Windows Phone (Lumia 950 or 950XL)

• 

  ozhunter on 09/12/2015 - 03:20

  +1

  Try formatting your Z3

  I only use my phone for general browsing, youtube, music and a bit of gaming (RR3).

  You could have done that from the start with any smartphone. Although there is no official Youtube app on Windows.
  All smartphones can watch videos, listen to music, browse the net, take pictures, and play games. The main difference is the apps. Windows Phone doesn't even have official(and non beta) Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube, and most Google apps.

  Before moving to another platform, check if you use any must have apps.

  • 

    ozeebee on 09/12/2015 - 07:20

    Cheers Ozhunter

    But formatting my phone will end up me having to re-install the apps one by one. If I do a backup then format, then won't that bring me to the same situation that I'm in now with the bugs?

    Well that is the reason why I haven't been convinced yet, the app store of Windows is lacking massively.

• 

  peterhoz on 09/12/2015 - 04:26

  Been using WP since v8.0, after moving from Android. It has all the apps I need, many so-called must-have apps are simply shells to the mobile site anyway. And on WP, unlike other systems, you can pin web pages & sites to the home screen. Often the mobile website is more full-featured and more user-friendly than the app anyway (Fairfax/Age/SMH I'm looking at you!). I use instagram, Westpac, NAB, ING Direct, lastpass, and many others.

  Youtube for example - why use an app when, not only can you use m.youtube.com, but that then allows you to use the built-in sharing to facebook, twitter, email, messaging, skype, and also to 3rd party apps such as viber, whatsapp, etc. The app limits sharing to services google allows, excluding messaging, skype, whatsapp & viber, plus you then have to log into them (twitter etc) again.

  The only main app missing is snapchat - there is an instagram app and a new universal one is not far away (universal apps run & scale to both mobile & desktop/tablet automatically).

  Don't forget that the Lumias are arguably the best cameras you'll find in a phone, especially in low light. Download the original pics here including a side by side comparison (girl in cafe) with the Samsung Galaxy 6S0(click the photos to view the original - click again if your browser still shrinks them to fit):
  https://blogs.windows.com/devices/2015/10/15/camera-magic-on…

  Expansys Australia currently has the 950XL for AU$934.99 with free delivery get an extra US$10 off (approx $13) using coupon XMAS-10-OFF, plus get 1.66%-2.49% off with pricepal (contact me for a referral link for an extra $5 off). All up mine cost $902 delivered, which is cheaper than getting it delivered from overseas!

  • 

    ProspectiveDarkness on 09/12/2015 - 04:48

    And on WP, unlike other systems, you can pin web pages & sites to the home screen

    You can do this on both Android and iOS…

    Download the original pics here including a side by side comparison

    I'm not really sure a blog post on 'blogs.windows.com', written by the director of phone cameras at Microsoft, is a particularly unbiased source for comparisons.

  • 

    ozhunter on 09/12/2015 - 06:55

    It has all the apps I need, many so-called must-have apps are simply shells to the mobile site anyway
    Often the mobile website is more full-featured and more user-friendly than the app anyway

    Apps are much nicer to use than the website, which is why they make the apps. Though Windows apps are usually less refined and sub par compare to iOS/Android so I understand why you think the mobile site is better. Also if you do prefer the mobile site to some apps, you can also go on it with iOS or Android.

    And on WP, unlike other systems, you can pin web pages & sites to the home screen

    Android does this

    Youtube for example - why use an app when, not only can you use m.youtube.com, but that then allows you to use the built-in sharing to facebook, twitter, email, messaging, skype, and also to 3rd party apps such as viber, whatsapp, etc. The app limits sharing to services google allows, excluding messaging, skype, whatsapp & viber, plus you then have to log into them (twitter etc) again.

    Incorrect.

    Sharing on Youtube https://www.dropbox.com/s/a0dwgrd5fh4l2t4/Screenshot_2015-12…
    Sharing on Whatsapp https://www.dropbox.com/s/ziresw2rhjwav01/Screenshot_2015-12…

    The only main app missing is snapchat - there is an instagram app and a new universal one is not far away

    Instagram is still in beta. Youtube and a lot of other Google apps are missing. If you use any of Google services, you likely wouldn't want to buy a Windows phone.

