Written by Alex Schwappach

The grass is always greener. I’m an intern at Loup Ventures and I just got my first iPhone, an iPhone 8 Plus. It’s still early, but three weeks into my ownership I’m undecided about my next phone purchase in 1-2 years, and could see myself going back to Android. I’m not sold on the iPhone yet, but my next phone decision will likely be based on which phone has the best AR and VR experience. I guess it’s stories like mine that keep Tim Cook up at night, which pushes the competitive bar higher and benefits us all with better phones.

Background.  It’s been 9 years, 6 months, and 5 days since I received my first flip-phone on my 15th birthday, and up until 2 weeks ago my family and I have been solely Team Android for our mobile devices. As a kid I remember it being a big deal to have a phone, but as I got older the conversation centered more on “which” phone you had. Being an iPhone user became increasingly cool and the phrase I have been hearing for years, that “everyone has an iPhone,” seemed to feel more real because everyone appeared to be moving into the Apple ecosystem. Apple is second in global market share for smartphones at roughly 15%, versus first-place Samsung at around 23%. In the U.S, Samsung outweighs iPhone share at 54% vs. 43%, but the U.S. gap is shrinking given a year ago Android’s market share in the U.S. was 60%. Outside of the U.S., Apple continues to grow it’s presence in Europe while companies like Huawei, OPPO, or Xiaomi gain traction in Asia.  Separately, Apple has a leading share in devices per household in the U.S. According to a CNBC All-America Economic Survey earlier this year, 64% of Americans own an Apple device and the average Apple device per household has risen from 1.6 in 2012 to 2.6 in 2017. So, while not everyone in the U.S. has an Apple smartphone, two-thirds do own an Apple device (iPhone, iPad and Mac).

My new phone. Three weeks in and I am very satisfied with my iPhone 8 Plus. I am surprised at how much I like iMessage and the seemingly simpler layout of the phone. I tried to be fair in my comparison because my last phone, the Samsung Galaxy S6, is 2 years older and things like screen size and battery life have come a long way.

• Things I like
  • iMessage (Being viewed in blue has been a huge hit with other iPhone owners)
  • Circular Home Button
  • Bare necessity Apple apps as a base (My Android devices came pre-loaded with an unnecessary number of apps with similar capabilities)
  • 3D touch, especially for keyboard
  • App icon in messaging, can slide through other app icons
  • FaceTime
  • Ring/Silent Button
  • Seamless integration with other Apple devices
• Things I miss
  • Saying I don’t have an iPhone
  • The back button, multi-menu buttons (native iPhone users will never appreciate the luxury of having a back button instead of needing to press the tiny back arrow icon in the upper left-hand part of the iPhone screen)
  • “Close All” app capability (I hear I don’t need to shut my iOS apps down but I still have the urge)
  • Ability to add apps to folders inside of the folder (“+” sign at the bottom of folders to add several apps at once made it easier to customize)
  • Quick connect features for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (there needs to be a 3D Touch way to switch network connections)
  • Swipe text as the default keyboard setting (you need to download an app to switch your iPhone keyboard)

Waiting for killer AR and VR. Give iPhone credit, I still access my camera, use apps, and make calls in a similar way, but I appreciate how intuitive iOS is and Apple’s focus to protect user data. That said I can see myself going back to Android. I switched because I was curious and wanted to experience an iPhone even though my Samsung phone was working fine. I’m not loyal to the Apple brand and will continue to be curious, so I’ll consider buying the next great phone that comes out. But defining a great phone for the future is difficult because there are unknowns that will play a bigger role in my next phone decision, notably which phones have the best AR and VR experiences. These markets will grow rapidly over the coming years, and companies will be forced to optimize around AR and VR features to stay competitive. iPhone, if you win in AR and VR, you win my loyalty.

Disclaimer: We actively write about the themes in which we invest: artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual reality, and augmented reality. From time to time, we will write about companies that are in our portfolio.  Content on this site including opinions on specific themes in technology, market estimates, and estimates and commentary regarding publicly traded or private companies is not intended for use in making investment decisions. We hold no obligation to update any of our projections. We express no warranties about any estimates or opinions we make.