Help/Advise Needed - Replace my 950 or just give up on WM10 altogether?

[mattdodwell]

Can you guys help me? I need some advise.

I bought a 950 when my contract out last year, sadly I dropped it and it cracked the screen, but I perceived on fine. In the past few weeks the screen started to go odd and turn yellow, then half the screen blacked out and now the screen won't come on at all but the phone is.

After the screen started turning yellow I moved the sim back to my old iPhone 5s which was what I moved from and i've been on that since whilst trying to decide my next move.

I was considering sending the 950 out for repair but have seen MS have dropped the price to ?250 whilst a repair is nearly ?200 on its own + the time to take to do it.

I am really contemplating getting a new 950 handset but I am really worried about the future of WM both if MS will support it really properly if the rumoured Surface Phone flops.

Now I found the 950 is great, I loved it for most things, camera, interface, sync with apps, screen etc. It also had most apps I needed (at the time) or alternatives I could use.

But, since moving back to the iPhone (temporarily) I have found some apps are now being pulled from MS Mobile. I could find alternatives but i'm invested in what I have used so far and support is being pulled so quickly. My concern is if I find alternative apps how long before the are pulled, i.e Mapmyrun (no longer supported) move to Runtastic (supported for how long).

Some apps I am invested in but are now dead on WM.

Spotify - Gone
Mapmyrun - Gone
MyfitnessPal - Gone
My personal banking app - Gone
Google Hangouts - Never there in the first place.

It feels to me (i'm not tech savvy or keep up with the news) that Windows Phone (or whatever you want to call it) is on its way out.

I have an aged iPad which is on deaths door, but I have a Surface 3 which I currently only use for 1 App as that can only run on Windows. But, I am finding the Tablet really nice to use (in the main) and could see me not bothering with a new iPad at all.

The thing is that I really just want to have an eco system that syncs and meets most of my needs as I know that no system is perfect. I could stay with Apple, but boy are they expensive for very little now. I was all in with MS and migrating over before the phone broke and the apps started to be pulled.

Android is a flat NO. Don't want Google connected to anything I do, just don't trust their data harvesting (a personal choice).
Apple is a great stable system, just very expensive for what they are now.
MS I just don't believe they are worth investing in anymore I just don't know where they are going.

My choice is Apple or MS, I know what I want, but is it future proof.

Cheers for your thoughts or comments.

Matt

 

[charlatan1978]

Spotify is still available in the store.
If you are concerned with future proof, why not just stick with your iPhone 5S for the time being?
Assuming it is still running ok and save some money.

 

[mikepalma]

I switched from 950xl to 640xl, which is far superior device. On 640xl, no cheap creaky case, 1.5 days of battery life compared to 5 hours and no overheating.

Also its 1/4th the price....

 

[Ntei]

Get a 640 if you want a Windows phone and keep it until you trust Microsoft to support the lumias, if the do not you won't mind since 640 are soo cheap these days.

 

[mattdodwell]

Hey All,

Thanks for your tips. Unfortunately one of the reasons I love the 950 is the camera, it's awesome, going to another Lumia, loses that camera. I did check out the other Lumia and for ?105 ish they are a steal.

Still deliberating what to do though.

Not sure if I should just take the risk and go for it as I use outlook, word, excel, onenote etc and they all work so much better on a lumia. As mentioned above Spotify still has support on W10M. Or stick for a bit longer and see what MS do for the rest of the year.

So in reality I would just lose MyFitnessPal as an app.

Matt

 

[Neill Baldwin]

I feel for ya. I recently switched to my LG G4 because the app gap finally got me. The 3 apps that did it.
Snapchat( my daughters in college and begged me to get an account)
Amazon prime. I hate I can't watch shows from my prime account on my 950
Walmart Pay.
My 950 still works but if I was in your shoes I might would give up the ghost until I saw something encouraging for the future of Windows mobile.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[daimv]

Doesn't Amazon Prime have a web interface? Also coincidentally I just tried Snapchat, and it was meh, I felt I was missing it before but after trying it, I don't miss it anymore, its not very cool. I still miss the ability to broadcast a live video though, I'm still waiting for that one.

 

[anon(6098928)]

I feel your pain. I got frustrated with the whole Windows10Mobile is dead debate... so tried to go back to my Sony Xperia Z5, from my Lumia 950.
I personally miss Windows10Mobile A LOT! Reasons:

* OS is clean, easy to follow and has a consistent UI.
* Outlook is the best on this platform. Really fully integrated throughout the OS, as one might expect.
* I don't see an app gap, bar some OTT TV services. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are here.
* The camera on the 950 is superb. Even compared to the Sony Xperia Z5. Plus great sync/delete/update capabilities with OneDrive.

Windows10Mobile is being updated and getting more stable. There are, slowly, more UWP apps being developed and luaunch ed acroos all Windows10 platforms. I will go back to the Lumia, or try an HP Elite X3.


So I think: Keep the faith. Windows10 is solid, and improving. The apps are coming.

 

[Neill Baldwin]

Prime doors have a web interface but it will not allow you to watch a movie or tv show on Window's mobile. I kind of agree with you about snapchat but it's kind of cool to get just random snippets from my daughter at school.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[justonlumia]

Stick with 5S

 

[dorelse]

Ditto, stick with the iPhone. You daughters want to communicate with you on snapchat...what more reason do you need?

 

[mattdodwell]

I ordered a replacement 950 it arrived yesterday and I am glad I did. I forgot how much I love W10M and the 950 over iOS. There are only 2 apps I can not have, I will just use the online sites for them.

For as long as MS keep W10M going well and the 950 runs well, I will stick with it.