iPhone vs Android – The FIVE Year Test
Linus Tech Tips
·Linus Tech Tips
·2019-05-06
·
2,761 words · ~13 min read
0:00
With how much it costs to buy a flagship mobile device,
0:03
I think it's fair to say that most people
0:05
would like to get a few years out of their phones.
0:08
Now for iPhone people,
0:09
that means they're still rocking an iPhone 6 or 6S,
0:13
both of which are actually still supported
0:15
on the latest version of iOS.
0:17
But if you're more into the Android scene,
0:21
you're probably straight out of luck,
0:23
as even the more reputable manufacturers
0:26
only provide feature updates for around two years
0:29
and security patches for another one,
0:32
with the actual follow-through on these promises
0:34
being reminiscent of an elementary school pinky swear.
0:38
So what do you do?
0:40
Accept that your once flagship phone
0:43
is now a slow, insecure mess?
0:46
We say no!
0:48
So today's video has two main objectives,
0:51
to see if we can take a five-year-old Android phone
0:54
and make it competitive with the experience
0:56
of an iPhone of the same era.
0:59
And while we're at it,
1:00
to investigate if an old flagship at just 50 bucks on eBay
1:05
could be a viable option
1:06
if you're looking for a basic smartphone
1:08
and you want to save a buck.
1:10
Speaking of saving a buck, Thermaltake's A500,
1:13
eh, it's not really about saving a buck,
1:14
it's just really nice.
1:15
It's got a modern minimalist design
1:17
with brushed aluminum panels
1:18
and dual hinge swing tempered glass doors.
1:21
Check it out today at the link in the video description.
1:31
We began our quest by looking at a bunch of older devices
1:34
near the five-year mark,
1:35
from the likes of OnePlus, HTC, and Google.
1:39
But most of them were either no longer officially maintained
1:42
by LineageOS, our ROM of choice,
1:45
or weren't easily or cheaply purchasable,
1:47
or didn't have a removable battery.
1:50
And that last one is something we really want
1:52
because no amount of fresh software
1:54
is gonna fix a worn out lithium battery.
1:57
We were actually getting kind of discouraged
1:59
until we stumbled upon the LG G3.
2:02
It was a pretty big deal when it launched back in 2014,
2:05
with its top tier specs,
2:06
and at the time, super high res 1440 screen.
2:11
And today, not only are there heaps of them
2:13
for sale on eBay,
2:14
but they can be had for a mere $50
2:17
with replacement batteries from companies like iFixit
2:19
coming in at under 20 bucks.
2:21
Perfect.
2:23
Now, before you run out and buy one though,
2:25
make sure you get the version of the G3
2:27
that corresponds to your cellular carrier.
2:29
Even though most of the changes between the variants
2:32
are just the bloatware that comes pre-installed on them,
2:34
it's probably not worth risking using a different one
2:38
unless you have no other choice.
2:40
So for us then, the D852 was the way to go.
2:44
Oh, not much in the way of packaging on this thing,
2:49
but hey, wow, not bad.
2:51
This is in great condition.
2:53
There's hardly a scuff on it.
2:55
Original battery.
2:56
We'll definitely need the replacement one.
2:59
Now, as much as we hoped that this was gonna be as simple
3:02
as one, two, three, click, and you're done,
3:06
unfortunately, Jake quickly discovered
3:08
that it was going to be a bit more of an involved process.
3:11
Now, there are multiple methods
3:13
of gaining the administrative access
3:14
that we need to install our third-party OS,
3:17
otherwise known as routing,
3:19
but none of them have been updated
3:21
to work on the latest version of Android
3:23
that LG rolled out for the G3.
3:25
Thankfully though, unlike iOS, we can downgrade Android
3:29
with the easiest method being to roll back to KitKat.
3:32
Then from there, routing is essentially one click.
3:35
We can install our custom recovery software
3:38
and install LineageOS.
3:40
Now, we'll have some more details in a forum post down below
3:42
if you guys aren't familiar with this process.
3:45
Before we begin the downgrade,
3:46
you guys need to know a couple of things.
3:48
One, this tutorial is specific to the LG G3.
