Which Windows Phone to buy?  

43 members have voted

  1. 1. Which Windows Phone to buy?

    • HTC One M8 for Windows Phone
    • Nokia Lumia 930
    • Other (please comment)


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Hello,

 

Right now I have been playing with the HTC One M8 to replace my Nokia Lumia 920 and here are the differences I noted so far:

 

  • The HTC is not as wide as the 920 and fits better in my pocket; although not by much since I uses cases on both (was trying HTC's Dot Case).
  • The HTC has a MicroSDXC slot which supports up to 128GB MicroSDCX cards.
  • The HTC's metal body feels solid.  Just as good as the 920's body.
  • The HTC's screen quality is pretty good.  Black level isn't as good as the 920's, though.  It's nice to have a real HD display.
  • No wireless charging on the HTC, available via aftermarket cases and charging elements, but they block the USB port when in use.
  • Far less HTC exclusive apps in the app market
  • No dedicated camera button on the HTC
  • Probably not going to get OS updates + dev builds as fast/often as with the Lumia line...
  • Button and port placement seems a little odd after using two generations of Nokia Lumia's (900, 920).

Would be happy to answer any other questions you might have...

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

Voted 930 because,

- OneM8 camera is bad compared to 930

- HTC's post sale support has been terrible, especially for Windows Phone

- 930 is not a re-purposed Android

This^^

 

If HTC's support is anything like Samsung (I have a Samsung ATIV issued from my work), the M8 won't get any WP updates. Samsung still hasn't pushed out the WP 8.1 update for the ATIV and it's NOVEMBER already.

Wow... what a plot twist.  I bought a 930, used it for a week, played with an 830 when it came out and decided to get an 830.  So far it's working great!  Anyone want to buy a 930 in great condition?

Wow... what a plot twist.  I bought a 930, used it for a week, played with an 830 when it came out and decided to get an 830.  So far it's working great!  Anyone want to buy a 930 in great condition?

What made you go with 830 over 930? (especially given higher specs of 930 on all counts)
  • Like 1

What made you go with 830 over 930? (especially given higher specs of 930 on all counts)

Well, that's the thing.  I was originally wowed by the specs on the 930.  However, the 930 definitely felt bulkier in the hand (of course, it's a beast).  But once I started playing with the 830 I realized it just felt better holding it.  I tried to put it through its paces in the store as much as I could and didn't really see any difference in speed or lag.  The camera has half as many pixels, but I was used to the 920, and I've taken pictures with both 930 and 830 and can't tell the difference.  The screen is 720 vs 1080 but again, I can't see the difference when I'm using the phone.  It has 16GB vs 32GB on the 930 but it also support SD cards so I plopped my 32GB SD card and now have 48GB.  Battery life over the past couple days has been good.  Now one thing I did notice about the 930, which I was hoping I wouldn't when I got it, was the speed I get here in the US, which is HSPA+ (roughly a 2-3Mbit download speed).  I frequently get emails with attachments I need to open and it was definitely slow opening attachments.  The 830 has LTE (25-30Mbit speeds) so opening the same attachment is much much quicker.  I also tether my Surface 3 frequently and while I hadn't with the 930 I imagine this speed difference will be more apparent when I tether.

Well, that's the thing.  I was originally wowed by the specs on the 930.  However, the 930 definitely felt bulkier in the hand (of course, it's a beast).  But once I started playing with the 830 I realized it just felt better holding it.  I tried to put it through its paces in the store as much as I could and didn't really see any difference in speed or lag.  The camera has half as many pixels, but I was used to the 920, and I've taken pictures with both 930 and 830 and can't tell the difference.  The screen is 720 vs 1080 but again, I can't see the difference when I'm using the phone.  It has 16GB vs 32GB on the 930 but it also support SD cards so I plopped my 32GB SD card and now have 48GB.  Battery life over the past couple days has been good.  Now one thing I did notice about the 930, which I was hoping I wouldn't when I got it, was the speed I get here in the US, which is HSPA+ (roughly a 2-3Mbit download speed).  I frequently get emails with attachments I need to open and it was definitely slow opening attachments.  The 830 has LTE (25-30Mbit speeds) so opening the same attachment is much much quicker.  I also tether my Surface 3 frequently and while I hadn't with the 930 I imagine this speed difference will be more apparent when I tether.

Much appreciated. I am considering both as a replacement for my aging 920 as well. My phone's camera is more important to me which also makes its CPU/GPU an important factor. I don't really care about other specs (think 720p screens are more than enough).

Glad to know 830 holding up given its inferior chipset.

