Should I Buy a Windows Phone?

[WPCentral Question]

I have an iPhone 4 and am looking to upgrade. I'm happy enough with Apple, but I'm a little annoying at feeling locked in to iTunes. I recently bought a Windows desktop and thought using a Windows Phone might integrate nicely with that. I'd love to hear feedback, in particular to the following:

1. I hear a lot about the lack of good apps for Windows Phone. Is this still a major issue or is the gap narrowing?

2. What app do most people use to listen to music (i.e., what is the replacement for iTunes)?

3. Is there synergy between a Windows desktop and Windows Phone that I will enjoy (as opposed to Windows desktop with an iPhone or Android)?

4. I'm on AT&T, so would you go with the Lumia 830 ($99 on contract and $449 off contract) or HTC One M8 ($199 and $669? I'm due (overdue, in fact) for an upgrade. But because Windows is a new OS for me, I was thinking of going off contract, in which case I'd opt for the Lumia 830. That way, if it doesn't work out, I can revert back to an iPhone 6 or Android flagship at the contract price.

All feedback would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[JamesPTao]

Xbox Music works fine for me for the part. No lag and limited bugs. The only thing that does something is sometimes it'll accidentally go to the next song. But Xbox Music has been perfect for me on my 1520. Well near perfect.



I notice lag even on Android apps as well. And I don't consider a second of launching an app on my 1520 lag. Lag to me is 5 seconds and that everything I do, it is always 3 steps behind me....And that never happens on my 1520.



My integration seems perfect on my Windows Phone and My surface tablet. I am not sure what exactly an Ipad/Mac can do that I can't do.

The fact I can save images on my phone to Onedrive and immediately go to my Surface on Windows 8.1 and see the phone in my library. Since Windows 8.1 and Phone 8.1, the integration is phenomenal.

I use IE as well, so I love the fact that my browser now syncs all my favorites and passwords and all that good stuff with my phone. I wasn't aware that APPLE had IE.

So no, Apple products do not offer full integration.


That's not Windows Phone fault. Let's blame the OS for stuff it can help. Blame Crap developers for not properly updating and maintaining their apps.

And even then....It's still not as bad as you make it out to be as well as there are alternatives that are loads better than their Android/IOS counter parts.

6tag > Instagram

Most youtube apps > Official youtube apps


I actually sort of blame WC for that. Ever since that redesign, usability is a bit annoying, especially since it forces you into "MOBILE".

That being said, I have no issues with IE on most sites I visit. Nor does it crash on me often. Maybe once or twice in the last year I've owned my 1520


No need to hold back. Windows phone 8.1 devices will get Windows 10.

Get yourself a Lumia 1520 or an Icon or a 1020 or if you must....sigh, Samsung or HTC, and enjoy the OS It is a good OS and has some shortcomings and Microsoft frustrates me sometimes but it is not a bad OS.

Ios/itunes can't store music on anything other than main drive. Sounds silly but when you have a lot of music on a second drive or SD card it is really annoying.

 

[JamesPTao]

You just have to browse the site to answer your own question. Lots of times you have to do things like soft resets, hard resets, turn kids corner off and on, stand on one leg during a gibbous moon while holding the phone perpendicular to the ground, whatever. It's not a big deal, but if you're used to a brainless experience it can be a problem.

I saw a guy the other day grumbling about his 1020. When I told him how to fix his problem he didn't want to know, his attitude was "why should I have to do that, I never did on my other phone". A lot of people just want their stuff to work, they don't want to have to fool with it to make it work, it's just an appliance to them.

And that is why Symbian never took off I the us. It had great features way ahead of its time but you had to at least be a little computer literate or willing to learn to take advantage of all of its potential. The us carriers had asked the main writers to dum it down for the us market, they said hell no. Can't really blame them.

 

[msirapian]

My contribution. I would say yes, and with the new Lumias (635,735,830,930) you have the choice. I say yes, not because as some here, I'm an unconditional ******, but :
a) I have a 5S from work, so I know iOS and iphone
b) I own a 1020 as my personal phone.

And I absolutely love my 1020. Because WP allows me to do all the productivity-linked tasks (office, onedrive, onenote, etc.), play a bit (not my cup of tea on a phone), see at a glance what's going on with the live tiles. The keyboard, on my 1020, is so much more comfortable than on the 5S too.

