Android Underwhelmed by Android...

[Daidude]

I personally think it's the particular phone you are using that is ruining the experience. It only has a 320x480 pixel TFT screen, 3 mp camera that only takes vga video, Android 4.0 ( about 1.5-2 years old now), a pretty small screen and quite a poor design with a pretty mediocre processor. To compare that phone to the Iphone 4, the Iphone will pretty much always win as that phone seemingly has no benefits over an iphone except the slightly dated Android ecosystem. If you were to get a more modern more powerful Android phone you would be able to experience what a phone equipped with an Android OS is like in a more comparable light to the Iphone 4 which you are currently using.

However, another reason why Android can be a good choice is beacuse you have the choice of getting a less powerful phone but at a cheap price still running the Android OS compared to Iphones which are traditionally famous for being expensive.

There are some affordable powerful Android phones though like the Nexus 4 which I'm currently using

 

[Kouen Hasuki]

I personally think it's the particular phone you are using that is ruining the experience. It only has a 320x480 pixel TFT screen, 3 mp camera that only takes vga video, Android 4.0 ( about 1.5-2 years old now), a pretty small screen and quite a poor design with a pretty mediocre processor. To compare that phone to the Iphone 4, the Iphone will pretty much always win as that phone seemingly has no benefits over an iphone except the slightly dated Android ecosystem. If you were to get a more modern more powerful Android phone you would be able to experience what a phone equipped with an Android OS is like in a more comparable light to the Iphone 4 which you are currently using.

However, another reason why Android can be a good choice is beacuse you have the choice of getting a less powerful phone but at a cheap price still running the Android OS compared to Iphones which are traditionally famous for being expensive.

There are some affordable powerful Android phones though like the Nexus 4 which I'm currently using

I cant see how the handset which is fairly capable of running the OS is ruining the experience personally, you could argue that with the Blackberry Bold 9700 I have on OS6 or a 3GS on iOS 6

What so far I have been finding and many have even said here in the short is that if i mess with it and in some cases root / jailbreak / hack the android device for a few hours it will be awesome :/

Not to mention why would I dump money into an expensive handset when its not all that impressing me even regardless of it being 4.0 rather than 4.2

I am looking at it as impartially as I can but I'm just not taking to the whole Android experience and hell I have been using smartphones for many years before most (Symbian OS and Windows Mobile lol) but for some reason I have taken to this OS the least, It's not through lack of trying and I'm more than technically minded enough but its just not clicking with me

 

[raulpica]

Same here. Switched from an iPhone 4 to a Samsung Galaxy 3.

Android feels sluggish most of the time (inb4 ProtoKun7 trying to say that I have done something wrong on my S3. Nope, I haven't.), sometimes when I exit from apps the icons need a while to appear... I've got only the bare essential (40 or so apps, most of which are emus), and my iPhone 4 had over 120 apps on it once a time and I never felt it slowing down, so don't go around and say "LOL 40 APPS IS TOO MUCH", because when I pay $599 for a freaking mobile, I want to stuff it with apps as long as there's memory left, and the iPhone 4 let me do that without hiccups.

Add to that that sometimes apps just stop working and I have to delete their cache / system files to let them work again and well, you finally understand that Android is damn overrated. Yes, I know that bad-behaving apps are all up to the devs themselves, but on iOS bad apps were a lot less frequent, and it's kinda renown that the quality control on the Play Store sucks donkey balls.

I switched over to Android since an upgrade for my iPhone 4 was long overdue, and the iPhone 5 didn't impress me that much... but well, I'm kinda missing my iPhone, especially when it comes to game exclusives (iOS has got a LOT more stuff!).

Installing APKs doesn't impress me in the slightest, I have to admit that I have _very rarely_ had to download a specific APK somewhere around the interwebz that wasn't also available on the Play Store. Yes, you can pirate stuff out of the box on Android, without jailbreaking (compared to iOS), but I can't really see that as a plus, except if you're a hardboiled pirate.

Anyway, my jailbroken iPhone 4 let me do pretty much all the stuff my rooted S3 lets me do now. I don't care about themes or crap, or ultra-customization, and I'm sure everyone that isn't 14yo pretty much keeps their smartphone to stock too.

tl;dr: iOS > Android.

