Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Technerd108

macrumors 68030
Oct 24, 2021
2,931
4,111
Yes it will in the states. You just can only text. No pictures.

Answer me this. There are plenty of places in the states where there is a good cellular connection but a poor or non existent data connection. In such places phone calls and SMS work but no data. This RCS that you speak of does it require data?



In your scenerio I could easily use wifi calling on any modern Android phone which would allow me to text using WiFi if there was no cell signal. So basically it would work the same as an iPhone connected to WiFi.
 
Last edited:

jwolf6589

macrumors 601
Dec 15, 2010
4,827
1,590
Colorado
In your scenerio I could easily use wifi calling on any modern Android phone which would allow me to text using WiFi if there was no cell signal. So basically it would work the same as an iPhone connected to WiFi.
You are not following. I said in places where there is cell coverage but just not data coverage. In such places one can only call and text but. No data.
 

Technerd108

macrumors 68030
Oct 24, 2021
2,931
4,111
You are not following. I said in places where there is cell coverage but just not data coverage. In such places one can only call and text but. No data.

Then what is your point? If you can text and call but no data what can iPhone do that Android can't? RCS is a texting standard?

You are right I am not following you?
 

petvas

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,808
Munich, Germany
So, I got my S23 Ultra yesterday and would like to post my impressions. Please note that it will not replace my iPhone 14 Pro Max. It's meant to be my second phone.

I believe that the iPhone is the better device. Why do I say that? Let's have a more close look at the S23 Ultra. The build quality is great, so there is nothing to worry about here. I got the black S23 and it looks nice. The camera bump is not a problem for me.
The display is large, larger than the iPhone's, but the overall quality while still great, is definitely not on par with the iPhone. The default vivid setting should be banned from all phones. The natural setting makes colors appear nice and natural. My biggest issue with the display is the adaptive brightness, which acts extremely conservative. I hope that it learns with time and stops setting the brightness so low, in most situations. The iPhone on the other side doesn't have such issues. Everything works great by default, at least as far as the auto brightness concerns.
The S23 Ultra Display is second best among smartphones. A great display, but not the best.
The speakers are loud and clear, but here we have again the same situation. The iPhone's speakers are clearer, have better bass and just sound better. Please be advised not to activate Dolby Atmos on your S23 Ultra. It will make listening to music a very bad experience. Just leave it off and you will enjoy good sound coming out of the speakers.
The battery is too early to judge, but it seems to be very good, but not on par with the iPhone. Currently my S23 has 78% battery left, while my iPhone has 82%. Interesting enough, I was out today for two hours and took my iPhone with me. The S23 stayed home. I also took the S23 out of the charger an hour later..

The S23 also offers object detection (animals, persons, etc) in pictures, just like the iPhone does..Well, in my tests it works bad. I uploaded two small videos, to showcase that, with a picture I took with the S23.

Another thing that I don't really like is the way the Always On display works, but this is just very subjective. I prefer to automatically be able to see the content of my notifications. Instead, I get symbols which I have to tap in order to read my notifications.
And then we have the way the S23 deals with notifications. I configured it to always show me a pop up when a notification comes. This doesn't happen always and I still don't get why. Maybe it's a bug.
On a positive note, I really like the way Android is organized, especially the Home Screen and the app drawer. Also nice the secure folder and the ability to have two instances of WhatsApp and Facebook. I also like the news aggregation on the left of the screen.
The S-Pen is also a nice feature, but nothing I will be using on a daily basis.
The Samsung keyboard is ok, but I installed GBoard and it's much better, better than the iPhone's keyboard.
In terms of performance there is nothing to say, which is positive. I also miss FaceID, but the on board fingerprint sensor is not bad.

As far as apps concern, I don't understand why Twitter and Instagram are worse on Android.
Overall, I really like the S23 Ultra, but if I had to choose, I would just get the iPhone again and again.



 
Last edited:

jwolf6589

macrumors 601
Dec 15, 2010
4,827
1,590
Colorado
So, I got my S23 Ultra yesterday and would like to post my impressions. Please note that it will not replace my iPhone 14 Pro Max. It's meant to be my second phone.

