What are the pros and cons about the smart phone/s you know the most about?

Maybe just the con, if you find it is too much under the pro.

I’ll go with what I have. I’ve got an iPhone4s. I sold my Canon 60D for this phone. I love it. I can take photographs when I’m just about anywhere!

Overall the phone is great. It still maintains it’s “phone” feel while being a high tech smart phone. It’s practically a tiny tablet. (What phone isn’t these days).

I’ve never dropped it and the times it has taken a tiny fall it has never crapped out or broke. I do 50/50 with a case without just because I like the overall glass quality and feel of it naked.

It can handle most apps and is pretty fast. I like the size of it. Fits “small” in the palm.

What I don’t like is the SIRI mode. It isn’t the most accurate receiver in the world with my voice. It seems like my buddies iPhone 5 siri works way better than mines.

Battery life is also a problem. I have to give it a full charge once a day. Also I have the 16gb. Which I only get to use in reality 13gb worth. I hate that I can’t delete the stock apps like iTunes and other icons.

Some of the cons are the unnecessary apps that are already installed on your phone. There’s no way to delete these and they just take up space. Very annoying.

Then there are some features that I never use or can’t figure out how to use.

I’ve had the iPhone since the day it came out over 6 years ago. My fiancé also had iPhones since the beginning, and recently switched over to an Android phone. I’ve never been a phone person, so I enjoy the ease of texting and emailing on the spot, to share images and web links, too.

I like having my life in my pocket. I use the calendar and reminder to organize my schedule and get things done. I use the camera frequently – and not just for photography, but also to remember where I’ve parked, to document make, model, and pricing on an item I am interested in buying but want to research further, etc. I have an app that keeps all my frequent shopper and rewards cards in there, so I don’t have to have all those cards and key ring danglies, the cashier can usually scan the bar code right off my screen with their hand-held scanner.

My fiancé is really liking the Android system. He’s in I.T., so he’s more interested in technology and gadgetry. I’m fairly tech-savvy, but I just want something that works consistently. Which features are “must-haves” and which are gimmicks really depends on the individual and their needs, so you don’t know until you use it. Most major apps are available on both platforms, so he and I can still coordinate our grocery lists and calendars.

The iPhone tends to be considered to be a bit easier to use and more consistent in performance because it’s been out so long, but that also means it’s a bit more fixed. The Android system is a lot more customizable, if you want to put in the time to go through changing the settings and ‘rooting’ it (I’m still not totally sure what that means). It also is good to consider what the people around you have, because the devices have ways they can communicate with each other (FaceTime on Apple and near-field file transfers on Android), plus those are the people you’ll be turning to with questions. As for Android phones, there are a few different manufacturers, and the Samsung models tend to be the highest rated for hardware reliability and durability.

Cons between a smartphone and regular cell phone? I can’t think of any. I’ve wanted a smartphone since they first came out with PDAs, but none of the original devices really did what I wanted. The iPhone was the first that had the features I use on my computer and fully integrated them.

The new iPhone announcement is scheduled for September 10th. The new iOS 7 system is quite different from what they’ve used since the beginning… I’ve got a few friends that are using the Beta version for over a month now, and they all seem to like it, but it definitely took some getting used to. So I suggest holding off on your decision until after then, so you’ll know better what the difference between systems will be, rather than what they are now. It also might be easier to learn the new system from scratch rather than to start in iOS 6 and then to have it change a month or two later, if you do decide on an iPhone.

I used to have an android. I now have an iPhone. I do not love my iPhone and I will be getting a Galaxy in a few months when I upgrade.
My biggest issue with the iPhone is battery life. It’s horrible. The second issue is that I hate having to do everything through iTunes. I hate iTunes.
I have the iPhone 4. My son has the iPhone 5 and he loves it.
Another problem I have with the iPhone is that when I did the ios6 update, it locked up my phone and I had to spend a lovely 5 hours at the Apple store waiting for my APPOINTMENT so they could unlock the fucking thing. There’s another update, but I’m afraid to even attemp to install it.

