What to buy? 920 or Samsung Note?

[Chaleck]

I'm buying a new smart phone this week. I like Nokia hardware a lot. I still have an old E71 I still use.
And it makes sense for me to learn Windows 8, as I use Windows laptops. And my next one will probably be W8.

But I am concerned about all these tech problems I'm reading about, bricking, battery draining fast &
it tees me off that Skype integration leaves a lot to be desired. I don't mind turning off background apps.
I don't mind turning wifi & 3G to manual. But I'll be damned if I am going to uninstall Skype. And I don't like the fact
I cannot turn Skype off. That is so inconsiderate of the designers.

I compared both phones at a shop. I like the 920 better actually. But I am very leery of buying it because of
MS's bug-infested track record. Ad I will be really teed off if I spend $500+ dollars on a buggy phone.

I have a very low tolerance for glitches and bugs. The Samsung Note seems to have a smooth track record
& a lot of satisfied users. But I like the look, feel and potential of the 920 better.

Has anyone owned or used both?

Thanks.

 

[Suedezu]

Hi,

Never used a Note but my yellow Lumia 920 has been working flawlessly since day one. Coming from an Iphone 4 I love my Lumia and never once regretted switching.

If I were you I would go ahead and buy the phone you ALREADY like instead of worrying about possible flaws. You are not going to a love a device on the long run if your initial reaction is neutral at best.

 

[Jaripi]

Well, only you know what you really need and want ... but Skype is not any problem for you - a current Skype is OK, it does not consume your battery, if you are not using it (logged in, idle state) and certainly, you can log out from Skype too ... about 4G, it will eat more battery as 3G ...

I am very happy with red Lumia 920 (over 5 months now) and with Skype too ... well, I am sure that the both phones are good ones ... but I would buy Lumia 920

 

[Gergolos]

You can ignore jaqueh... Just check his other comments and you will understand

Sadly I can not help you with your question dealing with the l920/note... Good luck though! I'm pretty sure both are awesome devices!

 

[WanderingTraveler]

If you have a low tolerance for bugs, why do you have a Symbian phone

Kidding aside, if you want a phone now, get the 920.

 

[ag1986]

Hey,

Not recommending either, but I would like to point out that using Windows computers is no reason to pick a WP8 cellphone. A Note II will sync your email and cloud files and music etc. with your computer just as well as an Android phone.

If you use Outlook email and/or Skydrive for cloud storage, it may be a factor to take into consideration. Although the Skydrive app for Android is pretty good, and given the Intents mechanism there, integrates with the phone just as well as Google Drive or Dropbox.

 

[Pelle Lbergh]

I have both 920 and 820 and I've owned a plethora of android phones and tablets. Android as an OS is way more unstable than wp8 if bugs annoy you.

 

[Chaleck]

If you have a low tolerance for bugs, why do you have a Symbian phone

Kidding aside, if you want a phone now, get the 920.

Good one. :smile:

Question: Is Windows Phone 8 the same OS as Widows 8 on the Lumia 920?

The reason I ask is:

Microsoft Says Windows Phone 8 Support Ends July 2014, Still No Official Successor Announced | TechCrunch

There is a lot of talk about W9 coming to replace W8. And that's something else to consider. Will I be buying an obsolete phone?

 

[Zolotoy]

Just curious - what is your problem ? - any real reason for a such comment ?

How about horrible battery life for one?

 

[amrut_m]

How about horrible battery life for one?

i'm getting impressive battery life for week one on my phone. and i knw it will improve.
online gaming,whats app,songs, loads and loads of pics, specially in the night. 1 hr calls , whole day texting.

so far i'm more than happy with the battery life i get.

 

[Chaleck]

Thanks everybody.

I'm seriously leaning against buying the Lumia now. And Microsoft stopping support on Windows Phone 8 next year tipped the balance for me.
I don't want to bring the Microsoft OS rat race to my cell phones. I've dealt with that since Windows 3.1 on PC's. I won't do it on my cell phone.

I love the phone design though. Love the display & love the feel. Beautiful gadget.

 

[mpt15]

Good one. :smile:

Question: Is Windows Phone 8 the same OS as Widows 8 on the Lumia 920?

The reason I ask is:

Microsoft Says Windows Phone 8 Support Ends July 2014, Still No Official Successor Announced | TechCrunch

There is a lot of talk about W9 coming to replace W8. And that's something else to consider. Will I be buying an obsolete phone?

lumia 920 runs windows phone 8, not windows 8. Windows 8 is for computers.

I can't answer the 2nd question tho....sorry

 

[chezm]

Haters and WP8 fanboys aside, I recently sold my Samsung Galaxy S3 for a Lumia 920. Thats not to say Android was bad, i just prefered things on WP platform (previous WP7 owner).

Now mind you, i've only had the Lumia for a week so my opinions may not be as substantial as the launch owners on these boards.

