830 or 1520

[Mmazeo]

Ready to take the plunge but I'm torn. The specs of the 1520 are tempting but it's absurdly big and over a year old. The 830 is perfect size and its new but we're living in a spec crazy society, lol.

Basically I talk, text, email and I will probably need no more than 20 apps. Basics like Yelp, fantasy football, Flipboard, YouTube, Spotify. No games. I think my most important thing is a smooth browser experience.

Will the 830 be phone enough for me?

 

[ven07]

Even if the 1520 is a year old, it can still keep up and considering the price, I would go for the 1520, but if size is your issue, then the 830 is right for you. In terms of "spec" the 1520 towers over the 830..

 

[iliramove]

I'd recommend the 1520 since you play games on your phone. I own both of them and I play games on the 1520 exclusively due to the screen size. The price is cheaper too since its a year old phone now.

 

[iamakii]

I had this dilemma too before but I went with 1520. Never regretted it.

 

[hasasimo]

If you search around there's a thread here about people that went from a 1520 to a 830, myself included. Absolutely no regrets. Go with the design/feel you like best... performance won't be a problem.

 

[Noahma]

I'd recommend the 1520 since you play games on your phone. I own both of them and I play games on the 1520 exclusively due to the screen size. The price is cheaper too since its a year old phone now.

He said he does NOT play games ;p

I think the 830 would fit your needs well. Its not the poor slow phone people seem to think It is because it has the snapdragon 400. Its a pretty snappy phone, and I have not noticed any slowdowns when playing games, which seem to be no concern to you. The size is right, the weight is great, the battery life is amazing., and you can add up to a 128gb SD card so you can have as many apps as your heart desires. I think it fits the roll of "affordable flagship" very well, it in no way feels like a mid-tier phone.

 

[Mmazeo]

I'd recommend the 1520 since you play games on your phone. I own both of them and I play games on the 1520 exclusively due to the screen size. The price is cheaper too since its a year old phone now.

No games.

 

[iliramove]

No games.

I'd take the 830 any day.

 

[mj0]

While the 1520 might be older than the 830 it's definitely faster (Snapdragon 8xx vs. 4xx) and the battery lasts longer due to its sheer physical size and therefrom resulting capacity. However, it's also friggin' huge, have you seen this thing? I've had the chance to hold it in my hands a couple of days ago and that thing is like a tablet.

In short: if size doesn't matter 1520. If size does matter 830. If size does matter but you also desperately need the 1520's performance go for the 930.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

If the 830 had a better camera I'd go for it in a heartbeat. But my 1520 is still my fave.

Simply the best windows phone and you really get used to the size after awhile.

 

[Mmazeo]

Size concerns. How does that thing feel in your pocket? Can you do anything with one hand? How awkward is holding it to your ear on a phone call?

I know this would probably be better in the 1520 forum but I'm afraid of getting nothing but positive reaction over there. Hoping it's more honest over here.

 

[Mmazeo]

If the 830 had a better camera I'd go for it in a heartbeat. But my 1520 is still my fave.

Simply the best windows phone and you really get used to the size after awhile.

830 processor doesn't bother you?

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Size concerns. How does that thing feel in your pocket? Can you do anything with one hand? How awkward is holding it to your ear on a phone call?

I know this would probably be better in the 1520 forum but I'm afraid of getting nothing but positive reaction over there. Hoping it's more honest over here.

Of course you would It is the 1520 forum and most love theirs so it'll be nearly all positive praises

The first week I got it, it was A HUGE MONSTER. Coming from the Lumia 1020 to the 1520 was like Wow. It felt weird holding it. It felt weird talking on it.

A year later and I am used to it. I got used to it after a couple of days to the point that phones like the 920/1020 feel tiny and my mother's 635 just feels like a scale model or something in my hand.

I Can text one handed with it and I do a lot of things one handed with it. But I do like texting with both hands as it goes much faster. It allows me to speed text.

I'm a guy so Idk if I have average or larger than average hands. My hands feel fine to me and I can hold it with no problem. I wear skinny jeans a lot and it is noticeable but it fits snuggly in my pocket. I'm a dancer so I carry it in my pockets a lot when dancing or going for a run and it doesn't bug me.

It is a big phone but if people look past the size and try to adapt and understand it, I think a lot of people would enjoy it. But my boyfriend's whose hands are the same size of mine did not like it. He has the Icon which is perfectly fine for him.

830 processor doesn't bother you?

I haven't used the 830 exclusively. My brother has it but honestly the 830 does not bother me from the little I use it. Even the 635 does not bother me as far as speed as much as I'd think.

I don't play a lot of games so I don't necessarily care if it has the fastest processor. however, I do take a lot of pictures so I want to be able to use all Lumia features so in that instance it does bother me, but taking the camera aside, no it wouldn't. If the camera was a little better and it had the FFC of the 535/735, i'd gladly trade my 1520 in for the 830 as I like the design

But it doesn't so I can't 1520 and the 930/Icon are simply the best windows phone to buy today if you want the top of the line and the 830 is the perfect midrange to buy if you want most of the same power/features in a smaller and cheaper package

 

[mj0]

Size concerns. How does that thing feel in your pocket? Can you do anything with one hand? How awkward is holding it to your ear on a phone call?

This is highly subjective - it depends on the size of your hands. Mine are pretty small so for me everything above 4" is too large to comfortably fit in my hand. iPhone 4S was the perfect size, I could do everything one handed. The Lumia 635 is already way too large for me, and so is the 830. Didn't stop me from getting one though since there really isn't anything decent below 4.5-5" these days anyway.

Only thing you can do to figure it out is to take things into your own hands. Literally :wink:

 

[aafa]

go 830, son. It's a big sized phone, not humongous like the 1520. the 830 isn't spec jammed like the 1520, but its still a quad core and battery life is great. I made the switch from the ATIV S. Loving it since day one.

Also, you can slip in a microSD card to upto 128gb...and remove the battery in the future whenever it loses its performance (which all batteries do). the 1520 doesn't have that luxury.