Buying a Lumia 820 now?

[LilithElina]

Hey 820 owners!
My first smartphone was a HTC 8S and after 1.5 years of mostly frustration, I can't take any more. I want a Lumia, with decent updates and support! I was looking at different models and reviews for weeks, but the problem is that I love the design and size of my 8S and found it hard to decide on a Lumia model.
Last weekend, though, I happened to see an 820 in a store and more or less fell in love. It's not significantly bigger than my 8S, which means it might still fit my jeans pocket, and it's not as (sorry) ugly as the 5xx and 6xx Lumias (which are the only other ones not too big, apparently).
Now, I know the 820 is already quite old, so I'm wondering if it would make sense to buy one now? Are you happy with yours, or just waiting to get rid of it and upgrade to something else?

Update
In case new people will still enter this thread, I'd like to draw more focus on the size problem. Right now it seems in order to be notified of calls and messages and still avoid sound, I need to carry my phone close to my body. This means, since I'm female and wear rather tight fitting jeans, a new phone for me should not be higher than, let's say, 125 mm. This leaves me with a display size apparently below and most likely not including 4.5'' inches. This excludes most of the new phones, like the 730 which most of you suggested I buy instead.
The question then is: are phones like the 530 (which is small enough) still better than the 820?

 

[iamakii]

Hey 820 owners!
My first smartphone was a HTC 8S and after 1.5 years of mostly frustration, I can't take any more. I want a Lumia, with decent updates and support! I was looking at different models and reviews for weeks, but the problem is that I love the design and size of my 8S and found it hard to decide on a Lumia model.
Last weekend, though, I happened to see an 820 in a store and more or less fell in love. It's not significantly bigger than my 8S, which means it might still fit my jeans pocket, and it's not as (sorry) ugly as the 5xx and 6xx Lumias (which are the only other ones not too big, apparently).
Now, I know the 820 is already quite old, so I'm wondering if it would make sense to buy one now? Are you happy with yours, or just waiting to get rid of it and upgrade to something else?

Happy user here. After two years, 820 still holds a decent place in WP ecosystem. If you're someone who can handle fast battery drain, I can recommend 820.

 

[Rakesh Rocky2]

Yeah 820 battery is mediocre plus weight 720s camera is better.. Other than that everything is good

 

[anon8855939]

NO
Don't do this it's processor is old. Therefore will not have few features of windows phone 8.1 update 1,2 and so on.
Don't do this at any cost

 

[agentyoshi]

Why not wait until the 730/735 comes out? It sounds perfect for what you want.

 

[jedpatrickdatu]

Don't buy it. There are newer Lumias out there with better features for the price, and the 820's age might not make it open to the next WP update. I recommend the Lumia 730.

 

[Aryan Salooja]

I think you should go for a Lumia 730 because.....
1. Comes with Lumia Denim ( not even released for flagship phones. )
2. 5mp front cam
3. 1gb ram and snapdragon 400 processor
4. Nice looks
5. If you are in US or places where carriers give phone on contract, then you may buy a Lumia 735 which has wireless charging and is 4g LTE enabled.
6. Great 4.7 inch screen with corning gorilla glass 3.

Finally, it is around $200-250 which is also not too costly ( considering the features ). It's a bang for the buck and worth every penny of yours. At the end, the choice is yours but I highly recommend Lumia 730 to you as an upgrade from 8s...

 

[Rakesh Rocky2]

Yup go for 730.. Only thing you will miss is glance

 

[anon8957882]

Do not buy 820. I agree with the guys here. 730 may be a better option. And glance is good but you wont miss it much.

 

[LilithElina]

Thanks for the quick replies!

The thing with the 730 is, it will definitely not fit into my jeans pocket.
I always have my phone on vibrate, I don't like sounds for calls and messages. If I can't carry it close to my body to notice the vibration, things will get difficult. Unless, of course, I had some kind of small device/tag/whatever that I could carry in my jeans pocket and which will vibrate for calls, WhatsApp and other messages. So far, I couldn't find something that would do that. I definitely don't want a smart-watch or other wristband, either, though I am having an eye on that smart-ring trend. We're not quite there yet, though, especially for WindowsPhone.

