Is the 822 for Me?

[Ek-Balam]

Hello WPC Friends -

I am considering a jump to WP8 on Verizon. However, I do not want to burn my upgrade quite yet, so I was contemplating the purchase of a lightly used Lumia 822 just to get my "feet wet". It seems as if the 822 has the attributes I am looking for; sub - 5" screen, SD card slot, etc.

My wife currently sports a Lumia 928 and I am on these forums primarily to support her device so I am already painfully aware of some of the OS highlights and shortcomings. If I have been following things correctly, the 822 will get the WP 8.1 upgrade when ever available, correct?

I wanted to know if any of you 822 owners could share any of your opinions on the hardware, the good the bad and the ugly -per se.....

Thanks in advance for your feed-back!

 

[aximtreo]

I had the 822 and used it for a year until the 928 came out. I sold the 822 and am now in the process of getting another one and selling the 928. Confused, me too. My plan is to use the 822 until I see what the 929/ICON has to offer or until the real 8.1 WP phones come out mid year.

so to answer your question, yes, it's a good starter. You already have 928 experience with your wife's phone. See what the 929 has to offer and if you want to wait, you have time to learn all about the 8.1 update to your 822.

 

[dakranii]

It sounds like it is for you. I had an 822 for a year too and upgraded to the 928. I sold my 822 to my sister and my other sister got the 822 when she was eligible for a new phone. Neither of their 822s have had a single problem. My 928 has been replaced 4 times now. The two biggest draws to the 928 for me were the size and the higher resolution screen. But the 822 seems to fit your size requirement and if the lower resolution screen isn't an issue for you, you're good to go, considering the 822 also meets your other requirement of a micro sd slot.

It's a solid phone. Well built, performs great. I upgraded the back plate to a wireless charging one and do recommend that.

 

[Ek-Balam]

Thanks for the great feed-back folks!

These are some of my same thoughts. Right now, 928 just does not do it for me and I'm not sure that the 929 will either (if it ever launches). I really am hoping that the rumors about Sony and the HTC One variant have some legs. If for no other reason to provide some choice in the ecosystem.........

 

[worldspy99]

Hello WPC Friends -

I am considering a jump to WP8 on Verizon. However, I do not want to burn my upgrade quite yet, so I was contemplating the purchase of a lightly used Lumia 822 just to get my "feet wet". It seems as if the 822 has the attributes I am looking for; sub - 5" screen, SD card slot, etc.

My wife currently sports a Lumia 928 and I am on these forums primarily to support her device so I am already painfully aware of some of the OS highlights and shortcomings. If I have been following things correctly, the 822 will get the WP 8.1 upgrade when ever available, correct?

I wanted to know if any of you 822 owners could share any of your opinions on the hardware, the good the bad and the ugly -per se.....

Thanks in advance for your feed-back!

PM me. I just sold the last one here today but I should have about 6 more by Friday. For a WPC member I sell them at cost.

 

[badplanet]

I am a Verizon customer and have the 822, 928 and HTC 8X so I can test apps I write on the different resolution screens. What I carry daily is the 822 because I like the smaller size better. The only problem I have with the 822 is the micro USB connector. I have the Qi back on it for charging but frequently connect it to my ultrabook to test my apps and it is a very flaky connection. I hope Verizon eventually replaces it with a similarly sized phone.

 

[worldspy99]

I am a Verizon customer and have the 822, 928 and HTC 8X so I can test apps I write on the different resolution screens. What I carry daily is the 822 because I like the smaller size better. The only problem I have with the 822 is the micro USB connector. I have the Qi back on it for charging but frequently connect it to my ultrabook to test my apps and it is a very flaky connection. I hope Verizon eventually replaces it with a similarly sized phone.

USB port on the 822 and 810 is a weak point in the design. So far I have replaced ports on two 810 and four 822 phones.

