[xQx]

Originally Posted by kscarrol

Man, I could care less what everyone else chooses and watching this back and forth is like watching a couple rednecks arguing Ford vs Chevy trucks... Buy what meets your needs, end of discussion.

I wish I'd saved the quote, but an Australian newspaper recently said something along the lines of:

"The question of the Oxford comma, like many arguments of no consequence, has been fought bitterly by both sides on the internet for decades."


I think the same can be said of Mac vs PC ... sorry, I mean Android vs IOS.

[JohnnyCanuck]

And this isn't an Android versus an iOS thread. I posted looking for thoughts from those who have experience with both platforms, not to host more of the same. Both Android and iOS are poor compared to options we could have had ... but that's how it always works.

I am on the fence about Android vs iOS ... hence the question and the thread. And I'm still on the fence.

[are0lies]

Originally Posted by JohnnyCanuck

And this isn't an Android versus an iOS thread. I posted looking for thoughts from those who have experience with both platforms, not to host more of the same. Both Android and iOS are poor compared to options we could have had ... but that's how it always works.

I am on the fence about Android vs iOS ... hence the question and the thread. And I'm still on the fence.

I've had both, and I felt there are pros and cons to both platforms. iOS is much simpler, and I noticed does not get bloated when I would update it. There are a lot of security features on it as well. What I do hate about it is iTunes. Drag and drop was something I especially liked about Android. Third party apps are also much easier on Android, which can also be a bad thing as well. But I have to say, I almost would prefer to go back to a simple flip phone without all the extras. This thing of paying hundreds for a phone and service, just makes me wonder if I've gone mad. In the end, they're both good platforms.

[kscarrol]

Originally Posted by JohnnyCanuck

And this isn't an Android versus an iOS thread. I posted looking for thoughts from those who have experience with both platforms, not to host more of the same. Both Android and iOS are poor compared to options we could have had ... but that's how it always works.

I am on the fence about Android vs iOS ... hence the question and the thread. And I'm still on the fence.

Understood, it's a valid question. My post was aimed at those who turn everything into apple vs android pissing match.

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by OnerDriver

I see what you did there lol

[JohnnyCanuck]

Thought I'd revisit/update. The formal approval of my perq account went through yesterday so I have about $4000 to spend on tech (out of that my wife will be getting a new iPhone (one of the XR, XS, XS Max ... whichever she likes better to replace her 6S)).

I will likely pick up a Surface Go to replace my Galaxy Tab S3, but that still leaves plenty of money I need to spend (and it has to be used on tech). I am 90% sure I'm staying Android at this point. The real reason I was contemplating an iPhone was the BMW/CarPlay/iOS integration but I just prefer Android (and my wife pointed out that every time I need to help her with something on her iPhone or iPad ... I swear and grouse about how much I dislike iOS).

So, since our bank refuses to support Google Pay (RBC ... which does support Samsung Pay) and has its own annoying, barely functional, wallet app I think the only phone that I'm really locked into now is the Note 9. Anyone thinking that the Pixel 3 is superior and enough so that I should live with RBC Wallet? Same question for the LG ThinQ? Those are really the only two other phones I can think of that would fit my general needs (I don't care about TouchWiz versus UX as I never use a stock launcher).

Any other thoughts on phones I should consider?

[detroitm2]

I have a Pixel 3 (have owned every generation of Pixel and Nexus phones). They are vastly superior (for my uses) to anything Samsung has.

My biggest gripe with Samsung is their incessant need to put useless software on your phone that is not removable, and bloat the OS with things I'll never use.

The Pixel phones are "pure" android. With none of that extra cruft. Which I weight heavily over most other features provided by phone manufacturers.

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by laszlof

I have a Pixel 3 (have owned every generation of Pixel and Nexus phones). They are vastly superior (for my uses) to anything Samsung has.

My biggest gripe with Samsung is their incessant need to put useless software on your phone that is not removable, and bloat the OS with things I'll never use.

The Pixel phones are "pure" android. With none of that extra cruft. Which I weight heavily over most other features provided by phone manufacturers.

In the market for a new phone. Have pretty much decided on the new Note but could be swayed. What do you find superior in the Pixel versus Sammy products?

[detroitm2]

Originally Posted by Not_Judy

In the market for a new phone. Have pretty much decided on the new Note but could be swayed. What do you find superior in the Pixel versus Sammy products?

As I mentioned before, the software is the number 1 for me. I despise most manufacturer-hacked android versions, mostly because of the sheer amount of bloat they introduce. Every pixel/nexus I've had has been snappy and responsive. I can do whatever I want with it, and do not need to worry about having regular updates. The Pixel 3 comes with Android 9, and while the Note 9 will get it eventually, its currently stuck at 8 until Samsung has time to bastardize it into their package.

With regards to samsung directly, I like the design of the pixel 3 better. My fiance has a Galaxy S8. We just pulled her case off to replace the screen protector on it and literally the entire back of the phone is melted. The pigment under the glass back is completely destroyed and it looks like garbage. This speaks volumes on the manufacturing quality of the phone itself.

