Is it worth to switch from Android to Windows Phone 8.1?

[Windows Central Question]

Hi all, I'm one of the "Android users" who is interested in giving the WP 8.1 a try. However, I would know if it's worth it. So basically the reasons why i'm pretty much willing to give the WP 8.1 a chance is that I've got an entry-level Android device with 512MB RAM and well... It lags as hell unless I don't do some serious app closing / suspending , it has very limited multi-tasking capabilities (Chrome and FB Messenger opened at the same time and the phone turns into a whirlwind of massive lag) and the fact that the battery isn't good at all, I mean, with the wi-fi turned on the battery drains 15% an hour with moderate use(one hour screen time), however with 2G(not 3 or 4G) it basically murders the battery , it goes from 100% to near-25% levels in about two hours and half, and that's all with the minimum brightness. The phone i'll be buying , if I buy , is the Lumia 630 , and i've read reviews about it and it seems that the perfomance is generally fluid , and the battery is above average. Is it worth it ? Thanks.

P.S - I don't care about the camera at all , i just want good perfomance and battery life at a cheap price.

 

[JamesDax]

Re: Is it worth to switch from Android to Windows Phone 8.1

Yes.

 

[stephen_az]

Re: Is it worth to switch from Android to Windows Phone 8.1

From your device right now, yes it's definitely a worthy upgrade.

512 MB of RAM comes a long way with Windows Phones. On Android devices, I can say based on experience, it doesn't.

Apps are plentiful in Android but in Windows Phone, I believe it's sufficient. Not as many as Android's but majority of the apps you'll need will be available for Windows Phone. My 1520 is with Nokia Care right now and I'm using an Android Phone right now (HTC M7) and I can't wait to get my 1520 back. User experience in Windows Phone is just leaps and bounds better than Android. That's my opinion so your experience may vary. I prefer Android on tablets. Tried it on phones and it's just a mediocre experience. Not good not bad, pretty much ok but the live tiles are just so useful and I got accustomed to it.

Unless you know the person, how do you know the majority of apps will be available? There is a huge assumption in that statement which also happens to imply your use is consistent with everyone else.

 

[tgp]

Re: Is it worth to switch from Android to Windows Phone 8.1

Unless you know the person, how do you know the majority of apps will be available? There is a huge assumption in that statement which also happens to imply your use is consistent with everyone else.

Deeply ingrained in every human being is the belief that everybody else either: 1. agrees with me, or 2. is wrong. I personally struggle with the feeling that I cannot believe that anybody cannot see or feel the app gap, but realistically I realize that everybody uses a smartphone differently.

Here is one of my all time favorite quotes. It kind of applies here (barely), but it's good none-the-less:

?The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers.? -Dave Barry

 

[shamrockhead]

Re: Is it worth to switch from Android to Windows Phone 8.1

Going from Android to a Windows Lumia is definitely a step in the right direction as far as im concerned. One of the major dislikes I have with the Android operating system is that it is too full of bugs and lags for my liking. Im not saying that windows phone 8.1 isn't without faults, but they are nothing worth mentioning in comparision. The only major drawback that I can possible think of with the Windows Phones are that they do lack Apps, so if you cannot live without certain Apps that are not available for Windows Phones, then unfortunately youll have to stick it out with Android. If Apps are not critical to you, then I don't think you will be disappointed with the switch over, and I doubt youll want to go back to Android. Windows Phones still are not 'trendy', but when people catch on how much better they are, Android and IPhones will loss a lot of their market share, as did BlackBerry.

My first Lumia was a 520, and it was just brilliant. And I think that the way to go if youre coming over from Android is to get a cheap windows phone to test out the water, and my advise would be to stick with it for a few months. I now have a Lumia 930, and the two things (apart from the camera) which I really like and am not prepared to live without are the wireless charging (via NFC) and also 4g, and so I would be prepared to pay a few more pound to get these.

 

[vEEP pEEP]

Try WP. Just try it!
Just curious what is your price point?

 

[Darthbobcat]

I'd say yeah, go for it. My time with a Lumia 635 (about two months before I got a 1020) gives me a lot of respect for that line.

On the OTHER hand, waiting for the 21st to see what might be coming next isn't a bad idea. Or at least a wider market for the (in many ways) superior Lumia 535, depending on where in the world you are.

 

[Beppe Gissi]

Coming from Android I'm happy a lot with my 630. I think Android is quite a mess, just due to his nature to being "open". Yeah, that's great, but that's not what I want from a smartphone. I want it to be clear, ordered and simple, and that's the way WP is.

