Decided I don't want a PC in my pocket. I want a phone.

[extrikate]

Today I reverted to WP8.1. I really enjoyed all of the things that Windows 10 Mobile IP brought to the table and went all in from day 1. Finally, I reached my limit of how much I was willing to sacrifice in battery life. The funny thing is, after going back, I realized how much I really like 8.1 and had accepted shortcomings in W10M.

We all know that battery life is sub-par compared to 8.1. Typically I was able to get 8-10hrs with light use. With every new release there were mentions of improved battery performance and users would comment on how their battery was, "almost a good as 8.1". While it did get a little better, it has never come close for me. Maybe it is because my Icon is getting older and the battery is weak? Nope, WP8.1 is chugging along just like before!

I have been on W10M long enough that I feel like I am learning about 8.1 all over again. The sad part is, 8.1 feels like an upgrade in nearly every way! I will miss the Notification Center, quick actions on notifications, and the thinner borders between Tiles. Other than that, I feel like I am gaining so much more.

• History in the People app was a big missing part of W10M for me. It seems like such a small feature, but it is so useful.
• The phone pivot when conducting a search is great.
• Cortana seems smarter and better at connecting.
• Internet Explorer opens on the correct tab when launching from Search/Cortana.
• Settings may look worse, but it seems more intuitive. I always have to use the search feature in W10M to find settings.
• And, of course, the catalyst for my regression: battery life. My phone has been off charge for 4 hours, with light use, and still has 83% battery! Looking forward to the days when I could make it a full 24 hours on a single charge.

I know that many will comment that, "obviously preview/beta software isn't something you should use." I call BS. I am happy to beta test, preview, or whatever when it comes to MS products. I have been using Microsoft phone OS since Windows Mobile 2003. When Windows Mobile 5 was released it was the most popular mobile OS. I was excited about the redesign that was delivered in Windows Phone 7 and understood and supported the need to have leave those devices behind to jump to WP8. Unfortunately, WP8 was the first step in a series of downgrades from what seemed so fresh in WP7. With Windows 10 Mobile I feel like the path is returning to the older Windows Mobile vision of a PocketPC. This was great in 2003 when we still weren't sure where technology was headed. There is a reason that Apple's separate OS approach has been successful.

Am I swearing off W10M or calling it a failure? Absolutely not! I hope that development works out the kinks in battery drain and the bugs get flushed out. Hopefully, MS will find a way to better auto-adjust the user experience to fit mobile to where it is user friendly like a phone OS but has the power of a PC when you need it. The reality is, most people don't need that kind of horsepower at their fingertips 24/7. Just like the original vision for Windows Phone, "People First" I think it is time to make sure that the devices and OS put the phone first and make a device that "just works" 100% of the time. Save the extra capabilities for when you need them.

I will keep lurking and waiting for news of a fantastic W10M build. I hope that it comes sooner than later and brings improvements that render my comments null. Fingers crossed.

 

[Zulfigar]

So, um, what phone?

 

[halflifecrysis]

He said Icon. Compelling statement, I only switched to 10 because my PC is 10 and I do feel like my battery lasted longer on 8.1, but another part of me feels like I play with my phone much more on 10 which will affect my battery hence maybe not apples to apples to my previous 8.1 experience when I used it MORE like a phone.

So the statement of wanting a phone and not a PC in your pocket aligns with better battery life. I have to admit on 10 mobile I'm definately surfing/ reading more with the phone.

 

[Robert Heinrich]

I've had the opposite experience. I loved WM 5,6,6.5, WP7,7.5, 8&8.1, and I love W10 too.

In a little over a week it has taken some getting used to, but I notice I am browsing more and doing more overall on mobile because the experience is very fluid and clean. It is for this reason that I will be afraid to update my device when AT&T pushes it out.

To each their own I guess.

