One User Finds Android a Sweet but Sickly Treat
Back in 2013 I felt that Apple had failed to keep up with the smartphone technology developments that its Android-powered rivals were offering. I looked enviously at phones with larger screens, NFC, quad-core processors, bigger batteries and more RAM.
I was very tempted to switch to a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and was ready to pull the trigger at an AT&T store, only to learn that the carrier had changed the date of my eligibility for an upgrade without telling me. But this setback gave me time to look at other options. I investigated the Google Nexus 5 and liked what I saw. At roughly half the price of Apple’s newest iPhone, I couldn’t help but make the leap to Google’s candy store.
Initially I was very happy with the extra screen real estate of the Nexus 5 as well as the greater customization than the iPhone allowed. Yet about a year after munching on this Kit Kat bar, I started to see the calories behind the sweet sugar.
Firstly, I had lots of problems taking good photos with the back camera. I had higher expectations for an eight-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization. Secondly, I grew tired of the cheap plastic feel of the Nexus 5, and missed the build quality Apple is known for. Aesthetic issues like this are more a matter of personal preference and the Nexus 5 costs quite a lot less than an iPhone; nonetheless it was a compromise that I personally wasn’t satisfied with.
A third headache was game and app compatibility. Buying a relatively new model, I thought it would handle any game I wanted to play on it. Unfortunately, the Nexus 5 ran into compatibility issues from time to time, reflecting just how many different models of Android phone developers must work with. I’ve had problems that made several games unplayable. Some of the titles I had trouble with were Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Ridge Racer Slipstream and Sonic Racing Transformed. In addition, the official app for the San Jose Sharks wouldn’t launch successfully; I found its vague notifications about breaking news very frustrating.
Fourthly, from my experience on the Nexus 5, I found developers gave iOS applications higher priority than their Android counterparts. I’d often have to wait months to use the newest games and apps that I heard were good on iOS. Last year QuizUp was very popular among my iPhone-wielding friends, but by the time it reached Android they’d already lost interest in it. This year I was anxious to play Fallout Shelter to help hold me over until Fallout 4 launches, but I had to wait a couple of months after the iOS release to play it on the Nexus 5.
Popular apps like Facebook seemed to receive a greater degree of polish and get new features earlier. For example, with my iPhone 4S Facebook had a beautiful, clean and flat interface, but when I switched to Android, I was presented with the older interface. It didn’t take more than a few months for the Android version to be updated; nonetheless I wasn’t fond of being out of the loop for new features.
I had thought I’d want to be able to customize everything after being constrained by Apple. However, I eventually stopped caring about that and just wanted things to work smoothly and consistently all the time. I also missed the massive range of accessories that the iPhone enjoys — with my old phone, it was nice to be able to walk into almost any store and find cases and cables that worked.
As the next few years passed, I watched as Apple mostly caught up with all the failings I’d perceived in my iPhone 4S. As the latest iPhones achieved parity with my checklist of features on Android flagships, Google’s platform lost one of its major selling points for me. I knew I didn’t want to purchase another mid-range or budget phone, so the price difference between the iPhone and Android rivals turned from dramatic to negligible.
Because of all these factors, I decided to return to the iPhone with the release of the 6s. I enjoyed my sweet sugary ride with Android, but I can’t resist the smoother trip that iOS offers.