This being said, when you enter into details, it's not perfect. You can't set timezone when creating an event, you can't see tasks and events in the calendar view, you can't have a task live tile, etc. As for office, I suspect MS is waiting for Windows for the big bang on WP.

But even with these little drawbacks, I find WP superior because :
a) I don't feel prisoner of an OS. Entering the WP world makes you enter the MS cloud, and my onenote notebooks are on my Surface 2, my 1020 and my iphone. No fear to be trapped hardware-wise, like the Apple world,
b) The windowsphones are value for money. I'm not saying they are cheap, but you have value for your money. It may be true for high end Androids, but certainly not for Apple. You have value, oh yes, but the price is way too high.

I come from the Symbian world. My last symbian was a Nokia 808 Pureview, and had to wonder do I go Android, WP or iOS. I hate Google, their philosophy and don't trust them. I respect Apple, but, hey, as I said, it's a golden cage and you even have to play the price of titanium for it, lol. WP for me was natural, plus it was Nokia. And I love that OS more every day. WP8.1 is great, I'm expecting to be wow-ed by W10.

Final point, I have many friends who have switched from iPhone to WP and frankly, none of them think today to return to iOS or go to Android.

I hope you'll find enough hints in this thread to guide you towards your next phone. There is no best mobile OS, nor best phone. You have to choose the best for you. Good luck

 

[laytoncy]

I'm in the same situation as the OP. I have an iPhone 4 and am ready to make a change. It will either be Windows or Android. Either way I'm reading threads here and Android Central and doing my research. I won't do anything until after 11/11 for the Microsoft announcement. To the OP I recommend, if you haven't already, go to the windowsphone site and check and see if the apps you use daily are available. A big one for me is Dropbox. Yes, I know there is OneDrive and I use it as well but I use Dropbox too. But I see that MS just signed a deal with Dropbox the other day so that app will be coming in a few months. The other thing for me is how can MS not have Office for its own devices? What I mean by that is how can it not have at least what it offers for iOS and Android or better. These don't sway me and I really like what I see when I watch Windows Phone videos here.

I have 2 questions for those in the "know". Will the processor in the 830 hurt me in the future as far as upgrades or apps (as far as one can know)? Also, what do you guys use for Audiobooks? I listen to m4b's now and can easily convert them to mp3's but I want to make sure there is an app that will handle them and save where I left off and will said app save this data (chapter info) for more than one book at a time. Thanks in advance.

 

[L Beezy]

I want to say to buy an older model WP like a 520, but the older hardware and specs won't give you a full-fledged WP experience. I would suggest test-driving one of the Windows Phones you speak of. I know with AT&T, you have a 14-day return period granted you don't damage their phone. I have a 1520 and am content with my WP experience.

Each OS has their strengths and weaknesses, and WP is no different from iOS and Android. To answer your specific questions and be honest as I possibly can:
1. There is an app gap, although slowly closing. Here, it depends on what apps you want/need when describing this gap. I'm not heavy on gaming, and I have every app I need except for an NBA app and a Capital One app. App quality is decent; sometimes beautiful and sometimes lacking from other platforms. Like I previously said, it depends on your need.

2. Xbox Music is the default app, but there are others in the Windows Store to choose from. Xbox Music is decent; it was horrible and slow at one time, but with frequent updates, it has become faster and more reliable. It still needs room for improvement, but I use it every day and I have no problems with it other than a slight pause when loading a playlist with a lot of songs.

3. As for WP-Windows integration, it's pretty smooth. There's an app in W8 that allows you to practically move add anything to your WP. Or if you like, you can just go straight into the phone from the "Computer" pane in W8. I hardly use the app and just go straight to the phone. In iPhone, you're limited to how deep you can go into the system of your phone if not jailbroken. In Android, you go straight into your phone from "Computer."

4. Like my first paragraph mentioned, I would suggest getting personal with one of the two phones you mentioned. Lumias have great apps specifically made for them in the Windows Store which would make me choose the Lumia brand. The HTC One M8 is a better phone in processor speed, but HTC's support has been shoddy with their other Windows Phones.

