Buy 950 XL now or wait for Surface phone and take the 550 in between?

[Krystianpants]

Surface phone is a long way away.

Microsoft claim the company plans to launch at least two flagship smartphones next year, which will be equipped with Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon 820 chipset.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/micr...th-snapdragon-820-cpu-in-q3-2016-495598.shtml

 

[keithhackneysmullet]

Purchase the 950xl and if or when there is a surface phone sell the 950xl on swappa or glyde and buy the surface phone. I don't understand settling for a lesser phone like the 550 . There is another option purchase a acer jade primo that way you get continuum and a dock then hope and pray that the rumors of a surface phone are true

 

[HoosierDaddy]

They have a trade-in program for the surface 3 -> 4

Do they give you more or less than you could sell it for?

 

[John M Beauchemin]

Best case if all the stars align just right, you end up paying just as much. And of course they rarely do, so you end up paying more because the phone you want isn't available when you want - if ever.

Sorry, I don't understand. You can put down 30%, set your monthly phone payment rate to a year, and in a year whether you decide to get a replacement phone or not, your phone is paid off. It doesn't cost you any more money. So, worst case scenario is after a year your phone is paid off and your monthly bill drops down to the same rate it would be if you had bought the phone outright.

Unless there is some hidden cost I'm not aware of, or some aspect to the NEXT plan I'm not comprehending?

 

[ArtificiallyYours]

Smartphones are getting increasingly more capable as the years move on, months even. Days.

 

[TexasLabRat]

Do they give you more or less than you could sell it for?

Not sure..haven't really done the research since I don't have a SP3 to trade..I just read about it. But for people who hate dealing with people in general (like me) then it's infinitely more than I could sell it for since I'd never bother trying to sell it on my own

 

[jsooney]

The NEXT plan isn't necessary to change phones. In fact it takes away options. If you just buy your phone, you can sell it any time you want a new phone or a new carrier. On the flip side, a carrier may never offer a particular phone and the Next plan has restrictions on when you use it. Best case if all the stars align just right, you end up paying just as much. And of course they rarely do, so you end up paying more because the phone you want isn't available when you want - if ever.

I agree. The Next plan is the dumbest plan ever.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I agree. The Next plan is the dumbest plan ever.

Uh oh. Don't throw down that sort of gauntlet. Now some carrier is going to have to try to beat it.

 

[John M Beauchemin]

I agree. The Next plan is the dumbest plan ever.

Uh oh. Don't throw down that sort of gauntlet. Now some carrier is going to have to try to beat it.

Explain, please. I'm changing my current unlimited plan which I've had for a decade now and costs waaaay too much money when I get the 950 so if it's a crappy plan, I want to know why, exactly.

 

[Cabo Blue]

My guess, & it's only just a guess...

Upon acquiring NOKIA, MSFT entered into NOKIA phone production that was either
1: already committed to in the planning, design, and manufacturing stage,
And/or
2: made a pre-arranged agreement to complete that last wave of NOKIA phones under the guise of the NOKIA purchase.

I suppose Ballmer should chime in with some of the rhetoric of that acquisition.

Now...
As we see the birth & growth of the Surface line, one can only imagine the potential of MSFT imagination, design, and resource reach that could make capable a rather nice possible Surface Phone.

Odds are to me that MSFT created the Surface phone line.
Continuum is a nice tool to have when attempting to design the next best idea.

Final guess :
MSFT makes the Surface phone line.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

Uh oh. Don't throw down that sort of gauntlet. Now some carrier is going to have to try to beat it.

Sure. You can change your phone once every five million years and you're locked into a five million year contract that will pass down the generations. If you don't have any kids it gets tacked onto your neighbour instead. $500'000'000 per minute/text/kb of data. $1'000'000'000 upfront payment for the phone plus you pay that monthly as a deductible for the phone.

