Lumia 830 Owners: Your thoughts on the 640XL

[Nogitsune Micah]

My poor 1520 is destroyed and I am using a temporary phone and I need to buy one TODAY
I am looking at the midrangers such as the 830, 640 XL and 640...

I am curious, if you had the choice to buy one of the 3...would you guys still choose the 830 over the 640 and 640 XL? Or would you take one of the new lumias over it.

My little brother has the 830 and it is pretty awesome from what I see, and I love it's build quality but that 0.9 megapixel camera(Which the 640 also has) bugs me...#selfieaddict lol.

I look forward to your thoughts.

 

[bo_woods]

IMO the real competition begins when you compare the 830 vs 640 XL... I absolutely have no interest or am enticed to buy the 640... The design is plain, and cheap looking IMO just like the 630/635, and its inferior in every way to the 830 unlike the 640 XL...

Not saying the 640 is a bad phone, as there's a lot I can't say about it considering its not even available in the U.S yet...

Buy its specs, and what IMO are ugly looks make it beaten

I would say skip the 640 and just look at the 830 & 640xl, especially since the 920,925, & 928 are the same price as what the 640 will be yet they are better, and of higher quality...

I for some reason often feel an old flagship is alot of times better than a new budget device

 

[bo_woods]

Have you considered buying another 1520? A used 1520 is about the same price as a new 830 or a new 640 xl

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Have you considered buying another 1520? A used 1520 is about the same price as a new 830 or a new 640 xl

I thought about it and as much as I LOVE MY 1520, I have owned two and I am a bit bored with it, the design not to mention I have been getting the phantom touch.

The 640 XL is closer to my screen size as I have been using a 1520 for 2 years nearly but I love the 830 design but goodness that ffc. I cant believe Microsoft gimped them like that.

 

[hasasimo]

I owned a 1520, I currently own an 830, and I had a 640XL in my midst for an entire week, as I ordered one for my father (check my posts in the 640XL forum).

The answer regarding which of these to get depends on your specific use case. One of the reasons I sold my 1520 was the phantom touch issue as well. Mine wasn't even as bad as some others, but it was just annoying. Plus I just fell in love with the 830's aesthetics.

Now, to the 830 vs the 640 XL...

I got a chance to play with a glossy white 640 XL for a week, as mentioned above. I was impressed with it. Found no problems. No software issues (like random reboots), camera is very solid (especially outdoors), and things like Miracast (Project My Screen) work well. Performance is pretty much on par with the 830.

However, I had no desire to get one of my own to replace my 830 for a few reasons (in no particular order)...

- Design and build quality. The 640 XL's build seems well engineered and sturdy enough. It's actually quite light, which I'm not sure is always a good thing. The 920 for instance was also all polycarbonate but seemed a lot more solid. That thing can take anything you throw at it. I wonder if the difference here is that the 640XL was built under the auspices of Microsoft and not Nokia. As for overall design... the 640 XL looks a lot more like the average smartphone. The 830 is unique, with a beautiful aluminum frame and curved glass.

- Size. While I think the sweetspot is 5.2"-5.3" for a display size, I think 5.7" is a little too big. I actually have proportionate hand size for someone 6'1" and I didn't mind handling it, but the 1520 for instance was simply a behemoth and made pocketability (especially sitting down) almost impossible. The 640 XL is only marginally better in that regard. In fact the difference is negligible.

- OIS and low-light photography. This is the biggest weakness of the 640XL. While the camera is a lot sharper than its predecessor (Lumia 1320), low-light photography is just bad right now. Might not be a hardware thing... I'm thinking an update with some tuning to the automatic settings could fix this, but most 640XL owners seem to be complaining about it and it's the flaw that stood out most to me in testing it out for a week. I've come to appreciate OIS a ton since owning a 920, and not having it has become close to a deal-breaker for me.

- Wireless charging. It's just really convenient to be able to drop the phone on my wireless charging stand without fiddling with wires, and have it double as my nightstand clock with Glance screen.

 

[anon(123856)]

If the 640 was around when I was buying I would have given it a look. I could see myself satisfied with it except for the lack of wireless charging. It seems to have all the good stuff the 830 does (removable battery, sd card slot). All things I appreciate.
The 640 XL would be just too big a phone for my use, to each his own as far as this goes.
I have an 830 and still really like the phone. No regrets except for the lack of the full Denim update. (Thanks AT&T!)

 

[anon(50597)]

Too big for me, 830 is just right.

 

[23kid]

I've been having a similar dilemma with the 830. The 640XL is just too big, however I'm worried that with an 830 I may get left behind; as it's getting a bit dated now. Any thoughts? I would wait for the newer models to come out but I think they will be too expensive for my budget.

