State of the 830 ATT

[wasabiman123]

So what's some of your peoples opinions on the 830 right now, especially versus its closest competitor the 640 XL.
Friend's Lumia 1020 on ATT is still covered under MS Complete for a few more weeks, it's acted up and is kinda beat up, camera has yellow tint issues and is really slow, think it's taken some damage from too many falls too. Going to go into a store with him next week and get them to use the last of the 2 replacements under the warranty, wondering if I they give him options for ATT phones what I should get him to go for. I don't think the HTC M8 is a good option tbh, in the case they offered it to him.

 

[RumoredNow]

With Win 10 Mo incoming... The best choice is a Factory Unlocked phone.

Which phones will AT&T allow to get 10? No one knows... I'd bet 640 XL will and 830 won't, but I could be completely wrong.

 

[Dirigent82]

I had the 1020 previously. I got the 830 when the power button was nearly broken on my 1020.

I've been happy with the 830 and think it's been an upgrade in most aspects from the 1020, except the camera of course. But the camera on the 830 isn't bad by any means. I like the feel of the 830 much better than the 1020. It's much lighter! The screen looks better in my opinion. Earpiece volume and clarity is also better. Now, the 830 does not have full Denim. It's unclear what the status of it is. If that's important to your friend, then the 830 might not be best.

I have not used the 640XL, only played with one in a Microsoft store. I personally didn't like the feel of it and thought it felt cheap. It's big, but it seemed awkward. I'd rather handle a 1520 if I was going to get a phablet.

I got the 830 mostly as a stop-gap until the new devices come out. For that purpose, it's great. But it's also an all-around good phone in my opinion.

 

[wasabiman123]

I like the sound of your experience with the 830 Dirigent, it is in a sense going to be a transitional device as my friend is getting the next iPhone (unfortunately he legitimately needs access to many apps only on iOS :/), and that's anywhere from 3-6 months.
I'm just concerned with the 830 being significantly less stable than the 640 XL mostly.
How's the battery life of the 830? Especially while using HERE Drive+ for navigation, the 1020 dies relatively quickly doing that, and gets very hot as all S4 snapdragon windows phones do under load.

 

[bo_woods]

I agree with Dirigent82... The 640 XL doesn't have that premium feel & design the 830 does... The 830 looks and feels like a flagship (probably because it is a flagship, just an affordable one), while the 640 XL doesn't...

Also the 640 xl display doesn't seem as nice to me as the 830... It could be because the 640 XL display isn't as curved (I don't think the 640xl display is curved at all actually) as the 830 display, or it could be due to the much lower ppi on the 640 XL...

But at the end of the day, the 640 XL isn't gonna fool anyone (with adequate experience/knowledge of smartphones) into thinking it is up there with the premium kings, while the 830 can easily be mistaken for a Flagship device not meant to be affordable...

The things that make the 830 an "affordable flagship" instead of a flagship are really the things that you find out under the hood... The 830 alongside the 1520 imo are the best designed/looking Lumia Devices to date...
this opinion of mine would be different if the McLaren had been released lol that thing in the leaks was beautiful... More beautiful than the iPhone imo... The 830 & 1520 are close though, to being more beautiful than the iPhone imo

 

[WanderingTraveler]

How's the battery life of the 830? Especially while using HERE Drive+ for navigation, the 1020 dies relatively quickly doing that, and gets very hot as all S4 snapdragon windows phones do under load.

It has a 2200 mAh battery, so it should do better than a 1020 despite the slightly larger screen.

If battery life is your chief concern, it may be best to head for the 640 XL instead. If I am correct, its battery life should be close to that of the 1520 or the 1320, which have fantastic battery lives.

 

[ThaKrazyOne]

I got the 830 for Father's Day and I absolutely love it. Coming from using both the 920 for a year and the 1020 for over 3 months before it was stolen, I can say the 830 is a nice step up from both phones, with the exception of the camera and extra RAM on the 1020. While I do miss those other 2 phones, I am OK with the 830 as I got it on the Next program and was still able to scoop one up with the FitBit promo. If you need a phone to hold over, I suggest the 830 over the 640XL. Size does not matter on this one. Just because they both have the same guts inside doesn't mean they will run the same. The 830 has PureView OIS while the XL does not. The build quality alone is also a dead giveaway. Dolby Audio on the 830. I can go on but at the end of the day it's all about preference. Quantity or Quality.

 

[Dirigent82]

How's the battery life of the 830? Especially while using HERE Drive+ for navigation, the 1020 dies relatively quickly doing that, and gets very hot as all S4 snapdragon windows phones do under load.

Others have chimed in about the virtues of the 830, and I agree with them.

It's rare that I use Here Drive+ Navigation and not have it plugged in. Any GPS intensive app like that will drain the battery fast. But I've been happy with the overall battery life of the 830. It seems more stable and consistent than my 1020 was.

 

[xandros9]

How's the battery life of the 830? Especially while using HERE Drive+ for navigation, the 1020 dies relatively quickly doing that, and gets very hot as all S4 snapdragon windows phones do under load.