 

[chris888222]

Then again, different people have their different opinions/views. I have definitely spent more time on iOS devices plus some iOS 7 features are really badass despite WELCOME TO 2009 etc. (tried beta 3 on both devices), so I must still say I'm leaning more towards the iOS platform.

That said, I must still acknowledge that Android has its positive points which iOS will (most likely) never have on it's own - such as ease of customization, free OS and others. However, I have to say that (to a certain extent) Android has been massively overhyped by their hardcore fanbase (look up some droid forums and you'll know what I mean). I don't know if it's just me, but so far browsing through the Play Store reviews I see almost everyone using Samsung devices...

And @OP, sadly your android device is too weak. You can come out with the example of iOS 6 running on the iPhone GS but do you know how sluggish iOS 6 actually runs on it? Lags and slowdowns constantly appear. As such, iPhone GS won't be getting the iOS 7 update.

You should get a better android device. It need not be an excessively priced/powered one like the S4...

 

[Joe88]

I cant see how the handset which is fairly capable of running the OS is ruining the experience personally, you could argue that with the Blackberry Bold 9700 I have on OS6 or a 3GS on iOS 6

because the hardware and specs of that phone are a pos, it shouldnt even be running ics (probably gingerbread) and it basically brings the whole user experience down

 

[Bobbyloujo]

Same here. Switched from an iPhone 4 to a Samsung Galaxy 3.

Android feels sluggish most of the time (inb4 ProtoKun7 trying to say that I have done something wrong on my S3. Nope, I haven't.), sometimes when I exit from apps the icons need a while to appear... I've got only the bare essential (40 or so apps, most of which are emus), and my iPhone 4 had over 120 apps on it once a time and I never felt it slowing down, so don't go around and say "LOL 40 APPS IS TOO MUCH", because when I pay $599 for a freaking mobile, I want to stuff it with apps as long as there's memory left, and the iPhone 4 let me do that without hiccups.

I believe this is a TouchWiz issue. TouchWiz is Samsung's 'skin' for Android and it pretty much sucks. Actually, most skins that manufactures make suck. That's a downfall to Android's customizability and the fact that it's open source. In my eyes, manufactures get carried away with making their own versions of Android and end up making things worse. I have a Galaxy S3 running Cyanogenmod 10.1 and have never experienced the issues you are describing and I have over 100 apps. You're right, you haven't done anything wrong. However, neither has Android. Samsung is the one at fault here.

Add to that that sometimes apps just stop working and I have to delete their cache / system files to let them work again and well, you finally understand that Android is damn overrated. Yes, I know that bad-behaving apps are all up to the devs themselves, but on iOS bad apps were a lot less frequent, and it's kinda renown that the quality control on the Play Store sucks donkey balls.

Quality control on Play Store is low for several reasons. Number one: the Play Store is small and needs to expand. Take away restrictions and more devs will come to Android, good and bad. Number two: Android is all about freedom ('Merica xD). That's why it's open source and that's why it's easy to get your apps into the Play Store. To be a developer for iOS, you pretty much have to be able to make profit with your apps in order to pay the $99 per year fee for having your apps in the app store. Android only has a $25 one time fee making it possible for almost anyone to get their app on the Play Store. This is great for individual developers with little money or no intent to make money from their apps.

I switched over to Android since an upgrade for my iPhone 4 was long overdue, and the iPhone 5 didn't impress me that much... but well, I'm kinda missing my iPhone, especially when it comes to game exclusives (iOS has got a LOT more stuff!).

Not much I can say here. If gaming on your phone is super important to you and you want to play something on iOS, get an iPhone.

Installing APKs doesn't impress me in the slightest, I have to admit that I have _very rarely_ had to download a specific APK somewhere around the interwebz that wasn't also available on the Play Store. Yes, you can pirate stuff out of the box on Android, without jailbreaking (compared to iOS), but I can't really see that as a plus, except if you're a hardboiled pirate.

Installing from APKs will be important to some and not important to others. I've had to install apps from APKs for several reasons in the past. I don't pirate apps but I still see this as a useful feature.

Anyway, my jailbroken iPhone 4 let me do pretty much all the stuff my rooted S3 lets me do now. I don't care about themes or crap, or ultra-customization, and I'm sure everyone that isn't 14yo pretty much keeps their smartphone to stock too.

Then get an iPhone. If that's your preference, I won't judge you. Both OSs are good, you can't really say one is better than the other. It all depends on what you want to use it for.