 

[Ma Rio]

There's no way in hell I'd go back to 8.1. And I think that one of the reasons 8.1 consumed less battery was because it was simpler. So, you're trading battery for features, and I'd take that offer in most cases.
Anyways, all the things you mentioned are generally just small issues which will get ironed out someday, and I don't think they are big enough to make you go BACK to 8.1.

 

[Kram Sacul]

I have been on W10M long enough that I feel like I am learning about 8.1 all over again. The sad part is, 8.1 feels like an upgrade in nearly every way!

Pretty much yeah. Aside from a few nice features in W10M it feels like a poorly made version of Windows Phone built by people that never used Windows Phone. Android with tiles but with less apps run by a company that doesn't care anymore. Yay.

 

[Robert Heinrich]

There's no way in hell I'd go back to 8.1. And I think that one of the reasons 8.1 consumed less battery was because it was simpler. So, you're trading battery for features, and I'd take that offer in most cases.
Anyways, all the things you mentioned are generally just small issues which will get ironed out someday, and I don't think they are big enough to make you go BACK to 8.1.

Just having an actual File Explorer is reason enough to use W10

 

[travis_valkyrie]

Still rockin a 925 here, almost 3 year old phone and it's running W10 just ok. It is fairly slow to be honest but for the simplest tasks like calls texts music banking and web browsing are also ok. The only thing that's holding me back from reverting to 8.1 are groove music, xbox integration, new outlook interface, and pretty much the fact of streamlined services. Sure they're practically the same services in 8.1, but I like everything to be the same from my PC to Xbox. The things that I miss from 8.1 are smoother web browsing, a better Cortana (and quiet hours), and frankly the Xbox Music branding.

 

[mewcatchew]

I think Windows 10 mobile is hands down more appealing to the eye than 8.1 (or IOS, or Android) in most every way, and I found the standby battery life is better than 8.1 as I would only lose only 1% overnight on my 1520. But when you actually use the phone, it eats the batty like crazy; for instance the top of my screen would get extremely hot playing candy crush, and it still seems a little laggy scrolling around on the start screen for instance. I did a fresh install from 8.1 and performed a hard reset and didn't restore from backup, so I'm fairly certain I got the best outcome possible. W10 is almost there, but just not quite. So for now I too am sticking with 8.1.

 

[k72]

Still rockin a 925 here, almost 3 year old phone and it's running W10 just ok. It is fairly slow to be honest but for the simplest tasks like calls texts music banking and web browsing are also ok. The only thing that's holding me back from reverting to 8.1 are groove music, xbox integration, new outlook interface, and pretty much the fact of streamlined services. Sure they're practically the same services in 8.1, but I like everything to be the same from my PC to Xbox. The things that I miss from 8.1 are smoother web browsing, a better Cortana (and quiet hours), and frankly the Xbox Music branding.

Cortana still has quiet hours.

 

[travis_valkyrie]

Cortana still has quiet hours.

But not as good as in 8.1. It doesn't have automatic rules based on calendar event status, so it has to either activate on a timely basis, or take a precious spot in the action center.

 

[greynightshirt]

The funny thing is, after going back, I realized how much I really like 8.1 and had accepted shortcomings in W10M.

This!!!

I sent back the Lumia 950 XL because I was so extremely frustrated with W10M (still waiting for the refund from Microsoft btw..it's been 2 weeks...) and went back to my Mum's old phone, the Lumia 620(!) and even that was so much better than W10M is at the moment! I still can't believe it. Only thing I miss from the 950 XL is the really great camera quality.

 

[Steve Thackery]

But not as good as in 8.1. It doesn't have automatic rules based on calendar event status, so it has to either activate on a timely basis, or take a precious spot in the action center.

And this is a show-stopper for me. I have lectures at odd times on odd days and I cannot risk forgetting one time to silence my phone. Silencing on calendar events is essential for me, and is one of the main reasons I reverted to WP8.1. I guess Microsoft will sort that out one day, but for now I'll be staying on WP8.1.

