Should I get the Lumia 950 or the iPhone 6S 128 GB or the iPhone 6S Plus 64 GB?

[Miti 1982]

Hi All,

I currently own the Lumia 930 and have a corporate iPhone 4S.

When it was announced that the Lumia 950 would be available in dual SIM I found nirvana - a great phone with dual SIM capability so that I could finally ditch the corporate iPhone but keep both numbers.

Regrettably my carrier has put me in a dilemma due to offering only the single SIM variant.

To make it even worst I recently got my long-awaited Band 2.

So, we all know the tech specs of the devices so I will not go into that. Here are the prices for 2-year contracts with a 25? plan:

- Lumia 950 - 17.40? / month (or a 373.24? single payment)
- iPhone 6S 128 GB or iPhone 6S Plus 64 GB - 25.54? / month (or a 454.04? single payment)
- iPhone 6S Plus 128 GB - 28.92? / month (or a 621.73? single payment)

So in the end, the difference is roughly 8? per month between the Lumia and the cheaper iPhones or 11.50? if going for the ultimate solution.

Another point is that to get the Lumia on par with the 64 GB version I need a 32 GB card which is roughly 14? more or a 128 GB card (due to lack of 96 GB) for 68?.

Here are my pros and cons for each of the devices:

- Lumia 950 - Pros
- Camera quality - although I haven't seen it live, the samples on the web are amazing.
- The brand and the OS - I am a fan of both, very happy with Windows 10 on my ThinkPad Yoga and glad to see more and more universal apps.
- Better compatibility with the Microsoft Band 2 - I read many people are having issues with notifications when paired with the iPhone.
- Xbox integration - I have an Xbox 360, planning to get an Xbox One, use the Xbox app on my laptop so in general it gives me this connectivity.
- Screen streaming to any compatible TV, apps to stream over network as well.
- I like the tile system very much, I like also that it is completely different from the other solutions out there. Also like the dedicated camera button.
- Wireless charging integrated, although I take this as an extra since I didn't use it in neither the 820, 920 nor 930.
- NFC - same as Wireless Charging.
- QHD screen - although I can't really see the difference with a FHD one.
- SD card option to increase size - although the 128 GB iPhone should do nicely, even the 64 GB one.

- Lumia 950 - Cons
- W10M - I tried several times the Insider version of W10M on my Lumia 930 and each time I ended up going back to WP8.1. It just didn't feel as complete and kept crashing under different situations.
- Battery life - GSMArena shows the Lumia just got 48h on their endurance tests, compared to 62h for the 6S and 86h for the 6S Plus. I see this even on my Lumia 930, Candy Crush just kills the battery in under 2 hours while the iPhone 4S goes at around 50%. iOS seems much more optimized for apps that work "offline" or require little network connectivity.
- Lack of quality games and some official apps - my frustration is not with the full lack of apps but of some good quality or games I play - Mortal Kombat X, Boom Beach, 8 Pool, Worms, etc. I hate the fact booking.com won't do an official app, or that TripAdvisor and TripIt don't care about updating theirs.
- The Wallet is technically useless.
- Cortana is available on a limited number of geographies even for basic offline stuff like replying to emails, checking the weather or playing music.

- iPhone - Pros
- Essentially I mentioned them in the cons for the Lumia - good quality apps and games
- I have membership cards and over 40 boarding passes in the Wallet. Apple Pay may not get to Bulgaria in the next 5 years but at least there is some usage compared to Windows' Wallet.
- Accessories - Everything from covers, battery packs, stands, car stuff, technically unlimited variety. And in most cases the design is also very good.
- Car compatibility - Toyota's Touch system detects the iPhone as an iPod and shows the cover of the song currently playing. I can also see Cyrillic in the contacts whereas on WP8.1 the encoding is not supported and in W10M only the SMS messages are visible in Cyrillic rendering the Address Book useless.
- Microsoft's apps tend to work (and look) better on iOS than on W10M.
- Microsoft's apps are available first on iOS (including the latest Age of Empires)
- Siri available for all tasks that do not require local knowledge (i.e. restaurants, cinemas, etc.) so I can send an SMS or email by using only my voice even if it needs to be in English.
- Better Slow-mo videos at 240 fps.
- Video quality over FaceTime seems to be of better quality than Skype although the latter has improved a lot compared to a year ago.

