Should I get the Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows?

[1uno1]

Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

My 810 is giving out on me. Having T-Mobile gives me concern about picking up the 1520 because I've read the only version that will get LTE is the RM-937, but in other places I've seen, picking up the 16 or 32 GB AT&T will do the same thing.
I like HTC's speakers and phones, post-release support isn't a large concern because of Insider but having to pay more for it is making me lean towards the 1520. I listen to the music I put on the phone a ton, spend most of time on the phone texting and using social media. Hopefully the kind folks here can help.

 

[dysje]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

If you want a good camera, the HTC one is not an option anyway. It has a camera of lesser quality than the one in a Lumia 735.

HTC's sound benefit is only really noticable without headset/headphones. If you listen to music a lot out loud you shouldn't get a phone for it in the first place. With some ear pluggs or whatever the youngsters these days shove on their heads/in their heads you won't notice any difference in audio quality at all.

The 1520 is bigger in every way. Bigger screen, bigger battery, bigger camera and so on. Be ready for that. The device is so big that the yellow version can be used to land aircraft and the US military is already considering replacing their aircraft carriers with Lumia 1520's.

Texting and social media and that stuff... well goes great on both devices. The 1520 theoretically has the best touch experience with the most functional supersensitivetouch something.

Beyond that both devices have unique features. The HTC has the worst camera in a high-end phone EVER and the Lumia has that clearblack filter stuff and MUCH MUCH better sunlight readability. The HTC supports that dot view case and a few other gimmicks like infrared while the 1520 can record proper 4k video and has a few other tricks like glance.

Personally I use the unique aspects of the 1520 a lot and don't have a use for what the HTC One M8 for Windows (seriously, HTC, wtf is with the name) offers. But others see it differently as they use their devices differently.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Lumia 1520 design is simplistic, cute and a good design for everyone. The HTC looks a little (very) too geeky to me. It's clearly made for the techies and geeks and I personally hate the design of it. It's too metal-y, futuristic and makes no sense for my personal tastes.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

@dysje...brilliant summary of the pros and cons of the two phone! Excellent post!

 

[Timbre70]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

Get L1520,

 

[Angry Pixel]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

Lumia 1520. Look no place else. I sold off my lumia 1020 to buy OnePlusOne which was indeed a great phone but something was always lacking there for me. Just traded it for Lumia 1520. Seriously, what kind of ***** would give Lumia 1520 for a cheapass OnePlus One.

 

[Exoma]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

Wait until tomorrow for any new announcements and then make your decisions

 

[Angry Pixel]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

I would love it if they show Windows 10 running on some phones tomorrow and let us download the beta via Insider app. I know there is very less probability of beta release as Microsoft tend to do that in April but What the hell, one can wish for it right

 

[c0wb0ycliche]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

That isn't an entirely fair comparison lol.

The HTC One camera pictures are not the resolution of the 1520, but they are taken incredibly fast, with awesome focus features thanks to the second camera, and with great low light capture. Unless you are a photographer, you won't lose much getting the One - and wouldn't you get a proper camera anyway? On Facebook or Instagram you won't see a difference. I've found that coming from the 928 and Icon, I don't miss the camera - because realistically all I'm doing with my photos is sharing online. And the speed boost was worth it. It also has a great, wide front facing camera, so if you Skype that's very useful.

I've found the speakers to be a bigger deal than I anticipated. This is the first phone where you can show someone a video in a crowded room and they can actually hear it, it's pretty great.

I do miss wireless charging.

Here is what I will say was the deal breaker for me - the One is identical to the Android version. This means you get the benefit of accessories for a popular Android phone. Charger cases, the Dot view case, cases in cell stores and Best Buy, tempered glass screen protectors etc. You just don't get that with other Windows Phones.

You also get HTC "advantage" which guarantees 2 years of updates (we'll see) but also a free screen replacement without any deductible - which is great even if you have insurance.

 

[RumoredNow]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

The thing about ANY 1520 on T-MoUS is you give up WiFi calling. Period. No phone is allowed that feature unless it is branded to T-MoUS.

RM-937 will NOT get LTE on T-Mo nor AT&T for that matter. The LTE radio in the International model (RM-937) has the wrong LTE Bands for use in North America.

The RM-939 is made for the China and Asia markets and has no LTE Radio.

For running a Factory Unlocked 1520 in North America, use RM-938 (AKA: 1520.3, The Unicorn, Latin American variant) as it has 100% compatibility with AT&T or T-Mo towers at the 2G/3G/4G levels and will access the fastest data speed provided by your GSM network at your location.

