I’ve been an Android-only user for just over a year now – I actually ported my phone number to Google from my old iPhone so that I could take advantage of the deep integration that Google Voice has with that platform. I often switch phones, but I’ve stayed on the Android platform over the last year.
I need to be familiar with all the different phones, though. And so I bought an iPhone 4 a couple of weeks ago to try it out. And I switched to using only the iPhone 4 when the third party Google Voice apps were re-approved by Apple over the last few days.
And wow, I forgot just how bad the iPhone is at calls. Everything else is perfect. The UI, the screen and the battery life are all hands down superior to any Android phone. But the thing just won’t do calls properly.
First, the dropped calls. Nearly every call I’ve had has ended by it being dropped. It doesn’t matter how many bars I have, calls are dropped. Yesterday I had a five part conversation that ended every few minutes. It’s particularly bad when you’re driving (and yes I’m using a headphone).
I’m not so sure that long time iPhone users even remember what it’s like to have a phone call that doesn’t drop at the end.
And the issue with the proximity sensor is absurd. Calls without a headset are constantly being put on hold or muted. Usually just before the call is dropped.
And finally, so many calls just aren’t coming through at all. I see the calls being missed on Google Voice, and I see the missed calls on my backup phones that I use, but the iPhone never rings.
This thing is eye candy but it’s a very flawed phone. I’ll be going back to the Nexus One.