![]() |
#1 |
Groupie
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 165
Karma: 491236
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Glasgow
Device: Libra 2, Clara 2e, Oasis 3
|
Which Lumia?
I hope this is the best place to post this. I'm looking to buy a new phone and I'm wanting to try Windows as an alternative to Android. I already have an Android tablet (which I love!) and have had Android phones up until now. I can get a few cheap deals on an entry level Windows phone at the moment and am looking to pick one up to see how I like it compared with the Android one I have at the moment. The options I have are the Lumia 530 at £40, the 630 at £55, and the 635 at £70. I only really need to be able to call and text, use messaging apps/Facebook messaging, and maybe use Google maps or some equivalent, plus an ereading app, but I see the Kindle app is available in the Windows store, so that would do for the majority of my phone-based reading (a small percentage compared to on my ereader/tablet). I do hope this is an okay place to ask about this!
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#2 | |
monkey on the fringe
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 45,746
Karma: 158575914
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Seattle Metro
Device: Moto E6, Echo Show
|
Quote:
Microsoft doesn't use anything Google, so no Google Maps. The Lumia uses different maps. I'll let someone else talk about that, because I don't use the map feature. Go to the appstore and make sure you can get the apps you require. The store is very small when compared to Apple and Google. Looking over your post, it appears you should be able to get what you want, but check anyway. Why did I get the 520? Because it cost me $10 and it's an excellent music and Audible player. Also, the 4" display makes it easy to put in my pocket and the speaker is very loud for such a small device. |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#3 | |
Groupie
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 165
Karma: 491236
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Glasgow
Device: Libra 2, Clara 2e, Oasis 3
|
Quote:
I'm glad it's an excellent music and Audible player as I would find that a useful bonus! 4-4.5" is about the maximum size I would consider in a phone for myriad reasons. $10 is incredibly cheap though! I liked the look of the 520 but it would cost me £60 refurbished at cheapest. The 630 is looking like the winner at the moment as the price the midpoint between the other two options and I'd be willing to sacrifice 4G (I almost never have that strong a 4G signal anyway). The 530 looks nice, but has smaller storage and I've seen a couple of reviews point out that it feels "cheaper" compared to the 630. |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#4 | |
monkey on the fringe
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 45,746
Karma: 158575914
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Seattle Metro
Device: Moto E6, Echo Show
|
Quote:
![]() The reason it was $10 was because Amazon had a sale on it for $20 and I had a free $10 credit from them. I almost didn't get it, but I'm very glad I did. I placed a 64GB mSD card in mine. I plan to load it up with audiobooks, music, and a few cartoons. On my 520, I deleted a bunch of the pre-loaded apps and placed most of the others onto my mSD card. By doing that, I have about 4.5GB of internal storage available. I strongly recommend getting a mSD card. The phones you're considering will take up to 128GB. That's quite a bit of storage, not to mention expensive. Amazon frequently has 32GB and 64GB mSD cards on sale. Personally, I don't consider any device with less than 8GB of storage; and then it must have a mSD card at that level. If there isn't a mSD card, then I won't get anything less than 16-32GB depending on its use. |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#5 |
No Comment
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 3,240
Karma: 23878043
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Australia
Device: Kobo: Not just an eReader, it's an adventure!
|
I got a 530 about a month ago (local seller had a 60% off sale), and I love it.
It's a good size, I can read on it (once I found decent software), and it works well as a phone (something my previous Andriod phone didn't do). The Windows Phone makes a lot more sense than the Android Phone, and is pretty easy to use. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#6 | ||
Groupie
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 165
Karma: 491236
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Glasgow
Device: Libra 2, Clara 2e, Oasis 3
|
Quote:
Quote:
|
||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#7 |
Ex-Helpdesk Junkie
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 19,421
Karma: 85400180
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity
Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)
|
It has been indicated to me that the Kindle for WP8 app is not very featureful compared to other platforms -- for instance, you cannot sync Personal Documents through send-to-Kindle. The handful of other reading apps also don't seem to be very strong compared to the available Android/iOS offerings.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#8 | ||
No Comment
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 3,240
Karma: 23878043
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Australia
Device: Kobo: Not just an eReader, it's an adventure!
|
Quote:
You may be able to use some form of SD card clone software for this, though. Quote:
And, of course the quality is going to be less, it is a cheaper phone. It really depends on what you are going to be using it for. What I found interesting is that the reviews I read about the 530, before I bought it, never mentioned how it operated as a phone. |
||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#9 |
Grand Sorcerer
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 9,707
Karma: 32763414
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Krewerd
Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
|
I'd go for the 630. Simply because it has some better stats than the 530. The 635 is only worth it if you actually have a 4G subscription.
About the maps, Lumia Maps is awesome. You can download the maps you want to use offline, for free, and even have a very good turn-by-turn navigation all built in, using the same maps, all without having to use your data connection (if you download them using wifi, naturally). I tried to use the google map offline once, on my android tablet, I never got it to work, so I can't describe the difference (except my Lumia one works, and the google one didn't ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#10 |
Groupie
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 174
Karma: 464618
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Germany
Device: Kindle Oasis 2
|
Microsoft has released a new Lumia 435 recently.
It should be coming out soon (however this might be depending on the country you are from). If you want to get a 4 inch phone I would probably consider this one. The reason is that it has 1GB of RAM (compared to the 512MB all the phones mentioned in this thread so far). This makes it a bit more future proof in my opinion especially considering that at the end of this year Windows 10 is released. I know MS said that every phone running 8.x will get Windows 10, but they also said that especially the lower end ones will miss features. I got myself a Lumia 730 recently. Bit bigger, but the best phone I ever head ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#11 |
Groupie
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 165
Karma: 491236
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Glasgow
Device: Libra 2, Clara 2e, Oasis 3
|
Caved and ended up with the 630. I only got it this morning so my use of it has been limited, but so far I'm mightily impressed. I'm coming off a slightly better specced Android phone (the Moto G 4G) but there are some things impressing me about the Lumia straight away. First of all - it's snappy as anything. Even when it hits a loading screen, you don't feel like it's stuttering at all. Secondly, the screen isn't quite as clear as the Moto G, but it looks well enough and I rather like the "tone" of the colours in it, so to speak. Overall, I just like the aesthetic of it. I've tried the Kindle app, and it's okay. For all I'll actually use it for reading, it'll probably get the job done. I've obviously given up on 4G by picking this model, but I'm very rarely out of reach of Wifi, and most of the places where I don't have Wifi, I also wouldn't have 4G signal.
A bargain at £55, I think! |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#12 |
Grand Sorcerer
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posts: 9,707
Karma: 32763414
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Krewerd
Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
|
Yes, that's where the difference is mostly, the screen. The more expensive models have a better screen (and a better soc and more memory, but that's also required if you want to have the same performance on a larger screen...)
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
![]() |
||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Nokia Lumia 520 | Blossom | Windows Devices | 255 | 08-16-2016 04:13 AM |
Nokia apologises for 'faked' Lumia smartphone advert | alanHd | News | 1 | 09-06-2012 09:32 AM |