iPhone 6 vs Windows Phone

[Phaetos]

In my consideration of switching to TMob, I am considering also switching phones. I love my iPhone 5, but hate iTunes for the way it does everything. I have tons of apps on my iPhone that I use daily, but have no idea if they even have Windows Phone versions.


Can ya'll break it down for me as to why I should switch to a Windows Phone, pro's & con's etc ?

 

[blackdogdeek]

Are you not considering Android?

 

[poofyhairguy]

Can ya'll break it down for me as to why I should switch to a Windows Phone

No, because you shouldn't do it.

As you say, you use "tons of apps." Two platforms have "tons of apps" - Android and iOS.

 

[vi edit]

If you are app heavy with iOS you will not like Windows phone. End of story. Best suggestion I can tell you is to grab one of those $30-$40 Lumia 520's, try it out and see what the app store has and then eat the return/restock fee. It will be cheaper than swapping phones and messing with that hassle.

 

[Phaetos]

Are you not considering Android?

No I'm not. I had previous Android phone and ended up hating it. Maybe it's because it was so new to the market, maybe the phone was just crap. I've toyed with friends Droid's and still don't like them. The platform just seems so fractured with different versions of the OS, different manufacturer's overlay UI's, I really like everything to be the same when it comes to phones, especially if I'm having to help my wife figure out how to do something ;-)

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Windows phones is missing tons of apps. If its not a top 50 app, it probably doesn't exist.

 

[Phaetos]

If you are app heavy with iOS you will not like Windows phone. End of story. Best suggestion I can tell you is to grab one of those $30-$40 Lumia 520's, try it out and see what the app store has and then eat the return/restock fee. It will be cheaper than swapping phones and messing with that hassle.

So, I did some quick app-checking via MS's app+games market online to see which of my current batch of apps have WP versions. Almost everything that's entertainment related has one, my local newspaper and tv stations don't ... yet, a few utility apps don't, but they seem to be integrated into WP anyway(like data usage from cellular vs wifi).

I do have an iPad 2 that work gave me that I use for other apps that just don't work well on a small iPhone screen, so whatever apps don't have a WP version I can still use there now that I think about that.

 

[poofyhairguy]

In that case it might work. Pros of Windows Phone is consistent feel and MS product integration. Cons are the apps, but you seem to have avoided that.

 

[thilanliyan]

I've been using a Nokia 1020 WinPhone for a couple of weeks now after using a HTC One M7 for about a year and a half.

Apps have not been a problem for me but then I don't even have facebook installed. The one thing I don't like is that the notification bar toggles are very limited in Windows Phone. And menus need a redo because for example the settings menu is not in any logical order. I am personally fine with everything else. Do miss those boomsound speakers on the M7 though.

 

[dlock13]

I've been using a Nokia 1020 WinPhone for a couple of weeks now after using a HTC One M7 for about a year and a half.

Apps have not been a problem for me but then I don't even have facebook installed. The one thing I don't like is that the notification bar toggles are very limited in Windows Phone. And menus need a redo because for example the settings menu is not in any logical order. I am personally fine with everything else. Do miss those boomsound speakers on the M7 though.

The settings menu is getting a redo in the Windows 10 update if I'm not mistaken. I saw Joe Belfiore talk about that on his AMA on Reddit. I agree they need a massive overhaul.

You can have those Boomsounds if you get the M8 for Windows. A coworker has it, and it is fairly awesome.

 

[darkewaffle]

Very happy with my Lumia 928. I should be eligible for an upgrade here in a few months and will be sticking with WP.

Apps aren't too important to me but I still have a handful of them. A few retro emulators, battle.net authenticator, Kik, and Bing Sports (which is actually quite slick) cover just about everything for me. Plus all the stock Lumia/Nokia HERE apps - which are generally very good.

I don't really give much of a crap about phone hardware. Mine still runs and looks great despite now being quite "dated" and having a comparatively low res screen. Plus I can use "I have a Windows Phone" as a good excuse for feigning ignorance when I don't feel like helping someone with their Android/iPhone

 

[gorcorps]

So, I did some quick app-checking via MS's app+games market online to see which of my current batch of apps have WP versions. Almost everything that's entertainment related has one, my local newspaper and tv stations don't ... yet, a few utility apps don't, but they seem to be integrated into WP anyway(like data usage from cellular vs wifi).

I do have an iPad 2 that work gave me that I use for other apps that just don't work well on a small iPhone screen, so whatever apps don't have a WP version I can still use there now that I think about that.

