My first smartphone was an Android. So was my second phone. So was my third. My fourth was too. My fifth? That was an iPhone. I’m now on my sixth and this one is an iPhone too. I’ve switched and I’ve stuck with it, but how do I really feel about my phones now? I certainly know how I feel about my old ones, so let’s start there, I guess..!
My very first smartphone was the HTC Desire 610. I was a teenager when I got this and I didn’t have much to compare it to other than some of my friends’ phones, most of whom had either equally shit ones or much better ones (usually iPhones). It was plastic, blue, had cameras, a screen and could do smartphone things. It came out in 2014 and I had it until my second year of university in 2016 so it worked for a few year. My memory of it by this point is that is was slow, had a terrible battery life and was generally a pain to use. It was, however, my first smartphone, so I remember it fondly.
My next phone, however, is my fondest memory. The phone I love most of all my phones. In 2016 I replaced my blue brick with the very first Google Pixel. It was a treat I definitely couldn’t afford as a student but this phone was fantastic. I potently remember the feel of the rear fingerprint sensor, which doubled as a pad for simple gestures. I could swipe down to open to notification shade which was a dream, then swipe up to dismiss it, which was very helpful for parsing all the texts I’d forget to reply to. It had a great camera, sleek design, and in some ways I regret selling it when I replaced it. It’s the one I’d love to still have.
Next up was a Galaxy S10+. I barely remember this phone. It was deeply forgettable.
After this I moved to an S21 Ultra which is the most excessive phone I’ve ever owned. The EE contract price for this thing was a ball and chain for two years and I was desperate to get rid of it by the end. It had great cameras (10x optical zoom was amazing), a fab screen, and the S Pen was pretty neat, but it was *so heavy* and big. This was definitely what we used to call a ‘phablet’ (now a basically dead term as phones now come with 6″ screens minimum as standard, and the 7″ tablet used to be a thing). It treated me very well and it was cool to experience a high end device like this, but I don’t think it was the right phone for me in the end, and it was ultimately my last Android handset as of right now.
Then came my first iPhone – the iPhone 14 Pro in ‘Deep Purple’ which was a pretty colour for a phone. This was a weird time to join iPhone – this was the last one with Lightning and the last iPhone without Apple Intelligence built in, so it was a bad time to arrive in some ways. I liked this phone a lot, though I did have my gripes by the end. Great all around experience: cameras were good, screen was lush, and I actually got used to iOS very quickly. I find it pretty fluid compared to Android and it tends to feel more tactile. I’ve never cared about sideloading (I only really use major apps and web browsers) and have done a good job at resisting the full ecosystem lock-in (I will die on the Google Photos hill). I also adore MagSafe – genuine Apple magic: take an established technology and make it nice to use. The dynamic island is also quite fun and helpful, even if the name is silly. Again, by the end of my time with this phone my main complain was how bloody heavy it was. Pro phones sound great until your wrist hurts when watching YouTube videos on the train. I really couldn’t tell you I loved this phone because I didn’t – it was a great phone and it was mine, but I don’t think I’ll feel a nostalgia for it like I do some of my devices.
Also, I got a tiny scratch on the screen of this one the month I got it from a sandy Marseille beach, and I never quite got over it.
However, high refresh rate screens are a must-have for me. I know they’re fine but 60Hz screens look bad on phones and with OLED there’s really no excuse for them. The dynamic island was also Pro exclusive for a few years and I didn’t want to lose it. I knew I wasn’t leaving iOS either, I’d come to vibe with it. That’s where my new phone comes in.
The iPhone 17 was made for me and me specifically. This was a regular iPhone at a regular iPhone price but now with a high refresh rate display, the dynamic island, wasn’t made of plastic and weighed considerably less than a small car. I knew I was getting this phone the moment it was announced and this was the first time I have ever pre-ordered a phone which surprised even myself. I can see being happy with this one for quite a while.
I like iPhones because I really don’t feel like I need to fuss over my phone. I try not to be glued to my phone anyway, but I value having a device that does what I need it to do in a slick & elegant manner, which iOS is very good at. Android is great but I never felt I could just relax and leave it alone, there were so many niggles and changes you could make that it never felt truly cohesive as an experience. Ultimately though, the margins are so slim that if I was forced back on to Android, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. Give me a decent camera and a nice screen and I’m more or less happy.
Moral of the story? Don’t overthink your phone. You already know what you need from it, just get one that does that. Nostalgia comes from the bond you have with something, and all devices have personality, even iPhones. I’m actually writing this while packing up my iPhone 14 Pro to be sold, and as much as that iPhone resale value sings to me, I will still miss it.
Oliver Douglas 