Why did you switch from iPhone to Lumia?

[Richard Devine]

Sure, Windows Phone doesn't have a very big market share. But that doesn't mean people haven't ditched their iPhones for a Lumia.

Microsoft is running their own little series at the moment charting why some, selected individuals have ditched their iPhone and started using a Lumia. After all, the switch doesn't have to be the other way.

We liked this idea so much that we want your stories. Why did you go Lumia over iPhone? In a couple of weeks we'll have a look through them and maybe we'll feature some of our favorites right here on the Windows Central homepage.

So, tell us your story!

 

[Joko Soemitro]

There are couple reasons why i switch from iphone to lumia. First is battery performance. Lumia has better battery performance then iphone. I need phone that can live for one day so i don't need to take power bank. Second is all i need is there on lumia. I need whatsapp yes there is it. I need evernote and i found it there. Everything i need is here so why not? Third is compatibility on pc or desktop. Somehow i can't use iphone as storage and i can do it on lumia. Forth is i found out same performance between iphone and lumia so its good and last is price. I could have a good smartphone just US$170++ and why should i buy iPhone? Also windows 10 look promising and so do windows 10 mobile.

 

[Low Kok Hin]

First, I'm asking for apologies for my bad English since I'm not a native speaker. My stories started like this. I bought an iPod touch 5th generation as early as it is released at apple online store. After that, I looking for a phone just to tether data for my iPod. I was actually kinda tricked by apple's gimmicks such as retina display and isight camera since I didn't do any research at that time. At last, I found Lumia 620 and that's start my Lumia life. After a period of time using the Lumia 620, I actually found that Lumia is kinda easy to use than IOS device due to the back button( Lumia 620 is in portico update) but honestly lack of many things at thy time. After few iterations of updates, my Lumia 620 gets a lot better. And I got a Lumia 1520 afterward. My iPod is currently just a music player, might be forever. Looking forward for windows 10 for mobile that gonna release later.

 

[hunter49686]

I switched from iphone to Lumia about 18 months ago. No complaints with the quality of iphone but after so many years and new phones the screen looks basically the same. Lumia with windows allows me an unlimited variety of options as to how I set up my home screen. I also LOVE the Glance screen feature. Price is also a huge plus for Lumia. I have owned 4 or 5 Lumias in the same time I would have had only one iphone. The more reasonable price allows me to change to different models when I want. I enjoy having the option to add memory or swap batteries as needed as well.

 

[Brian Fairchild1]

I knew that Microsoft had something great when I first saw the UI. The very idea of "Active Tiles" and the ability for applications to tell you more of what is going on was WAY beyond anything of the time, and still is today. I knew that the Metro (er, Modern) UI was the killer UI. I switched on Windows Phone 7 and have never looked back. I have an iPad at home, got one for the wife so she could play games since there's not a big market for games on the Windows mobile platform. But I'm sure wishing that would change.

And now the big buzz UI element of the day is what they are calling "Cards" which is the Microsoft Modern UI. I hope that with the new toolset and better marketing Microsoft will pull more devs to make their assets available on the MS platform!

 

[JawZ_28]

After using iOS for over 5 years I simply got bored of it and started looking for a change. I had no intentions of using Android, so naturally I started looking at Windows Phone. Coming from an iPhone 4S, it was too big of a shock to go from such a small screen to the monstrous Lumia 1520, so I picked up a Lumia 925 since the Icon wasn't available on AT&T. After using the 925 for a year I was very pleased with the OS and the potential it possessed, but was disappointed with how sluggish the 925 was, not to mention lack of micro SD expansion. Wanting something faster, but not wanting to wait until Windows 10 Mobile, I bit the bullet and bought a used 1520. I've had no regrets as the larger screen is actually much nicer than I had previously imagined. The speed, and camera are amazing on the 1520. Now equipped with more capable hardware, I am very pleased with my Windows Phone experience and can't wait to see what the future holds with Windows 10 mobile.

 

[mcwgameson]

I switched first because I wanted to try something new, so when my iPhone 4s broke down I found the Lumia 1020 that was perfect for me. I really enjoy taking photos so the camera was excellent. The phone also looks much better then the iPhone, especially the yellow one that I had. I never really had any problems with missing apps, but sure sometimes you see a nice game that you want and you cant download it. But I mainly use my phone for work and for that it is perfect.
The only problem is that there is no new phones to buy. My 1020 broke down, and I ended up buying a used 1520 because all the other low budget phones are not what I want from a phone. I actually was thinking of an iPhone 6 Plus since there was no windows phone, but now that I got my 1520 I would say I love the Lumia even more then I did with my 1020. This old 1520 beats the iPhone 6 big times in picture quality and overall speed. And the battery life time is a dream, oh and I found out the thing had SD card expansion after I bought it and that makes it absolutely perfect.

