Has the 920s moment passed?

[danwc]

Has the 920s moment passedI've been with WP from the beginning with first a Samsung Focus and then a Lumia 900, which is feeling increasingly long in the tooth. Little things like a browser that doesn't work to well, a camera that is still basically crap, have me looking to upgrade. My account is due for one, but at this point I wonder if it is has been too long since the 920s release to burn an upgrade on? And I wonder if wp8 is enough of an improvement over wp7.8? The HTC One is an intriguing handset; I wonder if it has more life in it than the 920? I've jumped ship after my first 900 for about a month with the One X, but quickly came back. I guess I'm a restless phone addict, who tires of the wp shortcomings, but in the end can't bear to leave. Is the 920 enough of an improvement fm the 900 or should I wait for whatever nokia has next?

 

[rmichael75]

wait for EOS. You already waited 6 months. Wait and see what is next. Too many new about EOS and solar charging etc. worth waiting I believe. I myself though am getting a 720.

 

[Jimmy Cooper]

I see it a hell of an improvement from windows phone 7 also with blue coming soon its going to be sooo good

 

[SahilShah]

They say new phones might come in the summer...I suggest waiting for rumors to arrive, so in about a month or two..

 

[iloveamystery]

Well, the One is newer, so it will be in the media spotlight longer than the 920 at this point. Nokia should have a successor available this summer, so maybe you can wait until then.

I love my 920. I upgraded from the 900 a week ago, and I'll tell you that the 920 has much nicer hardware than the 900 (I say that since that appears to be what you're using now). Any WP8 device will be fairly future proof. They're supposed to be updated for 18 months after launch. And even if some 2GB RAM phones get announced soon, I wouldn't foresee any apps requiring that and not running on the 920.

It sounds like you'd like to have the latest phone, so you might be happier waiting a bit. The 920 is a great phone, and even if another phone comes out that's marginally better, it will still be a great phone. Maybe you should keep in mind that a 920 variant is coming out soon on Verizon, which is supposed to be very similar, so no, I don't think the 920's moment has passed.

 

[izik770]

i like mine. i don't think at all is time passed

 

[Jonnny4]

If you pay attention they have recently leaked 2 devices that will be on AT&T in the near future so there might be a replacement sooner than you think but no I don't think it's time has passed because it still has some very top of the line features that other phones can't touch.

 

[Andyshine77]

All a can say is my 900 was bulletproof, both of my 920's have been a real disappointment. The only thing I like on the 920 better than the 900 is the camera, and sometimes even that is iffy. I know the 920 has better resolution, but the AMOLED display on the 900 is sharper. I also feel the 920 is not as solid as the 900, it has more flex and a large seam around the glass that collects dust like crazy. I also see little speed difference between the two. The 900 is overall a better device IMHO. Newer isn't always better. Sometimes people jump on the bandwagon, spend money on the latest and greatest, just to find out it's not. Because of this many end up convince themselves what they have is better, because admitting it's not, is admitting they made a mistake.

My .02

 

[zyran]

If I were you, I'd wait. I do own the 920.

 

[montsa007]

The worst thing about HTC One is "It does not have an expandable memory card slot", its important for me as i have 50GB+ Data to load on to the phone. Yeah I know i know you have cloud and thunder syncing options, but hey those stuffs either eat your battery or burn a hole in your wallet with the data plan volumes soaring through the sky.

 

[x I'm tc]

I upgraded to the L920 from an Arrive on Sprint and must admit that while I do, overall, like my phone, I am still kind of disappointed. With the exception of better hardware support, Windows Phone 8 doesn't actually improve on Windows Phone 7 in any significant way. There's still no notification center, the email client is still very frustrating, there's no separate volume controls, no backup for game saves, etc. It is also much less stable than Windows Phone 7, and some of the crashes are "catasrophic." I've had two 920s and both have had the "gears of death" force me to completely re-flash them. Battery life is also unpredictable: brilliant one day and atrocious the next, and I can't figure out why. And there is a serious problem with dust getting under the front facing camera and proximity sensor. The much-vaunted rear camera is great in low light, but for the other 90% of pictures you will probably take, it is actually pretty bad. In fact, I don't notice it being all that much better than the one in my Arrive in good light, and in really bright light, where any camera should take descent shots, my old Arrive's pictures actually look better. Recent attempts to fix these issues via new firmware have made improvements in some areas but made other issues much worse, and introduced significant connection problems. I hope Nokia/AT&T resolve these quickly, but you never know...

That said, it is a gorgeous piece of hardware and built like a tank. Overall, I definitely feel like I upgraded, but the upgrade was slight. Some of the major shortcomings are probably software that will get better with "Blue," but I think some of the issues are simply due to poor internals.

In short, I agree with some of the other posters: wait or go elsewhere.

 

[johninsj]

should I wait for whatever nokia has next?

Nearly 6 months after release. At this point you're halfway through the 1 year lifespan of the phone. If you can wait 6 months, wait. If not, don't. Honestly though, phones are on 1 year release cycles.

 

[uselessrobot]

The moment is passing for the Lumia 920, not because of shortcomings of the phone, but because the smartphone market is constantly saturated with new phones. They're all vying for attention, but of course it's the latest and greatest that enjoys all the fanfare.

