Why a Lumia 550 rather than the 640?

[libra89]

Please don't say its better than my device (wiping the tears with Lumia 640XL)

Nope, the 640 XL is better in general. Between the 640 and 550, is pretty much personal preference at most.

 

[psyhound]

It looks like my stepfather will be getting a 550 next week, so I'll be able to personally compare them... Maybe I'll install the latest insider on my 640 for better comparison.

 

[Narathan]

I switched from my 640 XL to the 550 and to be honest, I don't see that much of a downgrade performancewise. I am actually surprised it can play 1080P youtube video's without a problem. I remember my Prestigio DUO 8500 having major problems with its SD200. So the SD210 definitly is more powerful. I'd say it comes close to the SD400.

Screen looks more vibrant as well compared to my 640 XL, but thats probably because of the 720P resolution - W10M looks just as georgeous on the 550 as it did on my HTC M8's 5" 1080P screen.

The 640 (XL) is in my opinion still a better choice for what you get, that batterylife is just amazing. Pockatability is definitly a win in my case, 5.7" is just too much of a hassle.

So, if you can get a 640, definitly go for it. There's nothing wrong with it.

 

[libra89]

I switched from my 640 XL to the 550 and to be honest, I don't see that much of a downgrade performancewise. I am actually surprised it can play 1080P youtube video's without a problem. I remember my Prestigio DUO 8500 having major problems with its SD200. So the SD210 definitly is more powerful. I'd say it comes close to the SD400.

Screen looks more vibrant as well compared to my 640 XL, but thats probably because of the 720P resolution - W10M looks just as georgeous on the 550 as it did on my HTC M8's 5" 1080P screen.

The 640 (XL) is in my opinion still a better choice for what you get, that batterylife is just amazing. Pockatability is definitly a win in my case, 5.7" is just too much of a hassle.

So, if you can get a 640, definitly go for it. There's nothing wrong with it.

Thank you for saying this, it's good to know. I'm really looking forward to trying it out. It seems like it has the same hd screen as the 640, based on specs. I don't find 5" to be too big but I do find 4" to be too small so something in the middle where I'm not losing much of anything sounds great. 735 is the same size but no Glance. I'm too used to having it to suddenly go without. The time I went without it, I didn't like it and it kind of annoyed me actually to have to wake up the phone to see the time and if I have any notifications each time. :/

 

[treiz]

Another day, another terrifying example of how much power American Carriers have over their consumers. Can't your country ever do anything about this? Thank god the rest of the world aren't slaves to carriers which are just a utility provider NOT a hardware manufacturer. Ironic this all tales place in the land of "Freedom". You have my sympathies bro.

Utter nonsense. The carrier sells the phone at a discount with the understanding that you will use it on their service. If you don't want to do that then pay the actual price for the phone with the unlocked model. Take this BS proletariat communist crap and stick it somewhere else.

 

[Geodude074]

An unlocked 640 is close to 200, if not slightly over it. The 550 is sold unlocked only, so of course it would seem like it costs more.

Unlocked 640 is $86 on Amazon. It's even cheaper ($66) if you buy from other sellers.

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-640...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU3342849

 

[libra89]

Unlocked 640 is $86 on Amazon. It's even cheaper ($66) if you buy from other sellers.

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-640...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU3342909

This is true but you also have to be sure that you will have a phone with the right bands too.

 

[Paolo Ferrazza]

Utter nonsense. The carrier sells the phone at a discount with the understanding that you will use it on their service. If you don't want to do that then pay the actual price for the phone with the unlocked model. Take this BS proletariat communist crap and stick it somewhere else.

You should calm down. Since in other parts of the world carriers sell phones at lower price too but they sell it unlocked he is right and you are wrong.

If you want I can further explain this:
-carriers sell the phone at a lower price like in the US
-then you have to stay with that carrier for 24 months
-the phone is unlocked and every phone works on every carrier, it is YOUR PHONE you can sell it or use it with another sim, you can do whatever you want, you just have to stay with your operator since you signed for it.

It was like the U.S. a lot of years ago here too, then we have moved forward, you unfortunately didn't and are stuck with the carriers deciding which phones you should use (with all the problems you can have selling the product when you change it too).

Why make it so personal?

 

[Francisco_dAn]

An unlocked 640 is close to 200, if not slightly over it. The 550 is sold unlocked only, so of course it would seem like it costs more.

When the 640 came out in the US it was only $80 at Walmart, since Black Friday they were being sold for half of that. At those prices I'm just not seeing the value for a 550. Is having W10 already installed or the extra megapixel on the front camera actually worth it? Is the CPU noticeably faster or the screen clearer?

 

[libra89]

When the 640 came out in the US it was only $80 at Walmart, since Black Friday they were being sold for half of that. At those prices I'm just not seeing the value for a 550. Is having W10 already installed or the extra megapixel on the front camera actually worth it? Is the CPU noticeably faster or the screen clearer?

It was $80 if you are an AT&T customer. I am not, so the T-mobile variant was $100. Also either way, they are locked to AT&T so essentially, you have to hope that they would release updates.

As much as I would like for T-mobile to roll out Windows 10 Mobile, which would have wifi calling that will work, I seriously doubt that they will. It's more money, yes, but at the same time, it's great to get updates as you should.

 

[Geodude074]

You can buy a 640 from Microsoft for $60, then unlock it yourself. I looked around on the 640 forums and someone posted a how-to.

 

[libra89]

You can buy a 640 from Microsoft for $60, then unlock it yourself. I looked around on the 640 forums and someone posted a how-to.

View attachment 119138

I'm aware, but you are forgetting that even if you unlock it, that doesn't mean that you'll get updates from Microsoft. You will still be bound to AT&T for those, since it is their firmware.

 

[Francisco_dAn]

It was $80 if you are an AT&T customer. I am not, so the T-mobile variant was $100. Also either way, they are locked to AT&T so essentially, you have to hope that they would release updates.

As much as I would like for T-mobile to roll out Windows 10 Mobile, which would have wifi calling that will work, I seriously doubt that they will. It's more money, yes, but at the same time, it's great to get updates as you should.

Nope. I bought it, unlocked it and plugged in my T-mobile card from my 520. I only stayed with TM for a couple of months before switching again. Each time I was on a no contract, pay as you go so I can switch whenever I want without paying any fees.

People still don't realize that you don't need to be beholden to carriers any more when you buy your phone outright. When you can find one with specs like the 640 for less than $100, why in the world would anyone go through a carrier to buy a phone? You end up paying more for less.

 

[Francisco_dAn]

I'm aware, but you are forgetting that even if you unlock it, that doesn't mean that you'll get updates from Microsoft. You will still be bound to AT&T for those, since it is their firmware.

Microsoft is perfecting pushing directly to phones regardless of the carrier. They pushed one less than a week ago. Hell, someone installed RT on a 520 a couple of weeks ago. The phone companies have a control over your phone only if you allow them to.

 

[libra89]

After using a 550 as my daily driver for a few days now, the 550 has a bonus for sure over the 640. The biggest one is that it is great for pockets, so much easier to pocket it. It's lighter, yes, but don't be fooled by the 1mp of the 640 and the 2 mp of the 550. The hd front camera seems to make ALL the difference, since unlike the 550, images don't have a yellow cast in low light situations. The yellow can and does seem to stabilize, of course, but it just goes from slightly there to overly there.