Prospective WP8 user...Lumia 822 or ATIV Odyssey (once it comes out)?

[tmccaghren]

I come up on upgrade at Verizon tomorrow, and have been lugging around a Droid X since April 2011. I have really wanted to get an 822 for quite a while (mainly for WP8 and that it is expandable by MicroSD), but have heard rumors about the ATIV Odyssey having the expandability + HD screen. I am determined to switch to WP8, so my choice is between these 2 phones (I like the 8X, but the lack of expandability along with the sealed battery are both turn-offs for me).

Honest opinion, should I wait until the other phone comes out, or is it not worth it?

 

[willied]

With the Samsung you get a bigger, higher resolution screen, and with the Nokia you get better build quality, better support (most likely), and Nokia apps. So it's up to what you prefer more. Either one should be pretty good.

EDIT: I was thinking of the ATIV S. heh

 

[nwildcat]

The specs on the ATIV Odyssey have not been confirmed, so there is no guarantee of higher resolution or bigger screen. Some sites reported different reported specs than others on this phone as well, making it more uncertain if this is S3/ATIV S like or more low to mid range.

Wait if you think you will regret not waiting to see what the ATIV Odyssey has in store. Have you seen the 822 in person? It might help you decide if you should wait or not.

 

[mountainman]

I come up on upgrade at Verizon tomorrow, and have been lugging around a Droid X since April 2011. I have really wanted to get an 822 for quite a while (mainly for WP8 and that it is expandable by MicroSD), but have heard rumors about the ATIV Odyssey having the expandability + HD screen. I am determined to switch to WP8, so my choice is between these 2 phones (I like the 8X, but the lack of expandability along with the sealed battery are both turn-offs for me).Honest opinion, should I wait until the other phone comes out, or is it not worth it?

This is exactly where I was at - debating on getting the 822 or waiting for the Odyssey. Thing is, I think the Odyssey is an SGSIII with WP8 (sorry Mr. McPhisto, I call a spade a spade).I played with an 822 in the Turkish prison that is the VzW store in Pittsburgh (dawntawn), and I had the absolute pleasure of meeting one of the Microsoft reps there (it was one of the first days it was out). He showed me the awesome things the 822 could do, even though he himself had an 8X on him for personal use.

Let me tell you that as a spec guy, I would have chosen the 8X on principle, but I would have been WRONG. The 822 is just a fantastic device. There is simply no other way to put it. I'm actually glad VzW does not have the 920/922 available, because choosing between the phones would be very hard (camera vs MicroSD + removable battery). There is a reason everyone that has held and used the 822 is raving about it -- because it is a damn good smartphone. Well built. Actually feels like a phone and not a Wheat Thin with a battery. The screen is .... nice. Not great, but it will suffice. I'm not crazy about the resolution when zoomed out, but compromises are going to be made for smartphones that cost, after mail-in-rebate, $99.

I have had all the Smartphones (lots of BB's, Droid X, Palm Pre, iPhone), but I just love the UI of WP8. It is fresh, colorful, and modern. I'm sure the Odyssey will be great as well, but when? There is nothing official announced, plus with the 822 you get the Nokia apps as well. Sorry, but this is a no brainer (for me at least). Perhaps I'm trying to self-justify by postIng this. Perhaps im trying to rationalize that i am not buying a "flagship" phone like ive done in the past. Even so, I think the 822 is a great smartphone, and a great first WP for anyone out there.

Side note - one of the things I try and do is see if extended batteries and Otterbox cases can be used in harmony. What I mean is, I try and take the back cover off the phone, put in and extended battery, put the Otter on (so it essentially becomes the back cover), and have great battery life, not sacrificing anything. I'm hoping to do this with the 822. Obviously will post pics once I get it to work.

 

[Blkacesvf41]

I gotta tell ya, I've had my 822 for about four days now and I absolutely love it! I mean I can't put it down. I read the reviews and the spec rundowns and knew that it was supposedly inferior to the other WP8 phones, but so far I think it's a great device. Could the platform use some improvements? Sure, but then again no OS is perfect. I pretty much tried them all. This phone feels solid and well built.

 

[tmccaghren]

Thanks for the reply, everybody!

I have held the Lumia 822 and sampled the user interface (though I do think that they should have a game downloaded on the display unit, just for a sample of common load time and performance--thinking angry birds, as my son loves that game), but I think the reason the decision is hard is that the 8X wasn't available to be tested at the time (display model wasn't there), so I didn't get to see the difference between the 822 screen and the HD screen.

Either way, though, the 822 or the ATIV would definitely be an upgrade to my Droid X. Despite the fact that the resolution of the screen (which was once a really big consideration for me) is the same, roughly, the quality of the screen is much better. The processor and RAM are WAY better, and the OS is simply awesome in comparison. My DroidX had to be rooted in order to get better performance, and the phone is STILL lagging. It's almost to the point that it locks up once a day, requiring a battery reset.

Again, everybody, thank you for your replies. I am leaning toward the 822, so I think I will make the jump either tomorrow or this weekend.