@Katniss, I switched from an iPhone 4 to Galaxy 3, then back from the Galaxy to an iPhone 5, If you think iPhone’s battery is bad, wait’ll you find out how much worse the Galaxy’s is.

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room Noooooooo!!!! Don’t tell me that!!!!

This question, or a variant of it, has been asked on Fluther multiple times, and there are as many answers to it as there are jellies who use a smartphone (just search on Fluther for “smartphones”). You’ll learn a lot from reading these threads, but remember, the comments are only opinions. I assure you the only way you can know which phone is best for you is to try them all. I know this isn’t practical, but at least spend some time in the store and play with the different operating systems. Personally, I like iPhone because of its ease of use. I owned an Android and after a while got tired of all the hoops I seemed to have to go through to do what I wanted; it just had too many features for my needs and I hated its battery life. Others will strongly disagree. Personal choice, that’s all it is.

@Honestly, I don’t want to burst your bubble, but the Galaxy I owed required recharging every single day, no matter how much or how little I used it. That dual-core processor and wireless radios really eat up power.

Droid Razr HD—The micro-SD card is hard to remove and requires a special tool to do so.

Unlike other smartphones, battery life is not an issue. On a normal day with an hour of GPS use,an hour of net-surfing, a couple hours gaming, and a little music, my battery will still be over 50%. And the Razr HD Maxx has a battery that is ~66% bigger /longer-lasting!

You might want to hold off making a decision till next month when the new iPhone debuts.

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room Android also has new models all the time, so if you wait for the ultimate uber-phone, you’ll be waiting forever while taking the plunge will get you something that’ll be behind the curve in a few months.

Of course, if you’re leaning Apple anyways then waiting two months makes sense; one for release and another for bug-fixes.Never buy day-1 releases of anything!

Most important for me is the ease of installing new system software.
I’m (slowly) working on a CyanoGenMod port for this phone and it’s a lot more difficult than it ought to be IMO.

That’s a little more advanced than just reimaging a phone. I wouldn’t want a phone without some tools similar to ADB and fastboot.

So interesting, thank you all very much.

The biggest drawback that I know of – with all of them, apparently – is the peculiar hypnotizing effect that they have on people whom one would normally consider sentient and aware of their surroundings (including a proper appreciation for “evaluation of relative importance”) who just cannot put the fucking things down and drive. Or walk. Or talk. Or eat.

I’m hopeful that a phone will come along that is smart enough – and maybe evil, depending on whether you’re a victim or a willing companion to these idiots – which will prevent those susceptible to its charms from breathing and – one hopes – breeding. I will heavily invest in that company, though it bankrupt me in the end as it kills all of its customers.

“The biggest drawback that I know of – with all of them, apparently – is the peculiar hypnotizing effect that they have on people whom one would normally consider sentient and aware of their surroundings (including a proper appreciation for “evaluation of relative importance”) who just cannot put the fucking things down and drive. Or walk. Or talk. Or eat.”

@CWOTUS Hey! I resemble that comment! hangs head in shame

When I saw an app that used the image from the rear-facing camera to generate a live wallpaper/background so that you can stare at your phone and text while still (kind of) seeing where you’re going, I figured humanity was doomed.

@jerv I need that app! Pronto! Was it for the iPhone I hope?

Can you talk to 911 while video-ing the images you are calling about?

…on the same device?

@flo Generally, you can do data or voice, though usually not both at the same time.

But the point is moot since, while video-chat is possible with other compatible clients, the 911 system is not equipped to handle anything other than voice calls. ANYTHING! On the plus side, in any situation that would require both video and 911 at the same time, odds are that you will either have a friend with a cellphone or won’t be in a position to take video or make calls anyways as you are too busy fearing for your life.

The iPhone stops recording video if you exit the app, and will not record if another app is already using the microphones – admittedly, it’s been a while since I’ve tried, but I’m fairly sure that is still the case.

These days, more and more people who are witnessing crimes, accidents etc. are video-ing and social networking about it instead of calling 911 first, according to some sources. That is what made me ask.

@hearkat So, everytime you call 911 the recording goes on automatically? That is a good thing.