Verizon Lumia 822 Is A Sleeper Hit

[MadDogFL62]

More great news about our 822 phones (see link below). The ability to upgrade the memory and the battery access make a huge difference. Releasing a red version didn't hurt either. Frustrating that Verizon took so darn long to get the Portico update out. I think the 822 will continue to be a leader until something huge hits the WP8 phones like quad core or a 20+ MPIX camera.

Verizon Lumia 822 is a sleeper hit, surpassing the Lumia 920 on AT&T according to a new report | Windows Phone Central

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

I don't expect to see quad core soon - too much of a battery hog. As for VZW updates, this was their first WP8 update rollout and they did it much faster than they usually do with Android phones due to the more homogenous nature of the WP8 environment and the help from Microsoft. They expect to roll out updates much sooner in the next series.

I agree about the 822. The ability to upgrade storage is a big deal. I get irked when people try to call it a mid-range phone just because the display is 480x800. It is a good looking AMOLED. But the phone has an 8MP camera sensor like those on other high end devices. It can get wireless charging with a back. It has a removable battery, 16GB onboard storage, and the ability to add 64GB more via microSD. The 920 has the higher end screen and camera sensor while the 822 has upgradeable storage and a replaceable battery. It just depends on what you want.

 

[willied]

I had a feeling it would sell well. Can't wait to see what Nokia has for Verizon next.

 

[Shantanu Kongara]

Agree. The red version seemed to have really kicked things in to gear for VZW. Considering it was sold out in many stores as well as online.
Both my wife and I upgraded from the HTC Trophy to the 822 this month. She dint care for the rumored 920 variant and preferred the 822 form factor and especially the vibrant display. She got the red one. I held out for 2 weeks hoping for an announcement around MWC for the 920 variant, while playing with her 822 and realized it was exactly what I wanted. A solid device with great specs free on contract. It did everything so well. Even played with a 920 to see what I am missing, but frankly...not much. So I went ahead and got myself a white 822, since I dint think waiting another couple of months and then paying $$$ for a 920 variant was worth it. Battery life on the 822 is just amazing and the screen is phenomenal. Everything is so fast. Nokia music is awesome. The high sensitivity touch screen comes in handy since I ride a motorcycle and don't have to take off my gloves every time I stop to check for messages or phone calls. Glad I came back to my favorite phone maker. Nokia has always been at the top of my list and will always be. Great Specs + great build quality + WP8 = Awesomeness

 

[Laura Knotek]

I think there are two reasons why VZW has better sales of the 822 than AT&T does with the 920.

1. VZW had better deals. AT&T has not offered pricing that is as attractive as VZW.
2. More VZW customers were eligible for upgrades than AT&T customers. VZW really had no Windows Phones other than the HTC Trophy until last holiday shopping season 2012. The HTC Trophy was introduced in late spring/early summer 2011, so many customers who had it were already eligible for upgrades to the Nokia 822 (or any other device). On the other hand, AT&T customers who already bought the Nokia 900 or HTC Titan 2 in April 2012 aren't eligible for an upgrade until fall 2013; therefore, many people who might want the Nokia 920 aren't going to buy it, since they'd have to pay full retail.

 

[aximtreo]

I've had mine for two months now. That's after having the 920 on Straight Talk for 2 months. I wanted to come back to Verizon and chose the 822 over the 8X. Glad I came back and glad I chose the 822. Now with the Portico update, stability is even better than before.

 

[stephen_az]

Personally I would suggest those numbers should be taken with a boulder of salt. I see 920s around on occasion and even the 8x pops up from time to time. I have never seen another 822 besides the one I own and never noticed the least push in the Phoenix VZW stores. Rather, they treat it like they did the Trophy. My bet is this is a statistical aberration since 1) it is free on contract, and 2) was lumped with other colorful phones for the Valentine's day promotion. People regularly read far too much into the ad duplex numbers which are not a direct correlation to much of anything.

