Buying Advice - Owners, Experienced Users + Experts 

[windows4winners]

Thank you for clicking.

I'm considering the switch from iOS to Windows Mobile 10

I'm looking to purchase a WM10 capable phone in order to help determine the feasibility of switching, testing both functionality and checking the limitations of WM10.

I appealing to all users and experts to offer your advice and feedback based on their own personal experience with individual devices.
I was thinking a Samsung Windows Mobile, are they as good as their Android siblings?
Which handset should I go for?
Which devices to avoid?

EXCLUDING MS LUMIA 950/950XL

 

[Timbre70]

Stay away. Keep the fruit.

 

[Werentuckl]

I'd recommend foregoing them all for the Lumia 640. But since you're writing it out in British Pounds, I'm guessing thats not possible. It would be nice if you could instead pick up an older flagship for second hand. And go with those. A second hand Lumia 1520 would be the ideal upgrade path, but then again. I dont know what your market all around is like. Spec for Spec, the 640XL out of those choices youve given is the soundest phone, in design terms the 650 wins it out, and for money only, the 550. So you'd have to be a little more specific here for the community to help you out on this one friend.

-- W

 

[windows4winners]

Thank you for the advice, ironically I think I have made my post clearer by making it more vague . The Lumia 640 is indeed an option, besides different carriers all the products seem to be similar.

 

[xandros9]

A cheap Windows Phone like the MS Lumia 640, 550, 650 are worth checking out.

If they're cheap, the 735 and 830 are worth a look.

Avoid Samsung ATIV phones at this time, there is no one that will properly meet your W10M needs.

I would also avoid anything expensive, just dip your toe into the water.

 

[pankaj981]

I would agree with Werentuckl, get a 1520 if you want to truly experience W10 for a decent price. The new/mint AT&T unlocked ones are being sold on eBay for less than $200 and they run W10 really well.

 

[Werentuckl]

I second what Xandros said, and the used cheap 1520s are about the same going price as the amount you were initially willing to spend on the Lumias. Again. And yes, you're right. The only difference between all the Lumias under 1520 and the 930 is fit and finish. So whatever is the nicest cheap phone you can find, you're good to go. As long as you dont spend a kitchen sink on it.

And ironically I just pulled the trigger on an ATIV SE, which competed with the 930/1520 at release. Purely for the specs, because it was cheap enough, that I was willing to live with the compromises it would entail while hackgrading to WM10, or the lack thereof. So there you have it. YMMV, with everything as it goes. And how you pull the trigger may be dictated by different factors.

 

[RumoredNow]

Most likely you want the W10M native experience... Rather than wading into the Insider builds right away. Also, Lumia is going to be your best shot at native W10M and that Lumia Firmware is a huge value added package. Don't discount it. It is $ for $ the best tweaked package with the most depth in terms of Windows Phone UX.

Gently used, leftover stock or Budget seem to be the way to get in and test if you are not sure about staying.

So for new that leaves 550 or 650. Between the 2, I'd say go the extra for 650. Reason being the better SoC, upgraded cameras and double the internal storage. And the thing just looks schmexy.

Microsoft Lumia 550 vs. Microsoft Lumia 650 - GSMArena.com


Gently used/leftover stock. This gets trickier. In general, more recent is more assured for things like battery health. Also, leftover will be better. It's that unknown number of charge cycles that is the enemy here.

Lumia 1520. I have owned one since August of 2014 and it continues to be my daily. It truly is a beast of a phone. Outside of the Windows Phone community it may be a bit unknown and under rated, but it is one of the finest phones ever built, IMHO. Nokia really hit their stride on this one. It is also one of the largest phones ever built. So if size is a factor you may want to give it a pass. Because this device has been out since November of 2013 I would urge you to look at leftover as opposed to gently used. Those battery charge cycles... This is probably the only x20 series phone worth chasing and there are many compelling reasons why it remains so.

Lumia 930. Has a huge following. In many ways it is the non-XL peer of the 1520. It lacks just a couple niceties that 1520 has (no Glance or SD card). It does have the advantage of being a bit more recent (July of 2014). Battery endurance on 930 has been known to be lackluster. It's akin to iPhones in powering a rich and pixel dense display, so screen time can be a drain. It is a very nice Flagship though with a lot of style. Availability in the EU should be quite good still. Gently used or leftover should be fine with this one.

Lumia 830. Even amongst Windows Phone fans this device is discounted. The initial price point was simply too high. Good news for you, those prices have fallen. Gently used should be fairly well available and if you can find a leftover, you should look at it. It lacks a bit of punch compared to 1520/930, but it has a secret weapon. That camera is top shelf. Sure it is only 10MP... It also brings Zeiss lenses, PureView and Optical Image Stabilization. The camera on 830, just like 1520/930/950/950XL is capable of shooting .dng (Digital NeGative) which is a huge advantage in post shot editing. (It is the same thing as RAW capture.) Don't discount this one if taking photos is important to you. It is a great shooter in a wide array of conditions.

Nokia Lumia 1520 vs. Nokia Lumia 930 vs. Nokia Lumia 830 - GSMArena.com


For the x40 series we really are only looking at 640 and 640 XL. There is a 540, but IMHO you are better served with a 550 or 650. Here, I would probably say just go XL. They are virtually identical outside of screen size. The 640 XL gets an advantage in Camera and Battery. Mind you, I have a 640 and it was a wonderful bargain at $30. However, outside of the US, at the prices you'll see 640 XL should pull ahead.

Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE vs. Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE - GSMArena.com


So... YMMV and others will disagree... And price is always a factor... Here's what I would look at and the order I would choose them in if price and condition line up well for you.

1. Lumia 1520
2. Lumia 830
3. Lumia 930 (because 1520 is simply more compelling in that price range)
4. Lumia 650
5. Lumia 640 XL
6. Lumia 640
7. Lumia 550

Caveat: I've only owned #'s 1/2/6, but I read a lot on the board and elsewhere...

 

[pankaj981]

^^ very well put together

 

[Werentuckl]

RumoredNow just stole it. Seconded, thirded, fourth'ed, and basically. You get the idea. ^_^

-- W

 

[broar94]

I'd go with the 650 coz it has 16GB internal memory, over the other cheaper models. If you find 1520 go for it but it's outdated though it has a good SOC.

 

[v535]

@windows4winners: Are you currently using an iphone 5/5s? Then considering the features you'd miss moving to lower or mid range devices, you could consider L735 which would have similar feeling to 4.7" screen iphone, IMO as others pointed out, 830,930 and 1520 are worth the price and you won't be disappointed. OS will improve over time with continuous updates.

 

[realwarder]

RumoredNow has the perfect reply.

 

[windows4winners]

Thank you so much for the information, really helpful.

 

[Werentuckl]

Tell us what you choose to decide on.

-- W