- iPhone cons
- Not a fan of Apple - perhaps the thing stopping me most on this change is that I am against Apple's mindset and the way they operate thus I was not even considering buying an iPhone until now.
- Some integration limitations with Microsoft's services. (ex. I cannot only use the Outlook app for all my needs, I still need to add my account through the settings in order to have my contacts synched)
- Google Authenticator - the fact that I would have to use the Google Authenticator as opposed to Microsoft's token solution.
- No Xbox integration in games for achievements and saved games.
- OneDrive doesn't work seamlessly as on Windows - need to open the app to initiate synching.
- No easy way to get mkv's or any other movie or music files to play on it.
- Needs Apple TV in order to stream content to TV, no DLNA or Miracast support.
- Full HD screen only on 6S Plus, the 6S has a strange 750p screen.
- No additional index in the Address Book when using English (even if Bulgarian is chosen) so all names in Cyrillic are under the "#".
- Proprietary non-USB 3.0 compatible connector.
- Already have 10TB on OneDrive so don't want to invest in iCloud in order to get a decent solution to cloud storage.

So, here you have it. As you can see I have many pros and cons to each of the devices.

A friend of mine is advising to stick to Windows due to all other stuff I have being Microsoft or Windows based.

What do you think I should do?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Mitko

 

[Chuck Foltz]

Its always a simple answer, If you wana play the latest and greatest waste more money than a casino games get and iPhone. If not get Windows Phone. My decision came down to I never have to bring a pc with me anymore. Cellphone and a Bluetooth keyboard/mouse. RDP into any pc from Continum. That's a no brainer for me. I choose productivity! I choose Windows!

Windows does have games to waste on cash as well but I guess I'm at the age where getting things done is more important than getting my game fix in. Also the dedicated camera button already won in my book cause you can quickly capture those shots of your kids while my wife miss's with her iPhone I always say I can take pics with my gloves on you cannot hahahaha. She says I can if I buy the right gloves

 

[Miti 1982]

Thanks for the reply Chuck!

I don't spend money on those games and progress as much as I can on the free ride

Windows has indeed some nice time wasters and I have played more than 30 different games. It is just that there are some which are very good and it sucks that they are normally available on both Android and iOS with only Windows out of the picture.

Totally agree on the camera button and I love the long press that just starts recording a video without having to switch first. And that I can use the screen with gloves since it is not needed to be in direct contact with the skin.

As with NFC and Wireless Charging I still cannot think of a case where Continuum would be a feature I use as opposed to just showing the phone's screen on a TV. Which is a pro for the Lumia and a con for the iPhone.

Cheers!

 

[RumoredNow]

Why not look into a Factory Unlocked dual SIM 950 and purchase off carrier? Put in your corporate SIM and use an mvno for the second SIM. Get off the carrier hamster wheel.

 

[Miti 1982]

Why not look into a Factory Unlocked dual SIM 950 and purchase off carrier? Put in your corporate SIM and use an mvno for the second SIM. Get off the carrier hamster wheel.

The main reasons for this are that the phone will cost between 200 and 300 EUR more, it would be even more expensive if I get it on 24 monthly payments and finally the phone from the carrier is also factory unlocked, it is just sold by them.

Otherwise that was my first thought and I looked for the dual SIM phone in several locations.

The way I see it I might end up flipping a coin

 

[RumoredNow]

Does buying your own phone outright not reduce your plan payment?

 

[Miti 1982]

Does buying your own phone outright not reduce your plan payment?

Nope, it is the same regardless of I get a phone or not. This the fact that buying from another shop at a higher price does indeed make the difference for me.

