Its undisputable that sometimes being a Windows Phone owner is something of a trial, and unfortunately for some users there comes a point when they start examining their options, which often means buying a top of the line Android handset.
In an interesting thread on Reddit some users who made the jump reported on their experience.
One user notes:
The ecosystem and the store overall is much better on android – That doesn’t mean there isn’t as much junk on the play store, it just means it ALSO has what you need.
The fluidity, battery life and personalization is UNMATCHED. No other OS comes close to Windows Phone – That is the thing I love the most about my 535.
and
He has a OnePlus One (Great phone) and used to have a 1320. First thing he told me… “I hate it, it’s so ugly, it’s so boring”.
He misses glancable information and well, obviously he doesn’t like how Android looks.
He wants to switch back to Windows as soon their Windows 10 flagships are out.
Though to balance this he notes:
With all that being said, my girlfriend has the Galaxy S6 Edge and it’s an awesome phone. The camera is pretty much the overall best camera on a phone (ever) and it is very useful and powerful overall. Also comes with things WP has had for a sometime – Like wireless charging.
Another wrote:
I switched from a 925 to a S5. I didn’t care for it. I disliked having everything on many screens, I the visuals never looked good to me and the battery life was awful. It would die in 8 hours without me doing anything. I downloaded apps to check on usage and Google services were the culprits, using up all the battery life to monitor me I guess.
The good was I had all the apps I needed, I could get accessories that I needed like a selfie stick, I could project my screen, the phone had a remote control, it had a heart rate monitor, a better camera….
Yet I found myself longing for windows phone. The battery life was too awful so I returned the s5. I’m considering buying another one but we’ll see. For now I’m back on the 925 waiting…
A third notes:
Now as to what I like about android.. Apps are there, you see an ad for something you know you can go download it. I find myself not bothering but just knowing. The note 4 camera is pretty good. Shots are clear and seem to have good color replication. I am told its all Samsung software though, so if you leave touchwiz – AKA root and load CM you will lose camera quality.
Waze does not seem to be a battery busting bastard like it was on my 920. Larger display, s pen is nice but I only use it to take screen shots. More accessories you will find on android.
What I miss:
Pinning to start – OMG how you will miss this if you use it all the time.
Everything is an app – Texting you need an app, default one sucks, hangouts is hit or miss. I use textra. Visual voice mail – its an app.
If you are planning to go with Samsung I can speak to my note 4 exp. Your exp maybe different. I have killed my note 4 battery in about 6 months. I guess I am a heavy user. It will charge to 100%. Then discharge to 40% and drop to 10%. So the cells from 40-10 are dead. Touchwiz lag is really bad and really present. It creeps in at around the 3-6 month mark. Launching the app tray has a good 1-2 second pause. Going from camera to gallery again a good 1-2 second pause. Also there is a bug in android 5.0 that causes massive memory leaking. Apparently to fix it Samsung implemented a massive kill app task. So many apps will just be killed. This gives you not a complete experience for multitasking. I have read it does not exist in the lg g4, or moto x line.
Lastly I really miss my camera button and half press to focus.
On a side note with a smaller market share I also felt more connected to every windows phone user out there. A real sense of community. I guess this is what the power pc mac boys had in back in the 90s/2000s.
that is just me.
A last one wrote:
I was on Windows phone for a couple of years. My last one was the Icon, but I also used the M8 Windows. WP looks good and runs smooth. I have used LG G2, Droid Maxx, LG G3 and now the Droid Turbo. (Yes, I’m on Verizon). With the smoothness of Android 5.1, and the great camera on the S6 and the lack of development on WP and rumors of it’s demise, you will not be sorry going to Android. Notifications on Android are awesome, much better than WP and better than iPhone.
I miss the cool ability to put multiple email accounts on the main screen of WP. Impossible on iPhone and hard on Android. I miss the ease of uninstalling apps on WP. I miss the People hub. I miss the physical camera button, but with the Turbo, I can turn on camera with flick of the wrist. I loved the live tiles, if they were working.
I have an Icon in front of me now, with WP 10 on it and I play with it once in a while. Unfortunately, I’m not impressed with the develop of WP 10.
The full thread can be read here.
Have any of our readers peeked at the dark side? Let us know your experience in the comments below.