Two Year Report

[Indistinguishable]

The Lumia Icon has been out for two years this week.

How's everyone holding up? How are your devices? Still in good physical shape? What about the battery? Any sign of decreased performance?

 

[PhreePhlyer]

Funny, I was just discussing my experience with my Icon with a co worker and realized my phone is two years old. I bought it the day it came out.

The only physical defect is that my camera button stopped working about 8 months ago.

I've been using the inside program so I've been playing with all flavors of Windows 10 as it slowly coalesced into the "final" version.

The phone is still unbelievably capable, but, of course, missing newer features like continuum, higher resolution screen, biometric sign-in etc. As a Verizon user, I'd love to see a new Windows phone to choose from, but, honestly, nothing out there right now would convince me to leave. The Elite 3x might be the one if it doesn't come to Verizon.

 

[spicypadthai]

Still on 8.1 but mine's running great. Did 1 hard reset after the Denim upgrade and it's been working like a champ since. No real complaints, battery is still decent, and it's in very good physical condition. I'm still asked about it and I get complements on the screen and photos which makes the complete lack of support even more unfortunate. Haven't tried 10 TP on it yet b/c of the lack of stereo sound when recording video.

 

[spicypadthai]

As a Verizon user, I'd love to see a new Windows phone to choose from, but, honestly, nothing out there right now would convince me to leave. The Elite 3x might be the one if it doesn't come to Verizon.

Yup, same here.

 

[feeked]

Lots of scuffing from many drops, but still solid. Been running win10 consistently for a few months.

Would love to have one last firmware update for Win10 before this thing rides into the sunset.

 

[extrikate]

Bought mine on launch day. It has never been in a case and only has one scuff on the left/top corner. I have dropped it and even accidentally launched it across a parking garage. This is an awesome device.

My only complaint is the continuous WiFi issue. I hate having to reset me phone when it decides it doesn't want to connect. This has been there since day 1 and is the only thing that kept the Icon from being the best WP out there.

 

[DavidinCT]

I was one of the early ones who got a Black ICON. I get board with things but, I have kept this phone for a long time, I guess mainly because there was crap for options on Verizon over the ICON. The Phone is holding up great, no scratches on the screen at all, some corners have some marks tho.

I have all 4 OEM colored backs for the ICON, so I change it out every few weeks. Just pop one off and pop another one on, takes about a whole 30 seconds to a min to do.

Battery was fine till I put Windows Mobile 10 on it.... better but, not as good as 8.1 days...

Have no plans to get another phones right now, I also have a LG G3 that I swap with time to time but, the ONLY way I will get rid of the ICON is if Verizon gets the new HP x3...

Really I mean the x3 is worth upgrading to if your a WM/WP fan...

 

[merlot2k1]

Mine is stashed in a kitchen drawer at the moment as I moved back to Android (Nexus 5X). I tried W10 out, but it was too buggy so I reverted back to 8.1. The phone itself mostly worked great, although I would loose data connection once a week and have to reboot to fix the issue. Otherwise, it was solid. The lack of apps, and the fact I want to try out Google's Fi service in the spring prompted me to switch.

I will say, Windows Phone is fantastic in regards to the OS performance. It didn't matter how many apps I had open, everything always worked great. Can't say the same for Android, even the latest version of pure Marshmallow.

 

[Patriots1959]

Hello Mr. Stinguish! My Icon and my three other users with Icons are doing well and have remained on the very reliable 8.1. All four of us are experiencing minor battery loss after acquiring the devices 23 months ago. The other 50+ users all are experiencing significant battery loss (esp the Droid Maxx). My phone has intermittent bluetooth drops. Sometimes it happens 3 times in a week, sometimes not for 3 months. I wish I could narrow it down.
Sometime in the next few months we are either staying with Verizon and getting S7s, switching to ATT and getting 950s, or switching to Tmobile and their special arrangement with financed 950XLs. I'd consider waiting for the HP Elite for myself and that killer netbook if the camera is good - I read that the prototype's camera is average - perhaps wait for the next Windows flagship.

 

[grafixguy#AC]

Loved mine, but finally realized there was no future for Windows Mobile. Moved to the Galaxy S7 Edged last week.

I don't regret the two years with the Icon but I also have no regrets moving to the GS7 Edge. It is a gorgeous piece of hardware and honestly, I forgot how many apps I was missing.

