I have the Ativ S on Telus, and I disagree. The last two Windows Phones I've owned (Focus and then Lumia 900) I purchased outright from Rogers, so I'm no stranger to just purchasing and then unlocking a device like the 920. I specifically chose the Ativ S over the 920, after playing with both, for the following reasons:
- The Ativ S has an HD AMOLED screen... no other Windows Phone has that. I prefer the contrast level on the AMOLED screens (especially for movies and games). The 820 isn't HD, and the 920/8X aren't AMOLED. In my opinion, the screen on the 920 looks inferior to the Ativ S.
- Ativ S is the only HD screen device with a microSD slot. I have 80 GB of storage on my Ativ S, of which 44 GB is in use. It is the best device for media that you can't stream, and won't find on XBox music. I could get that on an 820, but would have to give up the HD screen.
- The Ativ S is the best device for gaming due to the larger HD screen size, removable battery (games burn down the battery fast), and AMOLED contrast levels.
- The Ativ is comparatively light and thin for such a large screen size, which works better for my carry methods.
- There are currently lots of accessories for the Ativ S due to its almost identical dimensions to the Galaxy S3.
There are certainly advantages you give up by choosing the Ativ over the 920 - camera capabilities, using touchscreen with thick gloves (Ativ only works with standard MEC polyester gloves) and the support Nokia provides with apps and services - but there are several good reasons to choose the Ativ over the 920. The 920's a good phone, but the Ativ isn't an obvious second choice... they have different strengths as a hardware device. I also personally like the way the Ativ S looks better after seeing them both in person, though I realize that I'm in the minority on that opinion.