It's not just the app exists, it's how it's updated too. My buddy had a windows phone for less than a year before he gave up. He said the apps he used on Android were not even close to the same in the windows world. They just aren't being updated to include all of the new features and bug fixes you'd see on Android and iOS.

I'd stay far away from windows.

 

[TreVader]

Clearly the answer is not to get windows or iPhone, and go with underdog RIM.

 

[desura]

I actually manage fine without most apps on windows phone. You can after all just access them through their mobile websites.

IE mobile is pretty solid. The biggest innovation is to put the address bar on the bottom of the screen. Makes a ton of sense and I don't get why no one has copied it. It makes scrolling easier because most people read websites from the top down and so having a little animated address bar like safari ends up being distracting.

iTunes is better than windows phone desktop. The windows client for windows phone is really bad. A huge step down from zune desktop, which for some reason they haven't continued. Zune desktop was arguably better than itunes, but it has been killed. The windows client just sucks. It works, but it sucks.

Windows phone for music is a weird beast. I feel like the built-in amplifier of my windows phone is more detailed than my ipod touch. The ipod touch feels like the music is missing something, some liveliness. windows phone music feels more vibrant.

Windows phone doesnt have gapless playback while iphones do. Windows phone also has a tendency to screw up the music directory so you get stuff like albums being split into two, being miscategorized.

Eh...I dunno. I don't use apps much, so windows phone works for me fine.

 

[Phaetos]

I actually manage fine without most apps on windows phone. You can after all just access them through their mobile websites.

IE mobile is pretty solid. The biggest innovation is to put the address bar on the bottom of the screen. Makes a ton of sense and I don't get why no one has copied it. It makes scrolling easier because most people read websites from the top down and so having a little animated address bar like safari ends up being distracting.

iTunes is better than windows phone desktop. The windows client for windows phone is really bad. A huge step down from zune desktop, which for some reason they haven't continued. Zune desktop was arguably better than itunes, but it has been killed. The windows client just sucks. It works, but it sucks.

Windows phone for music is a weird beast. I feel like the built-in amplifier of my windows phone is more detailed than my ipod touch. The ipod touch feels like the music is missing something, some liveliness. windows phone music feels more vibrant.

Windows phone doesnt have gapless playback while iphones do. Windows phone also has a tendency to screw up the music directory so you get stuff like albums being split into two, being miscategorized.

Eh...I dunno. I don't use apps much, so windows phone works for me fine.

Screw up the music directory eh? Sounds like an iPhone issue I have as well.

ETA: Though iTunes is one reason I stopped putting music on my phone, it kept screwing it up and that 16GB of space on my model began to get very cramped.

 

[vi edit]

I'd say try something like a MotoX that uses a fairly stock version of Android and give it a try if that's your major complaint with android. Stick to recent Moto or Nexus devices and you will get a uniform experience. After the mature app market of iOS I couldn't deal with Windows Phone. I don't like IE mobile at all and it's rendering and touch recognition.

The active display on Moto devices is awesome.

 

[Midwayman]

In my consideration of switching to TMob, I am considering also switching phones. I love my iPhone 5, but hate iTunes for the way it does everything. I have tons of apps on my iPhone that I use daily, but have no idea if they even have Windows Phone versions.


Can ya'll break it down for me as to why I should switch to a Windows Phone, pro's & con's etc ?

Windows phone is basically today's 'feature phone' Don't do it if you like apps at all.

 

[Belegost]

If you are app heavy with iOS you will not like Windows phone. End of story. Best suggestion I can tell you is to grab one of those $30-$40 Lumia 520's, try it out and see what the app store has and then eat the return/restock fee. It will be cheaper than swapping phones and messing with that hassle.

Yea, if you're unsure, get the cheap 520 (or I've seen some deals for the 635 w/ LTE for like 50) and try it out. At worst you lost $30-60 finding out it's not for you, and you have a cheap backup phone to stick in the drawer.

 

[quikah]

On T-mobile the only currently available high-end windowsphone is the HTC One M8 for Windows. The only other windowsphones are the 635 and 521 which are not comparable to iPhone 6, but are good budget phones (and are good ways to try windowsphone for cheap). you can get an unlocked phone, but you will lose out on T-mobile wifi calling I believe.

So, I did some quick app-checking via MS's app+games market online to see which of my current batch of apps have WP versions. Almost everything that's entertainment related has one, my local newspaper and tv stations don't ... yet, a few utility apps don't, but they seem to be integrated into WP anyway(like data usage from cellular vs wifi).

I do have an iPad 2 that work gave me that I use for other apps that just don't work well on a small iPhone screen, so whatever apps don't have a WP version I can still use there now that I think about that.

some of the apps are kind of abandonware (like instagram hasn't been updated in 8 months), so double check that they are being actively updated.

