Move to Galaxy S5 or Stick with Verizon's Hobbled Icon

[bmetelsky]

I would definitely wait a few more weeks, at least, to see if Cyan and/or Denim are released for the Icon. How would you feel if you moved on to a different phone and then two or three weeks later the Icon was updated? It's just a great phone, even without the updates.

 

[viperRBNY]

I was on Sprint (w/an HTC Arrive) before switching to Verizon and my beautiful Nokia Lumia in early March. Talk about ****ty service and a carrier that didn't care about Window Phone. Sprint was all that. My service with Verizon is fantastic and my Icon is my dream phone. Great call quality, all my favorite social media apps, fantastic camera, fantastic HD video. I attend lots of concerts and the Nokia HAAC microphone technology on my Icon allows me to record shows w/fantastic sound quality. The announcement today regarding Verizon's coming Cyan announcement is a bonus for me. I'll be waiting patiently for whenever it comes out, but I'd take my Icon the way it is for the next two year, it's so great, and WP8 is just so much better than Android or IOS (in my very biased WP ****** opinion). :smile:

 

[matty032]

Get the HTC M8, best Windows Phone made.

 

[WDavis4692]

If you're going to switch to Android, why S5? Why the hell does everyone only talk about Samsung phones when it comes to android? Do your homework and choose one of the AMAZING alternatives to the crappy S5.

 

[bmetelsky]

Get the HTC M8, best Windows Phone made.

Any of the higher end Lumia's are better than the M8.

 

[msdugn]

Sounds like a few of us have left windows phone and Verizon over this. I'm a big proponent of windows phone but this experience really brought home how much of an experience I was missing on WP.

I left Verizon for T-Mobile and picked up a Nexus 5, a really good value phone. Spec wise the nexus 5 is very similar to the Icon: same CPU, RAM, storage and display resolution, but it is much thinner and lighter. One thing that irks me about WP these days is the performance rhetoric, it's just not true that it has great performance anymore on 8.1. Every demo video I see on WP Central shows "loading...", it's sad to see. Without a doubt the Nexus performs much better and faster than the Icon.

Anyways it pains me to say, but choosing Android, irrespective of changing carrier will provide a better overall mobile experience.

Thanks kahdor - and that's just what I did.

I just dropped off my beloved Nokia Icon at the local Verizon store yesterday and got a Samsung Galaxy S5. As a longtime proponent of the platform (and Verizon), it was really tough to finally throw in the towel.

But as soon as I have my QI charging back later today (thank you Amazon Prime!), I'm all set. I'm loving the full-featured apps in the Android space and finding all of the things WP is trying to do are already standard features built into this Galaxy S5. I no longer have to wait with baited breath for the next little nugget, update, BSP we've all been waiting for. I've got a non-hobbled, full-featured smartphone on the Verizon network and I couldn't be happier.

In hindsight, I miss the awesomely intuitive WP8.1 calendar view and the easy-to-use WP8.1 integrated email. Other than that, I've living the dream now.

I finally have all the features in Waze, MyFitness Pal, USAA, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and so many other apps that WP versions simply don't come close to. The mapping and voice search are incredible. I've been trying to stump it all day (like I could easily do with Cortana) and I just can't!

Sorry Microsoft and Verizon - your combination failed me yet again. ANd I had so much hope for WP8.x. Back to Android for me.

 

[dvr6]

I agree and did the same thing yesterday. I switched to a Note 4.

 

[richard_rsp]

Just to note this here (just in the small chance anyone from Verizon or Microsoft reads this):
I did the same. I got tired of waiting on Cyan and moved on from my Icon (to a Lumia 822 temporarily) to the Sony Xperia Z3v. Yeah, I miss some features on Windows Phone (Nokia Camera app, Driving mode, etc), but overall, I am happy to have apps again.

 

[gapost]

I'm trying out android after being with WP since the Trophy. I'm pretty impressed and can't believe I talked trash about android. For example, if I have a meeting on my calendar, Motorola Assist will silence my phone automatically when the meeting starts and turn it back on when I'm done. Just one example of android coolness!

 

[EricandSuebee]

I'm trying out android after being with WP since the Trophy. I'm pretty impressed and can't believe I talked trash about android. For example, if I have a meeting on my calendar, Motorola Assist will silence my phone automatically when the meeting starts and turn it back on when I'm done. Just one example of android coolness!

On my Lumia 1020 that feature is already on my calender as long as I check the box that says "busy" it'll silence the phone until its time is over.

 

[khador]

That feature is part of quiet hours which is available in 8.1, so not officially available on the Icon. I will add that Moto Assist does a better job at setting up quiet hours while driving and handling text messaging and phone calls while driving.