That said, I think that this is a great discussion! If y'all have more input, feel free to continue posting! It might be something that someone else is thinking about. *nods to mountainman*

 

[stephen_az]

At the moment you are comparing an actual phone to vapor ware. There is really not much anyone can say and potential specs for a non-existent device should be taken with a large rock of salt. It is really more of a decision as to whether you want to wait and see or buy and that is about your need and your patience not a comparison of two real devices.

 

[tmccaghren]

At the moment you are comparing an actual phone to vapor ware. There is really not much anyone can say and potential specs for a non-existent device should be taken with a large rock of salt. It is really more of a decision as to whether you want to wait and see or buy and that is about your need and your patience not a comparison of two real devices.

I realize that. The core question was to wait or not, not to compare specs. Yeah, I mentioned the rumored specs, but mostly to put the decision I face into a better context.

 

[o4liberty]

You can always wait but for how long? At least with the 822 you know you have a solid device that's getting great reviews. I have owned every platform except Apple and by far the 822 is the best device to date as far as features and performance goes. The speed of the device with zero lag is the biggest selling point for me.
I can see myself keeping this device for a few years and I usually don't do that.
Sent from my RM-845_nam_vzw_100 using Board Express

 

[tmccaghren]

You can always wait but for how long? At least with the 822 you know you have a solid device that's getting great reviews. I have owned every platform except Apple and by far the 822 is the best device to date as far as features and performance goes. The speed of the device with zero lag is the biggest selling point for me.
I can see myself keeping this device for a few years and I usually don't do that.
Sent from my RM-845_nam_vzw_100 using Board Express

I see what you mean. I was just a bit worried that I might jump to invest in one thing and have a better thing come out directly after. I've been burned pretty badly more than once on that. Then again, it was a Droid device I bought, and even the latest stuff has problems...

I think I'll make the jump. I have always liked Nokia phones (My last one had the first color screen on the bar phones that ran snake, lol), but didn't get much chance to have one again until now. I'll post back when/if it happens!

 

[JesusSantoro]

Hello,

I made the switch with the same caution, should I wait for the Ativ S or not? Let me tell you the NL 822 is a solid built phone, its very intuitive and I am really enjoying the Nokia apps. Granted it doesn't have the huge selection as the other platforms, however it does have the big ones and more are on the way. The UI is very clean and fresh, also the fact that you can change the colors, size and location of the tiles is a plus. As for the low resolution screen, you cannot tell, I do not miss my higher definition phone, and colors pop on the 822. Overall I would say that for the price its a steal, and worth the investment. Also as a last note the keyboard function (on screen) is by far the best I have used on any phone, and I've had my share of BB's, IPhones and Android devices.

PS- As you already know it can hold a 64gb SD card, and has removable battery.

 

[Covfam]

I see what you mean. I was just a bit worried that I might jump to invest in one thing and have a better thing come out directly after. I've been burned pretty badly more than once on that. Then again, it was a Droid device I bought, and even the latest stuff has problems...

I think I'll make the jump. I have always liked Nokia phones (My last one had the first color screen on the bar phones that ran snake, lol), but didn't get much chance to have one again until now. I'll post back when/if it happens!

frankly any issues at all for the nokia lumia 822 is purly sub par app quality but that will get better. the device and os are absolutly fabulous! ive owned the motorola photon 4g, iphone 4, samsung galaxy s2, samsung galaxy s3, droid incredible 4g lte. and NONE feel as good as my lumia 822 in both operating system and device and i love the nokia apps. its just a shame that alot of other wp8 developers dont put as much into thier apps as nokia. im currently limited by a stripped down kindle reader app, slacker app,pintrest clone app,cnn app, fox news app, imdb app. to me the ONLY negative to the wp8 experience atm is that most of my main apps are limmited version apps. im hoping that they get upgraded soon.
plus it may sound silly to some but this is the first smartphone that ive had that has good call quality on both ends.. OMG a smartphone that works as a .....phone! its pure genious i dont know why these phone companies havent thought of it before

 

[Blkacesvf41]

Hello,

I made the switch with the same caution, should I wait for the Ativ S or not? Let me tell you the NL 822 is a solid built phone, its very intuitive and I am really enjoying the Nokia apps. Granted it doesn't have the huge selection as the other platforms, however it does have the big ones and more are on the way. The UI is very clean and fresh, also the fact that you can change the colors, size and location of the tiles is a plus. As for the low resolution screen, you cannot tell, I do not miss my higher definition phone, and colors pop on the 822. Overall I would say that for the price its a steal, and worth the investment. Also as a last note the keyboard function (on screen) is by far the best I have used on any phone, and I've had my share of BB's, IPhones and Android devices.

PS- As you already know it can hold a 64gb SD card, and has removable battery.

You're right and I always forget to mention it, but this is the best keyboard I've seen in awhile. The layout is perfect and there's no lag when typing whatsoever.

 

[aubreyq]

I would wait for the Odyssey to come out, check it out in person, compare with the 822 and decide.