[UPDATE] I ruled out the 520 (too few features) and the 720 (at the price, I'd want 1GB of RAM). Members brought up some higher end devices which I did not realise had dropped in price so drastically, so I'm now looking at those against the 620! To see the original comparison of 520 vs 620 vs 720, you can check the post history.
So, my Omnia 7 seems to be nearing the end of its life. The battery randomly gets shot, the microUSB port is jacked up, I can't develop on it because there's no native code support, and it's just slow by today's standards. I'm not particularly drawn to any current Windows Phone flagship, so I intend to purchase a relatively inexpensive device for now. I hope to keep whatever I buy until late 2014, when I'll reevaluate and hopefully find a flagship that suits me better.
I'm looking for the best bang for my buck, so I'm balancing feature set with affordability. This is going to be an unlocked device purchased at full price. I've included the Australian pricing for the devices in the bottom graph, so you get some perspective in that regard. I'm considering the Lumia 620, Lumia 820 and HTC 8X. I've researched this fairly thoroughly, but can't make my mind up. I'd appreciate any and all opinions, especially from owners of these devices.
Ideals
Design: Good looking, but at some point function overrules form.
Screen: Nice blacks and sunlight readability.
Imaging: Decent front and rear shooters (price dependent).
Battery: The bigger the better, but as long as it can last a day.
Internals:[/B lower-tier S4 and 512MB of RAM.
Sensors: I'd love wireless charging, but it isn't a deal breaker.
Software: Some form of Nokia mapping. Nokia hasn't opened Drive to all devices in Australia.
Price: $200-$300 is ideal, but I'd stretch for $400 for a much better phone.
Biggest fears: Microsoft discontinues Windows Phone.
620
Design: Many will disagree, but I consider it the ugly duckling of the WP8 Lumia range. Thick, disproportionate and I don't care for the dual-shot cover.
Screen: Good. Finer pixel density than the 820, contrast and blacks look fine.
Imaging: 5MP rear shooter + LED flash. Front facing camera is VGA, but at least it's there.
Battery: Seems unspectacular, roughly on par with the 520.
Internals: lower-tier S4 and 512MB of RAM. 8GB + microSD for storage.
Sensors: Necessities are there.
Software: Everything is there and just works.
Price: $248 for local stock. Well priced, in my opinion.
Biggest fears: I'll lose out on future multitasking features and the best apps due to 512MB of RAM.
820
Design: Relatively compact design from Nokia, but pays for it in thickness. Not too shabby.
Screen: RGB stripe AMOLED at 4.3". Will be nice, but is shadowed by the 720p of the 8X.
Imaging: Punches below the mark for launch pricing, but current pricing makes it passable.
Battery: Haven't heard much, I'm assuming it lasts well enough. If I decide to go crazy, there's that Mugen extended battery.
Internals: higher-tier S4 with 1GB of RAM. 8GB + microSD for storage.
Sensors: Gyroscope! Wireless charging cover + pad should come free with local stock.
Software: Everything is there and everything just works.
Price: $414 for local stock, $318 for grey import. 8X is a better deal looking at hardware, but 820 may be the better choice due to ecosystem.
Biggest fears: Next generation mid-range Lumias will make $400 seem poorly spent.
8X
Design: Crap buttons + top mounted power button (HTC, please pay Nokia for double-tap to wake). Looks gorgeous.
Screen: 4.3" 1280x720? Yes please.
Imaging: Competitive front and rear shooters. Processes images real fast.
Battery: Seems to have been panned in review for poor battery life. Makes sense with the HD screen.
Internals: higher-tier S4 with 1GB of RAM. 16GB non-expandable storage, shouldn't be a problem if Microsoft patches "Other".
Sensors: Necessities are there.
Software: No Nokia mapping. HTC could EOL this device any day. The deal breaker could be here.
Price: $383 for local stock. Highly competitive if one is confident in HTC.
Biggest fears: HTC doesn't update the device and Nokia doesn't release mapping soon.
