The "It's a lot nicer than I thought" thread

[Mr. MacPhisto]

So I checked out the 822 at my local Verizon store and didn't pick one up, mainly because my upgrade isn't due until December 17. I already am pretty certain that it's the one I'm going for, but there's more coming but that time. I ended up with the same reaction I've seen others have here - looks much better in person than the photos. Also has a nice feel - very substantial shape without being massive. My main problem going forward is whether I want the glossy white or the matte black. I like the gray, but want to find out if it is a matte or glossy gray. The grip on the black feels better because of the matte finish. Also looked at the HTC 8X. That's a nice phone as well, but I can't get over the lack of storage and the lack of Nokia apps. Scrolled through all the Nokia exclusives in the WP Store on the 822 and it was an impressive list. Liked the screen, which I has already seen on the 820 at the AT&T store. The resolution is find. The text has a softer edge to it than the 8X next to it did, but the startling thing was to see how dark the HTC display was in comparison to the AMOLED on the 822, even when I set both at their brightest setting. It's clear that the 822 will perform better in sunlight. It also has a better viewing angle than the 8X. Noticed a similar situation between the 820 and 920 at the AT&T store too. Had a chance to compare both of those in the sunlight and the AMOLED on the 820 looked better while the 920 washed out a bit.

 

[madisonjar]

The grey is a matte grey, feels great in hand, and to be honest I am blown away by how nice this phone is! Nokia and Verizon have a winner on there hands here, lets just hope People start warming up to windows 8!!!

 

[fierywater]

I used one a bit when I went to pick up my 8X. Honestly, it almost converted me. If it had a 720p screen, I would have picked it hands-down over the 8X. The feel was just perfect. Great weight, the buttons were perfectly clicky, and it felt super solid. It's easily the best budget phone on the network.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

I used one a bit when I went to pick up my 8X. Honestly, it almost converted me. If it had a 720p screen, I would have picked it hands-down over the 8X. The feel was just perfect. Great weight, the buttons were perfectly clicky, and it felt super solid. It's easily the best budget phone on the network.

Frankly, it's better than a lot of their higher end Android phones. Went over the the iPhone 5 after I played with the 8X and 822. It looked cheap and feeble at that point. I'm not sure how many would sell if they were displayed next to the WP8 devices. No one was looking at the Android phones that were on display next to the WP8 phones. The Live Tiles were drawing people's eyes.

 

[madisonjar]

I used one a bit when I went to pick up my 8X. Honestly, it almost converted me. If it had a 720p screen, I would have picked it hands-down over the 8X. The feel was just perfect. Great weight, the buttons were perfectly clicky, and it felt super solid. It's easily the best budget phone on the network.

720p screen? did you see this screen? I am not trying to be rude or anything like this, but this screen is VERY nice, and I am coming from an iphone5...also what makes this a budget device? the price? because it has the same specs plus more of "non" budget devices.

 

[Edwincnelson]

I've been setting up my 822 this morning and its a really nice phone. The body feels a little cheap, and it is, but it is very light. The screen is extremely bright with super deep blacks, but let's be clear the resolution is really poor when viewing some text, even if it isn't always obvious. What's most obvious is unlike the 8X this is substance over form. Its not super pretty but it is lightning fast, has expandable storage, and has all those Nokia apps and support. All said it's a tremendous deal.

 

[tk-093]

I posted this the other day in the old 820 forum, but I'll say it again...

Remember how mad we all were when those first shots of the 822 leaked? I know I was not happy. I was way wrong.

 

[Kebero]

I'm not sure if the lack of an HD display should disqualify the 822. It's certainly going to be highly competitive against the Droid Razr M, which I'd a highly rated device on Verizon. Compared with the HTC 8X, the Lumia 822 really only loses out in terms of the display and low light photos. The camera is still really good, from what I've seen, and the FFC has good resolution. You also get expandable storage for your media (you can set the phone to put all photos, music, etc on the memory card so you can deserve all 16GB of internal storage for apps).

 

[BigCTM]

I was concerned about the display too. After owning it for a day, I have zero complaints about the screen. I have owned the Galaxy S3 and I honestly like the screen of the 822 better. The blacks are great as others have stated. This phone is the real deal. It is fast and the reception is great. I have added a 32GB micro sd card and it picked it up immediately.

It will be interesting to read the reviews. I bet they all say the screen is a negative but it's not in my book.

 

[madisonjar]

I was concerned about the display too. After owning it for a day, I have zero complaints about the screen. I have owned the Galaxy S3 and I honestly like the screen of the 822 better. The blacks are great as others have stated. This phone is the real deal. It is fast and the reception is great. I have added a 32GB micro sd card and it picked it up immediately.

It will be interesting to read the reviews. I bet they all say the screen is a negative but it's not in my book.

agree, and by the way this is the first phone I have owned where I popped in my 64 gig card and didnt have to format it or had issues with it reading it, it just carried on like it should!

 

[Isror]

I pre-ordered the 8X at Best Buy, and it still hasn't come in. I played with the AT&T 8X just to get a feel for it and at that point I was sold. I decided to rent an 822 until my 8X came in...Now, I think I'm going to cancel my 8X pre-order and stay on the 822. Does just the fact the 822 doesn't have a 720p screen KIND of bother me? Yes, but then I REALLY think about it. I don't watch movies on my phone, I barely watch YouTube clips...All I do is text, email, brows the web, and some work stuff. I've fallen in love with my 822. Having the OPTION to replace my battery when it goes to crud holding a charge is a HUGE + for me, as well as support for a 64Gig memory card.

I'm glad BB didn't get my 8X in on time, otherwise I would never have known what a fantastic, awesome device the 822 truly is.