I believe that only you can make a sound decision; people here will either steer you towards or far away from WP. I have the privilege of having used all three OSs (A Nexus 5, Nexus 10, iPhone 5s, Lumia 920 and Lumia 1520), and I can say that it's honestly a preference thing when it comes to what you want. Good luck with your choice and let us know what you decide.

 

[ShinraCorp]

I agree with almost everyone here that you should get a used one first.

So let me write what you've wrote.

1. The app gap, is there and the quality of official apps are questionable. Windows Phone developers however have built fantastic alternative to the official apps. Of course it depends on what sort of apps you want, since not every major company has an app for Windows Phone.

2. Xbox Music is the default music app used for Windows Phone, if you have an Xbox 360, Xbox One and have a Xbox Music pass, that pass works in Windows Phone. If you plug in your headphones (or earphones) you can "enhance" your listening experience with the Dolby digital, and use an equalizer if you wish.

3. If you have a Windows 8 PC and activated OneDrive synchronization then yes there's a synergy. All of your settings, personalization (with the exception of the background) gets synced with Windows Phone if you use the same Microsoft account on your PC.

4.If you want, you can try a flagship style phone that I can sell you. If you want something new then yes the 830 is the perfect choice between price/performance and heck there's always the remorse law that you can return it in 14 days (I believe it's 14 anyway) if you're not satisfied with it.

Of course if you have ANY questions related to Windows Phone or Windows in general you should ask us here. We'll be glad to answer (you might get some huge fanboys though so watch out how you write your question )

 

[DJCBS]

I have an iPhone 4 and am looking to upgrade. I'm happy enough with Apple, but I'm a little annoying at feeling locked in to iTunes. I recently bought a Windows desktop and thought using a Windows Phone might integrate nicely with that. I'd love to hear feedback, in particular to the following:

1. I hear a lot about the lack of good apps for Windows Phone. Is this still a major issue or is the gap narrowing?

2. What app do most people use to listen to music (i.e., what is the replacement for iTunes)?

3. Is there synergy between a Windows desktop and Windows Phone that I will enjoy (as opposed to Windows desktop with an iPhone or Android)?

4. I'm on AT&T, so would you go with the Lumia 830 ($99 on contract and $449 off contract) or HTC One M8 ($199 and $669? I'm due (overdue, in fact) for an upgrade. But because Windows is a new OS for me, I was thinking of going off contract, in which case I'd opt for the Lumia 830. That way, if it doesn't work out, I can revert back to an iPhone 6 or Android flagship at the contract price.

All feedback would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

1 - The app gap is closing. HOWEVER, the apps on WP are normally atrocious. So, while you HAVE the apps, they're normally either half baked, Betas or just web wrappers. If you come from an iPhone you WILL notice the difference.

2 - Xbox Music is the norm. However that may change as of 1st December when free streaming of music is ending. Nokia MixRadio is a popular service too. I can't really tell you as I never listened to music on my phones as WP devices normally have terrible battery life.

3 - Sort of. It's not of there but it will only become really one platform when Windows 10 and Windows (Phone) 10 arrive. You'll get "Universal" apps (meaning, you buy the app once and have it on PC, tablet and phone)- But the biggest synergy is achieved through Microsoft's services like OneDrive. And those kinds of services, though, you can also have on other platforms (example: I switched to Android yet I still kept Microsoft's ecosystem intact since OneDrive, Office, Outlook, all of those are available on Google Play thus I never had to use any of Google's competing services).

4 - Of you value a flagship, the HTC One M8. If you value the camera above all, the 830 is a better option. But if you really want to test out a device, you can ask Microsoft Mobile for a test unit. Head over to Trial a Lumia - Lumia Conversations and ask. Now, when Nokia ran the show they were pretty open to let you try out the phones. Now Microsoft is in charge though, so I don't know if they've tightened up the process. But hey, if you don't try, you don't know

 

[ShinraCorp]

4 - Of you value a flagship, the HTC One M8. If you value the camera above all, the 830 is a better option. But if you really want to test out a device, you can ask Microsoft Mobile for a test unit. Head over to Trial a Lumia - Lumia Conversations and ask. Now, when Nokia ran the show they were pretty open to let you try out the phones. Now Microsoft is in charge though, so I don't know if they've tightened up the process. But hey, if you don't try, you don't know

HOLD THE PHONE (Badum tsssh) you're saying it's actually POSSIBLE TO TRY A LUMIA? I never even knew that was a thing.. THAT'S AWESOME!

