Take the State of the Mobile Nations Phones Survey for your chance to win $600 towards a new phone!

Silly season for new phones and gadgets is on us — it feels like we can't go a week without a major release as the calendar races into the holidays. There are a bunch of new phones out there and we wanted to get an idea about what's important to you in a phone and in a cellular carrier. Thus, this survey.

We get a little detailed, but that's because we want to suss out what it is that drives your decisions in purchasing a new phone or picking a new carrier. These are expensive and long-term choices, and your answers will help to influence what we write. This survey is your chance to help guide and inform how we approach answering your most important technology questions for years to come!

And because we love you, one random respondent to this survey will win $600 to buy the new phone of your dreams — or to pay for the next several months of your mobile service!

Hit up the survey below (or click here to open in a new window); it should take about 10-15 minutes to complete.

92 Comments

No Nokia as an option for current phone? Did you guys even ask the Windows Central guys for input when making this survey?
I first thought the same thing, then I saw Microsoft listed
Technically Nokia is Microsoft. They bought it. It's like asking separately for AT&T, Lucent and Avaya. It's the same, just a different name.
I typed Nokia into the "Other" field as I'm using a L930.
Same here I'm using lumia 830
They are separate companies but under the same umbrella organization. Its like if you asked me to pick you up some food and wanted taco bell so I bring you long john silvers since they are technically the same. My phone isn't a microsoft phone its a Nokia phone. If they wanted broad generalizations they should have just put ios, andrioid, windows and skipped the manufacturer.
Nokia and Microsoft IS the same manufacturer - it's MS. Nokia is just their brand that was used until one point and after that they changed it to Microsoft. So the difference is insignificant in this case. Comparing long johns and taco bell would be more relevant to a Lenovo/motorola situation. They are separate manufacturers under the same company. But whatever. If you have a problem with that then just mark your Nokia as "other". This survey is on all "Central" websites so Windows Phone, whether you call it Nokia or Microsoft will be within statistical error for them anyway.
actually, for your example it would be YUM foods instead of long johns
Not really, The phone is labeled 'Nokia" NOT Microsoft. but, I see your point. I selected "other" as I still have my 929 (icon)
Yeah. And Nokia,we hear,is soon to bring out their android phones. (And,wishfully,windows phones too- though I know it's not going to happen.
what makes you so confident that windows phone is not going to happen? Considering that they had such a hure market share with WP and the competition in Android, it is very likely they will release both. That said, I expect Nokia to come up with a crap generic phone like the tablet they released. That ship has sailed, all their talent lost to rivals.
I though i heard something about them not being allowed to for so many years?
There is literally no point in Nokia putting effort into a platform with near enough zero marketshare.
There is actually no point in putting effort into a platform where nobody makes money.
Survey seems like its US only ,is it?
It asks what country you live in so...
Yes but many of the questions about carrier are irrelevant in Indian context. For eg. There's no rule that you have to have a separate plan to use your mobile as hotspot we can do that with all carriers. Also all devices here are unlocked you can use any sim and change as you please. Unlimited data or talktime was unheard of, until Reliance Jio came into the market a month ago. And many other options were strange in our context. You may ask tge wc and ac editor Harish Jonalagadda about it he knows better and will be able to xplain better
Same here in Malaysia, but what I did was choose the options that best describes the carrier situation here in Malaysia, and of these options I pick my best answers based on which carriers I use. All in all, it doesnt seem as if its too US-centric.
Same here in Israel. I'm paying 30 NIS (less than 8$) a month for a plan with unlimited 4G data, unlimited calls and unlimited text, and the carriers are not allowed to sell you contracted plans (so you can switch whenever you feel like it). As for SIM locked devices, BY LAW any device sold by the carriers is unlocked. You can switch carrier by simply signing up to another carrier of your choice, and you even get to keep your phone number... And since Israel is such a small country, coverage is almost 100% for all the carriers, so the competition between the carriers is fierce (hence the low prices of the plans).