The MS services on iPad are pretty good (actually office is better on iPad than windowsphone which is kind of sad if you think about it), so this is not a terrible way to go. If you rely on any Google service, don't bother, they don't support Windowsphone at all (gmail and calendar work, but that is about it).

 

[Phaetos]

On T-mobile the only currently available high-end windowsphone is the HTC One M8 for Windows. The only other windowsphones are the 635 and 521 which are not comparable to iPhone 6, but are good budget phones (and are good ways to try windowsphone for cheap). you can get an unlocked phone, but you will lose out on T-mobile wifi calling I believe.



some of the apps are kind of abandonware (like instagram hasn't been updated in 8 months), so double check that they are being actively updated.

The MS services on iPad are pretty good (actually office is better on iPad than windowsphone which is kind of sad if you think about it), so this is not a terrible way to go. If you rely on any Google service, don't bother, they don't support Windowsphone at all (gmail and calendar work, but that is about it).

Abandonware indeed! I went back and double checked my daily apps and the latest one updated was netflix Dec of 2014, some last updated as far back as 2013. Are these "official" apps, or some developer apps that tie into the intended system? Even YouTube hasn't been updated as of 10/2013 according to this: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/youtube/dcbb1ac6-a89a-df11-a490-00237de2db9e

This really does change the field ..... more food for thought. thanks.

 

[thilanliyan]

The settings menu is getting a redo in the Windows 10 update if I'm not mistaken. I saw Joe Belfiore talk about that on his AMA on Reddit. I agree they need a massive overhaul.

You can have those Boomsounds if you get the M8 for Windows. A coworker has it, and it is fairly awesome.

M8 bezels are too big IMO. The major reason I went to the 1020 is the camera. I found pics I took with the M7 to be fairly underwhelming if cropped even a bit...M7 is a REALLY great phone size-wise, speed, screen, audio, battery (my use case)...except for the camera. Plus I'm a bit of a Nokia fanboy haha

 

[quikah]

Abandonware indeed! I went back and double checked my daily apps and the latest one updated was netflix Dec of 2014, some last updated as far back as 2013. Are these "official" apps, or some developer apps that tie into the intended system? Even YouTube hasn't been updated as of 10/2013 according to this: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/youtube/dcbb1ac6-a89a-df11-a490-00237de2db9e

This really does change the field ..... more food for thought. thanks.

Some are official, some are third party, some of the official apps are just contracted out to a 3rd party and forgotten about. 3rd party apps can be very good, so you need to really research it.

The Youtube app on Windowsphone is a poor example. Google forced MS to remove the app MS made because Google are petulant children, so MS just made a shitty web wrapper. For youtube use Metrotube which is actively developed and very good. Mytube is pretty good also.

Netflix you caught on a good day, took them FOREVER to update that, finally brought the WP app in line with all their others.

 

[Harry_Wild]

In my consideration of switching to TMob, I am considering also switching phones. I love my iPhone 5, but hate iTunes for the way it does everything. I have tons of apps on my iPhone that I use daily, but have no idea if they even have Windows Phone versions.


Can ya'll break it down for me as to why I should switch to a Windows Phone, pro's & con's etc ?

You can convert many of the Apps that are on the iPhone into Live Tiles that go directly to the website itself. For me; that more useful then an App made for that website itself. The one down fall; is viewing Adobe Flash content. You need the App; since Adobe does not support mobile devices!

I love Windows Phone OS but decide to go back to the iPhone for now since they don't have an high end WP model that I like!

 

[Harry_Wild]

On T-mobile the only currently available high-end windowsphone is the HTC One M8 for Windows. The only other windowsphones are the 635 and 521 which are not comparable to iPhone 6, but are good budget phones (and are good ways to try windowsphone for cheap). you can get an unlocked phone, but you will lose out on T-mobile wifi calling I believe.



some of the apps are kind of abandonware (like instagram hasn't been updated in 8 months), so double check that they are being actively updated.

The MS services on iPad are pretty good (actually office is better on iPad than windowsphone which is kind of sad if you think about it), so this is not a terrible way to go. If you rely on any Google service, don't bother, they don't support Windowsphone at all (gmail and calendar work, but that is about it).

There is the Lumia 735 RM-1039 4.7" - Central America unlocked version that works with T-Mobile, AT&T version. You have to buy it at an international import online dealer or B&H Photo. It suppose to work great for both carriers!

 

[Phaetos]

I'm thinking I'll stick with my iPhones. now for getting to a store and hash out the plans and money.