What does the perfect Windows phone look like?
Despite the struggles that Windows phones have endured, there are millions of consumers who are still using, loving and hanging onto the platform.

Unfortunately, there are precious few Windows phones on the market for fans with aging devices to move on to when these devices inevitably need to be replaced. As a result, users of Windows phones with broken screens, failing batteries and an assortment of other wear-and-tear and age-related ailments find themselves sniffing around the iPhone and Android looking for a new mobile companion.
This predicament and other factors got me thinking. Fellow Windows Central writers Jez Corden and Zac Bowden recently wrote pieces reflecting their passion for Windows phones and asking you, the community, why you are committed to the platform. Combined with my analyis of the state of the platform and commitment as a fan, the response from other fans has been tremendous.
This suggests that despite the challenges the Windows phone platform has and is currently enduring, there is a sizable core of fans that are in it for the long haul. You just want a new phone, that you can afford that takes full advantage of the features of Windows 10 Mobile, right?
What are the choices for Windows phone fans?
Most of us agree that there are far too few options available to a passionate community that simply loves the platform. Few they may be, but there are options. For instance, the HP Elite x3 is currently the best representative of Microsoft's Windows-on-phone-with-Continuum vision that can be found.
Most hard-core Windows phone fans see this device, and like Pavlov's dogs, begin to salivate. The price tag of $599 for a base offering up and to $1,298 for the full bundle quickly modifies that response to reflect the sobering reality that at those prices, it is simply out of reach for many people.
The Alcatel Idol 4S is also one of the newer Windows phones. It is not on par with the HP 3-in-1 beast. However, the bundled VR goggles, a premium build and decent specs that include a 21 MP camera, 64GB of expandable storage, 4GB of RAM, a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1280 display, and Continuum, are more than enough to satisfy the lusts of most Windows phone fans. But at $470 out of pocket, the price tag is still out of reach for many fans, especially when you candidly consider the compromises associated with the app gap that many fans endure.
The HP Elite x3 and Alcatel Idol 4 S may be too expensive for many users.
T-Mobile is offering the Idol for $288 to customers with "awesome credit." But if we're, honest we must acknowledge that many people don't fall into that category. And there are many more people around the world who use a compatible GSM network but are not on T-Mobile. These individuals are likely stuck wanting a nearly-$500 smartphone that they too cannot afford.
Beyond those two devices, there are older Lumia's that can be purchased from the Microsoft Store website and Amazon, but those devices are already in the hands of most fans who can afford them. Even at currently discounted prices, most of those phones are $400 or more.
The most affordable devices, like the Lumia 735 at $129, run Windows Phone 8.1 and are a step back for fans who may want features of Windows 10 Mobile, such as Continuum. At $298 on the Microsoft Store site, the Lumia 950 likely fits a price fans would consider, but again, many fans who wanted a Lumia 950 may likely already have an aging one. They want something different to replace it with, something new.
But what type of phone has the best likelihood of fulfilling that need?
Low- and mid-range Windows phones have sustained the platform
Most Windows phone fans that frequent this site know that high-end phones such as the Lumia 950XL, 950, 1520, 1020 and even the popular 920 were not the most popular nor bestselling Windows phones.
But they were likely the most talked about in certain contexts. And when it came time for the inevitable phone war comparisons that bloggers like to write about, and fans like to argue about, we put the best representatives of our beloved platform in the ring with the iPhones and Androids that dominated the market each year. Yes, the flagships were often in the spotlight.
The Windows phone community has thrived on low- to mid-range devices over the years.
In truth, however, though those high-end flagships represented Windows phones well, they did not represent what most of us were using. Most of the Windows phone community over the years, despite the cries for high-end flagships, has thrived on low- and mid-range smartphones. You know, the affordable options.
Though sporting great specs, nice displays and unique camera technology, high-end devices never sustained, though they were important to the platform.
The long-term effects of Microsoft's low-end mobile push
The Lumia 520 with a 4-inch 480 x 800 display, dual-core 1GHz processor, a 5MP camera and other unimpressive specs, even for the time it was in the market, was the bestselling Windows phone. Like the low-end 520, other low-end and mid-range devices that demonstrated the smooth and fluid nature of the Windows Phone OS are what sustained the platform.
Do Windows phone fans really need a high-end phone?
There was a cost to Microsoft's low-end push. Due to the pervasive nature of low-end Windows phones, most consumers, and even sales associates were woefully unaware of the high-end Windows phones that better represented the platform and competed with rival flagships. I created the following Sway presentation a few years ago, in which I detailed an encounter where the impact of low-end phones was seen in a sales environment.
The popularity of low-end Windows phones painted a poor picture of what a Windows phone was in the minds of many people. They saw it as a low-end smartphone. This perception was likely exasperated by the fact that many low-end devices with just a 1GHz chip could not optimally run certain apps or could not run some apps at all.
Are low-end Windows phones hurting Microsoft's smartphone brand?
Given the platform's history, most Windows phone fans would likely be content with an affordable phone with decent specs. Is it possible to build a Windows phone that is both affordable and represents the platform well? Microsoft tried with the Lumia 830, its "affordable flagship."
But with a price tag of about $450, it missed the affordable mark for many consumers.
Balance between specs and price
What are the basic features that you are looking for in a new Windows phone? Does it need to be a price pushing high-end device? Maybe, you'd be satisfied with a low-end device that can't take advantage of Continuum but gives you the Live Tile UI and OS you have come to love.
Or maybe like Goldilocks, something "just right" is more your flavor. Maybe you don't need something too spec'd out, where the price is in orbit, or so basic that Continuum is not an option.
Maybe a mid-range phone, that does all that a Windows 10 Mobile phone is supposed to, including supporting Continuum, is what the community is hankering for. Then again, maybe not. Given the evidence of price consciousness, I think that's exactly what many of us may be content with carrying, however, as long as the phone has a sturdy and attractive build.
For a point of reference, the following chart shows the minimum requirements for Continuum for phone:
What would your ideal Windows phone look like?
Given the fact that there is a core of users still dedicated to Windows phone that passionately wants a new device, but an affordable option does not seem to exist, is there a balance of features and price that would satisfy that core?
If you could build an affordable phone that didn't compromise on important features, like some of the low- and mid-range Windows phones of the past, what would it look like and how much would you be willing to pay for it?
Remember, this isn't about converting iPhone and Android fans. This is about what type of device would meet the cost and features needs of Windows phone fans.
Let's hear your ideas. You never know who might be reading ...
Following the story
Windows phone isn't dead
- Microsoft's Surface phone should be much more than just a 'phone'
- If Microsoft doesn't kill at BUILD 2017, the Surface phone may be dead on arrival
- Is early 2018 too early for a Surface phone?
- Will Samsung beat Microsoft to market with an ultimate Mobile device?
- Did Microsoft give us a glimpse of its Surface phone vision
Smartphones are dead
The untold app gap story
Windows Mobile and the enterprise
- I'm a Windows phone fan in an iPhone/Android world. Why? Microsoft has it going on!
- What Android and iPhone users need to know about Windows phone
The Surface Phone
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Jason L Ward is a columnist at Windows Central. He provides unique big picture analysis of the complex world of Microsoft. Jason takes the small clues and gives you an insightful big picture perspective through storytelling that you won't find *anywhere* else. Seriously, this dude thinks outside the box. Follow him on Twitter at @JLTechWord. He's doing the "write" thing!
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Thanks for reading folks! I know that there are many here who have their hearts set on a high-end flagship with all the bells and whistles, and that's not a problem. We believe that the Surface "phone" (ultramobile Surface) cometh. But we also realize that when it gets here it's price tag will likely be out of reach for many. Windows phones survived as long as they did by resting on the shoulders of the low- and -midrange phones. Will a capable mid-ranger with good a specs, a decent camera, Continuum and an attractive build satisfy the bulk of Windows phone fans or are you (realistically) looking for something else that you will buy when/if it launches, even if the price is astronomical? Microsoft's first-party hardware, Surface's, the device family to which the ultramobile Surface will belong, launch as very expensive products after all. What are your thoughts, let's build a Windows phone! Whatever you're looking for in specs and price. Also, don't forget to use the minimum Continuum requirements chart above for a point of reference if necessary. Alright folks LET'S TALK, BUILD and HEAR YOUR IDEA'S!
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A home screen with Apps on it...simple. I left for Android 2 years ago and came back last year when we had ebay, PayPal, Amazon (real app), myfitnesspal, and tons of other apps that I used and I was happy I came back, but now its almost unusable with all those apps and now gas buddy and others leaving. All of this and the calendar still can't set a 2 or 3 hour reminder or even snooze an event between 15 minutes and 1 hour and you end up with a painful experience. If only Microsoft executives used Windows Phones and tried to set a 1 hour reminder for a commute that's 2 hours away, this crap would be fixed but their iPhones let them be productive. Removal of all the good parts of Windows 8.1 wasn't helpful either like keyboard, all dark Bing with City Lens, kids corner and rooms didn't help either.
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The beauty of it is that everybody's own Windows phone is their perfect Windows phone. That's why they've bought it. To love. Most Lumias are hard not to. I am 18 and I bought my Lumia 550 and I think at the moment it is the perfect phone. Although it is very low-end, it gets a lot of my work done.
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My dream phone?...
0. A high end device. Ultra high end exotic. Sorry, but that's what I've always used, and as a HUGE WINDOWS PHONE FAN has fueled my interest in mobile. If I'm gonna dream, I gonna dream about what MS can possibly make, and dream BIG!. Money doesn't matter (unless it's a ridiculous $2k)... I want a true 1520 successor, four years later. This is the "Surface 1550", in a sense. Anything else is boring. Just my personal ideas and preference. I don't work for MS, so don't get your pantie's in a bunch. But, enjoy if you agree. 😂
1. LANDSCAPE ON THE DAMN START SCREEN! FINALLY!🤓
2. Up to $1000.00 price tag if need be.
3. Offered through all four major US carriers.
4. WOA 4in1 capable of running full Windows by continuum, or switching between mobile, or desktop, right on the device display. Yes, "4in1". I expect Cortana to be the centerpiece for interaction in the future, acting as a 4th aspect of mobile. True AI, a true VA.