3:52
If you're looking to flash LineageOS
3:54
or some other ROM to a different phone,
3:56
Google, YouTube, and the XDA forums are your best friends.
4:00
Two, this process will result
4:03
in your phone being completely wiped.
4:05
You have been warned.
4:07
Now, let's get into it.
4:08
Start by downloading and installing,
4:09
first, the LG USB drivers,
4:11
and second, the LG UP DLL, then LG UP itself.
4:15
This is the tool that we're gonna use to downgrade the phone.
4:19
Once you have the software ready to go,
4:21
download and extract the respective KitKat ROM
4:23
for your device.
4:24
We've got a D852,
4:26
and we'll be using the Bell version specifically.
4:29
Now, we plug the phone into our PC,
4:31
go into Settings, About Phone, Software Info,
4:34
and tap Build Number.
4:35
Until it says, You are now a developer.
4:38
If only it was that easy, right?
4:40
Then we go back into the main settings menu,
4:42
into Developer Options, and Enable USB Debugging.
4:45
This will allow our computer to communicate with the phone.
4:48
You'll also wanna swipe down on the notification tray
4:51
and enable MTP USB mode.
4:53
On the PC, open up LG UP as an administrator,
4:57
select your device, and the .TOT file, and click Start.
5:01
Give it a couple minutes,
5:02
and you'll eventually be greeted by your KitKat-equipped G3.
5:05
Set up the phone quickly,
5:06
then head over to Settings and Enable USB Debugging again.
5:10
With that turned on,
5:11
we can download and run the one-click Purple Drake route.
5:15
Say yes to permanently routing,
5:17
as this OS is gonna be wiped for Lineage OS shortly anyway,
5:20
and then we're actually getting really close now.
5:23
But before we can install our OS,
5:24
we'll need a custom recovery to be able to flash it.
5:28
This is where TWRP comes into play.
5:30
Download the TWRP app from the Play Store onto the phone,
5:34
then copy over the TWRP app from the Play Store onto the phone,
5:35
and you'll see a TWRP file that's linked in the description.
5:38
Select the file from your device's storage in the app
5:40
and flash it, then reboot to recovery mode.
5:44
Now is actually a really good time
5:45
to back up your install of KitKat
5:47
on the off chance that something goes wrong.
5:50
So do that and copy it over to your PC.
5:53
Then we can wipe everything off the device as shown.
5:56
Last but not least,
5:57
we'll need to grab the latest nightly build of Lineage OS
6:00
for our device and open Google Apps,
6:03
since they don't come
6:05
with Lineage OS by default,
6:06
and no Play Store on Android is a pretty rockin' bad time.
6:10
So we select ARM, Android 8.1, and the Nano version for that.
6:14
Then once we've got both,
6:16
we can copy them over to the device and then install.
6:19
Restart the phone and...
6:22
Whabam!
6:23
Lineage OS is good to go!
6:26
From here, you can install any missing Google Apps
6:29
from the Play Store,
6:30
because basically none of them come by default,
6:34
and then you can optionally install them from the Play Store,
6:35
and then you can optionally install the Magisk root
6:37
if you'd like to do root-related things.
6:39
Not everybody's into that, though.
6:41
So all that's left now, then,
6:43
is to take this puppy for a little test drive.
6:47
For the $70 total that we spent,
6:50
is this a compelling option?
6:52
Let's put it up next to our iPhone,
6:54
which, believe it or not,
6:55
still costs nearly twice that much on eBay,
6:59
and find out.
7:00
Well, one thing's for darn tootin' sure.
7:03
Apple, while they definitely didn't have
7:05
a screen size advantage at this point in time...
7:07
Or resolution.
7:08
Or resolution advantage,
7:10
definitely had brighter screens.
7:12
Like, that is a market difference.
7:15
I don't even think the iPhone's at max.
7:16
I think it's a Lineage OS thing,
7:18
because as I recall, when this was stock,
7:20
it was a little brighter.
7:21
I'm not 100% sure, and that sounds a little bit weird,
7:23
but I kind of feel like it was better before.
7:26
All right, well, why don't we go ahead
7:28
and fire up a video?