 

[onysi]

Lack of apps is overly exaggerated. Look at what you usually use on iOS vs WpOS. I guarantee you, most of the 'social apps' you need are already in WP in a form of 3rd party. We have rogue dev's taking all of these apps into WP and they are better designed. Also, Google issue; I am not in any of their ecosystem on the PC and I'm doing fine. Microsoft can provide you the same with Office, email, maps, and bing. That's really all you need. And I am a student, so its rare for me to use Google.com for depth Research papers. If you got through the late 90's without Google, you'll be fine without them today.

 

[scotiez]

I didn't read every ones comments on here but i'll tell ya mine. I used to be a die hard IOS apple IPhone fan, but I got tired of the high cost of apple products. Yes even the IPhone comes with its own problems too and since I do have a windows desktop and laptop the only way it syncs instantly is through one drive. Even Icloud didn't sync instantly or maybe that was just my system. I decided to give windows phone a try so I bought the HTC One M8 for windows, mostly cause it has 8.1 and it was a new release with LOTS and LOTS of power. 1st thing I noticed is when I add a book mark on my desktop or laptop it also appears on my phone, When I change a document in word or one note it is changed on all my devices. These files are not saved in one drive but through your Microsoft log in. One drive also works very nice.
MUSIC OMG I love music and I have tons of ITunes music. Problem with apple and iPhone is once in a while syncing it would mess up my music bad and would take hours for me to fix. I have not had a problem at all once I switched over to windows phone using Xbox music. Once you get a windows phone and hook it up to your computer you will be able to bring all your iTunes music over plus have your xbox music. you can continue to purchase music with iTunes if you wish or purchase from xbox music pass. I do like Xbox music better then ITunes.
As for the app gap that all depends what your looking for. If a decent app is not available then use IE and pin it to your start screen. I have done this and it works rather well.
There are to many people out there that give negative feed back on the windows phone OS because either they don't know the system or think they know everything and what ever they have is the best. NO operating system is going to be perfect for everyone, Same goes for the phones, Everyone has their own opinion on what phone is the best. Just do what you want and if you want to give windows phone a try then do it. either you will be amazed on how easy it connects with your computer or you won't. It doesn't mean your stuck and can't switch back if you don't like it. If more people gave it a chance instead of listening to all the negative feedback from others I think windows phone would be a lot farther a head then what they are. Windows 10 is on the way and Microsoft promises it will be the best system yet. Time will tell and I am one who will be sticking around to find out.

 

[anon(9023697)]

Say what... Which phones need to be constantly reset???? And talking about instability HELLO ANDROID!... I have a 1320 which only has a dual core processor and 1gb ram... even my 625 had dual core and 512mb ram and both phones kill my Samsung Galaxy Grad 2 duos in pretty much ever aspect and the Galaxy is running quad core & 1.5gb ram and that phone has crashed, reset, overheated itself more times than I can remember. Never have any issues with either of my Windows phones for soft/hard resets... If you are having problems, I would say that it sounds more like a bad SD card issue if anything.

 

[Darthbobcat]

I can honestly say that, whatever the app situation is, there's a sense of fun I have using Windows Phone. Just an odd feeling of positive feedback as I navigate it. I get much the same sense using Windows 8.1/RT. Things are just colorful and interactive and I enjoy it for its own sake.

 

[psoham777]

Say what... Which phones need to be constantly reset???? And talking about instability HELLO ANDROID!... I have a 1320 which only has a dual core processor and 1gb ram... even my 625 had dual core and 512mb ram and both phones kill my Samsung Galaxy Grad 2 duos in pretty much ever aspect and the Galaxy is running quad core & 1.5gb ram and that phone has crashed, reset, overheated itself more times than I can remember. Never have any issues with either of my Windows phones for soft/hard resets... If you are having problems, I would say that it sounds more like a bad SD card issue if anything.

Even my 1320 is working fine. Those "Android problems" you told are not uncommon.

 

[psoham777]

If someone isn't a hard-core gamer, he should go with WP. If someone desires those specific apps/games not available in WP, only then he should go for other OS. Otherwise WP is good.