5. At least a 6.2" super high tech display included with a category defining form factor.
5.1. photovoltaic display technology (solar charging display).
5.2. Surface pen 3 support.
6. No less than a 4kMA battery, with new battery technology.
6.1. The fastest quick charging available.
6.3. Dual standard, second generation, wireless charging.
7. SD 840 worthy CPU/GPU, or beyond.
8. At least 6GB ram
9. One USB-C port, one full sized USB 4.0 port.
10. DUAL SD card slots.
10.1. At the very least 128GB onboard ROM.
11. Iris, fingerprint, all modern biometrics.
11.1. Bluetooth 6.0😜
12. Surface brand build quality, design, and branding
13. Color options! (a throwback to WP design). Red, white, blue, black, cyan, gold etc.. infused liquid magnesium chassis.
14. Quad high quality speakers with dual dedicated internal amplification.
14.1. At least 4 mics for HD audio recording
15. VR/AR right out of the box (justifying some cost)
16. New 41MP state of the art rear camera technology; higher resolution, if need be. High resolution video capture.
16.1. 8 spectrum, dual element (4 spectrum per element), flash... You'd be able to strap this thing to your front bumper, and cruise at night.
16.2. TWO user assignable "camera buttons". Both of which can be assigned to open any app, or perform any task.
16.3. Physical, illuminated, Start, back, and search, keys. Bring those back❗
17. 8mp front camera, superior video capture.
17.1. GG6 glass technology, or sapphire.
17.2. Water resistant, at the least.
17.3. Illuminated Windows logo on rear😮💥
...........
18.... A very huge, and effective, marketing campaign. A device this functional should be used by more than just a few fans. This is a true Ultra Mobile Surface PC, with FULL PC power.🌈💜🌈💜🌈💜🌈💜😎 -
My dream phone is simple. L950XL with SD835, CShell and 2 foldable screens.
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My dream phone has nothing to do with my current 950.. And, yours shouldn't either. You should have higher, much higher, aspirations.
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You got a long list, but most of them are just evolutionary upgrades. They won't do much to help selling WPs. The app gap issue still remains. I'm generally happy with the L950XL's specs. It could use more memory when W10M becomes 64-bit. But I think that CShell (RS3) and the rumored foldable screens can be a revolutionary upgrade for WP. It could solve the app gap issue for most of the WP users. When the phone is unfolded, it turns into a 8"-9" tablet. You can run W10 UWP apps and Edge web apps comfortably in the tablet mode. You don't need to find and wait for WP apps. My banking, finance, retails, airline, hotel, travel info, etc. can all be found on web sites. The UWP apps will keep coming to serve all the W10 users. If the 6" Surface phone will indeed be equipped with 2 foldable screens, it will be a very successful product among the ever expanding W10 user base. Unfortunately, it didn't make to your list. It happens to be the most important and critical one feature for a future dream phone. At least that is my dream phone.
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Yes, of course some type of innovative category defining device (foldable screen, or whatever else MS can come up with)... That's pretty much what I mean when I say "Surface Phone", and like I mentioned a 4in1 form factor.... I mention a 6.2" screen because that's the minimum amount of screen area I'm interested in..... So, yes, at this point we're all on point with what a "Surface Phone" means.. We just have no idea what it means yet. Lol. I'll Just add that aspect to my list. Thanks for the reminder.
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OhhhEmmmGeee!! ... this sounds freekin' amazing! I'll take one, please!
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Well, me too😂😂😂
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Your dream phone will probably cost more than $1000 - are you still interested?
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Yes. I said that in bullet point 0., and in 2.0.... It's a Surface family device. What do we expect?... Of course, MS could make multiple "Ultra Mobile" devices, coming in at different price levels.. But, this one definitely wouldn't be the entry level "Surface Phone".
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I'd purchase a phone like that. The illuminated Windows Logo on the rear would be nice and definitely will help stick out. With that illuminated Windows logo, I would push for the phones to be used as props in as many movies and TV shows possible along with an ad campaign that would make Apple and Samsung vomit due to the sheer level of exposure. They need to seriously invest for the future. Also tired of seeing them market their services with an Android phone or iPhone as the only device they show. They also need a simultaneous launch on ALL CARRIERS TO INCLUDE VERIZON! Obviously Nadella needs to make some personal visits with the CEOs of major app developers. Go hard or go home.
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Agree.... And, I'm still adding features to the list.
Really makes you realize how amazing our current smartphones are. I mean, they already have at least 90% of the things I mentioned. These little things do a lot; even your most low end smartphone in 2017. -
Just saw this trailer and spotted a Lumia 950!!! https://youtu.be/DzfpyUB60YY?t=1m15s dreams do come true!
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Dream phone: Dual boots Android 7 or can virtualize it. Cause sometimes, "apps."
Full Disk Encryption for both sides.
Fingerprint scanner. I love the 950 iris scanner, but outside gloves in the winter, fingerprints are faster.
AMOLED for Glance / always on display. Medium and Big for different size people.
Apt-X Bluetooth audio driver. Seriously Lumia 950 wtf :(
Hi-Fi DAC and 3.5mm headphone jack.
SD Card.
USB-C with quick charge.
3300+ battery.
As far as removable vs sealed, i could go either way. Water resistance is great but so is being able to replace worn out batteries.
Supports MF'ing MirrorLink so that we can compete with Android Auto.
Regular and Wide Angle 12-14MP cameras.
Supports all US carriers. At least the big 2 gimmie a break. Software - For the love of god, finish integrating Skype with SMS / Desktop, let Outlook tags actually show up in Outlook mobile, complimentary Groove subscription, bring MS Movies & TV to other platforms in my house to compete with Amazon. Even more important: Bring Edge extensions like adblock to the mobile version of Edge, and really up your game on approving extensions for the Store. If Continuum is going to succeed, the mobile browser needs to be powerful. No adblock on a browser is annoying for mobile consumers and unacceptable for business power users running Continuum. UC Browser and Opera are not acceptable ad-blocking replacements for any sensisitive work compared to Edge because of their ties to Chinese government (Alibaba and Qihoo). Design:
I really love the design on the LG G6 (metal body, plastic bumpers for drops, rounded screen corners, thin enough for 1 hand). Price:
$500-700. Only because of the Android. No one in quantity will pay over 500 for a Windows-only phone unless apps get much better. -
I have just arranged to return my elite x3 , desk dock and lap dock due to hw problems. I've switched to an LG V20 and surface pro 4. So pleased I did. The spec of the v20 is everything you said you want in a Windows 10 phone.
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Not really. I have an LG V20 as a test phone and I find it slower and less useful than my 950XL. The only thing it is better at is apps, and even then that means your apps are spread all over the multiple screens. I can get more information on one glance on my 950XL than I can on my LG V20.
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Hmm I've had an elite x3, 950, 950xl, 640, 1520, 930, 920 and omnia 7. The LG V20 is no slower than any of these. In fact with superior apps the actual task time is reduced and the experience is more complete. The Bluetooth connectivity experience is awful in Windows 10 mobile, which was a huge bugbear of mine.
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That's pants you are having them issues. I had a lumia 950xl the phone it's self i loved and did not have any issues with it but when PayPal app was dropped i needed to move away as i use this app alot. Moved to the lgg5 and for my a very underrated phone. I miss the 950xl screen size but not had one issue with the G5. Only small issue i had was the LG keyboard it felt to small for my hands i got gboard and it's very close to wimos keyboard. At this moment in time my next phone is looking like the LG g6 as it has the missing bits i want with the my next phone unless Microsoft come up with a phone that blows away the g6 and also brings back the apps i need. For me windows mobile is the best os on the market for phones but it lacks apps i need.
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Try SwiftKey on your g5. Microsoft bought the developer behind it a whilst ago. It's on par with W10m keyboard.
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"Bluestacks"......
WOA. -
A 640xl like device with better specs would be the perfect mid range phone today.
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The HP isn't the nicest phone: it's just too big and bulky. The Alcatel is the nicest, and sells for just $288 (no need for "awesome credit") or unlocked for $400-450. At half the price, it's a no brainer between the two. The 950 is nice for the camera. Personally I would just want a 5" phone with a nice camera and a chassis like the Alcatel or HTC phones.
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A 5" phone with at least mid ranged specs whose radios support all major carriers. I'm easy.
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1020 with 256gb storage 4gb ram 835 and APPS!!!!!!!! I am in 1000000%. I would sell my iPhone for 100 bucks to get that windows phone. Apps have to be on par with iPhone in order to work however.
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Not talking about my dream phone but what I think Microsoft should bring out first is a PC that also works as a phone and not worry about the cost. The rich and trendy will define what is hip/cool and like the Surface that put Apple to shame recently, the people will jump on board. If you confuse them with too much the masses will buy cheap and bad/ fake news will follow. The first thing Microsoft should put out is the ultimate pocket device. Then make people want it.
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Don't forget that Microsoft has OEM partners that can put out a phone. Microsoft *will* stick to the Surface model and bring out a device that sets the bar and defines a category...a ultramobile PC that has telephony. Its possible for an OEM partner to come out with a mid ranger that caters to a segment of the fan base. Now if that midranger is a poor representative of the platform it, as low-end phones did in the past, give the wrong image of Windows phones. Conversely, if it represents the platform well, an affordable phone in many hands would be good for the platform.
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Yes I agree Jason, that is what made Samsung bigger than Apple but first things first. You need to create a buzz and make something that people desire, even if they can only dream about it. I think it comes down to gaining respect first and yes you could very well do that with a mid ranger but I feel it would be better at this point for Microsoft to show that they can make the best device that has ever been and then bring out a mid range device. I use a L650 and a L730 before that so I am definitely hip to the mid range. For me it's all I need and I think the L650 is a great design for a phone. With the aluminum trim, speakers pushed to the bezel, super thin and a removable back in a 5 inch size. Not too big and not too small. I also think that 1 GB of ram is enough to run any phone but a mid range with 2 GB of ram that could included Continuum would be killer.