    Don't forget that the Lumias are arguably the best cameras you'll find in a phone, especially in low light

    Arguably is correct. Better to check youtube for comparisons.

    Though I wouldn't just look at one site for battery reviews and it's probably a bug, but the Lumia 950 and 950XL get a really crap score on gsmarena for battery life http://www.gsmarena.com/microsoft_lumia_950_and_lumia_950_xl…

  • 

    ozeebee on 09/12/2015 - 07:23

    I like Windows 10 on my PC and would love to get it on mobile as well. I don't use Snapchat so that's a non issue I guess. Instagram for example, how long has that app been in beta mode? Will the devs even bother doing a proper app or will they just forget Windows completely?

    $900 is not bad for a flagship phone. But the issue always boil down to comparison with Apple and Android pricing. How can Windows justify charging that much if they can't offer the same level of service the other two provides.

  • 

    iridiumstem on 09/12/2015 - 10:23

    Expansys I believe sells grey import products.

• 

  lost69 on 09/12/2015 - 07:06

  CBAs Windows Phone app is from 2013. They spent a billion on tech. They don't care just like most other app devs. And as has been mentioned apps that are there are mostly sloppy seconds when it comes to ports. And $1K for a plastic phone. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA:

  http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/11/lumia-950-review-wind…

  Microsoft doesn't care, app devs don't care. You want basic usage buy a basic $100 Lollipop Android phone.

  • 

    ozeebee on 09/12/2015 - 07:24

    I guess you missed the part where I'm having issues with my Android device hence the question?

    I feel Android offers the best of both worlds at the moment when it comes to usability and amount of apps available.

    • 

      lost69 on 09/12/2015 - 10:30

      Rubbish Sony. Buy a G4 then.

• 

  iridiumstem on 09/12/2015 - 07:21

  +1

  I've used Windows Phone 8, 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile. My old device was Lumia 925. I've moved onto Galaxy S4 Active (because my brother wasn't using it and I wanted to try what was the fuss with Android) and I've stayed on Android ever since (my current device is Galaxy S6, it was given to me as a b-day present). I've even recommend Lumia 925 to my gf, who've used it till this year, she've moved to Android as well.

  I personally consider myself as a tech geek, I tend to look at the rumours far more than other people would because I find them really interesting. I've used all 3 OSs though my experiences with iOS is far less (My gf's iPhone 4s when Lumia 925 was broken for about a month and I take care of my mother's iPhone 6 because she doesn't know anything about phones). I'd even argue that I probably spent more money on MS side (considering I have bought Surface Pro 1, which has been replaced with SP3 by MS, and a Lumia phone)

  So I personally think I wouldn't be a biased person per se. Though that said, this is just my personal opinion.

  Whether app gap do exist or not would depend. I personally argue that there is. The big problem with WP apps was, the gap manifests not only in quantity, but in quality. App developers tend to not care about WP too much. For example, KakaoTalk was one of the big reason why I was asked by my parents to grab a smartphone (yes, I am from Korea). Half the features (I am being generous here, many people would say most) were not there compared to Android and iOS version. My gf uses WeChat, she moved because WeChat wasn't working properly on WP.

  Another problem is, despite what people tend to say, I personally found WP to be not perfect. USB OTG features were missing, bluetooth keyboard did not work, there were several features that I found to be missing (ironically too since WP OS is flaunted by many as a office phone). I will tell you that these have remedied on Windows 10 Mobile, but yeah, WP OS is not perfect like some people are making them out to be. The fact that WP OS is tightly locked and have less apps that does anything to tweak functionality of the phone than Android doesn't help. For example, none of my phones had gesture support (pinch on start menu for blah or double swipe for bleh etc) out of the box. You can get Nova Launcher Prime or you can look for custom ROMs on Android. On Lumia 925, I think there are not much options, other than possibly talking to MS for that feature.

  Lastly, I personally don't think Windows Phone have reached its maturity. Why? x86 phone isn't still here yet. There has been rumours and rumours of an Windows Phone that runs on x86 processor (i.e. Intel Atom CPU or something similar). I personally see this Continuum as a filler before the rumoured Surface Phone with Intel processor (which, I will emphasise, is a rumoured one) arrives. Universal apps in my opinion were too late to the party, if they were available when Atom tablets were booming (i.e. from Intel trying to seize some market share in mobile market by dumping their products on the market making loss on them), I personally think it would be different. It's really hard to find an universal app that works on Windows tablet (i.e. my Surface Pro 3), because none of them bloody work on my tablet.

