Believe it or not: Value. iPhones get like 5+ years of updates. A thousand bucks over 5 years is better than $800 every 2 or 3. I used my iPhone 6S for so long and probably wouldn't have upgraded if it could hold a charge for more than a day. For reference, I did the $29 battery replacement which cost Apple a ton of people upgrading their phones.

I still believe the iPhone 6S is still usable. It never felt slow or anything.

I‘ve had the Galaxy S2 up to the S8. The S8 was such a bad phone that I sold it only one week after buying it. Then I wanted to try something different and bought an iPhone 7. I liked it so much that I stayed with iPhones and even switched to iPads. I always used Macs and it was kinda more comfortable when everything fits right into the ecosystem.

Have been hunting for a small phone, ended up with the 13 mini.

Came over from Samsung in 08/2018: bloatware, Android OS updates late in availability because of Samsung, very limited number of up dates, in its Playstore you could erroneously update beyond the Android OS in the device rendering an app useless (personal experience).

I had an iPod touch I got for free as part of buying a laptop in university (back when that use to be a thing Apple did) and I instantly loved it. So I upgraded to a full phone. My first iPhone was the 4 in 2011.

If it’s only for the camera, It is known that the iPhone 14pro is not the best phone for pictures but just for videos, you can check on this subreddit.

Also the camera improvements from a 13 pro are not that big. My colleague has a 13pro max, we took the same pic at the same time and the differences were next to none, sometimes the 13 was actually better than my 14 pro

I used to alternate back and forth between apple and android. Now iOS includes all the features I liked in android, no reason to switch anymore

I was getting tired of Google’s messaging system.

They put out hangouts, I convinced a good amount of my friends and family to use it, they shut it down.

They put out Allo, once again I convinced a lot of people hey let’s all start using Allo instead of shitty ass SMS. Google shut it down.

Then they started adding RCS to the stock messages app, but by then everyone was just using iPhones and they told me to fuck off.

Plus I was also getting sick of Pixels slowing down after a year or so. Had nothing but terrible experiences with Samsung phones. Although apparently the year I jumped shipped is the year Google finally decides to put out a great pixel phone. So that’s just my luck I guess.

I loved my first years with my Pixels, but I’m also just getting to the point where I don’t want to customize my phone more than what the iPhone allows me to. And I’m someone that used to root all my phones and load up custom roms . The iPhone is just a simple phone that works out of the box and works well. I don’t even change my ringtones anymore.

There’s still plenty of things I prefer on Android, but it’s like 85% the same in day to day usage, and the eco system like Apple Watch and AirPods doesn’t hurt.

Combination of reasons: started working for a company that supports both Android and iPhone and got to see a bit more how the sausage is made. Android is a fucking mess - you end up with a header file somewhere saying, effectively, on this chipset from this manufacturer on this version of Android (which will never be updated) do this workaround because it doesn't do what it's supposed to. Our lead for Android had a Windows phone as his daily driver, back when Windows phones were a thing... This issue is probably mostly avoided by sticking to Pixels I reckon, however.

Also, got sick of the utter mess of crapware on Samsung phones - duplicate (Android / Samsung) versions of all the major apps, Facebook being uninstallable etc. - again, stick to Pixels I guess?

But the major reason was probably the Apple Watch - I wanted one, the Android offerings are miles behind, and you need an iPhone for that.

I have flipped back and forth between iOS and Android since the OG iPhone and T-Mobile G1 were first released. I like iOS because its fast, stable, and just works. They are costly though, I think my daughter paid close to $1,200 for her 13PM (before the 14 released). With a older Pixel trade in and a $100.00 store credit I had been holding, I think I paid about $70.00 out of pocket for my Pixel 7.

Currently using a Pixel 7 as my primary device and occasionally switch to my iPhone 13 mini. I would have to say that lately I have been using Android a lot more due to esim (just extra steps and time to spontaneously switch back and forth). My daughters 13PM is the first phone that has given me "camera envy". However, I personally do not like the size of the "max" versions since I wear suits quite a bit (a smaller phone just sits better in dress pants pockets).

I feel like both OS's have evolved to a point where many of the features are starting to merge into one another. and they are both improving at about the same rate. I was just slightly disappointed that they did away with the mini version for the 14 lineup...but I guess I stand in the minority of wanting a smaller device these days. I would be all about a Pro Mini.

I had an iPhone 3G back when it was released which I ended up losing. I picked up a Blackberry Bold 9000 to replace it and 2 weeks later I found the 3G. At that point I enjoyed the BB more so I sold the iPhone. Eventually sold the BB and went back to Android because I missed the app support and customization with rooting and custom roms. Rooting became a thing of the past so I learned to be content without it. I still would follow the iPhone releases over the years and decided that the 14 Pro models and iOS 16 offered enough of an upgrade to previous models to warrant giving it another shot after 13 years.

