Moved from 950XL to iPhone 7 Plus - First impressions

slyronit

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After spending 6 years with Windows phones (Lumia 900, 720, 925,920,830,1520,950XL) and 7 years before that with Symbian, the app gap finally got to me and I switched to an iPhone 7 Plus (128Gb) last week. Here are my impressions after a week with this new OS

How I found the 950XL better
-From a UI point of view, Windows 10 Mobile was a more intuitive and better looking OS (I think this is subjective).
-I sorely miss live tiles. iPhone widgets are not as good and the grid of app icons with badge notifications is plain boring and uninformative. iOS stock apps are not at par with MS stock apps (though there are many third paarty alternatives, including MS's)
-Windows Hello was better than Apple touch ID (The OS implementation, I am not comparing hardware and recognition). You could set an OS level biometric authentication and a pin to fall back. Touch ID with 3rd party apps only supports the biometric authentication, each app needs to use a separate PIN to fall back to
-I miss the integration between Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10 (Notifications etc)
-The Office apps were plain better on Windows 10 Mobile (regardless of what people say about MS prioritizing their apps for iOS) in terms of functionality and UI
-I miss the seamless integration between Photos, OneDrive. I continue to use OneDrive for photo backup in iPhone, but if I delete a photo from the Photos app later, have to delete it again from OneDrive. Also the "Live"-ness of the photos doesn't carry over to OneDrive or anywhere else
-I miss Windows maps and the system-level integration it had with offline maps. All the apps that used the system maps could access offline maps as well. Goes without saying that Apple maps doesn't' have any offline capability. In fact most stock apps are so basic, they look like they are made for kids.
-Miss password sync across all my browsers (Edge)
-Miss Glance screen
-Miss wireless charging
-Miss Windows Central's app

How I find the iPhone better
+The OS is very fluid (The 950XL stuttered in a few cases). App resuming is almost magical. You can have 50 apps open and when you open any of them afteer a few days, they resume right they were without any lag. iOS seems to have perfected this over the years
+Battery consumption is much less at both idle and during use, in-spite of having a smaller battery. The 950XL lasted only 4-5 hours with heavy use and less than a day with mixed use. The iPhone lasts till the end of the day with the exact same usage pattern. Creator's update was getting better in this regard, but still doesn't match the iPhone
+Apps. Oh man, the apps. After coming from Windows, the apps were a shock to me. Regardless of what people say, the app gap is very real. The apps that are on Windows 10 are months behind the iOS counterparts (Barring a few exceptions like Enpass, Twitter etc)
Whatsapp is much more useable and instantaneous. Even with the 8 core 950XL, Whatsapp lagged, stuck on loading. iPhone Whatsapp has proper integration with the contacts app, too
Facebook/messenger are instantaneous
The Uber app is in a completely different league
All my banking apps are much better (ICICI, AXIS, AMEX, PayTM)
Vodafone/Airtel apps are much better. Can finally get their free data offers
Aftership is a great package tracking app, even the former package tracker and Track51 don't come close.
For all the other apps, there are so many choices, it is hard to be disappointed
+Has system-wide ad-blockers
+Has automatic blue light reduction-Waited for this to come to Windows 10 with creator's update, but looks like ti has been shelved now
+Can use Aapple music (Waited for years for Groove music pass to launch in India, gave up)
+The camera performance (I don't think there's much difference in image quality) is years ahead. You can take hundreds of full-res bursts in a few seconds and then choose the best (they are grouped together). This feature was present in Windows Mobile 8.1, but shelved in Windows 10. In Windows 10, burst is just taking 7-8 photos in series (Aafter which it gets stuck in "saving"). Bursts are not grouped together. Many times some pf the photos would get corrupted and get saved in low-res ".thumb".The iPhone camera works flawlessly every time. Auto focus, especially in low light is much faster
+Is waterproof/dustproof.
+Taptic feedback is kinda cool, but loses its charm after a few days

Although I do miss the core-OS functions and integration with MS services, I am happy with my switch and regret living with the terrible app gap for so long.

I still use a Lumia 650 for work, so I am not gone yet.
 

TechFreak1

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@slyronit Thanks for your indepth thoughts sharing!

I agree the UX is so on ios and android is so bland it reminds me of looking of every single phone I've used in the past and nothing haschanged over decades. I mean we look at icons 24/7 whether it's on a PC (7 & below), ios and android devices (being most common), smart tvs.

The live tiles are refreshing... in regards to the whatsapp that is still a windows phone 8.x app hence why it's sluggish somewhat.

The vertical integration that Apple can leverage since they don't release dozens of phones every year equals to a rather polished experience and finely tuned functionality.

Plus phones are their bread and butter so they have to put every resource into phones whereas with Microsoft....... you know the story :grincry:.
 

zocster

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Awesome write up. This is why I rock both an iPhone and windows phone.

