Nokia Lumia Icon Vs. Samsung Ativ SE

[RichHowerton]

I also have an icon, and am interested in the ATIV SE mainly for the SD card, expandable storage, a 64 gb card can hold a lot of videos, and music. have not switched yet......

 

[TechAbstract]

Ative SE seems like a nice device. If you don't like the Icon then I would advise to get the Ativ SE to see how you like it. I think they are both great devices.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

The Ativ SE is on backorder apparently. Along with the galaxy S5. So I'm wondering does the Ativ SE acutally has that much demand or is did samsung only ship 5 Ativ's and the demand is for 8 lol? Is it because of the BOGO? Or is it because of Cortana's publicity lately? So which could one of these theories seem like the most likely scenario? Good to see a windows phone on back order.

I doubt that seriously. Not dissing the ativ, but indo remember a similar backorder for Nokia at one point with att and it was really just because they didn't ship many models.

Even if this is a Samsung phone, I can admit that it would be great to see a windows phone doing at least 1/2 of what the galaxy devices do in sales.

Of course with that bogo, that hopefully will bring more adoption since you can get a high end phone for free.

I'm sure you must feel pretty good about yourself now that some random rep randomly agreed with all of your points.

Pack it up everyone, thread over, we officially have a winner...:winktongue:

lmao oh my...smh.

Totally feel awesome winning an argument with a bunch of grown men over a device /sarcasm

 

[neo158]

I also have an icon, and am interested in the ATIV SE mainly for the SD card, expandable storage, a 64 gb card can hold a lot of videos, and music. have not switched yet......

Exactly, that's something Nokia just don't get. That people might want a high end phone with expandable storage AND a removable battery.

 

[cckgz4]

How are y'all seriously arguing each other down about which product feels more quality when its based on personal experience?? Smh

Sent from my all seeing 1020

 

[Tony_Offends_U]

How are y'all seriously arguing each other down about which product feels more quality when its based on personal experience?? Smh

Sent from my all seeing 1020

Um, welcome to the thread?

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Exactly, that's something Nokia just don't get. That people might want a high end phone with expandable storage AND a removable battery.

Aren't the lower memory iphones like the 8, 16, 32 G models usually the more popular? My point is that considering the iPHONE is the MAINSTREAM phone people don't care about SD cards and they are not the defining feature the way make people them seem(Really in the Android circle is mostly where I ever hear people whining about the lack on and occasionally here on WIndows Phone...but even then most windows phone users only complain due to the fact phones like 1520 and 1020 take such large photos than the normal phone thus it does eat the memory more). I don't care about an SD card or a removable battery and I know many people do.

The only reason I am using SD in my 1520 is because att gimped my storage with 16 GB so I literally need to use it(I'm down to 6 GB with very little apps).
I was perfectly fine with 32 GB of my Lumia 920 and 1020 when I had them.

As far as removable battery, I like the design of the phone better when there are no parts of my phone that can come off. I rarely ever keep a phone longer than 6 months...my 1520 being the first phone I have had 6 months and I don't worry about having to replace a battery and if the battery life is good enough on a phone(which for me on this one it is).

Much like Samsung feels the need the need to use their plastic despite many people wanting them to do something, for whatever reason the same can be said about Nokia and their choice of not using batteries that are removable and SD card.

It likely has something to do with Design. Perhaps that is why we never really see removable batteries nowadays. Phones like Sony Xperia line, the HTC ONE Line, the high end lumias, Iphones, etc etc are devices that are praised for their designs which makes me wonder is that the reason why we aren't seeing phones with removable batteries. In most cases they add unnecessary bulk to a phone and as I said, it is more attractive to not have one.

SD cards are a lot trickier. The 1520 and I think the new htc one show you an still have a nice design(Uni-body) while adding an SD card but i think the fact of the day in age, that the lack of an SD card is largely in part because they want us to move to the cloud which is where the world is sort of heading thus SD cards are starting to largely become outdated.

 

[Tony_Offends_U]

I rarely ever keep a phone longer than 6 months...my 1520 being the first phone I have had 6 months.

