The "It's a lot nicer than I thought" thread

[TaliZorah]

Once you get it in your hands and play with it there really isn't any doubt, it can compete with the 8x. I think people are really starting to realize that.

 

[cckgz4]

I've always stated this was the best lumia of the bunch


Sent from something uhmayzing using my pinkie

 

[Getintothegame]

I absolutely love this phone. All of my expectations have been blown.

 

[gapost]

I went to my store and checked both the 8X and 822 out. The 8X was beautiful, but the 822 was solid. For me, the 8X long screen was a little long for my thumbs to comfortably reach from the top to the bottom without shifting it in my hand. And the power button on the top was a little odd. I have a 822 on order from my corporate account, in black. If they would have had a nice color like blue or red, I would have gotten that. I am so used to the removable battery because if I am out for the day, I can carry an extra battery and not worry about saving power. I've had this on all my recent smartphones. BTW, the 822 on my business account was $49.

 

[downstevedown]

I got the 8x ultimately for its profile - the 822 was a little bit more "brickish". The 8X is a crisper display, but I agree - color saturation on the 822 is great. And free nav and music, too! Coming from a Galaxy Nexus, I convinced myself that I would always be nitpicking my decision to downgrade resolution. I've got 13 days to change my mind!

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

I got the 8x ultimately for its profile - the 822 was a little bit more "brickish". The 8X is a crisper display, but I agree - color saturation on the 822 is great. And free nav and music, too! Coming from a Galaxy Nexus, I convinced myself that I would always be nitpicking my decision to downgrade resolution. I've got 13 days to change my mind!

That's why options are great. The 8X is a great phone. I think Verizon has two solid options between the two that will accommodate most users.

 

[downstevedown]

That's why options are great. The 8X is a great phone. I think Verizon has two solid options between the two that will accommodate most users.

Solid options leading to a difficult decision. One other thing, from reading the forums, is that the 822 could have a real edge in battery life - the 8X forums are all about turning features off, and the 822 owners *seem* to be having an easier go of it?

 

[rebornempowered]

I finally took the time to look at the 8X today. Very happy with my decision. I know the screen has more pixels but the screen on the 822 just pops so much.

 

[scolab]

I picked up my FREE 822 at Best Buy last night. I haven't put it down since! They didn't have any on display, but their website said they had them. When I asked if they stocked the Lumia 822, she said, "What? Which carrier is that?" She also said this was the first Windows Phone they'd sold at that store. After she opened it up and put the battery in, the other clerks came over to look and loved the way it looked. LOL So much for training, or lack thereof.

This morning I went to the local VZW store to see if they had the 822 Otterbox in stock. Again, the dude says, "Which phone? No, I don't think we have any accessories for that, but let me go in back and check. After a few minutes he returned with an arm full of Otterboxes, gel cases and a Verizon brand belt clip all for the 822. I guess the backroom is where the hide the best stuff.

I really love the Otterbox. It does make the phone substantially larger, but it makes it feel so much more secure. The plastic screen protector is builtin to the case and is not removable, but it's not a hindrance at all. If I had any complaints about the 822 at all is that the matte finish is way too slippery. My Trophy was much "grippier". But this Otterbox has resolved that. And because I saved $99 on the phone at BB, I didn't mind paying $50 for the case.

 

[downstevedown]

OK. I had some dust under the screen of my 8X, which is unacceptable, especially for an off-contract purchase, and I decided to trade down in price and resolution to the 822. My thoughts:

Form:

• The tapered edges on the 8X were not very comfortable to hold for long periods, despite the rubbery grip
• The rubbery grip attracts oils and sweat.
• The buttons, being flush with the tapered edge, were difficult to use by feel - especially the top mounted power button.
• The taper definitely makes the 8X feel like a smaller device.
• The 822 definitely feels thicker, because there's absolutely no taper to it.
• The 822 power button placement makes better sense for the way I hold the phone. YMMV.
• I think the thicker sides on the 822 make it a little easier for me to hold the phone.
• The 8X is not a bad phone, just not the greatest fit for me.

Function:

• The 8X definitely has the 822 beat on crispness.
• The 822 has a slight edge in saturation and contrast.
• A little easier to use the 822 one-handed, at least for this user. Minor difference, though.
• It ticked me off that I had to wait for free navigation on the non-Nokia phone, so trading down $100 and getting nav didn't hurt.
• I like City Lens - hope to use it more this weekend and see how truly useful it is to me.
• You don't need to reset to factory to get your space back, just delete the USA maps from Nokia Drive, and download the states you need.

