Nokia Lumia Icon Vs. Samsung Ativ SE

[BrooklynGal]

Has anyone read if the upgrade to 8.1 has any negative affects on the Icon? I too, am trying to decide between the two. Is there a big difference regarding the 4:3 and 16:9 full resolutions? I prefer an SD card and removable battery. I realize the Icon saves 2 copies of photos, one in RAW format which uses about 25 mb. I would have to be sure to keep tabs on that because even though the Icon has 32 gb of storage, I read somewhere that it is actually formatted to be 26 gb. I probably will not use all of the features on the both the Nokia camera and the regular camera on the Icon. I believe both phones have cameras with auto focus. I also prefer a built in FM radio of which the Icon has.

I have seen both in the store. Both felt comfortable. The Icon's touchscreen seemed to flow a bit easier and was also brighter, but, that could have been a setting adjustment. Both took good photos. Both took good videos; the Icon's was just a tad clearer. Call quality on both were good both on the handset and speakerphone; although, the ATIV was a bit clearer.

 

[Kazashimo]

Has anyone read if the upgrade to 8.1 has any negative affects on the Icon? I too, am trying to decide between the two. Is there a big difference regarding the 4:3 and 16:9 full resolutions? I prefer an SD card and removable battery. I realize the Icon saves 2 copies of photos, one in RAW format which uses about 25 mb. I would have to be sure to keep tabs on that because even though the Icon has 32 gb of storage, I read somewhere that it is actually formatted to be 26 gb. I probably will not use all of the features on the both the Nokia camera and the regular camera on the Icon. I believe both phones have cameras with auto focus. I also prefer a built in FM radio of which the Icon has.

I have seen both in the store. Both felt comfortable. The Icon's touchscreen seemed to flow a bit easier and was also brighter, but, that could have been a setting adjustment. Both took good photos. Both took good videos; the Icon's was just a tad clearer. Call quality on both were good both on the handset and speakerphone; although, the ATIV was a bit clearer.

I don't know much about either phone, but I did make a mistake in the past and chose an HTC 8x over a Lumia 820. You don't realize how much you're missing out on until you've owned a Lumia, and then went with a different make. I regretted my decision so much that I ended up selling my 8x on Craigslist for $90 just so I could buy a Lumia 520 for $90. I couldn't have been happier. Buying a windows phone that isn't a Lumia, to me, feels like eating a $20 meal at run down restaurant.

That's just my opinion, I know it doesn't really answer your question, but it's food for thought.

 

[A895]

I don't know much about either phone, but I did make a mistake in the past and chose an HTC 8x over a Lumia 820. You don't realize how much you're missing out on until you've owned a Lumia, and then went with a different make. I regretted my decision so much that I ended up selling my 8x on Craigslist for $90 just so I could buy a Lumia 520 for $90. I couldn't have been happier. Buying a windows phone that isn't a Lumia, to me, feels like eating a $20 meal at run down restaurant.

That's just my opinion, I know it doesn't really answer your question, but it's food for thought.

Not really food for thought if you didn't give explicit reasons why you sold your 8X.

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[Kazashimo]

Not really food for thought if you didn't give explicit reasons why you sold your 8X.
Oh Sure.

One of the main reasons why it didn't feel like a true windows phone was the lack of Nokia exclusive apps. Mix radio, camera apps... Certain accessories (Nokia branded headphones ), and at the time, there was no voice navigation on Bing maps. Every article, every new thing on Windows phone was Nokia this, Nokia that. HTC was the red headed step child, and Samsung was the kid next door. I wanted the whole experience, specs didn't matter, it was being a part of every innovation with the OS that mattered. That's where Windows Phone would shine, with a Lumia. I know that there is obviously better support for other manufacturers now, but history is the best teacher. I don't want to end up feeling left out in the future, and Microsoft has put all their cards in Nokia's basket...hell, they bought the damn basket. So if I'm going to use a mobile OS, I would rather take the failsafe path and go with the OS provider's own hardware.

I'm just the kind of person that goes all in, not stick my head in the door and wait for something to happen.
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[A895]

The apps that are Nokia exclusives now are not really all that. The apps that I think should have been universal from the beginning Nokia HERE, and Drive are now available on all WPs now. As far OS itself, it's literally the same on every WP. Nokia is not changing much as compared to how much OEMs can change on Android for example. That's why on the outside looking in, I don't see what's the big deal of going to Nokia really. What's interesting most of all, defects were reported by all the Nokia devices but I have never really heard anything crippling on the Ativ SE, Ativ S, Ativ Odyssey, or 8X/8S. This tells me Nokia has some quality control issues as well. How do they keep releasing flagship devices with bugs? The 1520 had the touchscreen bug, and the Icon has WiFi issues.