7:30
Do you need some help?
7:31
Yeah, can we just go to the beginning?
7:33
Ready?
7:34
Three, two, one.
7:34
And go.
7:36
Okay, well, I didn't...
7:37
Whatever, close enough, cool.
7:38
There you go.
7:39
All right.
7:40
You gotta give Apple credit
7:41
for the color accuracy of their displays,
7:42
though even back then, you can tell
7:44
this is far more true to life than this is.
7:46
It's more washed out, it's a little bit too warm.
7:49
Screen is so much bigger on here.
7:51
Yeah, it's definitely gonna be better
7:52
for content absorption consumption.
7:55
So I downloaded PUBG on both of them, right?
7:57
Which is a big game, like about a Gigabyte.
8:00
And it was completely done,
8:01
along with the 10 other apps I downloaded on this phone,
8:03
before PUBG was even done on that one.
8:06
One thing, though, is that...
8:09
Speakers.
8:11
Yeah, should we try it out?
8:12
This is before front-facing speakers
8:14
were really much of a thing,
8:15
although the HTC One did do that around this time.
8:18
But Apple, even though they were still doing
8:20
just the bottom-firing speaker,
8:22
that's still a lot better than a rear speaker.
8:24
That was one of my big complaints
8:25
about this phone at the time.
8:26
Yeah, I'll crank this up, let's see how we do.
8:30
Is it harder to cover it up with your hand, though?
8:33
Like, either way, you're gonna have to cup it, right?
8:35
This one's kind of crappy.
8:36
We wanted to upstage our last insane resolution gaming setup.
8:39
Okay, pause it for a second.
8:42
Upstage our last insane resolution gaming setup.
8:44
Have you dropped this in the toilet or something?
8:46
This doesn't sound like a regular iPhone.
8:48
No, it's, yeah, it's basically...
8:50
I dropped it, yes, but not in the toilet.
8:52
Moral of the story,
8:53
they both kind of sound like garbage.
8:54
All right, so gaming-wise, we have PUBG Mobile loaded.
8:57
It is capped at 30 FPS, and we're on low settings,
9:00
but how you feeling?
9:02
It's playable, although I am seeing frame drops as well.
9:06
Yeah.
9:07
It seems like that's a common trend with mobile games,
9:09
but I'm definitely having an experience
9:11
that I would say is acceptable.
9:13
It's kind of like Xbox 360 graphics,
9:15
but if you, like, play one of those games on a laptop,
9:17
that can't quite do it.
9:19
So gaming-wise, we're on a pretty even playing field,
9:22
but let's try web browsing.
9:24
So I think for this test,
9:25
we should just load up a couple of the same websites.
9:27
Wow, you're already typing things great, Alex.
9:30
It's working fine.
9:32
It's working fine.
9:33
It searches for FU Jake really well.
9:35
Okay.
9:36
What's a site we can load?
9:37
Ars Technica.
9:40
You ready?
9:40
Yeah.
9:41
Three, two, one, go.
9:45
All right, so Android looks like it was winning a little bit
9:47
there.
9:48
Yeah.
9:49
It still hasn't even loaded all the way on there.
9:51
LTT Forum?
9:53
Yeah, sure.
9:53
Let's go to the corporate site, because I think we already
9:55
did the forum earlier.
9:56
Let's go Linus Media Group.
9:59
Three, two, one, go.
10:03
Oh, iPhone's really chugging now.
10:07
I mean, like, final load time, I think we're pretty close.
10:10
Yeah, true.
10:11
It did look like at the start there that this was going to, like,
10:13
go a little bit faster, but I think that was just, I mean,
10:15
overall, they're both pretty similar.
10:17
I mean, it looked like the G3 was edging out a little bit
10:20
at the start, but overall, acceptable, usable,
10:24
pretty similar.
10:25
We can take a quick look at LineageOS.
10:27
For those not familiar, it's very similar to your stock
10:31
Android experience, so to speak.
10:33
So not a ton of, like, extras or anything like that, but.
10:39
You can load up whatever launcher you want, though.
10:41
So if you want to get the Ruthless Pixel launcher, make
10:43
it look like a Pixel or any of them, really.
