Lumia 820 or Ativ S?

[crispy514]

Ativ S. Now if you were to have a 1020 as your choice, I would pick that one. Nokia just supports the platform in a way Samsung never has and probably never will.

i completely agree re the support and that's the reason i moved away from the ativ s to a lumia 920...

 

[LukasJancik]

Ativ S ..and install all Nokia Apps with Nokia Portal 0.4 to it

 

[MSFTisMIA]

Having owned both an ativ s and a Nokia lumia 920 i can say that the build quality of the Samsung was on a par with Nokia and it lasted me over a year with no marks or scuffs despite several drops.. however it is a much lighter phone than the heavy Nokia.

I personally think it comes down to Nokia apps and support vs better screen/battery life as these will be the only two distinguishable differences.

Except if you are planning on wireless charging or need after market accessories other than a case in which case go for the Nokia which has far better support for accessories...

On point about build quality here. People hate on Samsung's plastic but you know what, as ugly as it is it is very durable. You look through the 920 forums and it is littered with issues. Just like any bits of tech, people get lemons.

Someone posted a list of the current apps in the Nokia collection. OP, if you need many of those, then Nokia is the way to go. Otherwise, at the price point you've mentioned, the Ativ S gives better bang for buck. Remember, you cannot change 8GB (technical about 7.44GB) of internal storage...that's what you get on the 820.

 

[Coolknight1968]

Get the Ativ-S! Very good WP8 device.

 

[George Jenkinson]

Having owned both an ativ s and a Nokia lumia 920 i can say that the build quality of the Samsung was on a par with Nokia and it lasted me over a year with no marks or scuffs despite several drops.. however it is a much lighter phone than the heavy Nokia.

I personally think it comes down to Nokia apps and support vs better screen/battery life as these will be the only two distinguishable differences.

Except if you are planning on wireless charging or need after market accessories other than a case in which case go for the Nokia which has far better support for accessories...

I haven't had a top-flight Samsung, only a mid-range one so my experience here may not be as useful. I would agree with your comments on accessories and wonder whether the frequency of updates may also play a part?

 

[George Jenkinson]

On point about build quality here. People hate on Samsung's plastic but you know what, as ugly as it is it is very durable. You look through the 920 forums and it is littered with issues. Just like any bits of tech, people get lemons.

Someone posted a list of the current apps in the Nokia collection. OP, if you need many of those, then Nokia is the way to go. Otherwise, at the price point you've mentioned, the Ativ S gives better bang for buck. Remember, you cannot change 8GB (technical about 7.44GB) of internal storage...that's what you get on the 820.

When I've mentioned build quality, I have had in mind the solidity of manufacture which I think Nokia are renowned for - tough plastics which can take a few hits. Apple also have a name for quality build, but it seems the general understanding here is the use of higher value materials with a sleek design - both are well made, but I wouldn't expect an iPhone to cope with a drop as well as a Nokia might. Whether one maker of phones pumps out more lemons I would think, is more to do with quality control in manufacturing.

 

[Mauzao]

Hello guys, I have the same doubt fellow, and I already decided that I will get the device (same promo?ao the companion) will stay with the Activ S, for some reasons I think the staff not taking this into account here, that the question of previous experience, I was using a Galaxy S3 a few days ago (I lost) so I think anyone who uses a device to a big screen not want to go back ever again for a smaller screen, and not to mention that I love the product Samsung I think a lot of style, not to mention the expense of battery are one of the most discussed terms in any round of conversation on phone, then I think the Lumia sins by being too good with his super bright screen and a battery, (WP8 controls shine as it should not only have low medium and high) I had a S3 Chingling that had a battery of the same amperagen that the Lumia 820 and bear the jolt the whole day without problem, simply by controlling the screen brightness dele.Eu dispense one 4G (my region will take much dc 2050 I think) and wireless charging, a bigger screen and a lot more storage style Ativ S without problem.

 

[X0LARIUM]

PS: Samsung rigs test results BTW.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

When I've mentioned build quality, I have had in mind the solidity of manufacture which I think Nokia are renowned for - tough plastics which can take a few hits. Apple also have a name for quality build, but it seems the general understanding here is the use of higher value materials with a sleek design - both are well made, but I wouldn't expect an iPhone to cope with a drop as well as a Nokia might. Whether one maker of phones pumps out more lemons I would think, is more to do with quality control in manufacturing.

High end Samsung is the same as well. I speak from owning a Galaxy Nexus and a Focus S prior. They've taken a few dings from some serious drops from me and held up just fine. In fact, when I sold my Focus S, the girl who bought it was impressed with what pristine shape it was in. Here in NYC, I see a lot of cracked screen S3s and people are humming along with them just fine.