 

[vk1971]

822 = definitely a solid machine in the Lumia family

 

[Teeb omus]

I had 822 and 928 also. Ended up selling the 928. Just not enough advantages to me to justify cost difference. I am going to see what 929 offers and may go for that.
I like size of 822, but miss the better camera of the 928. 822 doesn't seem as quirky or finicky either; stable.

 

[greedo_greedy]

You can't go wrong with the Lumia 822.
It was my very first Windows Phone back in April, it was stolen from me around July and then I was contemplating buying a 928 to replace it but ended up getting another 822.
All my contacts and messages and purchases did not get lost because it was all synced with my Microsoft account. It's like my 822 never got lost. Haha!

It is solidly built and unlike the 920 and 1020, it has a micro SD card slot.
It has exactly the same cpu and ram as the 928 so it can play all the games.

Only downside is the average camera and low-res screen.

Oh and IMO, this looks like a mid-range android phone. hehe.

 

[worldspy99]

You can't go wrong with the Lumia 822.
It was my very first Windows Phone back in April, it was stolen from me around July and then I was contemplating buying a 928 to replace it but ended up getting another 822.
All my contacts and messages and purchases did not get lost because it was all synced with my Microsoft account. It's like my 822 never got lost. Haha!

It is solidly built and unlike the 920 and 1020, it has a micro SD card slot.
It has exactly the same cpu and ram as the 928 so it can play all the games.

Only downside is the average camera and low-res screen.

Oh and IMO, this looks like a mid-range android phone. hehe.

But definitely performs better than a mid-range Android phone
Head on to the following link for some great pics taken using a 822. For a phone that you can pick up for about $100 it is a pretty nice device - 16GB on board, SD Card support and 1GB of RAM are all quite good.

http://forums.windowscentral.com/nokia-lumia-822/206731-post-pictures-your-822-a.html

 

[PlainNSimpleMan]

Not to sound negative but, I have had my Nokia Lumia 822 for exactly 1 year and I will tell you I do love the user interface of windows phones because of the way I can make mine look my own. That is great.

I am frustrated that EVERY commercial, EVERY Ad, EVERY good app seems to favor the iOS and Android phones. If I want to stream something, sometimes I get the "I'm sorry but windows app not available" or whatever. Nothing trending is offered for windows phones it seems. Watch ANY commercial advertising ANYTHING (not microsoft) and there is an Android App and IOS app in their ad. Windows phones to me seem like a beautiful looking car that just wont start.

I don't like the Android or iPhone's user interface or the seemingly "got to have it" vibe that they give off. Everywhere I look, someone has a stinking iphone and although I am annoyed at this trendy garbage, I am considering switching because I cannot take windows phones being the last kid picked on the kick ball team.

It's too bad

PS I'm not asking you all to play the violin or to give me some wine with my cheese but, unless if for whatever reason I am missing something, please fill me in.

 

[vk1971]

@PlainNSimpleMan
You are actually right on most part.
But I think that's the matter of market share, nothing else. If it goes up, more apps for trendy services will appear in the WP Store.

 

[Ek-Balam]

-UPDATE-

First, thanks to all for your in-put to my original post. Your feedback has been quite helpful.

My current situation is this:

I have been able to procure a NIB Lumia 822 and LTE SIM card for a relatively low cost. In fact, device, SIM, Micro SD, spare battery and select third party apps for less than $140.00 USD. My aim was to see if I could as closely duplicate my current use model (BlackBerry) in the WP ecosystem as possible as a possible prelude to a wholesale move to the WP ecosystem.

I have the device up and running on the Verizon network. In the past few days I have been playing with the device in an attempt to learn it's ins and outs and have found and loaded a number of third party apps in this quest. As I stated in my original post, I came to this ecosystem with my eyes open, having to support my wife's 928. However, there is nothing like a true, full time "hands on" engagement with a device to really get a feel for it's strengths and limitations. Here are my thoughts and opinions just a few days in:

- Nokia 822 seems reasonably well built. However, not quite as robust as the build quality of my previous BlackBerrys but much better than the Samsung hardware I've handled.