This is entirely subjective, but the camera on the note 9 is great from what I can see, but one thing I noticed in previous samsung models is they artificially increase the lightness on the images to make them appear better in lower light settings. I believe the pixel has a better optical lens and will produce better quality pictures. Again, this is completely subjective.

One last thing to note, if you get a Pixel 3, it includes unlimited google photos storage to backup your photos/videos. It actually does it automatically when you're on wifi, which is extremely nice.

Theres a bunch more reasons, but ultimately its up to you to decide what features mean the most to do.

Hope this helps! Good luck.

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by laszlof

As I mentioned before, the software is the number 1 for me. I despise most manufacturer-hacked android versions, mostly because of the sheer amount of bloat they introduce. Every pixel/nexus I've had has been snappy and responsive. I can do whatever I want with it, and do not need to worry about having regular updates. The Pixel 3 comes with Android 9, and while the Note 9 will get it eventually, its currently stuck at 8 until Samsung has time to bastardize it into their package.

With regards to samsung directly, I like the design of the pixel 3 better. My fiance has a Galaxy S8. We just pulled her case off to replace the screen protector on it and literally the entire back of the phone is melted. The pigment under the glass back is completely destroyed and it looks like garbage. This speaks volumes on the manufacturing quality of the phone itself.

This is entirely subjective, but the camera on the note 9 is great from what I can see, but one thing I noticed in previous samsung models is they artificially increase the lightness on the images to make them appear better in lower light settings. I believe the pixel has a better optical lens and will produce better quality pictures. Again, this is completely subjective.

One last thing to note, if you get a Pixel 3, it includes unlimited google photos storage to backup your photos/videos. It actually does it automatically when you're on wifi, which is extremely nice.

Theres a bunch more reasons, but ultimately its up to you to decide what features mean the most to do.

Hope this helps! Good luck.

Excellent write up and info. Exactly what I was looking for by the means of my query. Thank you!

[JohnnyCanuck]

Originally Posted by laszlof

As I mentioned before, the software is the number 1 for me. I despise most manufacturer-hacked android versions, mostly because of the sheer amount of bloat they introduce. Every pixel/nexus I've had has been snappy and responsive. I can do whatever I want with it, and do not need to worry about having regular updates. The Pixel 3 comes with Android 9, and while the Note 9 will get it eventually, its currently stuck at 8 until Samsung has time to bastardize it into their package.

With regards to samsung directly, I like the design of the pixel 3 better. My fiance has a Galaxy S8. We just pulled her case off to replace the screen protector on it and literally the entire back of the phone is melted. The pigment under the glass back is completely destroyed and it looks like garbage. This speaks volumes on the manufacturing quality of the phone itself.

This is entirely subjective, but the camera on the note 9 is great from what I can see, but one thing I noticed in previous samsung models is they artificially increase the lightness on the images to make them appear better in lower light settings. I believe the pixel has a better optical lens and will produce better quality pictures. Again, this is completely subjective.

One last thing to note, if you get a Pixel 3, it includes unlimited google photos storage to backup your photos/videos. It actually does it automatically when you're on wifi, which is extremely nice.

Theres a bunch more reasons, but ultimately its up to you to decide what features mean the most to do.

Hope this helps! Good luck.

I'm pretty much with you. I don't use stock launchers (historically Action Launcher but lately been really impressed with Microsoft Launcher) or stock apps (big user of BlackBerry Hub+).

The only Samsung app I use and really love is Samsung Pay and the annoyance of having to give up a functioning wallet app for the POS my bank's offering up is significant and has me on the fence (my secondary bank is CIBC and they support every mobile payment platform you can think of ... but our family banking is with RBC).

I'll have to think my way through that dilemma a bit more.

[Z K]

I'm not going into the iphone/android thing (I use iPhone, super simple to use and never lets me down)... but will comment about the Surface Go. If you're not running heavy applications, you will love it. Get the 128GB/8GB ram model. The NVME SSD speed is super fast at loading programs. Edge browser is super smooth and slick on Surface. Only let down is the screen resolution is not very high.

I updated from a Surface 3 and it's a big difference. The eMMC drive and atom processor in the Surface 3 is much slower. But the beauty of Windows is that it'll let you run anything even if your experience may be terrible. I've done video editing on the Surface 3 before in a pinch and tried to run games that I knew would not run well but did it just for the heck of it.

The Go is a good device, great for light computing and can run anything in a pinch. For more heavy applications and games, I just use my desktop PC.

[detroitm2]

Originally Posted by JohnnyCanuck

I'm pretty much with you. I don't use stock launchers (historically Action Launcher but lately been really impressed with Microsoft Launcher) or stock apps (big user of BlackBerry Hub+).

The only Samsung app I use and really love is Samsung Pay and the annoyance of having to give up a functioning wallet app for the POS my bank's offering up is significant and has me on the fence (my secondary bank is CIBC and they support every mobile payment platform you can think of ... but our family banking is with RBC).

I'll have to think my way through that dilemma a bit more.

