Need help planning my next WP purchase

[Joseph Lewkovich]

I'm currently on Verizon (HTC 8x) and I have an upgrade pending. I'm hesitant to pull the trigger on the Nokia Lumia Icon because I've heard mixed reviews, and the newer Nokias are slated to release this holiday season...but maybe not for Verizon?

Basically...what should be my plan of attack? I currently have an HTC 8X and it's on its last legs, I really need to upgrade soon. Should I just get the Icon? Should I switch to another network?

 

[Laura Knotek]

Hi and welcome to WPCentral.

I would never recommend that anyone switch carriers just for a particular device. It is more important to pick a carrier with good coverage first, and then pick a device. If there are more than one carrier with equally good coverage where one lives, works and travels, then switching carriers might be feasible. However, if another carrier has a great device but lousy coverage, that's no good, since that device just becomes a paperweight.

Have you looked at the HTC One M8 for Windows? Verizon has that device now.

 

[Joseph Lewkovich]

Hi and welcome to WPCentral.

I would never recommend that anyone switch carriers just for a particular device. It is more important to pick a carrier with good coverage first, and then pick a device. If there are more than one carrier with equally good coverage where one lives, works and travels, then switching carriers might be feasible. However, if another carrier has a great device but lousy coverage, that's no good, since that device just becomes a paperweight.

Have you looked at the HTC One M8 for Windows? Verizon has that device now.

Yeah, I've looked at the M8...it seems to be very similar to the Icon feature wise, except the Icon has wireless charging (which I bet doesn't work that well) and the M8 has removable memory (which I don't see myself needing). I've decided that wireless charging would be my more preferred feature.

What have most people been going with on Verizon? Has the M8 been getting better reviews?

 

[xandros9]

Yeah, I've looked at the M8...it seems to be very similar to the Icon feature wise, except the Icon has wireless charging (which I bet doesn't work that well) and the M8 has removable memory (which I don't see myself needing). I've decided that wireless charging would be my more preferred feature.

What have most people been going with on Verizon? Has the M8 been getting better reviews?

Wireless charging is a matter of convenience and expectations.
No it won't charge from a meter away, but just having to plop a phone on a charger is quite nice. Any wireless charging system I've used works great, its a solid technology. Had it on my Palm Pre, use it on my Lumia.
But of course its a matter of tradeoffs. Slower charging, but without wires, etc etc. I value it much more than some people, but others just don't care.

Personally I'd spring for the Icon since I think it looks and is shaped better than the M8, but that's only my opinion, some think its quite beautiful.

 

[BobLobIaw]

If I were on Verizon, I would upgrade now to either the Icon or the M8. Any other carrier in the U.S. might be worth waiting a bit longer but Verizon has the newest models and would therefore be less likely to add something to the mix soon.

 

[Joseph Lewkovich]

After going to the Verizon store and playing around with both the Icon and the M8, here are my impressions:

Form Factor: To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the way either looks. The Icon looks like a brick, it just has a weird shape and is a little too thick. The M8 is thinner, but I don't like the silver backing at all. Also I'm a fan of the built in Windows buttons at the bottom, as well as camera button on the side (Icon has both of these).

Operating System/Apps: Turns out Verizon isn't shipping the Icon with 8.1, which is a huge bummer. I know you can get the developer's preview for it, but I'd much rather an official download. But rumor has it that they're releasing 8.1 "soon". As far as apps goes, the Nokia apps blows HTC out of the water. The HERE maps/driving apps are awesome, while HTC doesn't offer anything that I'm interested in.

Camera: Everyone says the Icon has a better camera specs-wise, but when I was playing around with the phones, the M8 camera just seemed...clearer. I'm not going to put much weight into my observations though. According to specs, it seems like the M8 has a better front facing camera and the Icon has a better rear facing camera.

Price/Brand: The Icon is $50 cheaper, and I trust the Nokia brand more.

Miscellaneous: Icon has wireless charging, while the M8 has removable storage. M8 slightly edges it out on CPU/Battery, but Icon wins with RAM/megapixels.

I really don't know what to do! Please weigh in with your opinions. As of now I'm leaning towards the Lumia Icon for the Nokia/HERE apps alone. But if the M8 had a matte black backing, I may have picked that no questions asked!

 

[AvatarEW]

Form Factor: If you prefer a non-metallic finish and physical buttons the Icon is the one.

OS/Apps: The least weight of your criteria. Both devices will (Icon eventually) have 8.1. HERE apps are available to all Windows Phone devices. The bigger issue is Verizon support. As the owner of three Lumias (920, 1020, 1520), I can state that there is no exclusive Nokia app that is a deal breaker for me.

Camera: The Icon takes the lead here. There are many reviews concerning the M8 camera, the majority are not complimentary.

Price/Brand: Icon is cheaper and supported by Microsoft. HTC has a negative record supporting Windows Phone devices.

Miscellaneous: Wireless charging is convenient but for me is not a deal breaker. For me the deal breaker is removable storage which I find indispensable in my 1520. CPU/memory goes to the M8 but there is little difference in performance due to the operating system.

Bottom line: Unless you're camera priority and comfortable with cloud storage for music and data, the M8 with a DotView case (preferably the Xbox one)

 

[Joseph Lewkovich]

Just to update everyone, I went with the HTC M8 + the blue Dot View case

So far I'm happy with the purchase. Minor complaints as of now: The case features are awesome, but it does get kind of annoying holding the cover open while I'm playing around on my phone (I'm afraid to bend it backward). Also my contact/text message syncing didn't go totally smoothly, probably because my contacts were stored in such a disorganized way (bouncing between Outlook, Windows Live, Facebook, Backup Assistant).

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[Laura Knotek]

I'm glad you got a new device that you like. Good luck with it!

Please check out the HTC One (M8) for Windows forum for anything you might want to know or any suggestions you might have for other members.