iPhone user considering switching to Android
I'm looking to upgrade my iPhone 15 Pro Max this year, and I'm considering switching to Android. I'd be upgrading my watch, earbuds, and phone all at the same time, so it's the perfect opportunity to see if the grass is greener on the other side. I have a Macbook Pro and an iPad, but those are used for specific tasks, so I don't really take advantage of the continuity. My daily driver is mostly my Windows PC, and PhoneLink is genuinely terrible with iPhones. This and the overheating on my phone are the main reasons I'm looking to upgrade.
The main reasons I'm considering switching are:
- I'm interested in (but not fully convinced to try) foldables, but the rumored iPhone foldable not having FaceID and a telephoto lens are dealbreakers.
- PhoneLink is terrible on iPhone.
- I'm not a heavy phone user, but even I run up against things on iOS that restrict what I'm trying to do.
- GameNative + JIT Emulation sound neat.
- I'm also looking at all these cool features coming to Android, and I feel like nothing good has come to iOS for a while.
What I like about iPhone:
- Privacy. It's no GrapheneOS, and Apple isn't perfect about what they do with your data, but Google's main revenue comes from selling access to your data. I would need strong evidence to believe that Apple is as bad as Google with it.
- iOS looks way smoother to me than even modern Android flagships. Yes, they get good framerates on their animations and are technically performant, but iOS animations seem more intentional and fluid, and the haptics also make it a smooth experience.
- I've heard that iOS apps are generally of a higher quality than Android apps, so this has me a little apprehensive about switching. I don't mind paying for an app, but a subscription or ads is obnoxious.
- Most of my family is on iPhone, so it's a lot easier to share things among each other.
- Camera is good, but so are Android flagship cameras
I'd probably be looking at going to either a Z Fold 8 (worried about inner screen durability and worse camera, and I drop my phone a lot), S26 Ultra, or just going to the 18 Pro Max if I stick with iPhone. Samsung is my primary consideration for Android, because the Galaxy Buds and Watch are pretty comparable to the Apple Watch and AirPods Pro from what I understand. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Are there any other phones I should consider?