Can you actualy recommend a Windows Phone nowadays?

[Niry]

Hello guys ,

I?m currently looking for a new phone since my Huawei P8 died to a water damage.
I?ve been unsing Android for the last few years and it works fine for me but I don?t need my phone for a lot anyway.
The Lumia 950 had insane price drops lately and you can already get one for a little over 200 euro .
The most important part for me is the camera and I guess there?s nothing in that price range that can beat the 950.

I don?t have any experience with Windows Phone but I like the design a lot.
I basicaly just use my phone for taking picture , facebook , whatsapp , kakao and to do lists/email/calender.
Currently I use gmail and google calendar but I guess I could also switch to Outlook and the integrated calender if it works better on WP.

So I don?t need a whole lot of apps but I keep reading that there are random bugs like the alarm not going off which would be a problem of course If I can?t rely on my phone.
Other than that the apps for facebook and whatsapp seem to be not as good as on android/ios but whats the matter?
I mean I use it for communication , what can be that bad about it? If the only problem is that there are like 2 emojis less I don?t care lol

Can you guys recommend windows phone in its current state considering the Lumia 950 offers a lot for a low price?

 

[libra89]

I can't recall if Kakao is available but you should be fine with that usage. From my understanding, gmail and google calendar integrate nicely with Outlook calendar.

There's a couple of to do list apps that are good.

As for the alarm thing, how recent was that post, if you can remember? Windows 10 Mobile is updated on a monthly basis. The alarm does start low and then gradually becomes louder.

 

[Ejay Lozano]

I've been a hardcore wp user since the wp7 days back in 2011 with my Lumia 800. I've gone through 5 Lumia devices and I'm currently using a L950. I love the OS and the interface. It's simple to use, but with the app gap and the limited hardware selection, it's all up to you and your preference on this OS transition.

 

[kaktus1389]

Yes, I can recommend Lumia 950 for the given price and your usage as the majority apps are available (not sure about Kakao, the rest are there though). Outlook Calendar and Mail look pretty much the same as on Windows 10 PC app version and google calendar and gmail account can sync well with Outlook apps.

 

[EspHack]

cant outright "recommend" anything but if a certain person needs a cheap phone for X,Y,Z and a wp happens to do that, yes thats actually a good option, you seem to be that kind of person, taking pictures will be a great experience, as for fb you can use the old microsoft made fb client and 8.1 messenger apps which are very suitable and reliable, dont know about kakao, mail & calendar is handled flawlessly with built-in outlook, at least for me

if you can find the 950 for 200€ go for it, you're getting a 2016 700€ camera equivalent for that price and lots more

 

[CraigCole]

Can I recommend Windows Phone today? Yes and no. As with others, I've been on this ship since WP7 and from those early days this platform brought a few important things to the table, chiefly smoothness, snappy performance on even low-end hardware and groundbreaking visual design. It combined the responsiveness of the iPhone with the hardware diversity of Android; it truly promised to be the best of both worlds. Luckily for us, these attributes carried through to WP8/8.1, which brought some more niceties to market. However, WP never reached feature or app parity with rivals. A software update would bring you five steps forward just in time for iOS and Android just leap ahead by another 20 paces. In my opinion, Microsoft didn't do enough to make WP a contender; it was ALWAYS behind the curve, sometimes significantly.

Now, with Windows 10 Mobile, things have gone off the rails. Reliability took a dump, as did overall performance. App quality (even native MS apps) is noticeably poor, boot times can be measured with a calendar and none of the slickness of WP7 is left. My 950 is the worst phone I've ever owned. Just this afternoon I tried to take a screenshot and for whatever reason it wouldn't save it. Eventually the image did show up in the pictures app, but it wouldn't allow me to crop it. Endless glitches, problems and random failures are the hallmark of W10M (in my experience). Attempting even the simplest of tasks can be an exercise in abject frustration.

Can I recommend Windows Phone today? If you can get a Lumia 950 for 200-ish Euro it might be worth a try, but only, ONLY if you're a casual user. If you need tons of horsepower, stellar battery life or the latest apps do yourself a favor and AVOID W10M. Sorry to say, it's FAAAAAR from ready for prime time right now. Look at all the issues the HP Elite X3 has, a BRAND-NEW, FLAGSHIP-LEVEL product (that costs what, like $800?). Even using the camera would cause the system to crash. Why they would release a product in that state is beyond me, especially one priced that high.

 

[earthman007]

Yes, I can recommend Windows mobiles right now. The OS has come a long way from when it was first launched, with ongoing updates that will improve things. If I was the op, I'd review the photos that have been taken on the various devices and compare to the standard that he needs. There are good deals atm, as he mentions but it's about his budget and the specs that deliver to his requirements. For many others, perhaps without the high grade camera spec needs, there's a reasonable range of handsets out there.

 

[Skamath]

Whatever CraigCole said plus the other users who are gradually moving away from WP. I bumped into wp by default being a nokia user and now I am getting a 3s prime xiaomi and if android clicks which I think it will then I am looking at nokia DIC

 

[pericle]

One of the OP's requirements is to have Kakao Talk, unfortunately they have announced end of support for Windows Phone in December 2016.

https://mspoweruser.com/kakao-talk-ending-support-windows-phone-users-december/

This is one of the chief reasons, I don't recommend Windows Phone to anybody anymore. With the plummeting market share of Windows Mobile there is a real possibility that even the apps that are available now may not be available next year. Right now, it is a much safer option to get either an Android or iOS device.