1520 is that old already? Time flies man.
And since it's about that time, how much you selling the 1520 for?

Much like Samsung feels the need the need to use their plastic despite many people wanting them to do something, for whatever reason the same can be said about Nokia and their choice of not using batteries that are removable and SD card.

What does Nokia build their phones out of? Plastic.
I think they should stop using it.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

LOL I am not about to go back into that debate with Plastic vs Plastic(Since the plastics of Nokia and Plastic of Samsung do differ even if they are plastic)

Actually tbh, since ATT has no mention of a 1020 successor coming out(And it has been nearly a year) and since idk if I can go back to a smaller phone, I think the 1520 will be my phone for the foreseeable future(or at least until Say August of this year, which is my birthday month when another phone on our line is eligible for an upgrade and if there is anything worthwhile on the pipeline I may get that).

With that said, I am actually about to sell my 1520 unlocked on Craigslist. This might sound strange but I actually want to go back and get the yellow one(the model I WANTED to begin with xD) and since i can use an upgrade now and I like my phone, i don't mind "wasting" it on getting the phone i actually want and then turning around selling my current 1520.

I guess i need to spend time today figuring how much it goes for.

I am hoping someone on these forums will get the SE as I do want to see a review for it(be great if they had an icon as well). I know WPcentral will do one, but I like the "Average Joe" reviews ppl do on WPC. It wasn't a BAD PHONE(nor is it) from what i saw. Like i said, no Nokia Lumias and I probably would own a SE myself.

1520 is that old already? Time flies man.
And since it's about that time, how much you selling the 1520 for?



What does Nokia build their phones out of? Plastic.
I think they should stop using it.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

I finally played with the Ativ Se today. And in typical fashion, the store I went didn't have the Internet settings configured correctly. All in all, I like it. It is a very good alternative to the Icon. Personally, the plastic that looks like aluminum look is much better than the S4. If you've used an Ativ S before, this is more of an under the hood upgrade.

Personally, I'd take this on t-mo anytime. Good looking phone indeed. Can't go wrong with either phone.

Posted via Princely Purple Z Ultra

 

[PuckCowboy]

MSFTisMIA... how did the screen compare to the Icon? How did it feel in hand? The phone looks nice with the brushed aluminum, and I wouldn't mind a little lighter weight compared to the Icon. I like the fact memory is expandable as well as the battery replacement. I'm trying to hunt down a store near me that has one. The Corporate store closest to me doesn't have it yet of course.

Also, what do all of you think of Edge? Its basically a phone lease program? Is it worth it if you like to upgrade once a year? I usually buy outright and just sell the device on eBay once Im done with it. Wonder if this is less hassle and not much of a cost difference overall.

 

[thelumialover]

EDGE used to be worthless, but now can be considered a good deal if you plan on upgrading before your 2-year term. It basically is a phone leasing program, but what makes it worthy now is that Verizon discounts the monthly line access to $15/mo (if you have 10GB or more) or $25/mo (if you have less than 10GB) versus the $40/mo for a 2-year term.

Hope this helps!

 

[PuckCowboy]

I finally played with the Ativ Se today. And in typical fashion, the store I went didn't have the Internet settings configured correctly. All in all, I like it. It is a very good alternative to the Icon. Personally, the plastic that looks like aluminum look is much better than the S4. If you've used an Ativ S before, this is more of an under the hood upgrade.

Personally, I'd take this on t-mo anytime. Good looking phone indeed. Can't go wrong with either phone.

Posted via Princely Purple Z Ultra

Another quick question MSFTisMIA, did you get a chance to play with the camera. One of the things holding me back slightly is the camera vs the Icon. I have a Lumia 822 now and the camera leaves much to be desired. Ive heard the ATIV SE has the same camera as in the Galaxy S4 and Note 3, which is said not to be too bad at all, in in some cases people liked it over the Icon's.

