Lumia 1020 vs Lumia 830

[prjkthack]

I've been waiting for a 1020 successor. I really want a brand new high-end flagship camera device to upgrade to. I own a 1520 but don't use it because its just too big. Way too big. And I don't like some of the drawbacks on the Icon/930, so I'm skipping that one. I could not wait anymore. I know Nokia/MS is not going to announce a new flagship so close to the end of the year, and the 830 is an attractive device even if it isn't priced that way... I could not wait anymore...

So I picked up a Lumia 830 from AT&T yesterday, and so far have been enjoying it. I've been mulling it over, trying to decide if the 830 is really an upgrade from my 1020, and if the trade-offs with the 830 being midrange are worth keeping the phone for. So far so good. It definitely feels snappy, though not as snappy as my 1520. Despite some of the bad things I've heard about the screen, I'm actually rather pleased with how it looks and the color reproduction. Everything is crisp and clear, and the screen size appears to fit more content in it than my 1020 did, despite their resolutions being very similar.

I'm going to use this post to point out some differences, as part of my attempt to differentiate the two and decide if its a worthwhile upgrade or not.

Look and Feel

I think the phone feels great. The edges are pointed but are subtle enough to not dig into your hands. It feels very solid and sturdy like a Nokia phone should. I have big hands, and it fits into my hands very well. I like how much thinner it is than the 1020. Just great overall. Its also got some real heft to it, but it doesn't feel as heavy as the 1020, so I like how it feels weight wise.

It also is quite a looker. The sleek black edges around the phone, coupled with the black backplate is great. I'm not a big fan of the colored backs, but I can see how it could work for some people. Pure black is the color for me though.

Oh and that camera hump from the 1020. As much as I say I don't mind it, it certainly is nice not having such a thing on my 1020.

Performance

So the 830 is faster. Definitely faster. At least core functions are. Now performance wise it sits between my 1020 and my 1520. But day-to-day usage I can definitely tell that things are faster, loading less, resuming more quickly, just snappier overall.

Ran an AnTuTu benchmark and as you can see... (1020 on the left, 830 on the right)



Numbers say the performance is almost double. Not quite, but close enough where you can feel the difference.

Graphics Performance

So I don't play a whole lot of games. I carry an iPhone 6 with me and generally any games that come out almost always work better on it and have more robust features. So my Windows Phones are not gaming machines for me, though I do play some Wordament and things like that here and there.

I downloaded Subway Surfers on both my phones and played it a few times to see how it ran. First off, the 1020 loads the game faster than the 830 did. When I resumed, the 1020 also resumed faster than the 830 did. I assume this is all to do with 3D graphics and how the 830 is a bit weaker than the 1020 in the 3D graphics department. Subway Surfers did run just a tad bit slower on my 830 than my 1020. Framerate just appeared to be slower, but of course with no real benchmarking tools I can't give you a number. It just looked slower. Not bad enough for me to not play the game or impact my performance when playing the game, but I could still see it.

Screen Size/Resolution

Now somewhere between 4.5" and 5" is my personal sweet spot. I like the additional room given by the 5" screen, but its not a huge difference from my 1020 to make or break the device. What does appear odd, is how Windows Phone scales the UI on these screens. The 1020 has a few more pixels than the 830 does, and yet the 830 shows a good amount more information on the screen, and elements look more crisp because of it.

Again 1020 on the left, 830 on the right...



You can definitely see the difference in UI scaling here, and the 830 shows quite a bit more information despite having less pixels than the 1020. I like how it looks and how it scales. The text isn't too big and in your face, and more information is always a plus. So I enjoy the 830 because of it.

Battery

Battery performance always gets better after a few days of being used. Always. And since I'm on day 2, I can't say much about battery life. It appears to be about the same as my 1020, though I am using it more since its a new phone, so once I get back to normal usage, it may end up lasting longer than my 1020. It probably will. Hopefully I see some differences after a week and will update.

Camera

While there isn't a whole lot of general comparisons between the 1020 and 830 that I've seen online, I have seen lots of camera/photo comparisons. So I will keep my own camera comparisons short.

First off, a 1020 this camera is not. I can definitely see the difference in overall quality between photos on my 830 and 1020. That's not to say its a bad camera, its just not a 1020 and I never expected it to be (neither should you).

Good things about this though, is that camera startup time is quick, the time it takes to take a photo and save the photo is very fast.

Overall, the quality is very... well, camera phone-ish. Maybe a step above camera phone. Its definitely got some quality, but its not anything to brag about. Its good enough for quick shots on the go, and that's about it. Now if I wanted to get some serious photos, I'm going to grab my 1020 and its camera grip and use that, but for everyday use, the 830 camera appears to be just fine.

Oh the zoom is terrible, but digital zoom is always terrible. I will miss the lossless zoom on my 1020, but again, for quick shots, I usually don't have the time to zoom or fiddle with advanced functions, so this is not very important.

Other Stuff

Expandable storage: Obviously the 830 wins here. Having the option of expandable memory is great and I'm sure if someone were asked if they at least wanted the option, they certainly wouldn't say no. With 16GB built-in, and a 64GB microSD card in my phone, I feel like I have plenty of space for apps and system stuff on the phone, and tons of room for music, downloads, and photos on the SD card.

