The Focus S ate my Lumia's Lunch

[Kredrian]

I picked up the Lumia 900 yesterday, and indeed, am overall happy with it despite a few flaws. This afternoon I thought I would take a closer look and compare it to my Focus S. I would have to say that for the most part while I can't say exactly that the Focus S is a faster phone, it "feels" snappier and smoother. Not just for scrolling either, I mean within apps as well the Focus S just seemed quicker.

Then I decided to compare the browser speeds. Keep in mind this was just for giggles.

On WiFi I went to the IE Test drive site and ran through several of the tests. For things like the fish tank and whatnot they were pretty close, give or take a fPS, but then I tried the "Speed Reading" test...

Needless to say the Focus S was done before you could say "GO!". Something like 2 Sec, while the Lumia 900 was always in the 24 to 25 sec range. Not sure if its a setting or something else, but I was shocked. I currently do not have a Titan to try out to see how it does.

Glad to see that the Focus S is still a boss though!

 

[thelastfoiter]

Told you it's still king I do love the design of the Lumia though, and I don't care who is making the best selling WP, so long as there is one!

 

[cluberti]

I actually LOVE my wife's Focus S - it is indeed "snappy". However, I travel (a lot) for a living, and I use my phone outdoors... a lot. My original Focus, and my wife's S, don't hold a candle to being used outdoors in bright light to the L900. Given the apps I use don't really require a lot of speed, that meant nothing compared to being able to use the L900 outdoors in bright sunlight. As much as I really do like the Focus S, and would prefer it's smaller dimensions and lighter weight, I had to go with the L900 for practicality. So, I got the white one just because I could . Can't be *all* practical, now, can we?

 

[Kredrian]

I actually LOVE my wife's Focus S - it is indeed "snappy". However, I travel (a lot) for a living, and I use my phone outdoors... a lot. My original Focus, and my wife's S, don't hold a candle to being used outdoors in bright light to the L900. Given the apps I use don't really require a lot of speed, that meant nothing compared to being able to use the L900 outdoors in bright sunlight. As much as I really do like the Focus S, and would prefer it's smaller dimensions and lighter weight, I had to go with the L900 for practicality. So, I got the white one just because I could . Can't be *all* practical, now, can we?

Told you it's still king I do love the design of the Lumia though, and I don't care who is making the best selling WP, so long as there is one!

There both awesome phones, and the only thing I can really say that seems to be "better" on the Lumia for me would be the camera. Other than that I think the S is a winner. Will be very interesting to see what Apollo phones they will come out with.

 

[cluberti]

Indeed - given my L900 was an on-contract upgrade, I'll probably buy an off-contract device at that time. It's an exciting time to be a smartphone user geek, for sure!

 

[HeyCori]

Do you have a link for the IE test site?

 

[anotherhawkeye]

Good to know. I'm happy with my decision to get focus s instead of 900 - saved me a couple of hundred dollars, which I can put to use towards an Apollo device.

Wish focus s was as sexy and as popular as the lumia. Could have used a bigger user community.

 

[KingCrimson]

Once the Apollo phones come out, they will make these 1st gen phones look like kiddie toys.

 

[anotherhawkeye]

Focus s and lumia are second gen, not first.

 

[snowmutt]

There are 2 areas I will give to Nokia's 900 over the "S": The outdoor screen performance, and the support for WP. Both these are HUGE victories for 900 owners. But, as far as actual use? I am still enthralled with the "S", and see no real advantage to the 900 as far as everyday experience is concerned. I still love my screen, seamless operation, and quick responses to commands. I have yet to give the Titan 2 a spin, and I do hope HTC is serious about WP, because I love their phone builds. But, Sammy just seems to do high end cellphones efforts right. I expect them to knock a WP8 out of the park. Until I see what Nokia, HTC and Samsung offer on Apollo, I am a "S" user and not even a bit tempted by anything else out there.