Tbh I like both platforms. My third favorite would have to be Android. Still waiting on a note device that won't blow up lol.

Sent from mTalk on 950XL
 

petvas72

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Windows Hello is not better than TouchID. TouchID works instantly while Windows Hello needs more time to log you in. There are also ton of apps in iOS that work with TouchID.

As far as the Maps concerns, in iOS you can have Google Maps. Nothing beats that..
 

slyronit

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Windows Hello is not better than TouchID. TouchID works instantly while Windows Hello needs more time to log you in. There are also ton of apps in iOS that work with TouchID.

As far as the Maps concerns, in iOS you can have Google Maps. Nothing beats that..

You definitely understood what I wrote, wrong, or didn't read it properly.

I am not talking about the hardware implementation, I am just talking about the OS feature and its usability.

Windows : I can set my Hello Biometric (Fingerprint, Iris recog, Facial recog) data, and use a backup PIN. All apps which use Windows Hello try to use the Biometrics first and when they fail, use the Windows Hello PIN
iOS: I can scan my fingerprint, but the Touch ID API does not include the PIN part. All apps that use TouchID use their own backup PIN.

Also, Windows Hello can use a multitude of biometric devices and third party hardware manufacturers can use the APIs to build their hardware, touch ID is only fingerprint and doesn't support 3rd party biometric devices.

I never argued the speed of Apple's touch ID, it is the fastest fingerprint scanner I have ever seen (6S upwards), period.
 

matt john2

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You can download the HERE maps in the APP store, and seriously though it's still far more accurate and stable than Windows Maps
 

slyronit

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@slyronit Thanks for your indepth thoughts sharing!

I agree the UX is so on ios and android is so bland it reminds me of looking of every single phone I've used in the past and nothing haschanged over decades. I mean we look at icons 24/7 whether it's on a PC (7 & below), ios and android devices (being most common), smart tvs.

The live tiles are refreshing... in regards to the whatsapp that is still a windows phone 8.x app hence why it's sluggish somewhat.

The vertical integration that Apple can leverage since they don't release dozens of phones every year equals to a rather polished experience and finely tuned functionality.

Plus phones are their bread and butter so they have to put every resource into phones whereas with Microsoft....... you know the story :grincry:.

I agree, Whatsapp runs far better on my 920 running 8.1 than on the 950XL, can't really blame Whatsapp either, they have been doing their best with feature updates when most apps are abandoning the platform.
 

slyronit

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You can download the HERE maps in the APP store, and seriously though it's still far more accurate and stable than Windows Maps

That's what I am actually using, but it doesn't (by Apple's choice) have the same level of integration with the OS as does the stock Apple maps.

e.g. Offline maps stored in Here cannot be used by any other app (The default windows maps offline data can be used by any app which uses the maps API), clicking on a location in a calendar entry brings up Apple maps instead of Here maps, with no way to choose.

But that's the price of living in a walled garden, I guess.
 

libra89

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Wow, thanks for sharing your impressions! It was a very interesting read.

I can imagine how you felt about the apps. It feels so weird to see that for some apps, you have been tolerating something thinking that is just the way it is but then you go to the other side, and the experience is smooth sailing.
 

Josiah23

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Nice post! Thanks for sharing, you kept me interested with your writing!

I never got a chance to use a 950XL myself but would sure give it a go one day!

I'm currently using an iPhone 6S Plus and It's a pretty solid all-around phone, but It felt weird and off for me when I first switched platforms... it took me a few days to get use to IOS
 
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slyronit

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Did platforms other than Windows ever get proper offline maps though? On Windows it takes a matter of minutes to download all the maps for an entire country so I never have to worry about not having the map that I need once I get there, regardless of if I have a data connection - it always used to be that Windows/Here was unique in that regard, other apps like Google Maps required you to mess around viewing the tiles you wanted and then hoping they were still cached on your device when you actually got to where you were going, and there was no way to do anything like get an entire country's maps at once. For me the system-wide offline maps (for any app's use) in Windows are one of the platform's best features, back in the WP8 days they (and the Here apps) were so far ahead of anything else, the gap has probably closed a bit by now though.

Sorry to hear that you went to the "dark side" i.e. iOS... :cry:

In Google maps, you can only download a limited area. On iOS, Here maps is quite good, I have already downloaded 34Gb worth of places, for countries I frequently travel to, for work.

