Is Lumia 830 a good alternative to iPhone 6S? Resume-screens?

[jakja83]

I have owned several WP-devices in the past, all the way back to before Mango, but lately I've been using iOS (5S) and been happy with it. I have just upgraded to a 6S and begun contemplating whether or not it is worth the expense. It is very, very good of course - hard to fault, but in Europe the prices are absurd. I paid 940$ for it and with a 12 month plan on top of that. I never game, rarely watch movies and use the phone as a phone, calendar and sometimes check social media. The only big demands I have in a phone beyond that are a very good camera and fluid response.

I can get an almost new, hardly used Lumia 830 for 140$ and that would save me an additional 100$ being able to choose a cheaper subscription, but: Is the Lumia "good enough" for user such as I? Is the camera as good as the 6S? Is it fluid or will I experience "Resume-screens" every day?

 

[Paul1266]

The short answer to this is an obvious yes. Its a perfectly functional handset. Good to use and up to most tasks. You are not comparing like with like. Only you will know whether the compromises needed are worth the saving. If someone offered me a choice between 6s and an 830 for the same price there would only be one winner. However, I use a 640 XL (same internals) because a. I like windows phone and b. The huge extra expense for a 6s for me is not justified by the difference in experience. Apple products are great (lets be honest), but hugely expensive though in comparison to modest low to mid windows phones. The 'resume screen' thing is largely overstated. Even with the modest hardware windows runs well in most situations and Apple do a great job in hiding system delays with very smooth animations.

 

[Pieter Wolff]

My answer would also be yes. the iPhone 6s is without doubt a wonderful phone but highly overpriced. My usage pattern closely resembles yours ( no games, movies or hours of music ) and that kind of use doesn't warrant a $ 1000,- phone.
I'm still using my 2 1/2 year old Lumia 720 which I use for calls, social media, messaging and camera.
Besides the obvious much lower price the 830 will add wireless charging, double tap to wake and glance screen as a bonus over the iPhone.
In short: for me a no-brainer!

 

[Poirots Progeny]

If you're not making use of the fantastic and expansive Apple ecosystem, then it makes no sense to bear that high expense. The WP will make a perfect fit for you! Yes, the resuming screen is there, but if you're ok with it then it's an absolute no brainer! The tps are not bad though much is not stabilised, at the moment, but it looks like it'll be very stable and possibly remove the resting screen altogether to go for it!

 

[Timbre70]

As long as you are happy using it.

 

[ROBBIE HALL]

I've heard alot about the 830 being a good device, but I'd also take a look at the 640 as well. All variants. And you probably can find one around the same price, same condition.

 

[a5cent]

The camera on the L830 is definitely better than the camera on the L640.

Running W10M on the L830, at least currently, is an exercise in patience. If you can resist the temptation to try out W10M (currently under development) and stick to WP8.1 however, it's a very nice phone. With your usage patterns, and for $140 I'd say it's a no brainer.

These are a few pictures I shot with the L830 on my last vacation. Two in low light conditions, both with superb automatic white balance, accurately reflecting colors and lighting.





edit: sorry, forum refuses to rotate the second picture

 

[jakja83]

Well, I sort of make use of it. The two things I will miss the most are:
- Mute-switch
- TouchID (Good to have on work so that no one can use my phone, read messages and so on. Hate to enter a digit-code.)

I use a lot of the Apple eco-system, but SMS-messages doesn't cost anything to send here so iMessage is redundant in that regard. The Apple-apps are never used (Keynote, Garageband and so on).

I have missed good apps in WP for Instagram and Messenger + FB, but it seems they are coming with W10M and as I have understood the 830 will receive W10M early on.

I have made a quick spreadsheet and going from 6S (Can return it - no charge) to Lumia will in total save me 1050$ this year when adding in the cost of mobile-subscription.


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[jakja83]

I can get either L830 or L640. They can be had in mint condition for respectively 140$ and 95$ here. I am almost convinced to go with the latter. I see the specs are similar except camera which is better on the L830.

 

[manus31]

I have a 640 and 830 in my house.No difference between the two in in terms of performance.The 830 has some minor advantages,but certainly not enough to pay extra for it.Id go for the 640

 

[Vijay_Anand]

I have a 640 and 830 in my house.No difference between the two in in terms of performance.The 830 has some minor advantages,but certainly not enough to pay extra for it.Id go for the 640

I disagree. The superior camera, the design and wireless charging are all worth the extra bucks, in my opinion.

 

[gordonfink]

I can get either L830 or L640. They can be had in mint condition for respectively 140$ and 95$ here. I am almost convinced to go with the latter. I see the specs are similar except camera which is better on the L830.

That isn't much of a difference. For that, I'd get the 830.

I use an 830. I have a few small games, 6 email accounts, actually do edit Office docs, use Office Lens to convert hard copies to electronic ones, surf, do ebay stuff, tether to my Surface when I don't have wifi, etc, etc.

The iPhne 6S is no doubt a great phone.

But, the 830 is very capable. I see a resuming screen once in a great while, but nothing significant.

 

[Schnuffi]

Sounds like you are just like me. I use my phone the same as you. Sell your Apple get the L830 or 640 your friends won't think you're so cool but you will be smarter and not an I sheep.

 

[Br1t]

Some perspective on resuming from an M8 owner, currently the fastest windows device around. It's still there, sure it recovers a little faster than slower devices, but it's mostly a software issue rather than a hardware one. I wouldn't be put off using a less powerful device based on this one issue.

 

[broar94]

If you dont mind using a midrange windows phone then its perfect.!

 

[realwarder]

Obviously the 950 is the iPhone competitor. The 830 while a great high quality phone and totally usable is slower but is also a lot cheaper.. EBay prices are very reasonable now.

I say this writing on my 830.

 

[Ian Too]

Hi. Like the others, I really think this is a no-brainer. You could buy a Surface 3 with the money you save!

 

[jakja83]

I think I have the help I needed. I looked at the apps that are most commonly used and it is a sad story compared with iOS. I will have to look a bit more before I decide. Perhaps the 5S is a good middle road until 950/950XL debuts and then consider again...

 

[Poirots Progeny]

I think I have the help I needed. I looked at the apps that are most commonly used and it is a sad story compared with iOS. I will have to look a bit more before I decide. Perhaps the 5S is a good middle road until 950/950XL debuts and then consider again...

Bear in mind that just because the 950 is put doesn't mean the app gap will suddenly disappear - it will take time for apps to be ported over, if devs even device to do that. Perhaps, given your need, the 5s is a better fit for you. Nothing wrong with that

 

[Keith Wallace]

The Lumia 830 wasn't a good alternative to the iPhone 5S. Remember it runs on a chip that equates to a high-end chip from 2012 (before the iPhone 5 released). The camera's decent, but the rest of the phone is basically low-end internals.