The problem with Samsung

[SteveH]

I've used an iPhone since they came out, I use an iPhone X and love it as does my wife. But when we stopped supply phones for our kids they opted to buy an Android, Samsung and an LG followed by a Huawei after his LG got wet. The big issue is that both of their phones can't be updated, I have the same year iPhone and it's still able to get full updates. The idea that the Android system can't always be updated is a deal breaker for me.

 

[bcla]

I miss Windows phones.

My BIL works for Microsoft and was using a Windows Phone (Nokia I believe) for a year or so. They subsidized it, including for personal use from what I understand. He dumped it for an iPhone.

 

[bcla]

I've used an iPhone since they came out, I use an iPhone X and love it as does my wife. But when we stopped supply phones for our kids they opted to buy an Android, Samsung and an LG followed by a Huawei after his LG got wet. The big issue is that both of their phones can't be updated, I have the same year iPhone and it's still able to get full updates. The idea that the Android system can't always be updated is a deal breaker for me.

Apple does eventually stop issuing update for various iOS devices. Sometimes it really has to be done because the hardware can't properly operate the new version of iOS. Sometimes they have provided updates for older products that can't handle it properly. It's kind of a fine line between providing what the customer might consider additional value, and bogging down the hardware with power-hungry software.

But absolutely a lot of Android phones receive poor support after a few years. I suspect that Apple's phone starting with the iPhone 6 will receive full support for a while because they're considerably more powerful than previous iPhone generations.

 

[SteveH]

Apple does eventually stop issuing update for various iOS devices. Sometimes it really has to be done because the hardware can't properly operate the new version of iOS. Sometimes they have provided updates for older products that can't handle it properly. It's kind of a fine line between providing what the customer might consider additional value, and bogging down the hardware with power-hungry software.

Agreed! Not all older devices are built for the new generation of phones, but I appreciate that Apple seems to support them longer. As of now iOS12 the iPhone 5s is still supported, that's from 2013 - pretty good support time frame IMHO. My son's Galaxy 6 which was regionally released in 2015 is already out of support, not cool.

 

[bcla]

Agreed! Not all older devices are built for the new generation of phones, but I appreciate that Apple seems to support them longer. As of now iOS12 the iPhone 5s is still supported, that's from 2013 - pretty good support time frame IMHO. My son's Galaxy 6 which was regionally released in 2015 is already out of support, not cool.

My wife had a Galaxy Note 2. Within 2 years it became difficult to even make a phone call with it. However, I still don't quite understand what she did with it to slow it down so much.

I had an iPhone 4S for nearly 5 years. It worked as a phone and didn't necessarily have any major issues other than apps were becoming more power hungry and slowed down as a result.

I've got an iPhone 7 now and don't really want to replace it. That seems to have about 15 times the raw computing power as my 4S, and I don't anticipate that it's going to have any performance issues for at least 5 more years. The only thing that I think might be an issue would be if Apple stops issuing iOS updates for it or discontinues hardware support (mostly battery replacement). I do have an old iPad Mini 2. That's still getting regular iOS updates, but it's at the point where I think it's on the edge where it's getting long in the tooth.

 

[Domo]

Up until recently I was using an iPhone SE. Several years old but sharp as a shark's tooth. Had to upgrade to an X as I took my SE for a swim...

 

[Turksmom]

My wife had a Galaxy Note 2. Within 2 years it became difficult to even make a phone call with it. However, I still don't quite understand what she did with it to slow it down so much.

I had an iPhone 4S for nearly 5 years. It worked as a phone and didn't necessarily have any major issues other than apps were becoming more power hungry and slowed down as a result.

I've got an iPhone 7 now and don't really want to replace it. That seems to have about 15 times the raw computing power as my 4S, and I don't anticipate that it's going to have any performance issues for at least 5 more years. The only thing that I think might be an issue would be if Apple stops issuing iOS updates for it or discontinues hardware support (mostly battery replacement). I do have an old iPad Mini 2. That's still getting regular iOS updates, but it's at the point where I think it's on the edge where it's getting long in the tooth.