I believe that the iPhone is the better device. Why do I say that? Let's have a more close look at the S23 Ultra. The build quality is great, so there is nothing to worry about here. I got the black S23 and it looks nice. The camera bump is not a problem for me.
The display is large, larger than the iPhone's, but the overall quality while still great, is definitely not on par with the iPhone. The default vivid setting should be banned from all phones. The natural setting makes colors appear nice and natural. My biggest issue with the display is the adaptive brightness, which acts extremely conservative. I hope that it learns with time and stops setting the brightness so low, in most situations. The iPhone on the other side doesn't have such issues. Everything works great by default, at least as far as the auto brightness concerns.
The S23 Ultra Display is second best among smartphones. A great display, but not the best.
The speakers are loud and clear, but here we have again the same situation. The iPhone's speakers are clearer, have better bass and just sound better. Please be advised not to activate Dolby Atmos on your S23 Ultra. It will make listening to music a very bad experience. Just leave it off and you will enjoy good sound coming out of the speakers.
The battery is too early to judge, but it seems to be very good, but not on par with the iPhone. Currently my S23 has 78% battery left, while my iPhone has 82%. Interesting enough, I was out today for two hours and took my iPhone with me. The S23 stayed home. I also took the S23 out of the charger an hour later..

The S23 also offers object detection (animals, persons, etc) in pictures, just like the iPhone does..Well, in my tests it works bad. I uploaded two small videos, to showcase that, with a picture I took with the S23.

Another thing that I don't really like is the way the Always On display works, but this is just very subjective. I prefer to automatically be able to see the content of my notifications. Instead, I get symbols which I have to tap in order to read my notifications.
And then we have the way the S23 deals with notifications. I configured it to always show me a pop up when a notification comes. This doesn't happen always and I still don't get why. Maybe it's a bug.
On a positive note, I really like the way Android is organized, especially the Home Screen and the app drawer. Also nice the secure folder and the ability to have two instances of WhatsApp and Facebook. I also like the news aggregation on the left of the screen.
The S-Pen is also a nice feature, but nothing I will be using on a daily basis.
The Samsung keyboard is ok, but I installed GBoard and it's much better, better than the iPhone's keyboard.
In terms of performance there is nothing to say, which is positive. I also miss FaceID, but the on board fingerprint sensor is not bad.

As far as apps concern, I don't understand why Twitter and Instagram are worse on Android.
Overall, I really like the S23 Ultra, but if I had to choose, I would just get the iPhone again and again.

View attachment 2160689

View attachment 2160692
Good review. Besides the app screen or Home Screen what else does the Android OS have over IOS if anything?
 

Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,402
4,375
Texas
So, I got my S23 Ultra yesterday and would like to post my impressions. Please note that it will not replace my iPhone 14 Pro Max. It's meant to be my second phone.

I believe that the iPhone is the better device. Why do I say that? Let's have a more close look at the S23 Ultra. The build quality is great, so there is nothing to worry about here. I got the black S23 and it looks nice. The camera bump is not a problem for me.
I don't have 14PM nor S23U, but this idea that one device is better than the other... gets used so often. If anything, you prefer the 14PM over 23U... not that its necessarily better.

Because one could say... the S23U is the better device, that's why I believe its better to portray thoughts as preferences. You mention you don't care for vivid setting whereas I use it and I don't think it should be removed.

I choose Android (Galaxy Z Fold 4) because certain features I like using are not on the iPhone, so... it's more so about preferences.

Good review. Besides the app screen or Home Screen what else does the Android OS have over IOS if anything?
I could name a few features... but if anything you get more control over the OS when using Android compared to iOS.
 

petvas

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,808
Munich, Germany
I don't have 14PM nor S23U, but this idea that one device is better than the other... gets used so often. If anything, you prefer the 14PM over 23U... not that its necessarily better.

Because one could say... the S23U is the better device, that's why I believe its better to portray thoughts as preferences. You mention you don't care for vivid setting whereas I use it and I don't think it should be removed.

I choose Android (Galaxy Z Fold 4) because certain features I like using are not on the iPhone, so... it's more so about preferences.


I could name a few features... but if anything you get more control over the OS when using Android compared to iOS.
Some things are facts:
  • The display quality is better on the iPhone
  • The speakers of the iPhone are better
  • The battery life on the iPhone is better
  • Auto brightness works better on the iPhone

These things are facts, not my opinion. Everything else I said is my opinion..
 

petvas

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,808
Munich, Germany
Good review. Besides the app screen or Home Screen what else does the Android OS have over IOS if anything?
It's a different approach than iOS. In Android you have to configure a lot of things in order to improve the user experience. In iOS you get a top user experience without the need to configure anything. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. I prefer the iOS approach, as long as it allows me to further configure things. iOS used to be very restrictive, but it has improved.
I like Android though and I don't mind using it.
 

aggie99

macrumors 6502a
Sep 23, 2016
806
1,890
Dallas, TX
So, I got my S23 Ultra yesterday and would like to post my impressions. Please note that it will not replace my iPhone 14 Pro Max. It's meant to be my second phone.

