Please talk me into a Lumia over Apple

[GPendolino]

Hello W8 Phone users!

I am quite interested in going with the Nokia Lumia 1520 (or possibly the older 1020) and I'm reaching out to this community to address some concerns I have. This post is not meant to be a ?Pro iPhone? rant or anything. I really want to leave Apple all together and I'm hoping some of the impressions I have are unfounded and you can help me make the leap over to a Lumia

About me: I am currently using an iPhone 4S 64gb. With all the apps and music I keep on hand I only have about 9gb available. For this reason, I'm doomed to buy another 64gb iPhone. What I hate about iPhones is how it's almost required that you update OS in order to get newer games and the OS itself almost cripples the device you once had working flawlessly.

I use my iPhone constantly. Since I take a train to work, I game the entire time. Sometimes it's simple stuff like Words With Friends or JetPack Joyride. Sometimes I like some of the higher end FPS games that Gameloft produces. My current hook is Dead Trigger 2.

I'm also a photographer with a high end Nikon DSLR. Obviously you can see why a 1020 or 1520 would peak my interests, especially with some very finite manual controls over ISO, Exposure and WB (I do wish aperture was controllable).

I keep a comprehensive collection of my photos on my iPhone and often use it to show perspective clients my work. I post all my work online but it's always watermarked. In fact, the ONLY time you'll ever see my photos without a watermark is if I'm sitting with you and allow you to scroll though them on my iPhone. It would be nice to show that work off on a bigger screen.

Believe it or not, this is one of the main concerns I have with switching platforms.

1 - If (God forbid) I lose my iPhone with all those full resolution, non-watermarked photos, I'm not overly concerned with someone retrieving them. Not saying it's impossible but the majority of people that find the phone would probably not be able to retrieve any files from it. As compared with an Android or Windows phone with a MicroSD card in it. Pretty much anyone that finds one of those phones can pull the MicroSD card and retrieve any files from it. (Somewhat related, I see posts about the 16gb vs the 32gb 1520..... what's the difference if you're just going to cram a 64gb MicroSD in it anyways?)

2 ? Security. Obviously concern ?1? is security related, but overall security is a big deal to me. In the world of personal and business computers, Apple has always been (or at least perceived to be) the more secure OS. Less vulnerabilities and attacks than a Windows platform. Is the same true in the smartphone world?

3 ? Apps. As I mentioned, I love my games. I have a friend that made the switch from iPhone to a Samsung Galaxy S4 (at the time it was the flagship of any Android). After a week he went back to iPhone. He claimed that in many cases they had the same app but it was usually an older version than what he had on his iPhone. And that's in an Android market which has significantly more apps than W8 does. Are we seeing true development in apps in general in W8?

4 ? Picture quality. One thing I noticed with the 8mp camera on my iPhone (which does take fantastic photos for a camera phone in my opinion) is that no matter what settings I use, the end result is still just a 72dpi photo. I'm just not sure what good it is having a 41mp or 20mp camera on a smartphone if at the end of the day I'm getting a low resolution 72dpi photo. Are any of you noticing this when transferring to a PC? I called Nokia support to pick their brain but they had me on hold for over 30 minutes and then said they'd get back to me although I'm not hopeful they will (which would make them on par with Apple and the horrible support they have).

5 ? Continued support. Since MS has purchased the Nokia phone division, is there a future in owning a Lumia right now? Obviously in two years or so I'll probably end up with something else but I'd at least like to know that for the next two years I'm not on an abandoned platform.

I apologize if I rambled but this is a pretty big commitment. I'll be saddled with my decision for the next two years.

 

[kjnoel]

Go to http://windowsphone.com and bask in the videos and stuff. Got my first Lumia last September and I couldn't ask for a better phone. Excited for 8.1.

On a side note Windows Phone 8 is one of the most secure mobile oses in use today. The app selection has come along way but from what you said about your friend switching back from Android to iPhone, you may or may not like the app situation on Windows Phone.
Lumia phones particularly the 1020 for instance has the best camera in a mobile phone device so you'll love it for photography.
All Windows Phone 8 devices receive great support from Nokia (Lumia) and somewhat Microsoft so updates and new releases is not an issue.
Windows Phone is far from perfect but its still a work in progress and has come a long way. It's for people who want a more personal phone and who loves trying new things and should not be compared to an android or iPhone.

 

[Michael Knowles2]

I'll give you a quick answer re: the resolution. I just bought a 1520 after using an 808 pureview for the last year and a half and so far I have noticed that the Oversampled jpegs are clocking in at 72dpi. I haven't had a chance to check the full res files but with either the 1020 or the 1520 you will have the ability to shoot the full res in DNG format in addition to the oversampled 5mpx.

The 808pureview's jpegs were 300dpi, I still carry it around as a standalone camera.

 

[Jerrycw]

I was almost in the same boat as you. I had been using iPhone 4s before Lumia 1520, and I own a canon DSLR.