Removable battery: Another great option here that the 830 wins with. While I don't mind phones with non-removable batteries, I do like that I now have the option to buy extra batteries if I chose to do so. Of course, this battery is also bigger than the 1020's battery, so I'm hoping that little extra power will mean that I don't have to.

Glance screen: The Glance screen is a lot dimmer than it was on my 1020, and I love it that way. I always felt that Glance was too bright on my 1020, and that it should be relatively dim and out of the way. The 830 is perfect. Its dim, but not too dim that I can't see it at a "glance". Its not bright and loud like my 1020 was, and I think its best that way.

1020's camera strap: I loved the little strap, and I long for the days when device manufacturers included a slot to put things like camera straps or charms. I will miss the strap from my 1020.

Wireless charging built-in: No longer am I restricted to the 1020's charging shell. I can now use almost any case with the standard backplate on my Lumia 830 and charging is completely built-in. I like that, and I'm glad its like that and that AT&T didn't cripple the phone with some other lame wireless charging standard.

Will update as I find more things to talk about...

 

[prjkthack]

Re: Lumia 830 vs Lumia 1020

Saved for later.

 

[Chris_Kez]

Thanks for sharing this. I'm actually thinking about returning my new 830 to get a 1020. I picked up the 830 last week from AT&T as a replacement for my recently broken 920. Unfortunately, I'm not really loving the 830.

CAMERA
The biggest problem for me is the camera. I've seen other people have shared some nice photos from their 830, but every photo I've taken indoors of people is just average at best. It struggles to get the right white balance, and there is a sad lack of detail. Even on the small screen you can immediately see that people look a little soft. Even my wife, who is not into this stuff, noted that the photos looked worse than my 920. Outdoor shots are much, much better. The front camera definitely feels like a step down, and didn't not come across as well on Skype.

SCREEN
I'm mostly okay now with the screen. The 720p resolution is fine, and I do like the scaling as you've mentioned. Colors are a little off compared to my 920. I use a Cyan theme and it definitely looks better on the 920. Black levels are not as good; viewing angle is not as good. A few tweaks to Display settings did improve things a little, and after using it a week I kind of forgot about most of the issues or just got used to it. Now it just looks like a nice, new display.

DESIGN/BODY
I was very happy to see how thin and light the 830 is, and how much smaller the bezels are. But this is another place I'm having issues.
I have large hands but I am far less comfortable using this one-handed compared to the 920. It is only a few mm taller/wider, but I'm moving it around a lot more than I expected to. And it's now a stretch to get my thumb over to the Search button (I hold it in my left hand).

It feels less secure in the hand. Again, it is taller, thinner and lighter- and the bezel is smaller- so I'm not only moving it around more, but it's also not as balanced.

The button placement doesn't seem to agree with me. I sometimes hit the camera button inadvertently, or the lock screen button. The spacing makes it so that I find myself frequently having to think about where to rest my fingers.
BATTERY/PERFORMANCE
I'm usually on a charging stand so I don't often run low, but I will say that battery is definitely improved compared to my 920, particularly on standby/overnight. My 920 would routinely lose 6-7% per hour overnight if I didn't charge it; the 830 is losing 3% per hour. I will point out that my wife's iPhone 5 will lose maybe 3% in total if it is not charged at night. So clearly MS has a ways to go.

Performance wise, it feels pretty similar to the 920. I did a bunch of app loads and clicked through stuff side by side, and the 830 was probably a little better. That said, I am really truly sick of seeing "Resuming..." Seriously, it needs to stop.

PARTIAL CONCLUSION
I just don't think I can keep the 830. The camera kills me a little every time I use it. And it's just a tiny bit unsteady for one-handed use. I was never especially bothered by the 920's weight, so I'll either go back to that or pick up a used 1020 to hold me over until a new flagship. Getting a 1020 would at least give me a better camera and something a little different than the 920.

 

[Chris_Kez]

One question about battery/performance. When did you last reset your 1020? I wonder how it would do if you did a fresh install of the OS.

 

[gwh34t]

One question about battery/performance. When did you last reset your 1020? I wonder how it would do if you did a fresh install of the OS.

Yes! Could you let us know if you did a hard reset to compare 'new' to new? Thanks!

 

[Curtieson]

Funny comparison...and sad that ATT makes us compare these two options since they are really the ONLY options. My sister has a replacement plan through the MS store and they are saying the comparable phone for replacement of a 1020 is the 830...that's her only option as part of a plan she paid extra for...which is sad. People got the 1020 for the camera...the 830 may not be bad but it isn't close.

 

[Megatronus66]

Both devices belong to different time scale,830 is a worthy successor

 

[Curtieson]

Both devices belong to different time scale,830 is a worthy successor

IMO, Time scale can't be the deciding factor...the phones were designed to reach two COMPLETELY different goals...one was designed around a camera and the other was designed around a value/budget. That is like saying a Prius is a worth successor to a 90's Mustang. You are looking at two very different demographics.