Coming from a Z Fold 3 to the 14 Pro has been kind of a breath of fresh air in some aspects. Having a phone that is smaller, lighter, better battery life, and far superior camera performance has made the switch quite enjoyable.

I went with the iPhone in 2009 when I wanted to experience the multi-touch display and also a phone that was like an alien these days. Never regretted ever since!

High Performance

I initially started with android. They were affordable, had expandable storage and generally had better specs that i cared about (bigger screen, bigger battery capacity and exciting customization) but once android phones started going up in price, i began questioning why they still stuttered, had only two year software updates, had really poor app optimization and resell value. Apple by this point released the goldillocks sized XR which was relatively cheap and had good battery life so I switched and never looked back. Now I know what "it just works" meant. I just reached my 4th year with the xr and will be upgrading to the 15 in fall.

Just got a macbook for music production. There is an app for logic that allows for remote control so i figured i get an iphone instead of android.

Never used the app, switched back to windows for work. But kept going back to iphone since it works for me

Size of phone -love the mini

Camera/video quality

Integration with Mac - ipad etc

Security

Fab face id

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Coz it works - quality- aesthetic

My first mobile phone was a Nokia 6190, I think back in 1996 or 1997. In 2008 I had an LG Chocolate KG800 before I picked up an iPhone 3GS. It was such a drastic change from the phones I was used to and did more than I could have thought a phone was capable of. I’ve never had a reason to move to another brand of devices. iPhone revolutionized the mobile phone market and every other smartphone manufacturer is just following along.

Been an Android user ever since the Nexus S days. Was really hyped for Android Wear but sadly nothing ever lived up to my expectations. I finally said F it and moved over to iPhone so I could actually have a functioning Smart Watch.

It also helped that I already owned a Macbook Pro and an Apple TV 4K, so everything kinda just jives now.

I started with a Galaxy S4 - I can't remember why but I chose that as my first smart phone and it was okay. By the time the Galaxy S6 came out I was so sick of the constant issues it was having. Mainly had issues with apps crashing all the time, battery depleting at a rapid pace if I forgot to plug it in at night, and it would randomly freeze up and I had to restart the phone multiple times a week. I was so sick of it that I decided to get an iPhone 7 when it came out. Since then, I've upgraded about every 2 years and I've never considered anything but an iPhone.

Gaming and customer service

I used to go back and forth between android and iPhone every few years. As I got older I just wanted simplicity and everything to work and last a long time. Apple stuff just works and lasts forever. The older I got the more a single ecosystem became more important, especially after becoming a father.

Face id. My fingerprints aren't recognized by fingerprint readers anymore.

14 pro is my first iphone. I just looked at the market and saw that there was nothing that meets my needs.

I hated that all my android phones would slow down dramatically after having them for only 1-2 years. First time using an iPhone I immediately noticed a difference in how fluid and responsive the OS was. After 10 years I have never thought about going back

Reliability. They age well. Camera. The ecosystem.

iMessages. That's it.

I was tired of having to deal with a phone company, a different software company and with Google. Is so nice having everything from one company. It all seem less. I love it.

I had every iPhone up until the 5, I started getting bored of the same crap so jumped ship to Samsung until this summer and decided to try an iPhone again for a year, it’s pretty much Android at this point, it’s tolerable but I don’t see the big fuss, it’s not bad but I’m a Samsung guy. In the meantime I have no complaints with my 13 Pro Max.

All started with a 12 pro max in 2020. A month later a macbook pro, 2 months later airpods pro the rest is history.

They retired Windows Phone. Apps weren’t progressing. Microsoft started making better apps on iOS at the time. iPhone is more a great tool than something I really enjoy. I enjoyed the very personal experience of Windows Phone. RIP.

Had a family member sell me the 12 for cheap, So i figured why not jump. It’s been a whole year now and i gotta say i’m definitely loving it. Smooth experience, great camera, and fantastic screen. My only nitpick would be the gallery app but otherwise 10/10 for my first year with iphone.

My first iPhone was the SE (first gen) which was given to me when I was 12 (2017). I’ve stuck with iPhones since because I’m familiar with the features and layout of Apple phones, and use Apple Music and such. I’m a creature of habit, so it’s familiarity that’s kept me getting the brand. Also, I have an iPad so I’m able to airdrop and sync things which is useful.

