I’ve had a great time using the GS4. It’s a great device that offers a lot of flexibility and freedom to its users. Here are some of the highlights in my mind compared to the iPhone 5:

Number one advantage is the gorgeous 5″ display. I will miss the crisp 1080p.

Second big advantage is the deep integration with Google services across the platform, especially Google Now. I also love apps like Keep, Goggles, and others that are Android only.

Intents, allowing apps to share data in structured ways, are sweet and offer some nice use cases that you don’t get on iOS.

Android offers tons more options for customization and trusts the user more with access to the file system and unfettered background apps.

Widgets and launchers are a lot of fun to tweak around.

Despite these advantages, I have some complaints as well

While notifications are more interactive than on iOS, managing them on the lock screen and with bubble counts is frustrating and requires tinkering and third party apps to achieve a setup I like.

Fragmentation and a more cost-conscious user base limits app availability. I still can’t use HBO Go on my Nexus 7, and new apps like Plants vs Zombies 2 and the book service Oyster are much slower to move to Android.

The user is forced to deal with software from Google, the handset maker, and the carrier. This three party tweaking leads to bloat ware and seams that iOS doesn’t have to cope with.

Battery life is noticeably worse on my S4, even with power saving enabled.

iCloud backup, find my phone, and find my friends are more robust than their Google counterparts. I also miss iMessage and FaceTime.

In general, the OS and apps on iPhone, and especially on iPad, feel more carefully designed than their Android counterparts.

Finally, given my wife’s iPhone and our other Apple products, there are undeniable advantages to an iPhone in my local ecosystem.

I’m glad I tried the S4. It was a lot of fun, and it’s a great device. I totally get why many of my fellow geeks carry an Android device. I’m going to hang on to my Nexus 7 so I can continue to play in Google’s corner of the mobile world. However, this Friday, I’ll be trading in my S4 for a new iPhone 5s. I’m looking forward to 64 bit mobile computing, a fingerprint scanner, and the oddly pastel iOS 7. Of course, I’m also looking forward to snapping off a piece of KitKat on my Nexus 7 in the coming weeks. It’s a great time to be a gadget fiend, and there are pleasant choices rather than wrong answers. I think Android and iOS are good for each other, and I look forward to Switches to come.

Happy tapping,

Jason