So after a whole month of fiddling around with iPhone 12, I’ve reached a conclusion that switching was quite easy and painless. In fact, it’s easier than ever. There’s an apparent swift in Apples strategy to try reach Android audiences to their camp. Apple has pushed out more and more devices with cheaper price tags, for example the new iPhone SE 2020 edition is a quite cheap gateway drug to the Appleverse. Although the SE version looks really old with thicc bezels, it still packs solid tech that is competetive and attractive for the wide audience.

About migration (update)

I complained about the painful migration from Android to iOS in my first post. It’s an issue that however turned out to be painful even between Android phones, as I recently came to learn when my fiance switched from Huawei P10 to OnePlus 8T. Manufacturers tend to provide some sort of migration app, but they aren’t as helpful as you might initially think. They may be able to transfer basic stuff like contacts, message history or anything lightweight. But you’ll certainly need a cloud service for a smoother migration, especially when it comes to media. What made things more complex with Huawei migration to OnePlus was probably the USA vs. China trade war that has broken the Google backup functionality for the Huawei side. Sadly there was some data loss during this migration, but most of it was still salvageable.

iOS vs Android 2020

iOS has only recently come up with widgets that Android users have enjoyed for since the dawn of Android. This makes switching a bit more easier. And, yes you still have the good old grid list of apps and different homescreens. Overall differences are getting more minor between these platforms, all of the most important apps are available for both operating systems. The fundamental difference they have is their basic philosophy that is open ecosystem vs. closed garden. There are some annoyances in iOS, also some positive surprises – but overall, the difference isn’t that big anymore between Android and iOS.

Android scene has way more exciting tech development with foldables and that’s where you’ll see the most interesting experimental stuff. However, from a consumer standpoint It’s sad what happened to Huawei during the 2019-2020 trade wars. Huawei made (and makes) fantastic Android phones and they were reaching the position as the top Android manufacturer, until the trade war came and Samsung took over Huaweis market shares. All this makes consumers skeptical against Android as a stable operating system, I know it made me very skeptical. How am I supposed to trust a technically superior device manufacturer if there’s a risk that they’ll end up as a target for the USA? There are other rising Chinese manufacturers like Oppo, Xiaomi and OnePlus that are hugely popular and growing fast. I certainly hope for the sake of Android and consumers that they’ll be able to continue their business and there aren’t further restrictions. As an European, this situations really bums me out because it leaves us European consumers vulnerable.

Apple on the other hand focuses on solid top quality implementation. They don’t come up with wild ideas, but you can trust that they deliver what they promise. Also they’ve attempted to do something about privacy issues, while this is still debatable. All these things add up and iOS appears more of a solid safe haven especially during trade wars. As a new user they also gave me nice freebies like 1 year free Apple TV and 3 months free Apple Arcade. Services are the thing Apple is betting on and Apple TV atleast seems to show some promise. There are interesting shows that have been filled with great casts and fueled with even greater budgets. Who knows, I may end up as an Apple One -subscriber in some point if these services hold time and provide true value.

• Sidenote: I own an android TV and can wirelessly cast any 3rd party streaming service from my iPhone to it : HBO, Netflix, whatever. But can I do it with Apple TV? You guessed right – nopes!

Ups

+ Apps have a higher level of polish on iOS

+ What iOS lacks in functionality, it redeems itself with a solid & high quality implementation both hardware- and software-wise.

+ Camera quality is superb

+ Audio quality is amazing!

+ iPhones don’t come with bloatware

Downs

– The walled garden of Apple, everything works great in Apple bubbleverse but the world is bigger than that and Apple can’t provide the same level of functionality as competition.

– UX is bad in some very basic applications like Calculator. Why is it so stripped? Phone has a powerful chip but the in-built calculator only offers very stripped capability compared to Android. History and ( ) -buttons in calculator would save my day! Alarm clock is also a bit clumsy to use compared to Android.

– Why does the OS always push user to adjust settings in the iOS settings menu? Especially when some 3rd party apps have settings located in a way more contextually sensible location, the app itself. This is confusing.

– Not including charger with new devices? Go USB-C already like the rest of the world! That’s way more ecological.

– I miss the advanced settings in camera UI.