Idol 4S or 950XL

[IM4CHRST]

Okay so aside from the fingerprint scanner and front facing speaker, what is there that should make this phone better than the 950XL. Obviously the SD820 hasn't been impressing people in the Elite X3 so that isn't a good response, and I assume HP is giving better support than Alcatel will be since this is simply a repackaged android phone. My main gripe with the X3 is the camera so it is out based on price, but what about the 4S? The camera is a key feature for me so what are people's opinions?

 

[zocster]

I'd go for a 4S, I am a 950XL owner, that 4S looks yum. I rather fingerprint vs iris anyway.

 

[eddieDOTexe]

this also has more RAM than the 950 if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Timbre70]

4S for a change.

 

[libra89]

Also, the speakers are excellent (and front facing if you care about that)!

 

[jasqid]

and doesn't the sd820 fix the heat problem I read about on the 950

 

[fatclue_98]

The Idol will be packing the Sony IMX230 sensor which is a very capable module.

 

[Loc Ngo]

Taking photos is my first priority so 950XL for me but the Idol is surely mouth-watering.

 

[greedo_greedy]

and doesn't the sd820 fix the heat problem I read about on the 950

The 950 XL comes with SD 810

 

[Roderick Aspiras]

Go for the idol. it's the latest and greatest windows mobile 10 to date. Plus the price is right Better build quality and probably acceptable camera output. Fingerprint reader and 1080p screen is a good deal considering it wont eat up battery. You cant go wrong with billy idol.

 

[IM4CHRST]

I have a shared concern with a lot of people though, I'm on cricket and this thing may be purely set up for T-Mo. I don't really feel like switching to T-Mo just to get the phone. It isn't out of the question but just prefer not to.

 

[IM4CHRST]

Well it apparently works on AT&T, but Dan's comments about the camera and the samples he took make me wonder what about this phone would make it preferable over the X3. $470 Yes is nice, to get a more usable dock would cost $100-$150 and for a couple hundred more I would get a good dock, water proofing, and a bigger battery. Plus HP has already shown they are standing behind this phone with two very quick firmware updates. That peace of mind almost seems worth a little bit more.

 

[editguy]

I thought the picture samples looked quite good. I am concerned about whether or not it has a stabilizer. No stabilizer would be a deal breaker for me.

 

[tale 85]

You've probably already heard but Rubino is testing this with a AT&T Sim. We thinks it's unlocked.

 

[libra89]

I think it is too!

 

[aximtreo]

Also, the speakers are excellent (and front facing if you care about that)!

Congrats on the Ambassador. You earned it; keep the opinions coming.

 

[libra89]

Congrats on the Ambassador. You earned it; keep the opinions coming.

Aww thank you, you're so kind!

 

[beman39]

Okay so aside from the fingerprint scanner and front facing speaker, what is there that should make this phone better than the 950XL. Obviously the SD820 hasn't been impressing people in the Elite X3 so that isn't a good response, and I assume HP is giving better support than Alcatel will be since this is simply a repackaged android phone. My main gripe with the X3 is the camera so it is out based on price, but what about the 4S? The camera is a key feature for me so what are people's opinions?

the reason why the SD820 isn't impressing anyone is because the software isn't optimized for the SD820... but after a few more updates from HP and it will be much better/faster and then people will be impressed...

 

[ttsoldier]

The question is if alcatel will be supporting the device...... Who knows when we will see a firmware update from them...

I really would not mind picking up the Idol as an upgrade from my 640 but.... my question above has me pondering.

 

[Krystianpants]

Idol 4s would have been my choice because of the snapdragon 820. The camera seems good enough. Lumia 950xl has one of the best cameras sure but does that really matter that much? We aren't professionals. You look at an iphone 6s photo it looks good, you look at a samsung photo it looks good. You only really know which camera is better if you compare side by side.
The specs that sites are showing don't seem to be listing NFC (though the android version has it so it just may be windows sites leaving it out?). And seems MS is updating their wallet app with more banks. Granted here in Canada our debit cards support tap to pay but they are limited to 100 dollars due to no authentication occurring of any kind. So you lose your card anyone can just tap to pay for things before you realize.
If tap to pay is something you may want in the future then I would investigate further to see if NFC really is missing. Otherwise go with the alcatel. Honestly the 950xl is great but it is a battery hog and the 810 chip can only do so much. It was plagued by issues of heat and throttling. Ms has done a marvelous job with it but no phone can get it tamed perfectly.

The question is if alcatel will be supporting the device...... Who knows when we will see a firmware update from them...

I really would not mind picking up the Idol as an upgrade from my 640 but.... my question above has me pondering.

If the device is great out of the box with no issues that would require firmware update then go for it. Not getting firmware updates isn't a big deal if the firmware is done well from the start. HP had some troubles but they are new to the phone business, Alcatel isn't.