Apple

You are comparing a brand new phone to one that is what, a year or so old? I wouldn't be surprised if the brand new phone felt smoother. There's also the whole thing about the S22U having an unoptimized CPU, which was addressed in the 23 series with the snapdragon for galaxy processors.

So the design ethos at Apple could explain this; it has this flow from the user experience as the start point, then the software and finally the hardware/infrastructure. Typical design is in the opposite direction, costs a lot less and leaves the end user to carry the cost of poor decisions made earlier on.

IMHO it’s two things.

First, the touch to screen response time.
How long it takes from the time your finger touches the screen to the corresponding action being seen.
Where talking about 50-60ms. It’s seems counterintuitive, but it makes a difference.
All iPhones rank really high in this. In fact most older iPhones are better than this generation’s (as these have some issues).

This is the result of two factors: the better screens (not so much at the pricier devices, but for mid tier it’s a crazy difference) and also the integrated development of the whole device.

The second is thing is the tools Apple provides for developers.
Android moved a ahead a lot in this matter, but it’s still tracking.
I’ll spare most of the details, but the apps developed for Android aren’t optimized to run in the processor directly, they use an intermediate state. iOS apps are compiled to be fully native for the processors they’re ran on.
This being better performance, hence faster response times, better animations, …

This is never ending argument, from both sides.

Comparing technical features is one thing. Comparing “feel” is very subjective.

I say, if you enjoy iphone, then good for you. If you enjoy android, then good for you. If you enjoy paper mail, then good for you.

We each have own reason or two to buy/use anything. We weigh pros/cons, then take action.

I'm considering swapping from s23 ultra to iphone 15 Pro max, I've had androids for a while and fancy a change

So having used an iPhone for a while, this is what I think. Animations on iPhones make sense and flow from one animation to another better. And theres a feeback animation or haptic wise to most interactions. I have never used any Pixels, but from what I have seen, I think Pixels might be even better.

I’m curious what led you to such differing opinions about the 11 Pro Max and 15 Pro Max?

I ask this as a 11 Pro user who has not felt a need to upgrade, and of course there’s always an itch to upgrade, but my 11 Pro still works as good as new, other than the usual degradation of better health.

For me it's the fit and finish of every single little thing. Makes it feel like a premium experience no matter what i'm doing. Makes the premium price very forgettable.

“It just works”

It doesn't. I have Xiaomi (Poco f3) and my wife has an iPhone 14.

I hate whenever I have to use her phone. So clunky and unintuitive.

One word: optimization

Apple designs the majority of the hardware. And then they design all of the software with that hardware in mind and the longterm feature and capability goals in turn influence the hardware designs. There are considerable advantages in being able to leverage bespoke design on virtually the entire device down to the last circuit and line of code.

By contrast, and this is by no means an insult, as the entire PC industry runs just fine in the same setup, Android device makers as a whole use an OS that they didn’t design with off the shelf parts that they also didn’t design. And Android itself needs to maintain a wide net for compatibility purposes, all of this leads to flexibility, because it has to, but also inefficiency.

Have you tried the Pixel phones? I felt the same when I switched from Samsung to Pixel.

But not so much from Pixel to iPhone.

Because iOS is superior to open source android.

Apple puts a lot of resources into making sure the materials are not just practical but are manufactured in a way that gives them both a luxury and novel feeling. The new special brushed metal effect on this years titanium for instance.

Its boring. In a good way. Jumped from S21 to 14Pro as well last year. There’s so much to tinker around my S21, too many customizations to think of.

When I did the jump to 14Pro, I set everything up in less than an hour. Everything is so simple, straightforward, and void of unnecessary customization, less decision fatigue. iOS is too smooth. Not to mention airpods are so seamless (got one 3months after buying the 14pro) and other quality of life features such as airdrop, imessage, FaceTime is plain good.

Still use both phones today. Iphone as my daily driver, and the s21 mainly for mobile hotspot (hotspot is problematic on iOS lol), android auto, and from time to time browse/message on it when I leave my iPhone charging.

They Dont

Switching from Samsung to iPhone can definitely feel like stepping into a new world. The 15 Pro Max, with its upgraded features and smooth performance, probably adds to that magical vibe. Sometimes, it's the little things like how apps work or the overall user interface that can make a huge difference in the experience.

It's totally cool that you're not bashing any phones, everyone has their own preferences. And hey, keeping the S22 Ultra for sentimental reasons is a sweet touch!

Feel free to share more about what specifically you love about the 15 Pro Max, maybe it's the camera, the sleek design, or just the way it seamlessly integrates into your daily life.

I have had the 12 Pro Max for 3 years now and it still looks and feels brand new. Shiny and sturdy.

Switched from s20+ to iPhone 11 Pro Max and I love it man, part of me hurts saying that I might never switch back to android. But if I had to pick one for ever I would pick android because of how versatile all there phones are. Thank god I will never have to make that decision lol.

Alone from the optics and haptics, all other brands feel like toys to me...

Don't have to lie to get your dick sucked bro

It’s the UI and how the custom chipsets work with its custom software and its entire ecosystem, after having 3 bad experiences with Samsung, note7 (recalled) Note 10+ (S pen literally melted inside the phone), s22U laggy and bad battery out of the box with a SNAPDRAGON and lag across every single one out of the box. I gave up and got a 14 pro not even a Max and am having a way better time than my s22U that thing felt like I was extorted out of $1500 right out of the box. Bad signal too always would drop out and overheat doing the bare minimum. I don’t know what it is but I’ve never had good luck with Samsung and have just lost out on too much money to give them anymore my iPhones have never ever faulted me and if there was an issue a software update would usually fix it plus the support on iPhone software outpaces Samsungs they pretty much abandon any phone after 12 months it feels. I really tired to give Samsung a go and I think no one can really argue after 3 failed flagships in my experience with the brand that I didn’t at least give it a go after burning minimum 4K across 3 different ones I don’t think I’ll ever go back now. Maybe google but not Samsung.

I moved from a 12 to 15 and wasn’t expecting to notice much difference, but I think the 120hz display has real impact. The extra smoothness when scrolling or swiping provides a pleasant improvement.

Do they? I feel like my new 144hz android feels smother than my iphone 12. Ios is nice but it doesn't necessarily feel smoother. Felt the same way when i got my 12

At this point, you're just farming for karma points

It is mainly UX/UI and the integration of hardware and software. Android quite often ends up feeling clonky because of it being slow. Additionally the UI difference between Apps and phone brands is really weird in some cases. At least that is my experience

Optimized.

I might get downvoted for this but that is your right.

I honestly believe that part of the psychology satisfaction one gets from an IPhone is the weight. It recalls the scene from Jurassic Park when the boy is playing with the night vision goggles. Lawyer dude says “are they heavy” the boy replies in the affirmative. He then fires back with “put them back, they are expensive”. Heavy = Expensive. The weight distribution is the phone in your hand is perfection.

I find that iOS (and Google's version of Android) have a lot of squeeze and stretch, and playfulness to their animations, which are not present in Samsung's Android skin in the same way. That playful responsiveness is MASSIVE for making things feel good and charming.

Wait till it starts doing random shit like not holding notifications on the notifications center etc. I love my 14 pro too and it's just....easy. But they still haven't figured them out as androids have and siri is the worst when you come out of the google assistant

on he plus side, most of the apps work better on iphones. seem more optimized there than android but the notifications is the most frustrating thing ever