First time Windows Phone.. Regret?

[tut1234]

Welcome to Windows Phone.
You should run 8.1 for awhile. W10M is test code and is not ready, everyone is hoping a newer build is release before the end of this week. The 640XL is a great phone and comes with Lumia Denim 8.1.
Don't judge the WP based on code the is not ready to be released to the public yet.
The problems you are having with W10M are known issues they are working on.
You can use the WP recovery tool to go back to 8.1, that's what I would do.
BTW, my next phone will be a L640.

 

[realwarder]

The hint to do a hard reset after updating to WM10 is important for performance. Also as it is still test software it is slower than release. Side by side not much slower than 8.1 though.

Apps designed for WM10 will be faster to load than those for 8.1 when developers get around to updating when WM10 is released. Apps run native in WM10 rather than interpreted as in 8.1. Read about .NET Native for more insight.

I have a regular 640 and performance is not bad. Not fast but acceptable. Edge is slow but there are hints from devs that that will improve so let's see over the next few test updates.

 

[mprebich]

So you've installed Windows 10 Mobile Technical Preview.

And yes, the preview does take quite some time to install, it's a known thing.

As for the sluggishness, yes that's also a known thing. Since you're running preview software, you should expect that the responsiveness and functionality won't be the same as for the release version in a few months time. Performing a hard reset after the upgrade to Windows 10 can help solve some of the performance issues, but there are still downsides to using preview software on your day-to-day device.

Seriously?? Preview software?? "Release version in a few months time"?

This is being touted as the last (close to last?) build before final, no new features only performance enhancements and touchups. The Insider program expires on October 1, less than a month. MS said new builds would be out quicker, but there's not been one in two weeks.

If MS doesn't start communicating better or communicating something, I completely understand why some might be having "regrets" and considering switching.

Unfortunately, #timetoswitch is starting to have the opposite meaning.

 

[benoitgphoto]

Launch date is unknown at this point of time. If it exceeds Oct 1st, the Insider program will be extended according to MS Gabe Aul. The actual build is far to be stable enough to be considered close to last. It is borderline to be stable enough to run as a daily driver, depends on everyone needs. MS is communicating actually pretty well, just follow Gabriel Aul on Twitter. And as for MS Edge, it is actually worst than IE but still in development and MS is concentrating on performance improvement.

 

[DJCBS]

When I opened whatsapp it showed me a loading screen with some dots. I thought hmm probably first run setup. No biggy. But it turns out that everytime I launch any of the above apps a loading screen pops up for a couple of seconds.
Is this normal? Does it really have to "load" an app like whatsapp?
Sometimes when I unlock my phone it also has to load the start menu.

Yes, that's pretty normal. It happens on the Nokia 930 running a snapdragon 800. It's the "Loading..." issue that Windows Phone has. Which is ironic because WP fans are very quick to come with the "Lagdroid" thing to attack another platform yet theirs...well...

This to say, yes, those "Loading..." screens are everywhere on WP no matter how high end your device is. Will the Microsoft 950 have it? Who knows. If I had to bet, based on how terrible WP10 is right now, I'd say no. But you'll have to wait for the phones to actually be released to see what happens. Though, if they're being indeed released with the snapdragon 810, I think the Loading screens will be the least of the users problems.

 

[Dietrich Cleijne]

Its a common problem with apps having the "infamous loading and resuming screens" for every device even Lumia 1520.And to prevent that loading and resuming msft introduced splash screen for apps.if there are no splash screens even hello world app would show that loading screen.

You would have really appreciated windows phone during 8.0 days(buttery smooth no lag even on my Lumia 520) not 8.1.

I have no "infamous loading and resuming screens" on my L1520.
It still looks and works as from day one, even a bit better after recent updates.

 

[MrWhiteman]

You can't buy a low end phone and expect high end performance dude. Go into a shop and play with the 930.

 

[harihar akhil]

You can't buy a low end phone and expect high end performance dude. Go into a shop and play with the 930.

So we need an high end phone even to open an app smoothly?

 

[skt_diaz]

So we need an high end phone even to open an app smoothly?

Its happens even on android with similar hardware because of the limited ram. You cant expect all apps to remain open in the background after a certain point.

 

[N_LaRUE]

@OP

Being a person who started using WP with a L920 and being over two years on this forum I can say from both personal experience and that of others on here that not every WP is perfect regardless how much that may irk people on this forum.

To fix issues it can be as simple as a reset, hard reset or a complete re-install of the firmware via the recovery tool.

With mass production things go wrong. It's really that simple.

All hardware is subject to imperfection. From the chipset to the motherboard to the touch screen. Because of this you can run into various issues. Then you add bad install of the firmware on top of that.

Sometimes apps may not install correctly. Always a possibility.

Using a preview software creates even more possibility of things going wrong.

If you want to see your phone working at it's best, re-install W8.1 with the recovery tool without a restore. Then install one app at a time using WiFi (using mobile data can sometimes cause corruption in downloads) to see if performance changes. Go into Battery Saver and set what apps you want running in the background. Too many apps and it can slow the phone down, doesn't matter how good WP is at operating background tasks.

With all the different ways in which we use our phones it's sometimes surprising that things don't go wrong more often.

If you don't have the recovery software it's here - FAQ - How can I recover/reset/restore my phone software? - Microsoft - UK

Windows Phone is great but it's not without it's issues like some users would have you believe and it's most definitely not perfect.

 

[Jazmac]

Fast enough to do what OP?