Android user tempted to move to Windows Phone

[Twisted Fate]

Hello everyone! I am currently using Huawei Ascend G300 with Android 2.3 and its so bad (slow, laggy, app crashing). Given my bad experience with this phone I decided to buy myself a new phone (hopefully Windows Phone as I read that they are quite the performers).

I was wondering if you could tell me the good and the bad of this phone? The amount of RAM in L520 worries me, will it be enough for smooth WP experience? I dont want to be stuck with "another" Huawei Ascend G300 if you know what I mean Does Lumia 520 have same Windows Phone functions as its stronger brethren (L920+) or its a stripped/crippled model/version?

I use my phone for browsing, reading forums with tapatalk, chatting with viber and music listening with headphones, how does it fare with things like that? Is the audio quality good with a better aftermarket headphones? Thanks in advance!

 

[blue1k]

I would go for the 920. You can find quite a few for a good deal. Heck even the 1020 is cheap now.

 

[Firdaus Edymainoe]

I would suggest getting the Lumia 525 as it has 1GB of RAM so that you won't have any app compatibility issue. It's worth they money you're spending for it. Audio wise, I am not an audio guy so I can't say anything. Nevertheless, if the next app or software update comes with manual equalizer audio quality through headphones should not be a problem.

One of the best thing about Windows Phone (WP) is that you'll be getting the latest WP version. In this case, the 8.1 update is definitely coming with Lumia Cyan. Live Tiles, is a very useful feature which allows you to know the latest news update without opening the app.

 

[thron]

I have the 520, it's my first Windows Phone. I've had Blackberry & Samsung smartphones in the past. The Huawei Ascend (with Windows) was actually a phone I was considering prior to buying the Nokia 520.

The only app I've had perform poorly was Viber. And by that I mean it would load noticeably slower than all other apps, once running it was OK.
I constantly browse the web, I have a few apps running, play games and listen to music. Zero complaints.
At work I use the free headphones that originally came with my Blackberry, and as of this very moment, I am using headphones that I got for free with a pack of batteries. Sound is decent, but not amazing (no equalizer on the phone, so you can't control bass/treble) etc.

I've also dropped this thing dozens of times, its got a cheap $3 rubber case on it, it's split into pieces (screen, back case, battery) but reassembles faster that any phone I've had by just snapping back together. No damage to-date despite some pretty serious drops. (Aside from scratches on the screen protector, but that's what it's there for!)

 

[jpal12]

I would recommend getting a higher end Lumia. My 521 is not very fast, but not too slow to use. It takes a few seconds to open apps, and the browser occasionally crashes. A few other issues are the 512MB ram, the lack of a front camera or flash, and the missing compass. The best thing about it is how strong it is. Once I dropped it on tiles from a about 4 feet high, and the only damage it for was a slight bending of the corners. This is without any case or screen protector. If you want to buy an inexpensive Lumia, you should try the newer Lumia 635 or 530. Most all of the x20 phones are at low prices, so you might want to try one of those.

 

[RumoredNow]

Twisted Fate,

If you are on a budget and the 520 is your price point, get it. The 512 RAM won't affect day to day, just cut out some higher end gaming. The fact that you are on Gingerbread still tells me that the advice to spend more might be a discouragement. And the device will bump up to Windows Phone 8.1 soon. What budget Android will get "L" ??? Right. Zero of them.

One drawback is no flash on the camera, but the Nokia Camera software is very good in low light.

I started with a 521 (same as 520, but for T-Mobile) as an experiment and I enjoyed it so much it pulled me away from Android. And the 8.1 additions will only help. You deserve a modern smartphone and a 520 can help deliver that experience to you without breaking the bank...

IMHO they did a great job balancing the trade-offs to meet that price point. You get what you pay for, yes? It won't race or wow, but it is a solid unit and a great all around User eXperience.

 

[Twisted Fate]

Thank you everyone for advices! I will have Lumia 525 in mind then.

RumoredNow,

Great advice, thank you so much Im not really on a budget, I have some money saved up and I was thinking of getting LG G2, Nexus 5 or even Lumia 925. When I mention this to my android friends they kind of make fun of that thought because for the price of 925 I could get G2 ("You get more RAM and a much better CPU, screen and battery with G2").

I would like that my next phone provide nice and fluid experience, I dont want to ever have such bad experience again with phone as I did with Huawei G300 and android gingerbread.. I really like the build quality of 925, its camera and system speed and performance but I kinda feel like I would be "wasting" money buying it with the G2 being in the same budget range.. I am just not sure if I need all of that beefy hardware in a phone

Current phone prices in my country: Lumia 925 ~360$ new on ads with warranty; 546$ in retail, Lumia 1520 ~480$ new on ads; 850$ in retail stores, Nexus 5 ~360$ new on ads with warranty; 630$ new in retail , LG G2 360$ new on ads; 700$ new in retail.. The list goes on and on, you can see how bad it is

 

[RumoredNow]

If you're not on a budget, then get a better class of device. Certainly I was happy to have traded up to the 925 from a 521. A huge boost in UX, capability and spec. I wasn't so happy having spent $100 for a budget model and then quickly shelving that for another, more costly, round of spending. I had a Nexus 4 as a daily at the time so I could mess around a bit getting my feet wet with Windows Phone through a budget model. But if you know this will be your daily phone from the word go, then don't shortchange yourself.

Maybe get a current gen Windows Phone instead of a last gen...

I would like that my next phone provide nice and fluid experience, I dont want to ever have such bad experience again with phone as I did with Huawei G300 and android gingerbread..

​You know in your heart that getting a lowest tier phone will not give you the experience you desire and deserve.

Don't let the prevalence of Android vs iOS limit YOUR freedom of choice.

