Do you think it's worth pulling the trigger on that now or waiting until the S26 Ultra? I've read it won't be too much of an upgrade so I am considering going through with it soon.

I should also probably mention I am all in on the Google ecosystem so that influences how well a lot of things work for me.

Pixel 10 Pro
Pixel Buds Pro 2
Pixel Watch
Google Fi phone service
Google Fiber internet
Google home
Google One

AgsWin2011 said:

---

Do you think it's worth pulling the trigger on that now or waiting until the S26 Ultra? I've read it won't be too much of an upgrade so I am considering going through with it soon.

---

That'll probably be early February with a pre order. I'd pull the trigger now. I normally get the 1TB version but try out the 256 or 512GB and if you freaking love it then trade it in for the upgrade once s26 comes out

Oneplus 13 & Oneplus Buds Pro3 owner. The Oneplus pro buds pair perfectly with the phone and they have superb sound. The phone's fast charge is an excellent feature.

agreed. it's also the most expensive by a fair clip, so you definitely get what you pay for there.

I'm good with my Firestick because it allows me to do a lot more things that Apple does not like in their walled garden...but for regular streaming, it's tough to match.

The AppleTV box used to be a lot more expensive, but Google's stick is now $99 and the non-stick version of Amazon's streaming device is $139. So for anything set top-ish it's pretty competitive.

Sidenote: Apparently Apple is renaming their streaming service from AppleTV+ to just AppleTV…the same name as the app and the device. So now you'll be able to watch AppleTV in AppleTV on an AppleTV.

As someone that has went Blackberry -> Windows phone -> Android -> iPhone -> Android -> and finally back to iPhone...and I've had an iPhone for at least 15 years now...

The only thing I could say that sucks about my iPhone is the dictation. My Android was a bit better but not much. Either way, the rest of the phone is superior to the Android devices I have had in every way and I'm not willing to sacrifice that so my phone dictates a text cleanly during times I shouldn't be texting anyway. As for customizing, having had all of them, I don't understand that comment or the desire. My iPhone customizes everything far more than I think it needs to. I guess I can't make my background sparkle and have my icon flash with hot pink script so that is a downside to apple in terms of customizing.

The must get their naming advice from espn or hbo.

fig96 said:

---

The AppleTV box used to be a lot more expensive, but Google's stick is now $99 and the non-stick version of Amazon's streaming device is $139. So for anything set top-ish it's pretty competitive.

Sidenote: Apparently Apple is renaming their streaming service from AppleTV+ to just AppleTV…the same name as the app and the device. So now you'll be able to watch AppleTV in AppleTV on an AppleTV.

---

I'm just comparing the typical entry level 4K firesticks and Chromecast devices, which can all be had for around 40-60 bucks. The Apples have come down from the $200 days though. I wasn't aware of that.

I don't know who buys the $150 amazon devices.

Apple TV is easily the best streaming device I've used. I've had one for years. Remote still works just fine.

LOYAL AG said:

---

Eskimo D. Walker said:

---

Great discussion here. Thanks everyone for chiming in.

Sounds like the ecosystem for Home Assistants and Personal Assistants has just oversold their ability to deliver to this point. Across all platforms.

I still love my Mac and wouldn't take money to go back to Windows. I like my iPhone but would be happy with a Pixel or other high end Android. It's the services that I want to work better…messages, device handoff between phone/computer/AI etc. This has been the sweet spot for Apple in the past and what pulled me into their walled garden. Have been happily living in that walled garden because everything just worked.

Guess I'll wait a bit longer to see if anyone builds a better mousetrap.

---

Tim Cook isn't Steve Jobs. We all knew it when Jobs died as this is the result. Cook is an administrator and IMO doesn't even try to push the company towards innovation. It's almost like he's a PE raider milking value but not seeking to lead the way. Apple has become a company that doesn't innovate in anyway and is typically a couple of generations behind with cool new stuff. That was great when it all fit together like a hand in a glove but if that starts to fracture Apple isn't the best option anymore. Gonna be interesting to see how they move forward.

---

My Apple stock likes Tim Cook just fine.

Eskimo D. Walker said:

---

I was an original iPhone user in 2007. The halo effect has led me to Mac, iPad, AirPods, Watch HomePods and TV. I used to be willing to sacrifice features for the superior UX that Apple provided. The "it just works" adage kept me in the ecosystem all these years.