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[Nogitsune Micah]

I find it hilarious that people keep harping on the issues of "Nokia Phones"

Having owned a 920(2 different models as I wanted the colors), 810(my first nokia), 928, Briefly a 925, a 1020 and a 1520 now...the ONLY major issue i've ever had thatr scared me was when i had the "Gears of death" thing when the phone supposedly bricked itself if you factory reset on the 920, though it actually managed to fix itself.

My 1520 does have the issue of when the Screen inverts the colors but that RARELY happens and it happens all of 3-4 seconds before it rights itself?

You do realize Samsung is now having issues of their own with their Galaxy Line of Phones aka their Bread & Butter where people can't even use the CAMERA on their phone as it becomes permanently disabled to the point where it is unusable and people are having to exchange their Galaxy S5 for another one(or a different model). I don't think that has ever happened with Lumias.

Also, in the early days of the Galaxy S series, the phone was unusable for its GPS! Check the Samsung Captivate(Galaxy S variant for Att) and I believe Samsung Vibrant(Tmobile's Galaxy S variant). You could not use the GPS on those phones because of some issue with the hard/ware/software thus you couldn't reliably use maps because it would report your location being far and far away.

Didn't Apple also have some defects & Quality control issues of their own?

My point being is IF Nokia has some issues with Quality control(Which you are Exaggerating), stop acting as if Samsung's products are instantly better for that reason because they have their own issues as does ANY manufacturer as there truly is no perfect device that is bug free.

The apps that are Nokia exclusives now are not really all that. The apps that I think should have been universal from the beginning Nokia HERE, and Drive are now available on all WPs now. As far OS itself, it's literally the same on every WP. Nokia is not changing much as compared to how much OEMs can change on Android for example. That's why on the outside looking in, I don't see what's the big deal of going to Nokia really. What's interesting most of all, defects were reported by all the Nokia devices but I have never really heard anything crippling on the Ativ SE, Ativ S, Ativ Odyssey, or 8X/8S. This tells me Nokia has some quality control issues as well. How do they keep releasing flagship devices with bugs? The 1520 had the touchscreen bug, and the Icon has WiFi issues.

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[Nogitsune Micah]

This is precisely why I now will not buy anything non-microsoft. I have a Surface and I wished that Microsoft would make a laptop of Surface Quality but for now my Surface Pro(and later this year when Surface Pro 3 is announced, I'll get the Surface Pro 2 during the holidays).

Microsoft makes the best tablet to me and choosing anything other than Surface(or perhaps Lenovo's Yoga) Series seems less to me. Same with Nokia. The OS might be the same on them underneath it all, but the fact of the matter is, that Nokia(now microsoft) has a proven reputation of being the BEST for windows phone and as you said going to other OEMs does make me feel like I am sort of going down in quality.

I am not opposed to checking other OEMs out, but it would be Samsung or Sony....Samsung is crap and they sell 2nd hand junk to people who gladly accept 2nd hand devices with no issue whatsoever.

I don't know much about either phone, but I did make a mistake in the past and chose an HTC 8x over a Lumia 820. You don't realize how much you're missing out on until you've owned a Lumia, and then went with a different make. I regretted my decision so much that I ended up selling my 8x on Craigslist for $90 just so I could buy a Lumia 520 for $90. I couldn't have been happier. Buying a windows phone that isn't a Lumia, to me, feels like eating a $20 meal at run down restaurant.

That's just my opinion, I know it doesn't really answer your question, but it's food for thought.

 

[A895]

I find it hilarious that people keep harping on the issues of "Nokia Phones"

Having owned a 920(2 different models as I wanted the colors), 810(my first nokia), 928, Briefly a 925, a 1020 and a 1520 now...the ONLY major issue i've ever had thatr scared me was when i had the "Gears of death" thing when the phone supposedly bricked itself if you factory reset on the 920, though it actually managed to fix itself.

My 1520 does have the issue of when the Screen inverts the colors but that RARELY happens and it happens all of 3-4 seconds before it rights itself?

You do realize Samsung is now having issues of their own with their Galaxy Line of Phones aka their Bread & Butter where people can't even use the CAMERA on their phone as it becomes permanently disabled to the point where it is unusable and people are having to exchange their Galaxy S5 for another one(or a different model). I don't think that has ever happened with Lumias.