  I am going for a morning stroll, might edit this later or add more in (since I think even now it's a fairly long read), might even add tl;dr.

  • 

    ozeebee on 09/12/2015 - 07:34

    When is the rumoured release date of the Surface phone? I guess even when that comes out, if the developers never build any apps for it then it's still on the same stage as it is now.

    Does anyone else actually install the endless updates on all the Android apps? It's eating up my internal memory. I already have all photos and videos saved to the SD card but the phone still struggles to have enough internal memory.

    • 

      iridiumstem on 09/12/2015 - 08:47

      Next year, the rumour suggests that the idea is in infancy (i.e. they can scrap it any time).

      Also for your problem, I'd probably check how much of that is cache, delete them. (http://www.androidauthority.com/how-to-clear-cache-android-5…) I'd probably factory reset, to see whether that solves the problem you have (with the apps). I've just read what you've asked Ozhunter about, Google does allow you to reinstall apps from the backup, I don't think the app data backup was comprehensive enough for it to get you the bugs you have. Also, I think you can choose not to restore app data. I am not certain on this, it's been a while since I did a complete reset. What I am certain on is you can choose to not sync/back up your app data.

      Marshmellow, I heard, added an option that allows users to use SD card storage like internal storage. Sony is good with updates, so yeah.

      I think I was being too harsh on Windows Phone now I read my wall of texts, I tend to be far more cynical in the mornings.

      The cause of the problem I see for Windows Phone is (in my opinion), MS do not take it as seriously as they should. They are at least a generation behind what they should've done, in my opinion (and here is the link to the rant I gave on the subject). That said, I personally think Windows Phone still has the biggest potential, just from the sheer number of people who uses Windows PC (though, it is being wasted at the moment, in my opinion).

• 

  oak on 09/12/2015 - 08:57

  Some people in here are obvious Windows phones fan, others either hate it, or have bought into the app gap myth (kinda).

  Although there is no first party YouTube app, there are many equal or better 3rd party apps. I use TubeCast as it let me cast from WP10 to AppleTV, Chromecast, DLNA etc

  6tag is just as good, if not better, than a first party Instagram app.

  The real myth is that you need a first party app - often the 3rd partys are just as good or better.

  However, if you use Snapchat or require a specialist app only available on iOS or Android, don't get WP, use the platform with your app. Some apps definitely arent on Windows Phone. Just like there is a (smaller) difference between availability on iOS/ Android. And some apps are worse - but do your research.

  I you gmail flawlessly in Outlook on my phone for mail, contacts and calendar - the google app reliancy is greatly exaggerated.

  The interface on Windows Phone is refreshingly smooth - even on cheap devices - compared to Android lag. Live tiles are great if you spend a little time setting them up. Integration with Cortana and Windows 10 pcs is really good. I can type an SMS and send it from my laptop now - cortana connects to my phone to actually send the SMS.

  I really like my windows phone, and I like WP10… but you need to check it will do what you need.
  General browsing, youtube, music and a bit of gaming? - sure it does all that well, and is getting better.

  • 

    ozhunter on 09/12/2015 - 13:50

    There definitely is an app gap. Facebook just recently got out of beta.

    There are 3rd party apps as there are on iOS and Android, but if you want to use official ones, you wouldn't buy a Windows phone.

    You don't need Google apps but if you do use want to use their apps, you also wouldn't want to buy a Windows phone.

• 

  ozeebee on 09/12/2015 - 20:00

  It seems the general consensus so far is that if you already own a Windows phone, then you are happy with it and can live with what's on offer at the moment.

  For others, there's still a lot of room for improvement. Which for Microsoft if a massive opportunity if they take the mobile business serious enough. How long that takes, I guess is the main question…

  • 

    ozhunter on 09/12/2015 - 21:38

    There just not much point to buy a Windows phone. Android got popular because manufacturers could use it for free and it allowed everyone who didn't want to spend $800+ to afford a smartphone.

    Sure it may have some features/advantages(can't actually think of any), but nothing worth switching over for.