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Jason, when you say "ultra mobile" do you indeed mean "pocketable"?... Just want to clear this up.
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I would love to go back to a good mid range Windows phone, but with the apps that I need disappearing or becoming less than useless. I don't see me returning to the platform especially with Microsoft not even trying to keep its own apps usable.
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Try web apps. Sometimes they are good replacements and they don't take up storage, which can be a good thing phone with low storage.
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For people to really want something, MS needs to market it. No marketing, no sales, then goodbye surface phone. We have seen this all too many times in the past.
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Hey Mr. Catfish! any more updates on MS wearables? 2017 maybe?
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Why would they make wearables when they have no mobile devices? I wouldn't expect any wearables until they have something mobile.
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Thank you for asking. RIght now, MS is being a pain in the ass. Their plan has slipped sideways regarding an acquisition. Nonetheless, they are trying. The device we worked on is still up in the air much to our chagrin. It was supposed to be released at the end of this year, Q3, to be exact.
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gotchya. thanks for the update. bummer nothing goes smoothly.
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This is something I still cannot understand. If they do not have a strong (I mean every f***ing where) marketing campaign, their Chief Marketing Officer needs to be fired. "No one uses Windows phones" is the common thing. I wonder why... Can't sell something no one knows about. Everyone I have come in contact with, literally eyeballs my phone when I pull it out with many asking about it. People are tired of iOS and Android. If Microsoft shows they are serious when it's launch time by pushing a STRONG advertisement campaign, devs will take notice and begin developing for the next big thing.
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pointless if it cannot do what iphones can do now while mobile! Simple.
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IMHO, any PC or tablet that has a GSM LTE radio must be able to run Android in emulation. The best of both worlds on an 8-inch screen would be perfect for me. An "adaptable storage" concept similar to Marshmallow would be very useful in the low-end market, especially if you are going to have #1. Add a radio to an existing Win 10 tablet, such as the Nu Vision inexpensive version.
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So, are there devices out there that will be able to update to full Windows 10 on ARM. I assume that the HP Elite and Alcatel may be have the specs required. Most windows phone curently on the market would not be auitable for Wndows 10. This will start to look like another Microsoft refresh. I would like new device, but would need to be sure it could take Windows 10 on ARM .
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Nope. Neither have the Snapdragon 835. The Elite x3 v2 will have the 835...so that's the only possible candidate. Though, if you listen to WC Podcast 40, Alex & Dan suspect Win10 on Arm may be reserved for small tablets like the x3 v2, where as Mobile would continue on as is. Nobody but MS really knows, and that changes with the wind too.
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Which makes it even more difficult, if you're an enthusiast considering a higher end Win10M phone now, to pull the trigger. What's the likelihood that the next major mobile OS release will run on existing hardware? I'd like to believe that Win10M will continue to be developed as the base of Win10 going forward running UWP apps. But it's reasonable to be wary based on precedent. I'm in that situation now; I'd like to try get a new device with Continuum support, but I really want mutiwindow support that I thought would be coming in RS2, but it sounds like that's pushed off to at least RS3. That's far enough out that I think I'll just hold off for now and wait.
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Jason, My ideal low to midrange Windows phone would have a snapdragon 600 series processor, at least 2 GB RAM, a 5-inch 720 or 1080p display, and be relatively pleasing to the eye and durable. The price would need to be anywhere from $120 - $250. The technology is there to have a decently spec'd, low cost device. Just look at the number of decently spec'd unlocked Android phones one can buy on Amazon for that price. The problem is getting an OEM to make a device like this. The only OEM Windows 10 Mobile devices that have come out here in the states have been met with lackluster enthusiasm. The low-end Lumia 550 and the midrange 650 are all but gone. Plus, the 650 really should have had 2GB RAM. The Alcatel OneTouch Fierce XL with Windows 10 was a neat phone in concept (I am currently using one for the time being), but the quality of this device is sub par to say the least. It performs decently, but the speaker is terrible. It has very poor audio and call quality, and the camera is abysmal. Needless to say, T-Mobile has since cancelled this short-lived device. Unfortunately, the situation that the remaining OEMs are in is that interest is waning in the platform, despite the small, yet ardent fan base. Look at NuAns. The Neo was over priced. The kick starter failed. Ultimately, NuAns switched to Android due to the uncertainty Microsoft has given them in Windows Mobile. With the inevitable switch to full Windows 10 on ARM, if I was an OEM, I would not touch Mobile with a ten foot pole. Thus, fans find themselves in a bit of a sticky situation, especially those who are price conscious, with most of those price conscious fans begrudgingly moving to Android. Yes, they may use all Microsoft apps on that new Android device, and that is a whole other issue. It used to be, "Well, if you want to use Microsoft apps and services then a Windows device is what you must have". Then the narrative shifted to, "Well, the experience is best on Windows". Now, the shift has been made to, "Well, Windows lags behind the other MS apps on Android and iOS". If I cared about apps, why would I use Windows at this point, when I could have all the best MS apps, plus the best of the mobile ecosystem, for cheaper, by going Android?Now, I think Windows 10 Mobile is more secure than Android, but at the end of the day, I don't think that matters to most. I guess what I am trying to say by this long rant is that I really liked Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile. However, I feel that the future of Mobile, with full Windows on ARM on the way, is the future Microsoft envisions, and unfortunately, I think this future precludes low to midrange devices for the time being.
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Jason, Thank you for this article. I've had two Windows phones, both Lumina, and had to quit using both for the same reason. The front glass. After I bought my second Windows, Lumina 1560 (I think), I even asked the salesman if I could buy a case that covered the front glass. He replied that I did not need one, as it was protected by 4th generation guerilla glass or something. I dropped it once and shattered the front glass. And could not get it replaced anywhere near Mobile, AL. I loved my Windows phones. I loved the size. I loved the live tiles. Particulary, the live tile pictures. No other phone, including the two you mention above, offer tiles that large, even when using the smaller tile, easy to see and easy to use. And there were plenty of apps to load, most of which were offered free of charge. Until I dropped it and saw how easy it was to shatter the front glass and then could not get the glass replaced, I adored my Windows phone. They are easily the best phones on the market. But until cases are offered to protect them, especially ..... the front glass, I have to shy away from getting another one. Thank you, Cathi
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A High end device that has a dedicated camera button. I typically use a phone for several years, replacing failing parts myself with parts when available. In the simplest sense, latest soc, the specs of L930, glance, msd card slot in L920 unibody design but has a user replaceable battery, with a dedicated camera button.
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A good Windows phone would ve a combination between the Nokia 1520 and the HP Elite X3 that I have now.
Good power, fast, good memory and a battery that lasts two days.
Definitely a high end phone.
Thanks a lot. -
I just want something that isn't compromised in some way. The idol 4s pretty much gets there but then has no NFC , 1440p screen and a weak camera. Not to mention it's not even available across the majority of the planet.
It's also interesting that there's a perception that windows phone was all about the low end. That I'd say it's all due to poor execution of every flagship after the L920. Everything released felt like last years specs at this years prices and that just isn't going to fly for someone in the market for a flagship class device. -
Jason, the 735 on Verizon IS Win 10 without being on Insider.
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If you depend on partners you get what they want. HP want a business phone. Alcatel used the Android phone they had and put Windows 10 Mobile on it. The role of the flagship product is aspiration. The same role as a Surface device. If Microsoft believes in it's mobile OS it needs a first party flagship and it needs to produce it annually. Of course there need to be lower priced alternatives. At this point WP needs to be like OnePlus - the outsider selling via viral marketing, fun features and value. Fast charging and long battery life are missing from many manufacturers. Unfortunately WP needs apps. If Microsoft believe in UWP then Microsoft apps ought to highlight what the platform can do and the Windows Store needs to be developer friendly and be a place where the table top developer can reallty feel at home. Just my opinion.
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At this point I'm less interested in the specs and more interested in the OS. My 950's specs are outstanding and does everything great. I just want to see Microsoft develop stuff like Continuum and Live Tiles and all that cool stuff to make a really polished OS that attracts developer support and gets the platform back on track.
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Execute Android apps. Execute all W10 apps. Let user decide which fields of the Contact are displayed on screen for incoming calls (or just add company name to be shown) Bring back good old Nokia Profiles to create bundled sttings for different use situations (e.g. office, meeting, home, outdoor, night etc.), with rules based on parameters like GPS location, calendar, time, WLAN SSID etc. (see Situation app) Battery capacity must improve alot. Besides, talk time is a useless parameter for today's heavy-duty road warriors.
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Just make a sub-150 USD Windows Phone for the masses, whomever the OEM (looking at you WhartonBrooks) that should keep the interest of the platform buoyed so the Enterprise can be convinced to splurge on the ultramobiles For now, let me mourn with my 130USD Android phone. At least I know I can still access the Microsoft ecosystem from here
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I think Lumia 640 was a good low-end phone. It cost 1600 NKR in Norway which is about $180. It even got good reviews in some Norwegian magazines. We still have ours and I use it for music while training. It's much lighter than other high-end Lumias.
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here's a crazy idea windows phone with a fully working OS with working native apps that dont crash or bugout. maybe add the features they previous phones had, features that were available even 10 years ago. and options. like options to turn on and off all those features, or options to change visuals like colors, fonts, transparency, sizes. i know that sounds impossibly utopian and you'd have to be insane to imagine such things in a phone, but something tells me its doable. maybe even easy if you have lots of people and money to do it. seriously now, unless the os gets it's sh*t together, i'm not even gonna consider touching another windows phone. let alone talk about, design, architecture, apps, specs, and so on.
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You can get the T-Mobile Windows idol 4S for 288 without awesome credit, you just have to pay the the 288 up front for the post or prepaid. I was going to get one when I switched from cricket wireless to T-Mobile, but they didn't have any in stock and I need a phone so for 240 I got the Stylo 2+, but I just found out that cricket will be sending me my unlocking code to my L650. So I'm happy about that. Sad though my At&t 1520 won't work properly on T-Mo.