 

[PuckCowboy]

I went to look at the 822's yesterday int he sotre and saw the white and black. Im definitely not getting white, but leaning black for the grippier matte feel since I wont be putting a case on this.


That said, The grey did initially appeal to me, but because it is Matte as well, do you think it has the potential to pick up and shot more dirt, scuffs, marks, etc? Especially since I wont be using a case.


Any and all input is truly appreciated!

 

[o4liberty]

I picked up the 820 a few days back but ATT's call quality was terrible so I picked up the 822 tonight and so far a very nice device. I find the form is better than the 820 but the rest is pretty much the same.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

With Walmart selling this one for $0 on contract right now, this has to be the best free phone ever at launch. That's not VZW's price, but I think it's a deal even at $99. The Nokia's are the best value if phones right now, from the 810 all the way up to the 920.

 

[himurastewie]

The phone feels solid, well built, and far from cheap. The body is plastic, with no soft coating, and the edges are a little sharper than I'm used to. The screen is great, and I don't think it's fair to compare it to another screen just based on a spec sheet. Numbers say its too big for its resolution, and has too low of a ppi, but that reality of it is much different. It must be seen, in person, to really be appreciated. It's bright, colorful, and looks great in sunlight.

The phone itself is light, but not so much as to make it feel like it's hollow, or that its going to blow away in a stiff breeze or anything. Design is subjective, but I happen to like it. Mine is black and is finished in matte so it's easy to hold. It's fairly plain, but has some nice lines to it. The VZW logo doesn't bother me, which is more than I can say for their decision to brand the home button on the Galaxy Note II. Perhaps it just looks out of place on that device, or because there isn't another version of the 822 without the brand to compare it to, but I find I take more offense to that, than to the logo on the 822. It's silly, but that's just my opinion on the subject.

Now, I like the phone quite a bit, but I'm not sure I'm sold on Windows Phone itself. I put up a more detailed opinion in the "Have you returned you WP8 device for an Android or iOS" thread in the WP8 section of this forum. I know this is a Windows Phone forum, and what the heck am I doing here if I don't like Windows Phone, but it's my first hands-on with the system and it hasn't yet grabbed me in 24 hours of solid use. That's not for this discussion though.

If I had to put a number on the L822, I'd give it a solid 8 or 9, easily. It's a well built, well designed, quality device and if I didn't have reservations about its software, I'd be very happy with it. I'm giving WP8 another week to make me enough of a believer to feel like I can be happy with it over a two year contract.

 

[scottcraft]

I'm very pleased with my 822. I got the white version. I think it looks good and the performance is outstanding. The only nitpick I have is the white is somewhat slippery in the hand. I would use a case, but it looks so good without it. I also put a 32 GB SD card in it, so I should be good to go for two years.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

I'm very pleased with my 822. I got the white version. I think it looks good and the performance is outstanding. The only nitpick I have is the white is somewhat slippery in the hand. I would use a case, but it looks so good without it. I also put a 32 GB SD card in it, so I should be good to go for two years.

That's why I think I'll go with black. I like how the white looks, but the glossy finish does look like it'll be a bit more slippery. I like the feel of the matte and think the black may look better longer than the matte gray, though I think that gray might be the best looking. I wish they had one in store for me to look at. Also wonder if it will only ever be available from them online or if other retailers will have it. A free Lumia 822 from Best Buy in black is better than a $100 gray one.

I'm still stuck with my Trophy. December 17 upgrade date. Wish there was an easy way to get them to bump it up a month, but even my corporate sales contact has said they are really tightening down on that. Though there may be an early upgrade option coming up with the Christmas season. Easter and Christmas seem to be the times they do that, though they only let you upgrade through Verizon, not through Amazon, Best Buy, or anyone else when they do that.

 

[octavian90]

That's why I think I'll go with black. I like how the white looks, but the glossy finish does look like it'll be a bit more slippery. I like the feel of the matte and think the black may look better longer than the matte gray, though I think that gray might be the best looking. I wish they had one in store for me to look at. Also wonder if it will only ever be available from them online or if other retailers will have it. A free Lumia 822 from Best Buy in black is better than a $100 gray one.

I'm still stuck with my Trophy. December 17 upgrade date. Wish there was an easy way to get them to bump it up a month, but even my corporate sales contact has said they are really tightening down on that. Though there may be an early upgrade option coming up with the Christmas season. Easter and Christmas seem to be the times they do that, though they only let you upgrade through Verizon, not through Amazon, Best Buy, or anyone else when they do that.

fyi glossy is much less slippery than matte..gives you extra traction. Matte is a bit slippery so you gotta be careful!

 

[dakranii]

Also wonder if it will only ever be available from them online or if other retailers will have it. A free Lumia 822 from Best Buy in black is better than a $100 gray one.

I was trying to decide between glossy white and matte grey too. I ended up ordering grey.

I got it for $49.99 from Costco. It says it'll ship on Monday, bit we'll see. I haven't seen the grey at any other stores.

I was considering picking up the white at Best Buy when they get it in if they'll
price match with WalMart's $0 deal on black.

Monday I'll make calls. If BB has the white and my grey hasn't shipped, I'll probably cancel the grey order and pick up the white. But i doubt it'll go that way.

 

[hopmedic]

I was considering picking up the white at Best Buy when they get it in if they'll
price match with WalMart's $0 deal on black.

Monday I'll make calls. If BB has the white and my grey hasn't shipped, I'll probably cancel the grey order and pick up the white. But i doubt it'll go that way.

I asked at Best Buy about their exchange policy, and he told me 30 days no questions. I specifically asked, "So if you get the white within 30 days, and I walk in and hand you this phone, and I tell you that I want a white one, you're going to give it to me?" He said, "Yes."

Yeah, I know they're not always honest when they're selling to you, but I'm hoping....