Upgrade from 520

[hexafluoride]

That time of the year is here, and I have to upgrade from my 520 that's been getting old. I have 2 choices, a Lumia 830 and a Lumia 925.

The 830:

+ Last gen
+ Bigger screen
+ Better rear-facing camera
+ SensorCore(something I won't be using personally)
+ microSD slot(I already do fine with the 520's small 8GB, so storage's not an issue.)
+ Removable back.
+ Bigger battery
- Processor is slower
- Rather low specs for the price
- Screen is IPS(I do like the color accuracy but OLED blacks would be nice.)
- Some users report stuttering issues.

The 925:

+ Better processor
+ Higher pixel density
+ Better front-facing camera(something I won't be using)
+ OLED display
- Last gen
- Won't get the Denim goodies
- Worse rear-facing camera than the 830
- Smaller battery
- Is getting older, I can't emphasize this enough.

Which one do I get? Also, no matter what I choose, it will be a MASSIVE upgrade from my 520.

 

[Dusan Randj]

Get the 830. That's what I would do, if price difference isn't big. But ofc, 925 is also a huge upgrade, if it's much cheaper (second hand) you will be fine with it. But 16gb of memory run out really fast.

 

[ShaneRay]

All I can say it this:

I to upgraded from my 520. My choice was the 830. The reasons were: 5" screen, camera, and "latest" tech (and, I guess the design as well). I've griped about a few things that bother me about the phone (and MS) on the forums, but overall I really like my 830. And you're right, it's a huge upgrade over the 520. Night and day.

It's performs very well. I haven't seen any stuttering on my 830 and appears to always be smooth. Fact is, if you're getting through the day with a 520 now, the 830 will impress you. I don't do any intensive gaming, but the casual games I do occasionally play run just fine. So, the processor is more than up to the task for day-to-day tasks. No, it's not a 930 with an S800, but it does just fine.

Bottom line, I was presented with a similar choice as you and decided on the 830 for the reasons above. I can't tell you which way to go; I can only tell you which way I went and why.

 

[Athull]

That time of the year is here, and I have to upgrade from my 520 that's been getting old. I have 2 choices, a Lumia 830 and a Lumia 925.

The 830:

+ Last gen
+ Bigger screen
+ Better rear-facing camera
+ SensorCore(something I won't be using personally)
+ microSD slot(I already do fine with the 520's small 8GB, so storage's not an issue.)
+ Removable back.
+ Bigger battery
- Processor is slower
- Rather low specs for the price
- Screen is IPS(I do like the color accuracy but OLED blacks would be nice.)
- Some users report stuttering issues.

The 925:

+ Better processor
+ Higher pixel density
+ Better front-facing camera(something I won't be using)
+ OLED display
- Last gen
- Won't get the Denim goodies
- Worse rear-facing camera than the 830
- Smaller battery
- Is getting older, I can't emphasize this enough.

Which one do I get? Also, no matter what I choose, it will be a MASSIVE upgrade from my 520.

Storage is the biggest decider if u ask me. If u can live with 16gb non expandable or if the 32gb version is available then definitely the 925, otherwise 830 is pretty good but pricey(in fact I would just as well get a 730 over it).
And the cameras shouldn't be hugely different 925 had the best camera of smartphone world when it was initially released and I think its still pretty good and can easily compare with the 830.

 

[Harrie-S]

That time of the year is here, and I have to upgrade from my 520 that's been getting old. I have 2 choices, a Lumia 830 and a Lumia 925.

The 830:

+ Last gen
+ Bigger screen
+ Better rear-facing camera
+ SensorCore(something I won't be using personally)
+ microSD slot(I already do fine with the 520's small 8GB, so storage's not an issue.)
+ Removable back.
+ Bigger battery
- Processor is slower
- Rather low specs for the price
- Screen is IPS(I do like the color accuracy but OLED blacks would be nice.)
- Some users report stuttering issues.

The 925:

+ Better processor
+ Higher pixel density
+ Better front-facing camera(something I won't be using)
+ OLED display
- Last gen
- Won't get the Denim goodies
- Worse rear-facing camera than the 830
- Smaller battery
- Is getting older, I can't emphasize this enough.

Which one do I get? Also, no matter what I choose, it will be a MASSIVE upgrade from my 520.

Did you see below article. It's the 920 but it still gives a good comparison and indeed coming from the 520 both are an considerable improvement.
http://m.windowscentral.com/nokia-lumia-830-vs-lumia-920

 

[Desynthesis]

Which one do I get? Also, no matter what I choose, it will be a MASSIVE upgrade from my 520.

Hexafluoride, do you use your phone as a MP3 player? Because if so, there's an unavoidable issue it'd be a shame you weren't aware of.

I went from a Lumia 925 to 830 in large part because the unlocked 925s lost internet sharing when updating to 8.1--though that's fixable by having the right version of the 925 for your provider.

What isn't correctable, to the best of my knowledge, is the "playback bug" that seems to accompany all 8.0 phones updating to 8.1--when using music playback, between songs an audible "glitch" can be heard, a split-second portion of the previous song. Microsoft's aware of the issue, but doesn't seem to have any plan to correct it.

The Lumia 830 has a few other issues--in particular, it's prone to crashing and restarting from certain apps, like anything using Facebook messenger (including the browser), though this might also exist on the 925. So the music playback issue seems a significant one to consider. Additionally, the 830 comes inherently with wireless charging (via the backplate), wherein the 925 needs a special wireless case accessory--if you want to do Qi wireless charging, that's worth considering too.

 

[hexafluoride]

Thanks for all the replies. I bought a black 830, which I'm very satisfied with.

 

[Harrie-S]

Thanks for all the replies. I bought a black 830, which I'm very satisfied with.

Concratulations with your phone.

 

[hexafluoride]

Concratulations with your phone.

Thanks. :^)

 

[Dusan Randj]

Congrats! Enjoy it!