Switching to AT&T and Need Phone Suggestions

[deuce01]

I'm switching to AT&T and want to buy my son a cheap Windows Phone. He's got a 928 on VZW right now. It's looking like the 650 and 640/640XL are the best options. Or, maybe a used 830. It will need to run Win10Mo. Thoughts?

Thanks,
Deuce

 

[xandros9]

The biggest deciding factor I have here is cost.

The Lumia 640 will be the most cost-effective option across the board. It lacks a couple of the 650's features like tap-to-pay and the premium build for example, but it is likely to be the cheapest option. It was available on AT&T for $30 off-contract for some time and while prices online may not match that price, $50 is still a good price. It is relatively easy to repair and parts aren't pricey. ($20 for a new display and I replaced it without needing to fuss with melting glue and stuff like one some phones. You'll need some of that double-sided tape though) The 830 isn't bad either but I haven't broken an 830 to-date.

Battery life is superior on the 640 but whether it is worth it depends. The 830 and 650 are still excellent/good performers.

I don't know about the 640 XL but it's larger and with a nicer camera. Battery life is probably better but I don't recall off the top of my head.

The 830 has the most bells-and-whistles here. It has Qi charging, a camera superior to the three other options and a camera button to boot. It's a bit more compact too despite the same sized display.

The advantage of the 650 is that it is most recent and if you need to restore it using WDRT you won't be thrown back to 8.1. Also you get some stuff as mentioned above and call recording. If you want an OLED screen then this is the phone. The others have an LCD. (I prefer the latter but the former is certainly compelling to many.) But ultimately these devices aren't too different and I would see what I can get for the best price.

 

[HeyCori]

Skip AT&T. Go Cricket. Save money.

You can still buy AT&T phones and they will work on Cricket without unlocking them.

Then you can get him a slick Lumia 650 for only $50!

 

[deuce01]

I did think about Cricket, but then I'd have to buy two 950's for my wife and me outright and don't want to drop the $550

 

[deuce01]

The biggest deciding factor I have here is cost.

The Lumia 640 will be the most cost-effective option across the board. It lacks a couple of the 650's features like tap-to-pay and the premium build for example, but it is likely to be the cheapest option. It was available on AT&T for $30 off-contract for some time and while prices online may not match that price, $50 is still a good price. It is relatively easy to repair and parts aren't pricey. ($20 for a new display and I replaced it without needing to fuss with melting glue and stuff like one some phones. You'll need some of that double-sided tape though) The 830 isn't bad either but I haven't broken an 830 to-date.

Battery life is superior on the 640 but whether it is worth it depends. The 830 and 650 are still excellent/good performers.

I don't know about the 640 XL but it's larger and with a nicer camera. Battery life is probably better but I don't recall off the top of my head.

The 830 has the most bells-and-whistles here. It has Qi charging, a camera superior to the three other options and a camera button to boot. It's a bit more compact too despite the same sized display.

The advantage of the 650 is that it is most recent and if you need to restore it using WDRT you won't be thrown back to 8.1. Also you get some stuff as mentioned above and call recording. If you want an OLED screen then this is the phone. The others have an LCD. (I prefer the latter but the former is certainly compelling to many.) But ultimately these devices aren't too different and I would see what I can get for the best price.

Thanks for the response and insight!

It looks like a new 650 or 640 is around $80, a new 640XL is $100 and the 830's I found are in the $70-100 range. I did notice that there are many 1520's out there as well. My next question is whether some will run Win10Mo better than others. Would the 650 be more stable since it was made for Win10 or do the others run it fine since they are on the upgrade list?

Thanks again!
Deuce

 

[deuce01]

Just as a follow-up to put this to bed, I gave my son the choice and he went with an 830 due to size, Qi charging and the swappable back covers. We found (what appears to be) a nice one on eBay for $52 and a second replacement back cover for $10. Hopefully it'll serve him well.

Thanks to all!
Deuce