Lumia 640 - Upgrade to Windows 10 or not?

[Windows Central Question]

I'm a hardcore Windows user.. since as long as I can remember. Also a crazy lover of Nokia. Over the years, I've owned dozens of Nokia and Windows Phone devices.. N900, XpressMusic 5800, original Zune, original Surface, Zune HD, Lumia 928, HTC Trophy, you name it. On my 928 I preloaded Cortana through the developer's preview program.

However, I'm probably one of the only people that was disappointed in Windows 10 for PC. I can't stand it! I want my 8.1 back with my gestures and start screen.. the only thing nice about Windows 10 is Cortana.. in my opinion.

So anyways. Here's my current situation. My HTC One M8 died. First time I've ever lost a device to water damage. So, in its stead, I've picked up the Lumia 640 as an AT&T Go Phone. I love this phone!! I can't explain it, but it's like my 928 all over again, only smooth operating and simple. I enjoyed it so much that I ordered an Unlocked 640 to use with T-Mobile's Band 12 network. AT&T just can't give me a good signal at my job.

So, since I will have my 640 tomorrow and my SIM cards ready to go, should I keep using 8.1 or should I upgrade to Windows 10? Can anyone that has done this give me their honest advice - what they like and what they don't like? Are there any real draws to upgrading to Windows Phone 10? Is someone perfectly satisfied with 8.1 going to get any benefit out of it?

Any comments will be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Zachary Boddy]

Good morning,
It honestly just depends on what you, personally, think of Windows 10 Mobile's design language. I've been using Windows 10 Mobile and Windows Phone 8.1 side-by-side (Windows 10 Mobile on a Nokia Lumia 830 and Windows Phone 8.1 on a Microsoft Lumia 640) and I've been very happy with Windows 10 Mobile. As much as I loved the pivot-based design of Windows Phone 8.1, it was limited by its own existence and what it could and could not effectively do. Windows 10 Mobile's design, although at this point inconsistent and unpolished, shows so much more potential. It's more refined, mature, and powerful as a whole. It's not done, but it's potential at this point is greater than Windows Phone 8.1 could ever have been without changing its design language.
Windows 10 Mobile is also more powerful in general. System applications are generally more powerful than their Windows Phone 8.1 counterparts. Microsoft Edge still needs a lot of work on Mobile, so I can't wholly recommend it, but other applications have already surpassed Windows Phone 8.1. A surprising amount of work has gone into the smaller applications that we don't think about, like Alarms & Clock, Calculator, etcetera. The Settings menu has gotten a complete revamp which makes it easier to navigate and use. Windows 10 Mobile has the potential to be the most powerful mobile operating system in existence, but that's all it is right now, potential. I'm enjoying Windows 10 Mobile a lot, but I'm always aware that I have yet to see Windows 10 Mobile in its full glory yet. Lumia 950 and 950 XL owners are a bit closer to realizing the full potential of Windows 10 Mobile, but down at the heart of it, Windows 10 Mobile is still a baby. Microsoft has completely redone every aspect of it, building a new foundation and a new core across all form factors. It's a joy to use, but it's not without its issues, not even close. There are occasions of severe battery drain, occasional application crashes and hangs, sometimes features just don't work like they're supposed to. There are bugs, and you have to deal with them if you want to use Windows 10 Mobile (I believe the benefits are worth the pains). I've been using Windows 10 Mobile practically since it came out, and I've had a generally fantastic experience.

In addition to everything I've said, Microsoft is also making a noticeable attempt to listen to the users. Windows Feedback is an application that is built into Windows 10 Mobile, and encourages you to send Microsoft feedback about any suggestions or problems you have with Windows 10 Mobile, and even to upvote similar feedback from other users. The Windows Insider Program allows you to test new Builds of Windows 10 Mobile long before they're released to the public, and Microsoft builds future Builds based on your feedback and the feedback of other Insiders. Core applications get updated all the time, and they're constantly getting better and adding new changes and features. Whatever anyone else says, I think Microsoft is really trying hard with Windows 10 Mobile.

If you had a second phone, I'd suggest installing Windows 10 Mobile on it in a heartbeat. With only one phone though, it's a harder question. It all comes down to you:
Are you content with Windows Phone 8.1, or do you want to test the latest and greatest?
Are you prepared to deal with any quirks and bugs that come with an immature operating system?

Windows 10 Mobile is more powerful, more beautiful (arguably), and is undoubtedly the future. Whether or not it's worth using now is another question entirely. Maybe you should wait for Redstone in 2016, which should be a massive feature update, or maybe you should jump on now and help build Redstone. It's up to you.

 

[skt_diaz]

I'm a hardcore Windows user.. since as long as I can remember. Also a crazy lover of Nokia. Over the years, I've owned dozens of Nokia and Windows Phone devices.. N900, XpressMusic 5800, original Zune, original Surface, Zune HD, Lumia 928, HTC Trophy, you name it. On my 928 I preloaded Cortana through the developer's preview program.

However, I'm probably one of the only people that was disappointed in Windows 10 for PC. I can't stand it! I want my 8.1 back with my gestures and start screen.. the only thing nice about Windows 10 is Cortana.. in my opinion.

So anyways. Here's my current situation. My HTC One M8 died. First time I've ever lost a device to water damage. So, in its stead, I've picked up the Lumia 640 as an AT&T Go Phone. I love this phone!! I can't explain it, but it's like my 928 all over again, only smooth operating and simple. I enjoyed it so much that I ordered an Unlocked 640 to use with T-Mobile's Band 12 network. AT&T just can't give me a good signal at my job.

So, since I will have my 640 tomorrow and my SIM cards ready to go, should I keep using 8.1 or should I upgrade to Windows 10? Can anyone that has done this give me their honest advice - what they like and what they don't like? Are there any real draws to upgrading to Windows Phone 10? Is someone perfectly satisfied with 8.1 going to get any benefit out of it?

Any comments will be much appreciated. Thanks!

I joined the insider preview on my L640 but rolled back after a few days. W10m still shows some lag here and there, especially in the lock screen which was annoying for me. It may work well on your phone. So try it out and then roll back if necessary. Or you could just wait for a few more days as the official update is coming soon.