Well sold my 1520 and moved back to iPhone, specifically the iPhone 6 Plus. After wrestling with the lack of apps for so long and MS's inattentiveness to the platform, I had to switch back. It's a shame because Windows Phone itself is easily a contender for the top spot but it ultimately seems it will fail due to the lack of commitment from Microsoft. Here's a comparison I wrote on another site:
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So who here has one and how do you like it so far? I got mine yesterday in the mail and paid $100 too much for it because it was out of stock everywhere. Then it turns out I go to the Apple store here today and they had ONE in stock, the same model I bought..fml. Anyway, I bought the overpriced Apple psuedoleather case for it because it has a nice grip and looks good too. My phone's the 64 gb space gray one on IOS 8.0.2 and so far it's pretty nice. Installed Swype, something iPhone FINALLY got and other apps that I need for work and studying. I had a Windows Phone (Nokia 1520) prior to this which was pretty nice so in a nutshell this is how they stack up:
UI: Tie
IOS: Nice transitions, notification menu and one you can pull up from the bottom but no live tiles. Not hard to use, don't know why some people complained about that.
WP: Live tiles are gorgeous and bring the phone to life. But the notification center isn't as good as the one in IOS and they don't have the bottom swipe up UI for additional shortcuts. Plus IOS's notification center just looks and works better.
Build Quality 1520 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Tie
1520: Made of plastic but very durable and is unibody. The screen also has soft edges (something Apple seemed to have copied) so swiping feels great. It is also heavier and thicker than the iPhone (by quite a bit) and can cause one handed fatigue.
iPhone 6 Plus: Unibody aluminum, same soft edges on the screen. Without a case, it does feel slippery (just like the 1520) but a bit too thin. Apple should have engineered it a few mm thicker and reinforced it with magnesium like other phones do. I suspect iPhone 6S Plus will address this. With a case on, the Phone feels great for one handed use (I have big hands) and it also reinforces the durability.
Speakers: Nokia 1520
Both have great speakers (although mono) and sound great at full blast but overall I think the 1520 sounds a bit better. That could be because it's larger in size though I'd have to check the specs of their speakers to truly know but in person the iPhone doesn't sound quite as good.
Apps: iPhone by a landslide
This is what got me to switch back to iOS. MS is failing to address the lack of official apps for WP and many times they've released MS apps on IOS/Android before WP which does not instill consumer confidence in Windows Phone. If the developer is putting apps on competing platforms first, then why should anyone stick around with WP and deal with IOS/Android's breadcrumbs? This is the fundamental flaw of Windows Phone and will likely cause MS to outright abandon it. Their Nokia purchase won't change anything and will probably be sold off to someone else eventually.
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So who here has one and how do you like it so far? I got mine yesterday in the mail and paid $100 too much for it because it was out of stock everywhere. Then it turns out I go to the Apple store here today and they had ONE in stock, the same model I bought..fml. Anyway, I bought the overpriced Apple psuedoleather case for it because it has a nice grip and looks good too. My phone's the 64 gb space gray one on IOS 8.0.2 and so far it's pretty nice. Installed Swype, something iPhone FINALLY got and other apps that I need for work and studying. I had a Windows Phone (Nokia 1520) prior to this which was pretty nice so in a nutshell this is how they stack up:
UI: Tie
IOS: Nice transitions, notification menu and one you can pull up from the bottom but no live tiles. Not hard to use, don't know why some people complained about that.
WP: Live tiles are gorgeous and bring the phone to life. But the notification center isn't as good as the one in IOS and they don't have the bottom swipe up UI for additional shortcuts. Plus IOS's notification center just looks and works better.
Build Quality 1520 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Tie
1520: Made of plastic but very durable and is unibody. The screen also has soft edges (something Apple seemed to have copied) so swiping feels great. It is also heavier and thicker than the iPhone (by quite a bit) and can cause one handed fatigue.
iPhone 6 Plus: Unibody aluminum, same soft edges on the screen. Without a case, it does feel slippery (just like the 1520) but a bit too thin. Apple should have engineered it a few mm thicker and reinforced it with magnesium like other phones do. I suspect iPhone 6S Plus will address this. With a case on, the Phone feels great for one handed use (I have big hands) and it also reinforces the durability.
Speakers: Nokia 1520
Both have great speakers (although mono) and sound great at full blast but overall I think the 1520 sounds a bit better. That could be because it's larger in size though I'd have to check the specs of their speakers to truly know but in person the iPhone doesn't sound quite as good.
Apps: iPhone by a landslide
This is what got me to switch back to iOS. MS is failing to address the lack of official apps for WP and many times they've released MS apps on IOS/Android before WP which does not instill consumer confidence in Windows Phone. If the developer is putting apps on competing platforms first, then why should anyone stick around with WP and deal with IOS/Android's breadcrumbs? This is the fundamental flaw of Windows Phone and will likely cause MS to outright abandon it. Their Nokia purchase won't change anything and will probably be sold off to someone else eventually.