Decisions, Decisions. Risk or safe path?

[Jay Livestrong]

Greetings to all the forum members!

Around 2 weeks ago i decided that it was about time i changed my phone since the lag is starting to get quite noticeable. If you're wondering what phone i have, its an oldie one, the iPhone 3GS and so far it was a solid and very reliable phone.

I discovered the 920 after some browsing and i decided that i was going to get one. Price is very affordable and WP OS is a smooth ride. Also, the lack of apps doesn't bother me. But reading in this forum i found out that many problems are plaguing the 920 (battery, heating etc) but the most noticeable one that caught my attention was the bricking when attempting to reset the phone.

I've known Nokia since i was a teenager so i know they are reliable as a company but their lack of a fix for this problem tells me that they haven't taken this seriously. I'm not talking about a simple bypass, but an actually fix because when you pay for a phone, you want it to be fully operational right?

Seeing that there isnt a nokia center in my country, should i avoid getting the 920 because of this problem? I would love to get it but kind of afraid with all these problems and Nokia not commenting on it( as far as i searched). Any info or experience? I think that the HTC 8x doesnt have this problem.

Would love to hear your input on the matter.

 

[AndreStudart]

I own a lumia 920 and I say to you: I love it. sure, it has some problems such as the heating (for me, only while charging and playing heavy games).

the battery problem can be minimized with a 2A charger, the one that comes with 920 is 1A, I changed 1A to 2A and I won some hours with my phone, discharging rate is about 7% a hour with LTE on, if you use wifi or 3g, It will be a lot better, you may get flickering screen problem, most people tells it's related to phone's bright sensor, I have had this problem, but is something you can live with and I bet that the next update nokia will be fixing it..

I can tell you, it's a strong and reliable phone, you can feel it's build quality, also, nokia exclusives are great, such as nokia music and here maps/lens, I see htc 8x as a good but ''forgotten'' phone, since HTC is focusing on android with htc ''one''.

the brick problem, if it happens, it's easy to fix, you just need a hour to read and understand, after that, you can fix it in a very few minutes, WP is very light and smooth, no lagging at all, it's on the same level (a little better, for me) than iOS, I love it =), we pay the price to have a ''new'' OS and phones with some light bugs, but nothing that can destroy this phone's magic. =)

 

[metalchick719]

All phones can run into problems. I have a Lumia 920 and love it. No issues here. I would stay away from HTC because people have been complaining left and right about the body peeling. You shouldn't have that problem with a 920. As for the apps, well, IMO, all the most important apps you really need are available in the WP Store. Those that aren't officially, you can find third party apps that are just as good, if not better. Oh, and I switched to WP8 (first to a Lumia 810) from an iPhone 4, so we're in a similar situation in that regard. :smile:

 

[Martsicky]

So here I am. as I was testing Lumia 920 one month, and as I am using Lumia 820 everyday I will try to help you to make right decision. // Windows Phone 8 is working great on Lumia 920/820. I haven't experienced any bricks, even so I was hard-resetting my Lumias like 8times (3times - 920, 5times - 820) Only one reset (on 820) was made due to Software problem, as I thought it will fix built-in facebook chat not working properly.. Rest of them were made, because I installed a lot of apps & games and wanted to clear whole crappy storage left after uninstalling. Uh and Sometimes I needed to set up Windows again just to try different Firmware verions.. . I'm using now 1232.5957.1308.0001 (L820) since 3months, and I hadn't experienced any auto-reboot.! But okay, enough about 820. Let's focus on 920!. I used to have same firmware version on it, haven't had any reboot during month of using, touch screen was very responsive, and camera was a top notch! Also after installing this firmware version, I had no problems with battery life, it was far better than it is now in mine 820. Phone wasn't overheating normally, just sometimes when I was playing games, but my 820 is heating fast too while playing NOVA 3 or other similar games.. Well, I don't regret buying myself an 820 and of course it was very hard to give away my 920 after one month, as I was testing it on a loan from my father.

 

[Jay Livestrong]

All 3 replies were great ! Overheating happens everywhere and its normal but my fear was regarding the bricking part. If its fixable then i'm all up for that sweet 920! Andre since you went through those gears of hell, anything extra to add regarding that situation? It is easy to fix? If i get one, it will be through the internet since it costs 600 euros in Greece whereas 400 in other countries through premium ebay sellers (new, not used mind you ^^). Hope in the worst case the warranty covers me :3!