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The perfect windows phone for me was Nokia Lumia 920 with an app store woukld be good
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The 920 is the best. Though my 5'1" daughter would like a 4" screen to better fit in her jeans, she still misses her 920 anyways.
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To me that phone looks like something from the 90s. Only oneos I ever liked are the icon/lumia 830. The 925 was ok, but nothing special design wise. Small as hell too.
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I like the 830 still, but any Windows Mobile phone coming from 8.1 to W10M will struggle. It has be at or above the spects listed for continuum going forward for me.
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SAME! The perfect Windowsphone IS the Nokia Lumia 920. perhaps update the cameras, polycarbonate, black on black, shint vs matte is sexy. maybe a larger version w a bigger, better screen, but the same proportions. the design was slick, and smart, the elongated oval shape repeated throughout the design the top & botto of the device, the curved screen and the shiny metalic black oval around the Carl Zeiss camera. The sides were curved, but the top and bottom complettely flat wich gave it a more sophisticated look than everything Microsoft has come out with since. And yes, The ability to keep the Start screen to 4 rows instead of six is imperative. 6 rows is too busy. capacitive touch back home and search buttons should be mandatory on every device, the screen based buttons feel so cheap comparatively. BUT.... Nokia had MUCH better design sense. And as far as I can tell, Microsoft has since fired the entire Nokia design team. Because of course they would! The Nokia Lumia 920s were ELEGANT, BEAUTIFUL, HIGH END....and yet playful & not pretentious. DO THAT! That is who most consumers ARE. And bring back the windowsphone 8 interface, with the gorgeous hubs! Stop making all the icons SO overly minimalistic. But why listen to me, Ive only been right about every move Microsoft has made. Now developers are starting to dump apps for Windows 10 PC & mobile! You cant even give it away...because of NADELLA! HIS VISION IS WRONG! He doesnt understand design, and he doesnt understand consumers. I dont know what his expertise IS, but it's NOT what microsoft needs!
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920 was my favorite as well. That design language with updated internals, a slightly larger screen and sdmicro would be a very attractive phone. my 950XL screen just dosn't have that 'black' color the 920 o 1520 had.
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give us Samsung S8 / Note 8 With W10M and everything will be okey... except the fact that W10M has a user base lower then Nokia 3310
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This is something MS needs to consider. Partner with OEMs and have them release a version of their flagships that run Windows.
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They tried. Every single one failed miserably. OEMs aren't going to be motivated to push what in effect is Microsoft's phone. OEMs have no customization options and no way to differentiate their Windows phones. Why would Samsung put effort into pushing Microsoft's phone when they have their own TouchWiz phones?
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so you buy a S8 just because Touch Wiz? ALL I hate about Samsung is the TouchWiz, i hate it. Its stupid. If they would put a stock rom in it I wouldnt even think about W10m
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Root and mod....S8 with stock android...problem solved! very easy!
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My windows phone looks glorious https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=9DC52E77EDF33AA1&id=9DC52E77EDF33AA1%2178...
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Unavailable ?
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Image not available.
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Works on all carriers including Verizon would be a good start.
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Unfortunately, a new Windows phone that can run on Verizon Wireless appears to be, at least, 2 years away. Microsoft, HP and Alcatel are not submitting their phones for CDMA certification, and, Verizon Wireless is still a few years away from migrating traffic over to its next generation network. Once the Lumia 735 drops from Verizon Wireless's website, there will be no new Windows devices available for use on any CDMA network.
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Honestly Jason, I'm quite pleased with the 950XL. It has great display, removable battery, dual sim (not that I use or need), SD card slot, excellent camera, interchangeable case... If it would have stronger battery, less bezel to give smaller footprint and if it would do X86, I wouldn't, personally, have the need for anything more. Cheers!
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Agree
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I would love a small phone with midrange specs. I guess a cross between the 925/735 (sizewise), and at least a 12MP main camera, with good battery life. Bonus if it has a processor that can support Continuum. For now, it seems like that void is a major one. At the moment, it seems like you have to choose between good battery life and the size of phone, which is annoying. Good editorial though Jason!
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Thanks Libra89...what price range do you think such a device should fall in?
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I would say from $150 to $250. $300 at the most.
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Ideal phone would be HTC 8X remake for Windows 10. Slightly bigger display (just to support 4 rows of columns), made out of same materials which were so awesome to feel in hand. Some decent specs for this times, and some sound amplifier like Beats were. Man, that was the phone, now I'm rocking bulky Lumia 930 just cuz of Windows 10. 8X had a soul.
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Still got my 8X, it was a great size and weight, excellent to hold in the hand (unlike my N930), it was made of durable stuff and it ran really well. It's a shame it didn't make the Windows 10 cut, I would have at least maintained it as an Insider phone. It was my last HTC, I vowed never to go back and anyway, Nokia's dominance had already taken hold (at that time) and I never looked back. How times have changed because right now, I would re-consider an HTC given the fact that the choices out there are painfully small and mostly very expensive.
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I miss my 8XT...such a good phone!
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Great Camera, High quality Audio DAC, 5.5-6", removable storage.
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Seems like we don't talk much about a great camera anymore. But my ulitmate Windows Phone would look like the 7.X OS version. With all the original apps. Rooms, Photo Hub, seeless intergration with social media, Kids Corner, Album year in Music aka Zune, Pivots Galore (no hamburger menus), All the Nokia photo apps, Me tile, and lastly a great camera! That would be my ultimate Windows Phone device, but in multiple sizes. 4.0; 4.5; 5.0; 5.5. :)
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A revised model of Lumia 950 with better camera and bigger battery, and true love from Microsoft.
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No matter what we want the perfect smartphone. We are already on this site, which means that many of us have a Windows phone smartphone. Now we need to keep the platform up-to-date - to release more phones. And also need applications. And then you can talk about smartphones and talk about ideal ones.
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That's what the article asks...I'm not sure if you read it in its entirety, but I acknowledge the lack of options, what type of phones have been popular in past and what type of phone would fill the gap for users who want a new device.
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The HP Elite x3 with Glance Screen (the REAL Glance Screen, not the HP crappy implementation). If Glance Screen is not possible at all, a notification LED could be sufficient, so I can know when I have missing stuff, without having to constantly unlocking the phone.
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The features of the 950XL inside the body material of the Lumia 930. 3.5mm & 2.5mm balanced audio out. A dedicated DAC chip for hires audio. And USB Audio Class 2 support.
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I was thinking the guts and display of the xl put into the 1520 - the 1520 at the xl's size would be better, too.
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What does the perfect Windows Phone look like? An Android phone.
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That's not a Windows phone.😉
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Seriously?
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What does a doofus look like? Gravage.
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Savage
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Well, I thought it was funny... :)
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The problem with Windows phones is Windows. It never compelled manufacturers or carriers to put much effort into creating or selling them. Consumers also weren't interested in the few that were available. The perfect Windows phone would need a massive redesign and new strategy or else it would also be flawed no matter how great the hardware.
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Looking at the images above, and on their respective boxes they came in, I can understand why. Coming from Windows 8.1, the Start Menu was awesome and now it's even better in 10. The improvements from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 mobile was huge, but the stores still displayed what Windows phone 7 probably looked like. Orange or green squares that wouldn't show the live tile; none of the icons where remotely universal so users couldn't recognize what apps they were. I think they were 3rd party app icons. All of these were on display next to the Android and iPhones, which had a lot of glamor out of the box.
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A 950XL with pen support
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That, but not with the plastic feel. Either a solid feel like the 900, 1020, etc. or some metal, presumably like the 650 (not too hot for the all metal kind like those HTC Ones [?]). And a super-awesome camera (got to replace the 1020). I don't care if it's not a budget device. Just bought my wife her third 1020. I'm still on my first 1020, but that battery may need replacing before long. Definitely want to be able to use it to run full PowerPoints (plenty of photos, transitions, the works) against a MiraCast-capable projector/the wireless adapter. OneNote with ink support. Got to be able to use the regular Surface pen (don't make me carry two pens!). Love that Tungsten flash. A bigger-than-normal camera sensor would be great, even with less MP than 41. Proper styles support in Word (may already be there in Windows 10 Mobile - sorry, they graciously left us stuck on 8.1).
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And the case of a 930. Dropped my 950 XL, didn't survive. Dropped my 930 lots of times, hardly a scratch...
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It's not just me then!
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3 GB RAM, 802.11ac-WiFi, 5" 1080p screen, good enough camera, 16 GB flash, Micro SD slot, LTE with Carrier Aggregation support, better battery time than iPhone.
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Hi duga7777 how much would you be willing to pay for a device with those specs?
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$250 + tax.
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I see two thumbs down. Is $300 too expensive or too cheap? 😊
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Unrealistic is a word which comes to mind. At $250 you'll have to cut corners.
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Lumia1020 camera(updated), metal. Intel motherboard to allow x86 (or any that could do this. 5.8 inch screen. Rest doesn't matter as long it makes the phone run smoothly. would be my dream phone. If you talking about normal mid range, don't think my opinion would be to what the market has now.
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What matters the most to me is how it looks and the specs. I'm a big fan of how the surface line looks and would love to see a phone with the same amazing screen and magnesium case, very thin bezels and of course USB-C I want the camera to be very powerful but very small (think pixel or iphone in size instead of the 950XL camera)
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Copy paste the specs of the Moto G5 Plus, 1080p, Snapdragon 625, 4GB RAM, pretty good camera, fingerprint sensor, and put it in a body similar to the Lumia 930/830. I would prefer the thickness of the 930, but understand that thin sells (for no logical reason). I would prefer the finger print sensor to be on the rear, as that's more natural. Give it a silver ring like the Nexus 5X and it shouldn't take away from the overall design. I'd also expect Lumia/Microsoft staples, like Glance screen. Given a better build quality/design, I think $350 is a fair asking price. If you throw in Opitcal Image Stabilization and 4 microphones, I'd be willing to pay $400 (about what I paid for my 930 at the time, it's my favorite phone ever).