Also, by "everyone that isn't 14yo" do mean people older or younger...? I don't really see what argument you're trying to make here. I'm 17 and I don't keep my phone stock.

tl;dr: iOS > Android.

Both OSs are good, you can't really say one is better than the other. It all depends on what you want to use it for.

 

[ProtoKun7]

I still have no idea why raulpica has so much trouble with his. I know my phone is marginally newer but I have more than 40 apps installed and have no issue anything like what he's describing. I don't know what he has installed or whether there is any task killer getting in the way or not, but the problems he's having are not representative of Android, not even Galaxy S III users on the whole.

A couple of points that did come to mind is the joy of not having your homescreen just being a row of icons, and there are better keyboards.

 

[ilman]

iOS has gaemz, Android has customization. That is all. You prefer games and have some extra money on you? iOS is for you. You want a heavily-customizable phone with a lot worse app selection? Get an Android. There's nothing to it more than that. There is no 'wow' factor you are asking for.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

I still have no idea why raulpica has so much trouble with his. I know my phone is marginally newer but I have more than 40 apps installed and have no issue anything like what he's describing. I don't know what he has installed or whether there is any task killer getting in the way or not, but the problems he's having are not representative of Android, not even Galaxy S III users on the whole.

A couple of points that did come to mind is the joy of not having your homescreen just being a row of icons, and there are better keyboards.

I think his issue really is just Touchwiz, it's one of the shittiest UIs out there, and raulpica I strongly suggest putting CM10.1 on it, or at least rooting and changing the launcher to something like Nova/Trebuchet for a better experience.

 

[ProtoKun7]

I had an S II running TouchWiz and even then never had the problems he seems to.

 

[Joe88]

I think its the 1GB of ram on the international version, compared to the 2GB of the subsizdized version
aosp will lag also if theres a bunch of uncontrolled apps running in the background and also the apps that start on boot
I run CleanROM 7 on my verizon s3 and dont have any lag

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Before I upgraded from my S3 to my S4, I had a CM10.1 ROM and just disabled a majority of the apps that start on boot using Autostarts. Ran quick as shit.

 

[iluvfupaburgers]

actually hiccups on some apps happen due to fragmentation on android, too many devices and the apps have to get optimized for all of them (this is a con on android) but that doesnt mean i havent seen apps on ios fail or crash, or even cause the phone to restart. ios isnt perfect either but everyone has their own tastes. i can see you really are not trying the android experience, even on a sub-conscious level because you do prefer ios, which isnt bad. i would say just stick to your iphone because many have been trying to give good opinions on android but ive seen you rejecting them all

 

[Rydian]

Android feels sluggish most of the time
[...]
Add to that that sometimes apps just stop working and I have to delete their cache / system files to let them work again

Tried a clean/custom install/ROM? It's like Windows, the default ones are often crappily-done, I can't tell you how many times somebody's computer has performed like absolute crap, then a simple reinstall of an unmodified copy of Windows made it behave. It's even more common with Android as they'll replace or add controls and junk to the system, it's not just services and junk.

Installing APKs doesn't impress me in the slightest, I have to admit that I have _very rarely_ had to download a specific APK somewhere around the interwebz that wasn't also available on the Play Store.

The fact that so many things are on the play store in the first place is one of the benefits, being open to developers.

 

[nando]

I'm a designer, customizing my own os = work I don't get paid to do. I don't understand the need for it. I rather pay for something good in the first place that I feel no need to change.

 

[slingblade1170]

Hey, them Iphones will shock you to death! lol jk
I prefer Android because of the customization, rooting, installing .apk files and the google play store. ICS is pretty much an old version of the Android OS and is now jellybean. Also, some cheaper Android phones/tablets even with Jellybean or ICS is just lacking many features due to lack of hardware, software etc. I had an Android phone from Straight Talk and even with ICS it just felt and looked boring and cheap but after upgrading to a new phone with Verizon with the same OS it had much more features and looks amazing.

