Should I upgrade to the Samsung ATIV SE or Lumia Icon?

[Generalheed]

So it's pretty clear now that Verizon won't be getting the Lumia 950 anytime soon if at all. That being said, I'd still like to get a newer phone on Verizon. Switching carriers is not an option for me. I currently have the Lumia 928 and I'm thinking about upgrading to either the Samsung ATIV SE or the Lumia Icon. Or do you guys think I should just stick with the 928?

What I care about the most when upgrading in this case is battery life and being able to upgrade to Windows 10 mobile. While the 20 MP camera on the Lumia Icon is nice, I don't mind the 13 MP camera since it's still an upgrade to my Lumia 928 anyways. I've been leaning towards the Samsung Ativ SE because of its ability to act as a TV remote which would actually come in handy for me. So based on those criteria, which phone should I upgrade to? Or should I not upgrade at all and hope the Lumia 950 will come to Verizon eventually?

 

[Samuel Hernandez1]

The Lumia Icon has been an amazing phone for me. I cracked the screen pretty badly so im using a 735 and I'm lusting after my Icon. The battery life can be pretty bad though and it heats up quite a bit. You can probably make it through the day on moderate use but if that's a factor the Ativ may better for you. Plus the icon (as far as I know) doesn't have tv remote capability.

 

[rory753]

...So based on those criteria, which phone should I upgrade to? Or should I not upgrade at all and hope the Lumia 950 will come to Verizon eventually?

all reports seem to point to the bridge being burned between verizon and microsoft in the phone department. The icon is a great phone, and was being fire sold for $250 without contract(very reasonable) through the msft store. it's no longer listed, but it might be available still at some of the brick and mortar stores.

if it were me, and i had an option in my area with coverage, i'd leave verizon yawdy yawdy yawdy. if i don't type it, someone else will, but shoot, it's how i feel. And it sounds like you may be enjoying verizon's service enough to stick with it, so i'll stop.

that said, an entirely weird option, is the hp envy 8 that was just announced. it's an 8" tablet that will be compatible with verizon's LTE network. I know, 8", but the messaging and phone is being put over to win10 regular, so you can do those things from this tablet.

 

[shawnmos]

The icon is a great phone and is being supported by microsoft so it will definitely get Windows 10, even if it's through the insider program. The latest build actually works great. I don't think the insider program is available on the samsung and I doubt it will ever get windows 10. The Icon is a better phone anyway.

 

[Generalheed]

The Lumia Icon has been an amazing phone for me. I cracked the screen pretty badly so im using a 735 and I'm lusting after my Icon. The battery life can be pretty bad though and it heats up quite a bit. You can probably make it through the day on moderate use but if that's a factor the Ativ may better for you. Plus the icon (as far as I know) doesn't have tv remote capability.

Is the Ativ SE upgradeable to Windows Phone 8.1? From what I've read online, the 8.1 update was never made available for it but I can't be sure.

 

[xandros9]

Is the Ativ SE upgradeable to Windows Phone 8.1? From what I've read online, the 8.1 update was never made available for it but I can't be sure.

It has been updated to Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 around the same time the Lumia Icon was. (they skipped over 8.1)

 

[robnhl]

I've had both phones. I really liked the ATIV SE but the W10M story isn't clear for it. It's a really great phone but I picked up an Icon to ensure I could upgrade the OS. The ATIV SE feels much better to hold but the uncertainty around upgrading pushed me away.

 

[Generalheed]

It has been updated to Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 around the same time the Lumia Icon was. (they skipped over 8.1)

Ok, as long as it's up to date on the Windows Phone 8.1 side for the moment I'll be fine with that. I'll worry about Windows 10 Mobile later I guess. The Ativ SE or Icon is just meant to be a temporary upgrade for my 928 until Verizon has a new Windows 10 phone.

 

[robnhl]

Ok, as long as it's up to date on the Windows Phone 8.1 side for the moment I'll be fine with that. I'll worry about Windows 10 Mobile later I guess. The Ativ SE or Icon is just meant to be a temporary upgrade for my 928 until Verizon has a new Windows 10 phone.

Can't go wrong either way. You may want to look for the HTC M8. That'll also get W10M.

 

[Generalheed]

Can't go wrong either way. You may want to look for the HTC M8. That'll also get W10M.

Nah I'm not too thrilled by the M8's camera. I know megapixels doesn't tell the whole story, but 5 MP in this day and age is extremely low for a phone of that tier.

 

[shawnmos]

Almost got the M8 but ended up going with the Icon because of the camera. What did you decide?

 

[Generalheed]

Almost got the M8 but ended up going with the Icon because of the camera. What did you decide?

I'm most likely going with the Samsung ATIV SE

 

[Williaml99]

I have the ATIV SE and think it is a fine phone. 128GB SD and a spare battery. These are important to me. My wife has the Icon. She does not care about the removable battery or need the local storage. She likes the phone.
I thought developer preview for WP 8.1 was a great program and worked well on my 822 and wife's 928. Unfortunately the ATIV SE was maybe the only phone that needed a FW update to work with that OS. It took Verizon,Samsung and MS a long time to deliver the RTM to this device. This concerns me a little. I have an extra ATIV SE now and also a program to blow my SE back to 8.0. I feel comfortable trying the insider preview when and if we SE users ever get it.

I said to myself If I were offered a great new phones for W10 some being Samsung, HTC and Nokia/Microsoft and they were all equal I would go with Nokia because I thought it get more love from Microsoft. Now with the VZW MS thing happening over the new phones, oh well don't need to say more about that.

I wish you the best of luck with what decision you make.

Bill