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The Lumia 1520, of course. Though I love my 650 a lot. :)
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The 1520 is still my favorite phone - it was ahead of itself.
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Mine too. Best phone I've ever owned.
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The Lumia 1520, a phone ahead of its size!
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Yes. The 1520 was and is a great phone. I have an x3 but am considering going back to my 1520 - it seemed to be the perfect phone: Nokia innovation, WP8.1, awesome camera. I was happier with that phone. That being said, I loved my Lumia 810 and it was a great mid-range phone to start with - although I absolutely know that I would have been happy with the 920.
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What about 'a phone that works with Verizon'.
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Love my 1520.. few months back my battery just gave up, along with some fault in the board.. So while it was out for repair i bought 950XL... Got a little disappointed with it specially auto brightness and iris not unlocking in sunlight... As soon as my 1520 came back i switched to it and boxed the 950XL...
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My ideal Windows phone will run a heavily skinned version of Android natively to give it the Windows Phone look and feel but with the entire catalogue of native Android apps to access, but also allows the new Windows on Arm virtualisation of Windows 10 as well, so that it has the entire catalogue of UWP apps as well. In other words, two app stores on the one device, with the Windows Phone look and feel.. Killer camera, killer QHD screen, Killer sound fidelity
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2gb ram with 5 hd amoled inches display ,camera 8 mp back,front 5mp,snapdragon 450(future).most important price rs 12000
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It should be like surface phone oh wait, it is still launching. I think windows Phone is already dead getting rid of my secondary phone 📱 i.e. Lumia 520.
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I think that you are right to concentrate on price. Perhaps you could go further and consider/explain how the prices Apple and Google charge for their phones can begin to be justified. Starting by taking the price of a decent laptop compared to a mere phone. With the phone probably selling more units so having the economies of scale to make it cheaper.
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Hows about a product that is supported for more than 18 months, unlike my RT tablet, my Band 2, my Nokia phone?
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Tou clearly dont understand what support means... like at all
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I think you're spot-on about the pricing of phones. I compared an Android phone (Moto G I thin) to a closely-priced Windows phone and the Windows phone was 1/2 of just about everything (2 vs 4 processors, 1 GB vs 2 GB Ram, 16GB vs 32GB storage space) for $20 more. I was much more inclined to pull the trigger and get the Windows phone if they were equal(ish.. some difference in price / performance acceptable). I like the high-quality cameras available on the upper-end phones and think that is a great selling point for them. So I would love to have something like that. I also like the physical camera button. I think about a 5" screen would be sufficient for viewability without requiring me to carry around a bag for my phone! ;) I would absolutely LOVE Continuum but also realistically know that it comes with a (hefty) price. Windows 10 (and can be upgraded by ME on MY TERMS, and not have to wait for a carrier to get off their duff) Of course the usual stuff... good performance, long battery, visibile in some daylight, etc. I don't care much about wireless charging. Ideally, with a Continuum-capable phone it'll get charged plenty while in the cradle and being used. Now to be honest, if I were given (practically) any Windows Phone I'd be a happy camper regardless of the specs!!
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I bough a used Lumia Icon last year off of Amazon for $75. It is still working well. That was a steal since the only one on Amazon now is $180. You might be able to do better on eBay. I will try to hold on to this Icon for as long as I can, or until something better comes a long. I might have bought an Elite x3 if it ran Verizon. I may, God forbid, end up getting an Android, only because I could "Microsoftize" it more than I could an iPhone. I really do not want either an Android or an iPhone, but I am afraid at some point I am going to have to make that choice.
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Lumia Icon on Verizon for me too. While I too would snap up an X3 in a heartbeat on Verizon, or frankly any flagship level Windows device that works on Verizon, I'm willing to wait a while before considering moving to Android or iOS. I have confidence that will be another mobile offering on Verizon eventually. Microsoft has just sunk too much into mobile to abandon it -- Continnuum, UWP, One Core, the Store, etc. Of course, the form may be more of an ultramobile PC, running Windows 10 on Arm, as Jason has written about before, and that would be just fine. But it most support VERIZON!! (no other carriers offer coverage in in this part of the country)
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I think that you are correct in that Windows needs lower (and affordable) options for the masses. If that comes, and developers see the advantage of developing Universal apps -- the number of users will increase. That said, I truly believe that the future of the platform is the enterprise -- not the individual. Continuum is what I think is the killer, must have, feature. In today's world, mobility and multipurpose is key. To have a phone that you carry, which will have the ability to connect to a keyboard (I see a small, maybe foldable one), small mouse and have the ability to connect to a hotel room TV instead of lugging a laptop around is a big step (or a giant leap :) ) towards the future of mobile computing...
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I love my 950 XL, but my wife's 950 is excellent and has better battery life. Maybe a 950 in VaporMg would be perfect! Honestly though I'm hoping for that "next thing" that blows people's minds, and is much more than just a phone. However, I think history should tell Microsoft that a high end device will not be enough. It needs to be like "A PC in every home/office" type of goal, like what made Windows popular in the first place. "An [insert-name-here] in everyone's hand" type of device.
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950 is still perfect for me...but, like my Band 2 that's holding it's rubber split together with electrical tape, is seeing itself age into obsoleteness. I don't even want anything "better" per se...just want a phone whose hardware will be compatible with upcoming versions of Windows like ARM, CShell, etc.
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They should have the androids apps included . The only solution
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Why bother buying a Windows phone then? Just get an Android. These days Windows phones have no solid benefits.
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Whatever the case, you cant consider the specs in isolation, there really isnt any excuse for a new Windows Phone to have lesser specs than its android competition at the same price point. Speccing a 2017 phone with an SD4xxx shouldnt and wouldnt do anything to attract anyone.
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This is very EASY question - just give me smaller version of my Microsoft Surface Pro - in 7" body with usb-c, specs of about model 3, GSM/LTE modem and battery for 2-3 days phone-use mode and 20 hour of light pc use mode and for less then 600$ and I'm in. I want to have only one device, not two, and anyway i connect it the monitor/keyboard/mouse, when i am at work and i use more my mobile then Surface as tablet. I do not want just mobile os - i need full apps as i am using it as PC
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What I have always loved about Windows Phones is how well they work over time. My Lumia 920 works just a fast and fluid as it did the day I took it out of the box. I work in IT and support other platforms as well. I hate how Android phones just slow down to the point of frustration after a year or so. And I just hate iPhone and nearly everything about using one. I've liked my 920, 1020, 830, ands now my 950. I also have about 65 Lumia 640's and 12 Lumia 950's deployed that do quite well for our staff. I'm not personally as concerned about cost, but thinking about it from my company's standpoint, I'd like to see something along the lines of the 640, but bumped up to 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage, and a 4.7" to 5" 1080 screen at a $149 - $199 price range. Give me a physical camera button. Then take the camera to the 10MP mark, however... Please, Microsoft, for the love of hard drives, bring back the ability to set the native Microsoft Camera app resolution to something in the 1920x1080 range instead of it being locked at full rez! Many companies, including ours, have to take photos to document work performed. In the last 6 years we have amassed roughly 2,300,000 photos, and there's a HUGE difference in storage requirements, along with backup space and backup time requirements, between lower res photos and full 8 or10 or 16 megapixel shots. The Outlook app in 8.1 phones will automatically scale down image sizes when sending them through email as attachements, but the Windows 10 version does not. Instead, to get lower resolution pics, users must use the "insert" function of sending photos, which scales them down to a storage and bandwidth friendly size, but then they don't come through as attachments and are instead part of the body of the email, which makes them more difficult to extract and manage, especially if you are trying to automate that process due to recieveing around 1500 photios in 500 different emails per day. Lower res would also maxinmize utility of built-in phone storage for our users.
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Only on Phone model. Camera Button, Fingerprint reader On_Screen or on the Start Button. IRIS / Face recognition. 4", max. 4.5", high dpi screen. Dual SIM + extra micro SD Slot. Changeable Battery with small buffer battery so you can change the battery on the fly.. Good Cameras w. OIS. Usual WLAN, BT, WWAN Options. Snapdragon 835 min. 4GB+ RAM. Active Pen Support. Wrap around full keyboard (fabric). Form Factor that will be kept for a few Generations so Acessories can be reused. Water and Dustproof / resistant. Notification LED - configurable. Hardware Silent Switch. USB C / Thunderb. Port. Jacket Capability like the Elite X3.
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My favourit is still L925. I loved that phone, love holding it in my hand. :-) I want and can pay for a high end. Surprise me. I've looked at phones recently and was just bored by all the phones, incl Iphone, android. Almost consider going back to a feature phone. :-) So I want something new and beautiful.
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Totally agree, my L925 running WP 8.1 is beautiful and has all the features and apps I need (for now). Not impressed with the current handsets running WM10.
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1520 with upgraded camera for better low light shots. Still love mine and screen size is perfect.
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Personally I really like my 950...
So a newer version of it with great camera would be all I'd like to see, with maybe the following improvements: 64 bits support (more RAM) Better battery life Snapdragon 835 Face recognition (on surface, way better and faster than iris detection on 950) Windows 10 on ARM (Edge extension, some ported Win32 app, ...) CShell -
MSFT, as a temporary holdover until Windows on ARM launches, should relaunch the Lumia 830 but with the Snapdragon 653 with 4 GB of RAM and a 1080 screen. It should be an unlocked global phone sold through the MSFT store. Incorporate a fingerprint reader on the back and include black, white, florescent orange, cyan, and Xbox green backs in the box. Price it at $225 and watch them fly off the shelf.
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6" Landscape slider under 10mm thick (preferably under 9mm) with pen support and full qwerty keyboad. A full productivity monster. Stereo spealers and 4000+ mAh battery, 6+gb ram, 128gb storage. I love W10 mobile, but they lost the consumer phone war. Building low/midrange phones is a waste of time.
