If you've OWNED one, what did/do you think of Microsoft (formerly Nokia) Lumia Smartphones?

[CrispyBiscuit]

I'm considering getting a Microsoft Lumia 950 Smartphone.   Anyone used Microsoft (formerly Nokia) Lumia Smartphones?  Please share your experience.

 

Thanks!

 

[Guest]

As both an iPhone and Android user, I found that I was very frustrated with the lack of apps in the Windows store. A lot of the ones that I had had for years on the other platforms couldn't be found for the Lumia.

[lynn]

Had no problem with my Nokia lumia phone. I went from an android to my Nokia. Easy enough to adapt to.

[maize]

I liked mine a lot, didn't really mind the lack of apps as I'm not a huge app user. 

[gardenmom5]

dd had one - it got caught in a door, and never to be operative again.  she was very sad.  I think it was her main phone.  she also has an android which she has liked.

 

she definintely preferred it to her apple phone (which she has cursed over and over, and only uses it for very specific applications. she hates the iphone.) 

 

I imagine she will/has replaced the MS phone at some point.  she likes it, it just doesn't have as many apps.  she can do things on it she can't do on the others.  (which is why she bought it.)

 

eta: she's a nerd, and would move her sim card between phones.

Edited January 16, 2016 by gardenmom5

[Dmmetler]

I have a Lumia and love it, but I also have an iPad, so I don't miss the apps that are less available for the Lumia-and I love that it interfaces so nicely with my computer. 

 

I did choose to get DD an Android because of the apps. She mostly wanted something like an iPod, and I wanted her to have a phone for on campus. An android could do that. A Windows phone, not so much.

[Peach]

I had a Lumia 1520 for two years and loved it (just retired it but it's still in perfect shape). I find the windows phone OS so much more logical to navigate through and things much easier to find. In general, I found apps for everything I needed and in many cases, the free ones for windows phone had fewer or no ads than the android version. There are several that I really miss because the android versions have less functionality. My 1520 had amazing battery life too, way better than my android phone. It had a 6 inch screen and would still go 2 days and then some without needing to be plugged back in.

[Leah_S]

I'm hopping back on this forum (haven't posted in a long time) but since I'm a "Lumiac" (Lumia fan) I just wanna share! 

 

In case you don't already know this....Microsoft Lumia 950 is a new smartphone released by Microsoft this past November 2015.     Microsoft recently bought Nokia (2014) thus these smartphones were formerly called Nokia Lumia smartphones.    Of course I don't know what all Microsoft changed about them, but all I know is that they are even better than Nokia's product which was truly amazing in and of itself.

 

Before becoming a "Lumiac",  I had a Samsung Galaxy(for work use) for 2 years concomitantly with an iPhone 5s (for personal use) for a little over 2 years.    After doing much research and at the encouragement from a very tech saavy friend who loved hers, I switched to the Nokia Lumia 1520 for my personal phone (and had to keep the Galaxy as work phone -- no choice of mine).   I loved loved loved the Lumia 1520.        Had my 1520 not gotten dropped in water by my child, I'd certainly still have it, but --- as it was ruined, I upgraded to the new 950 (I actually opted to buy mine from bhphotovideo -- and I have the larger version, the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL) which I love even more than the 1520 (didn't know that'd be possible as I SO loved it).      I'll personally never go back to iPhones or Androids again.     

 

I don't know if AT&T and other carriers offer the 950XL yet (i think they do by now), but I know the 950 is offered at the stores.    Here's a list of the carriers with whom it is compatible:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/FrameWork/northAmericaLinks.pdf

 

Verizon offers only one Microsoft Lumia, the 735, which is nice, but it's not their big, new "flagship" beauty.  It's nice, but it's likely not as nice as the larger competition.    I don't know if they'll get the bigger "flagship" ones or not eventually.

 

Back when I was deciding to switch to the Nokia Lumia   I went to various websites that sold them (the major carriers and independent sites like bhphotovideo, amazon, etc.) and read the reviews and was struck at the majority of folks saying the were permanent converts.