 

[KarateInSpace]

Tried the 900 out for a few days, but ultimately what brought me back was how thin and light the Focus S is. People may prefer the thicker and heavier Lumia because that makes it feels like a more solid and well built device, but to me it was like holding a brick. I don't know if the Focus S is snappier, but scrolling definitely felt like it had more momentum, which I also prefer. That being said, it's pretty likely that I will go with Nokia after Apollo because they care much more about the platform and Samsung isn't really known for great support.

 

[Kredrian]

Do you have a link for the IE test site?

I just put IE Test Drive in Bing and it was the first choice I think.

 

[Kredrian]

The only reason I picked up a Lumia.. well other than the 100$ off the ATT store gave me.. was the camera, which I have heard is not stellar, but its worlds better than the one I have in my S. Possibly I just got a faulty one, I don't know, but definitly the camera in the Lumia is better by far than my Focus S. Other than that I preffer the Focus S for the most part.

 

[Old_Cus]

The lumia 900 only feels like a brick if you're used to handling a Focus S.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[Kredrian]

The lumia 900 only feels like a brick if you're used to handling a Focus S.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

I definitly has a solid feel to it. I think both phones look really good, though I admit I think the colors "pop" a little more on the S.

 

[infamousdaveman]

Tried the 900 out for a few days, but ultimately what brought me back was how thin and light the Focus S is. People may prefer the thicker and heavier Lumia because that makes it feels like a more solid and well built device, but to me it was like holding a brick. I don't know if the Focus S is snappier, but scrolling definitely felt like it had more momentum, which I also prefer. That being said, it's pretty likely that I will go with Nokia after Apollo because they care much more about the platform and Samsung isn't really known for great support.

Samsungs support will definatley be more noticable after apollo but since mine has been fairly bulletproof, I havent had any reason to complain. As for when apollo does drop, what a plethora of devices we will have to choose from!! Its gonna be exciting!! But its gonna be hard to rip the FOcus S outta my hands, especially if we get upgraded, I migh thave to hold onto it for a while longer, I really do find it to be the perfect device. In almost every way!

 

[Kredrian]

Samsungs support will definatley be more noticable after apollo but since mine has been fairly bulletproof, I havent had any reason to complain. As for when apollo does drop, what a plethora of devices we will have to choose from!! Its gonna be exciting!! But its gonna be hard to rip the FOcus S outta my hands, especially if we get upgraded, I migh thave to hold onto it for a while longer, I really do find it to be the perfect device. In almost every way!

They'll have to rip it out of your cold dead hands!! I love it when I hear people talking about how much they like their windows phones. There is so much negative press about WP it feels good knowing some people love it as much as I do.

 

[infamousdaveman]

They'll have to rip it out of your cold dead hands!! I love it when I hear people talking about how much they like their windows phones. There is so much negative press about WP it feels good knowing some people love it as much as I do.

me too!! Everyone in my family who has one still thanks me to this day for getting them on board with windows phone. My Mom especially because she thought she would never be able to really work a smartphone and she just LOVES her Trophy. I think shes gonna be even more excited when Verizon gets some new devices...but yeah, it just feels great to hear. Its pretty sad about the bad press because most of the time, none of these commenters/posters/techies have ever used a windows phone or more importantly, set it up fully like every other typical user would. I understand if the OS isnt your cup of tea but at least try it before you knock it, ya know? lol

 

[wp7isawesome]

me too!! Everyone in my family who has one still thanks me to this day for getting them on board with windows phone. My Mom especially because she thought she would never be able to really work a smartphone and she just LOVES her Trophy. I think shes gonna be even more excited when Verizon gets some new devices...but yeah, it just feels great to hear. Its pretty sad about the bad press because most of the time, none of these commenters/posters/techies have ever used a windows phone or more importantly, set it up fully like every other typical user would. I understand if the OS isnt your cup of tea but at least try it before you knock it, ya know? lol

Totally agree with you guys. The only reason I have a WP is because microsoft was giving it out for free. Ended up selling my HTC sensation. The OS is such a breath of fresh air and silky smooth.

 

[GMJeff]

I believe most people here on the forums believe the newest phones like the Lumia and Focus S are actually a gen 1.5 device, as the hardware is almost the same as the original devices.

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