I feel like I need to adapt to the downgraded resolution, because I can see it in text. I'm confident that will happen, though, as I'm happier overall with the 822. More later...

 

[TaliZorah]

You don't need to reset to factory to get your space back, just delete the USA maps from Nokia Drive, and download the states you need.

Ohhhh so thats what it was that was taking up the space. Good to know, thanks! I still do a reset of every phone I get after initial setup.

 

[hopmedic]

You don't need to reset to factory to get your space back, just delete the USA maps from Nokia Drive, and download the states you need.

Ah, thanks - I had no idea you could do that! Awesome!

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

OK. I had some dust under the screen of my 8X, which is unacceptable, especially for an off-contract purchase, and I decided to trade down in price and resolution to the 822. My thoughts:

Form:

• The tapered edges on the 8X were not very comfortable to hold for long periods, despite the rubbery grip
• The rubbery grip attracts oils and sweat.
• The buttons, being flush with the tapered edge, were difficult to use by feel - especially the top mounted power button.
• The taper definitely makes the 8X feel like a smaller device.
• The 822 definitely feels thicker, because there's absolutely no taper to it.
• The 822 power button placement makes better sense for the way I hold the phone. YMMV.
• I think the thicker sides on the 822 make it a little easier for me to hold the phone.
• The 8X is not a bad phone, just not the greatest fit for me.

Function:

• The 8X definitely has the 822 beat on crispness.
• The 822 has a slight edge in saturation and contrast.
• A little easier to use the 822 one-handed, at least for this user. Minor difference, though.
• It ticked me off that I had to wait for free navigation on the non-Nokia phone, so trading down $100 and getting nav didn't hurt.
• I like City Lens - hope to use it more this weekend and see how truly useful it is to me.
• You don't need to reset to factory to get your space back, just delete the USA maps from Nokia Drive, and download the states you need.

I feel like I need to adapt to the downgraded resolution, because I can see it in text. I'm confident that will happen, though, as I'm happier overall with the 822. More later...

I was wondering if it was maps that took up that space. I wonder if it's just the Nokia's. Makes sense to just grab what you need, but love that we WP8 users can grab whole countries.

 

[esheafer]

I just went to Best Buy to put a pre-order on the Blue HTC 8x. Best Buy informed me they are not going to be selling the Blue one for Verizon, just for AT&T and that they canceled everyone's pre-order for the Blue HTC 8x. That was a bit disappointing, but he pulled out a demo unit of the Nokia 822 and I have to say I was impressed. I don't think reviewers are giving enough credit to the 822. It really is nice and now I think I will go order that one tomorrow. I am premiere silver at best buy, so I have a 60 day return period. If it turns out that I really don't like it I can switch, but I have a feeling that wont be the case. Besides, this eases my fear about running out of space with only 16GB available on the HTC 8X.

 

[rollo132]

Re: The "It's a lot nicer than I thought" thread

Yes! I was just thinking that a thread like this needed to be started....

I stopped by a Verizon store to finally get some hands on time to confirm my choice of the 8X, and I was blown away by the 822. Yes, the 8X is obviously the premium phone between the two, but it is by no means $100 better. The 822 might technically be a mid-range phone, but I have pulled a 180 and will definitely getting this phone.

I was curious about the matte-ness of the grey as well, but I am also wondering about the shade of grey.... is it fairly light, or closer to the grey we saw for the 920?

 

[ealexand#CB]

I used one a bit when I went to pick up my 8X. Honestly, it almost converted me. If it had a 720p screen, I would have picked it hands-down over the 8X. The feel was just perfect. Great weight, the buttons were perfectly clicky, and it felt super solid. It's easily the best budget phone on the network.

I like the feel of the 822 on VZ as well. Plus the nokia apps. The home screen doesn't even look bad, but I really want higher res screen so it's a no-go.

 

[o4liberty]

I like the feel of the 822 on VZ as well. Plus the nokia apps. The home screen doesn't even look bad, but I really want higher res screen so it's a no-go.

I have looked at all of them and I really don't see a big difference in the resolution between the devices . With such a small screen I can't really tell the difference but this is just my opinion.

 

[wilks7]

how do you access the bar code reader?? i found it yesterday but can't remember how i got to it....lol

 

[tk-093]

You don't need to reset to factory to get your space back, just delete the USA maps from Nokia Drive, and download the states you need.

Ah ha!! Thanks dude! Didn't even occur to me that could be it!

 

[Isror]

how do you access the bar code reader?? i found it yesterday but can't remember how i got to it....lol

If you tap the magnifying glass on the bottom to bring up Bing, you should see an eye icon at the bottom of the screen, that should do it.