Is this worth the off contract price?

[rkeenan]

I have considered ditching my Galaxy S4 and jumping to Straight Talk with this phone. Is it worth the $650 off contract price? I am kind of sick of Android and I have always wanted a high-end Nokia phone. I am going to ditch US Cellular if they do not get a Nokia phone when the new batch of Nokia phones come out in the next 3 months.

 

[Jazmac]

I have considered ditching my Galaxy S4 and jumping to Straight Talk with this phone. Is it worth the $650 off contract price? I am kind of sick of Android and I have always wanted a high-end Nokia phone. I am going to ditch US Cellular if they do not get a Nokia phone when the new batch of Nokia phones come out in the next 3 months.

My son thinks so. He plunked down for the 1020, the camera grip and some other thing about a month ago. He still loves the phone. Takes it everywhere and people always ask him about it. Still can't get him to let me borrow it for a couple days while he uses my 920.

But I understand about android. There is not much there that "energizes" you. For me android has become mundane and muddied as a platform. Not to mention predictable.

 

[rkeenan]

My son thinks so. He plunked down for the 1020, the camera grip and some other thing about a month ago. He still loves the phone. Takes it everywhere and people always ask him about it. Still can't get him to let me borrow it for a couple days while he uses my 920.

Yeah, the phone looks incredible. I thought the camera on the back would look tacky, but it looks great. Nokia had the best looking hardware in the marketplace.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk 2

 

[GloriousGlory]

I paid full contract price and use straight talk. Upgraded from an iPhone 4s. It depends on what you find "worthy". If you want a great camera then totally, but just realize there will be more limitations with app downloads.

 

[jamz82277]

I don't get the app problem. Everything I needed my 928 to do I found an application for it in the store. Where's the problem?

 

[rkeenan]

Yeah, I think I should be able to find a replacement for the 50 or so Android apps I use. The one think I always had problems with was podcasts. All podcast apps would mess up a lot when I had the Nokia 822. I always had problems with them autodowloading or only partially downloading. I tried to sync it with iTunes, but it did not work well. That is really the only hangup that I had with Windows Phone.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk 2

 

[falconeight]

Find a camera with 41 megapixels, 4.5 inch super amoled screen, then compare the prices. When you do that add the price of a smartphone to the cost of the camera.

 

[rkeenan]

Find a camera with 41 megapixels, 4.5 inch super amoled screen, then compare the prices. When you do that add the price of a smartphone to the cost of the camera.

I was asking for opinion on those who own the device. I know how to construct a cost-benefit analysis.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk 2

 

[dkp23]

The camera is great. That is what you should be switching for because you shouldn't expect to be able to do everything an android does or have the same apps as android has. Basic features may be different than android as well so if you want a great camera and that is enough, than you shouldn't have any issues switching. If you are looking for the same experience on wp8 that you have with an android phone. Don't switch.

 

[falconeight]

I was asking for opinion on those who own the device. I know how to construct a cost-benefit analysis.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk 2

Thats my opinion

 

[rkeenan]

Thats my opinion

*rolls eyes*

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk 2

 

[mbranscum]

Instead of buying it from att I ordered an att version from Amazon for $670. No tax or upgrade fee.

 

[bcolton]

I don't get the app problem. Everything I needed my 928 to do I found an application for it in the store. Where's the problem?

I have a Lumia 1020 and love it, love it, love it. But there is an app problem, although it is getting better. But for me, I still can't log into my bank and deposit a check, see Facebook pictures that are messaged to me, post to native Instagram, and get any of the Google services I use.

So for many people, there is an app problem. For some, the lack of certain apps is a deal breaker.

For me, I'm taking the tradeoff for a great camera and preferred GUI.

Source: No USAA, Navy Fed, Instagram (native), Google Maps (native), YouTube (native), Gmail (ActiveSync Ends Dec 2013), Google Voice, etc...

Again, not knocking Windows Phone - I paid a good amount for my Lumia 1020 and support the platform, but not acknowledging the problem serves no good.

 

[bcolton]

I have considered ditching my Galaxy S4 and jumping to Straight Talk with this phone. Is it worth the $650 off contract price? I am kind of sick of Android and I have always wanted a high-end Nokia phone. I am going to ditch US Cellular if they do not get a Nokia phone when the new batch of Nokia phones come out in the next 3 months.

I have a Galaxy S4 and purchased the Lumia 1020 off contract for $650 direct from the Microsoft Retail Store (standard price now). I also got $25 off just because (some MS coupon), and also got the free camera case. I also purchased the $99 2 year warranty that is just like Apple Care+ that has 2 Years with 2 accidents w/$50 replacement. Extremely happy and love the phone, adore the camera.

 

[darthhen]

I'm kinda two sided here....so here's the first side:
Considering how quickly cell phone features changes from year to year, I would say $650+ for a phone is not worth it. By next summer, something better would've come out.

