I’m monitoring this thread to see what is suggested. I hate Apple but I’ve had zero problems with their phones, my current iphoneX is three years old and works perfect but Apple is offering $320 on a trade and I paid $500 for it new. Im looking at the iPhone 11 which advertises 17 hours of battery life. I’ll see what else is suggested here.

I’m still using a iPhone 6+. Apple’s incessant bullshit updates are what fouls up (probably intentionally) their older phones, IMO. I don’t need improved gaming or the latest emojis. I turn off the shit (auto updates, predictive text, etc) that causes problems.

I tend to keep cell phones longer than most and I travel around a good bit including places with non-existent cellular coverage.
In the phones I’ve had since cell phones rolled out (including work phones), the absolute best I encountered overall was the Motorola StarTAC line. Excellent signal performance, volume (can’t hear on most phones), could do text messages and decent battery life.
Unfortunately they were not smart and couldn’t be adapted to upgraded cellular systems.

Absolutely most horrible were the Q phones running Windoze lite. (4 hour battery life and locked up constantly despite hours of support T/S). A few of the Android phones I had to use had the most disappointing battery life even with a battery back and turning off everything down to the brightness level. Meh.

All of the family is using Apple XR phones now which have been fine. Only thing I can observe is that Apple’s photo/camera quality was behind some of the Android phones, but better overall OS stability. It just works.

Keep in mind that Apple offers a 10% military veteran discount, (verified quickly online with ID.me), and with the trade in they offered on our previous phones (plus other deals) it was a no-brainer decision. (I don’t own any Apple stock, unfortunately).
I say use what you like-

I had an Iphone 6 and it shockingly died right on schedule. After that magic I switched back to Android with a pixel 2 that was fantastic until I broke it like an idiot. I currently have a Pixel 3a and like it quite a bit. I would recommend trying out a Pixel or I've heard good things about the Galaxys though I have no first had with them. Androids seem to last until upgraded.

I have a 6S Plus and did the $30 battery replacement 2 years ago, 4-1/2 years so far and working fine.

I had a 5 forever. Upgraded to a 7 when the X came out, it was cheap like 120 dollars cheap. It’s a phone.

I enjoyed your rant. You kind of lost me with the plug portion though. How hard is it to plug in a phone? Had to plug it in 3 times in the last 5 minutes? You are starting to sound like an ADD 16 year ODing on Red Bull.

quote:

What is the best alternative to an iphone?

Out here in the sticks, Motorola's better radios and receivers make them the first choice, even for iStuff aficionados.

Who cares about snazzy UI, camera features etc. if the cell signals don't light up the LTE symbols?

Closer to the signals, in urban areas, or near highways that's not such a big deal. Out here, though, it's a deal-killer.

The official line that some give out is 'they're all the same' when, of course, they're not. A Verizon tech explained how they justify saying this - they all pass the minimum tests, so in that sense they are all the same.

How much better the signal handling is than the bare minimum (if at all) - that's where they differ.

iFones here upgraded to X, we stay with them because the learning curve to switch would be problematic for a few, and the girls love the ifone facetime feature, they use it constantly.

Tried to switch everyone to a Galaxy but the pushback was strong. Some fights you don't engage, you'll lose anyway. So iShit we own.

I get what you say about the charging port, that tiny little connector can be problematic, perhaps you need a new cord...

Nonetheless, it's interesting when folks tout apples ios phone over android. Worldwide Android IS the software, over 88% of phones worldwide run an Android platform. Only in the USA do you see a large number of IOS phone devices vs Android, elsewhere... Android.
https://www.statista.com/stati...nd-users-since-2007/


Cell phones by make, Samsung and Apple run neck and neck as a pct of total sales but while they are the larger players in the market, theres a lot more sales to everyone else when you compare Apple to all sales.

https://www.statista.com/stati...ce-4th-quarter-2009/

So to answer the question, you'd need to get your hands on several models at the phone stores and see what you like, Samsung is the leader in Android based phones.

I like the Galaxy models but have little experience with them.

I had an Android long ago and hated every minute of it. It crashed and locked up all the time. I finally went with the latest iPhone, which at the time was an iPhone 5. I used it for many years until I broke the third after-market screen on it (dropped face-down on cement). It had started to have poor battery life and was beginning to slow quite a bit.

I decided it was time for an upgrade, so I upgraded to what was the latest iPhone which at the time was a 10XR. So I had an iPhone 5 and it lasted all the way to the release of the 10xR.

My 10XR is now about a year old and it performs great. It never crashes and if I don't put it on the charger, it will go from 100% to about 75% in a day. It will easily last 3 days without a charge, but I never go that long.

I use my 10XR to tether internet to my MacBook Pro, so it charges quite a bit through the day. Internet speed is great and I can still view YouTube on my MBP with my phone's internet connection.

The grass is always greener on the other side, but I like my apple flavored grass. I have much less issues with my Mac and iPhone than I ever did with my Windows and Android products. I'll admit that I haven't used an Android in forever, but I'm not curious to go back.

Last year, I got a new MacBook Pro and gave my 2011 MacBook Pro with an upgraded 1TB solid state hard drive and a new battery to my mom. She had a HP laptop with Windows 10 and was ready to throw it out the window.