You can also get an unlocked AT&T 1520 or RM-940. It works fine on T-MoUS. It has the 1700 MHz band on the 3G radio hidden, but that can be activated easily for the missing frequency needed on T-Mo 3G in legacy areas not shifted to LTE yet. However, AT&T has halved the internal storage to 16GB (except a rare 32GB upgrade in black ony - and not every black AT&T 1520). Also AT&T has stripped out Qi charging from all their 1520s.

Best bet: get an RM-938. Do NOT get RM-937 and expect LTE on T-Mo.

 

[Kevin Hill2]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

I have the M8 and the wife has the 1520 they are both great phones, she tends to use it as a small tablet and it is a two hand operation to use, it does take great pictures and video but it is turtle slow, the sound is good and with head phones it is hard to tell the difference between the two phones, but it is the screen size that keeps her with the 1520, she does not like the look of the phone, she likes the Windows OS so she is stuck with the 1520 for now. The M8's speakers are the best and battery life is just short of the 1520 which is very good, the camera is fast and while the pictures are not nearly as good as the 1520 they are good enough for what you will really be using it for, I could go and on about the two phones but it really comes down to you and how you will use them and how much you like how they feel in your hand. I like top of the line phones because I tend to keep them for awhile, there are a lot of really nice Windows phones out there, I almost went for the 830, nice phone but it just wasn't what I wanted. read up on both phones the forums on here is a good place to start.

 

[Nitrous Wolf]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

First I would like to say that I'm biased. I upgraded from the exact same phone that you did. When I did, I upgraded to the Lumia 1520. Granted, at the time I didn't have the option to choose the HTC One, but after reading a bit of information about the phone, I would argue that the Lumia 1520 is a better buy. Being an older Lumia device, you'll be able to get it for a little cheaper than an HTC One. You also get a much larger screen and a much larger battery. Seriously, I can go days without charging my 1520 and chances are it won't die. Those things alone are enough to give in an edge over the One in my humble opinion. However, I honestly don't think you can go wrong either way. I just hope that you don't plan on taking a lot of photos if you get the HTC One; the camera on that thing is pretty bad, from what I've read.

 

[RumoredNow]

^^^ I like that post. ^^^

However, I think the camera on the One is just different. Many who use the HTC One M8 on 'droid and WP seem to like the thing...

But overall I agree that 1520 gives better value. Battery and Qi being two of the chief examples.

 

[heickelrrx]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

Don't forget 1520 take full advantage of Lumia denim.

 

[AR2186]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

Do not get RM-937, that is the European and Asian model. You need the Latin American version, which is RM-938. You could also get an AT&T version, RM-940, and re-enable the AWS HSPA+ band (I put a guide together in this forum of how to do it, but on my phone so can't link it). If you get AT&T you need to get it unlocked, which actually isn't that hard if you know anyone on AT&T or are a former customer. Takes two days on the website

 

[Joaquim Reis]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

Just to clear a thing most users defending htc one are using... The lumia 1520 camera os one of the fastest on the market AFTER lumia denim. The photo os almost instant, as is the camera opening.
So, in terms of camera, its not even a contest. Lumia 1520 is a LOT better than Htc one on the camera side. It has a lot better battery, better screen, its not for everyone due to his size, it may have more updates than htc one. On the other side, htc one has better speakers for those who use them, its smaller, has better SOC (even if just a small diference, which may not be even noticiable) and, as it was said, has a lot more acessories. Now its up to the OP to ser what he needs most, so he can choose.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

The thing about ANY 1520 on T-MoUS is you give up WiFi calling. Period. No phone is allowed that feature unless it is branded to T-MoUS.

RM-937 will NOT get LTE on T-Mo nor AT&T for that matter. The LTE radio in the International model (RM-937) has the wrong LTE Bands for use in North America.

The RM-939 is made for the China and Asia markets and has no LTE Radio.

For running a Factory Unlocked 1520 in North America, use RM-938 (AKA: 1520.3, The Unicorn, Latin American variant) as it has 100% compatibility with AT&T or T-Mo towers at the 2G/3G/4G levels and will access the fastest data speed provided by your GSM network at your location.

