Very unhappy with my 830's performance!

[a5cent]

I will be blunt, the cpu is not up to the task it is asked to do on the 830. Read the review on AnandTech. It needed to be more powerful at this price point. Nice phone, but a 1020 beats it in most cpu related areas. Unfortunate...

All true, but in no way is that an explanation for what is being described here. If people were describing jerkyness in games, yes. In nextgen reader or the battery saver app... no way,

 

[Yazen]

I just got my 830 last week. So far the problems I have had are:
• camera won't always zoom
• very very poor reception compared to my n900
• poor battery, not even a full day, taking photos with flash, a couple of calls and some web browsing
• windows Facebook app keeps closing so I have uninstalled it
• web page Facebook doesn't for on the screen until I go into a post and then back to the homepage
• intermittent scrolling lag
• backlight intermittently dulls and brightens
• jagged movement with scrolling
• very often have the loading screen, sometime pages won't load
• very often have the resuming screen
• gets hit quickly
The only things I like are the swipe function and the phones size.
Is my phone a lemon or am I expecting too much or doing something wrong?

1 - Are you swiping up and down with your finger?
2 - Could be a variety of reasons. n900 was an amazing phone, so would not be surprised if it has better reception. Try getting a new SIM.
3 - Yeah, get used to it ... Nokias Maemo/Symbian devices seemed to have much better battery life despite smaller capacity.
4 - Something could be wrong with authentication, not a common issue. Try reinstall/wipe, idk ...
5 - S400 SoC is not that great really, needs some optimization from Microsoft.
6 - That is normal, ambient light sensor. Set fixed brightness, or keep your finger off the sensor
7 - Either a bad app or a really long list. Universal apps are going to have this issue more frequently, because there are more shoddy developers in this world than there are good ones.
8 - Yeah, this is not n900. Say goodbye to multitasking? Hopefully Windows 10 will fix this
9 - Windows 10 or fail
10 - Wipe your phone, disable some background apps. Lags will occur if the phone gets too hot and has to throttle.

You are expecting a Nokia phone and getting a Lumia. That is why you are not happy. You cannot be "happy" unless your expectations have been exceeded. n900 is a completely different platform, with different philosophies in mind. Can list more than a dozen features that Windows Phone 8.1 is lacking that Windows Mobile 6 had.

You could play the wait game like many of us are now, or you can find a platform that meets and exceeds your expectations. Honestly, I would think you would be happier with a Z3/compact since you are coming from a n900.

Good luck

EDIT: Spoiler Alert ~ Better lower your exceptions and understand the limits of today's smartphones.

 

[alacrityvirtue]

I will answer what I can. Thanks all for your replies. I am happy to do a hard reset once I can figure out how to back up everything. I had plugged it into my laptop but it couldn't install the drivers, the n900 used to backup automatically when I plugged it in.
It is under warranty still. I could always resell it and get my purchase price back.
I had already uninstalled FB the reviews on the windows version are awful.
Lots of loading screen on FB from the web page. Windows central is the worst page I have used so far on this phone, lots of lag and loading.
Screen sensitivity on medium I think and no protector as I wanted to get one with my case but no one socks a case for it so it lives in a sock at the moment!
I have no idea what fresh firmware is, sorry.
What is a beta app?
I don't have Cortana running out a tile.
Would warrant replace or play with it and send it back not fixed?
I had to get a new sim because I didn't know nano Sims existed until I tried to put mine in!
When is windows 10 coming?
What is az3/compact?
Thanks everyone for all your comments.
I really dislike this phone, it's not nice to use at all, with the larger screen I don't seem to be any bigger or clearer than the n900, smaller I think and less friendly to look at.

 

[broar94]

If you dont want to see "Loading" screen at any time( I see sometimes on my Denim 8.1 L730 but Im not very picky so)., suggest you to move away from WP . Simplest answer. Otherwise put up with it.

 

[realwarder]

The phone backs up settings to the cloud typically automatically, but from Settings you have Backup option. This only backs up half the phone. To backup data, simply connect to a PC and the phone appears as one or more flash drives. Copy pictures and music data to your computer to back that up.

On hard resetting the firmware and logging in to your Microsoft account the phone will prompt to restore the settings from backup.

For some reason you appear to have issues others don't though so rather than suffer, go to a store and find a phone you'll feel happy with. 830 is a great phone but if it isn't for you then find something else.

