After 9 years of being a fangirl...

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
02/18/2016 at 18:17 • Filed to: Apple

I finally dropped the iPhone as my preferred smartphone.

I had always loved iPhones. For the first few years after their introduction, they were unstoppable. I remember my factory fresh iPhone 4. To this day, it’s my favourite phone design. I cherished it like a kid cherishes a beloved teddy bear. It was all the phone I ever needed and it looked good while doing it.

But alas, it was never meant to be.

In typical Apple fashion, new iOS updates eventually made the iPhone 4 unusable for any practical operation, forcing me to sell the 4 (terrible mistake) and update to an iPhone 5...which started my downfall with Apple.

My iPhone 5 was the most unreliable piece of tech I’ve ever owned. It never held LTE for longer than 5 minutes at a time, and whenever I went inside anything resembling a building, it lost signal completely. The camera lense collected dust ON THE INSIDE. And let’s not even talk about the battery...There’s nothing like a phone that will completely and entirely die in ten minutes in temps of 40 degrees and lower. And replacing parts didn’t help. At the end of my tenure with my iPhone 5, I had literally replaced every part but the logic board.

During my time with the iPhone 5, I also picked up a CDMA iPhone 4. I had to, I had to have my favourite iPhone back! This phone is heavily modded. Currently it’s being used as a dashcam:

At least I got a lot of cool frame mods out of the deal. I traded in the phone with a green frame.

That picture was taken with my then new iPhone 6! Here’s one of my first rear camera selfies (eh, I wasn’t a fan of that dress):

But ultimately, even the iPhone 6 began sucking. Later versions of iOS 8 and iOS 9 brought software and hardware issues galore. There’s nothing like a battery that goes from 27% to 0% without warning. Oh and cold weather? Forgettaboutit. But the thing that hit me the worst was data management. During the time with the iPhone, I lost my music library...Apple makes it nice and hard to recover your music from your phone. I ended up just semi-jailbreaking iOS 9.2.1 just to get my music off it.

Then there were things that really just bothered me. Android phones have features I love but I can’t get on any iPhone, then the customization Android has. With Apple, there isn’t much can do past modding out the hardware...but with Android (as I’ve learned with the Galaxy SIII Mini that I gave to Miss Tesla), there are no limits to what you can do!

And so, I sold the phone, and replacing it will be the first Android phone that I will ever use as a normal phone (the Galaxy was only ever used as an emergency backup, and now belongs to Miss Tesla): The Nexus 5X

Will I still buy iPhones? Of course! I’m keeping my CDMA iPhone 4, and sometime in the future, I’m going to buy another iPhone 4 and an iPhone 5. I love modding and repairing iPhones, but after the novelty wears off, an iPhone just becomes a pain in the arse for me. So now I start my new relationship, with Google and Android!

DISCUSSION (21)

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 18:28

After using iphones, I now only use Android devices. Much better quality software and not crappy build quality. I have no regrets going to a LG G4. On the third day, I rooted the living shit out of it and deleted the crappy default apps and now it’s a lot smoother.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 18:30

I quite like my 5X, though the keyboard can be a pain in the ass.

CB > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 18:31

I’ve used both Android and iOS, and neither will ever compare to the gloriousness that is Symbian.

Scary__goongala! > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 18:32

I love the Android phones that I’ve had. Apple products are plenty good but some people are freaking crazy about their Apple loyalty.

SteveLehto > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 18:37

Love my Motorola Razr.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 18:40

Great call on the N5X!

Lettuce know how you like in a week or two!

wiffleballtony > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 18:49

I lost all interest in Apple in 1997.

-this space for rent- > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 19:11

I never thought I’d miss my blackberry until my work switched to iphones. I don’t lay the blame fully on Apple, but sweet Jebus it’s a terrible experience.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 19:21

Hilariously, I actually stopped using Android after making the switch from Kitkat - a version that I loved - to the latest, Marshmellow or whatever it’s called - which I sort of don’t love at all.

Normally, I wouldn’t have brand or OS favoritism (since I started out in the cellphone life rocking a big Blackjack smartphone with Windows OS), but Android was something I would never wish on my worst enemy.

I wouldn’t mind anything, it just didn’t have to be Android.

GE90man > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 19:25

I feel similarly about Apple. Apple has had any innovation in its products since forever. just take a look at Samsung and its sharp display with AMOLED and quad processors. Apple has had the same resolution on their phones forever

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 19:30

I can never see myself leaving the iPhone. With apple’s stance on privacy, I’m there for sure

epidemike > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 20:09

Kinja'd!!!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 20:41

I’m Android, currently Nexus 5. I like to be able to plug in a cable and copy a file onto it. Or whatever. The device is adequate.

On the other hand, my three daughters use iPhones and they Facetime each other, so I bought my wife a 5s so that she can keep her office hours with the daughters, two of whom live away, via Facetime.

Apple is too smug for me, though voice quality and phone quality are very good on the recent models.

MPA > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
02/18/2016 at 20:47

That’s how I feel - I’ve had one since day 1, and never experienced any real issues. The only issue I have right now is the inability of my laptop to connect to the apple servers so I can wipe my phone from a beta version of iOS to a normal one.

I have a Galaxy S6 for work - but rarely carry it because I don’t want to carry 2 phones. It’s not that bad - I’m sure normal usage, I would get the hang of it more, and stop doing things I’m used to doing with iPhones - like trying to switch keyboards to type a #, and little things like that.

hike > Mercedes Streeter
02/18/2016 at 23:09

Nice call with the Nexus 5x. I've got an iPhone 5s for work and it's nothing but trouble. Build quality is terrible, it's uncomfortable to hold, screen is cramped, ios does nothing particularly useful, and it's pretty buggy. I do quite like the finger print sensor though!

pip bip - choose Corrour > Mercedes Streeter
02/19/2016 at 05:03

very interesting , i’ve only heard good things about Apple phones.

Mercedes Streeter > McChiken116 - Patrick H.
02/19/2016 at 08:54

The thing about privacy is that all of the tech firms have to side with Apple. Both iOS and Android tout privacy as selling points...and siding with the FBI is really really bad. But I will give my iPhone that credit, even my 4 digit password worked so well! :)

Mercedes Streeter > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
02/19/2016 at 08:56

I’m sending this comment on the new Nexus...I’m not used to a larger form factor, but so far it’s amazing! The pixel density of this screen. Also, it’s not getting Kinja’d like my iPhone usually does.

Mercedes Streeter > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
02/19/2016 at 09:00

I think I know what you’re talking about! I love the keyboard, but it does seem to be just a few mm too big for me to quick text. It might just be best to use two hands!

Mercedes Streeter > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
02/19/2016 at 09:00

So far, it’s amazeballs! :D

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Mercedes Streeter
02/19/2016 at 11:01

I have to use two hands, but my complaint is that “b” and space seem to be together.