I believe that the iPhone is the better device. Why do I say that? Let's have a more close look at the S23 Ultra. The build quality is great, so there is nothing to worry about here. I got the black S23 and it looks nice. The camera bump is not a problem for me.
The display is large, larger than the iPhone's, but the overall quality while still great, is definitely not on par with the iPhone. The default vivid setting should be banned from all phones. The natural setting makes colors appear nice and natural. My biggest issue with the display is the adaptive brightness, which acts extremely conservative. I hope that it learns with time and stops setting the brightness so low, in most situations. The iPhone on the other side doesn't have such issues. Everything works great by default, at least as far as the auto brightness concerns.
The S23 Ultra Display is second best among smartphones. A great display, but not the best.
The speakers are loud and clear, but here we have again the same situation. The iPhone's speakers are clearer, have better bass and just sound better. Please be advised not to activate Dolby Atmos on your S23 Ultra. It will make listening to music a very bad experience. Just leave it off and you will enjoy good sound coming out of the speakers.
The battery is too early to judge, but it seems to be very good, but not on par with the iPhone. Currently my S23 has 78% battery left, while my iPhone has 82%. Interesting enough, I was out today for two hours and took my iPhone with me. The S23 stayed home. I also took the S23 out of the charger an hour later..

The S23 also offers object detection (animals, persons, etc) in pictures, just like the iPhone does..Well, in my tests it works bad. I uploaded two small videos, to showcase that, with a picture I took with the S23.

Another thing that I don't really like is the way the Always On display works, but this is just very subjective. I prefer to automatically be able to see the content of my notifications. Instead, I get symbols which I have to tap in order to read my notifications.
And then we have the way the S23 deals with notifications. I configured it to always show me a pop up when a notification comes. This doesn't happen always and I still don't get why. Maybe it's a bug.
On a positive note, I really like the way Android is organized, especially the Home Screen and the app drawer. Also nice the secure folder and the ability to have two instances of WhatsApp and Facebook. I also like the news aggregation on the left of the screen.
The S-Pen is also a nice feature, but nothing I will be using on a daily basis.
The Samsung keyboard is ok, but I installed GBoard and it's much better, better than the iPhone's keyboard.
In terms of performance there is nothing to say, which is positive. I also miss FaceID, but the on board fingerprint sensor is not bad.

As far as apps concern, I don't understand why Twitter and Instagram are worse on Android.
Overall, I really like the S23 Ultra, but if I had to choose, I would just get the iPhone again and again.

View attachment 2160689

View attachment 2160692
Fair assessment. Probably the two best overall devices out right now with the Pixel 7 Pro also in the discussion. Can't go wrong with either. Both have their pros and cons but in the end it's a matter of preference. I have both but I prefer the flexibility of Android. I love my 14 Pro Max and Apple Watch ultra though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jwolf6589

jwolf6589

macrumors 601
Dec 15, 2010
4,827
1,590
Colorado
Fair assessment. Probably the two best overall devices out right now with the Pixel 7 Pro also in the discussion. Can't go wrong with either. Both have their pros and cons but in the end it's a matter of preference. I have both but I prefer the flexibility of Android. I love my 14 Pro Max and Apple Watch ultra though.
Same argument for Windows vs Mac. I have used Windows heavily at jobs and do see it does have a number of advantages over the Mac. For one MS Office apps just seem to launch faster and have more features and more apps (Publisher, Access, etc). But I prefer the Mac at home since I only have apple devices here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: aggie99

Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,402
4,375
Texas
Some things are facts:
  • The display quality is better on the iPhone
  • The speakers of the iPhone are better
  • The battery life on the iPhone is better
  • Auto brightness works better on the iPhone

These things are facts, not my opinion. Everything else I said is my opinion..
Well, thanks for pointing that out.

But I wasn't trying to make it out to a be a versus argument, but that we all have our preferences.

It's a different approach than iOS. In Android you have to configure a lot of things in order to improve the user experience. In iOS you get a top user experience without the need to configure anything. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. I prefer the iOS approach, as long as it allows me to further configure things. iOS used to be very restrictive, but it has improved.
I like Android though and I don't mind using it.
Umm... users don't necessarily have to configure "a lot" of things, they can use Android out of the box same with iOS... but users get more option to configure.
 

aggie99

macrumors 6502a
Sep 23, 2016
806
1,890
Dallas, TX
Same argument for Windows vs Mac. I have used Windows heavily at jobs and do see it does have a number of advantages over the Mac. For one MS Office apps just seem to launch faster and have more features and more apps (Publisher, Access, etc). But I prefer the Mac at home since I only have apple devices here.
Yep. I actually prefer Mac for my personal laptop but windows for my workhorse at the office. But I don't even use my MacBook air M2 because I just love the versatility and convenience my Tab S8 Ultra provides. I wish I could just go one way and have my house in one ecosystem like you. But I have a tech obsession problem. Hell I have 6 Apple TVs, 2 Amazon TVs, and 2 TCL Roku tvs in the house between the house and outdoor spaces. I feel sorry for my family trying to keep up with how to use all of it. I use control 4 and funnel most of our media and home functions through that so it's not too difficult.
 

petvas

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,808
Munich, Germany
Well, thanks for pointing that out.

