229. Switching to Android

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The cover image was taken at a fruit tree outside the Sky Garden restaurant “fine by FINE” at Oōli B1OCK. It had just finished raining. This restaurant has great style and delicious food; their Sukiyaki Beef Pasta is the best I’ve ever had. You should try it when you have time.

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This issue doesn’t recommend technologies or articles. I want to talk about the interesting changes I experienced switching from iPhone to Android.

As a ten-year iPhone user, I’ve been on Android for about a month now, choosing the OPPO Find X8s. The migration cost was much smaller than I imagined, and surprisingly, the Android has become my primary phone. I want to share some thoughts on this process.

Why stop sticking to iPhone?

Apple hasn’t been very innovative in recent years. I used to look forward to the annual launch events and upgrade immediately, but lately, nothing seems to change—especially in AI. At the system level, there’s nothing fun; it’s mostly just incrementing the version number. Also, I dislike the feeling of being “captured” by an ecosystem (watch, earbuds, laptop all in one set). I want to choose whatever works best for me, and I thought about trying Android just for fun.

My previous phone was a 15 Pro Max. The screen size was great for videos and articles, but in summer it felt way too big, like carrying a brick in my shorts pocket. It was hard to hold with one hand. I wanted a phone I could manipulate easily with one hand.

Why choose OPPO Find X8s among Android phones?

I first considered small-screen phones. I went to a store to check out vivo X200 Pro mini, Xiaomi 15, OnePlus 13T, and iPhone 16E—all around 6.3-inch screens. Among them, the OPPO screen view, especially the text rendering, looked more refined. It’s also the lightest at 179g, with the narrowest bezels.

To me, the first thing that blocks iPhone users from migrating to Android is the screen and font. Humans have habitual memories. Seeing a different screen feel and font rendering on Android can be a deal-breaker. Conversely, after not using an iPhone for 20 days, I found it felt very strange when I tried it again.

The ColorOS 15 system is much smoother and cleaner than I thought. I played with the “Xiao Bu” AI tools, like the Memory Assistant (like an LLM knowledge base) that can invoke software capabilities at the system level. It’s very suitable for me. I wanted to complain about the iPhone 16E—it’s over 4,000 RMB but uses the mold of the 13. Though the back of the 16E is actually quite beautiful.

What are the advantages of Android and OPPO?

1. Playability: Especially changing fonts. I replaced the system font with “TsangerJinKai” (my font for WeChat Reading), which is very comfortable and immediately elevated the “coarseness” of default Android fonts. Also, a pain point for iPhone users is the “ugly” domestic App icons with ads; on Android, you can change icons and even use ones that look identical to Apple’s.
2. System Convenience: Many small detail optimizations. Now I love using the AI assistant to answer calls I don’t want to take. It can record and summarize calls. It has also “borrowed” good things from Apple, like a shortcut Action button. Other features like side-bar shortcuts, three-finger screenshots, scrolling screenshots, multi-track screen recording, and app split-screen are all there. You can also turn them off for a cleaner experience. Built-in spam interception and call identification are very convenient.
3. Speed: ColorOS is truly smooth and fast. Another speed is the network itself—excellent signals in elevators and basements. When migrating data, it transferred from my iPhone at 90MB/s, finishing in less than half an hour. This broke my original assumptions; I’d been compromising with Apple for many years.
4. Customization: Many things can be turned off. For example, using “GKD” can easily turn off system ads. Many system settings can be disabled, and even the navigation bar bar at the bottom can be hidden.
5. Cost-effectiveness: This machine has very, very narrow bezels and feels great in hand. Finally said goodbye to the “big notch” and “island.” Although screen fingerprint unlocking doesn’t match iPhone’s FaceID, it’s easy to get used to. With national subsidies, it was only around 3,600 RMB—far more cost-effective than a 9,000 RMB Pro Max.
6. Super Fast Charging: I never thought I’d stop charging my phone overnight. Just charge it while brushing teeth and eating breakfast. 5,700mAh battery, 80W charging—you can literally see the battery level rising. This is incredibly satisfying.

What are the disadvantages of Android phones?

1. Heating: It heats up more easily than an iPhone, especially when downloading multiple apps, syncing data, or recording high-capacity videos. This is a small pain point, though it’s fine for normal use.
2. Ecosystem Consistency: Software compatibility and aesthetics aren’t as good as iPhone. Although ColorOS is diligent and has good compatibility for many domestic apps, some foreign apps still have issues with font and bottom bar consistency. Apple’s ecosystem is still number one for “refinement.”
3. Hardware Refinement: For example, external speaker quality isn’t as good as iPhone, but it’s acceptable since I don’t use it often. Despite the 5,700mAh battery, it doesn’t feel as “enduring” as a Pro Max’s smaller-looking battery, though it easily lasts a day.
4. Apple Integration: Although OPPO claims to be an “OPhone” with decent Apple ecosystem compatibility (Live Photos, file transfer, AirPods support), some features like SMS code forwarding to Mac, native file transfer to Mac without apps, and syncing Apple Notes/Reminders are difficult. These require changing your habits.

Concerns about switching?

“I’m used to iPhone software; will Android have them?” Most conventional apps can be found unless you use very niche Apple-only software. If you configure a font you like, the experience is overall very comfortable.

“Will it get laggy after a year?” Many iPhone users have this persistent belief—I did too. But high-end Android hardware has solved this. You might even find it smoother than non-flagship iPhones. Using it for two years should be no problem. Even with an iPhone, you’ll probably want to switch after 2 years anyway.

“What about security?” Android is indeed more customizable than Apple. If you download apps from Google Play or the official store and don’t take risks, it’s fine. Use caution with office software or unofficial downloads. Perhaps a cheapest iPhone could be a backup for those specific needs.

In short, this attempt has brought a positive experience and changed some of my fixed views. You might want to try it out too, before you get “too old” and lose interest in changing phones.

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