OPINON PLEASE: Should I get a 930, 950 or 950 XL?

[thaman04]

I'm have a tough time deciding what to do.
I still have an old Lumia 920... it works great still (using Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview makes it feel brand new again)... BUT it's been way too long and I want a new phone but unfortunately the pricing in Canada sucks!

Currently my options are:
- Microsoft Store - Lumia 950 XL - $849 CAD + 13% Tax = $959.37 (!!!)
- Microsoft Store - Lumia 950 - $749 CAD + 13% Tax = $846.37
- Expansys - Lumia 930 - $489 + 13% Tax = $552.57

Debating if I really should dish out that much money for the 950/XL or just get the 930 for now and wait for the next flagship.

 

[libra89]

I'm have a tough time deciding what to do.
I still have an old Lumia 920... it works great still (using Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview makes it feel brand new again)... BUT it's been way too long and I want a new phone but unfortunately the pricing in Canada sucks!

Currently my options are:
- Microsoft Store - Lumia 950 XL - $849 CAD + 13% Tax = $959.37 (!!!)
- Microsoft Store - Lumia 950 - $749 CAD + 13% Tax = $846.37
- Expansys - Lumia 930 - $489 + 13% Tax = $552.57

Debating if I really should dish out that much money for the 950/XL or just get the 930 for now and wait for the next flagship.

You have an interesting situation. First, how much do you care about the Surface phone? Also do you care about size? I think the 950 would be nicely in the middle of the two, especially if you use and enjoy Glance on your 920.

If you care about Glance a lot along with the surface phone, you should just try the 930.

 

[JRDEMASKUS]

Well, the pricing on the Surface Phone is not going to be any easier to swallow than either of the 950.
How bad is your device Lust? There are a lot of affordable options, you could try several over the next couple years compared to dropping it all on one device.
That is my problem. My buyers remorse has me second guessing. I am going to trust I made the right decision with the 950XL, and hope the improved Surface Phone 2 becomes a reality.

 

[RumoredNow]

1520?

:winktongue:

 

[thaman04]

Well, the pricing on the Surface Phone is not going to be any easier to swallow than either of the 950.
How bad is your device Lust? There are a lot of affordable options, you could try several over the next couple years compared to dropping it all on one device.
That is my problem. My buyers remorse has me second guessing. I am going to trust I made the right decision with the 950XL, and hope the improved Surface Phone 2 becomes a reality.

Pricing is not solely the issue for me, but rather the best value. If I was in the US, I would totally get the 950 XL, but unfortunately the price won't drop anytime soon in Canada. I have high hopes for the Panyos Phone (i.e. the rumoured Surface phone), and it should be no surprise that it will be around the same price (if not more expensive) than the 950 XL. I would rather spend the large sum of Canadian dollars on that phone than the 950 XL, but at the same time I don't want to wait that long... so I'm wondering if a Lumia 930 is a good temporary upgrade from my 920 for now, or is there a cheaper option (with excellent AMOLED screen + camera).

 

[Sedp23]

Honestly the 950 and XL aren't worth the price. The 930 has terrible battery life. I would aim for the 1520 , 640, or 640 XL

Sent from mTalk

 

[winboy]

950 or the 950 xl since they are more updated hardware with the latest software so they are definitely worth the money and the value. The older models are missing the new features and the power. If you are not looking for new features and updated h/w then I recommend the 1520 or the640 xl.

 

[Swisschoc]

Here is a curve ball to throw at you. If you are just getting something until the next flagship that hasn't been confirmed officially I would personally get the Lumia 735. If you would rather get something now to use for a while then go for the 950 if you want something similar feel but remember that the new flagship phones are a little buggy software wise at the moment. If you want something with a new feel go for the 950xl. Don't know if you can get the 735 for your region if not then go for Lumia 640 or 640xl.

 

[JRDEMASKUS]

If you can handle the 6" 1520, you would be totally good with that.
The 950 XL requires more of a Personal Commitment.
Don't bother with any device that has less than 2G RAM. The sub par experience will turn you off, and against the OS if you "Don't know where to properly place the blame".
That is just my opinion, based on several yrs with the 820, 1520 and 635.

 

[captaincalamity]

Honestly the 950 and XL aren't worth the price. The 930 has terrible battery life. I would aim for the 1520 , 640, or 640 XL

Sent from mTalk

Strange, my lumia 930 running the latest win 10.36 lasts a full day no problem, sync always on, 3g, wifi, music, Internet, mail, social stuff, odd game. It's not that bad, miles better than my old s6

 

[Mike Nelson5]

None of them the 930 won't cut it because your used to glance coming from a 920 trust me on this you will just get frustrated when you start missing notifications. I could never go without glance now that I have had it so long.. You buy a 1520 and be done with it you can find them cheap now. My wife has a 950 and while it's a cool phone I am kind of regretting pushing it on her when she broke her screen on her 1020. I should have just got a new screen. No way would I front the money for a 950xl. Just to many bugs hopefully they get it sorted because we are stuck with the 950 now. I have had my 1520 for 2 years now and I will def. be holding out for the surface phone and see from there no guarantees the surface phone will be enough to pull me away from my 1520 after all the 950xl has failed as I have no desire to upgrade to this phone even after 2 years with the 1520. Hell I may never upgrade from my 1520 especially if the rumors are correct about the surface phone only being 5.5 inches. While the 950 is more zippy than my 1520(but not everywhere) my 1520 is def. fast enough and runs w10m beautifully. I think it runs it better than the 950 and with .36 battery life has been the best it's been so far. Actually coming from the 920 even the subpar battery performance of w10m on the 1520 will seem like a eternity.

 

[Ariel Takom]

No love for 830?

Of course, people hated this phone due to its overpricing, but it is a good phone nonetheless. For the price, you get glance screen, wireless charging, expandable storage, and a really great PureView camera.

Of course, if you'd want a cheaper alternative, go for the 640XL. Same internals (SoC, RAM, GPU) and shares most of the features of the 830 like glance and expandable storage, same screen resolution. There's no wireless charging for the 640XL, but you can 'hack' it to add the feature. Google it.

Also, in the camera department, the 640XL wins in FFC (5MP on the 640XL vs 1MP on the 830). For the rear-camera, tthe 10MP Pureview of the 830 wins over the 13MP Zeiss Optics of the 640XL (better low-light performance on the 830 due to OIS, as well as having the 830 having a dedicated camera shutter).

In terms of design, it all comes down to personal preference. IMO the 830 looks better due to the metal rims.

However, the 640XL wins over the 830 in terms of battery life. The 640XL could last you a day and a half, while the 830 struggles to lasts you a full day.

Since you're just finding a replacement phone to fill the gap while waiting for a better flagship to arrive, I'd suggest you to go for the 640XL. Basically because the 830 has been discontinued. But if you could find one, I'll bet you its price has drastically dropped (much cheaper now than the 640XL).

 

[thaman04]

I actually don't use Glance as I prefer looking at the Lock Screen... so that's not a concern for me.

Now I'm debating between the 640 XL and the 930. The 930 seems to have nicer screen with higher resolution + camera... but the 640 XL has better battery life and lighter design (and it's really cheap this Boxing Day weekend at only $249 CAD ($180 USD).

Do you guys think the 640 XL would actually be a good temporary upgrade from the 920?

 

[eusty]

The deal breaker would be the screen, but it depends on how you feel about IPS vs AMOLED.

The screen in the 930 is so rich, looking at other IPS phones they just seem 'washed out'.

Pity they didn't use so much attention on the battery