproof and the iPhone isn't". "I don't drop my device in water anyway". On and on about why it doesn't matter the iPhone doesn't offer certain features or do certain things.

I don't say this because I think one is better than the other but because I see plenty of people who do think exactly that.

And yet galaxy performance sucks as reported by many tech report.

 

[Tech_User16]

And yet galaxy performance sucks as reported by many tech report.

And yet what I said is still no less true

 

[Wildo6882]

And yet what I said is still no less true

Exactly! People on both sides argue everything for their side until they're blue in the face. I just don't understand why people can't use what they prefer and be good with it. Why do people need some justification from others that what they have chosen was the correct choice? Why can't it just be the correct choice for THEM? I love both OSes. And I'm not blind to their shortcomings, either. What has made them both great is also their downfall. iOS being so incredibly closed off is what makes it so stable and so fluid. But also leaves some of the advancements to move at a snail's pace. Android being so incredibly open is what makes it fragmented, and slightly more issue-prone than Apple, however, Android's openness also affords them the freedom to push the envelope at a much faster rate than Apple. In a perfect world, I would have both. As it stands now, I'm in a constant every day struggle to decide which one I prefer.

 

[Tech_User16]

Exactly! People on both sides argue everything for their side until they're blue in the face. I just don't understand why people can't use what they prefer and be good with it. Why do people need some justification from others that what they have chosen was the correct choice? Why can't it just be the correct choice for THEM? I love both OSes. And I'm not blind to their shortcomings, either. What has made them both great is also their downfall. iOS being so incredibly closed off is what makes it so stable and so fluid. But also leaves some of the advancements to move at a snail's pace. Android being so incredibly open is what makes it fragmented, and slightly more issue-prone than Apple, however, Android's openness also affords them the freedom to push the envelope at a much faster rate than Apple. In a perfect world, I would have both. As it stands now, I'm in a constant every day struggle to decide which one I prefer.

Yeah I see it a lot about people wanting to make it seem like one device or os is without doubt better than anything else. Then make excuses why those things the other doesn't have or isn't as good is not important to them.

I can't choose just one but it's between iOS and Android (I also like Google services, Google Photos is great). I got Windows Phone and Blackberry devices but not as many as the other two. Lately it's the latest iPhone and latest Nexus smartphone. I had the Note the last couple years and really liked them but the freedom the Nexus device offers is more to my liking. And just like my Android devices the iPhone isn't perfect but like most of us here know, it's a great device. Some of the apps I like are only on iOS or was on iOS then went to Android. And although not all, some games look and play better on my iPhone.


***Side Note: If you purchase movies/magazine/books with Google you can view and use that content on both platforms. If I did that with my iPhone I wouldn't be able to watch or read that content without purchasing another copy on the Play Store. Just download the apps on your iOS device to view those things.

 

[anon(9144744)]

Exactly! People on both sides argue everything for their side until they're blue in the face. I just don't understand why people can't use what they prefer and be good with it. Why do people need some justification from others that what they have chosen was the correct choice? Why can't it just be the correct choice for THEM? I love both OSes. And I'm not blind to their shortcomings, either. What has made them both great is also their downfall. iOS being so incredibly closed off is what makes it so stable and so fluid. But also leaves some of the advancements to move at a snail's pace. Android being so incredibly open is what makes it fragmented, and slightly more issue-prone than Apple, however, Android's openness also affords them the freedom to push the envelope at a much faster rate than Apple. In a perfect world, I would have both. As it stands now, I'm in a constant every day struggle to decide which one I prefer.

Me too. I cannot decide between my iPhone 6s plus and my galaxy note 4 for the life of me. I keep swapping back and forth. I'm obsessed with the pop up video on my galaxy. I'm hoping apple will bring picture in picture in picture to the larger iphone next month. That might solve my issue. I prefer the tight ecosystem between my iPhone, ipad, and imac to android. I love both phones it's tough.

