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I am a mac user since 2005; Mac Pro user since 2007. I love my macs and love Apple in general. I have recently decided to purchase a smart phone, and my decision is down to 2 choices, listed in the subject line. My biggest problem with the iPhone is that AT&T doesn't offer unlimited data; their cap is at 2GB per month. After speaking to cs, I find out that anything over that is $10 extra per 1GB used. That is a serious problem for me. If I am paying that much a month there shouldn't be a cap. Especially if another company is offering it.
I like the iPhone better, and I want the iPhone. But after reading some of the problems here and after considering that to truly be able to use the phone unlimited each month with most likely cost way more than the other, I am having a difficult time deciding on why the iPhone would be worth it. If only AT&T would offer an unlimited plan comparable to Sprint's.
I am hoping to get feedback from current iPhone 4 users on these limits - how likely is it that I could go over my limit, etc.; how many users out there are going over their monthly limits and how are they utilizing their phones.
My main reasons for wanting the iPhone - besides my addiction to Apple products, lol - is so my mail will sync up and for the prospect of using the face time feature. If those really don't work as well as the promos claim, then that really takes it down a few notches for me.
Also, are there any other prospects out there that Apple will soon make the iPhone available with any carrier? That would really help the competitive markets and open up the product to its full capabilities, I think.
well i am a previous owner so i was able to keep my unlimited data plan.. i use anywhere between 200mb and 3 gb a month. (depends how much slacker, pandora, youtube, and teamviewer i use. the antenna issue, i find to be not much of an issue. dont get me wrong, it is real, but overall my call clarity and reception is far better. also, the 5mp camera on the iPhone, with it using more photons than phone cameras of higher resolutions (like the evo 4g and droid x) out performs in both still pics and hd video. google iphone 4 vs droid x camera and you will see what im talking about. keep in mind everyone is different though. i will not be returning my phone as i love it. just my experience.
also, i give sprint props because i believe in the end they will have the most expansive 4g network since they have already begun implementing it. However, ATM, sprint's 3g coverage area does not compare to AT&T's (and trust me i really dont like giving att any type of credit.
I have unlimited data plan but I can tell you I don't use closet 2GB a month because I have Wifi at home and work. So if you have wifi then that data is free. I have bad experiences with Sprint which was why I left after 8 months into my contract. I was very scared of getting iPhone 4 but since I sold my 3GS I had no choice. All I can say is WOW!!!! I can not believe how awesome it is. I have no problems with my phone and facetime is something out of star trek. Mine is smooth and easy to use nothing like web cam.
I have unlimited data because I was a previous customer with a unlimited plan but I will say I never come close to 2gb I usually hang around 200 mb I dont listen to much pandora though just basic data usage emails twitter facebook etc
Like other's have commented, since you can often use WiFi for data, you can easily control how much data you use on 3G. But, then I am an existing customer with the unlimited data plan. I don't use 2mb a month myself. Still, once you've had an iPhone (my iP4 is absolutely stunning!) you'll never regret it.
It really is stunning!!! For all the complaints Ive read nobody talks about how great the retina display is. It looks so much better then my 3GS. I was really attached to my 3GS and after a few hours with this new iPhone I can't believe I debated not upgrading.
Thanks all for your input so far. Defiantly things to consider. I have had a Razor for the past 3 years; it has been useless to me for the past year. I barely use it, that battery won't stay charged and I only use it at home. So the idea of paying for something I can't really use bothers me, especially when I am considering paying a bit more per month with a smart phone.
I guess my biggest concern is this - I would be willing to pay more for AT&T's iPhone plan per month than Sprint's (within reason) - if only they would offer unlimited. One the one side, I am scared of getting into the HTC for 2 years and regretting not getting the iPhone, when and if all the bugs get ironed out and when and if there are new plan options available.
I, too, believe that Sprint has the upper hand when it comes to their new 4G network; and that is something to consider. The point is, if I decide to get the iPhone, I want to be able to use all of it's features... I want to be able to watch a movie on ti if I want or to stream video live from the Internet, that's the point of having this type of technology. If it only half-assed works or - same as now with my Razor - I can only really use the **** thing the way I want at home, then screw it, it's not worth the cost.
