Can't decide if I should get an Iphone5 or a Lumia 920

[deck]

I find myself in a dillema, albeit a sort of happy one.

I am looking to buy a new cell phone. I will be buying the phone off contract and at full price.

I have narrowed my choices down to a iPhone5 or a Lumia 920 and I am having a really hard time deciding which to get.

I have used Android and, while very good, I hate the fragmentation and the time it takes for updates to go out to Nexus devices (the only ones I would consider). Google and Android have screwed the pooch for maintaining a consistent experience and so I leave it be.

I have used Blackberry (I have a Torch now). Blackberry's won't be worth our time until the BB10 devices come out next year, but I'm not waiting that long. Sorry BB.

I have never been a iPhone fan, but I realize they are good phones and I've never really given them a chance.

Lumia 920 was my first choice because of Windows Phone 8 and the built in features.

BUT

Lumia 920 is getting no support from anyone, not even Nokia or Rogers (the carrier in Canada). The phone trickled out to a few people a couple of weeks ago. Then Rogers quietly 'releases' the phone on Monday, but with no inventory in the country. On Tuesday the put the phone on their public site, but you can't find it anywhere and there was no formal announcement to say 'hey... Lumia 920 is out!'. Meanwhile, I must buy the phone from Future Shop (because of some gift cards I have), and they are more clueless than Rogers (the guy I spoke to over the weekend didn't know what a Lumia was, let alone the 920).

This makes me nervous. If the carrier can't be bothered to promote and stock what is supposed to be a flagship device, then why should I want it? It suggests a lack of overall support which makes me think that jumping to Windows Phone will just leave me in oblivion, with a half supported device and a platform that may fizzle.

Meanwhile, the iPhone5 is everywhere and easy to get. It is widely supported, has many apps and is generally in a good place. But feature wise, it is not as strong as the Lumia.

So I'm confused. I've been burned by BB (my Torch was a year behind the times when I bought it at launch...) and I don't want to be left with a dying platform in my hands.

I'm looking for points of view that can help me clear this up. What about the iPhone is so great that I should get that instead of a Lumia? Is there a good reason to wait it out in the hopes that Lumias comes available and Rogers and Nokia get their act together?

Thanks for you feedback!

[articuno1au]

I don't think WP8 is going to die any time soon.

Regarding support in Canada, I couldn't possibly comment, but in a lot of countries it's getting a lot of hype.

I tried to buy one in Australia, but the primary carrier who has it has sold out of pre-orders and I'm on a waiting list :\

Beyond that, I (personally) think that the iPhone is outdated from a software sense. It feels very "samey" and they don't seem to have progressed in the last 2-3 years.

That said, it's a fully functional OS with an awesome app ecosytem. It would be a good phone, but personally I'm going the 920 :)

[Scorbing]

Dude this is very simple:

Go to the store and play with both of the display models. Play with it for a about 10 minutes. Get the feel of it then choose whichever one your gut tells you to get.

Here's a great review on both the Lumia 920 and the iPhone 5 from Mobile Tech Review:

Lumia 920 Review

Iphone 5 Review

[tanjiajun_34]

I would choose the iPhone 5

iOS (Good number of apps and games. Most important for me.)

WP8 (Not confirmed a success yet. Afraid that Microsoft would abandon WP8 phones like how they did to WP7...)

A6 CPU (I think it beats the Snapdragon S4... Not very sure however....)

PowerVR 543MP3 (Better GPU. Should be able to run all games smoothly)

Lighter weight

[Scorbing]

I would choose the iPhone 5

iOS (Good number of apps and games. Most important for me.)

WP8 (Not confirmed a success yet. Afraid that Microsoft would abandon WP8 phones like how they did to WP7...)

That right there. Microsoft has a habit of starting things and the abandoning them, leaving users in the dark. Look at Windows Mobile, Flight Simulator, Microsoft Flight, Zune Player, and list goes.

[jakem1]

I don't think the limited availability of the Lumia 920 is down to a lack of support or caring from the phone companies. Apparently stock is limited worldwide because Nokia are struggling to keep up with demand.

http://wmpoweruser.com/telstra-says-nokia-lumia-920-demand-beyond-amazing-globally-higher-than-expected/

You might have to be patient if you want one.

[jerzdawg]

Think different. Go with the 920. I honestly dont think you can go wrong with either choice. Both are great phones, obviously with the iphone you have the support of a great app store. With the 920 you certainly will love the fluidness (if thats even a word) of it.

[DKAngel]

id go the lumia =]

[Ambroos]

I'd go for the iPhone 5. I was sitting next to someone with one on the bus yesterday and that thing is FAST. The apps are amazing too, if you come from Android you'll be disappointed by the amount of apps on WP8 and you'll love the quality of apps on iOS.

I still think Windows Phone isn't the most interesting platform simply due to lack of apps. When it gets better it'll be viable, but right now it simply isn't.

(PS: I have a pretty fast Android phone and it doesn't even come close to the iPhone 5 in terms of smoothness.)

[Scorbing]

I don't think the limited availability of the Lumia 920 is down to a lack of support or caring from the phone companies. Apparently stock is limited worldwide because Nokia are struggling to keep up with demand.

http://wmpoweruser.c...-than-expected/

You might have to be patient if you want one.

You misunderstood. We are not talking about the 920 not being available because of lack of support, what we are saying is that Microsoft might decide out of the blue one day to abandon Windows phone like they did with the last two and leave the users in the dark because it doesn't attract the millions of people they expect it to attract. I don't know. We'll see. I'm not jumping ship to it until I see results. I stopped trusting Microsoft after they closed down the Flight Simulator series and fooled me into getting Microsoft Flight and buying planes for it and then end it all 2 months later. Not cool.

[jakem1]

You misunderstood. We are not talking about the 920 not being available because of lack of support, what we are saying is that Microsoft might decide out of the blue one day to abandon Windows phone like they did with the last two and leave the users in the dark because it doesn't attract the millions of people they expect it to attract. I don't know. We'll see. I'm not jumping ship to it until I see results. I stopped trusting Microsoft after they closed down the Flight Simulator series and fooled me into getting Microsoft Flight and buying planes for it and then end it all 2 months later. Not cool.

No, you misunderstood. I was referring to the OP's concerns, not your assumptions. Personally I don't think there's any reason to be concerned about WP being dropped as it's far too important a product for Microsoft. Comparing it to a niche game that was popular with a tiny number of people in 1995 makes no sense.

Personally I'd go for the Lumia as the iPhone is yesterday's product, lacks innovation and looks and feels seriously stale.

[deck]

No, you misunderstood. I was referring to the OP's concerns, not your assumptions. Personally I don't think there's any reason to be concerned about WP being dropped as it's far too important a product for Microsoft. Comparing it to a niche game that was popular with a tiny number of people in 1995 makes no sense.

Personally I'd go for the Lumia as the iPhone is yesterday's product, lacks innovation and looks and feels seriously stale.

I'm not worried about MS dropping WP8. The reason why they dropped WP7 is because the fundamentals of the OS were old. They wanted to transition to a kernel that is based on Windows 8, which necessitated a platform shift. I don't foresee them changing WP again for a long time. But I agree that they are more likely to change more often than Apple.

That said, and this is pure speculation, we're at iOS6 now? Sooner or later Apply might decide they need to redo the OS from the ground up, leaving the old iPhone users in the lurch.