Apple’s new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus might seem “boring” to some users, and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s no question that the new iPhones share the same design that Apple has already used for two years, making this the first time Apple has ever held onto an iPhone design for three consecutive iPhone generations. There are some minor differences such as the cameras and antenna lines, and we all know by now that the new phones have ditched the standard 3.5mm headphone jack as well. And of course on the inside, both iPhone 7 models are brand new and feature huge performance gains as well as improved displays.
Whenever new iPhones are released, some Android fans choose to jump ship and try Apple on for size. The iPhone 6 cycle perhaps saw the most defectors join Apple’s camp in recent history, but the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus could end up drawing even more switchers thanks to the mess Samsung is in right now. Stories from people moving over from Android to a new iPhone are popping up all over the web, but one in particular caught my eye this week.
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Over on Reddit, a user named “reptile420” posted in the iPhone subreddit about switching from Android to the new iPhone 7 Plus. Posts like this one are hardly uncommon right now — new posts pop up in the iPhone and Apple subreddits every day from users who say that they’ve decided to dump Android in favor of an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus.
What’s interesting about this case, however, is the reason this particular user gave for making the switch.
For some time now, I’ve discussed how much I’d love to switch to an Android phone. Apple had a big hardware edge at one point, but phones like the Galaxy S7, Galaxy Note 7 and Moto Z feature far more appealing designs than Apple’s recent iPhones, in my opinion. In fact, Apple’s product design has taken a turn across the board lately — no, seriously — but that’s a different conversation entirely.
I would love to switch to a sleek new phone like the Galaxy Note 7. Okay, maybe not the Galaxy Note 7, but the Galaxy S7 edge is a gorgeous phablet that’s sexier and far more comfortable to use than my new iPhone 7 Plus. Sadly, there is absolutely no way I can live with an Android device as my main phone, and software is the reason. iOS is smoother, third-party apps are infinitely better, and the experience across iOS and Mac devices is seamless thanks to Continuity and other features.
In this case, however, better third-party apps and Continuity aren’t what attracted a self-described “lifelong Android user” to the iPhone 7 Plus. Instead, he says what many perceive to be Android’s greatest strengths — flexibility and customization — actually ended up driving him away from the platform.
“I’ve always had top of the line android phones and the software was always the limitation,” the user wrote in a comment on his thread. “Just sick of having to tweak so many things to make things work smoothly. And even then there is still issues. IOS has come a long way in customization and that was the only advantage android had for me before.”
I use both iOS and Android devices extensively, of course, and I personally still feel that Android’s flexibility is one of its biggest advantages over iOS. That apparently isn’t the case for all users though, and it’ll be interesting to see if others feel the same way after making the move from an Android phone to a new iPhone.