  • 

    iridiumstem on 10/12/2015 - 21:38

    Why don't you grab Xiami Mi4 that you can flash Windows 10 Mobile onto? It'd be getting cheaper because of the newer models coming out and I think it was still fairly reasonably specced in terms of Windows Phone market (I think it was Snapdragon 800?). If you don't like it, just use it as an Android phone.

    Though there is a chance that Windows 10 Mobile's not optimised properly for Mi4 yet.

    I personally think WP is a decent choice if you don't like mucking around with your phone. I wouldn't recommend the flagship unless you had a WP to begin with, because 1. WP works decently enough on the bottom end anyways, 2. Not many games are there that utilises the high end spec. Continuum in my opinion is a gimmick that I think will have limited usage for many people. That said, with MS finally using better processors after 2 years of stagnation, the bottom line of the phones that OS supports will have higher spec than beforehand. It can possibly make the lower end phones to perform less impressively (i.e. less features etc etc).

    W10 offers better integration with desktop as well, which can be done on Android but not as fluently.

    That said, spending over $500 on WP is risky if you've never experienced the OS before, in my opinion. Or to be honest, spending your money to grab a newly released phone in general has some risks attached to it. You'd be better off grabbing a last gen flagship, which would be cheaper and better bang for the buck.

    • 

      ozeebee on 11/12/2015 - 03:17

      I agree, the $900ish asking price is too steep for the flagship. It should've been priced at $600-$700 max. Once Windows is able to offer similar user experience that Apple and Android can, then yes they can ask for similar prices.

      Maybe I'll persevere with my Z3 for the moment. I probably won't do a full format due to the hassle. I'll just live with it until it really annoys me to the point I have to sell. I have my fingers crossed as I really want to try Windows 10 on a flagship Windows phone. Otherwise my only salvation is an iphone…

      • 

        iridiumstem on 11/12/2015 - 16:43

        I personally think their price isn't that bad, considering that it's MS and simply because I think the cost for them to produce the phones would've rose (i.e. hardware wise, the Lumia 950 and 950XL are on par with many of the high end midrange phones and flagships). Besides, the ridiculous pricing probably is due to them being released recently as well (If anyone brings up G4, it was above $800 on release I belive?). Though MS tend to price the products fairly high on release as well.

        The cheapest option you have probably is resetting your phone. I think Google saves what kind of apps you had and reinstalls them for you from internet, you could choose what apps you want to have reinstalled as well (I think, as I've mentioned before, it's been awhile since I've done resetting).

        If your phone is rooted, you could try Titanium Backup and back everything off your phone. If you don't like rooting your phone, you could try Helium backup. They'd back up most of the valuable stuff like messages etc etc. Though if it is messing up like that, I'd probably try completely resetting the phone, like re-installing the firmware by downloading the full firmware from the website (though I think that's slightly going too far).

      • 

        ozhunter on 11/12/2015 - 18:35

        @Oversimplified:

        I personally think their price isn't that bad, considering that it's MS and simply because I think the cost for them to produce the phones would've rose

        Doesn't look like anyone is complaining about the hardware.

        (If anyone brings up G4, it was above $800 on release I belive?)

        But at the price you can get it now, makes it much better than the Lumia 950.

      • 

        ozhunter on 11/12/2015 - 18:38

        https://play.google.com/store/search?q=mybackup

        You can backup your apps/media/data using this app, then format your phone.

      • 

        iridiumstem on 11/12/2015 - 18:49

        @ozhunter: It's more of "Is it fair to compare the release price of the phone to the price of the phones that were in the market for few months already?" I personally think it isn't to some extent because the manufacturer wouldn't have the chance to recoup the cost and yaddi yadda. Therefore I don't think the price as is isn't that bad (as it's a price from release). Everyone talks about how G4 is priced better and all, and I agree, you can get G4 cheaper. However, people tend to not remember/refer to the fact that G4 was as highly priced as these ones, that's why I've mentioned G4. The price will fall eventually. The point I am making is it's unfair to compare the price of a product that is on its way out and that just got released.

        In terms of hardware, the reason why I said the cost would've rose is that MS has been fairly behind the spec war until now. Lumia 930 is a phone that's more of on par with phones from 2013. Other *30 phones were using Snapdragon 400, which ironically made my 925 better than most of the phones even to this day excluding 1520 and its variant, in terms of SoC. They are still around 6 months behind considering Snapdragon 820 is going to be released soon. The point I am trying to make is at least WP flagships are now comparable to the same year flagships of Android, which I assume would've caused them to become pricier.

