Anyone Else Liking Windows Phone?

[robert k]

I'm back in the US on business and wanted a more (jeans) pocket friendly phone than my giant Huawei mediapad X1 so I picked up a cheap Nokia Lumia 635 for $45, the T-Mobile variant with wifi calling. I found I liked Windows 8.1 (Cyan) and while the phone is solid and boasts LTE the 5MP camera is lackluster , has no flash and no front facing camera for calls like Skype although the program is preloaded in the phone. 1.2 ghz quad core, my model has 512MB of ram and runs extremely smooth.

 

Simply put, the operation of this phone is smooth and fluid after I deleted most of the apps I didn't want which is easy to do and highly recommended because the 8GB rom is half gone at startup. Taking advise from online, I installed a micro SD card and did a hard reset of the phone as soon as it initiated, updated and became ready to use. As the phone  was setting itself up again, it noted that there was an SD card installed and asked me to specify where I would prefer pictures, video, music and apps to go and at this point, if you have Windows phone it would be a good idea to install everything that will to the SD card to save the phones ROM because some apps are not allowed to be placed on the SD card (up to 128GB). I believe the hard reset aids in the stability and smoothness of operation and I would do it before I even left the store if I were buying from a brick and mortar shop. 

 

Apps. I had used Android phones for some time because they were versatile and had many choices in apps. Looking back though, I only kept a couple of apps that I downloaded. Most I deleted because they didn't work very well on my device or didn't suit my needs. Windows phone 8.1 has provided all the apps I need plus a couple that I didn't know I needed until I saw them such as office lens which does a remarkable job of cleaning up a photograph of some receipts I tested it on. I am amazed that it can make them more legible than looking directly at the receipt! Can also be made into PDF and e-mailed. This is a handy tool. I have a friend who has been doing this for years on an Iphone but that cost slightly more than $45.

 

From the home screen, swipe from right to left and anything that is not on the home screen can be found organized alphabetically in a long list. Some might complain about this but I like it compared to swiping through several screens looking for icons and quite frequently overlooking the one I'm looking for, lost in the crowd.

 

Battery life has been great, 2 days with wifi on.

 

I was skeptical about Cortana "Your personal assistant". I had an old Virgin Mobile K9 years ago and if I told it to call someone, you never knew what it would do. Later I tried Google Now on my Android phones and it didn't work quite well enough for me to want to use it, due I think to voice recognition problems. I expected I would have to turn Cortana off also but I have been pleasantly surprised. Cortana understands my voice, "fetches" very well and tells a joke now and then. Unexpected in a low end phone.

 

The quality of the 4.5 inch screen is much better than you might think hearing that it is only 220 ppi. It looks better than quarter hi def screens of 4.5 inches I have seen on quality phones which were not bad themselves.

 

This phone can be loud if you want it to be. If you were any kind of trigger puller or even just an old deuce and a half driver in the military, you can appreciate that in a phone.

 

Very pleased with my $45 purchase, I started thinking (which as anyone who knows me will tell can be hazardous) and I wondered what the next step up phone would be like? Yes I bought the Microsoft Lumia 640 (no longer Nokia) which has a 5 inch 720p screen, 8MP camera with flash, a front facing 0.9MP camera, large 2,500mah battery and runs on Windows phone 8.1 second update called Denim. 1.2ghz quad core and unlike the Lumia 635, it has 1GB of ram, camera flash, supposedly some kind of equalizer app and a live customizable screen when the phone is idle which came with the denim update (that my T-Mobile variant 635 has not got and may not ever get).....and while still smooth, does not run as smooth as the 635 even though it has twice the ram. Maybe it is the screen resolution. The 8MP camera of the 640 is better than the 635 5MP and the 640 has flash and a front facing camera. Both are good devices in my opinion. Both have LTE here in the US and I think it may work with some providers in the Philippines, they both probably will give HSPA+ fast 3G if you have that signal in your area. The Microsoft Lumia 640 set me back $59 plus tax as it is an AT&T GoPhone which since I had never been an AT&T customer, they sent me the unlock code in just 48 hours, just for the asking online. Tip: f you buy one of these get it unlocked before activating it even if you are going to use some form of AT&T or one of their subsidiaries because you will have to be with them for 6 months in good standing to get it unlocked under those circumstances. Once it is unlocked, you can still use the phone with AT&T if you so desire.

 

I found that I could get the 640 GoPhone on Amazon.com for $48 now.

 

Both phones were easy to remove the bloatware, no rooting needed.

 

If I could only have one, I would choose the 640 as it has a nicer screen,, flash for the better main camera, front facing camera although I'm not into selfies. The 640 isn't much larger than the 635, possibly 6mm or 1/4 inch wider and 5/8 or 16mm longer. Another thing the 640 has in it's favor is an oleophobic coating on the screen, it rejects oil much better than the uncoated screen of the 635, for which I bought a tempered glass screen protector for the 635 which the screen protector has such a coating. You might think it wouldn't bother you to have to wipe it often but it does me. The 635 is typical Nokia low end phone in that it is "chunky" and feels solid and is constructed in such a manner that it very well could survive being dropped unless you were unlucky. The 640 doesn't look or feel as rugged. Both phones lack the dedicated camera shutter key of some Nokia phones. I think that would have been a nice addition although neither have really fantastic cameras.

 

The 640 having the Denim update is upgradeable to Windows 10 Mobile. I'm on the fence whether I want to try that or not. Just about every 635 has the Denim update except for T-Mobile phones which are still on Cyan which works fine but limits your choice to upgrade and misses a few bells and wistles when the phone is idle. Both have the live tiles which I like.

 

This has been my review of two phones, thoughts, tips. Disclosure! I own no stock in Microsoft and will not buy any! I recommend you not buy any either based on the current line of phones and the fact that Microsoft is working with hardware manufacturers to make computers that will not run or run well with any system but windows 10. I think that will backfire. I don't think many people are going to be willing to buy the flagship windows phones. At that price range, I don't believe there is enough interest.

 

Anyone else out there liking windows phone?

[Crocodile]

I have a Nokia Lumia 1020 which I really like.

You have pretty much covered off all of the same things I would say about the phone.  I have had it for about 12 months and it performs well, with the battery life still giving a couple of days between recharges.

 

It has a 41MP camera which is awesome and was one of the major reasons I purchased the phone.  The apps are sufficient and I like using Excel with it. 

 

I have been looking at one of the dual sim Windows Phones and a 640 would be a good choice.

 

I have used the Lumia 950 - it has a 20MP camera and everything about it is alot better feel than the 1020 (lighter, thinner, better display, etc).  It will probably be my next phone, when they get a little cheaper than A$700.

[mogo51]

'Beam him up Scotty', 'go to Mach 5 Mr Spock'.  

'no rooting need. I wish I had one'  --- Me Too!!!!

 

And I thought you just swiped the green button and said hello!  thanks for report.  If my Samsung S4 (which I got off a mate) dies an goes to heaven, I will get one for sure (but only if the fix up the 'rooting'

[HikiSpray]

Well I like the Windows phone OS, my phones have been (with WP): Lumia 800, 920, 1020, 930 and now the 950 XL. I usually buy a new one every year, and my old ones go to my mother in law or brother in law, in the Philippines, they seem to be happy about it. :)

 

I have had android phones but I just don't like the OS, same with IOS (iPhone).

Never felt that I had any apps missing on windows phone, but I'm not a heavy social network user either, I just use it for browsing, calling, texting and taking pictures.