 

[ggyo]

I cant see how the handset which is fairly capable of running the OS is ruining the experience personally, you could argue that with the Blackberry Bold 9700 I have on OS6 or a 3GS on iOS 6

What so far I have been finding and many have even said here in the short is that if i mess with it and in some cases root / jailbreak / hack the android device for a few hours it will be awesome :/

Not to mention why would I dump money into an expensive handset when its not all that impressing me even regardless of it being 4.0 rather than 4.2

I am looking at it as impartially as I can but I'm just not taking to the whole Android experience and hell I have been using smartphones for many years before most (Symbian OS and Windows Mobile lol) but for some reason I have taken to this OS the least, It's not through lack of trying and I'm more than technically minded enough but its just not clicking with me

Yeah, so if you can't see how an old, cheap $100 Android phone isn't an optimal comparison to the relatively new, $500 iPhone 4 (let's be honest, what has changed? Back to the 3GS is "new" in the iPhone world), then you're not really trying.

Compare the GSIV or HTC One to the iPhone 5. Compare the GSIII or the HTC OneX to the iPhone4S. Compare the GSII or the HTC OneS to the iPhone 4.

These phones are doing amazing things. They can even run DS and PSP emulators at full speed.

 

[Kouen Hasuki]

Why is it so many miss the whole point lol

It's not so much the relative speed I'm talking about here the end user experience is what I mean, and for those with the whole go pay 500 use for a phone then try again it changes little in this, the reason if it was a case of me going wow this is a sweet is just wish the phones would not lag... But it's not. The phone in question is not lagging on the os so the core experience is not effected and semi irrelevant here.

Even comparing the technically worse 3GS I feel a better experience from it.

 

[chris888222]

Yeah, so if you can't see how an old, cheap $100 Android phone isn't an optimal comparison to the relatively new, $500 iPhone 4 (let's be honest, what has changed? Back to the 3GS is "new" in the iPhone world), then you're not really trying.

Compare the GSIV or HTC One to the iPhone 5. Compare the GSIII or the HTC OneX to the iPhone4S. Compare the GSII or the HTC OneS to the iPhone 4.

These phones are doing amazing things. They can even run DS and PSP emulators at full speed.

I really don't want to be pro-Apple but iPhone 5 is a full generation behind the GS4. Same with the others.

But yes like what I've mentioned, OPs device is just too weak. Poor quality internals, poor screen and poor camera performance. Even with the ability to "free" your device, you won't feel it... Simply because its too sluggish.

Get something better, like a GS2 at least. Something which will at least provide some 'breathing space' before jumping into conclusions.

Why is it so many miss the whole point lol

It's not so much the relative speed I'm talking about here the end user experience is what I mean, and for those with the whole go pay 500 use for a phone then try again it changes little in this, the reason if it was a case of me going wow this is a sweet is just wish the phones would not lag... But it's not. The phone in question is not lagging on the os so the core experience is not effected and semi irrelevant here.

Even comparing the technically worse 3GS I feel a better experience from it.

Well, if you want me to be direct without considering hardware then...

If you want a freedom phone, hardly any restrictions, third party software addons, but worth the risk getting your phone infected with malware if you do some risky stuff, willing and have the time to root and install custom ROMS, go for Android. You can remove bloatware on Android, plus even replace the edited one (TouchWiz infested for example) with the full clean OS. The stock Android OS is generally a lot smoother and zippy.

If you are only particular about end user experience, no intention to install any third party hacks and addons, then I'd say Apple. iCloud works well and it saved my life once, the App Store has really amazing apps and iOS 7 is just splendid. A heck lot better than the absurd Forstall trash known as iOS 6, where shared photo streams and Siri are just plain rubbish and skeuomorphic elements are abused.

 

[Super.Nova]

I skipped all the comments just to say this...
Go to http://www.xda-developers.com, search for your device, look for best ROM (I prefer ROMs of modified original software since they're much stabler) and install it.
After that, there are a couple of applications you might be interested in (mainly in the genre of "hacking" or "pirated contents") of which I prefer to install.
Then you'd download all Google-made applications you're interested into using (ex.: Google Chrome... duh!) And learn how to use them to their fullest.

That's what, as a beginner, you should know.
Later, you'd go to things like console emulation and, seriously, whatever you could do in a PC.

I and my whole family have been using iPhone a for a long time until I became really familiar with all sorts of shit they can throw.
I happily ditched all of that and got myself a Galaxy Note II (rest got either S3 or Note II,too) and my life, literally, turned around for the best (I actually wrote this entire comment using the phone's pen!)
And finally, if you need ANY sort of help, just ask.