Wish they did that in the US!
This is true that most of the questions were about the problems of US carriers. I know a lot of the world the carriers don't have a stranglehold like they do here. I do use the hotspot function all the time with my Lumia 950XL on T-Mobile US on my same data plan as my phone without adding to the cost. I think you can pay for extra mobile hotspot if you wish. I don't know if it is the same with ATT who Nickle and dime the crap out of you for everything.
i would love to get a new windows phone but at this point would it be worth the purchase because of the lack of new features, apps, and overall support from both carriers and Microsoft. So at this point it looks like Android to the rescue with my currently Samsung phone, hope the "surface" phone fixes those issues
If you want a new Windows phone get one. Absolutely it would be worth it. These are phones not home mortgages. Respectfully, I don't know why you say what you have said. Microsoft is supporting and updating the OS. The phones work on the GSM phone carriers which are the vast majority of phone networks in the world. I have all the apps I need/want. You should read this web site more often, then, based on facts, decide what is the right phone choice for you. Just don't forget about the great Windows phone live tiles.
as someone that worked at t-mobile recently i have notice that the support for windows phone (questions, tech support, etc) is nonexistent, i get that the phones would be unlocked if you was to purchase one or at least have the option too, but honestly as big of a windows fanatic as i am it was just a statement that i mentioned as a windows fanboy that the frustration is real, the lack of apps is a real thing that is pushing that once 3% now a mere %1 even lower
>Microsoft is supporting and updating the OS. Right, they are updating WIndows 10 Mobile because it's not even close to as stable as 8.1 was. They are supporting the OS but, nothing else. No promtions, no new models from Microsoft, No new pushes to get apps. You buy into Windows Phone, you buy a nice OS but, the ecosystem. is pretty weak at best as apps or devices go (mobile) Someone moving from iOS or Android can but, as long as they dont use a lot of apps or 3rd party options (smartwatches, etc) No question Windows Phone is a great OS but, with Microsoft would get their crap together and start promoting it so it could get more apps and support from hardware but, it looks like they gave up on that aspect and I dont think it will be returning.. I really dont think updating a buggy OS is support on a phone ecosystem....
There is nothing special about Windows Mobile. It has a nice(ish) UI, along with an app store that is laughably far behind iOS and Android. I used to be a staunch Windows Phone user....but once you taste the delights of a fully featured app store, you can't go back to the wasteland of the Windows one. Apps make a phone smart. & Windows Mobile just doesn't have them.
Re: spinzeroWL,
I have all the apps I need.
I'll stick with Windows mobile.
Windows Mobile will receive limited support going forward. Microsoft is just interested in keeping ARM and LTE in development. I wouldn't expect new features and if you have a non-Microsoft device including the new Alcatel or X3, I wouldn't expect updates at all. Windows Mobile is basically dead. Microsoft doesn't care about it beyond supporting ARM.
You got the memo backwards. Windows 10 is Windows 10 no matter what platform it runs on, so it will get exactly the same developer attention as it gets on PC's since... It is the same code.
Maybe you missed the memo. https://www.thurrott.com/mobile/windows-phone/81484/microsoft-discusses-... And https://www.google.com/amp/www.pcworld.com/article/3137035/hardware/micr... Basically, new features are not coming to Windows Mobile. They are only interested in keeping ARM and LTE support going in One Core. The Core might be very similar between Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile but that doesn't mean all the code is the same. Don't expect feature rich updates for current devices and don't expect updates at all for non-Microsoft hardware.
Same here Kevin!
I have tasted the delights of a fully featured app store and still came TWICE to Windows phones.
$600? That's like half the price of a Pixel. j/k :p
....Or half a 256 GB iPhone 7 in Canada ($1,199.00).
The 256 GB 7 Plus is $1,349. ;O)
US only?
Not really, it ask where you live in
My dream phone is Hp Elite x3
The survey didn't include HP as an option for phone manufacturers. I added it in the "Other" block.
The survey was also buggy in a few places. The part where you are told to prioritize a list of items from most to least important didn't work for me.