 

As for the app issue, it's quickly catching up.    Last I heard....I think the Lumias have just over 600,000 available apps while iPhone/Androids have a little over 1 million.      But, not IF but WHEN the public tries them more and they become as popular as the iPhone/Samsungs/etc.  the app issue will become a non-issue.      I've never had an app that I needed that I didn't have with my Windows (not that I can recall now anyway ------ oh yeah, didn't have weight watchers app).

 

This website that may be useful in comparing them to iPhones: 

http://versus.com/en/microsoft-lumia-950-vs-apple-iphone-6s

 

You can read the reviews on the 950 XL on the following link but there won't be many as bhphoto JUST started selling these VERY recently:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=microsoft+lumia+950+xl&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

 

Another FABULOUS phone which I mentioned earlier is the Nokia Lumia 1520 (it's the predecessor of the 950, I'd imagine).  (I'd encourage you to go to this link and read the reviews!... the 950 will have similar reviews ONE DAY but it's just so new on the market that there's not quite as many to read about it)....(they don't carry this anymore because Nokia is obsolete as Microsoft bought them but if you like this phone you can likely get it elsewhere/ebay/and maybe even from your carrier)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1036818-REG/nokia_a00016720_lumia_1520_lte_phone_yellow.html#customerReview

 

Here's the comparison of the Lumia 1520 to iPhone 6s:

http://versus.com/en/nokia-lumia-1520-vs-apple-iphone-6s

 

Another thing I loved is that there were significantly fewer ads on Windows.   The interface is really easy to navigate.     I got my elderly parents one to replace their iPhones and they both agree it's better/easier for them to use.  Also, it has Windows 10 which is compatible with my personal computer.    The camera is really nice (has leica lens).

 

Now my hand hurts from typing all this!  ha!

 

Go for it.   You can always return it if not a good fit for you.  

[MomtoCandJ]

Dh had one, he didn't like it and it was rather fragile (it no longer works and he still has 2 months before he can get a new phone) he is currently using my old iPhone 4 and doesn't really like that either. He likes android best.

[Lostinabook]

I have a Lumia 920 and like it very much. I love that it's synced with my computer. Re: fragility--I've dropped mine multiple times on concrete & the phone still works fine. It has one small spiderweb marking on the back of the phone, but that's the only indication that it's ever been mishandled.

[melbotoast]

I liked mine a lot. Very simple to use. I didn't ever have issues with it freezing up like my current phone (Samsung Galaxy II). There are not as many apps, but enough.

[Excelsior! Academy]

We own three.  2 basic ones and the one with the fancy pants camera built in.  My complaint with the camera one is it delays between photos and I can't add an SD card.  So the space the phone has is the space the phone has.  Boo.  Usability is simple, but the phone doesn't support a lot of the commonly advertised apps.  Most apps are created for iphones and android.  Poor Microsoft phone is left behind.  

[Tsuga]

As both an iPhone and Android user, I found that I was very frustrated with the lack of apps in the Windows store. A lot of the ones that I had had for years on the other platforms couldn't be found for the Lumia.

 

I love Nokia and I enjoyed the Nokia Lumia. Nokia is extremely reliable, or was before MS bought it, and my Lumia stood up to everything until I dropped it from six feed on to asphalt. Even then it worked. Just, the screen broke, when it fell flat on the pavement. Oops.

 

Unfortunately, I too was frustrated by the lack of apps in the Windows store. And Skype, ironically and sadly, didn't even work too well with the Windows phone. 

 

I think that having Nokia AND Skype should have made Microsoft phones a shoo-in for the mobile phone market. Unfortunately they were cheap and stodgy in development and have really driven both those companies to the brink. It's incredibly sad.

 

However, I would definitely buy another one if apps weren't an issue. The camera is way better than my iPhone camera.

[Pam in CT]

My 17 yo son has one -- one of his primary modes of adolescent rebellion is to stake out a relentless anti-Apple stance, lol.  He is devoted to it though he does concede the not-very-many-apps argument.

 

Last winter we got one for my mother as well.  YMMV on why it made sense for her: it's easy to get one that is unlocked to take international SIM cards (my brother and family live overseas, so we needed that), the icons are BIG (especially since she has no apps at all), and it is crazy-easy to email a picture immediately after taking it (even easier than on an iPhone).  Your needs might possibly be a bit more complex than hers, though...