First of all you need to read all the reviews in this forum, people raised some issues on poor low light video quality and swipe recognized as tap. These are not fixed at the moment. Be sure you are aware of the down side ahead.

Camera is the main reason I switched. I would say the camera quality is one of the best in the phone industry (iPhone 5s shoots amazing photos too). However, a phone is never a replacement of DSLR. I would not use the phone to take travel photos or my daughter. The introduction of raw is good, but I don't see much difference to an oversampled 5MP photo, it can possibly be the oversampled photo was really in good quality, or you shouldn't expect too much on having raw on a cellphone. Don't get me wrong, it takes good photos as a phone.

App wise you are correct, there are fewer number of apps in here. And if the app is available, chances are that the app in WP would offer fewer functions. You will still get the core functions, but if you open an app in iOS or android side by side, you would know your app missed something. E.g. We just got the function to send pre-recorded videos from whatsapp a month ago.

Personally speaking I prefer the iPhone if you don't mind the small screen, because everything feels just better (its my personal taste anyway). But then again you never know unless you try, you may have a different feeling as mine. Go buy one and try it if there is a return policy.

 

[Jerrycw]

Just reread your post and I believe I can give you some more information.

Security - the WP platform has too few users that even hackers don't want to waste their time attacking Windows phone. (I was just joking). The WP 's security is far better than android, probably on par with iOS.

Support - Yes you will still get WP 8.1 upgrade when it comes out, but don't expect there is bug fix or enhancements coming out every few weeks like what Apple can provide. Apple released 5 updates to iOS7 since its launch in Sep13 to Jan14 (4 months). So far we didn't get any update from Nokia on the fixes on touch screen issue and low light video issue after 2 months of phone release. They might or might not be working on any fixed, we don't know, so take your chance here.

 

[GPendolino]

Thanks for the input!

I am very concerned with the apps (or lack thereof). But as it stands, I can not enjoy some of my favorite apps on my current 4S!
So much lag and even crashing because I think iOS7 should have never been approved for the 4S generation. Not like I can roll it back so I'm stuck with a piece of hardware that was very nice and now it's probably going to hit a wall at a very high speed next time it freezes up on me.

An alternate to Apple is becoming very appealing lol

 

[Dadstar0410]

Thanks for the input!

I am very concerned with the apps (or lack thereof). But as it stands, I can not enjoy some of my favorite apps on my current 4S!
So much lag and even crashing because I think iOS7 should have never been approved for the 4S generation. Not like I can roll it back so I'm stuck with a piece of hardware that was very nice and now it's probably going to hit a wall at a very high speed next time it freezes up on me.

An alternate to Apple is becoming very appealing lol

Of all the apps I have downloaded and installed on my WP8 device over the past year (probably at least 100), I've only come across maybe 5 that ever crashed on a regular basis. We may not have a lot of apps, but the apps we do have are 1) useful, and 2) very very high quality.

 

[N_LaRUE]

For apps you can go here and check to see what you may be missing you can easily search the selection.

www.windowsphone.com

I thought they released an app for iPhone so you could do a comparison. Don't recall the name.

 

[WinU]

All I can say is get one Off Contract and try it yourself. You'll love it! You can listen to us WP owners all day, but until you give a go you will always hesitate! They are all fantastic phones!

 

[altafmahmood]

Most of your concern have already been addressed and yes i agree that the Windows platform is secure, better than android as everything is sandboxed so no problem of viruses also. Photos are great even on low end phones. About the support Microsoft will continue the support for all windows 8 devices.
I think the best feature to lure you into buying a windows phone is that is lag free the OS is buttery smooth. Also as it is in development phase new features gets added everytime. And lastly there is some problems you might face with apps due to windows phone limitations. Also no file manager.

Sent from my L620 using Tapatalk

 

[GPendolino]

Actually all of you are giving me very non-biased and intelligent responses. I greatly appreciate that!

Actually to my other pro shooter, I'm packing a Nikon D800. True full frame 36.6 mp. I know the phone won't replace my camera (or even come close). I really only drag out the big guns if I'm on a gig or I intend to go out and capture some awesome scenery. During my normal commute or just hanging out, I don't really bring all of that with me so it's nice to know I can still take some nice shallow DoF shots with incredible resolution on a phone. It seems like the 1020 or 1520 completely eliminate the need for even a high quality point and shoot.

Good to know about the security being at a good level so thanks for all the input on that.

Seems there's no way around taking a hit on the apps I enjoy so much. There's the hope that the situation improves but I guess a lot of it depends on where the whole thing ends up and how much incentive developers have. Seems like the only OS W8 is currently beating now is BlackBerry and I'm pretty sure those guys are still playing 8-bit Tetris and love it.

This is going to be a tough decision. I may wait another month or so to see if it drops from $200 to $100 and then pounce.

It would also be nice if Otterbox comes out with a Defender series for this. I will say I attribute my iPhone's complete lack of cracks or scratches to having it in that case and not to my own coordination LOL.

 

[GPendolino]

Oh, anyone want to address the security of LOSING one of these?

