Should I Pick up a 650 on Sale?

[Palm_forlackofchoice]

Eloy 64, post a picture if your 64 elky.
I just soft reset my 650 for first time in over two weeks. Mine gas been working well. Nice treat coming from 635 that on win 8 was great but on win 10 had to be soft reset daily.

 

[libra89]

If it can do the basics (calls, email, texting, web browsing) then it should be more than decent, throw in what appears to be an above average camera (for price point), dual SIM, unlocked and now it becomes a steal IMO.

Hear "thin" being mentioned often but also "light" as well, curious how that's going to feel... Always adorn my phones w/cases so thin/light it won't be for long lol. How it handles W10 compared to my 830 will be interesting to see since it was supposedly designed around the new OS. Also a tad concerned about battery yet at the same time being that it's replaceable the point is somewhat muted, finding one may be another story though.

It really is. You'll see.

Eloy 64, post a picture if your 64 elky.
I just soft reset my 650 for first time in over two weeks. Mine gas been working well. Nice treat coming from 635 that on win 8 was great but on win 10 had to be soft reset daily.

Can I ask if you soft reset by choice, or is it because you felt like you needed to?

 

[slivy58]

It really is. You'll see.

Dang it, according to UPS tracking I have to wait until Friday to see which is like eons for me haahaha.

 

[slivy58]

Eloy 64, post a picture if your 64 elky.
I just soft reset my 650 for first time in over two weeks. Mine gas been working well. Nice treat coming from 635 that on win 8 was great but on win 10 had to be soft reset daily.

Poor pics I know but didn't have any others on hand

​

 

[Palm_forlackofchoice]

Elky Looks good, I soft reset to get my bt headset to work with Cortana.

 

[libra89]

Elky Looks good, I soft reset to get my bt headset to work with Cortana.

Ooh okay. Did it work?

 

[Palm_forlackofchoice]

Yes

 

[slivy58]

So my 650 finally arrived and my initial impression upon taking it out of the box was “now that’s utter kewlness”. Actually think its rounded corners add to the overall aesthetics whereas my 830 now looks so out of place, boxy, and just plain blaaah. And thin she is no denying that fact, feels very nice in the hand although mine will never see nakedness under normal use. Then there’s the metal frame, absolutely gorgeous IMO with its chamfered edges giving it a “look at me” glow, however mine will be adorned in an Otterbox Symmetry case so only I’ll know what lies beneath… Really surprised such a case even existed these days for a Windows Phone so snapped one up in a hurry, usually it’s my case of choice as we need durability over looks, protecting the camera lens is a must as well and none of the other cases I’ve purchased so far come close ensuring the lens a scratch free existence.

Then we powered the puppy up, ran through setup and once at the home screen I was like “I paid how much”, that OLED display is actually very stunning for what it is, tad unexpected to say the least and a very welcoming sight.

Most of my devices are usually black in nature and actually think the 650 adorned in white would have been the better choice, appearance wise, too bad it wasn’t an option at time of purchase.

Then we get to the OS itself, nothing like being on a high and something raining down on your parade, sort of how it felt. Although it is very early in the game there are signs that what I’m seeing/experiencing on my 830 exist on the 650 as well, and yes phone has been updated to latest public release build .448 (no insider), reset, and as virgin as it can get. Since we keep our phones similarly matched in regards to apps/settings the full truth of the matter won’t be told until we’ve gotten it to that point.

All in all we have no regrets up to this point and confident the 650 will trump my 830 in those areas where it’s a known fact that hardware/software issues exist for some, like the unresponsive capacitive back button, or the screen flicker/flash while on W10M.

In the end we at least still have both arms and legs (LOL) so the sacrifices were very minimal, definitely worth a try. :smile:

 

[myoujin]

I have a 650. Already using it about 5months. Good phone but no as fast as my old lumia 1520 (broken).
I have some problem with this phone.
1. Whatsapp camera very slow. After open about 5-10sec to be ready. Sometimes crash after take picture. So no picture to send.
2. New facebook apps always crash. Worse when I'm using fast ring w10. Now using release one also crash.

 

[slivy58]

I have a 650. Already using it about 5months. Good phone but no as fast as my old lumia 1520 (broken).
I have some problem with this phone.
1. Whatsapp camera very slow. After open about 5-10sec to be ready. Sometimes crash after take picture. So no picture to send.
2. New facebook apps always crash. Worse when I'm using fast ring w10. Now using release one also crash.

Now having this phone and comparing it to my 830 it is pretty obvious that the OS is the crippling factor here, think the 650 is more than a capable phone yet the operating systems poor implementation and inconsistencies hamper its functionality greatly. Said it before and we'll say it again, a very amateurish attempt by MS and they should be totally embarrassed with their efforts but they won't be. And in my opinion those excuses that it was/is Alpha, Beta, or whatever they now want to call it is total hogwash.