I still have an SP3, a Windows NUC, Lumia 920 for work and a Lumia 650 at home to play with Insider builds and I would love to move back in a few years if UWP takes off, so I am going nowhere ;-)
 

AWspicious 13

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Why do people say you've crossed over to the dark side when someone gets an iPhone? I prefer to think of Android as the dark side.
As much as I like my Windows phone (phones), the app gap became unbearable and I, too, got a 128Gb 7Plus in jet black (and my tears were real...not just an emoji).
Unless more developers get onboard with the Windows Mobile OS, no phone that Microsoft or is partners bring out will appeal to enough users. Equally, if there aren't enough people buying windows phones, app developers aren't going to bother making apps for Windows phones.
It's a catch 22 situation.
 

matt john2

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Why do people say you've crossed over to the dark side when someone gets an iPhone? I prefer to think of Android as the dark side.
As much as I like my Windows phone (phones), the app gap became unbearable and I, too, got a 128Gb 7Plus in jet black (and my tears were real...not just an emoji).
Unless more developers get onboard with the Windows Mobile OS, no phone that Microsoft or is partners bring out will appeal to enough users. Equally, if there aren't enough people buying windows phones, app developers aren't going to bother making apps for Windows phones.
It's a catch 22 situation.

I wouldn't call any OS a dark side though,
once you root an Android and that's where fun begins. Just imagine the level of customisation you can do with Android that none of the other OS can. It's like learning and using Linux for the first time and realised that you have been missing a lot in Windows or MacOS.
 

slyronit

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I wouldn't call any OS a dark side though,
once you root an Android and that's where fun begins. Just imagine the level of customisation you can do with Android that none of the other OS can. It's like learning and using Linux for the first time and realised that you have been missing a lot in Windows or MacOS.

I kinda agree with AWspicious 13, being a long time Windows fan, Google is indeed the dark side, because they have actively prevented the rise of Windows Mobile (I think market share was highest and future looked the brightest during Windows Mobile 8.1 days), not only by not making apps for Winddows mobile, but actively blocking MS making Google apps (I remember the YouTube app fiasco). I basically find Google to be a company low on ethics and willing to stoop to any level to get ahead. I basically do not use any Google services.

I agree with Android being a 'tinkerer's' dream, and I would have loved using it when I was in college and more Geek-y, but those days are behind me now, I want an OS that "just works", every time.
 

slyronit

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Windows central has a app on apple , I was gonna say Nokia here maps does to but somebody beat me to it

Really? Can you send me a link? I can't find one on the app store (there's a Forum app, but that's it), nor are there any links on their website.
 

nasznjoka

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I kinda agree with AWspicious 13, being a long time Windows fan, Google is indeed the dark side, because they have actively prevented the rise of Windows Mobile (I think market share was highest and future looked the brightest during Windows Mobile 8.1 days), not only by not making apps for Winddows mobile, but actively blocking MS making Google apps (I remember the YouTube app fiasco). I basically find Google to be a company low on ethics and willing to stoop to any level to get ahead. I basically do not use any Google services.

I agree with Android being a 'tinkerer's' dream, and I would have loved using it when I was in college and more Geek-y, but those days are behind me now, I want an OS that "just works", every time.

So you are saying android doesn't work and windows just works right?? It's funny in the forums it's cries all over this doesn't work that doesn't work and so on..... We all know Microsoft didn't include ads, offered videos downloading etc and that's against googles YouTube operations and they were allowed to build a web app they just refused.... Do you have imessage on windows? Do I have Ms word on linux?
 

slyronit

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So you are saying android doesn't work and windows just works right?? It's funny in the forums it's cries all over this doesn't work that doesn't work and so on..... We all know Microsoft didn't include ads, offered videos downloading etc and that's against googles YouTube operations and they were allowed to build a web app they just refused.... Do you have imessage on windows? Do I have Ms word on linux?

Not at all. I am comparing the reliability of iOS with Android and iOS is miles ahead. Windows Mobile 8.1 was the most reliable of the lot, but Windows 10 on mobiles doesn't even come close.

About iMessage - Apple doesn't develop many apps for other platforms, because they want tight control over what devices their apps do run on. They don't have iMessage for anyone apart from their platforms.

Google has apps for other platforms, but deliberately sabotaged Windows Mobile (It might have died anyways, but the lack of Google apps did play a significant part).

MS, I believe has software which run on the widest range of devices. MS Word on Linux? Linux is not one OS. You can't expect MS to develop Office for 10s of Linux distros when they don't have a significant market share on desktop. You can still use office on Linux via the web apps, I am sure.

They do have great office apps for Android and iOS.
 

matt john2

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Do I have Ms word on linux?

Actually there is, it's called LibreOffice and it works just as good if not better than MS Office and the best thing is it's completely free no BS subscriptions required or anything. Sure it may not have the same level of integration as MS Office but it's expected since it's open source. You guys should give it a go and see what you think.

* I apologise for swaying the conversation*
 

matt john2

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Not at all. I am comparing the reliability of iOS with Android and iOS is miles ahead.
.

I don't know, I've been using the stock Android Nougat on/off and occasionally use iOS and to be honest I can't really tell the difference anymore. Perhaps what you're referring to is the Samsung's version of Android in which I wholeheartedly agree that it's a pure 💩 ,but at least it's a whole better than Windows 10m in my experience.
 

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