For the ecosystem. I had the iPad first then the macbook. Then later decided to get an iPhone for a fuller experience. And boy did it deliver. While it’s not my favorite camera (I still prefer Pixel’s photos any day), I grew to appreciate the reliability of the camera system as well as the relative stability and fluidity of iOS these days.

I was using Samsung since the S3 up until note 8. Had the note 8 for 5 years (still have it)

My sister bought a used iPhone 8 from someone and when I compared the 2 the 8 just felt so smooth compared to note 8. I started doing more comparisons with iPhones older than the note 8 and I consistently got better performance from the iPhones. I eventually decided that I was gonna switch.

I didn’t care for customization since it was all the same to me after 5 years with the note 8. The older I got the less I downloaded outside the play store so a lot of what attracted me to Android was slowly losing their appeal.

Got the 14 pro and everyday I take the time to unintentionally look at how great it looks. I compare it with the s22 and there’s this smoothness about the iPhone that just gives it the edge. The restrictiveness that I constantly hear from others about iPhone either doesn’t bother me or I haven’t seen any. I also certainly do not miss the curved screen. It’s also so much more easier to sort things like notifications where on my note I’d have tons of them with slight difficulty turning them off.

iPhone 13 mini and SE are the only compact phones on the market.

I had z flip 3 that had a black screen of death after 7 months of use and Samsung’s customer service is shitty.

It works EVERY single time. Longevity. Best Video Capture. No scary bugs unlike Samsung or Pixel (seen it with my own eyes).

Slightly irrelevant, but stick to the 13pm. The 14 pro is extremely buggy right now and the battery life is a downgrade

I had iphone from the first one till the 4. Switched to Samsung S4 until the S21 Ultra. Last week I switched to the 14PM. I didn't switch because my Samsung was buggy or the battery was bad, I have had a great experience with all my samsung phones, love the customization and how easy it is to sideload apps. I made the switch because my entire family, my wifes side, my side all have iphones and the communication would be better, and the sharing of pics and videos would be better as well. Also because iOS has made some changes and finally allowed you to customize somethings, lock screen, widgets etc.

I started with a Treo 600 (not the 650 - that was too much $$) Prior to that I had a Palm IIIc and loved it, as it pretty much set me up for the modern smart phone. Had the original iPhone at launch in 2007, I was in my 30s. I learned about jailbreaking them very early on as it was OTA. Me and my brother would go to the Apple store in the Staten Island Mall and jailbreak all the phones every chance we could - so much fun, the staff hated it. I realized that that Androids did a lot more than the iPhone, I got me a Nexus and was straight Android till the 13 Pro-Max. I now use a Note 10+ and the Pro Max. At this point, I really dislike using the iPhone, just inferior to Android in so many ways, but that is coming from someone who is a tinkerer, so I may not be the demographic this forum may be searching for. I want a third party choice (like in politics).

13 pro here, I like the smoothness of software and apps.

My first smartphone was an iPhone cuz my girlfriend had one and I liked it. I just never switched.

Shutter speed

Size and OS updates.

I wanted a compact form factor phone (similar to my Sony Xperia X Compact and the phones before) from a reputable manufacturer with at least three to four years of software support.

Turned out my only options were the iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone 13 mini.

With Android I would have had to go at least five years back to phones which were already two major versions behind and out of support.

I had an iPod touch for years, then when my senior year of high school came I was able to get the newly release iPhone 5 as an early graduation gift.

As cool as it was to play on my moms Galaxy I had read and heard too many issues about them being susceptible to viruses. Most of my friends also have iPhones so iMessage was another selling feature for me

OS stability, support and physical Apple Stores that I could go to for repairs if need be

Bought the original iPhone because it was a way better phone - super easy an intuitive to manage calls and contacts.

Stayed with it the first few years because it was still a better phone, and the best smart phone.

At that point I had built a number of routines around it, like the way I use various iTunes Smart Playlists to manage my music. And over the years I've gotten into more of the Apple ecosystem, with a MacBook Pro, HomePods (Gen 1), iPads, Apple Watches, etc.

So at this point I am not cross-shopping Android or other non-Apple phones - the only decision each year is whether or not the new model offers enough to make it worth upgrading.

For me, it was way back when my Galaxy Note, over the course of a year, would repeatedly drop calls and tell me “Phone.app has crashed”. My wife’s did the exact same thing, and she even had a different carrier. After I was on the phone with a job interview and the phone app crashed, I’ve been an iPhone user ever since the 3GS and usually upgrade to the newest one every 2-3 years.

Honestly, I broke my Android phone and Verizon offered me $800 trade in value on an iPhone 14 pro. The contract was only a bit more per month than my T-Mobile account, so I switched.