Also, in the early days of the Galaxy S series, the phone was unusable for its GPS! Check the Samsung Captivate(Galaxy S variant for Att) and I believe Samsung Vibrant(Tmobile's Galaxy S variant). You could not use the GPS on those phones because of some issue with the hard/ware/software thus you couldn't reliably use maps because it would report your location being far and far away.

Didn't Apple also have some defects & Quality control issues of their own?

My point being is IF Nokia has some issues with Quality control(Which you are Exaggerating), stop acting as if Samsung's products are instantly better for that reason because they have their own issues as does ANY manufacturer as there truly is no perfect device that is bug free.

I never mentioned Samsung Galaxy devices. I'm talking about WP. How can I exaggerate when I see these problems in these forums a lot.

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[Nogitsune Micah]

TOO FUNNY.

We also used to use outhouses as regular bathrooms before having a bathroom inside the house became the new thing?
My point...Things change & evolve.

Comparing people's perspective from 20 years ago really has no bearing on present day time. People nowadays DO want a phone that looks good and is made well. There is nothing wrong with that.

I could see if phones were as cheap as phones were back then..they aren't. People are spending 500-1000 dollars on phones(whatever OS) and i'd hope they'd also take in effect the look and design of a phone. You also have to realize that it is not just the LOOK of the phone people like me who hate Samsung(Or those who hate Nokia lmao) complain about it is about the feel.

Samsung's Phone feel cheap(Like Cheap tupperware) and they always feel like they are about to break. I am sure they are durable but they FEEL cheap and if i am dropping $199 or even 3-4 times that on a phone, I want a phone that feels good.

If you simply want a TOOL...get a Lumia 520/521 or one of the lower scale Models of phones as those phones have the exact Same OS features as any other Windows Phone, just less Hardware features. You obviously got the SE(or higher end Lumias) because you liked how they look and what they do for you so it is not a fascination. It's "you brought what you wanted because it is what warranted your money."

Furthermore, on pure function? Samsung does not win everytime. You sound like an extremely delusional ******. Most of Samsung's Android phones have Gimmicks. All they market are their gimmicks.

The HTC One(both 2013 and 2014 versions), Sony's Xperia Line and LG G Series are extremely comparable phones that lack some gimmicks of Samsung(thus their phones are slightly less bloated) yet they have their own special tricks and weapons. So no...Function wise, Samsung does not win anything "hands down"

Samsung does not "Win" for having a SD card or removable battery....My 1520 has the removable card and it is largely irrelevant to me. I use it because i have it but if i didnt i would've just brought the 32 GB model like i did with my other Lumias and the removable battery ruins the design to me. I prefer the look & Feel of unibody.

It wins FOR YOU....that's all.

Samsung, like Apple the company it copies, is king of an excellent Marketing plan that sells it devices to the masses(Sheeple as people would call them if they used Apple).

Sorry for triple posts, it's hard to multiquote using WPcentral app. They really do need to fix that(And I wished tapatalk was better as i loved it on other OS but it is abysmal on WP)

I`m still not getting the fascination with material choices or design. We all used to rock ugly feature phones years ago. And it is becoming increasingly obvious that no matter how good an OEM`s devices look (HTC, Nokia) it does not mean they will do well. And regardless of looks I look at what does device bring to the table for me as a tool (because smartphones are tools and a means to an end) that is worth me spending hundreds of dollars on? If we are going for pure function Samsung wins every time (if we are talking about Android with something like the S5 or Note 3). With regards to the Ativ SE vs the Lumia Icon, the Samsung wins for the fact it will without a doubt be more useful with a micro SD card slot and a removable battery.

 

[A895]

This is precisely why I now will not buy anything non-microsoft. I have a Surface and I wished that Microsoft would make a laptop of Surface Quality but for now my Surface Pro(and later this year when Surface Pro 3 is announced, I'll get the Surface Pro 2 during the holidays).

Microsoft makes the best tablet to me and choosing anything other than Surface(or perhaps Lenovo's Yoga) Series seems less to me. Same with Nokia. The OS might be the same on them underneath it all, but the fact of the matter is, that Nokia(now microsoft) has a proven reputation of being the BEST for windows phone and as you said going to other OEMs does make me feel like I am sort of going down in quality.

I am not opposed to checking other OEMs out, but it would be Samsung or Sony....Samsung is crap and they sell 2nd hand junk to people who gladly accept 2nd hand devices with no issue whatsoever.