After I erased the hard drive on my 2011 MBP and set up her e-mail and photos, she never asks me for computer help anymore. With her old HP, which was only a year old, she was constantly having issues and asking me for help. She hated that laptop with a passion.

If you're an IT guy or someone who can dive into code and computer hacks, you'll probably like the Android. If you are just a computer and smart phone user who just wants their stuff to work with the least amount of effort, stick with Apple products.

I have a Dell laptop at work and I hate using it. It's relatively new too.

Just my 2 cents.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
...ODing on Red Bull.

Bahahahahahahhaha!

Maybe it's a relapse?

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
… I wish people would give this a rest. I run a four year old Android phone and it's been absolutely rock solid from the beginning. And as for Android being easier or harder than IOS, its not. It's very different, but once you adapt to it, it's every bit as simple to use as an iPhone.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I've got a 5 year old Galaxy S5 that has worked like a charm. Original battery, still holds a good charge.

I'm glad to see some others here are not obsessed with getting the latest in phone technology. I was starting to get an inferiority complex.

A relative sold me a used Samsung 5S about 4 years ago. It was about 2 years old then. I can get to the internet, take pictures with it, but mainly it's just a phone. Really, I could get by with a flip phone, but this is light years better.

After I had it a couple of years the battery signed off. But a new one was cheap and a U Tube video was all I needed to change it myself in a couple of minutes. That one's still going strong. I've heard that on all the newer phones you can't change the battery yourself. One more reason to keep this one as long as possible.

Used to be an iPhone user, switched to a Samsung S5 years ago, haven't looked back to Apple. I'm currently on a 4 year old S7, not one single crash or problem. Battery typically lasts 3 days. But once retail shops start opening, I plan to switch to a non-smartphone. I use no apps and very little action on websites or even email. Phone calls and texts make up 75% of the phone's usage.

The best Android phone to switch from iPhone is the usually recommended Pixel (by CNET, Verge, etc).

However current Samsung software is light years away from its old software on older phones. Samsung also has been keeping up with updates almost as good as Pixel.

I am currently running a Note 9 and a Pixel 3a XL. I usually wait for sales - Note 9 for $600 straight from samsung.com and Pixel 3a XL for $356 including tax from Amazon. Both phones exceeded my expectation but the Pixel 3a XL exceeded it by a mile. Unbelievably good camera, and Google AI (in phone app) now filters out all spam calls.

I can’t believe how much memory some of these Samsung phones I’m looking at have. The micro SD cards really boost the hell out of the memory.

That feature would have saved me quite a bit of frustration yesterday.

I've never had any problems per say with my Apple IPhones, they have worked good for me. All I use my iPhone7 Plus for is...phone, camera, internet browsing, email, financial institutions, Apple Pay, hot spot, and a myriad of apps that help organize my life. I also religiously download, and install all updates. Guess I'm just lucky.

Recently purchased a refurb iPhone S6. Have been using a couple androids but had poor service at home with ATT. The old s6 has the others beat hands down. Maybe one day will upgrade a bit. Will never buy new at their prices. Good prices on refurb with 30 day return and one year warranty.

quote:

Originally posted by benny6:
If you're an IT guy or someone who can dive into code and computer hacks, you'll probably like the Android.

Not necessarily true. I'm a retired "IT guy" with over 37 years of experience in hardware design, followed by software design, followed to server and network design and administration. Extensive radio experience, before and during those.

I'm using Apple, now, after switching from initially using Android. The primary impetus for making the switch was security. (And I'll just leave that at that.)

What I've experienced since is the degree and ease of integration between Apple devices makes for an ecosystem that's a joy to experience. Phones, tablets, wrist watches, wireless earpieces, streaming devices: All integrate so cleanly and easily they're just sheer joy. Perfect every time? No, but damn good most times. Eventually I'll be adding home automation to the mix.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both Android and Apple. Which is important to each of us is a matter of taste. But one thing is not debatable, IMO: Nobody does device integration like Apple. As a retired "IT guy," I appreciate that.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
The trick to keeping a battery strong is to not let it dip below 20%. The 100% to single digits repeatedly will deteriorate it. So top off frequently.

20% ?!?! Yikes! Avoid regularly dipping below 40-50%, if you can avoid it, on *any* Li-Ion rechargeable device. It's heat that shortens their lifetime, and long recharge cycles = heat.

Recharging at 70-80% is best, if you can.

certainly a shorter charge will produce less heat but it's also been said that after 1000 charges, the battery is on it's last legs & probably isn't usable all day for moderate users.

quote:

I’m sick of the God damned planned obsolescence.

It's not that it is planned ~ it is that it moves forward.

As a career long Microsoft guy I have personal animosity towards Apple.
Not that they don't make a decent product - they do.
I hate their encapsulating training-wheel approach that and the lack of Enterprise usefulness.

But I digress, when my Windows Phone (yes, I know) died I bit the bullet and got Android Note 10.
With the addition of the Live Tile skins - it is usable.
Nice to have the additional app support, but Microsoft was MUCH better with integration of Contacts, Email, Texts and MS Exchange.
Anyway NEVER going to do anything Apple so this is what I have to live with.
YMMV

You should try drinking more instead.