I want a small phone, is the Lumia 620 good?

[ET3D]

Didn't know whether to post this in the Phone Wars forum or Nokia 620 forum or here, but this looks more active. So I'll start with an introduction and hope you'll help with my decision.

A few months ago I was asked nicely by people to move from my Nokia 6120c phone to a smartphone, so I can have access to WhatsApp. I ended up buying a THL A3, a cheap Chinese Android phone. The main reason I bought it was that I wanted a small phone. It's still significantly larger than the 6120c, but it's smaller than the vast majority of smartphones. The main problem with it is a bad microphone, with people complaining that they don't hear me well.

So I'm thinking of moving to another phone. My two current candidates are the Nokia 208 and the Nokia Lumia 620. The first is a simple phone but comes with WhatsApp so will cover that aspect. The second is a little bigger than the THL A3 (and significantly heavier), but it's still one of the smaller smartphones around, and is more interesting and it would be easier to type text on it.

I don't use my phone much at all. All I do is take calls (I talk about 2 hours a month) on it and occasionally text. WhatsApp and camera are of occasional use, and I did use Skype once on my A3, and googled something a couple of times.

My main questions are: How is the 620 as a phone? How convenient is Windows Phone for just using basic phone functions? I just want something which works well and is reliable, preferably with a decently long battery life when not used much.

Thanks in advance!

(And by the way, I'm a pretty techy person, a software developer, and I use a Nexus 7 quite a bit. I just don't need to have all that complexity in a phone, since I'm already on a PC most of the day.)

 

[thusharaya]

Do not buy 620 it's old news now. Even Nokia/Microsoft slowly removing that model from their site. Support will be there but it will be limited. Go for a newer model of same thing like 630 635. Or if wanting 4G go for 625... But it'll be old thingie in few months as well...

 

[WanderingTraveler]

As a former 620 owner, I'd advise you to also consider the 530 as an alternative to the 620, as the 620 can be found in the same price range as the 530.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

Do not buy 620 it's old news now. Even Nokia/Microsoft slowly removing that model from their site. Support will be there but it will be limited. Go for a newer model of same thing like 630 635. Or if wanting 4G go for 625... But it'll be old thingie in few months as well...

The 630/5 has a 4.5" screen, and the OP specifically said he'll go for smaller phones.

 

[Kaushik Dash]

EDIT - It's a two year old model but holds good, works completely well and 8.1 has definitely improved its performance.. I am not expecting getting any major future updates.

Lumia 620 owner here.

One of the best bang for buck phones you can have.

Covers a lot of flagship features in a budget.

OS is a matter of choice. I suggest you try out a windows phone somewhere before buying a 620, if you are going to.

I am sure at this price range, very few phones can provide such features.
NFC? Check.
FFC? Check, and a good one for being a VGA.
Flash with a good main camera? Check.
Flagship quality display? Check. (No really, ClearBlack LCD panel ruins my friend's iphone 5c and my uncle's 5s, even in bright day light conditions).
Great mics? Check, (HAAC mics).
Small and handy? Check.

I haven't upgraded to the 630 because its not even close to what a 620 provides.

Go for it!

 

[SammyD97]

I would recommend getting the 620. It would cover all your needs comfortably. As Kaushik said, its a great phone for the price. Since you use skype, 530 is not an option because it doesn't have a ffc.

 

[ET3D]

Thanks Kaushik Dash for the detailed recommendation. I understand that Windows 8.1 Update 1 is coming to the 620 and that looks to add some nice improvements, so it's not all dead yet.

On the other hand I read some complaints about the buttons on the 620 not working well after a few months. That would be a problem.

 

[psoham777]

Thanks Kaushik Dash for the detailed recommendation. I understand that Windows 8.1 Update 1 is coming to the 620 and that looks to add some nice improvements, so it's not all dead yet.

On the other hand I read some complaints about the buttons on the 620 not working well after a few months. That would be a problem.

No, everything's fine. Many of my friends own it from a long time, no problems. 620 doesn't have radio antenna, so if that's fine with you, go for it

 

[anon(8141431)]

Yes! The 620 is good and worth buying.

 

[ET3D]

Thanks guys.

 

[broar94]

Its a good phone. But poor battery life if you're going to use internet alot. Otherwise its okay.

 

[Force2Reckon]

Thanks Kaushik Dash for the detailed recommendation. I understand that Windows 8.1 Update 1 is coming to the 620 and that looks to add some nice improvements, so it's not all dead yet.

On the other hand I read some complaints about the buttons on the 620 not working well after a few months. That would be a problem.

most probably, its just a factory defect
but generally speaking, 620 is a decent phone for its budget and packed with good features
and yes, like you i prefer handy phones/portable phones that fits perfectly in my pocket without having to worry id break it or get squeezed

i dont want to look ***** holding a phablet covering my entire head just to make a phone call

 

[MartLea]

most probably, its just a factory defect
but generally speaking, 620 is a decent phone for its budget and packed with good features
and yes, like you i prefer handy phones/portable phones that fits perfectly in my pocket without having to worry id break it or get squeezed

i dont want to look ***** holding a phablet covering my entire head just to make a phone call

 

[Firdaus Fauzi1]

Yes, lumia 620 is a good budget phone with a lot of features. I did use it last year then upgraded to lumia 920 because it is too slow for me. But if you don't use your phone that much, I think it is suitable for you. Windows phone is good for basic usage and it is easy to use. The phone easily lasts a day on normal usage or may be a bit more if lightly used.

 

[MartLea]

Agree, L620 8.1 Cyan is a great little phone got one for my partner last Xmas, liked so much got for me as well! Good all round features like FFC, NFC, Cam Flash etc. Display is fine. Only letdown by software issues really for example my 8.1 PfD Cyan does not have any of the 'Cyan' improvements like Audio enhancements for speakers, but partners non PfD 8.1 Cyan does! Anyway I would say that good used L620's can be obtained for silly low prices and really are good value for money.

 

[ET3D]

Ended up ordering the 620. Hopefully I'll get it this week. Then I'll see for myself how good or bad it really is.

Thanks for all the comments.

 

[jameshoffer]

From my personal point of view Lumia 620 is good. My sister is using this from past 2 months..

 

[User788]

ET3D, you wanted to move away from the Nokia 6120c to get WhatsApp? Tell you what, the 6120c DOES support WhatsApp indeed, as it runs S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1, the minimum requirement for WhatsApp. Not to mention Skype also supports the platform. And since it's Symbian OS, the 6120c is already a smartphone!

You can check WhatsApp's download site: whatsapp.com/nokia -- notice that it says Nokia 6120 in the list. The Symbian Skype app hasn't been updated since 2010 but it's still 100% functional and makes video calls. I've used it recently.

 

[ET3D]

Now you tell me.

While I'm tempted to go back to the 6120c to see how well that works, I already have the Lumia on the way, so I think I'll try that for a while. If I give up on modern smartphones, I now know that I can run WhatsApp on my old Nokia.

 

[SammyD97]

Now you tell me.

While I'm tempted to go back to the 6120c to see how well that works, I already have the Lumia on the way, so I think I'll try that for a while. If I give up on modern smartphones, I now know that I can run WhatsApp on my old Nokia.

Let us know how you find it once you've got it.