As a tech enthusiast I'm on my way to buy my first iPhone ever. Before doing this I have two questions.
Which iPhone is the best and why? (if you have all the money in the world, what model would you choose now?)
What are the things you DON'T like in your iPhone and how are you coping with them?
Please answer only if you prefer iPhone, I don't need "don't buy an iPhone" or "Device X is better" -replies. I've been using two decades other mobile devices so I kinda know the differences.
@rolle Dislikes: non-removable battery, no headphone jack (there’s a $9 3.5mm Lightning adapter), no removable storage (if you buy the USB Camera Connection dongle then you can plug in a thumb drive. The drive will be visible when you open Files.app)
Useful 3rd party apps: Prompt (SSH client) and Textastic (code or text editing)
@rolle if you’re changing platforms and want to see how iPhone compares, I think you need to get the best one (14 Pro)? Don’t get me wrong, the non-Pro 14 is plenty of phone, but since it does have slightly worse cameras, CPU and screen, it’s not representative of the platform at its best
For me the best iPhone is 13 mini. It is the only option if you want good small smartphone.
I don't have complains about how Apple does things as I have used on and off iPhones about eight years. Biggest gripe currently is that I cannot cast music from Apple Music to Chromecast, when on Android it works. The workaround for this is to play music with Google Assistant.
I have iPhone 14 Pro/256Gb. Good screen size but yet feels compact. I also have Apple genuine leather case with magsafe. Hefty price tag but once you feel that it’s totally worth every €.
Maybe the price. Although lifetime of Apple devices is much longer compared everything else.
@antti404@rolle I don´t know if I'm doing something wrong, or if my old OP8 had a faulty battery among the other problems, but I keep getting surprised how well my current iphone13 whatever's the largest phone called 's battery lasts.
@rolle Best is so subjective… I’d say the base 14 model is the best for most people. Choose the size you like, they are otherwise the same.
I have the Pro because its cameras are better, and taking pictures is one of the things I do most on my phone. Don’t look at the processor – last year’s model on the base iPhone is still faster than the fastest Android, and those are plenty fast as well.
I would like the bigger screen of the max version but the phone is just too big to handle.
Latest iPhone Pro, it has ProMotion display, dynamic island and has better CPU
At first I had to get used to how stuff is done on iPhone, but now I don’t have to cope with anything; the Apple way feels much better than how android did things
@rolle I don't like the notifications compared to Android. iOS has made them unnecessary complicated but the reason is probably to not distract the user too much with them.
I like Android's notification system but I can understand why iOS does what it does. And you can change the behavior in the settings.
@rolle then you are happy to hear that iOS 17 has a notification feature that I would hope that Android copies.
You can get a summary of notifications once or twice a day instead of getting them immediately. I really like it. Of course there might be apps where you want to get notifications immediately so you choose which apps opt in to this.
@rolle I think you will like iOS. Biggest thing I noticed was the gesture navigation in the system and across apps is the biggest difference. That and the fact that you cannot customize the launcher as much as ok Android.
And fonts look different.
Once you are over these, it's fine 😊 Like any other device.
@rolle I'm using an iPhone 13 Pro Max. I didn't buy it myself but if I would, I would take the iPhone Pro, not Max. Max has bigger screen and amazing battery life (I'm at 60% at worst when I plug it in in the evening).
I would choose the Pro versions over non Pro simply because of better camera and 120Hz screen.
If these are not important to you, the regular model is also very good (camera is fine, AMOLED screen).
@rolle there is no best iPhone, it comes down to what you value more. For me, I like the smaller models so whenever they have been a thing, I go with the mini version. I run an iPhone 12 mini now but I think this size was dropped in recent iterations. I like the size of the mini but I give up a bit on battery life, obviously the screen size and the lack of telephoto camera. The rest is basically the same.
@rolle I would buy 14 pro if I had to buy today. But 15 model is coming in couple of months. Which means maybe slight reduction in older models.
