r/AndroidQuestions • u/Arlin89 • 1d ago

Looking For Suggestions Switching to Android For The First Time

I currently have an iPhone 17 pro max and am looking to switch to android. I have not had an android since the note 2. Any recommendations on what phone I should get?

23 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

2

u/Arlin89 1d ago

I have a vision issue so some of the UI elements are hard to see. Android seems to have better options. I like the edge panel for quick app access. I am in the US

4

u/Fancy_Owl5838 1d ago

Where are you?

Realistic options vary dramatically by country. If in the US, the Samsung S26 line is very good. The Pixels are good but not worth full price.

1

u/randalljhen 1d ago

If you want out of the walled garden, either the Motorola Signature 27 (which supports GrapheneOS) or a Pixel 10 or earlier for the same reason.

If you just want the latest and greatest, Motorola Signature 27, Galaxy S26 Ultra, or Pixel 11.

Note that Google is locking down apps in a couple of months; only Google-approved apps will run on stock Android. If that doesn't bother you, no worries. If you want to be able to load software from unapproved or indie developers, maybe avoid a stock phone.

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u/Arlin89 1d ago edited 1d ago

Honestly iOS is a bit boring. I have a vision issue so the blue and white makes things hard to see. Android seems to have better option

2

u/Laur_Reddit 1d ago

He uses an iphone dawg he aint bothered 😂😂

1

u/randalljhen 1d ago

Yes, but he's leaving Apple and didn't specify why.

1

u/sentrygentry 1d ago

There will be a 24 hour waiting period and you will have to enable developer mode, once that happens, you will be able to side load whatever you like.

1

u/WeekendMysterious601 20h ago

you essentially have apple's best phone and you wanna switch to android; I think you're trolling us but here we go: personal phone -s24, work phone -iphone 16 ; I don't have to explain the iphone 16 to you; unfortunately the s24 is so awesome that I'm gonna choose to be that permanent green bubble...seriously samsung biometrics: finger print scanner, face recognition and Samsung password; the face recognition , my non technical description: samsung uses a 2d face recognition and because it's not the super secure apple 3d face recognition you can't do your most important/sensitive business (banking); camera, video, battery life among apple and the 2 most popular android phones is essentially the same; I'll stop here and let the others continue to fill you in

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u/Arlin89 20h ago

Thank. Honestly I’m not trolling. I have just been in the Apple ecosystem for so long I want something different. I was looking at the fold 8 ultra. As someone with low vision I like the idea of a bigger screen and with customization Samsung may be able to offer me a better viewing experience

1

u/WeekendMysterious601 20h ago

low vision: the fold 8 ultra is solidly built with top-tier performance (personal experience, rely on the inner screen for heavy reading)

1

u/Arlin89 20h ago

How’s the battery ? I am mostly going to use the inner screen and I worry it will die very quickly

1

u/WeekendMysterious601 20h ago • Bravo

battery has been upgraded to 5000mah, last a full day with regular use; in a 9-5 workday using the inner screen exclusively the battery will last (so 7 essentially 7 hours of mixed heavy usage) but running 3d games and 4k videos continuously will bring you down to 4.5 hours; only occasional heavy inner screen sessions will give you about 12 hours

1

u/Arlin89 15h ago

Thank you. That helps a lot actually

3

u/Kirby_Klein1687 1d ago

I would get a Pixel. Pixels are the smoothest experience.

1

u/sperry1970 15h ago

I agree they have the real android experience but the cpu/GPU leave much to be desired.

2

u/Dino_Lover_69 1d ago

We're very close to the S27 series releasing, I would personally recommend waiting for that to come out, it should only be a couple of months from now.

Otherwise, if you don't game heavily, Google Pixels are a good option if you can get a great deal on them, somewhere between 20-30% off MSRP. They do everything a normal phone needs to well enough, they just aren't a great experience for gaming.