However, I'm to a point where I am considering abandoning the thousands of dollars I have invested in Apple tech. The experience has gotten so bad, I now regularly refer to my experience as "Crapple". Siri has gotten practically unusable. Handoff between AirPods and my various devices is as reliable as an automatic soap dispenser in the men's room. And don't get me started on the failings of Apple Intelligence especially compared to what I'm seeing from Gemini and ChatGPT.

Anyone else made the switch after being so completely invested in Apple? Any suggestions?

---

I have a TON of apple devices (6 apple tvs, 2 macs, the family all have macs, iphones, air pods, ipads, apple watches etc.)

I just went Galaxy Fold 7 about a month ago. Here is my take: I'm really like the form factor of my fold 7 and android works perfectly fine. Everything is customizable and it's really cool to have that control. However, everything is customizable and having all that control means you have to set up all sorts of things that are already set up for you on apple. For example at night, I set up a "Sleep" mode which controls the time it turns on/off, brightness, sound etc. It works really well at the scheduled times. BUT..if I want to turn on sleep mode early or late, then I have to go in and manually do all the things I just mentioned. A little bit of a pain. Again, have control over everything means I have to control everything. It's really fun being able to set up things exactly how you want but it's a double edged sword, because you have to set up things exactly how you want.

Same thing with the galaxy watch. It works really well, but again, you control everything. I'll say the watch isn't intuitive or polished as the apple watch, but its perfectly fine. The one thing I wasn't as prepared for, was the constant decision making I have to make between Samsung and Google. I never used a lot of Google stuff other than gmail. Now, I find my self using a lot of google stuff (wallet, google keyboard, google calendar, etc.) I also set up samsung wallet, keyboard, password manager, etc. I'm still trying to navigate which app I like best for each respective use case. Obviously with apple it's apple hardware and apple apps (good or bad, apple takes that decision making off the table). So I'm still navigating my way through dual vendors for the same uses on my phone. So far I'm happy with the switch. I still get a little annoyed at times and after years and years of doing certain gestures or certain swipes, I'm having to unlearn/relearn ways to do things on the fold, and sometimes it's just easier to google how to do something vs figuring it out, but it's really not bad once you learn how certain things work.

TLDR; I switched from apple to samsung galaxy fold 7. It's good. It's different though, but I like it.

Just an FYI, you should be able to add your sleep mode to the swipe down menu to toggle it on and off whenever you like. At least I can on my Pixel

I got the pixel buds 2a last week and really like them. They have multipoint so I can use them with my iPad and pixel 10 pro without having to disconnect

Pulled the trigger on the S25 Ultra today. Was going to change my work phone to it, but decided to just get a personal phone to keep work and life separate. Also, now I can keep my work iPhone and the transition to Android won't be as painful.

Does anyone know when the TexAgs app will be available on the Google Play Store? I thought I saw a beta they had going earlier this year for Android.

AgsWin2011 said:

---

Pulled the trigger on the S25 Ultra today. Was going to change my work phone to it, but decided to just get a personal phone to keep work and life separate. Also, now I can keep my work iPhone and the transition to Android won't be as painful.

Does anyone know when the TexAgs app will be available on the Google Play Store? I thought I saw a beta they had going earlier this year for Android.

---

Not sure but you can use Vine on TA. Bleeding edge tech. No one else offers it yet.

I have no idea what Vine is or if you're trolling me

flintdragon said:

---

I have an android phone and macbook. What apple ecosystem? I just use all google apps. I turn off literally everything Apple. Except maybe FindMy which is probably a good thing to have.

No siri, no safari, no photos, no icloud, no music

---

Same. Native texting from my Mac might be the only thing I'm missing. I just use the browser app for Google messages

MacBook Air

Pixel 8, PW2, pixel buds

I was at the Aggie exhibition game this weekend and took some pictures with my new Samsung fold. Man the camera on this thing so much better than my iPhone pro max. I've been laying around with the AI image enhancing as well....and it's crazy how much this just works. Apple's imaging AI was like drawing with crayons. If you're big into pictures and editing make the switch!

Your first pic makes me NOT want to get an Android phone/camera. That's a terrible pic! lol.

It looks like you made this with gen 1 AI and it couldn't render their faces all the way.

YouBet said:

---

Your first pic makes me NOT want to get an Android phone/camera. That's a terrible pic! lol.