Coming from someone who hasn’t used an Apple product since the iPod touch 2g, there’s a bunch that I really like, but the way iOS handles notifications is really annoying.

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I've had iPhones all along, from my first smart phone to now. I'd need a very good reason to switch to a different ecosystem. Especially considering I also use a Mac.

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The only real alternatives are Android phones and Google is an advertising/spyware company that spies on their users into order to sell advertising and user data to others. Apple's business model is selling equipment, services, and software -- not user data.

Apple watch is much better than anything else on Android. As for the phone I haven't noticed anything notably better.

the data protection

I was missing out on conversations with friends and family due to iMessage. That and the Apple Watch convinced me to switch from Android.

Is the iPhone better? I'd argue not, especially the UI and notifications. But the hardware is fantastic and the watch is second-to-none.

2009, had the n95 8gb, went into the O2 phone shop and saw the demo of angry birds, £500 pay as you go with a year of free internet, too good to turn down

In 2007 the iPhone made my TMo Dash look like a hunk of junk.

Ecosystem

Wearable , I tested like 4 or 5 android ones and I finally accepted that Apple Watch was so much ahead. And I don’t regret my switch

My mom and dad always got iphones from 3g upwards and when they would upgrade i would get the old one so i just stuck with iphones ever since

I had the galaxy phones for a while but my kids had iPods, and with them living 1700 miles away, I wanted to be able to FaceTime with them

Less bloatware

Less issues. I’ll still have a tiny issue here and there but nothing like I did with Androids. Pixels were great in a lot of ways but I had so many problems with them.

Great ecosystem

Customer support is light years ahead of the competition.

Reliability and ecosystem.

My first iPhone was the 3G. I was in high school and I believe it was only available on AT&T. My family had Verizon. I got my first job and switched to AT&T and hopped on my own phone plan just for an iPhone. I gave away my free phone plan for it haha.

Eventually all carriers had it and I just stayed on att lmao. Now the eco system has me locked in. I actually enjoy Samsung phones a lot, but being in the US it’s difficult to get around the iMessage situation. All other devices I have are from apple but there’s generally some sort of equivalent on the other side.

Ios

I switched phones all the time. Loved the HTC and wish it was just HTC rather than it being a google phone. I bought myself the Samsung note 20 ultra and loved it, except for one major thing that kept bugging me- the edge, kept freaking touching it and accidentally clicking on other things. Yeah I did have the palm sensor on but still wouldn’t work properly, so I told myself I’d get the next iPhone which happened to be the 14PM. Now if HTC came back I’d get that. I miss HTC

I had a Xiaomi mi9 and it was one of the worst phone I ever had so I decided to switch to iOS just to try something different and check if iOS was that good, 4 years later all my devices are from Apple

I had a Lumia920 years ago. The system was great, awesome camera and the interface was cool but I had to change because it got obsolete since Microsoft abandoned mobile phones. Had Android (Motorola and Xiaomi) until last year and it wasn’t a great experience, then I decided to give apple a shot and no regrets… it’s good to have a good phone again. IOS made me change, I don’t really care about cameras because I’m ugly so whatever

Fucking airdrop.

Nothing else even comes close to the convenience. And in 2023 it should.

It was light-years better than using Bluetooth to connect my Palm T|X to my Ericsson T39m and dialing-up a free ISP in Maine to get online.

Optimization and quality

The video quality of the camera and the apps I want are in iOS.

Bounced around between Samsung/Apple for over a decade. Honestly, the iPhone worked so well that I eventually got bored of it. Wanted something different, try out Android, etc. I stuck mainly with the Note and, recently, tried out the Z Fold 4. Very cool phone however the OS, apps and, especially, their wallet just seemed like a hot mess. Nothing really worked well together and a lot of the Android apps hadn't even been optimized for the larger Z Fold 4 screen.

After about a month or so the coolness wore off and I got sick of the phone. So I came back to iPhone with the 14 Pro Max and just realized that it just works great. It's like riding an old bicycle and everything just seemed more natural/intuitive. Plus I REALLY like the wallet app as weird as that may sound.

Data transfer/setup from Android to iOS was a pain in the ass and I still haven't gotten my music setup the way I like, BUT, I have no issues with the phone thankfully. I'm at the point now where I'm iPhone for life. It works the way I want it to and it just integrates with all my stuff seamlessly.

Microsoft gave up on Windows phone

The eco system

I own an S22 ultra which is a beast of a device, though truly, one of the main reasons I decided to get an iPhone for a daily is because majority of my peers own an apple device, and since iMessage is “in-house” messaging it makes it pretty useful when content is shared through text. A few other things would include FMI(Find My IPhone) and a few more apps that are simply more optimized for iOS

1. I like the size of iPhone pro. Unfortunately, for me , Samsung doesn’t have small phones which are so good as, let’s say, ultra , so iPhone pro suits perfectly for with with its size.