 

[Andrew Fratkin]

I'm sorry you're not happy with your phone and I would agree that you should try for a replacement or another model phone rather than living with it. Like most others I'm very happy with my 830 (came from an 822) and I'm not experiencing any of the problems you're having or I don't perceive them as problems.

To describe the delay part better, try this for yourself, swipe slowly to bring up the app list and u will notice that your finger can slide across the screen for a millimeter or 2 (maybe 1.5 lol) and nothing will happen. Now when u do this in a faster motion, there will be a slight delay in the animation. it's not a huge lag but still noticeable

This "problem" is an improvement to me. On my 822, I would get an inadvertent swipe to the App list if my initial scroll on the Start screen wasn't perfectly vertical. This never happens on my 830.

• backlight intermittently dulls and brightens

I believe turning off the automatic brightness level will stop this. (Setting>Brightness>Automatically adjust>Off)

 

[BatteryLife]

1)
Flash uses a lot of juice. Don't use flash for your photos if it's at all avoidable. If the subject is motionless, then stabilize the camera by placing it on (or bracing it against) a stable surface before taking the picture. That will allow the sensor to measure light over a long period of time and result in a great picture. Not only will that avoid the washed out flash look, but your battery will last longer too.
Flash + Battery life are mutually exclusive on any device.
2)
Don't uninstall facebook. Keep it and wait for an update.

Beyond those two things... no, I can't say my 830 is experiencing any of the difficulties you are.
Being a bit more specific about when and under what circumstances you encounter loading screens /jitter/lag (or a video), might also help us to better help you.

Actually long exposure does really use a lot of juice, if that is what you're referring to. It may even use up more energy than LED flash, but not more than xenon (which the NL 830 doesn't have). Also, long exposure results in sensor heat, causing thermal noise. It will result in better looking photo no doubt, but it does not freeze subject movement (though... LED flash does not do that very well, but you get my point).

 

[Al4video]

If you just got it a week ago and it's clear that's not the prevailing experience, why not just take it back for a new one?

 

[nessinhaw]

waaaat...Facebook and WP Central apps never showed any issues here lol

and i haven't experienced any issues related here too...also my battery life os always around 1 day!

i do think you have a faulty device and should get a warranty exchange!

 

[Marty89]

I have no issues with my 830 except random reboots once in two days.

 

[a5cent]

^ I wouldn't find that acceptable.

Actually long exposure does really use a lot of juice, if that is what you're referring to. It may even use up more energy than LED flash.

You have anything to back that up with? I'm not saying you are wrong. It's just my gut feeling that a CCD sensor probably uses < 30 mA and I'd expect a LED flash to use at least a couple 100 mA. I'm skeptical about your claim...

I will answer what I can. Thanks all for your replies. I am happy to do a hard reset once I can figure out how to back up everything.

TBH if you do a hard reset, you should NOT restore anything from a backup! At least not initially! Restoring from backup may just reintroduce the problem you were trying to get rid of with the hard reset!

Instead, after doing a hard reset, just install the most important apps from the store (three or four), and then use the device for a day or two as is. If it then doesn't work it's almost certainly either firmware related or a faulty unit. Only if that works would I consider restoring the backup.

 

[Walter Hugo da Silva]

I agree 100% with the OP.
Everything he stated is happening on my 830 and on my girlfriends 830, went back to the store and checked the 830's on display. They all had it!.
Some people keep defending they're 830 and i can relate to that, but comon people, this phone is not optimized as should be and IS doing everything the OP said! Compare it to an 820 and you will see, do you guys not see the same i see? U have magic phones? wtf

The jagged scrolling is the biggest issue in my opinion! I hate it. coming from a 820 that is what the eye catches the most. this screen is horrible, oversensitive or whatever i really don't know, but it's not the windows phone experience i was used to and hoping for when i purchased this phone!

Got a 830 for my mom a little over a month ago, running smooth and all's well, her battery lasts for 2 to 3 days (she doesn't use data plans though, just wi-fi).
You guys should really try a hard reset, if that doesn't help, try returning it to the store for a new one.

 

[Basiluzzo]

I just got my 830 last week. So far the problems I have had are:
? camera won't always zoom
? very very poor reception compared to my n900
? poor battery, not even a full day, taking photos with flash, a couple of calls and some web browsing
? windows Facebook app keeps closing so I have uninstalled it
? web page Facebook doesn't for on the screen until I go into a post and then back to the homepage
? intermittent scrolling lag
? backlight intermittently dulls and brightens
? jagged movement with scrolling
? very often have the loading screen, sometime pages won't load
? very often have the resuming screen
? gets hit quickly
The only things I like are the swipe function and the phones size.
Is my phone a lemon or am I expecting too much or doing something wrong?