        Anyways, summing everything up, I personally think the price isn't as ridiculous as some people are making it out to be. Considering that this is a product from MS, considering that the price is from release date and considering that the cost for MS would've rose as well.

      • 

        ozhunter on 11/12/2015 - 18:51

        @Oversimplified:

        And at the RRP of the G4, it wasn't the recommended phone to buy.

        Neither is this because the Windows App Store is poor compared to Android and iOS.

      • 

        iridiumstem on 11/12/2015 - 18:57

        @ozhunter: I think we are talking in slight tangent, my point was, the price isn't that bad considering the points I've mentioned (i.e. I don't think the price is unreasonable).

        To sum what I've mentioned in a few sentence, it's a flagship/high mid range phone that just got released, the release price isn't far off from the other phones with similar spec at release. I don't think they are charging more than others on release. I don't think it's unreasonable price for release price of a flagship/high mid range phone from MS. Is it expensive? Yes. That said, every phones this year has been around that price on release, I don't think the price's that ridiculous considering that.

      • 

        ozhunter on 11/12/2015 - 19:10

        @Oversimplified:

        The point I am making is it's unfair to compare the price of a product that is on its way out and that just got released.

        No, it is fair. If a person is to buy a phone today, you compare today's prices.

        I think it's obvious that it's release price is comparable to the release price of high end android phones. My point is that no one cares about that.

      • 

        iridiumstem on 11/12/2015 - 19:18

        @ozhunter: Because a product that has been out for a bit that the manufacturer have recouped some of the fixed cost and those products that just got released and have fixed costs to recoup can compete in price?

        What you are saying is, what is the best bang for the buck you can get/what offers better value at current stage. I do agree with your sentiment in that regards. I am simply saying that RRP of the phone is not unreasonable on release. You are looking at the value aspect, I am simply looking at whether the release price is reasonable. If you think what I am looking at is stupid, that is fine by me, though this conversation will go nowhere as I've agreed with your point already.

        My personal opinion on what you are saying, value wise, is this (from few comments beforehand):

        That said, spending over $500 on WP is risky if you've never experienced the OS before, in my opinion. Or to be honest, spending your money to grab a newly released phone in general has some risks attached to it. You'd be better off grabbing a last gen flagship, which would be cheaper and better bang for the buck.

      • 

        ozhunter on 11/12/2015 - 19:26

        @Oversimplified:

        I agreed that its RRP is reasonable and competitive to android phones. The reason(which is what the consumers care about) others think it's unreasonable is because the Windows app store is lacking.

        So from their point of view, it's unreasonable for Microsoft to price a phone comparable to Android/iOS with such an app store, even if it just did get released.

      • 

        iridiumstem on 11/12/2015 - 22:16

        @ozhunter: I personally think "app gap" is very subjective. I've mentioned that:

        Whether app gap do exist or not would depend. I personally argue that there is.

        Yes, I did experience an app gap, but is it as bad as you're making it out to be, I'd argue that it depends on person to person basis. I do agree that there are people who'd feel the app gap. However, will all people feel that the app gap exists? I have to say no on that. The apps that are missing can be something that you use or not use. For example, I actually moved because my brother's phone was not being used. I stayed because I like tweaking my phone. Even if I move back to Windows Phone, I have no apps that I'd not be able to replace. Some apps would have less functionality but nothing of value would be lost.

        I personally think Windows Phone is better than Android for people who don't want to tweak their phone around, those people who want a phone with a decent camera and decent performance along with a good OS software support.

        I personally dislike how Android handles background processes and wakelocks. Marshmallow is only used by 0.5% of the users according to Google's stats on November (therefore Doze is not exactly available for all) and I doubt it will touch upon the biggest offenders (i.e. Google Play Service, Google Now and many other system related offenders). The problems that these cause, is these can lead to horrible standby battery life and bad performance. In terms of user apps, Facebook app and Messenger app on Android are awful. They constantly wake your phone up (in fact, I am using third party apps that are less obtrusive because of that). I wouldn't argue that it's a problem that only Android suffers (Facebook, I've heard, is doing this kind of thing on iOS as well by abusing the system), but it's a problem that Android does nothing about.

