[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":111},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Fblogs\u002Fwhy-i-m-never-buying-an-iphone-again":3},{"title":4,"description":5,"coverImage":6,"timestamps":9,"body":11},"Why I'm Never Buying an iPhone Again: A Switch to Android for Value and Freedom","After years of using Apple iPhones, I'm switching to Android for good. From the \"Batterygate\" scandal and repair restrictions to the staggering price of iPhones in India, I'm choosing hardware freedom and value over a \"lifestyle\" brand. Here's why.",{"url":7,"alt":8},"https:\u002F\u002Fik.imagekit.io\u002Fjarmos\u002Fwhy-im-never-buying-an-iphone.png","Why I'm never buying an iPhone again.",{"publishedOn":10},"2025-12-20T08:34:02+00:00",{"type":12,"value":13,"toc":103},"minimark",[14,18,26,31,34,37,40,43,46,49,53,56,69,72,76,79,90,93,96,100],[15,16,17],"p",{},"My smartphone journey began in 2016 with an iPhone 5S which served as my primary\ndriver until late 2020. Between then and now, I dabbled with an iPhone 6S and an\niPhone 11 but I am currently using a Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro (running\nAndroid 13) which I picked up in 2022.",[15,19,20,21,25],{},"This post isn't a tech review or a standard \"iPhone vs Android\" breakdown.\nRather it is a testament to why I, like many others, made the switch to Android\n",[22,23,24],"strong",{},"forever"," and then never looked back. Please read this simply as a reflection\nof my personal preferences and the reasoning behind my choices.",[27,28,30],"h2",{"id":29},"free-as-in-beer","\"Free as in Beer\"",[15,32,33],{},"When I purchase an electronic device, I operate under a simple premise: I'm\npaying for the hardware, the software and the right to call that product mine.\nTo me ownership is non-negotiable. Yet for years Apple has consistently placed\nme in a position where that ownership feels like a mere suggestion.",[15,35,36],{},"Every mobile device Apple produces, from the iPhone to the iPad runs on a\nlocked-down version of iOS. It's not possible to tinker with, customization is\nout of the question and replacing it with an alternative choice is impossible.\nApple goes to extreme lengths to distance the user from their own hardware even\nlocking down the filesystem under the guise of \"security\".",[15,38,39],{},"While I'm aware that some Android manufacturers are beginning to tread a similar\npath, I've yet to see one as restrictive as Apple's total lockout of the\nfilesystem. There's a fundamental difference between a \"secure\" device and a\n\"sealed\" one.",[15,41,42],{},"On a side note, there's significant speculation regarding Google's potential\nshift away from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) at the time of writing\nthis article. For now these are simply speculations and I suspect the initial\ncommunity backlash may have forced them to reconsider such a drastic move.",[15,44,45],{},"Of course, the deep dive into sideloading, rooting and installing custom ROMs\noutside the Google Play Store is a rabbit hole for another day hence I'll\nreserve the topic for a future post.",[15,47,48],{},"Ultimately the gist is this: If I spend my hard-earned money on a device, I\nexpect full access to it and not \"half portions\" served with a side of\nrestrictive Terms and Conditions. The complete lack of freedom and choice within\nthe Apple ecosystem is the primary reason I continue to look elsewhere.",[27,50,52],{"id":51},"f-tier-value-for-money","F-Tier Value for Money",[15,54,55],{},"iPhones are famouus for high prices and underwhelming features. People don't buy\nthem for the value but they buy them for the \"bling\". I'm never driven my\nmaterialism and I'm a frugal person who wants electronics which simply works and\nserves my requirements. My checklist is simple:",[57,58,59,63,66],"ol",{},[60,61,62],"li",{},"A screen faster than 60Hz.",[60,64,65],{},"A battery larger than 5000mAh",[60,67,68],{},"At least 256 GB of storage capacity (+1 if it is expandable with an SD card).",[15,70,71],{},"For Apple, these basic specs are locked behind a massive paywall. For example,\nthe iPhone 17 Pro (256GB) costs over ?1,34,900 in India (which roughly converts\nto $1500+). I can get everything I need from an Android for a third of that\nprice. Today's Apple is a lifestyle brand and not a utility one. As long as\nthat's their business model, I'm out and I'll never be their target customer.",[27,73,75],{"id":74},"apples-unethical-consumer-practices","Apple's Unethical Consumer Practices",[15,77,78],{},"Between poor work ethics and ignoring what customers actually want. Apple's\nshady tactics aren't exactly a secret. You'll find plenty of horror stories on\nReddit and YouTube if you look for them.",[15,80,81,82,89],{},"I felt this personally back when I had an iPhone 5S. Apple's \"performance\nmanagement\" updates basically killed my battery life piece by piece. There is\nactually a whole Wikipedia page dedicated to this, called\n\"",[83,84,88],"a",{"href":85,"rel":86},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FBatterygate",[87],"nofollow","Batterygate","\". Of course, they\ndenied their wrongdoings initially until lawsuits forced them to admit the\ntruth.",[15,91,92],{},"It felt like Apple was trying to force me into buying a newer, pricier phone.\nNow I'm left with several iPhones with dead batteries which are nearly\nimpossible to fix because Apple \"digitally signs\" their parts to prevent\nthird-party repairs.",[15,94,95],{},"I'm tired of seeing these devices turn into e-waste in the corner of my house. I\ndon't want to be part of the pollution anymore hence I'll probably not look at\nan iPhone ever again until they fix these problems.",[27,97,99],{"id":98},"in-shorts-why-im-moving-on","In Shorts: Why I'm Moving On",[15,101,102],{},"After nearly a decade in the Apple ecosystem, I've realised my values no longer\nalign with their \"lifestyle brand\" philosophy. I'm a frugal user who values\nfreedom, utility and ownership. These three requirements are increasingly\nsidelined by Apple's premium paywalls and locked-down software. Tranistioning to\nAndroid wasn't just a tech switch but a choice to stop paying for \"status\" and\nstart paying for value the device provides to me.",{"title":104,"searchDepth":105,"depth":105,"links":106},"",2,[107,108,109,110],{"id":29,"depth":105,"text":30},{"id":51,"depth":105,"text":52},{"id":74,"depth":105,"text":75},{"id":98,"depth":105,"text":99},1789041547967]