 

[Honestabebread]

Personally I would suggest those numbers should be taken with a boulder of salt. I see 920s around on occasion and even the 8x pops up from time to time. I have never seen another 822 besides the one I own and never noticed the least push in the Phoenix VZW stores. Rather, they treat it like they did the Trophy. My bet is this is a statistical aberration since 1) it is free on contract, and 2) was lumped with other colorful phones for the Valentine's day promotion. People regularly read far too much into the ad duplex numbers which are not a direct correlation to much of anything.

In my area there are 822s everywhere. Its a very generic looking phone, so when someone pulls it out you're not like "OMG that's a cyan Lumia 920" because its distinct. They pull out an 822 and its like "Oh that person has XYZ smartphone"

 

[argenys]

Verizon and Nokia have never put out a grey wireless charging back, and as for red they don't even get a regular back plate.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Personally I would suggest those numbers should be taken with a boulder of salt. I see 920s around on occasion and even the 8x pops up from time to time. I have never seen another 822 besides the one I own and never noticed the least push in the Phoenix VZW stores. Rather, they treat it like they did the Trophy. My bet is this is a statistical aberration since 1) it is free on contract, and 2) was lumped with other colorful phones for the Valentine's day promotion. People regularly read far too much into the ad duplex numbers which are not a direct correlation to much of anything.

How do they treat it like the Trophy? By actually advertising it and pushing it? Wait...

The 822 is being treated well. Give them time to roll out updates quicker. It'll happen.

 

[falconrap]

When I went into the VZW store at Citrus Park (NW of Tampa) to get my SIM card for my ebay purchased phone, I had to wait for the activation process and was able to watch one of their sales guys talk to a group of people where a couple were lookng to decide on a phone. The sales guy gave all the in's and out's of the iPhone, Galaxy's, and the Lumia. He said the Lumia was the phone he like best because it was between the iPhone and Androids, having the ease of one and a lot of the power of the other. I was quite impressed. He certainly wasn't leading them to the iPhone or Androids. Of course, this will vary by store, but I think Verizon is standing behind WP8 more than any third system they have in quite some time.

 

[argenys]

When I went into the VZW store at Citrus Park (NW of Tampa) to get my SIM card for my ebay purchased phone, I had to wait for the activation process and was able to watch one of their sales guys talk to a group of people where a couple were lookng to decide on a phone. The sales guy gave all the in's and out's of the iPhone, Galaxy's, and the Lumia. He said the Lumia was the phone he like best because it was between the iPhone and Androids, having the ease of one and a lot of the power of the other. I was quite impressed. He certainly wasn't leading them to the iPhone or Androids. Of course, this will vary by store, but I think Verizon is standing behind WP8 more than any third system they have in quite some time.

I hope that by the end of the year, that type of experience is the norm across Verizon stores nationwide.

 

[willied]

Personally I would suggest those numbers should be taken with a boulder of salt. I see 920s around on occasion and even the 8x pops up from time to time. I have never seen another 822 besides the one I own and never noticed the least push in the Phoenix VZW stores. Rather, they treat it like they did the Trophy. My bet is this is a statistical aberration since 1) it is free on contract, and 2) was lumped with other colorful phones for the Valentine's day promotion. People regularly read far too much into the ad duplex numbers which are not a direct correlation to much of anything.

I've never seen an 8X or 920 in the wild, but I have seen an 822, so take your experience with a boulder of salt.

 

[hopmedic]

So many comments I want to reply to - I'm not going to quote them all.

I've seen 822s, 920s, and 8Xs in the wild. If I've ever seen an 820 or 810, I didn't realize it. I'm quite impressed with the push from Verizon. The comparison to Trophy is night and day. That it is a sleeper hit doesn't surprise me at all.

Quad core? Why? I'm not hoping for it, or waiting for it. I don't see a need for it yet. Is your phone sluggish? Mine isn't. It is quite responsive. Battery hog and no need, so no, I'm not voting for it.