I've already heard about the battery of the 820, I only wish someone would have done a direct comparison with the 8S... Right now, the battery lasts for a bit more than a day for me, so if the 820 isn't much worse, I guess I'd be fine.

The older processor I've also heard about, but so far mostly in connection with Cortana voice activation. Since I'm in Germany and there's no hint at Cortana for me anyway, I'm not worried about that at the moment, to be honest.

Right now, I'm more looking at sizes and basic features in a replacement for my 8S. When there's a way to get alerted to calls using other devices, then I'd ignore the size and go for the best specs.

 

[Alexandre Borges]

If you need a phone right now and really really cheap, buy it. Only the flagship phones will get better features and will take time. Honestly, the only downside for me is the battery, but it gets the job done.

 

[Julek]

I have been using L820 since may last year and I have to say it is a decent phone. It is still powerful enough to handle WP8.1 well and 1GB ram allows you to use the Windows phone ecosystem extensively. Battery is horrible though. I am not a power user and the phone doesn't last through the day. This is the only issue I have with my L820. Screen resolution could also be a bit better, however the live tiles cover it up and it looks better than it should. One more thing - you will fall in love with the black color due to the clearblack technology implemented in the display.

 

[XXERXESG]

No its not worth it.. Get the 730 or the 830

 

[LilithElina]

I'd like to draw more focus on the size problem. Right now it seems in order to be notified of calls and messages and still avoid sound, I need to carry my phone close to my body. This means, since I'm female and wear rather tight fitting jeans, a new phone for me should not be higher than, let's say, 125 mm. This leaves me with a display size apparently below and most likely not including 4.5'' inches. This excludes most of the new phones, like the 730 which most of you suggested I buy instead.
The question then is: are phones like the 530 (which is small enough) still better than the 820?

 

[gomezz]

I don't like putting my phone in my trouser pocket except maybe in the front pocket of loose fitting cargos so I use a belt holster instead. Works for me.

 

[LilithElina]

I don't like putting my phone in my trouser pocket except maybe in the front pocket of loose fitting cargos so I use a belt holster instead. Works for me.

What phone do you have? Wouldn't that also get impractical with bigger ones?

 

[psoham777]

What phone do you have? Wouldn't that also get impractical with bigger ones?

I have 1320, not an issue for me, if you want a phone less than 4.5", its really going to be difficult for you, 820 is good, but thicker as compared to the current X30 series. Go for 720, if you think 730/830 is huge for you, if you want 1 Gb ram, go for 525.

 

[gomezz]

What phone do you have? Wouldn't that also get impractical with bigger ones?

820 as per my sig. As easy to fit in a holster as in a pocket.

 

[LilithElina]

I have 1320, not an issue for me, if you want a phone less than 4.5", its really going to be difficult for you, 820 is good, but thicker as compared to the current X30 series. Go for 720, if you think 730/830 is huge for you, if you want 1 Gb ram, go for 525.

Thank you! You actually listed the phones I am currently comparing to decide which I would like best. Sadly, the 525 is not available in Germany, so I'm still standing between the 720 and 820.

820 as per my sig. As easy to fit in a holster as in a pocket.

Sorry, I just wanted to make sure. :sweaty: The 820 should fit in my pocket any way, but the holster is also a nice idea if so many people say I should get a newer device.

 

[psoham777]

Thank you! You actually listed the phones I am currently comparing to decide which I would like best. Sadly, the 525 is not available in Germany, so I'm still standing between the 720 and 820.



Sorry, I just wanted to make sure. :sweaty: The 820 should fit in my pocket any way, but the holster is also a nice idea if so many people say I should get a newer device.

I might even add that you can even go for 730, it has good dimensions, 830 is also thinner, longer(not much wider) Why do you want a X20 series phone? 820/720 have 4.3", 730 has 4.7". I don't think that 0.4"(1cm) should matter much. Also its not sure for how much time will MS support X20 series, so go for 730.