Im going to a store to test today, but wondering if anyone else has had a chance to try it.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

MSFTisMIA... how did the screen compare to the Icon? How did it feel in hand? The phone looks nice with the brushed aluminum, and I wouldn't mind a little lighter weight compared to the Icon. I like the fact memory is expandable as well as the battery replacement. I'm trying to hunt down a store near me that has one. The Corporate store closest to me doesn't have it yet of course.

Also, what do all of you think of Edge? Its basically a phone lease program? Is it worth it if you like to upgrade once a year? I usually buy outright and just sell the device on eBay once Im done with it. Wonder if this is less hassle and not much of a cost difference overall.

Well, I'm not on VZW so I'm not sure about how well Edge works.

Um, if you've used a Focus S, what you see with the SE is just an improved experience. The camera looks decent enough...you may not have as much settings as in the S4/S5, but it looks like a solid performer. It would lose to the Icon because it doesn't have the OIS in it which helps for low light.

It is lighter than the Icon. I like the feel in hand of both phones, but for different reasons. The SE is light, but since I've owned a few Samsungs in the past, it feels a bit better than my GF's S4. I like the solid feeling of the Icon too. Both designs are on the conservative side, which is more in my ballpark. The SE has that "aluminum look" for the back and the honeycomb gray stylings for the front,which is nice. It's weird because i like the look of the black S5 more than the SE, and the SE smokes the whatever color of the S4 that's out.

 

[MSFTisMIA]

Another quick question MSFTisMIA, did you get a chance to play with the camera. One of the things holding me back slightly is the camera vs the Icon. I have a Lumia 822 now and the camera leaves much to be desired. Ive heard the ATIV SE has the same camera as in the Galaxy S4 and Note 3, which is said not to be too bad at all, in in some cases people liked it over the Icon's.

Im going to a store to test today, but wondering if anyone else has had a chance to try it.

The camera appeared good when I tested it. Honestly, it reminds me of the Focus S (whose design I liked much better than the Galaxy S2) - a nice looking but no frills on design, capable smartphone. While the Icon's screen seemed a bit sharper, it appeared easier watch movies for longer periods on the SE -at least for my eyes.

Personally, I'd pick the Icon between both, simply due to the OIS. I always liked taking lower light pictures, and I have a TYLT wireless charging stand, so those are my two most used features that would make me pick the Icon. Otherwise, if I consumed a ton of media on the go and were in my recent days of swapping out dead batteries to keep chugging,I'd gladly give up OIS and wireless charging for the SE.

You cannot go wrong with either model. Cannot wait to see how 8.1 runs on both...

 

[wraedeo_hed]

Micah......Dude......Brother.....
I understand your passion for Nokia, but let me explain this from a product design point, as well as an Engineering point. Furthermore, I'll do this without patronizing ANYONE!!!

Having owned, multiple Samsung phones I will attest to the use of thinner plastics, that said, thinner doesn't necessarily mean weaker. Also being a current Nokia 928 owner, weight doesn't translate to more durable. The way that samsung does molding the plastic backing is supported by the battery, and the rest of the phone innards. Not only does this make the phone solid, but it is done to keep the design minimal, and thin. Thinner than any other Nokia phone....Fact...Thin phones sell. So do pretty phones, but people usually want some kinda function with them too. Not something that they'll have to replace when the battery eventually fails.

Discuss.....

Micah you seem to not really understand what user experience is....User experience goes far past build quality. It's build quality, finish, interface, synergy and function. A tool such as a smartphone is graded and judged on all of these. Nokia tends to focus on just a few of these unfortunately.

Nokia tries a Form First approach, while Samsung tries a Function first approach, as far as who balances Form/Function better, I'd have to give it Samsung, that's simply a fact! I owned a Galaxy Nexus, and a Galaxy SII, and both of them were indestructible. a replaceable battery, and SD drive show scalability i.e. a device build for the future.

My Nokia Lumia 928, while pretty, has an uneven screen, buttons that don't light correctly, serious scuffing issues, dust in between the screen and body perimeter that you CAN'T remove, and these are common issues with this model.....not a fluke!

The only issues I had with my Samsungs were that Android was on them, and the GPS issues (which were android caused as well).