 

[bo_woods]

I've been having a similar dilemma with the 830. The 640XL is just too big, however I'm worried that with an 830 I may get left behind; as it's getting a bit dated now. Any thoughts? I would wait for the newer models to come out but I think they will be too expensive for my budget.

If the midrange is your preferred line of phones to stick with, don't downgrade to the 6series, stay with the 830 until the 840 comes out, and then next year the 850 & so forth

Trust me, the 830 is not outdated, it just came out last fall, this fall hasn't come yet, but when it does that's probably when we should see the 830 successor, along with the long awaited 930 & 1520 successors

 

[23kid]

Yeah, it's all about QI and a decent camera for me (oh and that stunning form). I'd love to wait a few months for the new 8xx but I know it's going to be ?250+ which for now, is out of my price range. I think an 830 will be best, and sell later down the line if/when I chose to upgrade.

 

[BobLobIaw]

These are all helpful thoughts--I have a Lumia 920 that I cracked the screen after many drops. Hence I need a replacement to bridge the gap to the new flagships. Hasasimo seems to have the full comparison down, and even though the 640XL is newer, I think the OIS and low-light photo capability of the 830 is a must coming from the L920. Not to mention the fact that I have Qi wireless charging pads at home and office and can use them with the 830. Thanks for the input (I know I am not OP but appreciate it anyway!)

 

[Jason Gilbert]

Short answer: I really want the 640 XL.

Long answer: I bought my 830 on Nov. when they came out for AT&T. I had tried the 1520 but it just didn't fit into my pockets well enough to use on a daily basis, particularly with the pointy corners. Otherwise it was fantastic. Seeing the XL for $250 now makes me kind of regret my 830. I like the 830 and haven't had any problems with it, but I don't think it's $270 better than the 640, and my fat fingers really want the big screen of the 640 XL. The only possible regret would be losing wireless charging (which I like), but given the contact points on the 640 XL I strongly suspect that it will be available at some point, whether officially or not.

So yeah, I want the 640 XL, and yeah, I'm a little miffed at paying $400 for the 830.

 

[bo_woods]

These are all helpful thoughts--I have a Lumia 920 that I cracked the screen after many drops. Hence I need a replacement to bridge the gap to the new flagships. Hasasimo seems to have the full comparison down, and even though the 640XL is newer, I think the OIS and low-light photo capability of the 830 is a must coming from the L920. Not to mention the fact that I have Qi wireless charging pads at home and office and can use them with the 830. Thanks for the input (I know I am not OP but appreciate it anyway!)

The 830 IMO is likely like a tweaked 920 in a larger aluminum body....A modern 920 in other words

 

[23kid]

The 830 IMO is likely like a tweaked 920 in a larger aluminum body....A modern 920 in other words

I'd believe that, trickle-down is common practice in technology.

 

[hasasimo]

I don't know... didn't remind me much of my 920. Much better battery life than the 920, but much worse with low-light photography. It's also a lot bigger, has just a single LED flash, and no Qi. Not to mention has a removable battery, SD card support, considerably different design and exchangeable housing covers. Overall not too much like the 920 IMO.

 

[bo_woods]

I don't know... didn't remind me much of my 920. Much better battery life than the 920, but much worse with low-light photography. It's also a lot bigger, has just a single LED flash, and no Qi. Not to mention has a removable battery, SD card support, considerably different design and exchangeable housing covers. Overall not too much like the 920 IMO.

I was saying internals wise... its like the rook the 920 and gave it a brand new body IMO

Also the 830 does have qi... It's one of its features, even the AT&T model has it

 

[hasasimo]

I was saying internals wise... its like the rook the 920 and gave it a brand new body IMO

Also the 830 does have qi... It's one of its features, even the AT&T model has it

I misread your post, I thought you were comparing the 640XL to the 920!

 

[hack14u]

I do love my 830, smooth... And tough, it took a drop to the parking lot face down right on the glass. When I heard the infamous thud, ya, we all know the one, I knew it was over. I slowly reached down to pick it up knowing what I would find, but much to my surprise, only a little scratch. Amazing.

 

[bo_woods]

I do love my 830, smooth... And tough, it took a drop to the parking lot face down right on the glass. When I heard the infamous thud, ya, we all know the one, I knew it was over. I slowly reached down to pick it up knowing what I would find, but much to my surprise, only a little scratch. Amazing.

The lighter they are,the softer they fall

great story too, very suspenseful

If it weren't for your thesis statement stating the 830 is tough, the story would've been even more surprising

You deserve a writers award. You need to be up in the spotlight with J.K Rowling