It doesn't help that the American retail model sucks. They've got a one track mind, fixated on instantly recognizable names at the expense of quality and options. They're quick to ignore anything they don't understand. It's helped Samsung establish it's position. So regardless of how good the HTC One is, the Galaxy S4 will steal all it's thunder once it's released.

Companies shoot their own feet by dropping hints about the next gen model shortly after the current one has been released. That and they muddy the waters by releasing custom variants for everywhere carrier. One of the reasons the iPhone is able to dominate the consumer mindset so effectively is because it's, at most, one phone a year and there's an embargo on details regarding the next phone right up to the moment you can actually buy it. They don't do this crap where they spill all the details about a new model months before anyone can buy it, so that buy the time it is available it's already old news. They've got the one model for everyone which instills a sense of stability and confidence.

The point is that it comes down to public perception, and not much more than that.

 

[Daylife]

I say go for the galaxy s4, the HTC one or wait for the next windows phone
Sent from my Nokia Lumia 920 using Board Express

 

[Thargoid]

If you wait for the next great thing, or the next upgraded version of your current phone, you'll find yourself waiting forever, because there is always a "new thing" around the corner.

Basically if you're happy with your current phone, keep it.
If you want the best, change to or buy to the best in the first place.

Personally I try to spend as much as I realistically can on my phone, then keep it for a few years. Right now Im waiting on the "bendy phone"

 

[danwc]

The much-vaunted rear camera is great in low light, but for the other 90% of pictures you will probably take, it is actually pretty bad. In fact, I don't notice it being all that much better than the one in my Arrive in good light, and in really bright light, where any camera should take descent shots, my old Arrive's pictures actually look better.

This is one of my concerns. I upgraded from my Focus to the 900 in part because of the promise of the supposedly great and superior Carl Zeiss optics, only to be incredibly disappointed by the 900s camera performance--to the point where I pretty much don't bother taking pictures anymore. Hearing that aside from low-light pictures you find the camera performance lacking makes it sound like the 900 camera with added superior low-light capabilities--in short, not exactly what I'm hoping for.

I usually like to get about a year out of my phone. The 900 has been a passable one. It's build quality has been phenomenal. Several good drops, and all it has to show for it are slightly squashed corners. And I've been impressed by Nokia's efforts with apps and building ut the ecosystem. But I feel increasingly like I'm missing out with the phone. Pictures are so poor I let many opportunities for good photos of the kids just go by, because so often the captured images just don't cut it.

The app situation seems like it may just be starting to get better, as the OS inches it's way slowly upwards in adoption, but consistently being consigned to third-party apps and workarounds gets old 3 years in. I know it would be slightly better on WP8 than 7.8, but not sure better enough, soon enough. I also really was hoping for tighter integration and tie-ins between windows 8 and WP. From what I read and see (not having WP8, I can't really experience) is that MS actually broke some things that were working fairly well with XBOX Music and WP. And RT and the tablets didn't live up to my expectations, either. So as far as hoping for a convergence of desired features into one ecosystem, that didn;t happen, or hasn't happened yet.

That said, I really do appreciate the design touches and consistency of WP. I like the start screen/live tile experience. As I mentioned in my last post, I did about a month of Android last year when the One X came out, and found myself missing WP too much so sold it and bought another 900 then. History likes to repeat itself, I guess. I'm just trying to weigh all the issues prior to making a move, or deciding to stay put.

 

[Gambit11B]

Nearly 6 months after release. At this point you're halfway through the 1 year lifespan of the phone. If you can wait 6 months, wait. If not, don't. Honestly though, phones are on 1 year release cycles.

Which is funny considering we're all on 2 year agreements..... :wink:

 

[unstoppablekem]

I suggest waiting.

You can always get the 920 and return it on the last day and pay a restocking fee. It will be torture to go back to a WP7 phone though.

 

[danwc]

Which is funny considering we're all on 2 year agreements.....

There are a variety of strategies you can use, however. With a family account at least, we've staggered upgrade dates, and have actually made out fairly well with upgrades. For example last year, I got that One X that I was talking about, was able to sell it for around 550 and then buy the lumia 900 used for 325, and actually pocketed some money.

 

[vlad0]

The HTC One is an intriguing handset; I wonder if it has more life in it than the 920?

The One is as "feature proof" as you can get at the moment... aside from the LED flash (xenon would bee times better), and maybe the 600 snap processor (should have been 800), and of course the proportionally small battery (1080p phones should be based on 3500 mah+ batteries).. I don't see another smartphone that can carry you feeling like you are not left behind for longer.

The 920 has a unique design, OIS works very well for video, and it has couple of tricks.. but, at least for me, I don't see anything significant.

Now, there is the question of the OS... I wouldn't touch Android. Its borderline spyware, a platform used by Google to distribute its advertising. On top of that, the system itself is anything but elegant.. VM, java, etc. Eww. I would much rather support a Software company (Microsoft), than a advertising one (google).

And then.. there is Nokia despite everything, some of their core values are still there.

So.. it depends what's important for you.

In short, I would wait for EOS or EOS2. We are too close to a big spec jump for you to invest into the 920. The 900/920 were "stop gap" projects. The EOS should be a more complete machine overall, especially around the camera department.. which at this point seems to be the only meaningful differentiator.