If you want to be loya to a brand be loyal, but when something clearly better comes out, don't hate on them just to hate.....Look at the data.

 

[shamrock95]

My wife has a Moto x, my daughter has a LG g2, my nephew has an iPhone 5, my mom has a galaxy s3, and I have an icon. I have used all of those phones in the past month or so and each one has things I like and dislike about them, but at the end of the day we all chose the phones we have based on what we use a smartphone for. Just my two cents.

 

[techgeek32#WN]

The Icon is the better phone. Don't forget the Samsung's specs are basically the same as the GS4 which came out a year ago.

Actually the specs are the same as the ICON!. I just received my ATIV SE and also have the Icon. I have been comparing the two closely and the ATIV SE wins in more ways than the Icon. Better battery life with the ATIV SE and also a removable battery (uses the S4 battery and external charging case), the ATIV display is brighter and whites are better than the Icon (pink hue for whites) also better viewing angles on the Samsung. Since the ATIV has the same battery area pins as the S4 I can convert it to wireless charging easily and also be able to swap out the batteries whenever I need some more juice without having to find an outlet. The ATIV has a microSD slot to expand the storage (I was already using up most of my Icon storage capability). Call quality is equally good on both devices and the ATIV actually sounded better through my Ford Microsoft Sync Nav system than the Icon. The ATIV is thinner and fits the hand better than the Icon IMO. Signal strength is the same on both as is WiFi connectivity. The speaker is loud and clear on the ATIV, speakerphone works equally well on both. The camera is the same one that is in the S4, but still is no slouch compared to the Icon. The Icon wins on build quality, camera and having built in wireless charging but that is it. I will take the better display, removable battery, microSD slot and hard Windows button that turns on the phone over the few wins for the Icon. Most Nokia apps are or will be available to other Windows Phone devices in the future so no real win for the Icon on the software front. If you don't need the best display, are always close to an outlet and don't need more than 32GB of storage and want the 20MP camera go with the Icon. If not at least take a look at the ATIV SE, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Another advantage for the ATIV SE might be that it uses a Micro SIM instead of the tiny Nano SIM in the Icon. I own several phones that still use Micro SIM's (Galaxy Note 3) so it is easier to swap SIM cards without needing an adapter or having to call Verizon to manually do an ESN swap.

 

[PuckCowboy]

Since the ATIV has the same battery area pins as the S4 I can convert it to wireless charging easily

Can you elaborate a little on this? I love the wireless charging of my Lumia 822, and that was semi-big selling point for the Icon. How easy would it be? How quickly could it be converted?

Also, can you speak a little more to the cameras between the two? What is daylight quality and what is low-light quality? Can you post a few comparisons if you get a few minutes. The 8MB camera on my 822 is very weak and would be one of the major reasons for upgrading my 822. Im not always taking photos with it, but would be nice to capture some solid pics when needed... even when lighting isnt the best.

Thanks so much in advance for all the info!

 

[techgeek32#WN]

You can purchase wireless charging inserts on Amazon for the Galaxy S4 and they should work with the ATIV SE. I don't know if Samsung will release an official wireless charging back cover for the ATIV (probably not), so this is a plan b option. I have used them on other Samsung phones and they work fine without making the phone thicker.

You can peruse Samsung Galaxy S4 youtube videos about the camera and video as the ATIV SE has the same 13MP camera and flash as the S4. I won't repost pictures because there are a multitude of example videos already posted to youtube or in the forums. From my experience the ATIV SE photos taken outdoors look slightly better than the Icon to me, but I am not a photographer. Low light pictures go to the Icon but not by much. You will of course have more picture controls and settings on the Icon, but if you are just looking to take quick, auto setting photos the ATIV SE camera is not bad at all. It is also the same camera that is on the Galaxy Note 3, without the 4K video recording capability. There are plenty of picture and video samples from the Note 3 on YouTube as well. The bottom line with the ATIV is that you can add a 64GB microSD card to save pictures to so you don't have to worry about messing with cloud storage.