It is just as simple as someone finding it, popping out the 64MicroSD that I'll install and effortlessly taking all the photos off of it, right?
I'm assuming it's FAT32 encryption. Not sure if it formats the card as NTFS or ReFS.

 

[berty6294]

Hey an awesome way to try Windows Phone is by doing the Xbox Music FREE 520/521 deal. For $99 you can experience all the basics of what Windows Phone has to offer! That's a wicked deal imo

 

[Instinct121]

I'm really confused as to why you haven't mentioned the features of "Find my iPhone" or the Microsoft equivalent: Find a lost phone | Windows Phone How-to (United States)

But anyways,

I've owned several phones:
1) LG Optimus 7 16GB (Windows Phone 7)
2) Samsung Galaxy S2 16GB (Running Android 2.3)
3) Google Nexus 16GB (Original, running Android 4)
4) iPhone 4S (16GB)
5) Nokia Lumia 920 (16GB)
6) iPhone 5S (16GB)

I come from an IT background, where I also dabble in photography and gaming. So this means that I also use several email services, and I tend to get a pretty broad experience of a phone and the app ecosystem.

Using a windows phone can be one of the best experiences you will ever have, with the fast transitions and snappy interface, I often would enjoy seeing things pop up on the home screen, and sometimes catch myself just moving through options without actually looking for anything. It can be that nice.

But, when you're looking for features that you're used to, or an app feature that doesn't exist on this platform, it can be frustrating. If you rely on google services, you might have to stay away from this phone. Google has pretty much blacklisted it. They blocked Microsoft from being able to develop a feature full app, making the youtube experience on Windows Phone less than average between the other platforms.

The same used to be said for Facebook, but since Windows 8.1 (not the phone, but the desktop) they released updates to the facebook app that bring it a lot closer to the iPhone and Android apps. It's still behind though.

I noticed you said you game with Words with Friends. Be aware that some games don't exist on Windows Phone. A popular game such as Candy Crush or Matching with Friends​ does not exist (yet).

 

[shovelhead84]

If your questioning your current platform and/or are curious about another, then try another. It will not kill you or ruin your day if you attempt to use another OS. I just ran through this with my wife. My son and I already made the switch to WP8 from android and were happy. My wife was hesitant to move over from Android, so I got her a burner 920. It was used and cheap, but fulfilled a purpose of giving her a WP8 introduction for a few days.

She had a great experience and transition was simple. In about 4 days she was enlightened and wanted to swap for good. We sold her Android (HTC One) two days ago and her new Lumia 1020 will be here Friday. The burner 920 will be sold on CL or kept for a emergency spare.

The point is, $100 gets you a windows phone for a trial run and familiarity with the OS. If you see the potential, then buy a power house device and dive into the full experience. Just remember, there is more to WP8 than what you see on the surface. It is a great time to be a part of this platform and watch the development of a newly developing environment.

 

[Dadstar0410]

there is more to WP8 than what you see on the surface.

Pun intended?? I see what you did there, shovelhead.

 

[avoidconfusion]

They blocked Microsoft from being able to develop a feature full app, making the youtube experience on Windows Phone less than average between the other platforms.

I think MetroTube is the best YouTube App out there in general personally.

 

[colinkiama]

I think MetroTube is the best YouTube App out there in general personally.

mytube destroys the official youtube app in my opinion

 

[Instinct121]

Re: Please talk me into a Lumia!!!! Starting to really hate Apple...

I think MetroTube is the best YouTube App out there in general personally.

Except that it still doesn't work properly. There are videos that you get errors on, or that you have to open the "video in browser" to view. It is still worse than the iPhone or Android counterparts, despite being able to download-*ahem* preload videos. An easy example is the picture in picture ability to drag the currently playing video to the bottom of your screen (portrait mode) and search for additional videos while one is still playing.

It's the little things that matter. It's why I'm so torn against the Windows Phone, with it's lack of Notification Center (for missed notifications) or lack of customizable notification sounds. I always got very annoyed when I would see the Windows Phone commercials because they marketed the device so different, so easy to identify; "Uniquely Yours". Then I imagined 10 people in a room with windows phones and each one of them getting emails, facebook notifications and messages. No one would know who's was receiving the messages because they all have only a few different sounds to choose from. Sure, you don't have to have the same text sound as me, but you could set your text sound to what my email sound is. It's just annoying.

*EDIT*
I should point out that custom notifications sounds have finally come to Windows Phone in 8.1 (or 8.0 GDR3) but... it's just one of many things you can see Windows Phone lacks when comparing it to the lead competition.
*/EDIT*

All that being said, when the phone can do what you want it to because the functionality is already there, it's great. Really great. But when it doesn't, you end up feeling like the kid using a typewriter when everyone else uses a laptop.

 

[rockstarzzz]

Read this http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...ws-over-competition-ios-android-bbos-etc.html

and http://forums.windowscentral.com/windows-phone-8/262305-so-i-finally-tried-wp.html