        Yes, getting a root access and mucking around with the phone can get you a solution (i.e. Amplify, Greenify along with other things), a solution that some people wouldn't want to use (because it requires some knowledge and it can nullify your warranty). It's not for everyone.

        Why not get a budget Android phone? Camera usually is worse on those and they usually are worse in every ways in terms of updates and build quality.

        I think while Windows Phone still has a long way to go, it still offers the least tedious method of integration with Windows PC. Continuum is gimmicky, but if you want something like that, it's hard to find any devices that does what it does. Lumia phones were always decent with camera. It performs better than Android phones straight out of box. Some apps are definitely missing and some apps are worse than other OS's version, I don't disagree with this. That said, it's not as bad as some people are making them out to be nor irreplacable in many cases.

        So, yeah, I personally don't see WP as an inferior OS to Android. I've stayed on Android because it's does what I like, a lot of tweaking options are available. That said, I wouldn't use Android without tweaking, there are a lot of irks that I dislike.

      • 

        ozhunter on 12/12/2015 - 02:27

        @Oversimplified:

        If you don't use apps that aren't on Windows, then you won't feel the app gap, but it is undeniably there. Facebook just got out of beta a few weeks ago. Snapchat, Youtube, Instagram don't even have official non-beta apps on Windows 10.

        Windows does have some positives but the general public don't care as all its advantages doesn't make up for its lack of apps.

        So, yeah, I personally don't see WP as an inferior OS to Android. I've stayed on Android because it's does what I like, a lot of tweaking options are available. That said, I wouldn't use Android without tweaking, there are a lot of irks that I dislike.

        Yep, personalisation and customisability is a good reason to use android. You likely wouldn't use android if it had Windows app store instead of Google Play. I hope Windows gets better and Windows 10 is great on the desktop, but I wouldn't touch it on a phone.

      • 

        iridiumstem on 12/12/2015 - 03:12

        @ozhunter: Sigh, I hate pulling this card, since it's pretty much "poisoning the well". If you've never used a Windows Phone and is telling me that number of apps on Windows Phone is atrociously low for users, it really doesn't tell me much. I was a user, I did notice the app gap per se, but I didn't find it to be deal breaking like you making it sound to be. It probably is different from person to person, I wouldn't say not everyone would have no problems with it. However, I wouldn't say that everyone would have problems with it either.

        Third party apps can be better, I've mentioned that official Facebook apps on Android are atrociously bad in terms of background processes. I am actually using third party apps on my phone at the moment because of that. They are not taking up over 10% of the battery usage like the official apps at least.

        From my recollection, in terms of Google related services, I personally found HERE to be better than Google Maps (Offline map, mainly). I've never used Google Now, because of battery life issues with it. I had third party youtube app that did everything a youtube app should do. Contacts, Calender and Gmail worked with People, Mail and Calender app without doing much (other than logging into your Google account). I never found any problems with the facebook app. These are my personal recollection of what I felt when I was actually using Windows Phone.

        Also, I think you've missed my point:

        For example, I actually moved because my brother's phone was not being used. I stayed because I like tweaking my phone. Even if I move back to Windows Phone, I have no apps that I'd not be able to replace. Some apps would have less functionality but nothing of value would be lost.

      • 

        ozhunter on 12/12/2015 - 03:30

        @Oversimplified:

        I have a Lumia 520, I knows it's a junk low end phone, but the reasons I dislike still apply to the flagships windows phones. Apps, tiles, and the bland ui(like in settings) would be my main reason.

        I've used third party apps before, still prefer to use official ones even if it has less features. Facebook and all Google apps work fine for me on my S6.

        There's a reason Windows phones are having such a hard time gaining market share. There isn't a good reason to switch to it. It's app store( I think even amazon has more apps) and tile ui aren't helping it at all.

      • 

        iridiumstem on 12/12/2015 - 03:47

        @ozhunter: So you are basing your opinion on a low end phone that is pretty much redundant at the moment? I've used Windows Phone as my main phone for a year; a phone that was actually a flagship. My last phone was a flagship of 2013, so I've seen what Android offered on 2013 (Lumia 925 was from 2013 as well). I've tried Windows 10 Mobile when it first became officially available and I have the phone on Windows 10 Mobile right now.