 

[libra89]

Now having this phone and comparing it to my 830 it is pretty obvious that the OS is the crippling factor here, think the 650 is more than a capable phone yet the operating systems poor implementation and inconsistencies hamper its functionality greatly. Said it before and we'll say it again, a very amateurish attempt by MS and they should be totally embarrassed with their efforts but they won't be. And in my opinion those excuses that it was/is Alpha, Beta, or whatever they now want to call it is total hogwash.

Glad that you got yours! I do agree with you about the OS.

 

[slivy58]

Glad that you got yours! I do agree with you about the OS.

And it got here in one piece LOL. The Otterbox does add some beef yet still feels fairly light in the hand, better safe than sorry I'd say.

 

[fatclue_98]

It makes more sense than ever with the Microsoft 12 day sale starting Monday 12/5. You can't go wrong for $79 - that's not a typo.

Check out the 12 Days of Deals from the Microsoft Store

 

[slivy58]

It makes more sense than ever with the Microsoft 12 day sale starting Monday 12/5. You can't go wrong for $79 - that's not a typo.

Check out the 12 Days of Deals from the Microsoft Store

Almost would be worth it just to have a spare battery plus you'd have a spare phone as well (battery $40ish here CAD if found), no Microsoft near me so that negates that thought :unhappy:

 

[libra89]

Almost would be worth it just to have a spare battery plus you'd have a spare phone as well (battery $40ish here CAD if found), no Microsoft near me so that negates that thought :unhappy:

Yeah the nearest MS store is an hour plus away from me. I only drive the distance to have an experience.

 

[slivy58]

Yeah the nearest MS store is an hour plus away from me. I only drive the distance to have an experience.

I head north it's 4.5-5 hours, head west it's 9 hrs (all fair weather only), so yeah you've got me feeling envious. :wink:

 

[libra89]

I head north it's 4.5-5 hours, head west it's 9 hrs (all fair weather only), so yeah you've got me feeling envious. :wink:

Wow. Yeah I wouldn't lol

 

[slivy58]

Yeah, even I am shocked that we are writing what I consider mostly a positive review for a Windows Phone :shocked: Of course we are mostly focusing on hardware here as the OS really ruins the 650's full potential IMHO.

Now having used my 650 for a good 2 solid days I must say she’s worth every penny then some. Not going to mention “what it should have” but rather “what it does have”, even at full price I’d say it comes better equipped than most phones I’ve looked at, have to remember living here in Canada our prices are considerably higher.

Think in its native form (birthday suit) it would be a tad too light for my liking and I’d be worried a strong wind would come along and blow it away haahaha. After dressing it up with an Otter it now has the perfect weight and size for me, feels vary natural in the hand and loving it.

Now the display, what can I say other than it is just amazing, bright, the colours pop, and blacks, whites, are just that. Response to touch is on par with what I’d expect yet leaps and bounds better than my 830, it’s what I’d conclude as being “normal”, still a pleasure not having to fight it.

As for the camera, from what I am seeing so far it is real good and if the 8 MP shooter on my Ativ S made me happy then the 650’s will make me even that much more happier.

Battery hasn’t caused any concern for me yet but then it’s kind of early to fully gauge. After some heavy use on second day and a total of 17+ hours we were still left with 40%, next week’s work week will be the deciding factor. And too, must be “lucky me” since none of my WPs have ever experience an excessive battery drain issues after an update so not familiar with that, touch wood. :wink:

Comparing performance to my 830 it seems zippier and smoother, whether that factual or just my imagination don’t know but we’re content thinking so LOL.

Previously I mentioned we wouldn’t have to deal with that screen flicker, flashing, or whatever the term is, as was experienced on my 830, to my astonishment and disbelief it is also present on the 650 and actually appears to be a worse case, can only blame one thing and most know what that is.

Pros:
* Price
* Display
* Cameras (both)
* Front facing speaker
* 16 GB storage
* Expandable storage
* Unlocked
* Dual-SIM
* Replaceable battery
* Size & weight
* Metal frame! (not sure how I missed that one) :grin:

Cons:
* Wait for it… OPERATING SYSTEM!!!

 

[slivy58]

Knew it was too good to be true sigh! Besides hoping for minimal snow this winter and ending up with a 12"+ dump last night, my 650 has encountered a problem that I'm pretty sure is hardware related unless someone can convince me otherwise.

So basically when the phone gets cold (was -6C here) the display becomes none-functional, or in other words will not turn on until after it has warmed up... Notifications are coming through (can hear them) and once warmed alls normal. During the first incident phone was in its holster, on my hip and under my jacket, tested it a few more times while in my jacket pocket, same results, even a brief 4-5 minutes outside will cause this to occur.

So we'll see where we go from here but definitely not good and a real downer :unhappy:

 

[Palm_forlackofchoice]

We have been that cold here in South Dakota 21 degree Fahrenheit, I can't say I have encountered that issue. I will keep eye on mine as I use it outside alot. We are expecting High temps mid week around 15 Fahrenheit.