I can tell you Android isn't void of glitches or bugs, and your observations are correct according to these boards neither is WP8. I myself haven't experienced any bugs or reboots, my only current issue with the device is battery life. While it easily gets me through the day, i just found the S3 lasted a bit longer. Now mind you, i used that device for 8 months and spent hours fine tuning how the OS managed processes/applications. The one major benefit of Android is the amount of management tools built within the OS, although Samsung is lacking compared to Motorola or HTC from what i've seen.

As someone else stated, do not make the fact that you own a PC/Laptop sway your choice ...RIGHT NOW. Unfortunately i haven't used the Windows 8 ecosystem with WP8...but using Windows 7 with WP8 is the same as using Android.

The downfall of Android, while some consider a benefit, is its flexibility. While some like the fact that Android devices act as mini computers, a big consumer base like myself would rather not invest so much time hand-holding their mobile phones. This includes downloading a task killer to manage processes, anti-virus protection, purchase Swyft keyboard (stock is pretty crap). Android other downfall is performance as an overall device. While say the Lumia 920 vs the S3 were almost identical in Western World, expect S3 had an additional 1GB of RAM (thats 2GB's!), I experienced tons of LAG, crashes, reboots in the oddest situations. I did not download or use many applications, which was the weirdest part. On average my device was using 1.3GB's of my RAM, this was with running a browser, flipboard and words with friends. If i killed all the processes, the OS at idle was using over 700MB of RAM which i find absurd. Most of the processes are communicating with Google servers, even though on multiple occasions i specifically disabled gmail syncing.

Really what i would consider it comes down to when comparing Lumia 920 vs Note is:
- Screen Size
- Performance
- Available Applications
- Additional Storage Optional
- Mini computer vs Mobile Device, Ease of use

 

[Sanjay Chandra]

I'm buying a new smart phone this week. I like Nokia hardware a lot. I still have an old E71 I still use.
And it makes sense for me to learn Windows 8, as I use Windows laptops. And my next one will probably be W8.

But I am concerned about all these tech problems I'm reading about, bricking, battery draining fast &
it tees me off that Skype integration leaves a lot to be desired. I don't mind turning off background apps.
I don't mind turning wifi & 3G to manual. But I'll be damned if I am going to uninstall Skype. And I don't like the fact
I cannot turn Skype off. That is so inconsiderate of the designers.

I compared both phones at a shop. I like the 920 better actually. But I am very leery of buying it because of
MS's bug-infested track record. Ad I will be really teed off if I spend $500+ dollars on a buggy phone.

I have a very low tolerance for glitches and bugs. The Samsung Note seems to have a smooth track record
& a lot of satisfied users. But I like the look, feel and potential of the 920 better.

Has anyone owned or used both?

Thanks.

If u don't want any bugs or risks , Take an iPhone 5 , closing your eyes.If u have a bug or problem , Apple will take less than 2 weeks to roll out a update.

If u take WP , It takes very long to fix and same with Android.MS still didn't fix other storage issue.Its been 6 months and not even single update which significantly filled out bugs.

Apps on iPhone are insanely good in terms of quality , Price and also selection compared to all 3 (most android apps are designed for 2.3)

Oh , don't say "iPhone is bad" or "I don't want iOS" , I personally think iOS is the most risk-less choice as I have both an iPad and also a Lumia 820 .


Regarding Note , Why go for Note when u have Htc ONE or S4 ?

If u have patience , There is nothing u could go wrong with WP8 or Note.

WP8 is smoother and more user friendly in doing day to day tasks compared to android

 

[Honestabebread]

My 8X is flawless in every way. Makes my S3 look like a toy and makes my iPad feel ancient.

 

[steeleblue]

My son and I both bought 920s on Nov 12th. I have had no problems with mine. Great battery life, no reboots, etc. My son had to have his first one replaced due to reboots but his second one has performed flawlessly.

OP, personally I wouldn't worry about support after WinPhone 9 comes out. First, you most likely will be buying a new phone before that. Second, that only means that no new updates will be made to the OS and by then it should be as stable as can be. Even if you still use the phone it won't quit working. My husband and daughter-in-law are still using their Samsung Focus phones running 7.5. Both are eligible for upgrades but have just decided not to do so now since they are quite happy with their current phones.

If you like the 920 get one and try it out. You have 14 days to decide. If you don't like it you can return and get a Note. And remember, people come to forums to find help for issues. Most people don't post when they have no issues so reading forums can be a bit disconcerting but don't necessarily reflect the majority of users.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[Jaripi]

I think that a question about a battery life was for me, here is my answer: I am happy with a battery of life of my Lumia 920 - it lasts easily a full day (I charge every night) ... I am online 24/7 in fb, using that integrated fb chat (messaging) ... my gf who is using an android cp and Facebook Messenger, can not do the same and he has to cut her data connection often, to save her cp battery. She has been using a battery saver app too, but it caused an problem in our fb chatting (missing messages), so we have to remove it ...

