Let me begin by saying “thank you” to all of you early adopters of the iPhone. As a result, you have helped drive the development and refinement of what has become perhaps the best smartphone on the market. I don’t say this lightly, and I had a tough time deciding to move from my Samsung Galaxy II to the iPhone 5, rather than the Galaxy S4.
The iPhone has not always been the best overall device, in my opinion. In fact, just two years ago, I jumped ship from the Blackberry, and shared why I didn’t go with the iPhone at that time (see Samsung Nexus S: BlackBerry Replacement or iPhone Alternative?). The relatively short battery life, lack of a personal hotspot, and limited carrier choices were all key factors in my decision at the time. Throw in the Apple maps debacle, and my decision was validated.
The main reason for my recent upgrade was that the Galaxy battery life had diminished to just a few hours for a full charge – hardly enough to make a few calls, take a short flight, and read a few emails. In fact, the straw the broke the Samsung’s back was when I went for a bicycle ride (around 2 or 3 hours) and my phone died before I got home. This was after a full charge. Next day, I was in the store to replace it.
I really liked the features of the Samsung Galaxy S4, and went with the intention to replace my S II with it. The large screen (another point over the iPhone) and longer battery life were icing on the cake. Plus, if you need to, you can always get an extra battery or even a case with a built-in battery. You can’t just easily swap out your tired battery in an iPhone.
I was “comfortable” and familiar with the Samsung phones, but decided to take a look at the iPhone 5. The screen is smaller, but with the Retina display, it doesn’t really seem smaller. In fact, emails and websites are actually easier to read – at least for me. No doubt it has something to do with resolution and display layout, but it works. Since I have an iPad, using the iPhone also felt very familiar. Plus, many of my apps will work on the iPhone. More importantly, you no longer need to physically connect to your computer for updates via iTunes. Although we all have our own personal preferences, the iPhone just seems to work a little "smarter" than the Android devices. From the spell-check to the hands-free options, the iPhone just seems to be more "real-world" friendly.
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| Mophie Juice Pack |
The deal-maker for me was a rechargeable Mophie Juice Pack iPhone case, which nearly doubles the life of your iPhone battery. After running the phone all day and draining the battery to around 20% or so, switching on the Juice Pack recharges the phone to between 87-97%, in my experience. You can also leave it switched on for longer life without the need to switch it, but manually switching it is recommended for best results. At just under $100, it is not a cheap add-on, but if you’re working long hours, it’s worth every penny.