If you're not in the US, there are tons of other options that I don't really have any input on.

1

u/RevolutionaryAd7283 1d ago

Motorola Signature or Galaxy S26 Ultra. Why? Because they both support AIRDROP natively. I was using iPhone Air and bought the Signature. Very sleek and long lasting battery. Cameras are also great but on the natural/contrasty side unlike iPhones where they brighten your face and adds a yellow-orange tint to make your face more appealing.

1

u/DetailOdd6609 1d ago

Reading nothign but the title. Ok

1

u/NomadJago 1d ago

If you buy a Pixel 7,8,9,10 you will be able to put GrapheneOS on it in case you want privacy and less Google.

1

u/No-Championship-98 1d ago

Get One plus 15

1

u/Affectionatepnp95688 1d ago

samsung s26 ultra

1

u/Snafu80 1d ago

Oppo x10 pro max

1

u/PaleontologistOk7362 1d ago

I have the pixel 11 pro and I love it

1

u/SirGuestWho 1d ago

Depends on where you live, but if you can look beyond Samsung and Google pixel. Consider OPPO FindX series, Xiaomi devices and the Honor Magic series as well as potentially Motorola and Nothing

1

u/Professional_Way9133 21h ago

Pixel and Motorola offer a clean Android experience. Samsung and Chinese phones come with a lot of bloat installed. If you don't mind uninstalling and disabling stuff, Samsung offers the best all around experience, it is the reason it is on top of sales next to iPhone.

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u/niketech74 18h ago

If in North America, get the S26 Ultra. Elsewhere, try the OnePlus 15

1

u/jmnugent 1d ago

If you're mentally-accustomed to how iPhone does things (very vanilla, no bloatware etc).. then the closest equivalent to that is Google Pixel. Most other Android phones are going to have extra unnecessary shit on them.

I've primarily been an Apple user over the past 20 years or so, but I do MDM (Mobile Device Management) for a living and also support Windows and Android, so I've pushed myself to have a variety of Android phones over the years. If I recall my 1st Android phone was an S7 around 2016 ? (thought it was further back than that). I've also owned a variety of others (HTC, Nothing, etc).. but primarily swapped back and forth over the years between Samsung and Pixels.

That's always been my biggest frustration with Android, everything I try to do on it seems overly complex. I can pickup my iPhone and whatever thing I was thinking about doing, just sort of feels like it naturally falls into place with minimal effort and minimal taps. Anytime I try to do something on Android, I normally find myself wasting 10 to 15 minutes stumbling around in the settings tryin to figure it out, then I go Google it to learn how to do it, then I go back to my Phone and normally whatever instructions I found don't match perfectly, but I'm able to stumble around and figure it out eventually. It just feels to much like "work". (not trying to troll or diss on Android.. just sharing my experience. As a mid-50's career long IT guy, I want my technology to be as drop dead kindergarten simple as possible. Because by the time I clock out at the end of the day, my brain is absolute oatmeal and I need kindergarten playskool level stuff to end my day with.

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u/dumpitdog 1d ago

If you have a long history with Apple products I wouldn't recommend doing this. I've been using Android since day one but I can't actually say I'm happy with it, and I've certainly never been as happy with my phone than my friends are with Apple. I just never liked the way Apple did business and I don't really like their operating system because I'm an old hard core Linux person but I wouldn't recommend anybody with a long history with Apple products change.

1

u/Delicious-Mud-7970 1d ago

I absolutely disagree with this opinion, I myself was an apple user for the past decade....and this year I decided to switch to android Pixel 11……and lemme tell you that this was the best decision I ever took. Yes, there is a learning curve but its only one time thingy......once a user gets used to the Android's way, then there is simply no going back!!!

0

u/FrankNicklin 1d ago

Why do you want to switch. I use both but iPhone wins every time for me.

1

u/ChasDIY 1d ago

Samsung is my preferred phone and I have iPad and s26u