No OS is perfect, every OS has its limitations, but after using WP7.5, 7.8, 8, 8.1, I can proudly say that WP is the one with less issues. (I've never had issues with WP uptil now).

New apps/games come to WP everyday. The app quality is improving. So WP is overall a good OS.

Sent from my dark knight 1320

 

[foofighter#AC]

I too am looking into a WP to try out, I currently have Android and iOS and having Cortana integration with the Band is a big draw for me at the moment, just can't figure out what device to get if I'm dabbling with this OS.

 

[Darthbobcat]

I too am looking into a WP to try out, I currently have Android and iOS and having Cortana integration with the Band is a big draw for me at the moment, just can't figure out what device to get if I'm dabbling with this OS.

1) Which carrier are you on?
2)How big a screen do you like?
3) Do you play a lot of games?
4) What do you typically use your phone for?
5) What are you using now, and what do you like about it?

Those questions will help guide you.

 

[SammyD97]

A big one for me is Dropbox. Yes, I know there is OneDrive and I use it as well but I use Dropbox too. But I see that MS just signed a deal with Dropbox the other day so that app will be coming in a few months. The other thing for me is how can MS not have Office for its own devices? What I mean by that is how can it not have at least what it offers for iOS and Android or better. These don't sway me and I really like what I see when I watch Windows Phone videos here.

I have 2 questions for those in the "know". Will the processor in the 830 hurt me in the future as far as upgrades or apps (as far as one can know)? Also, what do you guys use for Audiobooks? I listen to m4b's now and can easily convert them to mp3's but I want to make sure there is an app that will handle them and save where I left off and will said app save this data (chapter info) for more than one book at a time. Thanks in advance.

For dropbox, you can use third party apps while you wait for the official app. Its not idea but some are really really good. I would suggest Cloudsix or Cloudmesh. I can't personally vouch for them because I only use one drive but those I know that use them to like them.

There is office for Windows Phone. However, it's not as features rich like say iOS because unlike on iOS its not an app. Its built into the OS and therefore not very easy to update. A new version is expected with Windows 10.

The processor shouldn't affect the apps. Some feature will not be supported however on future updates e.g Hey Cortana (hands free activation) which requires a Snapdragon 8xx processor.

There's Audiobook Player. I don't listen to audiobooks (my mind just wanders) so I don't use it. It seems to do what you need though.

 

[TechFreak1]

Personally I would go for the cheaper option however if you spend a lot of time gaming and don't really care about fine pixel detail from your photos get the One M8, never the less games will run on the 830 however you will only notice the difference if you compare them side by side.

Also if you pick up the 830 you do have the option of MixRadio which is I feel is greatly superior & more polished than the xbox music app. Furthermore the mixradio sub is also cheaper than the xbox music pass, however there is no MixRadio app on the xbox one and you need a sub for mixradio to get the full experience on Windows 8.x+ (the same will go for xbox music as well come December 2014, no more free music streaming). As your in the US you do have other decent alternatives, i.e pandora, spotify. (The other bonus for MixRadio is that it is completely ad-free :grin

Furthermore the 830 has perks the One M8 doesn't namely wireless charging, there were countless times where I used to fumble in the dark looking for my charging cable whereas now I can just drop it on my charging plate. Sure it is slower but as most people put their phone on charge before going to sleep and if you barely use your phone during the day then the difference in charge times will be hardly noticeable (since your going to be in a comatose state for several hours ) .

Additionally, with the Lumia 830 you are essentially guaranteed support as the support will becoming directly from Microsoft where as with HTC.... they have been rather absent for their previous devices (same with Samsung). Hopefully this changes with One M8 but I'm not holding my breath.. given the store reps disdain for anything windows phone, which is really going to hamper One M8 sales compared to it's android variant.

 

[Karthik Naik]

Ignore the blind naysayers of windows phone,its a fine Phone OS and is very underestimated
coming from ios to WP is a great change and wont be a radical change given similiar design elements for most apps
WP sits right between android and ios and is not too open , not too closed
it excels in alot of areas such as battery life,camera performance,optimisation,updates and premium build quality

 

[colinkiama]

lumia 830 is the phone to get right now. You even get wireless charging built in ! It even comes with a fitness band if you get it from some networks