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The 930/Icon is an awesome phone. The only things I can fault it for are no SD card slot and poor battery life. It's one of the best looking phones I've seen for years and simply feels perfect using it W10M. You can import brand new 930's from Hong Kong, any colour (including the gold editions!) for around £130 on eBay. I did this and after the 2 week shipping time, I was the proud recipient of a gorgeous white gold 930. For £130 it's an absolute bargain!
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I am using a 950 XL now though. £170 I paid for a used one in excellent condition. Just need to source a Mozo case to make it look sexy now.
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I agree, I have the 930 (black with gold edging) and it has been a solid phone for me for quite some time. Would like to try continuum, and have some cool cases or gadgets to add, but overall, a great phone. I don't use it much for photos/videos, so the lack of SD card is ok for me right now.
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Give me a slick, metal, 6"+, nonbugging browser, nonbugging OS, 24mp camera, price competive device compared to android, big battery, more consumer friendly apps. Best wp phone so far with big margin is lumia 1520. Ok a metallic 1520 with up to date hardware and a nonbugging OS Im satisfied. That will not happen sadly😢, so my eyes are drools on other OS flagships
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I do want a high end phone - especially a high end camera.
BUT, ultimately, the phone isnt the most important part. I want MyFitnessPal back. I want an Insteon app that does everything the iPhone version does. I want the 3rd party support too. The 950 is a great phone for the price (if you can still find one). Just update it. -
I think that Sway presentation is making my Windows Central App crash everytime I load this article. LOL
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Thanks Jason for the article. I am from India and a huge windows fan. All my smartphones were windows and I don't want phone of other o.s. But it seems Microsoft has abandoned their windows mobile fans. I am currently using 640xl since last 2.5 yrs and would life to buy a new windows phone but there are no phones available in India and this is really disappointing that Microsoft doesn't care its windows mobile fans.
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I love my Icon, but something with more storage, preferably expandable would be nice. A body and screen that is shock and impact resistant so I don't have to cover it up with a case would be a bonus. I take my phone out of the case to clean the little bits of dust that have found their way inside. I hate having to stick it back in because it looks fantastic and the screen is silky smooth. A really high quality camera. MP are nice, but something with a great sensor that can get those low light shots would be better than all the MP in the world. Definitely needs USB Type C and 802.11ac. As much RAM and the fastest processor you can possibly stick in it. I would gladly pay $500-600 for a phone with a three year warranty. A lot of people get new phones after a year or two, but I tend to keep mine much longer. Going on three years now and I don't expect to get a new one within the next year. To some, $500-600 may sound like a lot, but I don't feel it's too much to pay for something I use daily over a handful of years, as long as it's high quality and heavily supported. It also needs to work on Verizon. Don't care what other carriers it's on, it has to be on that network. No other network in this area has service that's worth anything. Even Verizon isn't that great, but it's better than nothing, which is about the extent of the other's coverage. Outside of the phone, we need apps. I have all I really NEED, but others would be nice to have. If the platform is to grow, it needs the apps to draw in the people. Right now there's nothing innovative on Windows 10 Mobile that isn't already available on the other platforms. In some cases, our version of the app is significantly behind.
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Here we go. I keep looking at my 4S, this is one great attempt at a Windows flagship phone. And if it weren't for T-Mobile and EIP I wouldn't have it.... yet. Point taken Jason. Ideally, for me would have been a mid-range phone about 5.5", shaped like either the HTC One M8 or a Moto X Pure Edition. Something comfortable in hand. A Snapdragon 625, 3 gigs of Ram with 32/64 storage options. Continuum obviously, and all for around $300 or less. Another thought would be the 5" Idol 4 with Windows.
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Something in the Icon range would be great. Mine still runs well, got it day one. It runs Win10 fine. The only real issue that I have is the aging battery.
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for me nokia lumia 930 and nokia lumia 830 are the best looking phones... i never had them but only 1020 and 950
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My perfect Windows 10 phone would have the long battery life of the 640XL. It would also have a removable battery and the ability to charge while the power is off. And lastly, it would have a Windows Store that is stocked with every app that's available in the Android Store.
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I believe Nokia should give option with windows and android for the same hardware.
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Replaceable polycarbonate shell that extends a lip above the screen so a case is not required. I'm kind of floored no cell phone maker has done this, and I was really annoyed that Nokia had the glass on the screen raised so far beyond the shell. 4.7 and 5.5 sizes for diversity. I like that Nokia and Microsoft along with other vendors have embraced the idea of a phone with different sizes but similar specs. 3D camera system. If HoloLens is the future, Microsoft needs to embrace 3D photography.
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I would looooove a high-end phone in a smaller form factor. Something that performs well with Continuum, but maxing out at a 5" screen size, with 4.7" being closer to ideal.
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As an owner of a Lumia 1020 I want a modernized similarly capable device with a slightly larger screen and Win 10. A Pocket PC running Win 10 and cellular/gps capability would be fine. Continum sounds nice too but when I get home, I just switch to whatever win 10 PC device I have and everything I typically need is there all synced through One Drive.
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I like my 950xl very much, design and specs. I would have bought the 950 though, if the specs had been of the xl version. The xl is a little bit too big for my taste. A Snapdragon 820 in a Lumia, a dream. Also, I like the design of the Sony Xperia XA line a lot. Pleasing angular design, angular W10m. Combined with the right hardware, upper-midrange is sufficient for me. I don't need a top-notch device. I never use Continuum We all know how capable W10m is on weaker hardware.
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I much prefer angular designs. It's why Nokia Lumias and Sony Xperias have always been my favourite looking phones.
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I agree with the comments above. My 920 was strong and I mean it. It fell from the kitchen table onto a tiled floor and survived. The phone actually chipped a tile. My friend's samsung fell out of his pocket at knee hight and was distroid. The build quality was something you'd expect from the makers of the 3330 Nokia. That said I also liked the 930 and currently the 950. For me the ideal phone would be one with a front facing camera and great camera in the back (keep the 9series recipe) The phone must have wireless charging and if possible removable battery for when it's time for a new one. On the hardware side I would like to see an actual GPS like the older nokia models and the ability to be water resistant (Just so it can take the odd splash of water and not die when you need it) Basically in a nutshell it should be strong to take a few knocks, fast enough to do what you need to get done and above all be practical. No fancy chromed plastic that will last only for the first month. I would suggest a carbon fibre shell or something that can be recycled and easaly replacable when life happens.
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I have the Lumia 950 and the 950 xl, or big version, dunno what it's called.
What I want with a new windows phone is: Fully fledged continuum out of the box. It's rather terrible that you're pushing this new feature without providing the equipment to use it.
I want more traditional windows features - where are my documents folder? Why does this not sync up with my pc's automaticly? OneDrive is nice, but this is windows 10. This is supposed to be a pocket pc if you ask me. I want my windows phone to be the in-hand mobile extension of my pc.
I would also like some more effort put into the apps avaliable. Alot of it is finnickey and sluggish which gives me a rather slow experience, tech specs concidered.
But more than any, I would like for you guys to get your sh*t together with google and work in some support and apps that the regular phone user is nowadays forced to give up, switching to a windows phone. Friends and family use snapchat for example. We windows phone users are completely shut out of big parts of the modern, everyday mobile phone experience.
Yes. Make this a fully fledged, modern phone, with the advantage of acting as an extension to my pc experience. That's what I'd like to see instead of going back to apple/android. -
Hi Jason, Thanks for the article, btw you forgot to mention: 1) Acer Jade Primo as an option to the buyers, it has a nice design and has specs of a high end phone with a cheaper price tag. 2) Acer liquid M330 with an entry level price I would love to have this kind of a device: Form of the 930- beautiful yet simple design Flexible screen that can be wrapped around the arm and become a wearable Running x86 on coninuum Access to play/app store that will allow the apps to run in native-like speed and have live tiles and / or having Cortana / skype with access to all the features that reside in unavailbe apps such as banking / smart house / social media (snapchat etc) Let me know what you think, Guy
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Both of those phones are discontinued.
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In Canada they are still available to buy, at least online.
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Still rocking my 1520. Camera and battery life are my priorities and this phone nails it. :)
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My favoirite is still the 950xl dualsim. What I still am missing is not on hardware side, but on software: 1. OneDrive client should be able to synchronice folders not only files. 2. Development of office-package should be done with at least same enthusiasm as it is done on android platform by microsoft staff. 3. Iris scan should leave beta status, and it should be possible to adjust accuracy, so the user can decide to enhance recognition speed by decreasing security. And on marketing side: Mr Nadella should spend 0,000x% of his share to invest this money into marketig measurements for win10 mobile. I am sure win10 mobile would be a serious player in the mobile game then.
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I'm surprised that no one seems to see one of the great opportunities that Continuum could provide: a chance to get back to smaller-sized phones without compromise. To me, the ideal would be Lumia 950 features in a Lumia 800 body (lowering the resolution to 1080 HD in that 3.7" display would keep the DPI about the same as the 950). With such a device, you can have a more minimal solution with little compromise; keep the phone in your pocket and use the second-screen Continuum functions to get a phablet, tablet, laptop, or desktop experience. Please?
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Something build like the 930 or 830(my daily driver) with updated intestines. 950xl specs would suffice.
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A good phone would be to provide at least 3GB ram, snapdragon 835, 21mp back camera and 5mp front, solid body, dual screen, removable storage, at least 32gb on board storage, .exe compatible, android support at this point it doesn't matter we need something that helps with apps, dual sim, 3200mah battery or higher, priced between $300 or $500, continuum support, and gorilla glass 5 or higher at the time, kick stand on body of the device, vr support, gaming mode like a Xbox version of the ds
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i honestly would love to see samsung edge and sony xperia xz premium with windows OS
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Camera of 1020
Design of 920
Continuum like 950
Some better animations on OS (cause animations fit good on eye)
Exclusive apps
About 600 ppi
Price 300€/$ -
THIS. Although, I still have my old 920 and my 1020 (which is still my daily driver) and I actually love the 1020 design. There is absolutely nothing about my 950 that I like except that the camera is faster (but not better, IMHO) than the 1020.