 

[RumoredNow]

Bummer. I see now what makes it so hard to choose.

 

[jasongw]

Go iPhone or Android. Windows phone is dead.

Posted via Android because Windows 10 Mobile is trash.

 

[venki m]

Go for Lumia 950..
IOS and android are cheap mobile..

 

[xandros9]

Go iPhone or Android. Windows phone is dead.

Posted via Android because Windows 10 Mobile is trash.

Go for Lumia 950..
IOS and android are cheap mobile..

These two posts posted right next to each other amused me.

I am here to say that my opinion is that everyone's wrong!

 

[RumoredNow]

Go iPhone or Android. Windows phone is dead.

Posted via Android because Windows 10 Mobile is trash.

Go for Lumia 950..
IOS and android are cheap mobile..

Such exquisitely detailed reasons. :winktongue:

C'mon guys. That's not discussion and it does nothing to address the OP's issue. He wants real advice on his real world problem, not a real headache from listening to other people's hangups.


@Miti,

Since no one is stepping forward with any helpful advice and bearing in mind what you have shared thus far... I'd say a 6S 128 GB. That is a good discount. Pay at purchase if you can, or be prepared to pay it off when needed.

It should retain good resale value if you take care of it and you keep rolling while you wait to see what develops in the future.

 

[broar94]

iPhone ,all the way ,for your kind of usage and app requirement plus wallet use. Windows Mobile will not get the kind of reach considering how much Android and iOS is dominating.

 

[Chef316]

Go iPhone or Android. Windows phone is dead.

Posted via Android because Windows 10 Mobile is trash.

Good one...funny hahaha

 

[Chef316]

The newest build of W10M is fantastic! Even runs good on my old 925. I'd say give the 950 a go and if you don't like it after a while...get an upgrade to the iPhone if you want.
As for boarding passes and such. There are some great apps in the store you can use to to add loyalty cards and boarding passes to the Wallet app for quick access. This works for me just fine with flights on American, Southwest, Alaskan and more....as well as loyalty cards, gift cards and memberships. The only thing in my actual leather wallet in my pocket now is my Credit and Debit Cards (I feel like a chip card is more secure for the time being)

 

[Miti 1982]

Thanks to all who shared their opinion and to RumoredNow for keeping things on topic.

I kept also discussing this with friends and after all talks I am leaning towards the iPhone 6S Plus 128 GB (I definitely don't want to go under 5" that I currently enjoy on the Lumia 930, thus the Plus).

The reasoning behind this includes the following:

- The Lumia 950 is part of the Nokia design legacy and next year Microsoft will possibly (hopefully) present the Surface Phone or whatever the name may be.
- A year from now the iPhone will hold a higher resell value thus allowing me to sell it quickly for a good price and move to the aforementioned Surface Phone.
- This would be my first iPhone (as a primary device) and as my friend said it would be good to have experienced iOS for a year before going back to Windows 10.

The only remaining doubts I have are related to the idea of getting the off-contract Lumia 950 Dual SIM for roughly 610 EUR from an online shop as this would allow me to ditch the company device and have both SIMs in my phone.

I hope to have the final decision and the device by Christmas

 

[Miti 1982]

In the end I decided to keep my Lumia 930 as the real problem to pick a new phone was that I don't really want to change my current one.

The whole idea came to be because my wife broke her Lumia 820 but I ended up getting her a Lumia 830 so she gets an upgrade

Thanks again to all who shared constructive feedback!

Cheers and happy holidays!

Mitko

 

[Mark Baker3]

Oddly in the same situation as you although less reliant on wallet on the work iphone. I still like my 930 so much basically. I also always like the idea of keeping work and home separate so having two phones works well in that regard. Another advantage is that using satnav means twice the range.......

 

[raycpl]

That's a no brainer for me. I choose productivity! I choose Windows!

.. be productive like a boss!!



830W10 via mTalk