A decision: 820 or 920 or ATIV S

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

So, I'm kinda in a weird corner here... with a hard decision on my hands... I've been recommended to get the Nokia Lumia 920 by rep after rep (when I've been browsing, because they know one thing I'm doing with my next phone is sticking with WP, and refuse outright to buy Android or Apple, it's an ecosystem thing). But, there are 3 phones that have piqued my interest.

• Nokia Lumia 820 - this was my original choice. SD card slot for all my stuff, coloured pads, expandable to wireless charging, has a "full" WP spec (as in, it's not meant as a low-memory device, except for the 8GB storage), removable battery. My idea was get black for the professional day (work and such), red or purple for partying, and a purple or pink one to show I am under the control of a lady.
• Nokia Lumia 920 - Very good camera, wireless charging built out the box, Nokia support, etc. Only recently came to my interest though after reading the stuff about it and seeing it in person. It looks nice.
• Samsung ATIV S - Now this phone has only recently come to my interest. More recently than the 920. The 32GB onboard, plus removable battery, plus SD card slot (although with 32GB on board I won't need it! In 1 year I still have about 7.9GB free on my HTC TITAN!)

But I do have some gripes about each phone.

• Nokia Lumia 820 - the offline maps can't be saved to SD card, and as such the 8GB will fill up very quickly. I am a UK person so when I visit the US I'll only need 1 or 2 states saved offline. But still, I've heard really bad things about offline maps on 820. UK maps aren't so much of an issue due to unlimited data (hey One Plan, I'm looking at you) but signal can be a bit flaky sometimes so having offline UK maps wouldn't hurt. I could load them up at home as I get decent enough signal (3-4 bars H most of the time)
• Nokia Lumia 920 - there's no removable battery, which is a problem for me as I go through about 160% battery daily on the HTC TITAN (thank god for secondary battery!). Also, the PureView camera will probably be made redundant as I will be getting a DSLR camera (Canon 350D or 450D is what I'm looking at for those interested). Also, the lack of removable backplate could be an issue.
• Samsung ATIV S - Nokia support is missing. I've seen some of the apps that come with the ATIV S but they all seem like their GS3 stuff on WP. I will also miss the coloured backplates. Any chance of Samsung releasing backplates in different colours, ruggedized backplates, et al? The ruggedized ones are the ones I am most looking forward to on the 820. I don't want to be forced to a 3rd party case if I can help it. Another thing is I wouldn't mind a smaller screen. Sure, I love the screen on the TITAN, but sometimes it just feels too big.

Here is my current usage case with my HTC.

• Some Skype calling (my Skype usage will skyrocket in WP8 though as it will be integrated at an OS level)
• Frequent tethering (this is starting to go down but whenever I'm at a place without WiFi it's nice to have tethering)
• Infrequent phone calls (will probably increase as people have to contact me)
• Messaging, and LOTS of it. (Facebook integration, et al, I'm never off it!)
• Some gaming (I love the Xbox LIVE for WP)
• Bus management (I use Next Bus UK to find the next bus etc, not all bus stops have Metro: yournextbus)
• Train management (I am tossing up between the CrossCountry trains app and the TransPennine Express app, both are the same, just different styling to them)
• Some office use (I will be using it more soon due to starting a postgraduate course in the new year, this will be alongside my HTC Flyer and MacBook Pro running Windows 8)
• Music, and lots of it! (I seem to find I have to listen to music everyday otherwise it causes me to feel so down that I start self-harming again, so music is a heavy usage factor for me. Quality doesn't really matter as long as it is acceptable, and tbh, it sounds pretty good on my HTC TITAN. I also have a Music Pass)

And you've already seen the sort of stuff about my planned WP8 usage in my bullet points. So, which do you guys think will best suit me given my usage and my pros and cons that I've found of each phone?

 

[Dr_8820]

The short answer, get the phone with the greater internal memory...at least until Microsoft changes the storage options.
I will say that Nokia maps is a very good app, very reliable transit app.
Good luck!

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

The short answer, get the phone with the greater internal memory...at least until Microsoft changes the storage options.
I will say that Nokia maps is a very good app, very reliable transit app.
Good luck!

So that would then leave me between the 920 and ATIV S. But you mention about Nokia Maps. If I were to go for the ATIV S (due to the removable battery) then what sort of stuff would I be getting? The battery is a separate issue in itself that should be discussed separately, so let's just put that to one side for now and talk about the Nokia Maps support on the Samsung. I know some support is coming, but to what extent would it be?

 

[Tahiti Bob]

First on the apps side, I would suggest ditching Next Bus UK for Bus Checker, it's the number one bus app on all platforms and is great on WP.
UK Bus Checker | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United Kingdom)
I don't take the train cross country but the Capital Connect apps have great ratings if you use that company. Also Rail Planner is very good. Rail Planner | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United Kingdom)
As for what phone you should get, I only see one obvious answer...

