Finding The Right Phone (635/830/one M8/640 Xl)

[JohnTW]

If you have been listening to SurfaceGeeks or the Agnostic Tech Podcast, you know I am back on Windows Phone fulltime. It was the Lumia 635 (which I got with an Xbox Music Pass for $99) that reminded me how much I love the OS.

 

Since getting the Lumia 635 in my hands, I have tried the Lumia 830 and the HTC One M8. Oddly enough, I think my favorite is still the Lumia 635. It is an unbelievable value at the $30-50 price points it can be found for now.

 

The HTC One M8 is wicked fast, and has the BoomSound speakers we all hear about. The speakers are great, but not worth the hype. (Maybe I feel this way as the Moto G (2014) and Nexus 6 are my two favorite Android devices and they both have dual front firing speakers?). The HTC One M8 camera is a sad little thing. It can perform well under ideal situations: indoors with the right lighting, and outdoors without too much lighting. The battery life is amazing, and the audio output via Bluetooth and the headphone jack is very solid. It is by far the fastest Windows Phone I have ever used. The touch screen is WAY too sensitive IMO. Even with a glass screen protector, I couldn't tame the sensitivity. You can sometimes just hover over the screen and touches are acknowledged. It can causes all sorts of typing and navigating havoc. In general, it is a very solid device.

 

The Lumia 830 rubbed me the wrong way. The back was super flimsy and it felt cheap. Wireless charging didn't always work. It also didn't feel much faster than the 512MB Snapdragon 400 phones like the Lumia 635. I don't have much more to say as I only kept it a few days.

 

The Lumia 635 just feels great in the hand. The back comes off easily, but doesn't feel mushy when on the device. The screen is solid, although not having an oleophobic coating is an annoyance. Microsoft (Nokia) uses "Easy to clean" under their products specifications to tell us if a device has an oleophobic coating or not. For a 512MB RAM device, it isn't THAT bad. Although I will see the dreaded "Resuming..." screen way more than I'd prefer. (It is virtually never seen on the HTC One M8 with it's 2GB RAM.)

 

I've been reading and watching videos about the newly announced 640 XL. I think I am in love. It is a 635 on steroids. Same processor, but 1GB RAM, 5.7" IPS ClearBlack "East to clean" (oleophobic coated) screen that hands-on videos make look very solid. It has a 13MP camera with Zeiss Optics that is likely better than the HTC One M8 and a great front facing 5MP shooter for Skype/selfies. Running the latest and greatest Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2 software is appealing as it adds an improved settings menu, ability to pin settings to the home screen and Bluetooth keyboard support. I also feel the device will be one of the closest I can get to the Nexus 6. (I can't find a 1520.3 variant in black too easily and don't really want a device that old, and it is a beastly sized device.)

 

So stay tuned to SurfaceGeeks and the Agnostic Tech Podcast to hear when I can get the 640 XL LTE variant here in the states, and if it ends up being the right device for me. It feels like fall is a longtime away and I am enjoying being back on the platform now, hence why I don't just wait for the new flagship(s).

[Joe_Miner]

Kathy & I are excited to see what new Windows Phones will be available this fall -- Our overarching criteria (currently met by our 1020's) are 1. must be able to fit in my wife's purse & must be able to fit in my pocket, 2. must be able to block Phone #'s & Texts (being able to set a quiet period is also a big plus; and 3. upgradeable to WP10.....

[ImTheTypeOfGuy]

The quiet period is nice. I just wish the would make it so you can set the quiet period for sat and sun different than during the week.

 

Sent from my Lumia Icon via Tapatalk

[callihan44]

we need more phones for sure, Im currently going to stick with my note 4 until a flagship is released. Im tired of android and want another win phone asap!

[pfinter]

Still sporting a Nokia Lumia 920.  This phone has been very dependable since I got it a couple of years ago. Still doesn't feel too old. However, I plan on waiting rather then "upgrade" to any of the latest windows 8.1 phones. 

[ImTheTypeOfGuy]

My icon is working fine but I would love a larger one.

 

Sent from my Lumia Icon via Tapatalk

[Joe_Miner]

We're very happy with our 1020's so we have the luxury to wait for what really impresses us -- my wife uses her 1020 & Stream 7 to the point where we got rid of our iPad because she wouldn't use it.

[ImTheTypeOfGuy]

We're very happy with our 1020's so we have the luxury to wait for what really impresses us -- my wife uses her 1020 & Stream 7 to the point where we got rid of our iPad because she wouldn't use it.

Now that's a cool wife.

[bulls96]

I am hoping against hope Verizon picks up the 640XL.

 

 

- Sent via Tapatalk on my Surface Pro 3