A smartphone is everybody’s companion today. About two months ago I switched from Windows Phone to Apple iPhone. This article is my personal synopsis.after a short period of using the iPhone.
My history
Before, I had a Microsoft Lumia 950 for about one year. My personal smartphone history started with Windows Mobile, iPhone 3, 4 and 4s followed by Windows Phone 8, 8.1 and 10. I was satisfied with Lumia 1020 (mostly because of the good camera) and with the cool Lumia 950.
Why did I switch?
It was not my intention. I thought, I’ll wait for the next Windows Phone generation (maybe at some time there will come a Surface Phone or some other new stuff and that I would buy a new phone then). But the Lumia 950 was unstable, especially when taking photos, I was continuously complaining and annoyed. First, I was making fun of buying an iPhone. Then, going to an Apple Store in the US before flying home, my wife said: You are complaining so much about your phone, pls. buy it now! They had the iPhone 7 in stock, so I bought it (with an ugly bumper, just to have something to protect this much to expensive phone for 850$ – but the Lumia 950 was 650$ one year ago as well…). I had an Android phone for testing, but I have not brought it over my heart to really start using that 150$ device. So, the iPhone was a spontaneous purchase within 5 minutes.
Comparing
There are many aspects, but I want to concentrate on the ones that are most important to me. First, the form factor.
The Lumia 950 is slightly larger. Of course, I liked the large and brilliant display. On the other side I did not really like the size of the device, it was not handy. So I went for the (small) iPhone 7. I prefer the iPhone form factor, although I cannot read as well as before, but that’s another story and maybe I need reading glasses at some time.
Anyway, each user has different needs. So my priorities were: Taking (good) photos, using about 10 (maybe 20) apps, do little phone calls. Here’s my short list.
+ .. good, * .. neutral, – ..not good
| Type | Microsoft Lumia 950 | Apple iPhone 7 |
| Size (form factor) | * size is ok | + size is slightly smaller and it feels better |
| (Current) Price | * 380 EUR (32GB) | - 870 EUR (128GB) |
| Expandability | + battery replaceable, 2 SIM cards, micro SD | - Nothing, as bought |
| Battery life | - bad (1 year: empty after about 3-4 hours use, need to have a battery pack with me each day – or replace the battery) | ++ good (lasts at least one full day, I no longer need battery packs with me) |
| Display | + super | * good, but not as good as Lumia 950 |
| OS | + much much better than iOS | - usability on iOS is not as good as Windows, but you get used to it at some time |
| General usability | + innovative | - still the same as 10 years ago |
| OS stability | - bad (depending on OS version) | + not perfect but very stable |
| Innovation | + live tiles, notification center and menus are delivering a good user experience | - UI has not changed for the last 10 years (for me no big news, it still looks old fashioned) |
| Speed | - ok, but mostly not good | + very fast, especially photos |
| Keyboard | + Swiping, configurable | - Don’t know if configurable, too small on this size, need app for swiping (so I don’t use swiping) |
| Photo quality | + very good camera, better apps for quick photo processing | + ok, could be better (I know with the Plus it’s better but that’s not my size) |
| Apps | - Get the most important apps, forget the rest (I was missing f.e. an app for Lyft and more…) | ++ Discover the world of apps (and install so much crap but also useful stuff) |
| App quality | * ok | + apps are often much richer on iOS (get more love) |
| Apps operating | + Windows concept (most apps work in the same way) | - As far as I have seen, apps are partly completely different |
| Purchasing Apps | * ok | - Apps on iPhone are expensive (compared to apps that are often free on Android) |
| Emails | + app as Outlook | - native app experience not as nice for a Windows user |
| Notifications | + Notification center (combines all messages in a central location) | - no Notification center (need to open apps to see messages) |
| Contacts | + Outlook contacts with many communication methods combined (1 contact, n phone numbers, etc.) | - Catastrophic (n Contacts for the same person, or have not figured out how it works) |
| Surfing | - Only Edge as browser | + Safari, Netscape, … |
| Navigation | + Here Maps (or what it is called now, integrated for free and offline maps) | - Google Maps (need to be online, which is not clever, maybe using other maps?) |
| Cloud integration | + ok with OneDrive | + ok with iCloud (but expensive) |
| The rest | * did not really matter for me | * |
As far as I see, the number of Plus is almost equal…
To clarify one thing: I did not really invest much time in working with iOS and the iPhone. I am sure, there are many things I could reach faster or use more than one finger and such stuff. But to be honest: I don’t want to spend too much time on a Phone, I just want it to work. I am not a heavy phone user and it works for my tasks.
To make it short
For me, there is no real recommendation, just a current conclusion. Using the iPhone does not bring more sense in my life, it’s just another phone. 
Each device has it’s benefits and disadvantages. As users we need to adapt and learn the most important parts of a new system. I can live with both phones…... but I like the Windows OS much more. Missing apps are one thing, but stability and battery life (and no story on the future of Windows Phone by Microsoft) were reasons for me to switch. Currently, I am no longer complaining when taking photos – the iOS is much more stable and offers a new world of apps. And the battery life is much much better. Decision made, not regretting it. For now.