Do you notice better multi-tasking on 930 due to 2GB RAM? (I think W8.1's multi-tasking model is long due for an upgrade)

Much appreciated. I am considering both as a replacement for my aging 920 as well. My phone's camera is more important to me which also makes its CPU/GPU an important factor. I don't really care about other specs (think 720p screens are more than enough).Glad to know 830 holding up given its inferior chipset.Do you notice better multi-tasking on 930 due to 2GB RAM? (I think W8.1's multi-tasking model is long due for an upgrade)

Who's phone are you calling inferior? :P

The biggest lag I've seen in WP8.1 has been in switching back to Skype. The 830 is lightning quick compared to the 920 and on par with the 930. Also since the 830 has Denim on it the camera is super quick.

Who's phone are you calling inferior? :p

The biggest lag I've seen in WP8.1 has been in switching back to Skype. The 830 is lightning quick compared to the 920 and on par with the 930. Also since the 830 has Denim on it the camera is super quick.

 

Ha!

I think Skype is a lost cause as a metro app. They either don't care or are incompetent. Their UI has gotten worse even in the desktop app with latest update. The WP app model feels outdated because of how long the apps

 

 

How do the 830 and 930 compare when it comes to photo quality in daily usage (daytime, low light, with flash etc.)?

(Feel free to bail out on this thread if you feel I am dragging this out but I find real life experiences better than reviews)

Hello,

 

Right now I have been playing with the HTC One M8 to replace my Nokia Lumia 920 and here are the differences I noted so far:

 

  • The HTC is not as wide as the 920 and fits better in my pocket; although not by much since I uses cases on both (was trying HTC's Dot Case).
  • The HTC has a MicroSDXC slot which supports up to 128GB MicroSDCX cards.
  • The HTC's metal body feels solid.  Just as good as the 920's body.
  • The HTC's screen quality is pretty good.  Black level isn't as good as the 920's, though.  It's nice to have a real HD display.
  • No wireless charging on the HTC, available via aftermarket cases and charging elements, but they block the USB port when in use.
  • Far less HTC exclusive apps in the app market
  • No dedicated camera button on the HTC
  • Probably not going to get OS updates + dev builds as fast/often as with the Lumia line...
  • Button and port placement seems a little odd after using two generations of Nokia Lumia's (900, 920).

Would be happy to answer any other questions you might have...

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

I've had three DP updates since getting my M8.

Voted 930 because,

- OneM8 camera is bad compared to 930

- HTC's post sale support has been terrible, especially for Windows Phone

- 930 is not a re-purposed Android

No, its a rebadged old Nokia Icon.  Nothing like rebadging a phone and releasing it as new.

I've had three DP updates since getting my M8.

No, its a rebadged old Nokia Icon.  Nothing like rebadging a phone and releasing it as new.

You are confused. Icon is 930 and 930 is Icon. They branded it especially for Verizon.

I went from a 920 - 930 few months ago.  Really like the phone.  Only experience I have had with the One is the Android version and I presume it has same build quality and it does seem very nice.  I like how solid the 930 feels in the hand.  You mention that if you went with the Lumia you would not have LTE, Is that down to your network or does the American version not have LTE?  I only ask as I have LTE but I am in UK so maybe we have a different version.  The phone is fast and so far it has not crashed on me.

 

When I bought it it had a wireless charger in the box which is nice.  Glance is not available on the 930.

 

I agree with you that the HTC One looks nice and I also like their designs.  But they seem slow with updating on Android and Windows.  So at least with Nokia/Microsoft you get those updates pretty quick.

Hi, I'm thinking about doing the same thing, switching from 920 to 930 but I do have some questions. Is there a noticeable difference in performance between the two? I think my 920 is already reasonably fast, but when you start using 3rd party apps the performance is not really consistent in my experience. Maybe due to outdated specs. But the 930 is more recent so I'm wondering if it's worth upgrading.

Windows Central just came out with this article: AT&T Lumia 830 vs HTC One for Windows ? Which you should get

 

Bear in mind this is for US, since the 930 isn't available here officially.

 

Baji, I will be testing out the camera and let you know.  I'm also curious about it.

Arguing semantics really but yes the Icon was first and the 930 is basically just a world wide version of that.

My original reply was in context to the post where I said OneM8 is re-purposed Android (hardware). So semantics yes, but Icon can't be re-purposed 930 (or vice versa) because it is the same thing. That was my point really.

You said Icon is rebadged 930 but IIRC Icon launched before 930.

No I didnt.  I said the 930 is a rebadged Icon.

 

Go read it again.

My original reply was in context to the post where I said OneM8 is re-purposed Android (hardware). So semantics yes, but Icon can't be re-purposed 930 (or vice versa) because it is the same thing. That was my point really.

So if the hardware used with another OS, its not OK, but if it is the same OS and same hardware, then its fine to reuse, just simply rebadge and call new?

 

Ok....

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