 

[Jtshurtleff]

Just to kind of update I have used the Note 7 for about a week and while still not quite for me the phone is spectacular. The screen is the best I have ever viewed, period. The 64gb memory in the phone is awesome to have along with a SD card for media and the software is much better and more thoughtful than previous iterations. Having features like wireless charging and water resistance are going to be tough to give up but the simple truth is Apple's ecosystem is much more widely used among people I know and iMessage and FaceTime are still the best of their category. I also got a chance to use an Android Wear watch on Android for close to 2 months and can say that it is a very nice platform and has aspects that the Apple Watch doesn't that I am a fan of like the "flashlight" which lights up the screen in white light and works very well when you do not have your phone and cannot see. Surprisingly the Android Wear watch I had, the Huawei Watch, was very good on battery life. I charged every other night and the screen always displayed the time and my most recent notification at the bottom. The wrist raise did not register quite as well as the Apple Watch though. Lastly, battery life on the Note and S7E were pitiful. I could easily make it through a day, but was never actually using the phone except for music playback or phone calls during the day and then when I got home, usually at 5pm with 12 hours off the charger and around 30% battery, I got to actually register some screen on time. Typically by the end of the day I would have 2.5 hours of SoT and a dead battery with 16 hours of "usage" time. I am currently on hour #2 with my iPhone back as my daily driver and my Apple Watch back on my wrist and am sitting at 99% battery with the same usage as my two Samsungs which had a typical battery percentage of ~85% by now. To be fair though, I was using MightText which, for those of you who are unaware, is an app that allows you to text from ANY computer through the Gmail site or a Chrome extension. That will be missed. Once again though I am back on iOS and am finding I am enjoying it again and thinking of upgrading to iOS10 public beta. I will update some more if anyone is interested.

 

[Truman82]

Do that=)

 

[anon(5600632)]

I was 5 years on Android, heavily into the Google ecosystem and a big fan of Nexus (to escape the Samsung and carrier bloat).
I just switched to 6s Plus, primarily for iMessage. I love the phone and the Google ecosystem is still available. Services like Google Drive and Google Photos work well in iOS. The Gmail app is awful because the text is too small to read on the iPhone, but Outlook for iOS as a mail app is terrific. Google Now has some quirks in iOS, so I've turned it off for awhile to see whether I miss it.

All in all, there are some adjustments and some plusses and minuses to each platform, but it's just not that big a deal.

 

[bluesqueen23]

Just wanted to join in on this thread! X-Post from CrackBerry WARNING: A lot of reading!

My name is Tyler, and I am a former BlackBerry Addict. I am currently taking a bite of the "Other Forbidden Fruit"

I'm selling my PRIV after 9 months and 4 HW swaps.

I'm just done with the phone. It's admirable that BlackBerry has done so well in regards to this phone in terms of Software support(So far), and hopefully they keep that momentum going for at least two years in regards to a typical upgrade cycle(I know, the upgrade model is going out the window). I'm not sure that another BlackBerry will be in my future if future BlackBerries have this kind of experience(Read below for more context) where one may experience poor build quality and somewhat buggy software(Not so much anymore for BB Android, but still has it's hiccups). If BB10 had better app support and was continuously updated with new features, I would go back to that OS in a heartbeat.

Full disclosure, I do work for a Carrier currently, and I worked for Best Buy Mobile before, so I am well versed in using Android, BlackBerry OS', Windows Phone and iOS as part of my jobs, but also as part of my love of Mobile Tech and the tech world in general. I would consider myself a power user of Android and BlackBerry 10.

In no way, shape or form, have I been pressured to write this due to my jobs, or to put BlackBerry(Which I still love as a company, both as an underdog, the tech giant it was, and ) in a negative light. I am just venting my frustration and writing about my experience with the PRIV.

I have been a CrackBerry addict for almost 6 years. Being that fanboy who would preach the Gospel of the Dark Fruit, and scrunch my face at the mention of iOS, Android(Pre-PRIV) or anything else that would deface the name of the almighty Berry. Yes, I was that guy who would act like a door to door salesman asking, "Have you heard the good word of CrackBerry?", but as time grew, and BlackBerry shot itself in the foot multiple times, more so in the last 4 years, my evangelical ways wore down. I was still a staunch supporter, just not an evangelical going door to door.

