820 to 830 - is it worth it?

[JimiDiGriz]

I am sorely tempted by the 830 as an upgrade from my trusty 820 but with the 930 being comparable in price (at least in the UK) which is the one to go for? 830 is thinner, has SD and glance and these tick a lot of boxes for me however 930 has a better chipset, more ram and a better camera. I'm really torn here as you can pick up new 930s on eBay for ?300, will the 830 be hamstrung by it's mid range CPU as more features and Win 10 start to rollout (Hey Cortana being the first example)?

 

[Libor Buchta]

After 2 weeks of usage, i have to mention 2 cons:
1) Gorilla glass on L830 is worse than Gorilla glass on N C7 or N E6.
2) Who the duck has placed usb connector on top?

 

[gomezz]

TBH I would rather the USB connector was on the top as on the bottom it gets it in the way when try to charge using it when you put the phone in the cupholder of a car when sat-navving.

 

[hasasimo]

TBH I would rather the USB connector was on the top as on the bottom it gets it in the way when try to charge using it when you put the phone in the cupholder of a car when sat-navving.

Same here, I'm definitely in favor of this change... no longer have to put my phone upside down when I charge it in the car -_-

 

[acousticpoem]

Had the 830 for a few days and regetting it already. I had 820 and currently 1020 and the 830 offers nothing much beyond Lumia Denim.

1. The OS is not always smooth and transtions to the homescreen really lag
2. It heats up more than either 820 or 1020 even the metal rim.
3. Battery life is poor.
4. Back cover is easy to remove but feels very flimsy.
5. Some software doesnt run as well on 830 compared to 820. Eg. Angry Birds Go is unplayable yet was smooth as butter on 820.
6. Blacks on screen are washout out almost like it is backlit all the time.
7. Glance is so muted that it is almost pointless as very hard to see compared to both 820 and 1020.

First time been dissapointed by any Lumia. Wish I had seen it working before I bought it as may have changed my mind. The display in the 620 and 725 looked better in local shops than 830.

It might be a dodgy unit but I wouldn't recommend it at all.

 

[hasasimo]

Had the 830 for a few days and regetting it already. I had 820 and currently 1020 and the 830 offers nothing much beyond Lumia Denim.

1. The OS is not always smooth and transtions to the homescreen really lag
2. It heats up more than either 820 or 1020 even the metal rim.
3. Battery life is poor.
4. Back cover is easy to remove but feels very flimsy.
5. Some software doesnt run as well on 830 compared to 820. Eg. Angry Birds Go is unplayable yet was smooth as butter on 820.
6. Blacks on screen are washout out almost like it is backlit all the time.
7. Glance is so muted that it is almost pointless as very hard to see compared to both 820 and 1020.

First time been dissapointed by any Lumia. Wish I had seen it working before I bought it as may have changed my mind. The display in the 620 and 725 looked better in local shops than 830.

It might be a dodgy unit but I wouldn't recommend it at all.

You definitely have a defective device. Most, including myself, rave about how cool the phone stays, the 2 days of battery life, and how smooth and fluid everything is.

 

[JimiDiGriz]

Is performance really that down on the 820? Blimey. I'd've thought at the very least base OS performance would be at least as good. I would accept no marked upgrade in gaming performance but would hope transistions would be better, less 'resuming' etc etc.

 

[Tellus82]

If you lagging going to your homescreen then unpin cortana from it. If your battery life suffers and your phone is hot then it's defective or your running an application that's badly bugged & makes the phone run 100% all the time. 830 Should not get hot, lag or drain its battery quicker then the 820 or the 1020, infact most folks who have gone from the 820 reports at the very least double battery life. Your reports on gaming confirms something is very wrong, your phone is running something in the background thats eating up all performance and battery, no doubt about it.

And for he washed out blacks, it's an ips display, what do you expect? same blacks as amoled?

Start with doing a hard reset/factory reset and if that yields no result then you might want to RMA it.

 

[Kram Sacul]

6. Blacks on screen are washout out almost like it is backlit all the time.
7. Glance is so muted that it is almost pointless as very hard to see compared to both 820 and 1020.

This for me is the deal breaker of the 830. The 820 has a low resolution display but it more than makes up for it with vivid punchy colors and insane contrast. The black backgrounds of the OS blend in to the bezel and what you get is tiles that seem to float on the surface of the screen. Going from that to washed out blacks and dull colors is a downgrade. Also glance screen just doesn't work with a non amoled display.

 

[Luciano_WP8]

At least for me, totally worth it. I sold my Lumia 820 a week ago, right after receiveing my L830 and I'm pretty happy about the device. There are some "cons" compared to 820, like the "black" of the display, that is really black on amoled screens and kindda grey on IPS LCD. But, at least for me, not a break dealer. About the performance, there are some games it needs to be optimized for these new SD400 + Adreno 305 devices, but it's just a matter of time. On the rest, the device is amazing. Nothing to complain about it.