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I think the biggest challenge is the lack of carrier support. An iPhone costs a small fortune. But with carrier deals (subsidies or pay over time), it becomes a lot more affordable. T-Mobile is the only carrier with a modern Windows 10 Mobile device in the US. Verizon? Nothing. Sprint? Nope. AT&T? Not anymore. A comparible iPhone 7 Plus costs $100 more than an HP Elite x3, but how many people are paying full price out the gate for that phone? I'm guessing not many. We're also hindered by lack of devices. As mentioned in the column, the 950 has come down, but if you already have a 950, you want something new. But nothing else was released around the time of the 950 of similar specs. So you can't just go with what was your second choice at the time. I also wonder how OEMs are reacting to the rumored Surface Phone. The future of W10M is up in the air. I don't mean its viability or existence. I'm talking about what it will become which will likely be demoed by the Surface Phone. Will Windows on ARM be an OS on smartphones? How will it work? What specs does it need to make it great? etc.
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A Lumia 950 with Snapdragon 835/Adreno 540 (better performance and lower battery consumption/less heating issues) and a new camera module (better autofocus/phase pixels/bigger resolution without losing quality per pixel - let's say 25 MP), a slightly bigger photo sensor (1/2" instead of 1/2.4"), same screen size with less bezel to make it 3-4 mm smaller in width, 3500 mAh battery, 64 GB on board (+ SD Card), 4 GB RAM. That's it, nothing else needed.
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Why to solve specs, if there is a lack of apps? MS is solving everything but lack of apps and developers suport of the platform. This is alfa and omega. The rest is irelevant, until this is really solved.
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Access to all android apps like pc have bluestack for windows to access android app...
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I've had almost every variant of WP since slide out keyboard and stylus. Some were just to satisfy until the next best one that I knew was coming and some were so perfect at the time I felt like keeping them a while. I never left the platform. The best ones were the ones that gratified on all fronts. Look and feel. Pleasing to hold and with beautiful design. Dazzling display when turned on and quick to react with enough memory to not hang or bog down. Easy interaction with button placement and info at a glance. Sealed, solid, creak free construction with the best battery life so that replacing batteries is not even a necessary option. All of the standard top line mobile device functions regarding Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc... That works well, not intermittently. And a proximity based continuum experience with your designated pc. Instant and with multiple Windows that you can also cascade and task manage on the mobile screen. Windows on ARM and full programs/apps experience between devices. All of this at $350. One device, not a bunch at different price points. That's confusing. The device and how it functions and why it is as pleasing as a Surface Pro 4 and a great choice for consumers in business and personal needs to be clear. The fact that MS is fighting from behind means they need to eat some cost and price it right in order to create a new market for those who have been waiting for this type of seamless device experience.
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I picked up a brand new unopened, unlocked Lumia 830 off eBay for $90. I don't use continuum or Cortana. Phone works great. Lack of apps and a withering platform aside, $90 for a decent phone was money well spent.
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Put back the Android Subsystem and I will withdraw my L950 back
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A phone with Shazam...
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I apologise for being very off topic but can you tell me the tile colour, transparency and wallpaper of the phone in the first picture? It's the exact blue I've been trying to achieve on my phone for ages!
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Until the app gap is fixed, 950 XL with Android emulator for top apps, curated in an MS Store.
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*First party device
*Water resistance
*1080p
*Stylus (active) that can be housed in the device
*Slide out portrait keyboard
*Flat screen (no curved glass!)
*Dual SIM
*External storage
*Fast excellent camera
*Dedicated camera button
*Accurate GPS with offline maps
*Glance
*Wireless charging (to prevent port wear)
*Expandable hot swappable battery
*5.2" -
An idea for a new affordable phone would be the Nokia 6 for Windows. Don't think Nokia would go down that road again though..... ;-)
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The phone that I would like should have specs as follows: Screen : 5" @ 720p resolution Storage : 16 GB with micro sd card expansion Camera : 10 MP Pureview lens (Like L830) or the camera from 920 with some improvements will also do & 5 MP front camera with wide angle (Like 950) A fingerprint sensor and water and dust resistant. Remaining specs should be minimum to run continuum with wired dock (USB type C) Price : $300 including Tax If it has all this at that price then it is a go for me and I can bet that the same will be for a lot of people.
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Doesn't matter. No one is going to waste their time or energy to build it.
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Having recently started using an i7 quad core 16GB ram for my graphic and video needs. Having a fast capable machine actually saves time and makes one highly productive. The same is true for Mobile, for me having a blazing fast phone would compliment my work because time is money. A super cam, continuum and a large battery would greatly simplify my life by speeding up my workflow
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I don't put cases on my phones. I love the feel of good hardware. The best feeling smartphone for me was the Lumia 925. It is the best feeling Lumia in your hand. The size, weight, white polycarbonite body with metalic trim was perfect. I recently bought the Alcatel Idol 4S. This is another great smartphone without a case to hold in your hand. Very solid feel and looks super cool. It's well worth your look. My first windows phone was super nice in your hand as well the HTC Radar. All three of these phones had a good weight, no flex body, and perfect specs for when they came out. Like I said the Idol 4S is what I'm trying out now and it's slick for a Windows Phone. But I would love to see a Lumia 925 with updated specs like the Idol 4S has, that would be my dream Windows Phone.
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The Lumina 950 is actually a great device. The iris-scanner is useless, since i am wearing classes. A fingerprint reader on the back would have been a much better choice. Pre-touch sensing (ie. radar) would also be a really cool feature. Unfortunately, the lack of high-quality (Google) apps makes it dead for me. I am to much tied into the Google ecosystem. Running Android-Apps on Windows Phone would make it more attractive, but would also mean that the remaining Windows Developers would switch to Android-first development. Windows on mobile would therefore be dead in the long term. Running UWP on Android and iOS would be an interesting complementary approach, because Developers would swarm to Windows-first development. It means that Windows will not get any traction in sales for a couple of years, but it seems like the best long-term option.
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That is strange, my 950xl seems to read my eyes with my glasses on just fine. Even dirty glasses. Maybe I got a good one. I do feel the scanner should be improved on meaning faster at reading but I have trained it to read my eyes with glasses and it works almost every time. Windows does need to get with companies and make some good deals to get more apps though. It's killing me that I have to put away this spectacular phone and replace it with a less worthy android to use my workout/training app.
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I don't WANT a basic phone. I don't want a MID-RANGE phone. I want a phone the puts all the competitors to shame! Why is this such a difficult thing to understand? I want a phone that has such an incredible camera that there IS NO DEBATE that the competition is lame by comparison. As far as I'm concerned, the 950 that I have is a mid-range device. I see no point in wasting money on a half-measure.
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Dream windows phone? Landscape mode for the start screen for sure. This is very important and still can't believe why they don't update it. A fastest camera (Adding finishing touches very fast) More options for the action center. Like adding music widgets or OneNote stuffs there.
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I want a windows phone equivalent to iPhone se. Small but powerful, long lasting battery.
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They just need two size phones one 6” and one 5” both with state of the art specs being the same with a battery 3800 or better as long as it doesn’t explode (Samsung) and some how maybe Microsoft is working on it but get ride of these (Apps) what’s on your desktop would be in the palm of your hand, make it about $500 or less and I’d buy one tomorrow. Still using my 1520 and love it!!!
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I get that what Panos is doing will probably come with high end hardware, but if they are looking to make a profit, then they aren't going to make a dent in the Mobile market. They need to shoot for breaking even, Trojan horsing this device with other hardware, and top priority being getting it into as many hands as possible. You come out with a device that is already ten runs behind in the bottom of the 8th and charge twice as much as everyone else's device and you aren't going to make it. I know they will say this is for corporations and such, but their employees drive what corporate buys...ans that's either Samsung or Apple. They gave up telling their employees what they had to use in exchange for giving then what they want, what they are use to, and what makes them content to do their work.
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I know this ntn to do with the topic but how did u guys include sway into the app, that's so cool
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I really like what MS did w/ the 950 for the most part. Replaceable battery, microSD card, decent amount of on-board storage, good camera, and somewhat reasonably priced. The HP X3 is tempting, but definitely priced pretty high. I like the fingerprinter reader concept, though it's oddly placed. I keep holding out hope for whatever is coming next - just wish there were some reliable hints about when/what that would be. :)
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5.5-6" screen, PPI 300 or more so 1080p is fine, humans are not eagles, only reasonable excuse for 4k is VR. Also an x86 CPU, Windows 10 Pro with a customized UI for phones. I hope Windows on ARM will be great but I'm afraid we will see the same discontinuation happening again. Windows on ARM will still be a separate OS with it's own development even if it can run win32 apps. An x86 CPU will guarantee continuous updates of the regular Windows 10 regardless of manufacturer. Hopefully the next die shrink from Intel will give decent performance that doesn't set the phone on fire. Until then I'm keeping my Android phone.
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I look for the best camera i can get in a phone, as long as it isn't iphone and preferably not android. This normally means a flagship , i also don't upgrade very often, so I'm willing to spend on a phone. I've had the Nokia N8, pureview 808, and currently Lumia 950. So, give me the best camera i can have in a phone.
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Just release the next Lumia 1520....1550 probably by now? Need a Phablet Flagship, Premium Phone.
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Midrange specs on a lumia 650 clone at 129$ available in a store near you. It was a mistake for microsoft going from 5-6 devices per year to no devices at all.
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Sticking with the idea of a low cost phone, and happy with the one I have, I would simply add a better processor to the L650, twick the camera a bit, add a few more apps, and sell around the original L650 price. Simple as that.
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When I say the Yota Phone featuring that second black and white display with 12 shades of black, I realized what the perfect phone looks like - Lumia 930, but with black and white display. Thats the phone that will make the build quality and will drop the price.
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I think MS has enough capital to pay for most missing apps to be present in Windows Store. Bringing apps to the platform, a lot of advertising, 3-4 new phones is all it takes to bring Windows Phones to life again in about 3 months. No need for perfect Windows phone then.
