Changing your smartphone is not a purchase like any other. This device has become a true extension of our brain, a companion both professionally and personally. Before getting your hands on the wallet, you should therefore ask yourself the right questions.

One of the first steps is to figure out which universe is right for us. Rather Android smartphone or iPhone? If these two worlds tend to get closer, they are still based on very different concepts.

Often considered more closed, iOS is praised for its simplicity and its integration into the Apple ecosystem. Android is cited for its great openness and its customization possibilities. Two schools then.

Throughout my life, I have regularly switched from one world to another according to my desires, but especially my jobs. After a year at Samsung, I spent a few years at Apple. I was therefore able to navigate between these two shores more out of obligation than conviction.

At the beginning of my career as a tech journalist, I chose to trust the little green robot. If I was able to test iPhones, I had never made it my main smartphone. But last year, following the presentation of the iPhone 12, I took the plunge. The iPhone 12 Pro has become my daily companion. After 9 months of daily use, the time has come for a first assessment.

Foreword

I will not return to the technical aspects of the iPhone 12 Pro, this exercise ending in an objective test and not a feedback. In my eyes, all smartphones sold over 1000 euros are equal. Some do well on very specific criteria, but overall, they all meet my needs, both personal and professional.

© Lemon squeezer

I will specify that I switched from one high-end smartphone to another in order to compare my experience with products of the same value. Comparing the iPhone 12 Pro to an Android smartphone sold three times cheaper the previous year would make no sense.

More generally, I put myself here in the shoes of a consumer curious to know whether switching from one universe to another involves having technical knowledge, performing complex manipulations, in short, anything that can hinder buying. And if I am talking about the transition from Android to iOS here, it is not impossible that I will try the opposite experience in a few months.

Android to iPhone: a complicated switch?

My friends' first objection when I put the idea of ​​changing universe to them is the following: "I have my habits , I don't want to lose everything I had on my phone". Where do these fears come from? Probably bad past experiences, dating from a time when multiple complex manipulations were necessary to switch to a new world.

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That era is over. Today, each manufacturer offers a data transfer application. We install it on the old smartphone and launch a complete transfer in a few seconds. At Apple, this application is called Migrate to iOS. I downloaded it to my old Android smartphone and followed the instructions. My iPhone was configured after a few minutes of waiting.

I then found most of my applications, all my contacts, my old messages, photos, videos, etc. It only took me a few minutes to add the missing elements (very few) and customize my interface. Child's play.

In reality, the most "complex" phase was to "get out of my habit". Broken in the Android universe, it took me a few days to find all the subtleties of iOS logic. This proved to be all the more complex as iOS had changed considerably since my departure from the Pomme world. After a week, I was feeling comfortable again.

I would point out all the same that the Apple universe was not completely unknown to me. I use a Mac and an iPad Pro every day for my professional activity and I have to know at least in theory most of the new features of iOS. Important clarification: for people who are less informed about new technologies, finding new habits can therefore take longer.

My favorite thing about the iPhone

I won't go into the Android vs iOS war. In my opinion, each universe has its qualities and its defects. So there are things I liked more about the iPhone, others less.

As a Mac and iPad Pro user, I was first able to (re)discover the full power of the Apple ecosystem. The automation and interactions between the different devices are simply impressive and save considerable time on a daily basis. Among my favorite functions, AirDrop takes the first place by far. Taking a photo on your iPhone and sending it with a single gesture to the Mac or iPad Pro is pure joy. And it works the other way.

Adding accessories such as AirPods, HomePod mini or Apple Watch is done in the blink of an eye, communication between these devices is natural and simple. A delight.

On the left the iPhone 12, on the right the iPhone 12 Pro / © Presse-citron.net

The other great strength of the iPhone is undoubtedly the quality of the applications. This argument is often taken up by Apple fans, and rightly so. The quality of integration and the fluidity of the applications of the App Store surpass by far those of the Google Play Store. On a daily basis, I did not shy away from my pleasure. And if I were to return to the Android universe, I would sorely miss this design quality.

If I had to give just one example to illustrate this know-how, I would cite the quality of Google applications. On iPhone, Google apps are better developed than on Android! And they often ship new products first. A height.

I will not dwell on the made in Apple applications which, for the most part, find no equal among alternative applications. I tried dozens of apps to replace them, but I often came back to Apple apps. Only Spark has replaced Mail and this by simple personal preference, the mail application of Apple being already very complete. Maps, on the other hand, was quickly replaced by Google Maps, with Apple's mapping application still light years ahead of that of its rival.

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Finally, I cannot address this editorial without mentioning the efforts made by Apple to protect private data. If Face ID forces Apple to keep this big notch on the screen, the facial recognition system is formidable in terms of security.

You can not only use it to unlock the iPhone, but also to pay in stores or online. Face ID can also replace written passwords or the security systems of third-party applications, especially the most sensitive (banking apps, for example).

Lock Facebook Messenger with Face ID. © Facebook

Finally, I would add that the management of application permissions is exemplary. A question of economic model: Apple does not exploit personal data, Google has based its model on this private information.

What I like least

Reading these lines, you are probably saying to yourself that I like everything about the iPhone. Think again. I believe today that no system is perfect. Also, I happened to hate the iPhone to the point of wanting to return to the Android universe.

The main black spot of the iPhone is only the consequence of the closure of iOS. I have a hard time putting up with the lack of interaction with third-party apps. They are not fully integrated into iOS and an action that would have taken two seconds on Android requires several manipulations and/or round trips. Terribly annoying on a daily basis.

I also tore my hair out trying to communicate with Siri. I won't take any tweezers: Apple's assistant is no match for Google Assistant. Firstly because it does not necessarily interact with all third-party applications, but also because its answers lack relevance. Also, it is not uncommon to have concluded my "conversations" with Siri with "Siri, you're a merguez".

© Unsplash / Omid Armin

Not surprisingly, iOS's lack of customization also frustrated me a lot. Yes, Apple has embraced widgets, but the company seems to take pleasure in locking everything down. It's better, but still far from the possibilities offered by Android.

Finally, the management of notifications is also very far from what we find on Android. But iOS 15 should correct this point. I will therefore wait for the arrival of Android 12 and iOS 15.

The opportunity, perhaps, to take the plunge again...