Excerpt from my BLOG:

...Windows Phone 8.1 is really a huge leap forward. Cortana is one awesome assistant. Nokia cameras and screens are $ per $ way above anyone else in their range. Nokia Here mapping and navigation can NOT be beat in the free with your phone realm of nav tools. Can you say no hassle Office included?

If you want to get your feet wet, try a Lumia 520, 521 or 630. They are all very solid budget phones. I started with a 521 and quickly traded up to a 925. Now that's my daily and I wouldn't go back to Android for a phone.

If you have faith, then take the plunge to a mid or high level device right away. The benefits are: outstanding camera, Office with editing, unlimited global licence on Here maps/nav (rather than regional/country license). The 925 is disappearing off shelves, but the 930 is around the corner. There is now an unlocked 1020 on the Microsoft Store site. 1520 is hot right now.

Don't let the RAM spec fool you, WinPho is not anywhere near as hard on RAM use as Android. Compare by screen size/type/resolution and CPU spec...

...Android (and I assume from reading media and tech reports, iOS also) is increasingly about the things I don't use / want / need in a phone. I think Android is great on a tablet where I read books, listen to music, watch videos, play games - in short - consume content. Android is the correct tool, IMHO, for exactly that job: consuming content. Not effective comm and organizational duty. It's not optimized in that way without a huge amount of hoop jumping and set up.

The more that fans, tech journalists and popular media push iOS / Android as the only two viable solutions to each and every task - the more limited we all are. It's just sad that there is a duopoly that no one can get around. I don't want my freedom of choice restricted. I understand this is an Android site and that I'm swimming upstream here. But there is no reason to try so hard to talk someone else out of their freedom of choice is there? Competition and variety make a marketplace healthy. And variety does not mean Samsung vs HTC vs Sony flavors of Android or iOS...

*See My Alter Ego for the full text

 

[viswanathansri]

If you want a really pleasant experience , go for the Lumia 525 . It costs a few bucks more , but its definitely worth . It can definitely do what all you require and it doesnt lag like android . You will really love WP if you come from android like I do .

 

[carlos12001]

Hello everyone! I am currently using Huawei Ascend G300 with Android 2.3 and its so bad (slow, laggy, app crashing). Given my bad experience with this phone I decided to buy myself a new phone (hopefully Windows Phone as I read that they are quite the performers).

I was wondering if you could tell me the good and the bad of this phone? The amount of RAM in L520 worries me, will it be enough for smooth WP experience? I dont want to be stuck with "another" Huawei Ascend G300 if you know what I mean Does Lumia 520 have same Windows Phone functions as its stronger brethren (L920+) or its a stripped/crippled model/version?

I use my phone for browsing, reading forums with tapatalk, chatting with viber and music listening with headphones, how does it fare with things like that? Is the audio quality good with a better aftermarket headphones? Thanks in advance!

An android phone that lags and crashes?? No way!!!


Sent from my iPhone using WPCentral Forums

 

[colinkiama]

Yeah, go ahead, get a 520 but a little bit of apps/games and features will be missing. I recommend you get the 820, 920,1020 or 1320 or if your on a budget or a 930 or 1520 if you don't mind spending a lot.

 

[colinkiama]

There are a few features missing like glance, an equalizer, games that require 1gb ram, flash and a front facing camera, that's it really, I guarantee you no lag and no crashes. You will also get the latest updates so don't worry about getting left behind. I recommend you try it and if you like it, get one of the high end ones 920+

 

[paulxxwall]

Grab one ...you won't regret! Using 1520 got sum bugs to be ironed out but sweet os and phone!

 

[aybarrap1]

If unsure play with WP for a little while. I bought the 520 to give WP a go and I have been impressed. My brother in law has the 1020 and opening apps is a little faster due to more RAM...and the camera of course is awesome. I currently own a Galaxy S3 as my daily driver but a high end WP will be my next upgrade thanks to the impression that the 520 (a low end budget phone by today's standards) has left on me. WP has come a long way and the number of apps is growing.

 

[Twisted Fate]

If you're not on a budget, then get a better class of device. Certainly I was happy to have traded up to the 925 from a 521. A huge boost in UX, capability and spec. I wasn't so happy having spent $100 for a budget model and then quickly shelving that for another, more costly, round of spending. I had a Nexus 4 as a daily at the time so I could mess around a bit getting my feet wet with Windows Phone through a budget model. But if you know this will be your daily phone from the word go, then don't shortchange yourself.

Maybe get a current gen Windows Phone instead of a last gen...

Which one do you recommend? For how long Microsoft issues updates for their phones? Im afraid that they wont drop the support too soon

 

[Firdaus Edymainoe]

Which one do you recommend? For how long Microsoft issues updates for their phones? Im afraid that they wont drop the support too soon

Get the Lumia 525 for the 1GB of RAM.

 

[RumoredNow]

Which one do you recommend? For how long Microsoft issues updates for their phones? Im afraid that they wont drop the support too soon

Which one starts to get very subjective. If you can afford it, as I said before, move to at least a mid-level device.

Next step... See what your carrier offers. Go to their store and try them out. If nothing satisfies, try the Microsoft store. Myself, I want a 930 badly, but it has to come to my carrier so I can get LTE.

 

[Twisted Fate]

Carriers here are ripping us off so I was thinking of getting 2 year contract without a phone for ~12$/month with 600minutes, 1500 SMS and 1.5GB of data. Then buy a fone off contract for ~400$. Their data plans with phones are terrible for that 12$/month plan I could get some crappy phone...

 

[chezm]

A 520 is a good cheap WP to test out and see if you like the OS. I wouldn't sign a contract for it, buy it used for dirt cheap and if you like WP get a higher end model, my 2 cents.

 

[eusty]

That's what I did, now I'm just waiting a month before my contract is up..... Then its a 930