        Opinion on aesthetics is something personal, I personally thought Tile UI was nifty and unique at least. It does make the UI tidier in my opinion. On Android, I have bought an icon pack and downloaded a launcher just because of how over the place the icons are. Also, I've installed a theme on my S6, because Samsung Lollipop settings menu looks colourful in a childish way for my taste.

        In terms of Facebook app and Google services, you might not notice it unless you are like me. As I said, I like tweaking my phone around. I use Galaxy S6 as my main device. I've disabled many of the apps and it tend to reduce the number of culprit and show clear picture of what drains battery. Google Services, Facebook and Messenger were (and one still is, since Google Services is something I can't touch) my 3 biggest source of battery usage after screen (or sometimes above screen, depending on how idle it was beforehand).

        The reason for Windows Phone's failure to gain market share is there is no good reason to move, that I do agree. That doesn't mean number of apps is the reason. People show loyalty to OSs all the time, because it's tedious to move from one OS to another. I've even read an article about how Android people show more loyalty to Android OS compared to iOS users (i.e. more users who move from Android to Android).

      • 

        ozhunter on 12/12/2015 - 04:18

        @Oversimplified:

        Flagship or low end Windows phone, the apps, tiles, ui are the same on both. That said I do use Nova Launcher on my S6.

        I have 150 apps installed(according to Google Play) and battery is fine for me; not as good as the Note 4 but enough to last the day.

        That doesn't mean number of apps is the reason

        Doesn't mean it's not. I use a a few Google services and wouldn't switch to a platform without them.

        I've even read an article about how Android people show more loyalty to Android OS compared to iOS users (i.e. more users who move from Android to Android).

        Well it is the best mobile OS :D Low end and high end phones with many phones to choose from.

        A lot of manufacturers use Android, which has it's advantages as well as disadvantages. I wouldn't move to an iphone as it's not worth the price and wouldn't move to Windows for reasons I've already stated.

        It's hard not to stay with android.

      • 

        iridiumstem on 12/12/2015 - 04:58

        @ozhunter: Android phones, if you remove bloat, they perform better in battery life and in actual performance. In terms of Galaxy S6, I am not too sure what you mean by "last the day" simply because it really depends on your usage pattern along with other factors (i.e. Games can drain batteries easily etc). People tend to compare Screen On Time because that tend to remove those differences. Mine lasts me long enough, I think I get at least 2 or 3 days of usage, then again, it lasts long enough for me to not care about charging too much.

        The problem I have with your opinion on Windows Phone is, Lumia 520 is a Windows Phone 8 device that's limited in hardware, many apps function poorly on them (mainly RAM problem). Your opinion is a valid opinion, but it's not the opinion that everyone will have.

        I've mentioned that UI preference is a preference. I've also mentioned that app selections are not as dire as you are making them out to be. I've mentioned Google services that are available on Windows Phone, i.e. Calender, Gmail, Contacts. There are third party apps and I've mentioned why third party apps can be better. It's not like there are no apps like what you are making it sound to be.

        Android has its flaws, software updates and how carriers get in the way, lack of control over background processes. Most of these can be bypassed with users' knowledge on the phone (i.e. Custom ROM and tweaking the phone), however, that's not an option for everyone. Other OSs do these better than Android.

      • 

        ozhunter on 12/12/2015 - 05:54

        @Oversimplified:

        My windows issues was with the software(apps, tiles, ui) so the hardware on the 520 is irrelevant.

        Ui is a preference and it seems like the icon ui is much more likeable than the tile ui.

        Despite android's flaws, windows is taking a really long time to gain market share. I think its lack of apps is the main reason. What do you think is the reason?

      • 

        iridiumstem on 12/12/2015 - 12:25

        @ozhunter: I've mentioned these before, I am going to copy and paste.

        Yes, I did experience an app gap, but is it as bad as you're making it out to be, I'd argue that it depends on person to person basis.

        Even if I move back to Windows Phone, I have no apps that I'd not be able to replace. Some apps would have less functionality but nothing of value would be lost.

        Opinion on aesthetics is something personal, I personally thought Tile UI was nifty and unique at least. It does make the UI tidier in my opinion.

        Third party apps can be better, I've mentioned that official Facebook apps on Android are atrociously bad in terms of background processes.

        I personally think Windows Phone is better than Android for people who don't want to tweak their phone around, those people who want a phone with a decent camera and decent performance along with a good OS software support.