But I wasn't trying to make it out to a be a versus argument, but that we all have our preferences.


Umm... users don't necessarily have to configure "a lot" of things, they can use Android out of the box same with iOS... but users get more option to configure.
They don't, but the default usually is not really good. I would say that the overall experience is not on par with the default iPhone experience. Power users do have to change a lot in Android to make it work for them.
 

torana355

macrumors 68040
Dec 8, 2009
3,609
2,676
Sydney, Australia
Some things are facts:
  • The display quality is better on the iPhone
  • The speakers of the iPhone are better
  • The battery life on the iPhone is better
  • Auto brightness works better on the iPhone

These things are facts, not my opinion. Everything else I said is my opinion..
Those are not facts, they are your opinions. Especially the speakers as sound is subjective. I'm not going to get into the whole this phone vs that phone argument so I'll leave it at that.
 

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,642
13,143
UK
Those are not facts, they are your opinions. Especially the speakers as sound is subjective. I'm not going to get into the whole this phone vs that phone argument so I'll leave it at that.
If I got an android phone today I would tweak it and set up how I like it. However I’ve been using an iPhone consistently since 2014. It’s likely that I made some changes when I set that iPhone 6+ up to get it how I like it. My phone is backed up to the cloud. When I upgrade all my settings get transferred to my new iPhone. So it’s already pre-configured out of the box with the settings I like.
 

petvas

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,808
Munich, Germany
Those are not facts, they are your opinions. Especially the speakers as sound is subjective. I'm not going to get into the whole this phone vs that phone argument so I'll leave it at that.
It's a fact that the iPhone display is more color accurate and is brighter. It's a fact that the iPhone's battery life lasts a bit longer than the S23.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jwolf6589

aggie99

macrumors 6502a
Sep 23, 2016
806
1,890
Dallas, TX
Some things are facts:
  • The display quality is better on the iPhone
  • The speakers of the iPhone are better
  • The battery life on the iPhone is better
  • Auto brightness works better on the iPhone

These things are facts, not my opinion. Everything else I said is my opinion..
Actually those are all subjective

1st and 4th points I completely disagree with. But that's my opinion just like you have yours. I much prefer the display on the S23U and auto brightness works on par with my 14 Pro Max. There's absolutely nothing, by definition, factual in what you just said. But I do agree with you on speakers and battery life. While both are great I'm getting better battery life now on the 14PM although it was terrible on previous versions of iOS 16 and the iphone speakers are unmatched.
 
  • Like
Reactions: War833

jwolf6589

macrumors 601
Dec 15, 2010
4,827
1,590
Colorado
If I got an android phone today I would tweak it and set up how I like it. However I’ve been using an iPhone consistently since 2014. It’s likely that I made some changes when I set that iPhone 6+ up to get it how I like it. My phone is backed up to the cloud. When I upgrade all my settings get transferred to my new iPhone. So it’s already pre-configured out of the box with the settings I like.
How does one transfer from one Android to another? Is it a royal pain? With apple there are many ways and when I bought my 13 last year it did the transfer in the car (without WIFI) by sitting my 12 & 13 next to each other. Is Android that easy?
 

petvas

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,808
Munich, Germany
Actually those are all subjective

1st and 4th points I completely disagree with. But that's my opinion just like you have yours. I much prefer the display on the S23U and auto brightness works on par with my 14 Pro Max. There's absolutely nothing, by definition, factual in what you just said. But I do agree with you on speakers and battery life. While both are great I'm getting better battery life now on the 14PM although it was terrible on previous versions of iOS 16 and the iphone speakers are unmatched.
I disagree. The iPhone can go up to 2000nits while the S23 ultra up to 1750nits. The iPhone's display is also more color accurate: https://www.displaymate.com/Colors_81P.html
These are facts. Do these matter? Maybe, maybe not. It depends. For normal usage probably not, so yes, people will have preferences and different views. I am talking though about numbers.
 