2. I really love camera here. Samsung s22 series has also very good camera, but seems for me , vides quality is better in iPhone. However I hate that when I make video in iPhone I don’t have “pause”. Just switch off.

3. it feels great in hand, it’s beautiful and comfortable.

Never owned an iPhone ( Blackberry and Android). The novelty of customisation Android offers has worn out. Also android manufacturers are emulating iPhone by removing headphone jack, SD storage etc so decided to take the plunge. No complaints.

i already had a mac and i wanted it synced with my phone… that was the only reason

It was the exclusive apps available at that time (4S era), the jailbreaking stuff and the beautiful skeuomorphic inspired icons. Nowadays it’s just because I’m used to iPhone otherwise I might just move to Android once the transfer of apps have become flawless. I do want the ability to freely transfer from iOS to Android on a whim.

I’ve always had Macs, and don’t like Google’s complete neglect of user privacy. Always been an advocate for Steve Jobs’ views on app tracking transparency and user safety.

because nothing comes close to how seamless, efficient and effective the Apple ecosystem is between phone, tablet, computer and smarthome.

There are a few reasons Data security Easy operability Design/quality Stable Price value after years

But of course there are things, that android phones are doing better. Apple could do a lot more with iOS.

The Mini was the smallest smartphone available on the market, at least to my knowledge. That was the most important criteria for me. Also, I'm locked in the ecosystem for one and a half centuries now.

14pro is my first IPhone. Owned almost every Google Pixel and Nexus. Just got tired of feeling like I was a beta tester. Google has some great ideas they just drop them and move on to the next best thing. Still miss some android features and Google assistant is definitely above Siri but iPhone just works.

Glad you asked! Music Production. Only possible on iPhone as the latency through android is about 40-80ms, not optimal. Plus, doing a quick search in the playstore reveals lack of any music creation apps ever. iOS gets GarageBand, Cubasis 3, moog synths, Audio Units Extensions, sampling and granular synthesis, anything you can think of or want is available on iPhone. And anything you can’t get on iPhone is a matter of time. The music production software for iPhone can get you so much further, budget wise than buying a Mac or PC where the equivalent software is $50-$2,000. An iPhone app costs Maximum $50 in the music space. I’ve only seen the strings sample library cost more. It’s insane for the portability, budget, and sheer power you’d get over anything else. Plus one day you can jailbreak it and do whatever you want.

I simply like the flat sided design of the 14PM. I probably only use like 5% of the phone’s computing power and I’m ok with that.

My wife bought me an iPhone 6 and replaced my stainless steel htc one (great piece of hardware) and I hated she did that until I didn’t…the iPhone is great and at the time it felt like the Apps worked so much better than android. Im on a 13p now and I won’t go back to android…I love my iPhone 📱

Apple is about recycling, eliminating ewaste, supporting older devices, and Caron neutrality vs droid companies.

Also, to age myself, I had a blackberry Pearl and Samsung BlackJack and hated them both. Got an Apple 3 when my 2 years was up on the Pearl and never looked back at droid phones.

8plus, 11pro (2019), 13mini (2023). Only reason I’ve upgraded is due to breakages.

Had Sony, Blackberry, Samsung nothing compares to the iPhone for me.

Now I have Mac etc it’s a no brainer

It just feels good, when you use it.

I’ve had an iPhone since Day 1 release day.

I was tired of getting blamed for "messing up" the group chats as the only android user in my family.

I’ve been an android user from the beginning (of smartphones), but it seemed like I NEEDED to replace them every 1-2 years. I kept using Samsung even after I got on my own phone plan, I got the note 10 on a deal after getting my tax refund so it seemed like a steal. After a year of crashes and things just not working how I wanted them to, I finally decided to try iPhone and got the purple 12. Absolutely loved it, and my only real issue was battery capacity. I kept it for a year, and when 14s were released I decided that I’d upgrade to the 14PM 256GB and keep it until it dies. Trade in value was still nice from the 12, and now I know this phone will last forever. And when it’s time, I’ll still get my money back out of it on an upgrade.

an iphone has more value than an android phone. they can’t argue this point at all

It just feels more premium than android. It’s easier to go from one to the next without a big learning curve

Build quality, Security, Future update support, iOS ecosystem, Better app support/stability.

To name a few.

Built quality and beauty of the OS

The insurance sold it for me. How easy it was to replace an iPhone was the reason I never went back.