 

[jfa1]

In the sticky note section in this very 920 forum is the info you need in case your phone bricks. I have nt experienced that either with my 900 or my 920. knock on wood!

 

[Jay Livestrong]

I'm seeing that it comes with 2 years warranty but if i get it, it will be like playing Russian roulette because Nokia Care points in my city are truly horrific.

 

[Martsicky]

Hi Jay! Don't even think that you'll need to visit Nokia Care. L920 won't let you down, just think positively! It's just like with a girlfriend, if you treat her well, she won't disappoint you! haha greetings.

 

[miramoo]

Hi, I've had the Lumia 920 for 4 months now.
I've experienced using it for a couple of months and made a manual update to post -Portico.

I'll address the points you've made based on personal experience — hope it'll help.
(Sure as heck hope that my reply isn't too late!)

--

1. Battery life
Coming from the iOS and switching to a WP8/Lumia 920, what striked me was the batt's stability, or lack thereof. But, this was only noticeable during the first few days and was alright ever since. After I updated the firmware to post-Portico (1232.5957.1308.0008) the battery life was pronouncedly better. So, I'm a happy customer here.

What you'll have to get used to is how warm the phone can be at times. This isn't a cause for concern.

2. Bricking
So, I'm one of those who used to mess around with my iPhone, using both the tethered/untethered method, also messing around with prying open the phone to fix the screen.. I know the feeling of having like your heart has stopped thinking that you've bricked a piece of your universe. I digress.

So, pre-post-Portico update. I have had to cold-reset the device various times. Never ever had a problem of the phone bricking, or even had any indication that it might brick. Post-Portico update? I don't even actually remember when was the last time I have had to hard-reset. The occurrence for it got slashed tremendously that if I didn't have to reply this thread, I wouldn't even remember how frustrating it was (wasn't much for the record Updating manually (if you don't have the patience for an OTA update) was also a breeze.

If you do purchase a WP, this is actually a good time, with great recent updates, and many official apps having been released over the past few months.

3. Build quality
Looking at build quality, I would personally recommend Nokia over HTC. Having read a bunch of reviews for both phones and being an owner of a Lumia (in the spirit of full disclosure, I've personally been more biased towards Nokia) it wouldn't be a decision that you'd regret.

Also, the Lumia comes with certain Nokia specific apps that aren't available on other WP devices.

Misc.
@AndreStudart, thanks for the mention of the 2A input. It wasn't something that I was aware of!

 

[AndreStudart]

Hi, I've had the Lumia 920 for 4 months now.
I've experienced using it for a couple of months and made a manual update to post -Portico.

I'll address the points you've made based on personal experience — hope it'll help.
(Sure as heck hope that my reply isn't too late!)

--

1. Battery life
Coming from the iOS and switching to a WP8/Lumia 920, what striked me was the batt's stability, or lack thereof. But, this was only noticeable during the first few days and was alright ever since. After I updated the firmware to post-Portico (1232.5957.1308.0008) the battery life was pronouncedly better. So, I'm a happy customer here.

What you'll have to get used to is how warm the phone can be at times. This isn't a cause for concern.

2. Bricking
So, I'm one of those who used to mess around with my iPhone, using both the tethered/untethered method, also messing around with prying open the phone to fix the screen.. I know the feeling of having like your heart has stopped thinking that you've bricked a piece of your universe. I digress.

So, pre-post-Portico update. I have had to cold-reset the device various times. Never ever had a problem of the phone bricking, or even had any indication that it might brick. Post-Portico update? I don't even actually remember when was the last time I have had to hard-reset. The occurrence for it got slashed tremendously that if I didn't have to reply this thread, I wouldn't even remember how frustrating it was (wasn't much for the record Updating manually (if you don't have the patience for an OTA update) was also a breeze.

If you do purchase a WP, this is actually a good time, with great recent updates, and many official apps having been released over the past few months.

3. Build quality
Looking at build quality, I would personally recommend Nokia over HTC. Having read a bunch of reviews for both phones and being an owner of a Lumia (in the spirit of full disclosure, I've personally been more biased towards Nokia) it wouldn't be a decision that you'd regret.

Also, the Lumia comes with certain Nokia specific apps that aren't available on other WP devices.

Misc.
@AndreStudart, thanks for the mention of the 2A input. It wasn't something that I was aware of!

no problem! =), seems the 1A nokia's charger is not enough for the 920, all top-ends smartphones comes with 2A charger, I've tried the s4 in the L920 and surprise! battery during more =)