 

[Cody Patterson]

The reasons I switched from iPhone to Lumia are simple:

1: Better Camera (I'm a photographer ate heart but not by profession.)
2: Faster Operating System (I don't need a slow system or something that is going to be constantly messing up causing me to lose my work)
3: Design (The design of the phones them selves are way more attractive and artist focused. I have a Lumia icon which wouldn't be my preference but being stuck in Verizon I don't have much of a choice, I love the design of Lumia phones, and the design and layout of the OS.)
4: Windows Ecosystem (I own a MacBook pro but only use windows on it, I would love to get a windows tablet going forward, having a windows phone [Lumia specifically] just made sense.)
5: 3rd Party Apps (I would rather have third party apps that the majority of my friends dont have and can't use so I feel more unique and independent. These apps like 6tag, and previously 6snap, allow me to do more than anyone on android or iOS can with a cooler design as well.)

 

[shryx86]

I had an iPhone 3G and iPhone 4 before I switched to Lumia. I was big into jailbreaking because I wanted features that iOS didn't offer at the time. This was before multitasking, notification center, and action center were around. I had jailbreak addons that enabled all of that and more. I was fully invested in iOS (Windows on computer), but I decided to watch the Windows Phone 8 keynote to chuckle at what Microsoft was going to offer. Before they were halfway through their presentation I knew I was going to switch.

I bought the Lumia 920 the day it came out, and I sold my iPhone 4 to my brother after I bought an iPod touch so I could continue playing the apps I had paid for. I quickly stopped using the iPod. I still have that 920, but I recently upgraded to a 930. I enjoy the Windows mobile experience a lot more than I ever enjoyed iOS. I did look into jailbreaking the 920 at first, but I quickly realized I didn't have to. Microsoft continues to push out new features and improving the OS even for the 920 which is now more than 2.5 years old. The cameras are definitely the best for mobile devices right now. My iPhone 6 Plus owning friends still ask me to take low light photos when we're out because their photo keeps coming out murky, and I'll get everyone in the shot and in color.

I will stick with the platform, and I'm considering getting the "Cityman" phone when it comes out this fall (hopefully sooner). I'm using the 930 as my daily device, and I have the Windows 10 preview installed on my 920. I also have the Windows 10 preview installed on my 9 year old laptop without any issues.

 

[Chris Turek]

I switched because I feel like the Apple business model is "swindle the most money out of the consumer as possible for products they don't need". I had an iPhone 4s and with each update the phone got slower and slower and slower. Sure they'd add new things like panorama or the action center or the banner style notifications instead of the alerts but they also added things like background app refresh and the pseudo 3D stuff on the home screen. Both of those are cool but utterly useless features that intentionally drain the battery life on older phones, prompting users to feel the need to upgrade to a new one, even though the hardware would be just fine otherwise. I feel like with every update to windows phone, they've added features, smoothed out the OS and kept the older, less powerful phones in mind when updating. The camera on windows phone is absolutely out of this world. I'm a huge Instagrammer and I take my phone with me everywhere I go in order to take the best shot I can. I have a ton of photos I've taken which you can see at thechristurek. My Lumia 1520 does so much more and is much more accessible than any other phone I've ever used and I love it.

 

[Vincent Pellicone]

I switched to my Lumia Icon for several reasons:
1. Camera quality. The icon had an amazing camera with awesome features. I've taken some of the best photographs with my phone
2. Feel. The icon feels so much better than an iPhone. I feel as if the iPhone is just way to lightweight.
3. Microsoft. Being able to use my phone and my windows 8.1 tablet are great. There are awesome features that automatically sync between the two of them with my Microsoft account.
4. Keyboard. Typing on my Icon is easy with WordFlow.
5. Live tiles. Being able to see ask of my notifications right on my home screen without flipping through 30 different pages to find an app. It's simple to use.
6. I don't want to spend money on a product that only has a name. I've been through 4 iPhones and the screen always shatters. 1.5 years later my icon had not even gotten a scratch

 

[ArrowQueen]

I switched from a iPhone 4 to a Lumia 925. My reasons:

1. I've always seen the Windows Phone OS as the coolest mobile OS (Live tiles, fluidity). Why not give it a try ?
2. I wanted something powerful but not too expensive.
3. The Lumia cameras are just awesome (Carl Zeiss, PureView)
4. A lot of people got iPhones. I wanted something new.
5. The powerful synchronization between all my Windows devices (OneDrive, etc.) is very important to me.

 

[realwarder]

iPhone was feeling same-ish. I.e. iOS 3-4 felt the same. Same icons, same small screen.

L920 had what looked like an Amazing camera. OIS. Great low light shots. I wanted it. (Sadly my 920 died and I got the 830. Boy do I miss my 920. That camera had a faster lens - less out of focus/smudged shots inside.)

Equally I didn't like lock-in. Apple was controlling things too much. Apple format audio and video. And iTunes was a great example of how not to write software.

Windows Phone had a fresh look, was as smooth to use and did what I needed. Been enjoying it ever since.

 

[Witness]

HA!

I'm reading this as I am charging up my L640. I said I was going to switch (go back actually), but let's see how I fare. Other than Cortana, Live Tiles and a slick interface, the reason why I'm switching is because... okay, those are the primary reasons why I'm switching, because Siri sucks, looking for information requires a hundred finger pecks and the interface is BORING.

