Verizon Customers - Any Regrets Going with the 735?

[nwildcat]

I shattered the screen on my 928 and I'm choosing between a 735 and the Icon. I've been through a ton of threads reading what others did and seeing which one would be the best choice, but sometimes it seems to me a good deal of people responding - get the Icon - are saying so because it's the better on paper choice. I'm wondering about the reality of owning one.

In many ways I'm leaning towards the 735 for a few reasons. It seems to me that of the two, if one is going to get something from Verizon, it is undoubtedly the 735, not the Icon despite that being the supposed flagship level. They still have it listed on the site, whereas the Icon has been MIA for a long while now and wasn't getting much love when it was there. The 735 got the bump to the new visual voicemail and all the others got left in the dust. I remember reading the 735 got a firmware update that pushed out HD voice to it. Icon was nowhere in sight. I'm not delusional where Verizon is concerned I know we're low man on the totem pole, but it seems they have been committed to the 735 more than they ever were to the Icon.

If the Icon had Glance, this wouldn't be a competition because that I will miss a ton. But it inexplicably doesn't have that and both apparently have double tap to wake. So it seems to me what this is about is whether or not I can live without the better camera and and the camera button. I can definitely live without the latter, not sure about the former. And I also am unclear on whether there are any major differences in audio.

So, I'm wondering for anyone who switched, especially from a 928, do you have any regrets not going with the Icon? Is the camera really that much of a sacrifice to use? Do you miss not having OIS? That feels like the biggest sacrifice camera wise to me. How is audio especially playing music and video?

I've seen quite a few saying Icon is "hands down" the better phone. I can buy that, but how far off is the 735? I went from the 822 to the 928 and it was indeed quite a jump in quality, but that was somewhat due to the feel of the device and certainly the screen was a major bump in quality getting an HD screen. The 735 seems like it may feel a good deal lighter in the hand than the Icon, but I haven't seen many mentions of it feeling cheap, and has a similar screen to the 928.

Happy to hear from anyone, but would especially love to know how former 928 owners are liking the 735 and if they have any regrets.

 

[abhishek singh21]

in my opinion you should go with lumia icon, as it will have a lot more to offer than the lumia 735 with hey cortana and an pure view camera. I have got no reasons to support lumia 735 here where lumia icon beats it in every segment of camera, display, SOC, RAM.

The only minor thing that icon misses out on is the LED hardware , which is currently inactive on lumia 730/35 and most likely wont be activated in near future as well.

 

[a5cent]

I do see some reasons to prefer the 735.

The 735 has an SD card slot, is lighter and a lot less chunky. It also won't heat up as much and despite having a slightly smaller battery will last longer in standby mode. That already makes it preferable to me.

The 735 is based on the same hardware configuration as every other older device officially able to run W10M. The Icon is the odd man out in that regard. I don't know how well W10M runs on the Icon, but I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't get the same amount of QA testing as the others.

The Icon has a higher resolution display, but in everyday use the difference in sharpness is negligable. I'd agree the 735's display wins, not just because of glance, but also the very notable power savings (due to the lower power draw when the display is on).

With the exception of 3D gaming (where both are about the same), the Icon will be a lot snappier, which is the main argument for the Icon, but if you tried out W10M IP on your 928 and found it acceptable you'll be fine with the 735 too.

 

[nwildcat]

The 735 is based on the same hardware configuration as every other older device officially able to run W10M. The Icon is the odd man out in that regard. I don't know how well W10M runs on the Icon, but I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't get the same amount of QA testing as the others.

Thanks for the reply. I didn't realize that, but I think you could definitely be right about this. As I'm trying to decide which one to go with, I feel as if I am noticing more issues being mentioned on the Icon as opposed to the 735 with the W10 AU update. I'm sure people with both have run into problems, but it seem that people on the Icon may have substantially more issues as there is a 40+ page thread on it. I have to wade through it to see what's what to see if that should be a true factor in my decision making, but even a multitude of minor issues is suggestive of a lot less QA testing.

Looking through the photos of both phone, I'm definitely

 

[greedo_greedy]

I'm not on Verizon but I got Lumia 735 because it is GSM unlocked.

I came from a Lumia 822 and just recently upgraded my daily driver to the Lumia 735 about 2 months ago.
For me it is an improvement in almost every way.