I started out with the Bold 9900 in 2011. As BB10 came out 2 years later, I was excited. I was like a kid in a candy store, or someone opening a present on their Birthday, just like the first day I got my 9900. I bought my Q10 as soon it was available, and shortly after a Z10 to complement the Q10. After that, I heard murmurs of the Z30 and I knew my contract upgrade would go to that as soon as it came out. As time passed, I couldn't resist the allure of the Red Passport and it's sexy Square/Rectangle shape(However one wants to look at it) in December of 2015. Let's not talk about the Leap AND the Silver Edition passport I picked up not even 8 months later in August of 2015 (I know, I'm nuts)... I'd like to add I had never experienced any issues with these devices, and they were classic BlackBerry build quality, and with that, I knew they were tanks AND well built(This is important for later)!

Then the PRIV came out in November of 2015. November 6th at 10AM, I was at the door of the Rogers store, like a crazed Apple fan at the Apple Store 5 months in advance waiting eagerly for the newest iPhone(Grosse exaggeration I know, but the iPhone part is important). As the door opened, I rushed in and met with my local rep that I usually deal with, she said to me, "You're here for the PRIV I'm assuming?" With a grin, I told her yes, and that I was so excited to get it! She went and grabbed it, and brought it out. As the Upgrade was done, I took it out of the box and saw it for the first time in person, the PRIV! I had so much hope for a company that had some bad times and some poor launches, and for a device venturing into new territory. For me this was a new adventure too, as I would be venturing away from a BlackBerry In-house Built OS, and into an OS that BlackBerry would augment, but not be entirely theirs.
Over the next week, I would discover the first hiccups of owning this phone.

I at the beginning, the PRIV was warm, and would stutter a little from what I would imagine, everything settling in(Just like BB10, right?), and then after a few days, a week at most, the phone would be good to go and fly, just like my BB10 phones.

Boy was I wrong. The phone continued this somewhat stuttery dance, and continued to be a hand warmer(Which was great for the Canadian winter months), though that novelty would wear off as hopeful software updates and app updates, didn't entirely solve the issue. The back, though made of that grippy carbon fiber material I love, would creak and bend while in hand. The screen, though beautiful and in it's curved glory, would depress and click whenever I typed on it(Sure-Press was brought back? I didn't know BlackBerry was going integrate aspects of the BB Storm into the PRIV! XD), and the speaker, while still decent, paled in comparison to the Passport(s) and Z30 in quality and loudness. Call reception(Which is important for me because of my jobs at the time) was less than stellar. In January of 2016, I sent my PRIV in for RMA to get a replacement, hopeful that some, or all issues would be solved with a hardware swap, and I'd be happily married to my PRIV until the next rumored BlackBerry(I was hearing about the Mercury, and that was alluring <3) came into my reality.

The HW Swap wasn't fruitiful. I recieved the replacement, and it was in some ways worse or the same, with the keyboard being extremely mushy and the back creaking even more than before. I was livid, and enlisted another request for a HW swap after 5 days. At this point, I recieved the third phone at the beginning of February, and it seems okay. The screen click is still there, but the backing is better, the keyboard is firm and gives that tactile feedback like I'm used to, and there doesn't seem to be a creak. I lived with this PRIV, knowing that it nothing is perfect, and that I should just enjoy it as it is. I would deal with the heat again, and the lesser stutters at this point, and eventually join the PRIV beta program. I dealt with my PRIV and it's HW issues for another 5 months. I guess with time though, all good things must come to an end.

It is the beginning July of 2016, and my frustrations have my non-existent hair splitting. I'm at my tipping point. I have done another HW Swap at the end of June. With no positive results in terms of overall build quality, and while an amazing iteration of Android at this point, BBDroid was not cutting it for me. It felt so displaced, and there was a lack of synergy between the OS and the BlackBerry exclusive apps that were supposed to placate me for the maintenance-mode death that BB10 currently is on. I hoped that the synergy would improve and help with creating a more BlackBerry-esque experience, but still have the benefits of Android. I began to have wandering eyes. While my CrackBerry addict heart hurt, my mind looked at it all, trying to see what phone would be next for me. Would I look into Android? Only if it was stock(Nexus'/Nexi?) Android so I could get security updates on time and newer versions of Android quicker! Samsung has always been a brand I stay away from. Some of the other skins from LG, ASUS, and OnePlus while less than Samsung, were still too bloated for my liking. With that, I began looking at Windows Phone and... iOS.

