Comparison

[Hansani Archibald]

My Lumia 1520 got dropped and smashed real bad. And I was going to get another 1520 but have been thinking about the Elite X3 (mainly to stay with all the updates without having to be in slow ring etc on the 1520). I am aware of the camera differences and no camera button issue in the Elite X3. However is there anyone who can do a video side by side comparison with the Lumia 1520 and Elite X3? I would really appreciate it.

 

[Bobvfr]

I had the 1520 and now have the 950XL, the XL is better than the 1520 just through being a more modern and powerful device, the X3 should be another step forward with from what I heard a slightly worst camera than both the 1520 and 950XL.

However your main concern really should be, should you buy a phone at this stage that runs WP, MS have abandoned it, HP although they have said they will sell the X3 and support it for a bit longer now admit defeat and are giving up on further development.

Almost all of MS software and services now work on both Android and IOS (Notwithstanding Groove as this is now dead anyway).

I could see why people would still buy a Windows PC/laptop or even an Xbox but a Windows Phone, the smart money is on "Don't do it".

 

[Hansani Archibald]

My rationale is that the X3 has already gone through some significant price drops and I am sure it will continue to do so especially during the holidays which is when I plan to purchase one and I do plan to keep it for a year or two until... I see what the 1st/2nd gen pc-telephony device is like from MS.
I know the 950xl is a new device and will be better but I have not read great things about the battery life... Seems the 950xl processor is a bit in the thirsty side with the battery? Also, money wise, I have seen X3s and 950xls hovering around the same price point.
I have partly considered the 950xl. But am leaning towards the X3 because it seems it would pretty similar in feel and build to the 1520 as well at a price similarly to the 950xl these days?

 

[aximtreo]

My rationale is that the X3 has already gone through some significant price drops and I am sure it will continue to do so especially during the holidays which is when I plan to purchase one and I do plan to keep it for a year or two until... I see what the 1st/2nd gen pc-telephony device is like from MS.
I know the 950xl is a new device and will be better but I have not read great things about the battery life... Seems the 950xl processor is a bit in the thirsty side with the battery? Also, money wise, I have seen X3s and 950xls hovering around the same price point.
I have partly considered the 950xl. But am leaning towards the X3 because it seems it would pretty similar in feel and build to the 1520 as well at a price similarly to the 950xl these days?

Keep in mind that if you plan on keeping it for a year or longer, the battery on the 950 can be replaced by the user; x3 not so easily done. The camera is said to be better on the 950 xl than the x3. Given the choice, knowing what we currently know about the life of WP/WM, either would be a good buy. Put the Pros and Cons down about each and buy the winner.

 

[jes1888]

I’ve had all the 3 phones mentioned here, and have been in the platform since the beginning. I’ve had the 1520, then the 950xl and the x3. The x3 is the latest wp phone and thus the greatest in terms of specs and build quality, except the camera that is. While the camera is not bad at all, obviously the 950xl had a better one. But the 810 sucked a lot of battery and the phone basically didn’t lasted a full day of tons of use. Not to even mention the heat issues the phone had. In this aspect the x3 is way better with the 820, the less that phone lasted me was day and a half of full abuse, the most it lasted was 3 days and a half, while others I managed to arrive home on my third day night with 8 to 10%, all of this while barely getting warm and that’s awesome. If you want a elite x3 I’d say go for it, it doesn’t matter if the phone doesn’t have a removable battery, if you take care of the phones battery it’ll last a long time. I don’t even remember the last time I had to buy a second battery for a phone since using wp.

 

[nate0]

My rationale is that the X3 has already gone through some significant price drops and I am sure it will continue to do so especially during the holidays which is when I plan to purchase one and I do plan to keep it for a year or two until... I see what the 1st/2nd gen pc-telephony device is like from MS.
I know the 950xl is a new device and will be better but I have not read great things about the battery life... Seems the 950xl processor is a bit in the thirsty side with the battery? Also, money wise, I have seen X3s and 950xls hovering around the same price point.
I have partly considered the 950xl. But am leaning towards the X3 because it seems it would pretty similar in feel and build to the 1520 as well at a price similarly to the 950xl these days?

If you are willing to lose the lumia-like experience (Glance, Camera quality, Color Profile, Equalizer, etc) then getting the X3 is a no brainer. It is just a tad smaller all around then the 1520 body-wise. It is thinner than the 1520 and the Lumia 950 XL (not by much on the 950 XL), and the screen quality is great. The trade offs for not getting the Lumia-like experience are: military grade resistance to the elements plus IP67 ingress protection, Stereo speakers, stellar battery life and the thing hardly ever heats up. The 950 XL gets hot to the touch at times. Near the board on the bottom and where the heat pipe is on the side. I only have pictures of the 950 XL side by side next to the Elite X3 if you want I can post them up. Let me know.