It looks like you made this with gen 1 AI and it couldn't render their faces all the way.

---

LOL. that's from across the court zoomed in with my shaky hands LMAO.

The key for any phone photography is to change to Portrait mode (not sure what the Android equivalent is). Being able to control depth of field completely changes the look of your photos.

RoyVal said:

---

YouBet said:

---

Your first pic makes me NOT want to get an Android phone/camera. That's a terrible pic! lol.

It looks like you made this with gen 1 AI and it couldn't render their faces all the way.

---

LOL. that's from across the court zoomed in with my shaky hands LMAO.

---

Mine would have been worse. I have zero clue how to use camera on my iPhone. I never touch settings. Just point and click.

fig96 said:

---

The key for any phone photography is to change to Portrait mode (not sure what the Android equivalent is). Being able to control depth of field completely changes the look of your photos.

---

Please don't. On either Pixel, Samsung or iPhone.

Digitally processed bokeh is just 'ick and looks fake.

If you don't like the color science of your given phone, most will let you shoot RAW. You can then adjust like any other file in LightRoom, etc.

It's more than good enough for most people who don't want to put in the time and effort and just don't have the general desire to shoot RAW and post process.

Yeah I don't need all that.

I can just use the web browser for almost everything you listed.

I'm good on iPhone. I'll continue with Android. Full stop.

Mac is superior for development.

Android is superior for just about everything mobile wise.

Really enjoying the android experience so far. Have had android phones in the past and they were always so buggy. This S25 Ultra is way faster than my iPhone 14 Pro Max. Since I still have that as my work phone (about to be upgraded to the newest iPhone), but I find myself using this phone way more. When I pick up my iPhone now, I kind of cringe. Although I will admit, there are a few things I like better about iPhone, mainly the TexAgs app.

Google's ecosystem and design just sucks in general to me. I mean, using google photos right now is an excellent example....

"To find your shared photos, open the app and click 'updates'"

Yes, that makes compete GD sense. Google is number in in "how can we take a simple intuitive process and makes it a 32 step pain in every paying users ass." I get it, it's built by developers and they just generally don't have a handle on how UI should operate.

BrazosDog02 said:

---

Google's ecosystem and design just sucks in general to me. I mean, using google photos right now is an excellent example....

"To find your shared photos, open the app and click 'updates'"

Yes, that makes compete GD sense. Google is number in in "how can we take a simple intuitive process and makes it a 32 step pain in every paying users ass." I get it, it's built by developers and they just generally don't have a handle on how UI should operate.

---

My review of Google apps as someone who was forced into their ecosystem at work:

- Google Calendar is ok, has some things I like better than MS Outlook calendar.

- Gmail is absolute f'ing trash and doesn't work; I would rather use Yahoo email.

- Google Slides is f'ing trash and so inefficient as to be unusable.

- Google Sheets is ok, but lacks the full universe of what Excel can do. Good enough for 98% of users.

- Google Docs is fine. Handles headings much better than Word.

- No OneNote equivalent if you care about that.

Ive never owned an Iphone. I went from Blackberry to Android phones. Im the black sheep in my family of iPhone owners and if you care about photo taking capability you definitely want an Android.

I've had my S25 Ultra for a week or two now. I absolutely love it. I use Google for a lot of things, so the transition has been seamless. This phone is so much faster and I'm starting to like the AI features and routines. The routines are really cool. I haven't made many, but I made it to where if my phone is connected to my home WiFi, I don't have to unlock it when I want to use it.

AgsWin2011 said:

---

I've had my S25 Ultra for a week or two now. I absolutely love it. I use Google for a lot of things, so the transition has been seamless. This phone is so much faster and I'm starting to like the AI features and routines. The routines are really cool. I haven't made many, but I made it to where if my phone is connected to my home WiFi, I don't have to unlock it when I want to use it.

---

Apple has "routines" too but I've frankly never used it. The one time I played around with it, it seemed a bit complicated.

AgsWin2011 said:

---

I've had my S25 Ultra for a week or two now. I absolutely love it. I use Google for a lot of things, so the transition has been seamless. This phone is so much faster and I'm starting to like the AI features and routines. The routines are really cool. I haven't made many, but I made it to where if my phone is connected to my home WiFi, I don't have to unlock it when I want to use it.

---

Ooo that's pretty smart. I might need to do that

Have you used your AI to remove objects or touch up photos yet?