Let's see ... Here are my reactions based on my 830, which I bought 7 weeks ago today.

Camera sometimes lags before zooming, particularly if I have just started the camera.
Acceptable reception. Perhaps a little worse than my iPhone5.
Good battery life, lasts all day with normal use - a few calls, several texts, some googling.
No problems whatsoever with Facebook, which I use a lot.
No scrolling lag.
Backlight sometimes dims when I first awaken the phone. After than no problems.
No jagged scrolling.
Web pages occasionally don't load.
I don't know what this resuming screen issue is.
I don't know what "gets hit quickly" means.

I really don't have many complaints, and I have no reason to defend the phone. This is my first Windows phone, and I have encountered some frustrations but all in all it's a slick device and a great operating system.

 

[BatteryLife]

You have anything to back that up with? I'm not saying you are wrong. It's just my gut feeling that a CCD sensor probably uses < 30 mA and I'd expect a LED flash to use at least a couple 100 mA. I'm skeptical about your claim...

Actually I used the word "may" because I wasn't too sure, though grammatically it should be "might" xP. The only claim I made was that long exposure uses up a lot of battery, which you can easily find articles online about it. I used "may" because it is not a comparison that can be done. For example, "long exposure" does not contain any length of time in it. Also, the length of exposure also depends on how much the flash illuminates the object (depending on distance).

Can I ask you how did you quote a value of <30 mA? Also, IIRC, Lumia 830 use BSI CMOS sensor, and not CCD's, as with many smartphones nowadays.

 

[a5cent]

Can I ask you how did you quote a value of <30 mA? Also, IIRC, Lumia 830 use BSI CMOS sensor, and not CCD's, as with many smartphones nowadays.

I have a degree in electronics engineering (although that's not what I do these days). Those numbers I provided are just my estimates, nothing more. I also admit that they may be outdated. I don't know. That's why I asked what you were basing your opinion on. I went with a CCD because CMOS sensors tend to use even less power. I'm not saying that powering the imaging circuitry is cheap in terms of power drain. It isn't, so I'd agree with those articles. I am just very skeptical that power drain is anywhere close what it takes to drive the flash, at least for typical exposure times.

 

[th34monk3ys]

Has anyone considered he has a touch screen issue it all appears to be touch related!

 

[alacrityvirtue]

It's also the reception that is a huge issue for me. I have been without reception around 10 times in 2 days and with my n900 I would have had less than 10 times in 2 years.
I can barely use this web page on my phone, it's a super pain in the ****. Can't zoom, takes forever to load anything and when I tap on something you can't tell if it's working or not...
Basiluzzo - what facebook are you using? And I meant hot not hit!!
Thanks!

 

[bokchoy1]

I suspect the low battery life is a result of your reception problem. If the phone is constantly searching for signal it can drain more power than if it's always connected.

Most reviews say the Lumia 830 runs cool unless under a heavy load and/or charging. That's been my experience too. My fingers felt like they were freezing against the metal frame haha.

Anyway, it's impossible to say if you've got a lemon unless you have another Lumia 830 to compare to.

 

[a5cent]

It's also the reception that is a huge issue for me. I have been without reception around 10 times in 2 days and with my n900 I would have had less than 10 times in 2 years.
I can barely use this web page on my phone, it's a super pain in the ****. Can't zoom, takes forever to load anything and when I tap on something you can't tell if it's working or not...
Basiluzzo - what facebook are you using? And I meant hot not hit!!
Thanks!

This site is not a good place to test mobile IE on WP with! You'll find a million other sites that work just fine. Claiming mobile IE on WP doesn't work well because this site doesn't perform well, while a million others work just fine, is a bit of a stretch.
If you want to use this site on a mobile device, you need to get the WindowsCentral app or use Tapatalk. The HTML based WindowsCentral.com is a pain to use on any smartphone.

 

[mariusmuntean]

Many issues on the devices come as a result of very poor quality control.Nokia and now Microsoft don't give a damn about carefully checking these phone models before releasing them. I for example, am stuck with wp 8.0 on my Lumia 1020 because of the freezing issues that appear on 8.1 on this phone and on the 925 model. What can I do? Nothing, as long as Microsoft does not care at all about quality. It runs perfect in 8.0 so the device is ok, but on 8.1...