Which was the best (your favorite) iteration of Windows Phone/Mobile?

[MikeMystery]

Seeing as Windows for Phones has gone through a number of rather different iterations through the years, which one do you feel is/was the best suited for you? I'm thinking overall experience here, so not just UI or features, but the version that combined all the things into the most appealing package.

I can't help but feel like 7.8 was where I was the most happy with my Windows Phone experience. Having it run on the Nokia Lumia 800 was quite a dream, and even though it was missing the promises of UWA:s, SD card support and multi-tasking, in hindsight I can really say that 8.0 seemed to me like it was where the UX started falling apart with less coherent app designs with the transition to UWA. As the platform started losing ground with the user base, apps also started to fall into obscurity and stopped getting updates, etc.

Even though we've gotten quite a few feature/security updates over the course, each new iteration has felt less coherent and more unstable than the last. (To me at least.)

Which iteration of Windows Phone/Mobile hit (closest to) the sweet spot for you?

 

[dov1978]

I only joined in with WP on the Lumia 800 with WP7 and features were a bit thin on the ground so for me, getting the WP 8.1 update was like a huge breath of fresh air. So many new features all at once and I thought wow Microsoft really mean business here and it actually put WP on an equal footing with Android and iOS feature wise for a short while. Cortana, Wordflow Keyboard, Action Centre, personalised start screen, stream to, etc etc.

 

[aimulaidni]

I did play around with WP7 on the Lumia 800 for a bit but never used it extensively. But for me 8.1 was probably the most stable and feature rich iteration of Windows mobile. It has been nothing but downhill from there on for me

 

[libra89]

Yep, I agree with 8.1.

Being able to have a background image for the tiles pleased me and I just liked everything about it, including being able to have Weather on the lock screen and a dark navigation bar without having the dark theme.

I miss those 2 things a lot.

 

[J Dubbs]

8.1 for me as well..... I think that's when they got it right.

My wife's still rocking her 640xl running 8.1 update 2 I bought her, and says she's taking a Windows phone to her grave

She's the biggest Windows fan I've ever met lol.

 

[Neeraj Ashu]

I just want pocket pc back...it was fantastic. So for me its windows mobile 6

 

[mgalvin]

Was going to say 6.5.3

 

[LightenSkies]

For me id say WM 6.1 though since I feel I can do so much on WM10. WM5.0 was cool too.

 

[mc_razza]

This should be a poll. But yeah, chalk up another one for 8.1.

I can't speak for WP7 and earlier because I joined Windows Phone with WP8 on my Lumia 520. It was a breath of fresh air coming from a Nokia E63! WP8 was missing some features but I thought 8.1 got things right with the various features added and other refinements too. It's just a shame that certain apps and services were either combined, cut out or shut down due to not enough users to justify ongoing support.

 

[rocketboy]

Definitely the WP8.x series. IMO Windows Phone peaked at around the time the L920 came out in terms of interest, forward momentum, and interesting hardware on the horizon. Back when it was still called Windows Phone was when it seemed MS was still focused on a phone based user experience as opposed to just getting one W10 everywhere with the associated compromises.