 

[Steve Thackery]

The sad part is, 8.1 feels like an upgrade in nearly every way! I will miss the Notification Center, quick actions on notifications, and the thinner borders between Tiles. Other than that, I feel like I am gaining so much more.

<snip>

I will keep lurking and waiting for news of a fantastic W10M build. I hope that it comes sooner than later and brings improvements that render my comments null. Fingers crossed.

Totally agree! Unlike extrikate I can't say I noticed any difference in battery life. However, I SO much miss the gorgeous design language of WP8.1, which Microsoft have deliberately abandoned. They have decided to make W10M much more like Android/iOS, for reasons you can read here:

https://www.thurrott.com/mobile/windows-phone/3000/ex-microsoft-designer-explains-the-move-away-from-metro

Although I cannot argue against their points, what we've ended up with is little more than Android-with-live-tiles. Some people genuinely prefer that; I genuinely prefer the original concept (even though I admit the Settings page is dreadful and the notification centre very limited).

 

[extrikate]

It's like this video i saw where they showed IPhone 6 users an IPhone 4 and pretended it was the latest model, new and improved. These people actually had no idea and began to compliment on the 'new' design and features.
They just didn't have a clue about their phone, just like the topic starter.

What leads you to assume that I had no clue about my phone? I never said I was surprised to learn features after reverting to 8.1. What I said was that I was surprised how much I had compromised and accepted while using W10M. My statement that it felt like an upgrade was because 8.1 just works better. It is smooth, stable and polished. I understand the W10M is still unfinished and that the new vision for Windows is to always be in a state of development/improvement.

You missed the whole point of my post which was that I want a phone that is reliable and functions for everyday. The idea of a PC in my pocket sounds great but not if it means giving up the performance of a solid phone.

 

[EMitchell]

I have to agree, running WP8.1 on my 830 was a great experience. So solid, no issues. I love my 950 with WP10 when it works. It's a fantastic system. But I really need something that I don't have to wonder if a feature is going to work as expected, or if I need to perform a soft reset to get it to kick in for the day. If I could roll my 950 back to WP8.1, I would seriously consider it.

 

[tut1234]

To the OP, I can really relate to what you posted. I was beta testing w10m on my 520 and finally went back to 8.1.
For Christmas I got a 640 with 8.1 Denim. I took a bunch of photos over the holidays, I really like this phone.
I would love to go back to w10m because I really like the interface and what MS is doing.
But I am getting ready for a big vacation and I just want my phone to work: battery life, GPS, music, camera, etc.
I'm hoping that maybe w10m will be more stable with the next release or maybe I could test with my old 520.
Good luck to all the testers.

 

[slyronit]

I sort of agree with the OP, I even sold the wired continuum dock I got with my 950XL, using wireless continuum, believe me it is awesome.

Seeing photos, videos on the TV using Miracast, while still retaining regular phone use is great.

I like streaming TV shows downloaded on my phone to the TV. The TV show continues to play on the TV and I can use the phone to send messages, swipe emails. I even got a call while doing this, I talked for a few minutes on the phone, the TV show was never interrupted.

Wasn't possible on the older devices, which only supported mirroring.

 

[psiu_glen]

*reads this on Icon running WP8.0*

nods in agreement

 

[Paisley Pirate]

Maybe I'm lucky - or maybe the newness of the phone... or maybe that I came from a phone with 4 hour (!) battery life on the last OS update (and kind of the last straw) - but 2 days with normal use on my Lumia 640 with Windows 10M running, I can't complain... (and yes, I use my phone. A lot.) I am glad to get back over 24 hours - haven't had that in about 5 or 6 years (back in the .jar "feature" phone days when I quit the WM6 and went away from a "smart phone" for a while) The Android didn't do it - the BlackBerry Z10 sure didn't do it... so far, the Win10M phone *is* doing it...

So, while I feel OP's pain (and agree - I wish they would bring out something with decent battery and remember, it's first and foremost A PHONE) I can't complain much about this iteration...
This is on 10586.63 btw.