Oh, and you know what's nice? If I wanted to put some new music/video/photos on my Lumia...
I DON'T NEED TO &$^#% DO IT USING iTUNES!

 

[heickelrrx]

I switch from iPhone 4 to 930 due to this.

1. I drop the phone and the screen was shattered. The fixing cost way too expensive

2. Price wise since I have to pay full product iPhone 5 was too overpriced

3. I'm use nokia Product for long time due it's great aftersales care.

4. I don't use snapchat (saracm)

5. I have an iPad. iPad 2 64GB. So why would I need another iPhone. My Laptop do the work, My PC run badass an iPad fill the gap while the phone is great

6. iProduct Acc is expensive. I'm student and my country doesn't have such discount so don't rip my wallet please

7. My Ex girlfriend use Lumia and I broke with her I have no money to switch :')

 

[Son Of Belushi UK]

I struggled with the iPhone 3GS for 18 months and wished I'd just kept my iPod touch and got a different phone so when upgrade time came I thought i'd give the HTC Mozart a go. It was certainly not as laggy and the battery life was better but when the Lumia 920 arrived I was sold. Great camera, responsive, surprisingly robust battery and was a joy to use. The app selection has never been there but I'm not someone who installs a thousand apps just so I can say "Look, I have a thousand apps" when I only really use a dozen or so regularly. Always been a big fan of the UI and hoping MS don't change it too much for WP10.

I've never missed the iPhone and while I know it's improved in many ways, I feel no desire to move back.

 

[Jasmeet Sachdeva]

I made a switch from iPhone 6 to Lumia 640 and never going back.

I run my business on phone, 60 to 70 phone calls in a day and about 100 to 200 emails a day. I had been using drop box as the my cloud drive.

I had my iPhone plugged into the car charger all the time or when I was in the office or at the stores plugged in wall socket.

I started looking for buying a cheap phone as a backup, just in case my I phone died in the halfway through the day.

Bought Lumia 635 as backup phone just for sake of trying windows phone. One day I forgot to charge my I phone , so switched the sim to Lumia 635. The phone lasted my whole day through the charge and still had 10 % battery left by the time I went back home , my usual day is 12 hours to 18 hours. I was able to do all that I was doing on the I phone6.

Moved all my documents to one drive never been happy it provides unparalleled integration way I work.


When 640 launched on t mobile, bought that on now its just perfect for me for what I do. The battery life is little bit less than that of Lumia 635 but still takes me through the whole day. Love the baked in Wi-Fi calling in Lumia 640 as some times I am at a location where reception is very bad , with Wi-Fi calling never miss a phone call.

On Lumia 635, t mobile app for Wi-Fi calling was little bit choppy sometimes caller was not able to hear me, but on Lumia 640 never had such issue.

Eagerly awaiting for MS to release flagship.

PS: It's 4:00 pm now, left home at 6 this morning still the battery is at 61 %.

Regards

Jasmeet Sachdeva

 

[kilonova]

I had an iPhone 6, then picked up a gently used Lumia Icon on eBay, then switched back to iPhone 6 shortly thereafter. The Icon was nice, don't get me wrong. The camera was amazing (though not as fast.) I really like the Win 8.1 UI, and the phone was really well made. The battery life wasn't better, it was far worse. Also, there wasn't a suitable replacement for Google Maps, Gmail, Play, etc. I pay for Play and there is no better maps app on the market...so this is what killed it for me, eventually. Case and point: I was hiking a popular mountain here in Atlanta, and Google Maps on my iPhone did an excellent job pinpointing where I was at, very quickly. I could find my way around the trails without a problem. This experience was terrible on my Icon. Here maps was excruciatingly slow and Waze doesn't work well outside of driving on roads. So, like many people...a lack of apps spoiled it for me. I'm seriously considering a Win10 phone if things turn around though. I'm not married to any one platform. I'm rocking a Droid Turbo right now.

 

[R53bertyboo]

I switched from an iPhone 5S to Lumia 640XL, I had a few reasons
1. Better camera including Lumia apps to aid me using it also
2. Better battery life
3. Being more customisable regarding tiles, sizes and placing etc
4. Continuum
5. Better integration with out IT Infrastructure which is all MS based including System Center and O365

I could go on really, but I also have changed my standard laptop for a Yoga 3 2-in-1 device too. I wanted to see just how far I could go with the who Windows 10 for PC & Phone along with my Xbox One. I am trying to use the Lumia and Yoga to do as much as possible and I think my experiences will get better with the release of Windows 10 for all my devices soon.

 

[ceraf]

Actually went from iPhone 4 > Galaxy Nexus > Lumia 920. Main reasons for switching were:

1) Camera.
2) Camera.
3) That camera. Seriously, OIS was a godsend for my shaky hands and for low-light shots.
4) Trying out a new and unpopular OS, since it was recommended by a friend (big MS fan).

I've also tried out a Z10, but eventually found myself going back to a Windows Phone device. Currently using a Lumia 1520.