Here's the second side:
If you're into techy stuff, then you gotta get this phone. So it is worth the money! Everybody has their reason for getting this phone but I'm pretty set on Windows Phone OS now and with this camera, I should be set for a while.

Disclaimer: I did get one off contract price. And I don't regret it one bit. I went from Galaxy S2 to 710 to 810 and now 1020.

 

[gsquared]

I was asking for opinion on those who own the device. I know how to construct a cost-benefit analysis.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk 2

If you know how to construct a cost-benefit analysis then wtf are you asking us for?

BTW: If you come here with an attitude expect to get one in return there son!

 

[kevroc]

I have a Galaxy S4 and purchased the Lumia 1020 off contract for $650 direct from the Microsoft Retail Store (standard price now). I also got $25 off just because (some MS coupon), and also got the free camera case. I also purchased the $99 2 year warranty that is just like Apple Care+ that has 2 Years with 2 accidents w/$50 replacement. Extremely happy and love the phone, adore the camera.

I did the same thing. Had the S4, then the S4 Active which I liked much better. Tried the ZL in between those. The 1020 has a super nice display that's easy for me to read in bright sunlight (which I do a lot of) and the camera / video camera goes with saying. Sure, the apps are weak, but the phone makes up for it in other areas.

 

[capcom303]

The camera on the 1020 is the best part for sure and I love it but just not as big a fan of the windows platform as I though I would be so I'm putting the 1020 up for sale.

 

[tgr42]

I picked up a Nexus 4 for $200 when they cut the price and have been comparing it with the 1020 lately. It's shockingly superior in many ways. The OS and apps are far more mature and flexible, and everything feels much faster. Even running the same apps side by side (e.g. Words By Post, Ruzzle, Skype), stuff happens significantly faster on the Nexus 4. Switching between apps is so much faster - two quick taps vs. tap and hold ... wait ... swipe, tap. The notification list is great. There's orientation lock. It's easier to get at important settings like wi-fi and Bluetooth. Closing apps is so much easier (although it doesn't even seem to be necessary to achieve great battery life). There have been no nasty surprises or instability so far, with much less care taken than with the 1020. It's WAY easier to select text with the magnification that it does. I can disable the lock screen. Working with tabs in Chrome is WAY easier than in IE. The Kindle app actually supports Japanese books (with dictionary!). I can run a DS emulator and it works great. The list just goes on and on and on.

From a physical perspective, the 1020 has a much better camera (of course) and the display is beautiful with a better viewing angle. The design of the phone is sexier. The power button is easier to press and I can double tap the screen to wake it up. However, the Nexus 4's smaller size and lighter weight are very nice, plus it has wireless charging built in!

And of course, the 1020 and Windows Phone do have some major advantages over Android like the live tiles + app list instead of pages of icons, free offline mapping + navigation that actually works well (when it doesn't freeze or kill the battery at least), the People hub, the Metro design language, freedom from Google's aggressive data mining, etc.

Anyway I don't want to make a full WP vs. Android post but I think way too many people around here just blindly bash Android every chance they get and ignore the many ways in which Android is superior. I wish I could have the best of WP, Android, and Nokia in one phone. What's it going to take? Some major work by MS to actually invest in this OS and address all the small but important pain points instead of just arrogantly having a "we know best" and "this is how it's going to be" attitude.

If you're not very patient, you might be better off sticking with your S4. Depending on how you use your phone and what it is about Android that you're sick of, you may find it difficult to stick with the switch.

 

[Connie Litrenta]

I have considered ditching my Galaxy S4 and jumping to Straight Talk with this phone. Is it worth the $650 off contract price? I am kind of sick of Android and I have always wanted a high-end Nokia phone. I am going to ditch US Cellular if they do not get a Nokia phone when the new batch of Nokia phones come out in the next 3 months.

I'm sure everyone has their own answer to that. Buying any phone outright is a lot of money I guess but if you consider it really is like a mini computer in your hand maybe not so much. What I CAN tell you is that I felt exactly as you did. I had the S4 for my two week trial and just before that was up, I glanced over at the hubby's L920 and it hit me instantly how much I missed WP8 and those beautiful eye catching Live Tiles. I knew instantly I wanted to take it back and get the L1020 which I did. I wasn't sure if it would be worth the extra expense (I bought it using AT&T's Next plan so I'm paying for it off contract) but I gotta tell you. I have not regretted my decision once. I love this phone and the camera is great. So worth it for me but as I said, everyone has their own ideas on that. I also liked that it is somewhat lighter than the 920 too. Also part of my decision was based on the fact that since me and the hubby both have Windows Phones, it is far easier for us to communicate and pass information back and forth. The Rooms feature is the greatest.