I was *this close* to getting the ATIV S Neo....

[snowmutt]

I had decided to quit playing around and get on the WP 8 bandwagon, having still owned a Nokia L900. I was really up in the air over the L1520, I really, really, REALLY loved that hi-def screen and internals. But, in the end the 6" screen just wasn't me. So, I decided to go new-in-box- cheap, and use a device until the right WP showed up for me.
I had played around with the Neo enough to know 2 things: The screen was amazing. The 4.8", slightly higher pixel density was as close to the perfect size screen I wanted. Also, I liked the looks of it. Nothing to stand out, but classy. Anyways, I decided I would go with a L920 or a Neo, depending on price.I had found a couple NIB L920's, but they were all in the 250.00 range. Neo's were running much less. I found one on Ebay that was up for 215.00, but had a "or best offer". I decided- haggle time. I would get this for under 200.00, and go with the Neo. Maybe it is the loyal Focus S hangover I still have from that bad **** phone, but I really was excited to own another Sammy for a while. I even liked the physical home screen.I offered 170.00, she countered with 200.00. I went 180.00, she went 190.00 with free shipping. That seemed like a winner. I was ready, able, and willing to pounce....Then... IT happened. One last look to settle my curiousty, and there was a NIB L920 for 150.00. Free shipping. Ugh. Couldn't say no. So, I feel a little deflated. I kinda wanted to give Sammy another chance, to see how they handled the official 8.1 update and how they supported their nice little WP. I guess I still want to believe Sammy will jump all in on WP and give the MS-owned Nokia a run for it's money. But, a new Nokia L920 just couldn't be beat at that price. This close. If only she would have taken one of those first 2 offers......:straight:

 

[sahib lopez]

dang that was close it was a sign telling snowmutt that its not the time to get a Sammy device ;P

 

[iknowsingh]

So close! Alas, it was not meant to be... as an ATIV S Neo owner (and previously an HTC Arrive owner!) I must ask that you not take sides on the Nokia v. all other Windows Phone OEM battle... we are all brothers and sisters on the same side. It's a shame that the extreme Nokia fans heap scorn on everyone else as they are the majority of the WP community but we all support the same cause in the end.

I hope you enjoy your 920! I think it's a great phone despite it being almost two years old! My gf, her sister and their mom have the 920 and their dad has the 820 (all because of me ) and I support Windows Phone regardless of what OEM is your preference.

Sorry to hijack your thread, but I feel this needs to be said more often... too quick are people to hate on the choices of others when we need to remember what we really are supporting in the end. The more OEMs, the merrier and easier for WP to catch on.

 

[snowmutt]

No problem, iknowsingh. I totally agree with you. The more OEMs, the more appeal to the average buyers. Like I said, if I had to choose my favorite phone I have ever owned, I would really go back and forth between this great L900 and my beloved Focus S. Both were great performers. I was a little excited to grab another Sammy WP.

Love Nokia. We owe them a great debt that WP is where it is. But, Samsung put out the highest regarded WP 7's before them, and HTC put out the most devices to the most carriers. Heck, without HTC being such a huge MS supporter during the Win Mobile days, who knows where MS would be?

 

[Skippy07]

I had a friend get a 920 shortly after I got my ATIV S Neo. I played with his 920 for a while and went away being really happy I got the ATIV S Neo and not the 920. I was just not impressed with the 920 as the screen was not as bright and clear as the Neo and the thing was very heavy and thick. Hopefully the 920 works out well for you until your ideal WP comes along.

-Skippy

 

[snowmutt]

While "heavy" means nothing to me (we are talking ounces here, not pounds), the Neo's screen is more vibrant and detailed then the L920. Throw in it is in that "sweet spot" of 4.8"-5.2" where I like my screen size, and I think a 3-6 month ownership would have been nice.

I like to hear someone is happy with it!! What is your favorite part of the Neo?

 

[iknowsingh]

I like to hear someone is happy with it!! What is your favorite part of the Neo?

To answer your question! Some of my favorite things about the Neo are the removable battery (I bought an extra off of Amazon for an upcoming vacation), the microSD storage (I've got a 32GB card in addition to the 16GB internal storage), and believe it or not, I do enjoy the physical home button... it's a nice additional way to wake up the phone since it's easier to just press that than the power button if the phone is laying on a desk. Just as quick as the Lumia's double-tap the screen option.

I also do enjoy the thinness and lighter feeling of it (my gf has the 920 which by no means is unfriendly to hold but I prefer the feel of the Neo) and the larger screen size (yes, the 0.2" difference means a miniscule difference lol).

If I had to just choose one of those... the removable battery/microSD storage is the winner for me.

 

[snowmutt]

Like everything you said. While I acually prefer a heavier phone, everything else you pointed out was solid.

The "little" bit bigger screen is very noticable to me. The extra acreage is so nice.

And the home screen button? Love it. It is great to feel a response and such an advantage to be able to turn on the phone by feel.

I also like the volume keys being on the left side of the phone. So much easier to manage. Less cramped.

Yes, I think I will love the L920. I do. But, I still have that twinge of regret. Like I said earlier- I really, really want to like Samsung.

 

[AngrySprintUser]

Like everything you said. While I acually prefer a heavier phone, everything else you pointed out was solid.
.

I like my NEO a lot. Screen size is good (wouldn't mind a little bit bigger) but I would prefer the girth of the Lumia 920. Anyone I know that has the Lumia 920 never uses a case, first because why hide the awesome color scheme, and also the phone's pretty tough. Galaxy owners, (NEO is pretty much a Galaxy), if you don't use a case you're pretty much asking for it since it's paper thin.

I personally would rather have a phone that you don't need to have a case.

I'd love to give you more insight about what I love about the NEO, but as you can tell from my username, I don't really have much options to compare it with. This is the best we got. I'm just a big fan of the WP OS and this phone on Sprint uses it. If Sprint carried Nokia who knows then.

 

[Alan C2]

That's funny, I am going from the Focus S to the Ativ also.
I hope the audio out on the Ativ is louder than the Focus S. That was about my only complaint about that phone, I couldn't hack the volume output on it like I could the Focus.

 

[snowmutt]

That's funny, I am going from the Focus S to the Ativ also.
I hope the audio out on the Ativ is louder than the Focus S. That was about my only complaint about that phone, I couldn't hack the volume output on it like I could the Focus.

Now that you mention it, going from my Focus S to the Lumia 900 was a joy as far as the audio was concerned. I actually dare say I liked the audio on the L900 better then the L920.