My contract is coming up for renewal, and with iPhone 5 and several new Android phones coming out, I've been doing some research and thinking about how I want to proceed. Been thinking about it from both technical and I guess a personal view. Couldn't find a thread specific to this, so posting here. Could totally use a phone wars thread!
For reference, I currently have an iPhone 4S, and recently spent some time with a Samsung Galaxy S3 as well, and I'm in Montreal, Canada, my provider is Fido, whom I've been with for at least 8 years and have a nice chunk of loyalty points. I pay 55$ a month for, if I remember, 500 anytime minutes, unlimited weekends/evenings, unlimited texting to Canada and the US, and 1 gig data that I rarely go over.
Apple: I can chose to renew my contract, and basically get an iPhone 5 for very cheap. (~50$ or less). I have several apps that I really like, and I enjoy iOS, simplicity, ease of use, and the general "stuff on an iPhone "just works". Apps generally win on iOS from selection and the latest and greatest coming there first, I believe. Taller screen is important too, but I do prefer the wider screens for sure, if only for typing.
Android: Really tempted by the LG Nexus 4 coming out soon. Sure, it doesn't have LTE, but HSPA+ on a Samsung Galaxy S3 I'm pretty sure got me at least 15mbps down, 2 up (iPhone is getting 7.5mbps down, .7 up). Speed as an issue doesn't bother me, since I'm pretty sure I'd get by just fine with even as low as 5 mbps. I've had time to play around with Jelly Bean, which I really enjoyed. Ease of use isn't a big deal for someone who's tech savvy. My carrier may or may not offer the Nexus 4 (though it did offer the previous Nexus), but the Nexus 4 is 299/349$ unlocked direct from Google. Lately I'm really buying into the Google ecosystem, there reasons for not going LTE on the Nexus 4.
Screens on both devices are very nice, battery life is great, apps that I use are generally available on both (but in 2-3 weeks with an ICS Samsung Galaxy S3, I've had more issues (Skype app crashing, annoying stock bloatware.) with Android, though again, that was ICS and not Jelly Bean.
Certainly either phone could work for me, but I'd like to here opinions from people who're more familiar with all the ins and outs of both phones (I very likely won't be Jailbreaking or rooting one way or another unless there's a REALLY compelling reason to do so). Things that interest me most are battery life, the ability to use the phone to tether, any major capability and app differences, and a bit more information on Android in general. Bonus to any fellow Canadians who know of options to go prepaid with data, or any really great plans with other providers!