While I don't claim to be a Samsung fan, they along with Nokia, Sony and HTC are in my top 4 for favorite brands. At the end of the day though, my thoughts are solely based on the fact that the OP said both the Ativ S and the 820 cost the same in his market. So I say get better value for money on the hardware side with the Ativ S. If the feel in hand or the screen is too big, the 820 is a nice choice. I don't own a Ativ S only because 4.3" is my sweet spot. . But everyone is different.

 

[Rodrigo Mendes]

Lumia 820 have a much better camera, a better build quality and radio is available after Amber. Some good exclusive Nokia apps too, like Here Drive and Nokia Pro Cam (yesterday was available to download on 820, so I think is matter of time)

Otherwise, Ativ S have a much better and bigger screen, a much better battery life (2000mah VS 1650mah), more thin and weightless.

Both are VERY good options. But have some particularities that make it better for some people and worse for others.

 

[svenhassel]

I haven?t seen personally any of them, but I wouldn?t really worry about the "software exclusives". The only Nokia softs that are a necessity are Here Maps and Here Drive. And both can be bought for any phone from any brand nowadays (maybe not in all countries).

The rest of the exclusives can be nice, but not dealbreakers in my opinion.

PS: I?m a happy owner of a Nokia 620.

 

[crispy514]

I haven?t seen personally any of them, but I wouldn?t really worry about the "software exclusives". The only Nokia softs that are a necessity are Here Maps and Here Drive. And both can be bought for any phone from any brand nowadays (maybe not in all countries).

The rest of the exclusives can be nice, but not dealbreakers in my opinion.

PS: I?m a happy owner of a Nokia 620.

Not sure i agree entirely. Smart cam is a Nokia only app and Samsung haven't brought any of the galaxy s3 camera niceties onto the ativ s... A big miss in my opinion. Also amber gives you glance and double tap.. Both Nokia only features i wanted that helped my decision to make the move to a 920.
I do however miss the sd card capability that meant i could carry all my music on my phone.

That said given the choice of a 820 or ativ s i would choose the ativ s..

 

[neo158]

Not sure i agree entirely. Smart cam is a Nokia only app and Samsung haven't brought any of the galaxy s3 camera niceties onto the ativ s... A big miss in my opinion. Also amber gives you glance and double tap.. Both Nokia only features i wanted that helped my decision to make the move to a 920.
I do however miss the sd card capability that meant i could carry all my music on my phone.

That said given the choice of a 820 or ativ s i would choose the ativ s..

True the "camera niceties" aren't there but isn't that what lenses are for?

 

[z33dev33l]

True the "camera niceties" aren't there but isn't that what lenses are for?

and all the nice ones are Nokia exclusives.

 

[neo158]

and all the nice ones are Nokia exclusives.

Depends what you want though, I use Pro Shot quite a lot which is available for all Windows Phones.

I also have the Bing Translate and Photosynth Lenses to name just two of them, I also have the ones that the Samsung exclusives have as well.

 

[th0mas96]

Depends what you want though, I use Pro Shot quite a lot which is available for all Windows Phones.

I also have the Bing Translate and Photosynth Lenses to name just two of them, I also have the ones that the Samsung exclusives have as well.

nope, ptoshot won't work on Ativ S since Samsung didn't include the drivers for it

 

[neo158]

nope, ptoshot won't work on Ativ S since Samsung didn't include the drivers for it

So you're saying that I'm lying then?

Pro Shot DOES work on the ATIV S it's just certain features that don't!!!!!

 

[athosbr99]

Wow, thanks for all the help. I didn't thought that this thread would have so many responses.

I'm still on a lockdown and I guess I will get out of it the moment I buy it. However all the posts give something to me to think about. When I do, I will update the thread.

Thanks for everything and I still appreciate any help I can get.

 

[BaritoneGuy]

I don't get why people are saying ativ s have drive also..yeah but it costs like 30$ ? What's the point then? Or am I missing something?

Drive in your Country is free. I added the global license for about $16.

 

[BaritoneGuy]

Im stuck with 820 because I need Here Drive +. There is no comparable offline voice guided navigation to Nokia Here Drive. It is excellent if you travel a lot and dont want to use data or roaming plan. I have not found comparable solution in Google Android that is free and offline. Here Drive+ even has a voice guided navigation in my native language and I can download maps of other countries. I understand that non-Nokia WP devices will only get Here Drive which ties to one country map.
I agree however that Ativ is a better hardware especially bigger battery and more storage memory. You will soon find that 8gb in 820 will not enough for all your apps needs.
However, the 820 also holds the advantage by having a wireless charging function which I use a lot.

I was able to get a license for Here Drive+ for about $16. I am based in Canada and just used it in the UK and Prague without issue. I have the voice guidance set for the "British" female voice as I have a weakness for a Brit telling me what to do.