Im still in 11 pro and it is pretty ok for me
@rolle First thing: Apple's return policy is extremely handy; two weeks, no question asked (May be different where you are, but look into it).
Second: if you have the opportunity to go to an Apple store (or place where they have a bunch of models on-hand), try the phones and see how they fit in your hand.
Third: The jump from Android to iOS can be strange, but give it time. Apple has a tonne of tutorials online how to do things. They're very handy, even for experienced users.
@rolle the “pro” variants are always the best, get more memory than you think you need, hold both the Pro (smaller) and Pro Max (bigger) and decide which one feels better, buy a case and Apple Care. If you can wait a month new models are coming out (iPhones 15…) and there are always great $$ deals at launch
@rolle I've been only using the smaller size iPhones for a very specific reason. I take a lot of pictures of paper documents in archives and I need to be able to do this one handed, fast, and reliably. The bigger phone is too for my hands (not biggest but not small either) to get focus 100 all the time. So the small one is better in this regard.
@escapetofreedom The fun for me is to have proper apps that I can use, I don't need that much customization any more. Also I'm very used to large phones and almost never break my phones.
@rolle I don’t like how by default it randomises and rotates its MAC address. That’s annoying from a home network management perspective. But you can turn that off. It’s also irritating that Face ID doesn’t work if there’s rain on my glasses; when it’s raining, I have to take my glasses off to unlock my phone.
Otherwise frankly my iPhone 14 Pro is hands down the best phone I have ever owned.
@rolle Notification handling is a bit worse than with Android, but it has gotten better in the last 3 years or so. It's good enough, but there might be some getting used to it.
One thing I miss from android is F-Droid and side loading apps. But side loading might be coming to iOS in the future, thanks to EU.
@nico It's not that big of a deal for me, I just need a working phone now and was actually looking for older models like 13 first. I'll most probably go with the 14.
@rolle I’ve been on an iPhone 11 since 2019, replaced the battery half a year ago. I have no urge at all to upgrade the device, bit if you’re buying one anyway, I suppose the latest gen will give you the longest support.
Protip: wait a month before buying as Apple is soon releasing a new unit.
@rolle I don't myself that iPhones have progressed much since iPhone 12-13. They have great software support lasting years, so even "older" models like the X should be pretty OK.
Prices might fall when the new iPhones are released in September(?), and the new iPhone is rumored to have USB-C now, so you wouldn't be locked using expensive Apple charging cables.
@rolle I previously worked for Sony (Ericsson -> Mobile -> Corp) and used Android from the very beginning until 2018 when I switched to another employer. I've used iPhone since - and the only thing I missed was being able to automatically record my calls. However, afaik that's no longer possible on Android either I think so now that might be moot.
probs not useful to you, but the one with the longest lease (my phone is provided by the employer). I hate changing phones.
The worst are lightning (not particularly hard to cope by just accepting that the powerconnector sucks and knowing that when this phone's lease ends in a year or two, there should be usb-c iphonnes) and the fact that its needlessly hard to run my own software on the phone.
@rolle I have the 14 Pro Max with 256 Gb, and I am quite happy with it.
If I was in your situation, I would probably wait September, to get the newer generation which will use Usb-C instead of Lightning…
@rolle@barijaona the Lightning connector ports are only capable of USB2.0 transfer speeds. The USB-C ports are all USB3.0 or TB3 on Apple products though.
@CommanderViral@rolle according to some rumors sites, only USB2.0 speeds will be supported by some iPhone15 models. We'll have to wait to be sure.
Anyway, the availability of newer models will lead to lower prices for iPhone14 models.
That's why I think waiting a few weeks might be a good bet.
@barijaona@rolle Yeah, I have seen rumors they'll try to lock the faster transfer and charging speeds behind MFi cables, but the EU has already warned them that won't fly to hit their new court orders.
@CommanderViral As I said, we’ll have to wait to be sure. Anyway, the fact that @rolle is delighted by his new 14 Pro is a reminder that an iPhone in one’s hand is worth much more than an iPhone in a rumor mill 😆
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