It is the AT&T equation in this that bothers me most. So, previous iPhone purchasers were offered unlimited data but now that's not an option? I called them to ask about the plans and the woman I spoke to could barely speak English, let alone answer my questions intelligibly. Not a good sign.
So, I am wondering if they will offer the unlimited plan to 3GS users? Then I could go that route and in 6 months to a year upgrade? This is so frustrating to me. And all the problems I am reading about seem to be related to this new network and/or OS for the phone.
And I know the display is sooooo much better than the 3GS...... (whah!!) It really is hard to resist. I just wish there were other options for networks. I understand the concept behind partnering with a company (on Apple's defense) in the hopes that it will help to provide the best experience for people who are purchasing their product, but it can also backfire and limit your product's capabilities. And I really believe that the lack of competition does limit it. I am not saying I think AT&T's network isn't better or whatever than the others, but I think introducing the competition forces them all to work harder to keep their customers happy. AT&T is getting the free ride here because people like us who love the Apple brand will most likely buy it and deal with its shortcomings just to have the product. There is no incentive for them to overachieve here, expect to keep Apple happy. I just hope Apple provides enough pressure to force them to be more competitive.
I used to be a Sprint customer and the service was good. I am now an AT&T customer and have the iPhone 3G. If you have good coverage in your area with AT&T then go with the iPhone, you will love it! The data cap is no big deal, as you can get notifications from AT&T when you are about to exceed your cap. I also use WiFi both at work, at home, at Starbucks and Panera Bread. I use very little of my data plan, I think the most was 1GB in a month.
AT&T just recently dropped the unlimited data plan. Those of us that were on it get to keep it if we would like to. If you plan to use if for the things you mentioned I don't think there's any chance you'll go over 2GBs in a month. Facetime only works on WiFi so you won't be using your AT&T data plan bits for that.
The few times I did use a lot of data I was streaming a lot of music over the internet while at work. I usually listen to the music on my phone, but at the time I had just gotten the WunderRadio App which streams terrestrial and internet radio stations. At work they don't want us streaming music from the Internet on the corporate network, which I can understand. So, I just stream it from my phone over 3G. 🙂 (I bet AT&T doesn't want us doing that.)
I think they want to curb people steaming data constantly, not gouge typical users each month with overage fees. If you're that worried use WiFi when downloading Apps or Podcasts instead of AT&T's network. Just checking and responding to email will not take you over 2GBs a month.
I've owned both and I recently took the Evo back to Sprint. What I loved about it the most is also what I hated about it the most...the size. Nice for browsing the web but too big and bulky for day to day use. Also, the battery life on this thing is terrible - it was tough to make it through the day on a full charge...the iPhone's battery is much better. And there were a lot of apps that I missed. The Android Marketplace is getting there but still a long ways off from Apple's App Store. All in all I think the Evo is a good phone but for me the iPhone 4 was a much better choice.
In response to AntonDawkins link, there's a few problems I see. I was an iPhone user up until the beginning of June when I had my iPhone 3GS stolen. The issue is a bit biased. Simply looking at storage category, I'd have to disagree. Having the expandable memory is nice. A 32gb card is $67 and the EVO is $199 and the 32gb iPhone is $299. So in the end a 32gb EVO is cheaper than a 32gb iPhone 4 and you can use different cards which does come in handy.
In the same breath I think it's ridiculous to just give the EVO the win on connectivity just because it has 4G. The 4G is nice but it's in limited areas(I happen to live in one which is great), but it completely depends on which service is better for you. If I still lived in my hometown, I'd give AT&T the edge.
However, the article doesn't address a lot of things that make the phone extremely nice. Switching from the iPhone to the EVO was a bit weird at first. I got extremely used to how the iPhone works and the EVO works a bit different since you have things like a back button, a menu button, and a search button. After a day or two it became much more natural and turned out to be a lot simpler and just made navigating the phone much easier(not sure how I lived without a back button). Some other simple things I liked are being able to browse the file system. I actually use the EVO as a thumbstick. I fix people's computer on a regular basis so I keep all the software I need on it(anti-virus software and some other cleaning tools. When you plug the EVO in, it gives you the option to charge, sync, or use as a disk drive. While it doesn't sound useful, it's come in handy in many situations. I can throw school documents on it, programs, etc and I can access them with a micro-usb cable(which most digital cameras and such use).