10:45
Even the Microsoft one is actually pretty good.
10:47
I don't know if you've seen that before.
10:48
Cool.
10:49
Whereas on an iPhone, it's going to be an iPhone.
10:52
I think we can go deeper than this, though,
10:54
because one of the things that Android was really
10:57
behind Apple on in this era was rear camera quality.
11:00
Oh, yeah.
11:01
But we know that software is a major component
11:03
of mobile camera performance, so I think maybe,
11:06
why don't you take some pictures, run around,
11:08
get some other people's impressions,
11:09
and see what they think of our five-year Android versus,
11:12
five-year iPhone experience.
11:15
When we get to the camera, the gap between devices
11:18
starts to become a little more apparent.
11:19
We took three identical photos on each phone
11:22
and threw a Pixel 3 in as a modern reference,
11:24
and it's clear to see the G3 definitely falls behind a bit.
11:27
Colors are more washed out and the noise is definitely
11:29
more noticeable compared to the iPhone 6.
11:31
Now, this is likely because LineageOS is supported
11:33
across such a wide range of devices,
11:35
meaning its camera app isn't going to have the same
11:37
image post-processing that's specifically tuned
11:39
by the manufacturer for a given device.
11:41
You can tinker with these settings
11:43
in the included camera app to help with this,
11:44
so we'd recommend doing that.
11:46
It actually looks like our older Android device,
11:49
be it the LG G3 or one from another manufacturer,
11:53
holds up shockingly well if you can get an OS
11:56
like LineageOS that is fully supported
11:59
with security updates.
12:01
I actually am blown away by how much phone we got
12:05
for just $70 after we replaced the battery
12:08
with a brand new unit, which remember,
12:10
makes this thing,
12:11
because it's not like SOCs degrade over time.
12:13
Functionally, brand spanking new.
12:17
Now, it is missing some creature comforts.
12:19
We've got USB micro B instead of type C.
12:21
It's not as durable, it's not as fast,
12:23
it doesn't charge as quickly.
12:25
No wireless charging, obviously.
12:27
Mobile speakers have come a long way in the last five years.
12:30
This wimpy rear speaker here compared to the dual front
12:34
or side, but sounds kind of front-firing speakers
12:36
on something like a Note 9.
12:37
And of course, no biometric authentication.
12:41
Really did feel like going back in time
12:43
compared to facial scanners or fingerprint scanners,
12:46
especially the ones under the screen and the like.
12:48
Bottom line is, unless you need iMessage,
12:51
this is looking like a very compelling option
12:53
if you wanna save a buck
12:54
and you've got the time to invest in it.
12:56
Or if all that looks like way too much work,
12:59
an older iPhone is still a solid choice.
13:02
Just make sure the battery is up to snuff.
13:04
Speaking of being worth investing in,
13:07
how about a Ring doorbell?
13:08
Ring is on a mission to reduce crime in communities,
13:11
and with their 1080p HD resolution and 160 degree vision,
13:15
having one on your door is definitely a step
13:17
in the right direction.
13:18
They've got an adjustable motion sensor,
13:20
two-way audio so you can talk to whoever's
13:22
at your front door.
13:23
It's Wi-Fi capable, so you can always check
13:25
what's going on wherever you are.
13:27
And it's powered by eight to 24 volt AC,
13:29
so that's your existing doorbell wiring
13:31
or the battery bank.
13:33
It connects via an app that can work on your smartphone
13:35
or desktop with Mac and Windows support,
13:37
and they've got a special offer at the link below
13:40
for their doorbell camera kit
13:41
that includes the video doorbell too,
13:43
a spotlight cam, and a solar security sign.
13:46
So check it out at ring.com slash LTT.
13:48
We're gonna have that linked below.
13:50
So thanks for watching, guys.
13:51
If you disliked this video, you can hit that button.
13:53
But if you liked it, hit like, get subscribed,
13:55
or maybe consider checking out where to buy the stuff
13:57
we featured at the link in the video description.
13:59
Also down there is our merch store,
14:01
which has cool shirts like this one,
14:02
and our community forum, which you should totally join.