I would have stuck it out if there was any promise whatsoever, but there's not. Too bad, because Win Mobile is a beautiful O/S but without the high end hardware or apps, it's doomed to third class status.

 

[Johnafin]

I've had mine the day it came out, and I loved it. Over time getting the news the app gap would never be bridged, I didn't think that would be an issue but it is. What sucks is that the Microsoft mobile OS is amazingly fast and fluent with little bugs on my end. Ill be going back to android solely because of the app gap. I just wish Microsoft coulda got the apps they deserve

 

[abausch]

Mine will be two years old in June. Still use it constantly and still love it. I don't know what my next phone will be, as i doubt Verizon will get a new Windows phone, and I really don't want to go back to Android. Gotta keep this running as long as I can.

 

[dkediger]

Still carry mine with me, but it's WiFi only as Verizon won. Droid Turbo 2. Really kind of fun to still "use" the two devices side by side. Also interesting relearning all the Android quirks - and that there really hasn't been much change in it since my last device on Gingerbread.

W10 mobile, in my mind and with what I do, doesn't have to take a back seat to Android. It's too bad Microsoft feels differently.

 

[jrdatrackstar1223]

Still rocking with mine as well. I got mine on Craigslist for $80, still had warranty, ended up getting a brand new one from Microsoft. Running 10 on it and this is the 1st phone I've kept for over a year. I constantly brag about how I love this phone so much and how I can never see myself letting it go until support ends. I am using it on Verizon Straight Talk and everything is great (besides some firmware bugs). I plan on keeping this until Microsoft pulls the plug from the Insider program, then it is either "upgrading" to a 640 or an iPhone 6 (when they drop in price). I refuse to get a phone on contract so the next few months will be interesting...

 

[nx_2000]

Mine is doing quite well. No performance or battery issues. I don't use a screen protector but it has been in an Incipio DualPro case most of the time, except for evenings out when it seldom comes out of my pocket. I have dropped it a couple times without a case which has marred the top edge of the metal band in places. I would have replaced the band were such an operation within reason. The screen is nearly perfect, though.

 

[chrisdaboss]

The screen cracked on my original Icon so I bought a replacement off of eBay. I then switched to an iPhone last month. The app gap impacted my decision. No snapchat, facebook app blew compared to Android and iOS and while I do miss 6tag and Cortana reading my texts through b/t in the car I'm an iPhone user now. During the time I was using my Icon hardware still worked well, on my broken screen Icon the power button got really mushy, so I never sold it on ebay. I really do miss the camera though. Hopefully M/S can fix W/P or do something with it, they make really cheap phones and pair that with social media and boom. But I'm just someone behind a keyboard.

 

[11B1P]

I'm on 8.1.1 and running just perfectly. I bought it 2nd hand and had a small scuff on the bottom corner. I recently joined the "cracked screen" crowd a couple weeks back. It slipped out of my pocket when I got in the truck and I didn't notice it till I was about to pull out of the parking lot. Went back and found it. I think my front tire caught the top of it. I have a minor hairline crack through the ff camera horizontally over to the left edge of the screen. Not bad enough to warrant replacing the screen. I'll just hold out to a new offering comes along. The HP Elite looks pretty sweet....

 

[JasonThomasVA]

I gave up on it after Windows 10 sapped my battery life down to 3 hours once I opened a web browser. No matter what I did, the battery would run down once I actually started using it, even if I closed the apps. What with the ever increasing app gap, I said the hell with Verizon and Windows Phone.

Maybe in 2 years if the app gap closes, I'll come back, but I currently have a Samsung Galaxy s& Edge, and this is the most beautiful functional phone I've ever used. Even the apps that do exist are crippled and barely functional in many cases.

You sort of forget what the mobile world is like using Windows Phone for 2 years, but all of the apps, even the Microsoft apps work better on Android than Windows Phone. From Outlook, to Office, to OneNote, there is literally nothing that I miss about Windows Phone.

It IS a better OS, but the interaction between the apps and the OS just isn't there as fluidly and seamlessly as in Android (and iOS which I hate and will never use after having an iPad)

 

[SteveNoza]

My Icon is still functioning well and holding up well to the abuse I put it through, no serious complaints. I'm hoping for an official W10M for Icon, but I guess that's to much to ask for Verizon's exclusive Windows flagship.