(Spoiler: I've answered my own question. Your mileage may vary.)
I've been a happy owner and user of the 920 as soon as I could get out from under my 900 contract with AT&T. Great phone. Contrary to everybody in the world, I really appreciated the heft and solid feel of the phone.
Preaching to the choir, but after the 920, the Lumia flagships forked. There was the 1020 with an awesome camera strapped to a phone that could almost keep up. There's the 1520, merging phone and tabletop.
There were a few iterations with the 925 and 928, and of course the 930/Icon if you were on the right network.
Like many, I've been struggling with where to go next. Really, by staying with AT&T, I figure I had three options:
1. Move to the 1520 and get to know and love the word "phablet".
2. Move to the One M8 for Windows and decide if HTC deserves a second change.
3. Stick it out until Windows 10, when surely we'll see another flagship-level Lumia.
I just couldn't get over the size of the 1520, although on spec it's a great phone with a lot of life left in it. I know folks who have it and love it, and I don't know anybody who has one and regrets it. And, of course, there's Denim and Windows 10 to look forward to.
I considered waiting it out for Windows 10 - I mean, Lumia is essentially the premi?re device line for Windows Phone - but that could be mid-next year if we're optimistic. More to the point, my wife looked at me and said "I can't hear you when you're on your phone. You cut in and out." So, time to decommission the L920.
So, two days ago, I moved to the One M8. I couldn't be happier. Phone feels great, looks great. Super responsive - the L920 wasn't shabby at all, but this is definitely zippier. HTC Advantage should (proof is in the pudding...) keep me current for my time with the phone. And while it looks like I'll miss out on Denim's "Hey, Cortana", I suppose I can live with that.
The biggest drawback I've read about the One M8 is the camera. I'm not going to tell you it's on par with the 1020, say, but I've been impressed. I'm getting good pictures, and HTC's proprietary apps do a number of cool things. The duo lens thing is surprisingly fun to use.
My point in all this really is to say: There's been a lot of thrashing about on the fact that we don't have a new Lumia flagship phone yet, and won't for the near future. The current flagships above might not be on the cutting-edge processor/tech for a phone. But, I don't see how either option is a bad one. Both the 1520 and One M8 have a lot of life in them. Windows 10 will come, and I'm feeling no risk that it won't come to either phone. If you like either option, take the plunge! This isn't the Android world where you need bleeding edge just to keep up. This isn't iPhone, where you have one choice for the latest phone, take it or leave it. We've got a solid system that runs exceptionally well on a variety of hardware.
(Disclaimer - I bought the phone on AT&T's Next 12 plan. So, maybe my risk is more limited than a two-year contract. I still stand by what I say.)
I've been a happy owner and user of the 920 as soon as I could get out from under my 900 contract with AT&T. Great phone. Contrary to everybody in the world, I really appreciated the heft and solid feel of the phone.
Preaching to the choir, but after the 920, the Lumia flagships forked. There was the 1020 with an awesome camera strapped to a phone that could almost keep up. There's the 1520, merging phone and tabletop.
There were a few iterations with the 925 and 928, and of course the 930/Icon if you were on the right network.Like many, I've been struggling with where to go next. Really, by staying with AT&T, I figure I had three options:
1. Move to the 1520 and get to know and love the word "phablet".
2. Move to the One M8 for Windows and decide if HTC deserves a second change.
3. Stick it out until Windows 10, when surely we'll see another flagship-level Lumia.
I just couldn't get over the size of the 1520, although on spec it's a great phone with a lot of life left in it. I know folks who have it and love it, and I don't know anybody who has one and regrets it. And, of course, there's Denim and Windows 10 to look forward to.
I considered waiting it out for Windows 10 - I mean, Lumia is essentially the premi?re device line for Windows Phone - but that could be mid-next year if we're optimistic. More to the point, my wife looked at me and said "I can't hear you when you're on your phone. You cut in and out." So, time to decommission the L920.
So, two days ago, I moved to the One M8. I couldn't be happier. Phone feels great, looks great. Super responsive - the L920 wasn't shabby at all, but this is definitely zippier. HTC Advantage should (proof is in the pudding...) keep me current for my time with the phone. And while it looks like I'll miss out on Denim's "Hey, Cortana", I suppose I can live with that.
The biggest drawback I've read about the One M8 is the camera. I'm not going to tell you it's on par with the 1020, say, but I've been impressed. I'm getting good pictures, and HTC's proprietary apps do a number of cool things. The duo lens thing is surprisingly fun to use.
My point in all this really is to say: There's been a lot of thrashing about on the fact that we don't have a new Lumia flagship phone yet, and won't for the near future. The current flagships above might not be on the cutting-edge processor/tech for a phone. But, I don't see how either option is a bad one. Both the 1520 and One M8 have a lot of life in them. Windows 10 will come, and I'm feeling no risk that it won't come to either phone. If you like either option, take the plunge! This isn't the Android world where you need bleeding edge just to keep up. This isn't iPhone, where you have one choice for the latest phone, take it or leave it. We've got a solid system that runs exceptionally well on a variety of hardware.
(Disclaimer - I bought the phone on AT&T's Next 12 plan. So, maybe my risk is more limited than a two-year contract. I still stand by what I say.)
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