- You should for forget about the 820 if you want to download maps, or a number of apps and games. You'll run out of space sooner rather than later.
- The Ativ S is great spec wise but its size and colour don't seem suitable for you. You also mention you're a music addict and everyone seems to be complaining about the audio on this phone so it would piss you off.
- Nokia Maps and Drive are coming to other phones if we believe Microsoft but there's no ETA so you can't really make a decision based on that.
- So really you're left with the 920 that has good audio, good apps and comes with 32GB onboard.

That being said, maybe you should consider the 8X. It has fantastic design with colours, great audio and 16GB seems to be enough for you if you still have 8GB left on your Titan. It's also offered on Three as far as I know.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

First on the apps side, I would suggest ditching Next Bus UK for Bus Checker, it's the number one bus app on all platforms and is great on WP.
UK Bus Checker | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United Kingdom)
I don't take the train cross country but the Capital Connect apps have great ratings if you use that company. Also Rail Planner is very good. Rail Planner | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United Kingdom)
As for what phone you should get, I only see one obvious answer...

- You should for forget about the 820 if you want to download maps, or a number of apps and games. You'll run out of space sooner rather than later.
- The Ativ S is great spec wise but its size and colour don't seem suitable for you. You also mention you're a music addict and everyone seems to be complaining about the audio on this phone so it would piss you off.
- Nokia Maps and Drive are coming to other phones if we believe Microsoft but there's no ETA so you can't really make a decision based on that.
- So really you're left with the 920 that has good audio, good apps and comes with 32GB onboard.

That being said, maybe you should consider the 8X. It has fantastic design with colours, great audio and 16GB seems to be enough for you if you still have 8GB left on your Titan. It's also offered on Three as far as I know.

Firstly, regarding the apps. I will give Bus Checker a try (although I've found NBUK to be fantastic). CrossCountry and TPE run where I live (Leeds). Capital Connect do not (kinda obvious, I'm at the other end of the country pretty much :wink: ). It is worth mentioning that TPE/CCT are ubiquitous. You can purchase tickets for use of any operator, check trains with any operator, etc. Even though they're companies that have their own lines.

Thank you for that information. Now, that just leaves the issue over battery. Removable battery has been a big thing for me since ever pretty much, I don't think I've ever had a phone without a removable battery. My usage is also pretty damn heavy too.

Whether or not it is offered on Three is irrelevant as I always buy my phones SIM-free and unlocked. I've never been on a 12/18/24 month contract. If I were to go with the 920 I would wait until it comes to Carphone Warehouse so I can get it SIM-free and unlocked, as well as get their insurance on it. However now that you mention it, the 8X is becoming more appealing as CPW have mentioned about a portable battery that is the size of a small tub of Smarties, so that could be used to give the phone some extra charge should worst come to worst. Same case with the 920.

Deciding whether or not the 920 would be overkill given the fact I want a DSLR is still to be decided. However, would it be worth getting the 920 then doing some photography projects with that phone? How clear would the photo be to send an A3 sized poster using a picture taken on the 920? My favourite artist sent me a signed poster as a Christmas gift from her personally with the albums that my family bought me for Christmas.

EDIT: Bus Checker doesn't work on my TITAN for some barmy reason... so can't try it

 

[Tahiti Bob]

Just because you have a DSLR doesn't mean you can't find occasional uses for a camera phone

 

[Dr_8820]

So that would then leave me between the 920 and ATIV S. But you mention about Nokia Maps. If I were to go for the ATIV S (due to the removable battery) then what sort of stuff would I be getting? The battery is a separate issue in itself that should be discussed separately, so let's just put that to one side for now and talk about the Nokia Maps support on the Samsung. I know some support is coming, but to what extent would it be?

My bad on the earlier post about Nokia Maps..I meant Nokia Transit ☺
I'm a big transit guy myself, and I'm coming from a HD7..before, I would have some cities of places I visited frequently locked in my web browser (transit systems, just in case you go with the Ativ), but after using Nokia transit it picks up your location and then lists all transit around you which is really nice. I also have Garmin, pricey but well worth it IMHO.
Sent from my Nokia L810 using Board Express

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

Just because you have a DSLR doesn't mean you can't find occasional uses for a camera phone

I know one of my photography projects involved both a DSLR and a cameraphone (I was using a BlackBerry Torch at the time, god-awful camera... but it did further emphasise my project from what I remember). It's gonna be good to do another mobile phone based photography project.

 

[Tahiti Bob]

The 8X and Atvis S are also excellent camera phones. It's in low light that the 920 overtakes them.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

The 8X and Atvis S are also excellent camera phones. It's in low light that the 920 overtakes them.

The photography projects I will be doing will involve a lot of low light unfortunately. I'll be doing it with a friend and he seems obsessed with these dark areas for his projects. I've got the titan for daylight shots and the Nokia for dark stuff I guess.