Just because it's plastic it's second hand junk? If you look at the actual specs and dimensions of the ATIV SE, it is unlike any other phone Samsung produced last year. It's actually taller, and thicker than the S4. Samsung has had the same plastic design language for years. How can you go down in quality? Its the same OS in look and feel. A few exclusive apps and all of sudden it's so foreign compared to other WP's?

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[Nogitsune Micah]

And I AM mentioning Samsung Galaxy's Devices. If you are going to sit here and try to bash Nokia for their "Quality control" issues...most of which are actually not THAT big of a deal meaning your phone is still usable, despite a few at best annoying bugs. Samsung customers can't even use their feature on their phone without it messing the phone up.

So because they use Android on Galaxy, I can't mention it here in this situation? Pretty sure Galaxy phones & Ativ phones are made by the same company so if they have Quality Control issues with one model, they could have them with some other model. If i recall, there was a Camera issue people complained about with the Ativ(1st gen) that has yet to be fixed yet.

The point that i was trying to make was "ALL MANUFACTURERS HAVE ISSUES."

Nobody is immune. It's been reported all over various sites about the issues of the Galaxy S5(.

Why? Because it is the most popular OS.

But guess what? It actually only affects a smaller amount of G5 users(those on Verzion & sprint). Not the entire users.

Guess what? You may hear more problems about the Lumia devices on these forums?

Why? Because Lumias are the most popular phones....Over 90 percent of the phones are Lumia. If 10 million lumias are sold to samsung 500,000 it is common sense you'd see more issues.

It doesn't necessarily mean the problem is a big problem if it only affects 0.01 of the total users, it just means that MORE PEOPLE HAVE LUMIAS and thus you are going to hear more complaints. It has nothing to do with "Quality Control" issues. It has everything to do with, the fact that not every device is made perfectly even if we want it to be.

Common sense should tell you that. It is what it is.
The funny thing is, most complaints that I do see actually have great resolutions when the person reaches out to Nokia Support(Yet another thing Nokia has/had that was better than samsung) and gotten the help they needed

I never mentioned Samsung Galaxy devices. I'm talking about WP. How can I exaggerate when I see these problems in these forums a lot.

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[Nogitsune Micah]

It's second hand junk because they are giving last years design and trying to pass it off as this year's greatest thing(LMFAO they even did it with their GS4 to GS5 this year and people called them out on it. Same with Apple and their products)

There is a difference in say a Lumia which had the 800/900 that looked just like the N9 before it...Over the past 3 years, the Lumia design has evolved(and even the material on the phones) while still maintaining the signature N9/Lumia look of Nokia.

When I brought all my different models of Lumia, I didn't feel like i was buying the same exact phone(I used to laugh when my friend brought the OG iphone, 3g and the 3GS and used to say he got a new phone as I really couldn't even tell he got a new phone. Same way with my friend with the GS4 and Gs5...the Gs5 looks like a GS4 to me).

It's 2nd hand crap because the SE looks JUST like its Cousin, the GS4 that Samsung Sold last year and partially like it's Cousin the GS5(since the GS5 is essentially a slightly tweaked GS4).

"A few exclusive apps" is the reason why people have decided to get Windows Phone & with that, Lumias. So yeah anything Non-nokia is foreign to me because i chose not to spend money on the OEM who did and continues to do absolutely nothing to help our OS out as a whole. Simple Marketing push would do wonders for WP by Samsung. Do they have to? No....But it be great since they are using the OS for free now.

It's foreign to me because i didnt accept less and I was able to see Samsung doesn't really give a damn about WP or their users and they know based on their name alone, people will still buy their crap because People obviously don't mind settling for last year's SAMSUNG.

What's funny is you saying that you don't get the fascination of the look and feel....If Nokia had the icon with the same exact features as the SE with SD card, Batteries that are removable, IR blaster, etc etc i have no doubt in my mind you'd still get the SE even though the icon has the same exact features(even though it already has nearly 100 percent of the features).

Just because it's plastic it's second hand junk? If you look at the actual specs and dimensions of the ATIV SE, it is unlike any other phone Samsung produced last year. It's actually taller, and thicker than the S4. Samsung has had the same plastic design language for years. How can you go down in quality? Its the same OS in look and feel. A few exclusive apps and all of sudden it's so foreign compared to other WP's?