I used Nova launcher for quite a while, but really enjoy the default google launcher thats been around in the last couple years.

[MOBF10]

android fo life

[JohnnyCanuck]

Originally Posted by Z K

I'm not going into the iphone/android thing (I use iPhone, super simple to use and never lets me down)... but will comment about the Surface Go. If you're not running heavy applications, you will love it. Get the 128GB/8GB ram model. The NVME SSD speed is super fast at loading programs. Edge browser is super smooth and slick on Surface. Only let down is the screen resolution is not very high.

I updated from a Surface 3 and it's a big difference. The eMMC drive and atom processor in the Surface 3 is much slower. But the beauty of Windows is that it'll let you run anything even if your experience may be terrible. I've done video editing on the Surface 3 before in a pinch and tried to run games that I knew would not run well but did it just for the heck of it.

The Go is a good device, great for light computing and can run anything in a pinch. For more heavy applications and games, I just use my desktop PC.

I have a Surface Book 2 I use for business so this is essentially for surfing at home, using on a plane, as an Ereader ... the Android experience on a tablet is just not great. I've had several Surfaces along the way and have loved almost all of them. They've just never had one in the smaller form factor before.

[detroitm2]

Agreed that android on tablets isn't the best.
Personally, I prefer an iPad. For tablet usage, it works well, is lightweight, and has a good battery in it.

[BayMoWe335]

Originally Posted by Hurricane Beefaroni

It's the same reason why you're not interested in the 8. It's a step backwards. 720p LCD screen on a modern smartphone for $750.

Being able to fix the issue depends on whether or not it's a hardware issue. If it's an issue like antenna gate, you're probably going to be SOL but if it's an issue like the recent Macbook Pro with the i9 processors overheating and throttling performance, then odds are good.

Sigh, let me correct this shallow and fact lacking analysis.

Software update fixed the throttling on MacBooks....don’t leave that out. The entire story started with a YouTuber who confirmed the issue was fixed with data to back up the analysis.

The Xr has the best mobile processor in the industry which is the same as the XS and XS Max, the same excellent camera sensor but just 1 lens, and the same facial recognition hardware. It also has a similar edge to edge form factor as the XS as well as the same software, support, and security.

The Xr has a 326 ppi display which is more than the 264ppi found in the iPad Pro, which is the best screen in tablets. The LCD in the Xr is actually not 720p either...it’s more like 825p and it’s going to have P3 color, outstanding brightness and contrast, and generally look better than your average screen.

I just saw a 50inch 1080p for $200. If you think 1080p automatically means good or the lack of it automatically means bad, you are wrong. There are tons of crap 1080p displays. You can’t see pixels at 326ppi anyway. But enjoy your stats.

Apple knows the regular consumer doesn’t give a shit and will look at the screen and decide if it looks good, which it will and reviews already say so.

[JohnnyCanuck]

Originally Posted by BayMoWe335

Sigh, let me correct this shallow and fact lacking analysis.

Software update fixed the throttling on MacBooks....don’t leave that out. The entire story started with a YouTuber who confirmed the issue was fixed with data to back up the analysis.

The Xr has the best mobile processor in the industry which is the same as the XS and XS Max, the same excellent camera sensor but just 1 lens, and the same facial recognition hardware. It also has a similar edge to edge form factor as the XS as well as the same software, support, and security.

The Xr has a 326 ppi display which is more than the 264ppi found in the iPad Pro, which is the best screen in tablets. The LCD in the Xr is actually not 720p either...it’s more like 825p and it’s going to have P3 color, outstanding brightness and contrast, and generally look better than your average screen.

I just saw a 50inch 1080p for $200. If you think 1080p automatically means good or the lack of it automatically means bad, you are wrong. There are tons of crap 1080p displays. You can’t see pixels at 326ppi anyway. But enjoy your stats.

Apple knows the regular consumer doesn’t give a shit and will look at the screen and decide if it looks good, which it will and reviews already say so.

^This ... if I was to go for an iPhone, I'd be inclined to go with the XR for the form factor and the value proposition. As above, I am likely going with Android (a Note 9, Pixel 3 XL, or ThingQ), but haven't completely ruled out the XR. Will be going iPhone shopping with my wife this weekend and that will likely steer me back to Android and then it's just deciding on the phone.

[dsad1]

Since you are a big windows fan, I would stick with android. It seems like Microsoft finally understand it needs to support Android more within windows.

[Obioban]

[JohnnyCanuck]

Obioban, that's a great video. I will have to watch his other one to get his complete take, but the points he makes are all genuinely valid. Might not push me over the fence to iPhone, but they are real considerations.

[Obioban]

Originally Posted by JohnnyCanuck

Obioban, that's a great video. I will have to watch his other one to get his complete take, but the points he makes are all genuinely valid. Might not push me over the fence to iPhone, but they are real considerations.

His other video (iPhone XS review) basically could be shortened to, "this was a boring update and nothing exciting happening in the phone space anymore".

Which is true-- but to be expected in an ever increasingly mature market.