Suggestion for buying a device for long term use

[sam17ub]

Hi, this is my first post here at wpcentral. I have been reading the front page articles for six months. I have always loved the looks and the features of WP7. With the release of Mango update and new devices, especially from Nokia, my interest in buying a WP device has grown a lot.

I have never owned a smartphone and am currently using a Nokia feature phone. I want to buy a WP device as my first smartphone. However, I want to choose wisely because I really can't afford to buy a new device every year or so. I want to use the phone for at least 2/3 years. I know how quickly the smartphone industry is evolving. But I want to buy a phone which will be somewhat relevant even in 2 years' time.

So which WP device will you guys recommend? I really like the looks of Lumia 800, but am somewhat worried about the lack of FFC and screen size. Although I don't ever use video chat. Focus S and HTC Titan also look pretty good. Or should I wait for high end WP8 devices to appear next year?

Any advice will be much appreciated.

 

[threed61]

If you live in the US, your choices depend on what network you are on.

 

[jdevenberg]

If you can hold off until early next year, I would wait to see what else Nokia comes out with and if other manufacturers up their games. I have to switch carriers so what me and my wife are doing is buying cheap phones (less than 100) off contract so we will have upgrades available when a device comes out we feel is worth a two year commitment. We are probably going to go with some Samsung Focus or HTC Surrounds off of craigslist.

 

[sam17ub]

If you live in the US, your choices depend on what network you are on.

No, I don't live in the US or any other developed country for that matter. So, we have to buy carrier-unlocked devices. They cost a lot. For example, iPhone 4 costs US $900, while WP devices cost around US $600.

If you can hold off until early next year, I would wait to see what else Nokia comes out with and if other manufacturers up their games. I have to switch carriers so what me and my wife are doing is buying cheap phones (less than 100) off contract so we will have upgrades available when a device comes out we feel is worth a two year commitment. We are probably going to go with some Samsung Focus or HTC Surrounds off of craigslist.

As I mentioned, we don't have the option to buy cheap phones off contracts. That's why I have been holding back for Mango and Nokia. But now it seems I have to wait until Apollo and high-end Nokia. I wonder if this situation will go on and on!

Problem is all the WP Mango screenshots, videos, reviews and articles are making me drool!

Thanks to both of you for the suggestions by the way.

 

[threed61]

If durability is important, Nokia is renowned for it, and HTC has also been pretty good. If your current phone is working for you, I'd wait for Nokia's next releases. Welcome to the forum, and best of luck in your search!

 

[sam17ub]

If durability is important, Nokia is renowned for it, and HTC has also been pretty good. If your current phone is working for you, I'd wait for Nokia's next releases. Welcome to the forum, and best of luck in your search!

Hardware durability is probably not that big a concern. I'm sure any of the WP7 smartphones will be durable for 2/3 years hardware-wise. I'm more concerned if the specifications of current generation devices are good enough to upgrade to WP8 when it is released. I haven't heard so far anything regarding whether it will be possible to update these devices to WP8.

 

[baseballbert]

Do you have access to eBay? The Samsung Focus is a great first WP phone, and can be expanded to 40gb.

Mangos taste better than apples!

 

[Mike-Mike]

Do you have access to eBay? The Samsung Focus is a great first WP phone, and can be expanded to 40gb.

Mangos taste better than apples!

yeah, I was getting ready to recommend eBay

 

[palandri]

Do you have access to eBay? The Samsung Focus is a great first WP phone, and can be expanded to 40gb.

Mangos taste better than apples!

+1

Also Amazon.

 

[jimski]

You won't know about backward compatibility till WP8s arrive. But by then they will be talking WP9. Wait and see what Nokia does in Q1-2012 if you choose, but then just get a phone. Waiting forever for the next best thing is silly. How old is your feature phone? You can still tolerate it, right.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[palandri]

You won't know about backward compatibility till WP8s arrive. But by then they will be talking WP9. Wait and see what Nokia does in Q1-2012 if you choose, but then just get a phone. Waiting forever for the next best thing is silly. How old is your feature phone? You can still tolerate it, right.

+1

I have to agree with jimski. Waiting on the next best thing is silly and will go on forever. Technology moves fast. Whatever is the latest and greatest today, won't be the latest and greatest 6 months from now.

 

[aubreyq]

I agree with the comments about waiting for the next thing will keep you indefinitely waiting, however sam17ub, since you seem to have an interest in WP8, you can wait until the next Mobile World Congress (February 2012, I believe) to see if Microsoft has anything to say about it. At that point you would hopefully be able to decide to jump on WP7 or wait until later in the year. But again, don't wait forever, LOL!

BTW, if I were to get a phone today, I'd go with the Titan or the Focus S ;-)

 

[HeyCori]

Living in Bangladesh, I see. I'd skip the competition and go straight for the Lumia 800. Despite not having a FFC it's still a great phone with a sturdy chassis. However, I'd say the biggest reason to go with the Lumia 800 is because Nokia's apps (Nokia Drive, Music, etc.) are superior to what other OEMs offer and will be far more useful in Bangladesh than say what you can get in the HTC Hub. Furthermore, if you're buying off contract you can save a few bucks going with the Lumia 800 vs the Titan or Focus S.

 

[desmonium]

I agree with the comments about waiting for the next thing will keep you indefinitely waiting, however sam17ub, since you seem to have an interest in WP8, you can wait until the next Mobile World Congress (February 2012, I believe) to see if Microsoft has anything to say about it. At that point you would hopefully be able to decide to jump on WP7 or wait until later in the year. But again, don't wait forever, LOL!

BTW, if I were to get a phone today, I'd go with the Titan or the Focus S ;-)

It's true that you can't keep waiting forever... but how about getting the best thing for a specific time period

I am thinking that getting the iPhone 4S through the next year and then switching to any Nokia WP will be pretty sweet. For the next year, enjoy iOS's grand app selections, then back to WP and enjoy the full-fledged creativity. =P

 

[sam17ub]

OK, guys lots of thanks for all the suggestions. It's great to get so much feedback so quickly.

So, I have decided to wait until MIX 2012, when hopefully the future of WP will become more clear. If I find that I will be able to upgrade to WP8 from current gen devices and, unless some extremely cool new Nokia device is announced I'm gonna go withLumia 800 -- because the price will also probably drop a bit compared to now.

 

[aubreyq]

Waiting for MIX is a great idea as it's for developers and lots of info is revealed.

Sent from my Samsung Focus using Board Express

 

[power5]

If you have the cash and really want a smartphone for the next 6 months, pick up a 4S. It will be worth the same price in 6 months as it is now. iPhones are some of the most refined devices. Lots of apps. In your phone lifetime expectancy of 2 years the iphone has gone from 3gs to 4S. Take a look at wikipedia to see how significant that increase has been. 3GS running the latest iOS is painful. Just like my 3G running iOS 4 is painful. 2 Years is the end of life for most phones. The industry is just moving way way way too fast to expect anything to last longer than that. I am giving my 3g to my 3 and 4 year old daughters as a toy. I am not scared of buying a mango phone. I have no fear that win8 will run on the hardware just fine. It supposedly has lower requirements than win7. I was waiting for apple to announce the new iphone in june. That got pushed back to september. I wasted 3 months and will not even be getting a 4S. You can wait for the next but you will probably think the next is not quite advanced enough either and decide you can hold out just a little bit longer for the next. Just live. Get something you want now if you can. Never know what the next 2 years holds either. You may land a great job. Then you wasted time waiting for nothing.

 

[lumic]

Even if those above you are telling you that Windows Phone doesn't need good hardware, make no mistake - Microsoft is bringing dual-core next year. This year's refresh is largely a software update, next year should be big on both software and hardware.

If you can wait, please do (or purchase something you can do with for a year). I personally guarantee that Apollo handsets will absolutely dominate the current line-up.

 

[power5]

Even if those above you are telling you that Windows Phone doesn't need good hardware, make no mistake - Microsoft is bringing dual-core next year. This year's refresh is largely a software update, next year should be big on both software and hardware.

If you can wait, please do (or purchase something you can do with for a year). I personally guarantee that Apollo handsets will absolutely dominate the current line-up.

Wow, do you have a crystal ball? Devices introduced 1 year from now will dominate devices that are currently on the market? Some tech writer needs to make an article or blog post on this finding.

Just giving you a hard time captain obvious.

 

[lumic]

Wow, do you have a crystal ball? Devices introduced 1 year from now will dominate devices that are currently on the market? Some tech writer needs to make an article or blog post on this finding.

Just giving you a hard time captain obvious.

No, the problem is that Mango devices do NOT dominate current devices. There's seriously very little that will compel someone to upgrade over a current device. In comparison, I believe that Mango device owners will be considering Apollo devices once they hit.

Seriously - if you asked me whether I wanted the Lumia 800 for $600, or the Focus for something like $300 - why would I take the Lumia?