        I think while Windows Phone still has a long way to go, it still offers the least tedious method of integration with Windows PC. Continuum is gimmicky, but if you want something like that, it's hard to find any devices that does what it does. Lumia phones were always decent with camera. It performs better than Android phones straight out of box. Some apps are definitely missing and some apps are worse than other OS's version, I don't disagree with this. That said, it's not as bad as some people are making them out to be nor irreplacable in many cases.

        QWERTY is used by many people on keyboard, for example, because it has been used for a long time. There are alternatives that claims to offer more, DVORAK claims they have better layout because of less key travel distance etc. Is QWERTY better simply because everyone uses QWERTY? MS and Windows were around for a long time, they take up majority of the desktop OS market. Is Windows the best desktop OS? ame logic applies, Windows Phone do not have the market power, not because it's crap, but because it became available too late. People don't move from one OS to another OS because there are costs associated with moving. MS and Windows Phone arrived to the market when Android and iOS were already established. People hate moving from their comfort zone.

        Your opinion is not the opinion of the entire population. Arguing that you felt it, therefore it must be true for everyone is false (simply because you cannot represent the entire population). I personally hold different opinion to you on apps and aesthetics, which already shows that you cannot imply your opinion on the entire population. Especially since I highly doubt you've used Windows Phone as a main phone or took an effort to look at the alternatives. From your responses, the best I could imagine is, trying it for few days, or even hours because it was cheap, throw it away. Also arguing that many people use it, therefore it must be good, or the otherwise, is false, as I've demonstrated with examples.

      • 

        ozhunter on 12/12/2015 - 13:31

        @Oversimplified:

        Lol ok. Never said it must be true for the entire population

• 

  revmacca on 11/12/2015 - 19:12

  Phone usage; ios for work & wp/android at home. I've had similar issues with Android, LG,Sony & early Samsung
  However after picking up a discounted (tru ozb!) Nexus 6, it's like using a different o/s!
  The experience is similar to an iPhone (in good way) except you get the flexibility of Android, if your thinking of dropping $1k then either pick up a cheap Nexus 6 (64gb if possible) or the new Nexus 6p which has had some very positive reviews.

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  Ronnnie on 12/12/2015 - 20:29

  The app gap is real, however it isn't always a case of windows mobile missing an app. Apps are often abandoned and haven't been updated for years. Which means they are poorly designed, poorly optimised and often perform badly. Even some apps that are regularly updated such as spotify are poor. Apps such as facebook which is developed by Microsoft is basically a cut down version and is missing a lot of functionality that the Android and iOS versions have. On the positive side a new facebook app is currently being developed and hopefully will be at least equal to other platforms. Some 3rd party apps are awesome such as the 3rd party YouTube alternatives, better than anything google makes.

  If you care about mobile gaming than look elsewhere. The games that are On the platform are rarely updated and aren't optimised as well it seems. Though 3d performance is worse for the same hardware on windows mobile from what I've read.

  My biggest dislike is the browser, Edge really isn't that great and no real alternatives. I find that even on my 930 with only a few tabs open it'll refresh pages all the time. You can't fill out forms with it. The other thing is some websites don't get displayed properly and the hamburger menu on some websites lag. Also the tab switcher lags too, I've had it lag up to 5 seconds before.

  The UI is great, I prefer live tiles to widgets. The wordflow keyboard is so smooth and does a great job at predicting words. I like the animations even though they do slow the phone down. I like the new Microsoft apps in wm10.

• 

  ozeebee on 17/12/2015 - 02:15

  I ended doing a backup of apps and media using My Backup Pro, followed by a complete format of the phone (Z3). The problem is the backup for all my apps and media did not work! So I had to download and install everything from scratch again. Lost all my game progress etc etc.

  And today my phone died with the infamous Sleep of Death. Had to google and find out what was going on. Managed to get it back going but clearly there are major bugs with the phone, either through Sony or Android.

  I really don't know what I would do at the moment. I have reservations with Windows phones now because I had a look at the app store and there are gaps and a few of apps I rely on is completely missing.

  Would love to get a Nexus 5x or 6p but it's quite silly that even Google now ignores users who want SD card capability. The Moto X Style looks quite a good option though but I don't know anyone with a Motorola.

  Iphone is ok but too expensive at the moment.