This being said, I regret that I bought a 630 just few days 535 was announced. 535 is THE low end device, buy that one. 1 GB of RAM is what makes it really better than 630.

 

[taymur]

You will be amazed if you compare a WP 512mb device to an android 512mb device.

 

[Beppe Gissi]

You will be amazed if you compare a WP 512mb device to an android 512mb device.

You will be amazed as well if you compare a WP 512 with a WP 1GB

 

[captaincalamity]

Ive been back n forth from Android to Windows Phone to Iphone, back to Android then Windows phone and so on...

Cant make my mind up to be honest.

With windows phone you can get a decent performing device for silly money, the fluidity of the UI is even better than iphone 5s onwards. the swiping and pinning becomes second nature and quite addictive, find some information on the web, in your contacts within an app and pretty much most of the time you can quickly pin it to the home screen, the back button works a treat and switching from apps to homescreen is very fast and stable. The People section is marvelous with its Twitter/facebook etc integration, I am more social using the people area than i ever am on Android or Iphone, just because its a joy to use.

BUT : I have a lot of money tied up in Android, a fair amount in Iphone apps etc...so dragging myself across to windows, where most apps you find free you do have to pay for and they are generally slightly more expensive, One thing I really wish there was more of and thats Google apps, in particular MAPS, dont get me wrong bing maps are OK, but not a patch on google maps, also Keep, streaming radio and music, I have most of my music collection uploaded to Google play, even Iphone has its own google apps, which in some cases are better than the android equivalents. Runkeeper doesn't exist on WP accept through secondary apps, Endomondo on WP is behind on features, Fitbit works, but is slow and ponderous compared, I would say most apps are a fair way behind Android and especially iOS. If you like playing social online facebook type games from Zynga etc...you just wont find them on WP. These points are a real shame and to be honest the reason I am back with Android/Iphones. Having said that the WP itch has returned, get yourself an ipad/ipod or Nexus 7 tablet just for your app fix, and enjoy the fluidity of Windows phone for what it is.

 

[MDMcAtee]

I would say it depends entirely on how you use your phone and what apps you can find that will suffice for your daily needs. If you use your phone constantly for everything get a higher end phone

I personally won't use any phone that lags or continually has resuming issues or tap and scroll issues regardless of the operating system.

I strongly recommend that you save your money and purchase a higher end phone, by doing so your money is better spent and your experience will most likely be better in the long run.

Cry me a river if you want but then build me bridge to get over it... Posted from my HTC M8

 

[etad putta]

At this point in time, you don't buy a windows phone unless it has windows 10 already installed, and you don't buy an android device unless it has lollipop. Patience my friend, patience.

 

[Ganesh Venkatrao]

I switched from a low end android device to low end windows phone (Lumia 630) last July. I don't regret the decision for switching except the price has dropped down to half for 630. I have 3g enabled and pretty much mine is moderate to heavy usage. My battery runs up-to 11-12 hours. Not to mention i have 100+ apps in my phone.

I have recommended this phone to one of my friend. He is not a heavy user. He doesn't use internet, so battery comes up pretty good for him.

 

[captaincalamity]

At this point in time, you don't buy a windows phone unless it has windows 10 already installed, and you don't buy an android device unless it has lollipop. Patience my friend, patience.

Running Lollipop on my Current device a Samsung S5 and its horrible, one reason to move away from Android, its laggy, apps are crashing, recent apps is slow to respond, battery life even after a week allowing time to settle is awful.

 

[fatclue_98]

My experience says yes. I won't bore you with trivial details but after 3 email hacks and noticing unusual data usage, I went WP all in. I'm not even using my BlackBerry because of Android apps that I need. WP has all my apps and I've totally rid all my devices and home computers of Google services.

May not mean anything to you, but privacy and security are important to me. I know nothing's fool-proof, but I've never had my Outlook account hacked and I've had it for about 12 years. Google, about 5 years - do the math.

 

[D M C]

My experience says yes. I won't bore you with trivial details but after 3 email hacks and noticing unusual data usage, I went WP all in. I'm not even using my BlackBerry because of Android apps that I need. WP has all my apps and I've totally rid all my devices and home computers of Google services.

May not mean anything to you, but privacy and security are important to me. I know nothing's fool-proof, but I've never had my Outlook account hacked and I've had it for about 12 years. Google, about 5 years - do the math.

I am using Google since 2004 and outlook in 2013.
My gmail never hacked but outlook hacked once. - do the math

 

[ML10]

Yeah you should, but I'd wait a while, see what new windows phone 10 handsets that will be revealed. It should be interesting.