Ranking table thing
So, my Omnia 7 seems to be nearing the end of its life. The battery randomly gets shot, the microUSB port is jacked up, I can't develop on it because there's no native code support, and it's just slow by today's standards. I'm not particularly drawn to any current Windows Phone flagship, so I intend to purchase a relatively inexpensive device for now. I hope to keep whatever I buy until late 2014, when I'll reevaluate and hopefully find a flagship that suits me better.
I'm looking for the best bang for my buck, so I'm balancing feature set with affordability. This is going to be an unlocked device purchased at full price. I've included the Australian pricing for the devices in the bottom graph, so you get some perspective in that regard. I'm considering the Lumia 620, Lumia 820 and HTC 8X. I've researched this fairly thoroughly, but can't make my mind up. I'd appreciate any and all opinions, especially from owners of these devices.
Ideals
Design: Good looking, but at some point function overrules form.
Screen: Nice blacks and sunlight readability.
Imaging: Decent front and rear shooters (price dependent).
Battery: The bigger the better, but as long as it can last a day.
Internals:[/B lower-tier S4 and 512MB of RAM.
Sensors: I'd love wireless charging, but it isn't a deal breaker.
Software: Some form of Nokia mapping. Nokia hasn't opened Drive to all devices in Australia.
Price: $200-$300 is ideal, but I'd stretch for $400 for a much better phone.
Biggest fears: Microsoft discontinues Windows Phone.
620
Design: Many will disagree, but I consider it the ugly duckling of the WP8 Lumia range. Thick, disproportionate and I don't care for the dual-shot cover.
Screen: Good. Finer pixel density than the 820, contrast and blacks look fine.
Imaging: 5MP rear shooter + LED flash. Front facing camera is VGA, but at least it's there.
Battery: Seems unspectacular, roughly on par with the 520.
Internals: lower-tier S4 and 512MB of RAM. 8GB + microSD for storage.
Sensors: Necessities are there.
Software: Everything is there and just works.
Price: $248 for local stock. Well priced, in my opinion.
Biggest fears: I'll lose out on future multitasking features and the best apps due to 512MB of RAM.
820
Design: Relatively compact design from Nokia, but pays for it in thickness. Not too shabby.
Screen: RGB stripe AMOLED at 4.3". Will be nice, but is shadowed by the 720p of the 8X.
Imaging: Punches below the mark for launch pricing, but current pricing makes it passable.
Battery: Haven't heard much, I'm assuming it lasts well enough. If I decide to go crazy, there's that Mugen extended battery.
Internals: higher-tier S4 with 1GB of RAM. 8GB + microSD for storage.
Sensors: Gyroscope! Wireless charging cover + pad should come free with local stock.
Software: Everything is there and everything just works.
Price: $414 for local stock, $318 for grey import. 8X is a better deal looking at hardware, but 820 may be the better choice due to ecosystem.
Biggest fears: Next generation mid-range Lumias will make $400 seem poorly spent.
8X
Design: Crap buttons + top mounted power button (HTC, please pay Nokia for double-tap to wake). Looks gorgeous.
Screen: 4.3" 1280x720? Yes please.
Imaging: Competitive front and rear shooters. Processes images real fast.
Battery: Seems to have been panned in review for poor battery life. Makes sense with the HD screen.
Internals: higher-tier S4 with 1GB of RAM. 16GB non-expandable storage, shouldn't be a problem if Microsoft patches "Other".
Sensors: Necessities are there.
Software: No Nokia mapping. HTC could EOL this device any day. The deal breaker could be here.
Price: $383 for local stock. Highly competitive if one is confident in HTC.
Biggest fears: HTC doesn't update the device and Nokia doesn't release mapping soon.
Ranking table thing
620 | 820 | 8X | |
Design | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Screen | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Imaging | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Battery | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Internals | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Sensors | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Software | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Price | $248 | $414 ($318 grey import) | $383 |
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