aggie99

macrumors 6502a
Sep 23, 2016
806
1,890
Dallas, TX
I disagree. The iPhone can go up to 2000nits while the S23 ultra up to 1750nits. The iPhone's display is also more color accurate: https://www.displaymate.com/Colors_81P.html
These are facts. Do these matter? Maybe, maybe not. It depends. For normal usage probably not, so yes, people will have preferences and different views. I am talking though about numbers.
I'm not disputing what those numbers say. That doesn't necessarily make the display "better". I look at my 14 PM and S23U and to my eyes the S23U looks more pleasing to the eye. Again "better" is not the proper term. But I'm not here to bash either. They are both stellar. If I didn't have a 14 PM, S23U, Pixel 7Pro, or Z Fold 4 I'd be perfectly happy with any of them but in my use I'd probably prefer the S23U followed closely by the 14 PM and Z Fold 4.
 
  • Like
Reactions: War833

petvas

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,808
Munich, Germany
I'm not disputing what those numbers say. That doesn't necessarily make the display "better". I look at my 14 PM and S23U and to my eyes the S23U looks more pleasing to the eye. Again "better" is not the proper term. But I'm not here to bash either. They are both stellar. If I didn't have a 14 PM, S23U, Pixel 7Pro, or Z Fold 4 I'd be perfectly happy with any of them but in my use I'd probably prefer the S23U followed closely by the 14 PM and Z Fold 4.
I agree that both are amazing displays. Don't get me wrong here. I like the S23 Ultra a lot. I am just saying that if I had to make a decision just for one phone, then it would be the iPhone 14 Pro Max. I am lucky enough to habe both, so I enjoy both. I am also not trying to integrate the S23 Ultra to my Apple ecosystem. It doesn't make any sense to do that.
 

torana355

macrumors 68040
Dec 8, 2009
3,609
2,676
Sydney, Australia
It's a fact that the iPhone display is more color accurate and is brighter. It's a fact that the iPhone's battery life lasts a bit longer than the S23.
The s23u display has not even been tested for colour accuracy yet, you are just making assumptions which again are not facts, also in some battery tests the S23U is outlasting the iphone, so again it's not a fact. Then we have the speakers, sound is completely subjective, same goes for adaptive brightness, it's completely subjective.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dave.UK

Technerd108

macrumors 68030
Oct 24, 2021
2,931
4,111
There are a lot of ignorant comments on this thread and just reading through them they seem to all be from one side.

Over and over you have people who use Android being very open minded and fair and on the other side you have people who have only used iPhone or at least only used it for the last several years or those who try an Android for a week or so and go back to iOS.

Most of the people who use Android that have commented here have experience recently with both operating systems and give objective points and criticism of both iOS and Android while most of the iPhone only users seem to just try to trash Android without really knowing what they are talking about.

Then we have people, myself included getting dragged into pointless debate with ignorant people shouting how one feature or some features make iPhone the best when they are wrong.

We can take multiple metrics and Android phones are as good if not better than iPhones. There really isn't any clear winner as both iOS and Android have reached feature parity and in terms of hardware this is mostly true as well. In some areas iPhone and iOS is better and in some areas Android and Galaxy s23 ultra or Pixel 7 Pro is better.

To have a nuanced conversation on why someone would want to switch from either OS and actually discuss the challenges one will face devolves into arrogant people who act like their opinions are facts and therefore their preferred device is better. I feel like I am in kindergarten or high school with people who don't even comprehend their own immaturity when they start to argue.

If you like iPhones or Android phones better that is swell, but it is absolutely not the point of this thread. Try to get over your ego and actually contribute valuable advice on the pros and cons of moving from one ecosystem to another. That would show the benefits of your preferences without showing your maturity or lack of it.
 
Last edited:

petvas

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,808
Munich, Germany
It's really incredible how some people here react when they read something they dont like or sometimes don't want to admit.
I wrote many times that I do like the S23 Ultra. I am actually writing this now from the phone.
I believe that It's the second best phone on the market. I commented on some things that have nothing to do with my opinion.
The iPhone display is brighter and that's a fact. I didn't say that the display is bad. On the contrary!
The speakers are also good, but not as good as the iphone's. This is something many reviews also mentioned. The battery life is excellent but the iphone pro max has a slight edge here too. If you think this is subjective, then ok. Whatever.
If I was full in the Android ecosystem I would definitely use the S23 as my daily driver. I am not though. I live in the Apple ecosystem and it's difficult to not see the quality difference that the iPhone has in some things. Anyway, it doesn't really matter. This year Samsung has delivered a great phone.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.