For you, coming from a Lumia 735, it would be more of a side grade.
The benefits you'll immediately notice are big improvement with battery life, removable battery, micro SD card slot and it is natively supported for Windows 10 Mobile.

Camera will be a downgrade for sure, I own a Lumia 1520 (which have the same optics as the ICON) and comparing both is not hard.
The Lumia 735 camera is adequate but not face meltingly awesome.

 

[11B1P]

I don't know how well W10M runs on the Icon, but I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't get the same amount of QA testing as the others.

I'm using an Icon on W10 on Release Preview and it works just fine.

 

[tigoat]

My Icon runs W10M flawlessly. You can get one certified refurbished on Amazon for $150. I certainly miss Glance from my 928, but not bad enough to pass on Hey Cortana. The 735 is running about $75 on Amazon right now. May buy one just to check it out. Cheep enough fun, I'd say.

 

[cmattau90]

I went from a 928 to a 735 and I'm very happy with it. The device feels good in the hand and works smoothly. The battery lasts all day; I usually have 70% left after 16 hours. I only use the camera occasionally but it's fine; I use a DSLR for serious photos.

 

[augustaville]

The Icon does not have DTTW, but it does have Hey Cortana.

 

[nwildcat]

The Icon does not have DTTW, but it does have Hey Cortana.

I didn't realize that, thought that was put on both the 735 and the Icon. I like double tap to wake, but realize Hey Cortana could wake the phone for you as well. Is Hey Cortana a big drain on the battery? Seems like it would be.

 

[Leonel Funes]

I'm using an Icon on W10 on Release Preview and it works just fine.

I'm on the Fast Ring with my Icon, no issues that slow me down, really. Comfortably being used as daily driver

 

[a5cent]

Is Hey Cortana a big drain on the battery? Seems like it would be.

It isn't. There is specialized hardware on the phone that "listens" while pretty much everything is turned off (no CPU, no DSP, no running OS, nothing).

That's why not all devices have Hey Cortana. Not all have that hardware.

 

[Bologwp]

I went from the 822 to the 735 and I love it, I kept hoping that Verizon would get a high end phone that had expandable storage and a removable battery (I won't buy a phone without those 2 things) but obviously that never happened so I finally decided to get the 735 and have no regrets of any kind, actually, I liked it so much that I bought a second one for a backup device.

What I do love about this phone is the non-techie stuff; the way it feels in the hand, it fits in my pockets, removable battery, expandable storage, great screen and the unique ability to change the complete color of the phone on a whim! I bought backs in every color (Verizon had them on sale for $10.00, with wireless charging), had to get the yellow one off ebay, it just makes it more fun and less boring!

The camera is good but not as good as the Icon, but like the earlier poster, it's not a big deal for me as I also take most of my photos with a DSLR, but I have found that if I work with it a little bit I still get very good photos with it.

W10M AU runs great on it, no problems and it now has quick way to activate the camera from the lock screen! The navigation bar on the lock screen replaces the back arrow with a camera icon so you can activate the camera from the lock screen the same as with a physical button. It may have been there before and I just didn't notice, but a nice little feature anyway.

 

[slippery_pete]

I recently upgraded my 735 to W10. I can't use advanced calling even though Verizon has verified I have HD Voice enabled. My calls sound terrible and I can't use my earpiece.

 

[etphoto]

I recently upgraded my 735 to W10. I can't use advanced calling even though Verizon has verified I have HD Voice enabled. My calls sound terrible and I can't use my earpiece.

Check, what version W10m are you running?

Twitter: @PhotographyET

 

[slippery_pete]

Ver 1607. Build 10.0.14393.189

 

[DaBeard]

I'd vouch for the Icon as well. I currently have a 735, and after the last several weeks, it's slowly decided to die. Windows has been a great platform for me, but with little innovation, and nothing really new out, I really don't have any choices on Big Red (I know, terrible company, blah blah blah, but I get crap service from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint where I live), so it looks like I'll be jumping ship for the time being, and go with probably the V20. I need a phone that has a removable battery, and a SD card slot, not to mention that ridiculous screen. Sucks that it's not water resistant, would've really made that phone a must buy for me, but with the Note 7 isn't available anymore due to it being packed with too much battery power, causing it to have a mini nuclear reaction, there isn't really anything else that has my eye that's out right now. :grincry: