Nokia Lumia 900 vs Samsung Focus S

RiseAgainst94

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I'm looking to buy a new Windows Phone within the next month (given that the 900 is out by then) and i was wondering which device you all think is a better choice. The only thing holding me back from going with the Lumia 900 are the mixed camera results from the Lumia 800 and a personal preference to the slim, lightweight design of the Focus S. The Focus S has gotten good reviews from almost everybody and doesn't necessarily misstep in any direction. With that being said it also doesn't push any extraordinary boundaries.
Here is a quick rundown of my pros and cons with the two devices. I'd appreciate any input as to which I should buy.

Nokia Lumia 900
Pros: Good design with no interruptions, Great Nokia apps, LTE, great screen, well prices (pending), good support, good call quality, excellent performance
Cons: Camera, Bulky, (maybe battery w/ LTE)

Samsung Focus S
Pros: Friendly design with large bright capacitive buttons, lightweight, slim, rounded design (preference), Super AMOLED plus display, great camera, good call quality, excellent performance,
Cons: Cheap feeling design, No LTE, audio complains, few accessories

Any thoughts? Did I miss anything?
 

coffeemike

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Welcome!

I'd say you're about right. I bought a Focus S a few weeks ago. Love the phone, for all the reasons you've put in the pros. However, I don't find the design feels particularly cheap; it sounds silly, but the texturing on the back gives me a better feeling than a cheap one.

That said, I'll be returning this to AT&T and waiting (ANXIOUSLY! can we have a date, already?) for the 900. Why? I held an 800, and I want something a little thicker and bulkier, to be honest. The Focus S is astonishingly thin and light. That's nice, but not what I want long-term. Since I'm within a return window (less restocking fee), that's my plan.

While the Focus S may not be the most inspiring of phones (elsewhere on here Samsung's design department is called to task for cut'n'paste designs), it is a really solid performer, current gen specs, et cetera.

My two cents,
Mike
 

RiseAgainst94

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Thank you for the insight! That was very helpful. I too consider the Lumia 900 as a better contender for not "losing it's luster" within the next two years. Now I can only hope that the camera update is substantial and that the phone itself is not too bulky. Whatever my choice, I'll mourn not being able to buy one, but be more than content with the one I do choose.

By chance, are there any other issues you have with the Focus S that I hadn't mentioned? Or cons I mentioned that aren't true? Thanks
 
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Timeslicing

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I have the Samsung Focus S too and I don't really feel it is a "cheap"/plastic design. I really like the fact that it is *really* thin it doesn't weigh like a brick. Other issues I encountered with the phone is:
- There is a popping sound when song tracks switches if you plug it to an amplified speaker say your car stereo. (I am not sure if this is fixed by a FW update yet)
- There seems to be a little lost of touch sensitivity while the phone is plugged into power.

But overall, still a solid phone.

Now saying that, IF I had the choice between the Focus S and the Lumia 900 when I brought it, I would be more inclined to choose the Lumia over the Focus based on the value-added applications Nokia are providing to Windows Phone (music, map, drive, etc). Unfortunately, I have not been able to lay my hands on the Lumia so I have no comment about it's form factor. I think both are solid Windows Phones compared to the others in the market right now.
 

RiseAgainst94

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I have the Samsung Focus S too and I don't really feel it is a "cheap"/plastic design. I really like the fact that it is *really* thin it doesn't weigh like a brick. Other issues I encountered with the phone is:
- There is a popping sound when song tracks switches if you plug it to an amplified speaker say your car stereo. (I am not sure if this is fixed by a FW update yet)
- There seems to be a little lost of touch sensitivity while the phone is plugged into power.

But overall, still a solid phone.

Now saying that, IF I had the choice between the Focus S and the Lumia 900 when I brought it, I would be more inclined to choose the Lumia over the Focus based on the value-added applications Nokia are providing to Windows Phone (music, map, drive, etc). Unfortunately, I have not been able to lay my hands on the Lumia so I have no comment about it's form factor. I think both are solid Windows Phones compared to the others in the market right now.
Thanks for the comment. I retract the cheap feel of the Focus S statement, but compared to the Lumia 900 it is seemingly less rugged. And honestly, Nokia's apps are probably the most enticing feature that the Lumia 900 has. However, are the Nokia apps (drive, Citylens, etc) available in the Marketplace or do they come installed on Nokia phones? Or are they an exclusive download for Nokia devices only?
 

coffeemike

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Nokia apps are exclusive to Nokia. (Samsung also has exclusive apps; actually, they're really good as well, just not the same. Like the photo editor and RSS reader.)

The Focus S was only released last November, as I recall. I wouldn't say that it's going to lose its luster, either, or that the innards of the 900 are going to be substantially better. For me, the issue is that the Focus S is *too* thin; I have kind of big hands, and it doesn't fit me as well. (I never, ever, thought I'd describe a phone as too thin.)

I wasn't paying attention when the Focus S launched. That said, it may not have generated quite the same buzz because it is similar to Samsung's other phones. If you like them, or have heard good things about them, then you'll like this.

If you have a chance to get hands on with both before you purchase, then by all means do so. Nothing like seeing them in person to get a sense for it. You seem concerned about the size of the 900 and about the longevity/cool factor of the Focus S. I can't answer any more on the size debate; I wanted something bigger, so I'm switching. The 900 is the phone of the moment, so to speak, which will drop with the next iteration from (HTC/Samsung/whomever) I expect, so there's some timing involved in your cool factor argument.

