I just canceled my Pixel 9 Pro Fold order and bought the iPhone 16 Pro Max instead here's why

Date:
Sat, 14 Sep 2024 17:00:05 +0000

Description:
Just when I thought I was ready to leave iOS for Android, the iPhone 16 Pro Max pulled me back in.

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So heres the thing: I want to ditch my iPhone and move to Android so badly, yet every time I verge on making the move, Apple pulls me back in.

Last year, I used a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra for a week and really enjoyed
it. But it was for an experiment and I was just waiting for the iPhone 15 Pro Max to launch. In September, titanium iPhones appeared, and just like that I was back to using iOS within my ever-growing Apple walled garden.

This year was different, however, and its the closest Ive ever come to saying goodbye to the iPhone for good, well, at least for 12 months. After seeing
the reveal of Googles new flagship smartphones in August, I was instantly intrigued by the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. You see, up until very recently my idea of a folding phone was large gaps, peeling screen protectors, and a
bulky footprint, but that all changed when I held a 9 Pro Fold at the store. (Image credit: Google)

In our Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review , US Mobiles Editor, Philip Berne
wrote, When I showed the Pixel 9 Pro Fold to iPhone-toting friends and family they were all amazed, without fail. Its the first foldable that looks normal, they all said. How normal? It isnt just that the front is the exact same size and shape as the Pixel 9. Being thin helps a lot the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is so thin that its less bulky than my iPhone 15 Pro Max if I keep the iPhone in a case.

I may as well be one of his friends or a family member because thats exactly how I felt after just a few minutes with the 9 Pro Fold. For the first time
in a long time, it felt like I was holding innovation in the consumer tech space and I felt like a kid again. Obviously, my idea of foldables was skewed and there are lots like Googles offering, but when most of the tech you use outside of work is Designed by Apple in California you lose a sense of what something genuinely refreshing to use feels like. Now thats not a diss at Apple, my Mac, my iPad, and my iPhone all work exactly how I want my technology to work, but when youve used incremental updates of the same products for nearly 15 years, at some point you want to see if the grass is greener on the other side.

So I did it. I pre-ordered a Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. I was finally going to sell my iPhone and try Android 15 for a year. But then things changed. Groundhog Day

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold was officially released on September 4 but my preorder with EE, one of the biggest networks in the UK. never arrived. I waited patiently, excited to test out Google Gemini built into Android and get my first taste of a folding smartphone with a beautiful 8-inch display. For whatever reason my preorder kept getting pushed back, September 5, September 6, September 7, September 8 And then it happened: Apples iPhone 16 event on September 9.

At the event, Apple showcased the iPhone 16 Pro Max alongside the rest of the iPhone 16 lineup. The hardware is an incremental improvement over my 15 Pro Max, but in our early hands-on iPhone 16 Pro Max review , Editor At Large, Lance Ulanoff, wrote, The question is, can the small or even invisible
changes add up to something big? Based on my brief hands-on time with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, I'd say the answer is yes.

For me, its not about the hardware, I own 2023s best iPhone and its still a beast almost 12 months later. Instead, it was Apples ability at the event to make me feel like I couldnt skip the first year of Apple Intelligence. Yes, Ill have access to Apples AI on my iPad Pro M2 and my MacBook Pro M3 Pro, but the iPhone is at the core of the Apple ecosystem and its arguably the smartphone experience that will define Apple Intelligences success. (Image credit: Apple)

AI is pivotal to the success of iOS 18 and the new iPhones deemed, the first iPhones built from the ground up for Apple Intelligence, by Apples CEO, Tim Cook. With incremental updates coming over the next year, well get to test
out individual Apple Intelligence features as they cook in the oven and see just how much of an impact they can make on our day-to-day lives. Im hoping
at least one of Apples AI tools is as useful as Universal Clipboard, quite possibly my favorite Apple feature which allows me to copy and paste between all my products.

iPhone 16 Pro Max preorders are now live and yet again, Ive got a new Apple smartphone to collect on launch day. I came so close to taking a leap of
faith into Android, but stock delays, the fear of the unknown, and Apples ability to make you feel FOMO hooked me back in. Im excited for a year of Apple Intelligence and I cant wait until Siri has on-screen awareness to become the personal assistant in my pocket Ive always wanted it to be. In around 11 months this cycle repeats itself, only next time Apple Intelligence will be less of an unknown and Google Gemini might be the way forward. You might also like Apple Intelligence hands on - iOS 18.1 dev beta gives us an early look at a smarter Siri and more What is Apple Intelligence? The new AI powers coming to your iPhone, iPad and Mac explained Apple Intelligence: here's a full list of the iPhones, iPads and Macs that'll get Apples new AI powers



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/i-just-canceled-my-pixel-9-pro-fold-or der-and-bought-the-iphone-16-pro-max-instead-heres-why


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