What do you like about the 7? I've heard so many people say it's "terrible" that I've been reluctant to consider it, but I've read that it has great battery life, fast processing and is one of the more durable phones. Those qualities make it seem a perfect choice for my husband. He makes calls, texts occasionally, plays games like poker and billiards and watches videos.

 

[bcla]

What do you like about the 7? I've heard so many people say it's "terrible" that I've been reluctant to consider it, but I've read that it has great battery life, fast processing and is one of the more durable phones. Those qualities make it seem a perfect choice for my husband. He makes calls, texts occasionally, plays games like poker and billiards and watches videos.

I don't know why a 7 would be considered "terrible". It works well for me, and I see no need for anything new. The only thing I regret was that I thought that the standard 32 GB would be fine. I understand that the iPhone 8 comes with 64 GB standard. I'm frankly kind of scared of the iPhone 8, even though it can use wireless charging through a Qi charging pad. It has a glass back, and if that back glass shatters it can't be replaced like the front display and glass can. It would require a whole unit replacement.

 

[Turksmom]

I don't know why a 7 would be considered "terrible". It works well for me, and I see no need for anything new. The only thing I regret was that I thought that the standard 32 GB would be fine. I understand that the iPhone 8 comes with 64 GB standard. I'm frankly kind of scared of the iPhone 8, even though it can use wireless charging through a Qi charging pad. It has a glass back, and if that back glass shatters it can't be replaced like the front display and glass can. It would require a whole unit replacement.

Thank you! I couldn't figure out why it was terrible either. Husband is accident prone, so the 8 may not be a good choice unless I also get a protective case.

 

[Hrhpd]

Agreed! Not all older devices are built for the new generation of phones, but I appreciate that Apple seems to support them longer. As of now iOS12 the iPhone 5s is still supported, that's from 2013 - pretty good support time frame IMHO. My son's Galaxy 6 which was regionally released in 2015 is already out of support, not cool.

That is weird. My daughter has a Galaxy 6 and it is still supported. However she is getting a note9 for Christmas, so probably a moot point.

I bought 4 note9s and 1 iPhone XS on Black Friday. The deals were much, much better on the Galaxy phones than the iPhone. People all around me were griping about the purchase options for the iPhone. And with the Notes, I was able to buy them, activate and then deactivate and put the old phones back on the account so that the phones will be a surprise. Iphone, they had to disable Find my phone and it immediately alerted the user. It was a pain. Only one of the family is an iPhone person and he has had more problems with his iPhones than the rest of us put together with our Galaxies. The worst one was the one that bent so easily. We had to replace that one. He asked for an older model because of all the problems, but Apple said nope, you get the same bendable phone.

I thought the shopping for the Galaxies was much easier than the iPhone.

 

[smokeyblue]

When I decided to start using a smart phone the reason I went with Android over Apple was choice. With Android you can choose from a variety of manufacturers at a variety of price points. With Apple, you get an Apple at one price point. Additionally, I choose Android because of the non-proprietary chargers and the fact you could just buy a battery and swap it out. Yes, now the higher end Galaxy models have internal batteries and they have a different charger that has made them a little less appealing than before, but I still like the fact if I lost or damaged my Galaxy S9+ and couldn't afford a new one, I could buy a very cheap replacement phone (like a Galaxy J3 or J7) and be up and running in no time.

For those that were commenting on the S6, in the last month I had noted appreciable slowing in the operation of my S6, like almost to a grinding halt. Loading any type of social media ap took forever and they would never fully load. It took forever to conduct a Google search and my emails would load very slowly. I upgraded to the S9+ for work and it just leaves my S6 in the dust. I'm glad I got the opportunity to upgrade at my employer's expense.

 

[kimmar067]

You can, but you just need to talk really, really loud!

 

[Firelfy]

My first cell phone was great... until the microphone stopped working mid sentence during a call. Curses.

 

[fla4fun]

Up until recently I was using an iPhone SE. Several years old but sharp as a shark's tooth. Had to upgrade to an X as I took my SE for a swim...

Up until this past spring I was using a 4s, and it still worked fine (I am currently using it for an alarm clock). I got the chance to get a hand me down 6s from my sister who got the X, with a new battery and a ton of storage. Best of all, it was free! I don’t need the latest and greatest. I just need reliable talk and text, and a decent camera for the occasional snapshot.