Much much better than my 920, which is comparable to the 1020.
It's a lot cooler and efficient.

 

[LaVike]

If I were to get a new phone knowing what I know now, I WOULD NOT GET AN ATT BRANDED 830! Especially if you are using Bluetooth and/or bouncing between wifi locations.

The Bluetooth implementation on the 830 is just a disaster if you use hands-free in your car, turn-by-turn directions or connect with the MS Band, you'll have problems.

Go carrier unlocked! Don't get the ATT branded one. I'll be very surprised if I ever get updated. The 640 has a much better chance of getting updated because it is coming out as W10 is being talked about.

The 830 might feel like a premium device but if it is an ATT 830, it performs terribly.

 

[ashram]

If I were to get a new phone knowing what I know now, I WOULD NOT GET AN ATT BRANDED 830! Especially if you are using Bluetooth and/or bouncing between wifi locations.

The Bluetooth implementation on the 830 is just a disaster if you use hands-free in your car, turn-by-turn directions or connect with the MS Band, you'll have problems.

Surprisingly, out of 3 lumias (900, 920, 830) the 830 works best hands free in my car.

As for wifi, i seemed to have my 1st issue this morning... but a reboot sorted it out.

I just got the 830 since my 920 is near death (shattered screen, low battery life, something loose on the inside after its screen shattering fall) and picked up the at&t version new/cheap/off contract. granted, this whole at&t sitting on the firmware update is frustrating.

 

[LaVike]

Ashram,
Is yours an ATT branded 830 or a carrier unlocked 830 from MS?

 

[ashram]

at&t branded as mentioned " picked up the at&t version new/cheap/off contract"

 

[poit57]

The Bluetooth implementation on the 830 is just a disaster if you use hands-free in your car, turn-by-turn directions or connect with the MS Band, you'll have problems.

What problems are there connecting the Band? The only issue I've noticed is that occasionally I have to power cycle before the synchronization will complete. This only happens once every few weeks, and I experienced the same thing with the Lumia 920 that I had previously.

There are some other issues that I could nitpick, but the GPS, which I use quite often, is much more reliable than it was on the 920. My biggest issue is the annoyance that AT&T is holding back the full firmware update, but mostly for the principle of the matter, not the actual need of any of the improvements.

 

[LaVike]

P57,
Here are JUST 830-MS Band issues (and I'm on my 3rd Band because of the rubber bubbling off on this inside but that's an issue for another day):
-Band says it's connected but the phone doesn't see it.
-The phone says it's connected but the band doesn't see it.

As far as other issues:
-When in my car and connected via BT to my stereo and Here+ makes a directions announcement, the first 3-5 seconds are cut off.
-When in handsfree mode and I pick up with my steering wheel button, the phone will answer but it won't come over Bluetooth and then I'll have to go into NON-handsfree mode.
-When in hands free mode, get a call and I pick up with my steering wheel button, neither the handsfree or non-handsfree mode works.

Of course this could all be an issue with how I use the phone because I don't turn it off every hour before the 830 starts getting confused again. Maybe they should put that on the operating instructions, "Please power cycle your affordable flagship every 58.75 minutes to make sure that it can maintain wifi and Bluetooth connectivity!"

 

[ashram]

can't say anything about issues with the band, as I don't have one, but as for the car, I can.

Not all bluetooth devices work the same, and cars are notorious for having some of the crappiest BT implementations. Both OEM and aftermarket.

Example: for my Alpine deck, I have to update the BT module with a european firmware to get my contacts to sync. This was an issue I only had with Nokia Lumias. My HTC titan (and various other Windows and Android phones) didn't have this issue. My 920 would sometimes not connect to the car's BT, so I'd miss a call or text.

Now the only time I miss anything is if I forget to raise the volume on the 830 after it connects as well as the volume on the bt settings on my stereo.... or it's too hard to hear.

 

[gordonfink]

If I were to get a new phone knowing what I know now, I WOULD NOT GET AN ATT BRANDED 830! Especially if you are using Bluetooth and/or bouncing between wifi locations.

The Bluetooth implementation on the 830 is just a disaster if you use hands-free in your car, turn-by-turn directions or connect with the MS Band, you'll have problems.

Go carrier unlocked! Don't get the ATT branded one. I'll be very surprised if I ever get updated. The 640 has a much better chance of getting updated because it is coming out as W10 is being talked about.

The 830 might feel like a premium device but if it is an ATT 830, it performs terribly.

I don't have an MS Band, so I can't speak to that. I don't have any of those other issues you mention.

 

[Derausgewanderte]

L830 and MS Band. No issues at all.
Never buy ATT again. Got insulted enough on Twitter....

 

[JaiHaack]

I can verify that my 830 has Bluetooth issues as well. Connectivity problems, Lockups, and reboots. This is my 2nd device from ATT.

 

[mrvmrv]

I also have 830 AT&T, absolutely no problems with Bluetooth in the car, use it all the time.