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Life is Good vs an Apple a Day

For my livelihood, I spend all day reading, writing and researching the wireless phone industry. It's a sweet gig if you are a curious person like me and enjoy digging through articles, perusing earnings reports and essentially "spying" on the wireless carriers, manufactures and other major players. Unfortunately, there are also days filled with Excel overload aka spreadsheet haze. One huge perk, however, is that I get to test tiny little computers known to us as smartphones. Today, I am sharing my thoughts on two of those groovy gadgets.

I recently upgraded my from an "ancient" iPhone 5 to a shiny, new LG G 3  (on Sprint). In addition my employer provided me a new iPhone 6 (powered by AT&T). So, for the last two weeks or so I've been acclimating myself to these two very nice, high-end devices. The following are my personal thoughts--free of a lot of techno babble around specs and processing speeds--and more around the practicality of these devices.

Here are a few of the nifty features of the LG G3:
  • Customization:  The LG G3, once you get passed the pre-loaded apps, is a highly-customizable device. I really love the fact that you can tailor your text messaging conversations to include a pigs and chickens message bubble and apply pink gingham background to the message section! You can also enlarge the keyboard to accommodate old eyes and fat thumbs. I'm still fine tuning the home screen so my favorite apps are always located there. They tend to mysteriously move around (something that never happens on the iPhone) with this device.
  • QuickCircle Case: I actually learned about this when I walked through some of the tutorials on the device. Using tutorials is actually advantageous as these devices get more complex each year. Anyway, the QuickCircle case allows you to, with the proper accessory purchase, have a portion of your device (a circle) exposed when the front cover case is closed. If you double tap the circle then a clock appears. If you slide to the right, you have five applications (text messaging, call log, camera, music and settings) you can access without having to open your case. In fact, you can answer calls using this feature and read text messages. It's very nice and something I have not seen with other smartphones (not to say it doesn't exist, though). 
  • Large screen:  the LG G3 has a noticeably larger screen than the iPhone 6. I don't want to give display size dimensions here but will say that using the G3 is nearly impossible with one hand unless you enable this feature on the device. It's interesting with the iPhone because I have carried an iPhone since 2011, I instinctively want to use my device with one hand, but it's more difficult with this larger version of the iPhone 6.

Of course, I am not going to say the iPhone 6 does not have some super funky features too but the phone (other than the size) is not that different from the last version. However, here are a few notables:
  • Camera:  iPhone 6 has the edge in the camera department, both from ease of use and from a quality perspective. There is no delay, the quality is outstanding and uploading to social media is smooth. The LG is ok but I find the interface clumsy and there is an ever-so-slight delay. I also had issues at first with sending MMS messages with the G3.
  • Simplicity: the iPhone 6 is a less cluttered and simpler phone to use right out of the box. Apple does a nice job of giving users what applications they need and also vets their apps providers more thoroughly. Therefore, many of the apps are filled with ads or look as "cheap" as some of the Android downloads. With that said, I do believe customizing your own device is less applicable with an iPhone. Therefore, these devices are good for business users (who don't need a personalized experience) and an older demographic looking for easier usability.
  • Size of the phone: this in someways this is a pro and con for the iPhone 6. While the larger screen is ok (still not on par with the G3), I am so used one handed operation of my iPhone that the larger dimensions have taken some getting used to. It's almost like the screen is just big enough to not allow one-hand usage but still not big enough to induce the wow factor with its screen. 
Coverage 
I will say that this has not as much to do with the device as the carrier BUT some devices do have better radios than other. At my home, my AT&T iPhone 6 has a weak signal. I don't rely on this device for making phone calls. The data service is not impacted since I toggle over to Wi-Fi while at home. On the flip side, the Sprint LG G3 has a much strong signal in Stilwell. However, when I am in "town" I would say AT&T's LTE network is faster and, in many locations, stronger than Sprint's.

Battery life
The other big issue for end users, and often overlooked by industry pundits, is battery life. We all depend so heavily on these phones for connectivity that battery life is crucial, especially as we continue to ask our phones to do more and more. My old iPhone 5 could not make it one day without a charge. Both of these devices are pretty decent. The G3 can get nearly two days of life and that's with Bluetooth enabled. I'm pretty impressed with the iPhone 6 as well but it may have slightly less life than the LG device.

Final Thoughts
Trying to rate the two devices as one better than the other is very difficult. It's more about what fits you the best. It really comes down to the time you want to spend figuring out the features. The iPhone 6 (and all iPhones, traditionally) is really more of a plug and play device with features (native apps) chosen by the manufacturer that are ready to go when the device is activated. The phone is tailored for a more simple smartphone user, in my opinion. Also, for those who want to sync their iTunes and other Apple-based features, it's very seamless (just not when you move between operating systems). However, if you like to mess around with the features and are more gadget-savvy, the G3 may be more your speed. You really can make your phone work for you. Remember to always read about your device. Walk through the tutorials. Get your money's worth. Your smartphone is packed full of functionality but you have to work to get the most out of it. This, in turn, will improve your experience and make it all the more fun.

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