I think overall the list of apps that aren't available is rather long. The apps and functionality I missed the most were:

• Feedly app
• XComics app
• Starbucks app
• Good ESPN fantasy football app
• Good Tapatalk App
• Well supported Pinterest client
• Chromecast Functionality
• Cortana shipping updates (like Google Now provides)

A few of those apps are available from third parties, but I've been burnt more than once. Two apps I've purchased in the past Hipchatter (HipChat) and MyBucks (Starbucks) have been removed from the app store with no way for me to re-download them, it's a really sad state to be in.

Also a common theme is that while apps do exist their functionality is well below par compared to android and iOS, and to add to that a lot of the big ones seem to be orphaned and not receiving updates.

It would be interesting to see how many people on this forum have moved on from the Icon. I'm betting it's quite a few. I for one am glad I'm not sat waiting on these threads to get a sniff of an update.

 

[glenk]

I?ve talked a Verizon rep into giving me the option to return the Icon for a like-priced phone or pay the difference for a more expensive phone as if I was still inside my 14 day return period.

How did you manage that? I'd like to do the same thing. I have had the icon for awhile now, but a bit frustrated with the whole experience. I would have never bought it if I knew they were going to pull it.

 

[gapost]

On my Lumia 1020 that feature is already on my calender as long as I check the box that says "busy" it'll silence the phone until its time is over.

Yeah, I missed that in quiet hours. I see it now. Thanks.

 

[DavidinCT]

If you have to go Android.....Skip the S5, go with the LG..... The G2 claimed to take almost as good pictures as the ICON with it's 13mp camera and 5.2" awesome display (on screen buttons) and it has wireless charging.... I had a LG G2 for a few days, scored it for $80, then I found out what they are going for, so I had to profit, sold it for $250, in 2 days...

The LG G3 is claimed to have a UHD display and laser focus on their camera (ICON is great, no question but, this tech looks impressive)... and they should keep the wireless charging.. I'm a WP guy but, this phone looks impressive, wish LG would make a WP device based off the G3....I would drop Nokia in a heartbeat..

 

[UncleGrandpa]

About to dump the icon for a new Droid Turbo.

 

[khador]

If you have to go Android.....Skip the S5, go with the LG..... The G2 claimed to take almost as good pictures as the ICON with it's 13mp camera and 5.2" awesome display (on screen buttons) and it has wireless charging.... I had a LG G2 for a few days, scored it for $80, then I found out what they are going for, so I had to profit, sold it for $250, in 2 days...

The LG G3 is claimed to have a UHD display and laser focus on their camera (ICON is great, no question but, this tech looks impressive)... and they should keep the wireless charging.. I'm a WP guy but, this phone looks impressive, wish LG would make a WP device based off the G3....I would drop Nokia in a heartbeat..

I'd be more tempted with the Nexus 5 over the G2, similar phone but with quicker updates.

On the other hand the G3 has the nicest display I've ever seen on a mobile device, it's gorgeous.

More people leaving the Icon, really stupid what they've done to this phone. Loved mine but don't regret selling it at all.

 

[DavidinCT]

I'd be more tempted with the Nexus 5 over the G2, similar phone but with quicker updates.

On the other hand the G3 has the nicest display I've ever seen on a mobile device, it's gorgeous.

More people leaving the Icon, really stupid what they've done to this phone. Loved mine but don't regret selling it at all.

I was quite impressed with the G2's display too. In fact I picked up another G2 with broken display for under $100 with all the parts to fix it (yea, about an 1 or 2 hour job). I think I am going to give this phone a shot for a few weeks and switch back and forth with the ICON.

It's nice that Verizon switched to a SIM based model over the old CDMA, It's easy to swap phones, swap your SIM and reboot, I have an adapter to use the ICONs microSIM on a larger SIM slot.

Still love my ICON but, as the subject states, the ICON is a little hobbled right now and Windows Phone in general is kind of too (apps, smartwatches, etc).

If you have followed my posts over the years on this site, you would see I am a diehard MS fan, was Windows Mobile from the start (1.0 HPC and PocketPC models), I am getting to the end of my rope here.

Time to try something new for me.

 

[khador]

Nice deal.

It does make it a lot better having the LTE SIM cards. But be careful with the adapters, they can sometimes get caught on the sim card holder and cause damage.

 

[quantum tao]

Still love my ICON but, as the subject states, the ICON is a little hobbled right now and Windows Phone in general is kind of too (apps, smartwatches, etc).

If you have followed my posts over the years on this site, you would see I am a diehard MS fan, was Windows Mobile from the start (1.0 HPC and PocketPC models), I am getting to the end of my rope here.

Time to try something new for me.

i'm in the same boat. i keep waiting for something like a mini droid turbo or the z3c to come to verizon.

 

[gapost]

I heard a lot of trash about Android, but after using a Droid Maxx for a week, I'm pretty impressed. Some things Windows does better, but overall, Android is pretty nice and with the Maxx, I don't have to worry about my battery life.