I have multiple Windows devices at home and I figured the integration would be great! And it would have been, if I could find a Lumia 950 or 950XL that were at a decent enough price outright considering I wouldn't be able to get them on a carrier. I didn't have the best of luck with that, but I knew it would work well for my needs as I borrowed a Lumia 1520 from my buddy who had moved OS' and phones. So if I could find a well priced Lumia 950/950XL, I'd be good! I still had to give the "Other Forbidden Fruit" a chance, just to be fair.

I borrowed a iPhone 6S Plus from my friend who had moved up in storage to a 128GB from his 16, so I took it for a spin. Now for me as I said earlier, I was hesitant, still against Apple and their products(Though I activated iPhones each day and helped customers with their iPhones, not to mention sometimes teaching them about features that may be useful), and I almost just gave it back to him, say screw it, and find a Lumia 950/950XL. My CrackBerry heart was broken at this point because I kept it and gave it a try. I was pleasantly surprised with this phone.

I used the iPhone 6S from the beginning of July to the 21st, where I discovered the ins and outs of Apple's ecosystem all over again(I had used an iPod touch in 2009, and then it broke...), and the perks of Apple pay with my bank and other cards. I discovered the even better camera (FF and Rear) than the PRIV(It had a great rear camera which I took some BEAUTIFUL shots with, but the FF camera left something to be desired).
I found that the fingerprint reader that was BLAZING fast! The screen while not QHD like the PRIV, looked good, and I didn't mind that having a slightly lower res screen saving me some battery power. I enjoyed the synergy of the apps in regards to Apple making them work in a way that just seemed to make sense. App switching, while strange at first with either 3D touch on the left side of the screen or a double tap of the home button, was easy enough with practice.
Oddly enough, I found the iPhone 6S Plus peaker to be SLIGHTLY better than the PRIV(Perhaps it was placebo in terms of quality, it was still louder overall). Believe it or not, not once did I have a dropped call with the iPhone in the 21 days I borrowed it from my buddy(I know, surprising right?), wheras I have had more than my fairshare with the PRIV(Which is hard to admit because I know all of my other BlackBerries were historically better with cellular reception and call quality).
This trial period culminated with the fact that I only had to reset the phone twice in 21 days! One time for the SW reset of the phone so I could start fresh after my buddy lent it to me, and the other for an iOS update that was released on July 18th. Otherwise, I had no acting up of apps, freezing, heat ups of the phone(That I could feel,perhaps the aluminum body helped.), and I certainly didn't have to worry about battery life, this has actually been great where I'm ending my days with about 45-55% on moderate usage, and 15-35% on heavy usage! The PRIV, though it had good battery life after Marshmallow, still was beat out by the 6S+. I would find the PRIV having to be charged before I went out instead of not worrying that I'll be okay. Good thing Quick charge is a mainstream thing now!

I also know I have the reliablitiy of iOS updates for at least 2-3 more years if I keep this device that long, which is a CRUCIAL aspect for me. I'm aware HW makers usually only have a 1-2 year SW cycle of support usually, but it's nice to know I won't have to upgrade my phone too soon just because of SW support ending.

Point was, I was sold on the iPhone after so long of resisting it. I became a power user with iOS and went for my own iPhone. I bought a 6S Plus 128GB(At a discounted rate, can't afford that outright ) on July 22nd. I'm now a happy camper, and while I'm sad that my CrackBerry addiction has ended on a sour note, I hope it's only for now. I hope that BlackBerry can blow us out of the water with the Mercury and the All touch super monster that's "Coming Soon"(BlackBerry should TM that phrase ).

I will always be a CrackBerrian and be in this community, just need some time away from the devices associated with it

Excellent review. I use a Priv on Marshmallow (much improved from Lollipop) and now an iPhone 7 after upgrading from the iPhone 6s Plus. Love both devices but the iPhone is my daily driver.

 

[peter_78]

Sweet