- App availability; surprisingly not that bad (for my use model) - I do share the frustration of @PlainNSimpleMan regarding wider app availability and add / development bias to Android and iOS.

- WP8 runs like butter and the Metro UI reasonably quick to learn but not universally applied in third party apps or even through out the WP8 OS it's self.

- The frustrations / limitations / "show stoppers" in this ecosystem are 90% OS based. I am biased toward a productivity first use model -GSD (Getting Sh!t Done). For folks like me, the assumption / possible attraction of joining the MP ecosystem would be the powerful leveraging of my MS work and home desk top productivity tools in a common manor (MS does do this well for some things). In particular, the simple and universal handling of email / email tools. Wow! WP has a long way to go in this regard comparatively. I don't expect all the same email tools as my desk top Outlook, but come on...The other acute issues for me is the lack of notifications and alert options, volume controls, etc. and no VPN support.

With all this being said, I more pleasantly surprised so far than frustrated. I believe I have duplicated about 90% my BB functionality and am now biased toward making the move to the WP ecosystem with a few codicils; Some of the my "show stoppers" (email attachment limitations, VPN, etc.) are addressed to a degree in the upcoming WP8.1 release and me reading of a MS change in attitude toward opening more APIs for third party developers to help address some of the current OS short comings. Who knows, as I further get intimate with this ecosystem, I may be tempted to make the wholesale move earlier than later simply because one thing is for sure - the WP OS has huge potential and upside!

 

[rose33090]

USB port on the 822 and 810 is a weak point in the design. So far I have replaced ports on two 810 and four 822 phones..

Would you mind sharing how you got the charging port cover and underlying port off please? I have the phone completely apart but trying to find best way to remove these parts and how the new port goes in. Cannot find anything anywhere. I would really appreciate it.

 

[worldspy99]

Would you mind sharing how you got the charging port cover and underlying port off please? I have the phone completely apart but trying to find best way to remove these parts and how the new port goes in. Cannot find anything anywhere. I would really appreciate it.

You need professional grade soldering tools. You will need a very thin soldering iron and flux to remove the solder on the back side of board. There are 6 or 8 contact points which once you get the solder off the metal cover will fall off. You might need a hot air gun as well depending on how well the metal cover is soldered. Keep the microphone right next to the metal cover (small rectangle) covered or else you will lose that mic and no one will hear you when you talk to them on the phone. The failure rate of the microphone during the USB port repair is about 25% for me so far. After that it is pretty simple, get the old USB port off and solder the new one on and put the cover back on and check the continuity using a Multi meter to make sure you will get charging and computer sync. USB charging ports are available on eBay for cheap or if you are savvy try DigiKey.

These days the wireless charging covers are like $19 on eBay and if you don't want to go through the hassle just get one of those.
Hope this helps.

 

[rose33090]

You need professional grade soldering tools. You will need a very thin soldering iron and flux to remove the solder on the back side of board. There are 6 or 8 contact points which once you get the solder off the metal cover will fall off. You might need a hot air gun as well depending on how well the metal cover is soldered. Keep the microphone right next to the metal cover (small rectangle) covered or else you will lose that mic and no one will hear you when you talk to them on the phone. The failure rate of the microphone during the USB port repair is about 25% for me so far. After that it is pretty simple, get the old USB port off and solder the new one on and put the cover back on and check the continuity using a Multi meter to make sure you will get charging and computer sync. USB charging ports are available on eBay for cheap or if you are savvy try DigiKey.

These days the wireless charging covers are like $19 on eBay and if you don't want to go through the hassle just get one of those.
Hope this helps.

Thanks so much. That's really helpful. I had been trying to find pic of under port cover to see if it also needed soldering. Just bought a hot gun, so should be all set to destroy it or save it!! Really appreciate the quick reply. Wanted portability w/phone in lieu of having to carry charge pad and have ability to plug into car while travelling.

 

[worldspy99]

Rose33090 were you able to fix the USB port?