Should I buy the Lumia 830?

[Apurv Singh97]

Planning to buy the Lumia 830

I had my mind fixed on buying the Lumia 830 because I love WP but now I am really confused after taking a look at the 640 XL and also after stumbling upon some major problems with the 830.

1) Manufacturing defects: I've seen lots of posts regarding loose screens that let light through the edges, back panels that don't fit properly etc.

2) Battery life: Many 830 users have complains regarding the battery life on moderate to high usage saying that it last only about 12-14 hours and drains really fast.

3) The hardware buttons: Many complaints say that the hardware buttons are not responsive sometimes but this was mostly in the american models (I live in India but I am not sure whether the same problem carried over in the models in the Indian market as well).

4) Auto-reboots and crashes: This is another frequent complaint I came across.

In the end, my question is that should I get the 830 when the Microsoft 640 XL is available with practically similar specs (and some even better than the 830). Or should I go for the Nokia made 830 with a more premium feel and built? And yes I know that the 13MP rear shooter of the XL is not better than the 10MP PureView of the 830 but that is like the only upper hand I think the 830 has over the XL. It would also be nice if I may have info on any other major defect/bug that I may have missed. I would really appreciate the advice! :smile:

 

[Giovanni830]

Re: Planning to buy the Lumia 830

I have a 830 for about half year now and I am really happy with it. The only feature missing to be perfect is the "Hey Cortana"...

Regarding the first point: I may recommend to check the phone when you are still inside the shop... If you see something wrong, then I may recommend to ask for another phone... Pay attention at the rear camera and do some testing.
Something that I mentioned: I have got a really small scratch on the screen, while I am really carefull with it. Since then I have bought a screen protector...

Battery life: I use my phone a lot, really! From navigation to internet browsing and pictures... At 08:00 I take it from the charger and at 22:00 I still have 20%. But once again, I really use my phone a lot for my work!
For exemple, I had a 630 and I got the same results, since I have a 830, my girlfriend uses my 630... While she likes to play game (45 min/day), call friend/mother (1h/day) and use internet, the battery lasts 2 days, while it lasts only 1 day with me...

Hardware buttons: I live now in Russia and I never experiences any issues with it. The only problem is the capacitive button "search" that does not work everytime since the (full) denim update

Auto-reboots: I experienced them 3 or 4 times a day before the denim update. Since then I never experiences them anymore (already 3 months).

I never had a 640, but I beleive the 830 is the best windows phone on the market right now. The main improvments could be: more RAM (when you take 3 or 4 picture in Rich Captures in JPEG+RAW in less than 1 minute, it can ask to wait a moment...), "hey cortana feature" and someting fun like fingerpring/iris reader

 

[mj0]

Re: Planning to buy the Lumia 830

Let's think about this for a second and take a look back at a few devices released in the past months, shall we?

The 930 had its problems and defects, such as overheating, randon reboot issues, and battery drain.
The 830 had its problems and defects, such as light leaking through the cracks, random reboot issues, and unresponsive capacitive buttons (which, I can assure you, do not only affect US models but European models as well).
The 730/735 had its problems and, such as crashing, randomly rebooting, or bluetooth extravaganza.
The 630/635 had its problems and defects, such as badly fitted rear covers, wifi crashing, or bluetooth extravaganza.
The 535 had its problems and defects, such as touchscreen issues, problems with additional languages, and battery drain.

And yet here you are thinking the 640/640XL will be perfect? :wink:

 

[Slovenix]

I have 830 and I can confirm everything you wrote. I'd probably swap it for 640 XL if I wasn't into Camera and shutter button as I'm more into big batteries. And I really miss that 5mp front camera from my 735 although it's not perfect, it's better than average.
However battery seems just normal, it's not a huge one. Plus I know that metal frames seems premium and yes It does feel nice, but I'd rather go for plastic or wood if I could as it is sure more drop proof

 

[ShaneRay]

Re: Planning to buy the Lumia 830

Well, here's my two cents. And I'll preface my comments with this: I really enjoy my 830 and don't regret buying it...It's been a great phone.

The problems you list most certainly exist. However, I'm sure you'll find them happening to only a minority of handsets. That's the way it usually goes...it's far easier to find negatives than positives on the net. I haven't had any issue with mine.

As to whether you should buy it or not? As I said in another thread, if I were buying today, it would not be the 830. Since the 830 has been released, it's went from an "affordable flagship" (in other words, a good midrange device) to just another phone in Microsoft's low-end range. And that's due to the newer releases of phones like like the 640 and 640XL pushing the bar for the low-end higher. It's still a great phone, sure, but where the additional cost of the 830 may have been worth it months ago, it's not now when compared to what is currently available.

