iPhone 4S or the Competition for under $100?

[Bill1234]

I have to say that alot of kids in my grade, especially girls (not trying to be mean ) dont really know what they are buying before they buy it. I went with my s2 over an iphone or a more expensive phone because I knew I could get the most out of it and not have to worry about needing huge amounts of memory or faster processor. Us teenagers are somewhat incompetant in choosing goods and creating contracts. However, we will learn evetually (i have already )

 

[Capa1970]

Get her what she wants; an iPhone. If she told you she wanted a pair of Paige jeans would you come on here and ask what kind of jeans are better than Paige? I don't have a daughter in HS, but I bet she basically wants what the other kids value. Adhering to trends is way more important than having a faster processor or more RAM.

+2, if she wants an iPhone then get her one---it is considered by her peers the cool phone.

I currently have a Samsung Galaxy 3 and I had an iPhone 4. I am not the type, and your daughter probably isn't, that will root and flash the phone weekly. The iPhone 4S is a fantastic phone and she really isn't losing anything but LTE (if your area offers it).

 

[yakky]

I buy things based on functionality, price, etc. I don't do things just because someone else is doing it.

There are a lot more intangibles when it comes to a phone. iPhones lose the spec war in most cases. How do you measure usability? How do you quantify things that just work? How do you make someone understand why they need to reboot a stinkin phone?

Its like comparing the latest 350hp Asian coupe to a Porsche. Maybe like telling someone to buy a boutique wax when they can just buy the Meguiars red tin can for 1/10th the price.

 

[WickedLou9]

4G may be something you don't want her to have. I don't know what sort of plan you have, but 4G has significantly higher download speeds. If there is a cap on your plan ( like 5 gigs per month) or something like that, she will be able to eat through that 5 gigs 10 times faster ( literally) with a 4G phone than with 3G. 3G download speeds are in the neighborhood of 1-1.5 M megabits per second. 4G can be more than 20. I routinely get between 12-15 mbs down with my 4G phone. the iPhone will probably be easier for her to use and the app store is more locked down with Apple than it is with Google. There will be less "inappropriate material" on the apple.

 

[Cheerio]

iPhone are more user friendly. And the parts are cheap for repairs.

 

[Bill1234]

Im not being mean again, but the new iphone costs about 250 dollars to make and only 8 dollars goes to the worker. I think the androids are much better overall imo

 

[ziggo99]

You're being a nicer parent than I'd be. If my son or daughter wanted a smartphone, they'd being paying the data package. That explains why I don't have a smartphone. I ask myself, is $30 a month really worth it for data? And every month, I tell myself no. I've saved close over $700 by not paying the data charges. But I digress...

If she's a heavy texter, consider the Droid 4. The physical QWERTY keyboard is something I have to have as a heavy texter. It's only $50 right now.

 

[Sponger8]

Our iPhones are also grandfathered in under an unlimited data plan and I'm not giving that up anytime soon.

On a side note, you must be with at&t because Verizon just changed their policy that when you renew your contract you have to change off of your unlimited. They are really pushing the more expensive share everything plans.

But to the OP the general theme seems to be that more people are satisfied with their iPhone and for longer than those who choose android. I will tell you from experience this is very true. Apple spends a whole year developing 1 phone, but Samsung will release 10 phones in that same time. So how much R&D is really being done on each phone. I am not a big fan of apple but I respect their products because they are quality. I prefer HTC in the android world.

Last bit of advice, get a protective case. Speck makes some girly ones that are still protective. And that 9.99 insurance is way cheaper than forking over 550 to replace a lost iPhone.