Anything else?
Mike
 

RiseAgainst94

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Nokia apps are exclusive to Nokia. (Samsung also has exclusive apps; actually, they're really good as well, just not the same. Like the photo editor and RSS reader.)

The Focus S was only released last November, as I recall. I wouldn't say that it's going to lose its luster, either, or that the innards of the 900 are going to be substantially better. For me, the issue is that the Focus S is *too* thin; I have kind of big hands, and it doesn't fit me as well. (I never, ever, thought I'd describe a phone as too thin.)

I wasn't paying attention when the Focus S launched. That said, it may not have generated quite the same buzz because it is similar to Samsung's other phones. If you like them, or have heard good things about them, then you'll like this.

If you have a chance to get hands on with both before you purchase, then by all means do so. Nothing like seeing them in person to get a sense for it. You seem concerned about the size of the 900 and about the longevity/cool factor of the Focus S. I can't answer any more on the size debate; I wanted something bigger, so I'm switching. The 900 is the phone of the moment, so to speak, which will drop with the next iteration from (HTC/Samsung/whomever) I expect, so there's some timing involved in your cool factor argument.

Anything else?
Mike
Okay yeah I've seen some of the Samsung Exclusive Apps.
I understand that as far as specifications go there is not much that separates them and the biggest thing is LTE, which could be more of a problem than improvement. I personally do not have very large hands (not small either) so as far as size goes I actually favor the Focus S.

Yeah hands on and reviews are very important and will ultimately help decide what I do, but your input has definitely helped. There is something about the Focus S that is really friendly to me, very simple and beautiful. It's not so much that it will lose it's coolness factor I'm just not seeing the really stand out things, but at the same time you really can't complain when there is very little wrong with the phone.
A hands on with the Lumia 900 will help me decide if it's too big for me.

I think that's it! Thanks again.
 

borjeboy

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Lumia 900 because of the Nokia maps, drive, transport, CNN and all those other exclusive apps. Better design to.

And i wouldn't trust samsung with updates because of the way they have been doing on android (updates for 6-12 months and then stops, even if there still is bugs that should be taken care of).

If lumia 900 is to big go for 800
 
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Winterfang

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The Focus S is better than the Lumia in both screen, camera and thinness.
The Lumia is LTE and has the Nokia apps.

Can't go wrong with either one, just don't get the Titan.
 
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dkp23

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I've had the Samsung Focus S since November (actually January since the original usb plug broke) and I have enjoyed having this phone so far. My previous phone was the iPhone 4 and was using iPhones since it launched in 2007 so i wanted something new.

Pros:

Light weight and thin- not sure what the huff and puff is about regarding how "cheap" it feels due to light weight and how thin it is. The funny thing is that laptops(tablets) go through the same transition to lighter and thinner and people are happy about that change. I did not know people liked carrying a brick in their pockets as phones (titan, hds7). Thinner and lighter the better.

- Screen is super clear and bright
- very smooth to use, had no issues with lags(unplugged), crashing or anything (mostly OS related), but the experience has been great.
-call quality has been pretty good with no issues other than dealing with ATT network
-I just came back from hawaii and i took most of my pictures with the phone as they turned out great, better than my 12mp digicam i thought. very impressed by the picture quality

Cons

-Sound quality is bad, i still haven't been able to find out how to change sound settings (if even possible). Just a very bad audio experience while flying to hawaii
-exclusive apps - not impressed and hardly use
-some slight lagginess when plugged
-no lte-

With that said, i will probably be switching to Lumia 900 for the simple fact that it has LTE. Little worried about the things ive been reading about regarding how bulky it is and similar to the titan with a smaller screen?

I am also getting annoyed by NOK/MS that they have not said anything about release dates or anything since announcing, but that is another issue.

Verdict- getting 900, but keeping an open mind about keeping samsung since the experience has been great.
 

NDCowpoke

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Nokia 900 release and price

According to ATT rep at Fargo ND store the Nokia Lumia 900 will be available on March 18 for $99, that's $100 less than the curent listed price of the Samsung Focus S.
 

RiseAgainst94

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According to ATT rep at Fargo ND store the Nokia Lumia 900 will be available on March 18 for $99, that's $100 less than the curent listed price of the Samsung Focus S.
This is very true, however, I have the 50$ Best Buy coupon that they advertised and it can be used til the end of the year on any upgraded phone. The Samsung Focus S is 150$-50$=100$, but if the Lumia 900 is available at Best Buy on release date then I'll only have to pay 50$ for it...
 

RiseAgainst94

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One more thing I wanted to compare: Which phone has the better screen? Brightness, color accuracy, etc?

AMOLED + Nokia Clearblack vs Super AMOLED plus?

I've seen comparison videos between the Focus S and Titan where the whites seem to be very blue on the Super AMOLED display, does the AMOLED display have the same problems?
 

RiseAgainst94

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Nokia will definitely support the Lumia 900 more than Samsung does the Focus S...that and the exclusive apps are the only thing that's stopped me from having already bought the Focus S.
 

VernonEL

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Yay For ND!!

According to ATT rep at Fargo ND store the Nokia Lumia 900 will be available on March 18 for $99, that's $100 less than the curent listed price of the Samsung Focus S.

I spend alot of time in the some of the AT&T stores in Fargo. I may even know the person you talked to about it. Which store do you frequent?

For quite awhile, it was very close to fact that the 900 would be out on the 18th of March. Neither AT&T, Nokia, nor Microsoft have ever stated this though, and now no one really knows.

This of course is incredibly frustrating for me. As much as I love my Focus S, I am very ready for the Lumia 900.
 

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