Switching from ATT 830 to Verizon Icon

[C LaBelle]

So I'm moving to a new area and house and have absolutely no service with ATT so I'm going to have to switch to Verizon. I've been with ATT for about 13 years and have never had Verizon. I pretty much love my 830 and don't have any complaints with it (running the current slow ring build and working well). I went with the Icon because it was really the only Windows option on Verizon so I found a refurb on Amazon for $178. I've had it in my hands for a few minutes and its currently downloading an update (trying to go to 10 then slow ring). It seems pretty much the same as my 830 but a little thicker, a tiny bit smaller, faster, and heavier but I'm not complaining at all. I did a quick research session on it before I bought it last night but I'm sure I missed something. What will I be losing or gaining by this switch? Is the Icon still a decent phone? My quick reading summary came up with this:

Lose:
Glance screen ( :-( I really like Glance)
Double tap to wake (really? I liked that too)
Windows support via carrier (I mean ATT wasn't fantastic about updates but I heard Verizon is worse? This is scary, although on Insider will it matter?)
Expandable storage :-(

Gain:
Hey Cortana (this will be really nice in the car....if it works....seems there are some issues with it?)
Better camera (says it's 20MP, but with such a tiny lens compared to my 830?)
Higher screen resolution
Slightly larger battery capacity
Improved sound

What else will I miss or find?

 

[Indistinguishable]

Welcome to the Icon club! I've been an Icon user since day one, and my Icon is still kicking butt and taking names. I'm running 10586.338.

It's unfortunate to not have Glance and DTTW. I miss them myself since I used a Lumia 822 for short while before the Icon came out. But eventually you'll forget how convenient they are...

Hey Cortana works perfect for me - but other Icon users on various Windows 10 builds say they are having issues. And you're right, the camera is great.

Some other things you might find you like.

1.) Lumia Icon has a better display then the 830. 1080 x 1920 pixels vs. 720 x 1280 pixels
2.) Blacks are more black on the icon's display because it's AMOLED, where as the 830 is IPS LCD.
3.) Video sound will be more clear and detailed as the Icon has more active microphones
4.) Icon has more built in memory than the 830 (32gb vs 16gb) but has no micro SD option.

Hopefully you'll like your Icon as much as many of us here do!

 

[C LaBelle]

Yes I have noticed the display is a bit nicer. Didn't know about the sound, good to know, I'll try it out. The memory thing...yeah that was a bummer too with no expandable memory....however I currently am only using 25GB on my 830 (internal and SD card combined) and I'm sure I could slim down some photos and utilize OneDrive a bit better to help with storage. Not having the SD card though will take away that warm fuzzy storage feeling though. :-(

 

[kurtd]

You'll lose visual voicemail.

 

[rambo47]

This may be late, but consider moving to the Lumia 735 as a temporary solution until the Surface Phone is here. It's an inexpensive device but good quality. I just sold mine (iPhone user) but it was running WM10 perfectly. I sold mine for $110 in mint condition, just as a reference. That's my 2 cents.

 

[Indistinguishable]

This may be late, but consider moving to the Lumia 735 as a temporary solution until the Surface Phone is here. It's an inexpensive device but good quality. I just sold mine (iPhone user) but it was running WM10 perfectly. I sold mine for $110 in mint condition, just as a reference. That's my 2 cents.

Not sure why someone would opt for the 735 over the Icon. They're pretty similarly priced in the used market. And just about everything on the Icon is significantly better.

 

[theefman]

This may be late, but consider moving to the Lumia 735 as a temporary solution until the Surface Phone is here. It's an inexpensive device but good quality. I just sold mine (iPhone user) but it was running WM10 perfectly. I sold mine for $110 in mint condition, just as a reference. That's my 2 cents.

Remember the McLaren? Tons of rumors (including a detailed write-up on this site) then it got canned. Remember the Surface Mini? Again, tons of rumors and allegedly got canned the day it was to be revealed. Point is, its a pretty unwise move to make plans based on something that is essentially vaporware at this point. Waiting for a "Surface Phone" versus having a working flagship-class device now doesn't make much sense to me.