 

[decider]

I like WPs too, but I just wish there was an application for my SirusXM radio. This I miss and the lack of this app may cause me to leave Windows Phone for awhile. I do miss my satellite radio that I had with my iPhone.

 

[becakmang]

Hello guys ,

I?m currently looking for a new phone since my Huawei P8 died to a water damage.
I?ve been unsing Android for the last few years and it works fine for me but I don?t need my phone for a lot anyway.
The Lumia 950 had insane price drops lately and you can already get one for a little over 200 euro .
The most important part for me is the camera and I guess there?s nothing in that price range that can beat the 950.

I don?t have any experience with Windows Phone but I like the design a lot.
I basicaly just use my phone for taking picture , facebook , whatsapp , kakao and to do lists/email/calender.
Currently I use gmail and google calendar but I guess I could also switch to Outlook and the integrated calender if it works better on WP.

So I don?t need a whole lot of apps but I keep reading that there are random bugs like the alarm not going off which would be a problem of course If I can?t rely on my phone.
Other than that the apps for facebook and whatsapp seem to be not as good as on android/ios but whats the matter?
I mean I use it for communication , what can be that bad about it? If the only problem is that there are like 2 emojis less I don?t care lol

Can you guys recommend windows phone in its current state considering the Lumia 950 offers a lot for a low price?

Windows phone would fit you like a glove. As long as you're not fussy about apps. You will Br happy. Best camera, in fact the 950/950xl are a great phone. Email and calendar are great. I love one note, you can pin specific notes onto your screen. This means you won't forget important notes! (ie, you don't need to dig through layers of apps, its right there on your main screen)

If you want apps, id stick with ios/android

 

[libra89]

One of the OP's requirements is to have Kakao Talk, unfortunately they have announced end of support for Windows Phone in December 2016.

https://mspoweruser.com/kakao-talk-ending-support-windows-phone-users-december/

This is one of the chief reasons, I don't recommend Windows Phone to anybody anymore. With the plummeting market share of Windows Mobile there is a real possibility that even the apps that are available now may not be available next year. Right now, it is a much safer option to get either an Android or iOS device.

Good eye, thanks for sharing this. In that case, if this app is an important one to the OP, I'll pull my recommendation.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Here's WindowsCentral's article. KakaoTalk will terminate its Windows Phone app this December http://www.windowscentral.com/kakao-talk-terminating-its-windows-phone-app-december

 

[VetDuarte]

I can't recall if Kakao is available but you should be fine with that usage. From my understanding, gmail and google calendar integrate nicely with Outlook calendar.

There's a couple of to do list apps that are good.

As for the alarm thing, how recent was that post, if you can remember? Windows 10 Mobile is updated on a monthly basis. The alarm does start low and then gradually becomes louder.

I don't have that great integration experience.
Recurrent events set on my Google Calendar on Android won't show up on Outlook, for instance.

 

[anthonyng]

I don't have that great integration experience.
Recurrent events set on my Google Calendar on Android won't show up on Outlook, for instance.

Strange, I use google calendar primarily and it all shows up really well. Works so well that it's been tough for me to transition to outlook since I already had everything set up in google calendar and shared calendars with my wife and of our kids. Been using it like that for 3/4 years.

Unless it's android specific thing.

Otherwise I don't have a problem recommending windows mobile but with the caveat that if the person is into apps well they would have to know what they really are looking for to see if there is an option.

 

[anon(10043517)]

I'd say no. I've had 3 Windows Phones (920, 1020 and 950XL)

With the 920 and 1020 it felt like Windows Phone was making progress in the market, that better app selection was just around the corner and the hardware, especially the camera was amongst the best. Before I smashed the screen (another story) I've not especially had any problems with my 950, but I was a bit disappointed that it had become clear many developers had no intention of embracing WP, and the winding up of the Lumia phones business plus its low volumes overall makes me fear for any kind of support going forward. I've had a nightmare for various reasons getting my screen fixed, I can see this being the norm for any issues with the phone.

 

[sidtek50]

I'm in two minds. I want to love Windows 10 Mobile but Microsoft make it very difficult. The very second iOS added 'Night mode', W10M should have added it. The problem with W10M is that it doesn't "look" as good as its counterparts. It is very good but look at Outlook - it looks 10x better on iOS and Android than on W10M and this simply shouldn't be the case. Very frustrating but due to my 950's fantastic camera, I couldn't sell it on.

 

[boky69]

Recommended w10m? No. For 1 year
w10m will be death. No apps,no developers,this is death platform.

 

[anthonyng]

It is very good but look at Outlook - it looks 10x better on iOS and Android than on W10M and this simply shouldn't be the case.

feature parity to be coming as far as I understood, outlook (Accompli) was an android, ios app first so it's still catching up on windows side.

 

[Tullphan]

If you're on a budget, pick up a used Icon/930 or a 1520. Perhaps you can find one running 8.1 or roll it back to 8.1.
If you like it, you could turn around & sell it & get you a 950.