As far as apps, my absolute biggest complaint about the EVO is the facebook app. It's terrible. Truly terrible. There is 0 comparison between the EVO's and iPhone's. I actually have to use the web version. When you want to check your notifications it opens a web browser. I can still do what I need, but it's just not as feature rich as I'd like. As far as finding the apps that I want, I've never had any issue. I've never been not able to find an app that I want. Several apps I've gotten have just been much nicer. Especially the geocaching app I use. I don't play many games on the phone, but this stems from the fact that I use mostly emulators. Meaning I can play NES, SNES, Genesis, GB, and GBA games right on my phone. It's awesome, I won't lie. You can even hook up a wiimote and play games on it and output it in HDMI to your big screen TV and you basically have a sweet full old school gaming system.
As far as portability, the EVO is huge. This was my big reason for wanting it. I'm 6'3" and have huge hands. Texting is much easier for me on it. However, a lot of people hate it being this big. Let me state it again, it's a huge phone and it's intended on being that way. The iPhone 4 is sleek and sexy. That's why I hate the idea of using a bumper to fix the antenna issue. If you have small hands, you may not like the EVO.
As far as the screens go, the iPhones is sick. In the same breath so is the EVO's. At regular viewing distance, the benefit isn't that great, if at all. You can notice a huge difference if you hold it up close, but I'm not sure why you'd do such unless you are trying to burn your eyes out. I'd give the iPhone the edge for sure, but I've done a side by side, and the iPhone barely edges out the EVO.
As far as battery life, I haven't gotten to use the iPhone 4 for extended period of time. The EVO requires a bit of responsibility. You need to make sure to kill your apps since they have true backgrounding. I have to use an app called advanced task killer. With a couple minutes of setup, and adding a widget to your home screen, I just hit the widget and it kills the apps that I don't need running. Now if you leave lots of them running, you are going to watch the battery just drain. Now this is the same with anything. I'd imagine if you get irresponsible with the iPhone, you will notice reduction in battery life.
I can't really say much about the cameras. I don't really care much about them. Facetime and video chat can be fun, but I don't really use them much.
I also will give props for the EVO is widgets. I never understood why the iPhone never had these. When I think of widgets I think of Apple. They are extremely convinient and can make your phone look amazing. I have a page with my music apps(music player, pandora, and last.fm) and I can control these apps without opening them. It's pretty convinient and just gives the phone a nice customized feel which I couldn't get with my iPhone. I've got widgets for my stocks, rss feeds and podcasts, a page setup with quick kills for things like gps, wifi, bluetooth, and 4g so I don't have to open settings.
My final pro for the EVO is it's integration with things like facebook, twitter, and online calendars. I still don't know how it works, but it pulls all the information down from facebook(like peoples phone numbers, emails, and profile pics) and integrates them into the phone. I only store first names but it somehow manages to bring everyones photo's down. Same with the calendar. It shows facebook events in it, syncs up with my google calendar and gives me alarms. If you don't like the social networking aspect of it you don't have to use it. It's just so simple to use and I like having everyones pics on my contacts.
As for the iPhone, I have to say it's so simple to use. If you want something that is simple to use, it's amazing for that. If you don't like customizing things and you want a simple interface, then don't get the EVO. The iPhone works, and it works good. Especially if you are technically challenged. If you are tech saavy it's still a great phone. The EVO will just let you do a bit more. In the same breath, that's an EVO issue. Sometimes apps just don't work. I havent' run into it too much, but it does happen. You need to be careful and read the comments people leave about apps. So basically the EVO requires a bit more effort to use, but some people don't mind that for a more open phone. Basically it comes down to what you want.
As far as data goes, I've only gone over 2gb once on my iPhone. Not sure what I was doing that month but I somehow managed to double my normal usage of 1.5gb.
Sorry for the wall of text, but I wanted to give my real experience with the two phones. I think they are both great phones, and I can understand why the decision would be hard.
Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences.... I have decided to get the iPhone probably next week. I hope Apple fixes all the glitches 🙂. Feel free to expand on the discussions regardless.
