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Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 10:48 am
by FireGryphon
My current iPhone 4 is barely functional so I need to get a new phone. The iPhone 5s is an obvious choice, but Apple is playing games with availability and I may not be able to wait a month for the phones to become widely available. What are some alternatives to the 5s?

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 10:53 am
by DancinJack
The 5 is still a damn good phone. If you have to go Apple, I'd get the 5 over the 5C.

As far as construction goes, there are probably only a couple phones that can match the iPhone's quality on the Android side. HTC One comes to mind. Maybe one or two more. The Lumia's are nice phones if you can get along with WP.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 10:57 am
by jss21382
Their sales in a day right now match blackberry's quarterly shipments, I'm not certain it has anything to do with them playing games with availability. But, as an alternative, there are the play editions of the S4 and the one. https://play.google.com/store/devices/collection/web_home_5000005_partnerUS?hl=en Nothing else really gives you the full software support experience you're used to with Apple

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 11:12 am
by End User
FireGryphon wrote:
My current iPhone 4 is barely functional so I need to get a new phone. The iPhone 5s is an obvious choice, but Apple is playing games with availability and I may not be able to wait a month for the phones to become widely available. What are some alternatives to the 5s?

You waited this long you can't wait another month? If you order the 5s from Apple today it will ship this month.

As jss21382 stated Apple is selling a ton of these things so it is not surprising that they are hard to get.

iOS 7 performs very well on my 5 so I would have no hesitation in recommending a 5c.

One thing I like about the iPhone is that Apple will replace a faulty phone within the warranty period at a store. I walked into an Apple Store with 5 days to go on my warranty and Apple replaced my iPhone 5 within 10 minutes.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 11:25 am
by Arvald
The issue is unless you go with an iPhone the investment you made in any apps (and in many cases music) is lost.

You may as well either buy a 5 or 5c or buckle down and wait for the 5s.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 11:39 am
by derFunkenstein
Arvald wrote:
The issue is unless you go with an iPhone the investment you made in any apps (and in many cases music) is lost.

You may as well either buy a 5 or 5c or buckle down and wait for the 5s.

That's a huge argument for sticking with the ecosystem, regardless of how functional or not the iPhone 4 is with iOS7. And if I was in that position and needed to stay with Apple, I'd pony up for the 5s and wait until it comes. Especially if you're upgrading on contract go top of the line or go home - otherwise you'll be in this same boat when the 6s ships in 2 years.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 12:02 pm
by jihadjoe
+1 for the iPhone 5.
IMO better than the 5c, and you can probably get one on the cheap as people rush to upgrade.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 1:14 pm
by trackerben
I'd get an iPhone 5 if most 5c accessories do fit it. iOS apps tend to be best-of-breed and if you have other iOS devices sharing accounts it makes sense to stay in-system.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:38 am
by Usacomp2k3
End User wrote:
You waited this long you can't wait another month?

Agreed.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 1:17 pm
by SuperSpy
If you can wait, I would suggest it. While the 5 (and 5c) are very nice phones (I have a 5 now), the 5s is a very powerful phone and would likely be well worth the wait if the price difference isn't a concern to you.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 2:41 pm
by hiro_pro
i have the 5s and my wife has the 5. i find the 5s is faster, even internet. i know it is the same LTE signal. it just feels like my phone searches and renders must faster. of course her phone is over a year old so a fresh 5 might be faster than her phone.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 2:42 pm
by Buub
Ordered my 5s (upgrading from 4S) a couple days ago. Now the long wait begins... Supposedly it will ship "in October" whatever that means!

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:13 pm
by ludi
@OP: Are you on GSM? You can pick up a used, unlocked, Nexus S for about $75 on Amazon, and temporarily swap your SIM. Then flip the phone again after upgrading, or hold it as an emergency spare.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 5:05 pm
by morphine
For non-Apple phones, here are what I believe to be the best:

Oppo Find 5 - by far the best-looking phone around IMO and one of the best built, comes with stock Android, only available unlocked - see oppostyle.com
HTC One (has a mini variant)
LG G2
Sony Xperia Z1 (mini variant said to be coming)
Samsung Galaxy S4 (has a mini variant)

My site of choice for reading up on these things and their reviews is gsmarena.com

Disclaimer: I got a cheap iPhone 4 a couple months ago, because I don't like big phones. I ain't even an Apple fan, far from it. But if I did go for something bigger, there's the list. I'd totally grab the Oppo :)

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 12:52 am
by sourish55
Hi every one, as now i have Iphone 4s, i want to buy iphone 5s or Samsung galaxy Note 3, please advise which one is better.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:33 am
by trackerben
sourish55 wrote:
Hi every one, as now i have Iphone 4s, i want to buy iphone 5s or Samsung galaxy Note 3, please advise which one is better.


Have you read through the OP advice on upgrading from a iPhone 4? And a Galaxy Note is not that pocketable, it's more of a comms-enabled micro tablet with stylus and big screen for two-handed use.

I would base my choice on my prior investment in iOS apps and on whether I see smartphones as more of DIY hobby (Android) or more of luxury appliance (iOS). But if security is most important I'd stick with iPhone or a new Nexus.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:50 am
by morphine
trackerben wrote:
whether I see my mobile as more of DIY hobby (Android) or more of luxury appliance (iOS).

That comparison is hardly fair. Android isn't in 2.1 land anymore :)

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:04 am
by trackerben
Yes 4.x is a far cry from froyo. Jelly Bean shows that Google is finally in the OS quality race, delivering functionality and expansion beyond Apple's offerings. But even expensive droids are nowhere near even older iPhones in terms of overall systems design and security and UI polish.

If only Android shells and diallers weren't so iffy, or the fragmented UIs and bloatware so scattered and ad-infested, or many good apps so delayed or unavailable. And the open-source nature of the OS and ecosystem is too easily gamed by malware syndicates...

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 2:53 pm
by Prestige Worldwide
Nexus 4 is fast and dirt cheap.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 3:08 pm
by JohnC
trackerben wrote:
more of luxury appliance (iOS)

:lol: It was a "luxury appliance" once, back in 4S days. Ever since iPhone 5 and its crappy aluminum frame it slowly but surely moved into "children's toy" territory. :wink: The iOS7 and iPhone 5c have only made it worse.

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 3:47 pm
by morphine
trackerben wrote:
Yes 4.x is a far cry from froyo. Jelly Bean shows that Google is finally in the OS quality race, delivering functionality and expansion beyond Apple's offerings. But even expensive droids are nowhere near even older iPhones in terms of overall systems design and security and UI polish.

Let's just agree to disagree and proceed :) (like I said, I have an iPhone 4)

Re: Alternative to iPhone 5s

Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:04 pm
by Buub
sourish55 wrote:
Hi every one, as now i have Iphone 4s, i want to buy iphone 5s or Samsung galaxy Note 3, please advise which one is better.

Neither. Both. What do you want?