I don't think I'd say the Verizon deal is better than ATT's. Yeah, it's a free phone, but a mid-range phone free vs. a high-end phone for $50? I'd say that the 920 is a pretty doggone good deal that I'd rather have on Verizon. But I will agree that free is a good enticement. It would be a better comparison if both deals were on the same carrier, though.

I tweeted the other day when I read the story, with a link to the story, and a comment @Verizon, "Here you go @Verizon. https://t.co/WUNoj7QmL6 Now stop making us settle for 2nd best & get us BEST #Lumia! #windowsphone #wp8 @nokiaus @nokia"
Please feel free to copy my tweet.

 

[willied]

It always makes me laugh when people say they can't afford a $100 phone, but they can afford a $50 phone, or something like that. Do these people not pay for their plans? That's where the real costs are.

 

[scottcraft]

I'm excited to see Verizon having success with WP8. The store in my area is very supportive of WP so hopefully all of them will be 100% on board soon. Now if I can convince my wife to get a WP.....

 

[topdog2]

I basically was looking for a 4G phone on ebay so that I could keep my unlimited data plan on Verizon and the Lumia 822 seemed like everything I wanted for a reasonable price. I read all the reviews of all the good phones, and looked at the prices on ebay, and this phone was my best choice. I haven't received it yet, it cost me $200, but I can tell you what I was looking for. I also have a Iphone 4S and an Iphone 4 but I wanted the 4G speed. And if you upgrade with a discounted phone from Verizon they will automatically knock you out of your unlimited plan (which ATT doesn't do, BTW!). I talked to a Verizon rep and she said I could get any phone on ebay and I could still keep my unlimited plan. Verizon unlimited plans, BTW, are going for around $300-400 on ebay so if anyone is due for an upgrade and are thinking of upgrading with a discounted phone on Verizon they would be better off to sell their grandfathered in plan and get a new 2 year contract with Verizon. Anyway, I looked at all the Android phones, and I did like the Galaxy Note 2, but I've never been a fan of Samsung, I just don't like the Android look or feel, and all the bugs and problems people have with Android phones. I had a Samsung phone, and it was plasticky, the call quality was lacking compared to an Iphone, they break easy, just seemed like an inferior phone compared to the iphone. The main things I look for in a phone is lack of problems, which I think WP8 being a less open platform will be more stable like the iphone, which I've never had any problems with ever. I also like the rounded corners as more comfortable compared to the Lumia 920. I like a phone that has some heft to it, not a thin fragile feeling phone. I wanted a removable battery where I can take an extra battery with me if I'm going to using it heavily. I don't think a very high ppi screen is worth the extra battery needed, and the slowing down of the phone, I like it very fast and fluid and can sacrifice the better picture quality to get more speed and better battery life. I also like the upgradable storage, for I found I often had to delete stuff on my 16gb iphone to make way for music and apps I wanted on it. I hope it turns out to be everything I've hoped it will be! I might get a Note 2 at a later time, for I like the big size, awesome battery life, the upgradeable memory, the Samsung UI, and a super fast quad core processor. That, to me seems like the best phone on the market. My wife has an iphone 5, and it just seemed more of the same to me. What would impress me is if Apple came out with a big screen Iphone with a long battery life similar to the battery life of the Razr Maxx or Note 2! Now that would probably get me back into the Apple camp! And I pretty much guarantee that Apple will come out with a large screen, long battery life phone in the next year!

 

[anon(123856)]

I'll be adding myself to the ranks of 822 owners in a couple of days. I can't wait! It seems like the perfect phone for me.

 

[anon(123856)]

It always makes me laugh when people say they can't afford a $100 phone, but they can afford a $50 phone, or something like that. Do these people not pay for their plans? That's where the real costs are.

In my case I don't really care that the 822 is free. It just seems like the right phone for me. I don't need / want an expensive, high end phone. My usage doesn't require something with a huge screen and a quad core. I find the 822 or something like the Droid Incredible is all I need.