Bottom line? Not knowing what's important to you, not knowing what the prices are like where you are, and all else being equal, I can't recommend the 830 as a smart purchase today...Unless you find it at a heavily discounted price.

If it were me, I'd be getting either the 640 or the XL at a good off-contract price until I saw what the mid-range and high-end looks like when WP10 hits.

Anyway...that's my point of view. Do with it what you will.

 

[thatdennis]

Re: Planning to buy the Lumia 830

I had my mind fixed on buying the Lumia 830 because I love WP but now I am really confused after taking a look at the 640 XL and also after stumbling upon some major problems with the 830.

1) Manufacturing defects: I've seen lots of posts regarding loose screens that let light through the edges, back panels that don't fit properly etc.

2) Battery life: Many 830 users have complains regarding the battery life on moderate to high usage saying that it last only about 12-14 hours and drains really fast.

3) The hardware buttons: Many complaints say that the hardware buttons are not responsive sometimes but this was mostly in the american models (I live in India but I am not sure whether the same problem carried over in the models in the Indian market as well).

4) Auto-reboots and crashes: This is another frequent complaint I came across.

In the end, my question is that should I get the 830 when the Microsoft 640 XL is available with practically similar specs (and some even better than the 830). Or should I go for the Nokia made 830 with a more premium feel and built? And yes I know that the 13MP rear shooter of the XL is not better than the 10MP PureView of the 830 but that is like the only upper hand I think the 830 has over the XL. It would also be nice if I may have info on any other major defect/bug that I may have missed. I would really appreciate the advice! :smile:

Y'know, if you read a lot of reviews on a product on forums, you will always be deterred to buy that phone. I mean people only go to the phone's subforums to complain about problems they are having. So therefore, there will always be defects no matter what phone you get.

What I learned then is just to take the jump and buy a phone you like. If it sucks, return it and get a new one. If it sucks again, return it and get a new one. If the third still sucks, it's time to return the phone for good and change phones.

However, if you're in a non-returning country like mine, you just have to circumvent and face your problems as you're gonna live with that phone for a year or two.

TL;DR: Just get the 830, all phones have defects and yours would most probably not have one (newer batch).

 

[Apurv Singh97]

Re: Planning to buy the Lumia 830

Thanks a lot man. That was really helpful! :grin:

 

[Apurv Singh97]

Re: Planning to buy the Lumia 830

Thanks a lot everyone! All of your suggestions were really helpful.

 

[AnkitGondalia]

Re: Planning to buy the Lumia 830

Don't buy it now.. Microsoft is going to release best mid range devices and high end lumias.. Wait for it..

 

[Basiluzzo]

Re: Planning to buy the Lumia 830

I have no "ins" at Microsoft, nor do I have a crystal ball, so really can't comment on what is coming. I wish there was a flagship phone but there's not at the moment, so if you need a phone now, you have to choose from what's available now. I bought my 830 the day it was released in the US, so have had it 6 months. It was my first Windows phone so I have no previous devices to compare it with, but had played with some colleagues' Windows phones and really liked the interface - and I was getting sick of the Cult Of Apple - so decided to make the leap.

I agree with the other posters - if you read all the reviews on any device, it will make you reluctant to buy the device. Quietly happy customers are much less likely to post than those with problems and perfectionist fanboys. I just needed a good phone at a reasonable price and felt like this phone was a great value. It's well built, solid, sleek, and feels great in the hand. I love the Qi charging and the fact that it accepts an SD card. (Take that, and that, Apple!) The speaker is louder than my iPhone, and I only get that sound distortion rarely, and then only on alarms. I have exactly one random reboot in the six months that I have owned the phone. It is slower than my husband's iPhone, and it takes longer to render web pages - that's why I wish there was a flagship phone, for the fast processor. The only other complaint I have is that the GPS isn't as accurate as the iPhone. On the other hand, the camera is fantastic, even without Lumia Camera 5 (which I think is a provider - AT&T - issue, not an issue with the phone). The front camera is not great but acceptable. I love the glance screen, and I've never had "Hey Cortana" so don't miss it. There are certain apps that I wish were available (my bank, for example), but perhaps Windows 10 will make developers more likely to develop the basic apps we want. My phone's screen is solid, no light leaks, and as with another commenter, I got a tiny scratch on it after a few days, so now I use a screen protector. That does exacerbate the issue with the buttons - with a screen protector the back button isn't always sensitive, and the search button is completely useless. Without a screen protector they're fine. So I punched holes in the screen protector where the buttons are - problem solved. All in all, I'm very happy with the phone. By the time my 2-year contract is up with AT&T, there should be some flagship phones available and Windows 10 should be an established ecosystem, so I'll decide then whether to get another Windows phone or go back to Apple. My prediction based on 6 months with my 830: I'll buy another Windows phone. (Android? Never!)