I am very happy with Lumia 920 camera and video camera (including audio quality of videos). About apps, Nokia Drive and Nokia Maps (offline too, specially for holiday purpose) are great ones, as well as Nokia Music (online and offline, also your favour artist mixs) ... if you have kids, who you like to let play some games of your cp, then "Kid's corner" is a great one too (they can not mesh anything) ...

If you want big display, then it is clear which one you need ... and it is usually like that, you should think first, what you need and want (including needed apps), then make a choice based on that ...

I can remember that Microsoft confirmed that WP8 is upgradeable to WP9, so you do not need to worry about that ... and it will happen before July 2014, so MS support will continue for your device ...

 

[nikhilr51]

And Microsoft stopping support on Windows Phone 8 next year tipped the balance for me.

God dammit, this was a stupid move on microsofts part releasing this so poorly worded and then letting the media go crazy.
Yes Windows phone 8.0 support will end next year. BUT when they release 8.1 or 8.5 or whatever they call the next version, that version will get another 2 years or so.
Look at WP7, it's support has ended, however WP7.5 Mango and WP7.8 are still supported.

 

[Muessig]

Hey Chaleck, welcome to WPCentral! First things first... only you really know what you can tolerate or not and only you really know which phone will suit your individual needs. With that in mind the first thing I'd like to address is the whole point about Microsoft isn't going to support Windows Phone 8 after July 2014. I believe that refers to the version of Windows Phone around about portico. When July 2014 rolls around we'll all be on version 8.1 (Blue) of WP8, which will specifically be supported for a longer period of time that the current version of Windows Phone 8 is. Think of it like how Microsoft says they will only support say... Windows XP without any service packs for a specific period of time.. it's the exact same thing here. No need for any panic.

If you're worried about the bricking, the battery draining and all that kinda thing you've really come to the wrong place to get a realistic picture of the customer satisfaction for this device. You're on a forum. Forums are where people go to complain or to seek help about devices that people are worried about. You're immediately going to get quite a skewed impression of a device if you only rely on forums. Look at the main WPCentral site from last week, one article pointed out how most carriers (in the US I believe) said customer satisfaction with Lumia devices is above any other OS.

As far as Skype goes the earlier problems you've read about not being able to log off or whatever just aren't relevant to Skype anymore. You can log off an account in Skype but you can also appear as invisible. This is the same thing because the way Skype works in WP8 is different to any other OS. Skype, when installed, is integrated into the OS itself and doesn't have to run to maintain an online presence. You can set your presence to invisible and you are effectively offline. you can set your presence to online and as long as you have a data connection of some sort connecting you to the cloud, you will appear online to all your contacts even if the app itself isn't running. Without the app running you'll be able to get IM's, calls.. you name it. It's still being improved but it's quite a polished experience at the moment.

Any OS you come across will have some bugs or glitches no matter what you do. Even iPhones, although they may be patched slightly quicker. I've not personally had any problems with random restarts etc as with most of the people that have replied in this thread. There might be some limitations of the OS at the moment but you'll get that with any OS.

I suppose what I'm saying is.. no matter what device you do end up picking I hope you'll be really happy with it. Don't make your choice based on a fear that you're buying into something that won't be supported next year, because Microsoft are invested in Windows Phone 8 and the whole Microsoft ecosystem, which phones are a part of. By the time July 2014 comes around we'll all be on WP 8.1 or WP9 or whatever. As has been mentioned, Microsoft have confirmed that devices running on WP8 will run on WP9, too.

Hope that helps.

 

[Chaleck]

If u don't want any bugs or risks , Take an iPhone 5 , closing your eyes.If u have a bug or problem , Apple will take less than 2 weeks to roll out a update.

If u take WP , It takes very long to fix and same with Android.MS still didn't fix other storage issue.Its been 6 months and not even single update which significantly filled out bugs.

Apps on iPhone are insanely good in terms of quality , Price and also selection compared to all 3 (most android apps are designed for 2.3)

Oh , don't say "iPhone is bad" or "I don't want iOS" , I personally think iOS is the most risk-less choice as I have both an iPad and also a Lumia 820 .


Regarding Note , Why go for Note when u have Htc ONE or S4 ?

If u have patience , There is nothing u could go wrong with WP8 or Note.

WP8 is smoother and more user friendly in doing day to day tasks compared to android

Thanks. But I hate iPhones. I love the iPad. it's a part of my life. Absolutely superb gadget. But I have no use for iPhones. Never will.
Even though I already know how to use it - I hate it.

It's Android or Windows for me. And I don't like the trend I'm seeing with Windows on smart phones. Love the Lumia 920 though. Lovely phone.