You can also get an unlocked AT&T 1520 or RM-940. It works fine on T-MoUS. It has the 1700 MHz band on the 3G radio hidden, but that can be activated easily for the missing frequency needed on T-Mo 3G in legacy areas not shifted to LTE yet. However, AT&T has halved the internal storage to 16GB (except a rare 32GB upgrade in black ony - and not every black AT&T 1520). Also AT&T has stripped out Qi charging from all their 1520s.

Best bet: get an RM-938. Do NOT get RM-937 and expect LTE on T-Mo.

You mean the RM-937 is made for Asian markets. Currently I am using this variant which is marked Hong Kong and APac.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

The m8 is a lesser phone than the 1520 imo. Get the best....and a year later, that's still the 1520.

Love my 1520....

My phone has lasted me on extremely high usage...kindle reading which meant my display was on, here maps, internet sharing, gaming, phone calls, picture taking and some crunchyroll and YouTube for 21 hours. This is with high brightness and heavy usage. I'm in Redmond area so I am using my phone a lot to get by.

With moderate usage,I can pull out 30-32 hours

 

[themadpoet1]

The HTC One M8 with headphones on pales in comparison to the 1520 (with boomsound on). The Nokia 1520 has superior audio out quality, with an equalizer fully customizable and Dolby audio enhancements. The HTC One M8 sounds a little better than an iPhone on the headphones, but not by a lot. You just can't really beat the 1520's audio out quality.

 

[RumoredNow]

Re: Lumia 1520 or HTC One for Windows

You mean the RM-937 is made for Asian markets. Currently I am using this variant which is marked Hong Kong and APac.

RM-937 is a global release... RM-939 is made specifically for China and (certain) Asian markets that have either no LTE or the TD-LTE prevalent in China and parts of Asia/the Pacific. Such TD-LTE systems are not compatible with the FD-LTE radios in the other variants so an LTE radio is cut out to trim costs.

I guess I should have put the word "certain" in front of Asia in my original post which you quoted.

Hong Kong, of course, has both systems deployed with FD being the most prevalent. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks#Asia

 

[snowmutt]

I had the choice between the L1520 and the M8 for Windows on AT&T. Trust me, I spent tons of time playing with both. I chose the M8, but let's look at general plus and minus of each device on T-Mo.

First off- you know some of the advantages you will lose using an unlocked phone on any carrier in the US. Put that in the "plus" category for the M8.

Next, I think the M8 takes too much crap for it's camera. It is fine. The lower res is a problem for long distance shots, but in all other categories it is fine. However, I am silly enough to not realize the L1520 isn't among the best shooters in the industry. Throw in the improvements in an already excellent camera with the latest update, and it is a big time advantage to the L1520. Put that in the "plus" for the L1520.

Screen wise, you get a slightly higher pixel density on the M8. The L1520 is a great screen. You will not hurt your experience at all. But there is a sharpness on the M8 that comes with that higher density that is noticeable. Plus- M8.

Audio is not as wide of chasm as I thought, First off- the audio and speaker phone options on those screens are far and away better on the M8. Sorry, but it isn't even close. But with headphones on, there is little to no difference at all. I do not think the L1520 is better, but I do not think the M8 is either. Seeing how most people use earbuds or headphones the audio advantage is not really that great. It is still a plus to the M8, but not really that much of a plus.

Support- this isn't even worth mentioning. L1520 in a walk-over. MS will support this monster, HTC needs to prove it. HTC has been better, especially on their Android, and has brought some nice tools over. But the updates, improvements, and promised support to all Lumia devices has been proven. Big, huge, MONSTROUS plus to the L1520.

Internals- why not? It's a consideration. The L1520 is a well powered device and Windows phone (and soon Windows 10) will run seamless on it. But, points are points. The M8 has more powerful internals including graphic chip, processor, and screen. It performs slightly better on tasks and commands. Not enough to make any real difference on real life use right now, but it may make some difference in the future. Small plus to the M8.

As mentioned by c0wb0ycliche above, there are a TON of cases and accessories for the M8. If it fits the Android M8, it fits the Windows M8. That is nice. The L1520 has options, but not nearly as many. Again, not a huge plus, but a plus for the M8.

It all depends on what you want. If camera and support is something you need, than the L1520 is your best bet. If accessories, external audio, and more up to date internals is a concern and you are willing to accept the device you are buying for what it is now and not what it will be in a year along with the advantages of a W8.1 device designed for T-Mobile use, you will love the M8.

Any other measuring stick- screen size, looks, colors, how it feels in your hand- are all personal choices and you should not listen to anyone else when deciding on those features.