I have sold a few phones and they didn't list me either.
Now I do have the chance to get Microsoft Lumia 950.
If you win, you could buy 2 lumia 950s with the money.
Sorry you guys out there - My 950XL beats spots off both the iPhone and Android devices in this house. Get a life forget about thousands of useless crapp apps. Keep going MS you're doing fine.
Nonsense.
Not at all. It's just as potent as any other OS.
Re: Petjolak,
Great comment. I wish more people thought this.
Even Microsoft thinks that phone sucks!
I'm shocked that Nokia wasn't an option for current phone manufacturer and had to be a write-in. Makes sense for next phone options but not current. I had to return 2 Lumia 950XLs last November because they were inferior to our Lumia 1520s in several ways and there are just recently some better options. I think you might not get what you are looking for regarding plan costs since you don't ask how many lines are included in a family plan. My bill is ~$150 but its for 6 lines.
Good point. There is at least one flaw in the survey due to not asking the number of lines. We pay $165/month for 4 lines.
W10M, Lumia 950, Cricket Wireless--all set for the next couple years and couldn't be happier.
Columbia isn't a country. It's a shame that even the WC staff don't know the difference Columbia and Colombia either.
Survey needs to have options to choose "no contract" in the relevant questions. I have never had a monthly contract and never will. Wi-fi is so ubiquitous here I have never used cellular data.
May I ask, how do you make local, long distance, and international telephone calls? Do you have constant wifi service?
I have a pay as you go sim card. I spend maybe € 5 per month on prepaid credit for phone calls, topping up only when required. Wi-Fi at home, supermarkets, shops etc covers my internet needs. I have offline navigation for driving.
Get yourself a Three pay as you go sim. Pretty sure they now come with 200MB free data per month...for life.
Enough to keep you on WhatsApp, email etc.
Love my 640 xl. Was looking for an upgrade. 950xl is no longer in stock in India. Any new Windows phones for India? Many of us love the platform and are loyal to it. The survey is USA specific. In India we operate in a totally different way.
Survey concentrates on US and the Phones locked with carriers. Would be informative for you guys if survey included carriers and country.
Would love to buy Lumia 950 with prize money.
I want that Alcatel idol 4s with windows 10. I have to get it unlocked so I can use it on att.
No Sony in the brand of phone, No ability to chose multiple Video calling app... the survey could be a bit better i think...
Just completed the survey. $600 would go a long way for a phone.
There is a mistake in QUESTION 38. It was pertaining to video calling and the last option was "No, I don't make voice calls" and it should have been "video calls".
There were other mistakes too.
I live in the caribbean... No option there :(
Me too :(
Does anyone know when the result will be known?
no is top secret!
Tell me only, I will not tell anyone
So when are you giving the prize to the one lucky winner?
I will assume that this is also open to non-US ? or is this another US only deal. I a US carrier send me an offer, I am unlikely to be interested as I live in the UK! I am nonetheless interested in buying my phone from the US if this means I can use the 600$ price !
I would assume that it is open to all, since one of the questions was what country you are in.
There were too many questions in the survey. But, if I win a Lumia 950 XL / Lumia 950 or HP Elite X3, it will be worth it.
Already done that
DOne
Yeaaap....ok..Done...good for me...waiting for the news....
When I click on the link it says survey already completed!?
is this open for all or just limited to US?
if not, then WEN IN INDIA? Edit: It's open for all.
phewww.. 49 questions .
Finished the survey! Hope to win! If I do...Here I come Lumia 950XL.
US only?
Done. I'd buy an Alcatel Idol 4S with the money
Done!
done.
done!!!
Done. I'll wait for the next w10m :D
I just want a oneplus 3T as my first phone:(
Done!!!
I did this survey 3 weeks ago. So does this count twice?
My windows phone is handling
I already did this. Any reason to do it again?
Good luck everyone. :D man if I won this be a sweet gift to get my son grandparents a new phone as a appreciation for all they do to help me out with my son.
When are the results coming out? This survey has been running for a while.
This is running for a while now.. fewer responses perhaps.. Good Luck for us who answered the survey :)
is it ended ?
State of the Mobile Nations Phones Survey is my only way to get a free gift I need this for my friend. but is there any way to bypass some of this kind of survey using no survey tool. LOL just kidding

Show more comments

Windows Central Newsletter