[Mythbusters]

It's sad that every time the authors chose to compare the phone they compared it with iPhone 4S instead of comparing it with any of the newer phones out there in the market such as Lumia 920 or GSIII. That is like taking a page from Apple's marketing book. Of course it is going to be better than the older version released last year. How does it compare to the phones of this generation?

That question is left unanswered. May be that is because the audience won't like the answer...

[bryanlarsen]

Sure, comparisons with the 920 or GSIII are interesting to those who are watching the market, but frankly only comparisons to previous iPhones are useful.

Nowadays iPhones and flagship Androids have gotten good enough that the pain of switching ecosystems far outweighs any benefit to be gained by switching ecosystems.

[aik]

>> the pain of switching ecosystems far outweighs any benefit to be gained by switching ecosystems.

Not sure I agree. Most people I know ended up with their phone because that's what was popular at the time, or because it was pushed into their face, or it was reasonably inexpensive, or it was what their company handed out. They use it, play games, might use a specific app here and there, and might use the more advanced ecosystem features but more than likely those confuse them. They use it because they're used to it by this point, and not much more. Meaning changing wouldn't be the end of the world.

Personally I have an iPhone (and iPad) and have a good number of apps, though I regularly use very few of them and am enamoured with even less. I'm not necessarily invested in the ecosystem -- I wouldn't mind throwing away most apps I paid for since they were $1 and because I don't even use most of them any more, and the ones I do care about are most likely available on alternative ecosystems. It also doesn't help that my backups in iTunes fail 90% of the time and the bulkiness and slowness of iTunes does not often lead to a positive experience. I'm not saying alternative ecosystems would be all roses, just that this is my experience and that it prevents me from becoming overly attached.

[bryanlarsen]

I'm also thinking in terms of familiarity. For me, I get frustrated whenever I use an iPhone because there's no back button. I also get frustrated whenever I need to change any sort of setting on my wife's iPhone.

[josephcooney]

I disagree. After using and enjoying my iPhone 4 for quite a while my next phone is going to be android, to see how the other half lives. $10 in the play store and a few hours making sure all my settings are synched should be sufficient (and the synching I would have had to do anyway to go from iPhone 4 -> iPhone 5).

[SoftwareMaven]

I've been in the ecosystem since the original iPhone. Switching would involve a significant time and money outlay as I figure out what apps I should replace my current apps with and outlay the money to do so. It would easily wind up costing me as much as the phone.

[Mythbusters]

It depends on how many applications you use very regularly. Games pretty much get old as you complete them. When it comes to the rest of the apps, I doubt an average person buys more than a few bucks worth of non-game apps.

smartphone costs a few thousand dollars to own over a couple of years. Cost of apps is bust a small portion of that cost.

[jamesrcole]

but how long in the play store to find good replacements for your iOS apps?

(btw, I'm not at all saying there aren't good replacements, just that you have to learn about which ones these are. The same argument could be made with regards to switching from Android to iOS).

[Steko]

All comparisons matter I think but Engadget is not a benchmark heavy reviewer. They don't even give overall grades anymore.

[potatolicious]

> "They don't even give overall grades anymore."

Thank heavens. Because we all know how judging phones by letter grades, percentage points, and benchmark scores is so useful.

[Mythbusters]

yeah 45% thinner than the previous one! OMG!!! 45!!! that is a big number.

[Steko]

This is simply false they compared the Sunspider mark (924) to SG3 (1400) and HTC one (1700) and the battery life (11:15 rundown) to industry leading Droid RAZR Maxx (+10 min longer).

[jasonlingx]

It's cos that would be like comparing apples with oranges...