 

[Brian Thomsen]

It depends on what you would be waiting for from a Surface Phone. Personally I am struggling with the decision myself. I am looking at a 950 but would really like to see support for the the Surface Pen, which I don't believe the 950's will support. It is the exact reason I am looking at getting a SP4 over a SP3. I have yet to decide if the pen support is a deal breaker for 950 as I currently use a Lumia 635.

 

[bugelrex]

If they add the pen support to 950XL, they would have the only phone on the market which supports pen, removablable battery and SD card. Another wasted opportunity from MS

 

[Brian Thomsen]

I think its one of the reasons I think that the 950 might be a placeholder until a Surface Phone is released. Granted a nice placeholder but I think Panos's lack of enthusiasm that many have pointed out is kind of telling that something else may be coming. I have no idea what a Pen functionality in its current form would have on a small screen like a 950 or 950XL. Its possible that the pen vs stylus (Galaxy Note for instance) requires a much more expensive piece of tech and or bulk that would add to the phone making it less attractive to consumers. Or it simply wouldn't be ready for this year's release and we would see it in the next release IE:Surface Phone.

Edit: Speaking mainly of the pressure sensitivity. How fluid it is on a SP4 vs a SP3 and how it would be on a phone.

 

[RobHalligan]

Many complained that MS didn't have a new high-end phone. MS came out with two high-end phones even though they'd likely have preferred not to (since they've sold mostly low-end phones). So, I think, those of us who have been complaining should suck it up and buy these Lumia's if they can. I bought an 830 to support the ecosystem and will (plan to) buy one of the 950 models by February (even though my contract won't be up). Your ecosystem is in peril. Support it or it will go away.

 

[jsooney]

Explain, please. I'm changing my current unlimited plan which I've had for a decade now and costs waaaay too much money when I get the 950 so if it's a crappy plan, I want to know why, exactly.

I think Hoosier explained it pretty well in his earlier post at 11-01-2015, 07:51 PM (adjust the hour for your time zone).

There's also a good explanation here:
Why AT&T's new pricing plans are only a bargain for some - CNET

The article is a bit old but was recently updated.

 

[John M Beauchemin]

I think Hoosier explained it pretty well in his earlier post

Saying "It will probably end up costing you more" is not an 'explanation'.

Thanks for the link, reading now.

*edit: Well, I'm more confused now than I was before, but it looks like the no-contract plan is the best in the long-run. I didn't get from AT&T's site that the NEXT plan actually cost more than a no contract plan. I thought the baseline was the same.

 

[Steve Adams]

Get the 950/xl. The surface phone is only a rumor. Who knows when or if it will see daylight. Just look at the surface mini.

 

[poddie]

For me, I find my 1520 just too big to be practical during regular use. I'm sick and tired of having to pull it out of my packet every time I want to sit down for fear that I will flex the screen. I'm not sure why anyone would want to wait (other than if you can't afford it now of course)... literally the only feature that is "missing" is pen support. To me, that is of very limited usefulness on a phone anyway. Everything else is in the 950... Super fast processor, good RAM, SD Card, removable battery, thin, great screen, glance, fantastic camera. I don't understand the complaints about its appearance either... it looks very slick. I wish they had colors available, but it seems the market has decided they don't care, so it's hard to blame them. What exactly is worth waiting another year for? I'm sure they will look cool and be a bit faster... but that is usually the case if you wait a year.

 

[Musicman247]

If they add the pen support to 950XL, they would have the only phone on the market which supports pen, removablable battery and SD card. Another wasted opportunity from MS

They already have the only phone on the market with removable battery, SD card, retina scanner and liquid cooling. So yeah, no biggy.

I was debating waiting as well. Ended up deciding to preorder the 950 xl. It will be the best device running W10m, and even if they announce something better in the next 6 months I'll be able to sell it and get most of my money back.

Surface phone as we imagine might not even happen. How many people do you know that would want a full PC in their pocket? Besides Windows enthusiasts. Not the largest market. Continuum is going to be mind-blowing enough for the general public.