Android v I phone.....help me moving forward.

[Tolkienista]

I've had a Motorola g31 phone since October 31st 2022. I bought it in John Lewis it came with a 2 year guarantee and I've needed it, as I've had problems .
I'm an O2 customer and I've got a SIM only deal.
I was told by customer services at Motorola that the average life of a phone is just over 2 years, which to me seems incredibly short.
I've always used Android phones, now I'm thinking of changing to an I phone, but I know very little about them.
Cost, different models, where to buy one etc.

Fellow mumsnetters, what do you think?
I'm not really au fait with the latest technology, but I do use my phone a lot so I want something that I can understand how to use quickly & is cost effective. I've noticed photos taken on an I phone are far superior to ones taken on mine.
Maybe it's time to bite the bullet and move to an I phone.
Any thoughts?

I’ve actually found the opposite to this - I had a Samsung 24 ultra or whatever and the battery was seriously shit.

My iPhone 16 pro max battery lasts all day and then some.

My android, the battery life is phenomonal. And charging on the Warp charge is so quick, from 0 to 100% is 30 minutes. Or if you're in a hurry and going out you can get to over half in 15 minutes.

I've got a Samsung s23 & the photo quality is excellent. The basic built in photo editing is fantastic. My battery life is great & it charges incredibly fast.

I'm upgrading to s25 in September I wouldn't even consider getting an iPhone

Stick with Android but upgrade your phone. I would go into an o2 store and see what they have at a price you're willing to pay. I have a Samsung so might be a bit pricier, but it's often eas to buy a slightly older one and get a good deal as a result. I imagine that's true of other Android brands too, and most will be better than your current phone.

There's a Google pixel 7a in Argos for £299, I have the 8a but I don't expect it's that much of an upgrade.

I think I may well stick to an Android phone, as that's all I've ever used.
Just out of interest, what is an "oppo phone?"

That's really good advice, thanks for taking the time to reply.

Really good advice, thanks .
I'm starting to shift towards staying with Android and going for a better phone, away from Motorola.

Do look at OnePlus Nord Lite. It's on special offer at the moment. £199 on oneplus site but I have seen it for £168
My DH has it and is really pleased with it, good cam too

Thanks for your reply and great advice too.
I've learnt an awful lot on here from posting my thread.

I've always had Motorola phones and never had photo quality issues. Just updating mine to a G85 for £185 ISH off Amazon. Hubby looked at the specs and said it was a good one so we'll see.

It's a make. It's bloody brilliant too

I've had two Motorola phones and I didn't think picture quality was an issue until I compared my photos taken at the same scene with those of others who had more expensive phones and in particular I phones.
Selfies were much better on their phones and group photos too.
Apart from that I'm happy with my pictures.

I'm keen for a new phone, and have been waiting for the right deal. I have an old premium Samsung phone from 2017! And it has a great camera. Not much wrong with it, but for the ageing battery and lack of software and security support.

After looking at battery care and for phones that have some long term support, what I can say is that most brands only get supported for two years. And if you actually use the phone lots, the battery will deplete after two years also. You can care for the battery by following strict charging regimes. But that might be a hassle.

So if you are satisfied with your Moto, and you paid about £130 for it, you could just replace like with like with a newer model. Moto are notoriously poor at long term support so pick a model like the G35. Look up the models release date, and pick something that is relatively recent - the last 6 months.

Samsung do the A16 5G, that now get 6 years of software support. And you can pick that up in a deal for around £120. it should have a better display than your Moto.

I'd suggest a second hand phone, but like I said after 2 years the battery is normally a bit beaten. A second hand iphone with battery health over 90% would do.

@SwanFlight great advice in your post and it makes abundant sense too.
Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts, extremely helpful.

@Tolkienista if you let me know your budget I can have a look at Which? recommended phones for you as I subscribe to Which? and can get all the latest reviews.

If you have been used to an Android operating system an iPhone will not seem intuitive at all. Have they introduced a back button yet?

The other thing to consider is, do you really want to support an American owned company right now?

@RampantIvy that is very kind of you.
I'd completely forgotten about Which magazine.
My friend is a subscriber so I'll have a look at her magazines to get the low down.

I do agree with you about the system I'm used to.
Since I posted last night I've had a rethink, I'm now more inclined to stick to an Android phone.
Thank you for taking the time to post and I will have a look at Which.

Regarding updates - looking at the OnePlus CE 4 Lite, it gets 2 Android OS updates and 3 years of security patches. It was released June 2024. I read that as it gets security patches until June 2027. This seems to about normal. With some vendors patching more often than others. iPhones get far longer support. You are looking at something along the lines of 5 years with them. So with a cheap Android assume about 2 years. Older models are tempting as they are often on offer. But then you might only be looking at 1 year or expired security support. It's up to you if you want to ride bare back or not!

Some of your choice will be form factor. A large phone is fine for some, unwieldy for others. The benefit of a larger phone is sometimes a bigger battery. An Amoled display will have better contrast. And a large phone will probably be good if you watch video on your phone.

I'd rather the smallest phone available with a quality fast camera. I have no need to use the phone for anything but a little searching, the odd map use, the odd message and call. I'd rather use a tablet, laptop or something else to do the majority of my Internet stuff. Large phones are great, but I don't think I have a pocket big enough.

Regarding iOS vs Android, there isn't a lot in it. Especially if you turn on touch gestures in Android, they aren't that much different, and if you are vaguely tech savvy you could switch in a weekend. iOS will likely be more polished and generally better supported as Apple targets fewer devices.

If on the other hand you can only just about use what you already have, stick to what you have, and possibly keep the same manufacturer. Moto, Oneplus, Honor, Oppo, Xiaomi, Samsung all have different user interfaces - they are subtly different. Moto and Google phones are stripped down.

Newer Pixels get long term support from the 8 series, and have a good camera. We've an 8a in the house. I'd happily use that. I reckon they'll drop to around £200 again during black friday sales. Last years models usually do.

If you do use your phone lots, for surfing and multi-tasking, perhaps pick something with more memory than 4GB. The exception being a second hand iPhone 12, iOS seems to run smoother with less memory.

There's an Honor 200 lite for £142 on ebuyer.
A Green Moto G35 for £108 and Moto G55 for £147 at John Lewis.
Samsung A16 5G (silver) for £140 at John Lewis.

You might be able to pick up a second hand iPhone (don't bother with anything less that the iPhone 12) for under £200.

If you an infrequent phone user, just go for the Samsung as it gets plenty software support (6 years) and 2 years guarantee from JL. Perhaps send it back if you hate it! Or wait out for the sales.