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[metalchick719]

I have to say that I've seen both the Icon and the Ativ SE in the flesh on Thursday. My boyfriend and I went to the local mall and I wandered into a Verizon store specifically to check out the Icon. I was playing with the black one (the white one is so much prettier, though with the white and silver combination) and my boyfriend was playing with the Ativ SE that was directly to my left. I may be biased since I've always loved Nokia even before their Symbian days, but that Icon is absolutely stunning. I saw nothing special about the Ativ SE in comparison. The Icon's build quality and screen are absolutely gorgeous. That's my 2 cents.

 

[A895]

I'm done. It's obvious there is Nokia bias here and I won't get anything out of this conversation by arguing the same points. Therefore I am done with this thread.

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[Nogitsune Micah]

I'm done. It's obvious there is Nokia bias here and I won't get anything out of this conversation by arguing the same points. Therefore I am done with this thread.

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No more than Samsung bias. So okay then.

 

[Tony_Offends_U]

Hilarious thread is hilarious.

 

[Batt1eRatt1e]

While I already voiced my opinion that to me the Samsung ATIV SE is the superior phone, let's look at the facts instead of opinions. I'm not going to look up the data because I don't think in this case it's needed, but I'd venture to say that Samsung sells far more phones than Nokia does, considering that the Galaxy S and Note series is refreshed each year with the latest and greatest specs and people keep on buying them, plus they keep coming out with Windows Phones, even if it's just one or two per year. Nokia can't compete in sales with Samsung. While there are some people, especially some on this thread that voiced they feel the build quality of Samsung phones are lacking or other issues they don't like, that's opinion and a very small minority compared to the millions of sales Samsung continuously amasses.

The reality is this. Windows Phone users should be happy that Samsung is even releasing phones for this OS. You should feel privileged that Apple's only real competitor is giving attention to this OS. You may not like Samsung phones, but millions upon millions on Android do, something Nokia could only wish they could accomplish. I see far too many complaints that Samsung is recycling their design for the ATIV SE. Look at all the Samsung phones in the last few years, they practically all look the same, just minor changes. People keep buying them. iPhone barely makes any changes, if any at all for years, and people go bonkers over it. It's 2014 and still there is no iPhone yet above a 4 inch screen, yet people are still buying them. We all will have opinions about which phone we like better and why, but in the world of Windows Phones where choices are slim, we should ultimately have an understanding that others are welcome. Nokia will not grow the OS on it's own. We need Samsung, HTC and others to take part and put an effort to support Windows Phones. Diversity and choices is what will help give people options who are coming from other devices to choose from.

 

[CyberAngel_777]

:d lol "since the icon has the better camera than the samsung and all of the other specs are equal, then the icon is the winner."

first of all, im from finland "a.k.a nokia land" and a big nokia fan, but still can be objective on things.
X
i can tell you that the ativ s is the best phone i had in years. Its still so good that im not even sure yet i will change to the never generation device and this is very rare for me to be so happy with a device after a year.

traitor!!

 

[Mmazeo]

It's 2nd hand crap because the SE looks JUST like its Cousin, the GS4 that Samsung Sold last year and partially like it's Cousin the GS5(since the GS5 is essentially a slightly tweaked GS4).).

Just on this point.....why would they change something that's so dominant? I mean that had to be the easiest decision ever. "Let's take the best selling smart phone ever, and slap Windows os on it". I don't blame them one bit. Tweak the design when people get sick of it, but that's not happening right now.

 

[CyberAngel_777]

I can tell you're one of those people who eat what everyone else eats, wears the clothes everyone else wears, listens to whatever music everyone is listening to, and says the same thing everyone else says. You sound like the collective WP Samsung haters all rolled into one person.

I agree with the previous poster that Samsung > Nokia in terms of build quality. I've had the original Galaxy S, Samsung Focus, Focus S, Focus Flash. NONE of them had problems dealing with hardware/build quality. Now, ask me about my Lumia 900 and 920. I still have my 920 around here somewhere. Screen flickers all the time, can't use the FFC at all because of all the dust, light bleeding, creaking, gets hot while using HERE Drive whereas my wife's 8XT stays cool and even charges while using the same app. And please tell me what Nokia is building all these phones out of, I'm sure it's plastic.

I encourage you to stop being blind.

Funny!
I won two phones last summer: A Samsung Galaxy S4 (which I managed to switch to the S4 Active)
and a Lumia 920 (which I sold)
I am using the S4 Active actively and I have helped my friend to use the Lumia WP 8.1
Guess what?
​*BOTH* phones work absolutely perfectly!