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id hate microsft to byuy app partisipation, they need to want to and they simpoly dont. You cant blame them when microsft has done so much wrong, not just reboots but xbox one always online, trying to remove free onedrive storeage space from their mobile users weeks before releasing a disapointing none premium flagship 950. You have a outlook app that took 12 months till you have linked inboxes in windows 10 even though users had it in 8.1, skype rebooted 2 times and didnt include the features and settings users had been used too, You had microsft give up here maps, GEstures came out in 2015 and was abandoned in 2015 lol, well touch has mute but thats like not even close to the usability of speakerphone option thats still missing. netflix dopesnt cast from mobile, shocking. On desktop edge cant even open new tabs to your default home page. Microsft is still making huge mistakes and still comes across as slow in giving use features and settings we should and have already had in the past. Youd think after the exellent surface book intro things would have just got better but the problems are still there to this day and as a huge windows 10 faN ITS VERY VERY DISAPOINTING. oh i still cant get cortana to work in netflix even though it says it can, and plex yet cortana exells in most other areas, again sloppy stuff happening.
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A 6" display on a 950XL, on Verizon's network. That would make me happy.
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I 'left' Windows Phone and went to Android (Nexus 6, too wide), various incarnations of iPhone (4s,5c,5s,6s,7 Plus) but came back to W10M & a Lumia 950. Also own a 640 as 'backup". I love the Windows UX. I still miss my old Lumia 920, even my old 1520 a little. I want that chunky polycarbonate body feeling back. It's a 'Nokia thing'. Specs wise, Snapdragon 821, 4GB RAM, 32GB Internal w/MSD up to 256GB, QHD display (5.2-5.5"), Windows Hello, 20MP.....oh wait....
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Reuse the 800 and 900 body, everything feel just right on those. Update them with newer 6xx and 8xx SoC, keep the camera button, replace the cap with on screen buttons use the space saving for a bigger screen. Updated camera with stable camera app, forget about iris scanner add finger print, fast storage, dual sim(I am ok with no SD slot) bundle it with a 10" tablet dock and I am game.
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I love my 950xl. I would like to see a sleek new body metal or polymer soft touch material in white black, cyan, magenta, yellow and orange, an upgrade to a snapdragon 835, latest version of BT 4.2 upgradeable to BT 5.0 if technically possible.128GB of storage and 6gb RAM. 21mp rear camera with larger sensor for improved picture quality and 8mp wide angle front camera that use the screen backlight for flash for improve night images and video. Update facial and retina recognition and fingerprint reader. Dual SIM, SD card, wifi and works on all cdma and gsm/lte networks. Take screen to edge and round the outside edges. On the software side, improve continuum aggressively so that it looks and feels like a desktop version. Open up the BT api so that developing apps for fitness devices is easier since Microsoft cancelled the microsoft band (i miss my band2). Add bluetooth telemetry sensor support for auto and fitness. 802.11ac support upgradeable to 802.11af. Most import a 3 - 5 year lifecycle that overlaps existing version by 12 months minimum. I want to see Microsoft Window 10 Mobile businesd snd consumer focused commercials showing the OS use in real life on multiple devices from partners and microsoft. There is no excuse foe this not happening to date on a consistent basis. Microsoft is a part of all of our lives start showing us how. I want it to be true replacement. No need for PC unless I need more power or workflow requires a different form factor to be more efficient.
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You keep saying the Windows phone is too expensive, but compared to what? I have the HP Elite X3, cost is $999 CAD. Now, compare that to an iPhone 7, they do not have a 64GB model, so lets start at the 32GB model, it is $899. $100 difference, and what do I get for the extra $100? 1. 64GB storage instead of 32GB. Yes, they have 128 and 256, but that is now $1029 & $1159 respectively. 2. Dual SIM 3. MicroSD slot 4. A Docking station! 5. The capability of running it as a computer! There is still a lot to do, but I use it in the dock daily. 6. 4150 mAh battery vs 1960 mAh on th 7. 7. Wireless Charging 8. WIndows Hello/Infared Camera 9. A better Fingerprint reader. Yes, iPhone has it too, but the Elite reader is insanely fast. Now, yes, the iPhone has a much larger following, and more apps, but that is not near enough in my opinion. I support 500+ iPhones in the company I work for, and I have an iPhone given to me from the company, but I only keep it with me to support, I never use it, and in 2 years, have not needed to use it for anything. I have always been able to do 99.9% of everything on my WIndows phone. I upgraded from the 950XL when I broke the screen and took in on the extra warranty/damage replacement, and Microsoft Store said they do not carry the 950XL anymore, so gave me a 100% purchase refund and then I upgraded to the Elite for $50 difference. The phone is a little bigger than I would have preferred, but I love every bit of it. Once they release the ability for x86 support, the possibilities at that point are endless. Now for price, sure, the other phones are lower as the carriers subsidize with contract, but many people buy outright so they can have them unlocked too, so in the end, I do not believe price can be argued here, the Windows Phone is actually quite affordable compared to everything else out there.
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The above specs sirsabre mentions above, for no more than $500. Period. By the time the next phone *actually* arrives these won't be top end specs, so they should be sufficient for a mid range phone cost, but promoted as top flagship features. I don't need the millisecond faster processor for an extra $200. I need apps, apps apps, for all of my daily life, that I can now find on Android. Whilst specs are nice to chew the fat on, that flash isn't what is missing from the *big picture* problem Windows Phone finds itself stuck in. If they truly... TRULY want to gain marketshare, they need to fully commit to the following: Microsoft needs to look at the top 50 apps for iPhone and Android, and Make SURE those are available on Win platform. MORE importantly is to make the windows Phone THE MOST ENCRYPTED device in the market, and include an alternative screen or area for basic function (phone, clock, calendar) (to switch to when crossing International borders), and an advanced area that is further encrypted (and hidden if desired) accessible by second separate PIN, where all login required apps, photos, text history etc etc can be buried. Also you need to model your security model similar to how BlackBerry did with email and text, and make it secure end to end, possibly passing all traffic thru TOR routers to bounce multiple times. Take texting away from carriers and build it in securely into the device via secure apps. I told this directly to the Windows Phone dev team 5? years ago, but they need to partner with every dev of a top 50 app, assign them a DEDICATED Windows Phone Dev engineer to work with, and ensure that all 50 apps get out the door with a WinPhone app. MAKE the dev team embedded with their assigned app, and make their performance score based on whether that app gets released on time, with appropriate functionality. MAKE or CREATE a cross functional ability to use Android apps from the Android store, so that if a bank creates an app, anyone can download that app for android and get it to work on their phone. Included in this is that Whisper, WhatsApp and TOR are the DEFAULT apps for texting and browsing. IF.. IF you are truly serious about being a device for the masses. NOTHING. LESS. marketingwise, you need to make sure you offer NO special deals to any one carrier, and rather, you offer ALL models to EVERY Wireless company SIMULTANEOUSLY.
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you are clearly a blind fanboy..desprate one trying to find excuses for throwing your money to the trash bin on that device. point 3: not needed, point 4: useless (stop praising that useless piece of crap continuum), point 5: useless, we have ultrabooks for that, 6: not applicable, iphone's battery is very good, point 8: useless slow crap, 9: in your dreams is better.
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Bring back the Lumia 830 :_(
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The flagships weren't best sellers? I believe the 920 was the last model to carry significant share out of the flagships that went out for good reason. That was because it had it all, a good quality sensor with OIS, wireless charging, sturdy build, etc. The only problem was weight! This was probably the WP that had the most share of models when WP8 first arrived. The midrange I think self combusted because you had models built after the 820, but lacked features like the 810 (carrier support for updates), 822 (butt ugly). Then Microsoft started pushing for low end phones in the 500 series. Yes these were cheap, but what flagships could you get at that time? still the 920, and that was ATT only. Then they started releasing the 925. Lacked wireless charging. Then the 1520, lacked wireless charging in the US. The 929, lacked always on screen. Look people going from the 920 had no solid upgrade to go to. You upgraded from te 920 you would lose something. The 1020? No wireless charging (you needed that funky looking case, but now you couldn't use any other case...). In all this they continued to push low with the 640 series which offered a pretty good plethora of features that some of the flagships didn't even have! Then you had the 830 come back as this affordable flagship, but they ruined that 8xx series with when it came out by causing all that confusion. Then the 700 series. The only series that remains consistent. The 700 with its 1.9f apeture, only everywhere but the US, solid phone with designs of the 920. Then the 720 comes, awesome phone, has everything except OIS. This series was more of the affordable flagship than anyone else, and it supported Wireless screen sharing. I still use the 720 as a media remote device with W10 on it. When it comes down to it, Microsoft has treated its mobile devices with inconsistency. What they need is consistency. A flagship that remains a flagship, you dont take features away unless it makes sense, you should really be adding more and improving this model. Then the burner phones. Samsung probably has done this best. Their flagships still have a plethora of the features users need and they keep giving more.
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a 640xl in a 650 body with a snapdragon 625.
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I think Microsoft killed the Windows Phone popularity by not offering the 1530, 1020, and other phones only available on AT&T and other carries. They should've just let their phones be universally available. Not saying the end result would've been different but at least the exposure would've been there. I know for a fact that me being a Verizon customer, I found myself only to be stuck with the Nokia Lumia Icon till now. (typing on it now). Poor support, lack of sales associate education on the product.
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I have enjoyed every WP I have owned and I still have my 920, 1020 (which is now a travel camera), 1520.3 (because AT&T version lacked what I wanted), and 950XL. I believe the reason for our current situation is that , with retrenchment, MS stepped away from phones because it was too late to the "new" game in 07 even though they were a significant player prior to the iPhone debut. I currently use an X3. I am not looking for the next Windows"Phone", I am looking for that next hardware piece that will run full Windows on ARM, have telephony capability, hopefully a foldable OLED screen that fits in my pocket.
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The "perfect" Windows phne has already been conceptualized by Nadir Aslam as the Surface Phone at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/24129169/Surface-Phone-Windows-10-concept. The only addition is one that has devloped overtime since this concept drawing, and that is the replacement of mcro-USB charging with full USB-C support. THAT will be the perfect Windows phone.
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Microsoft is such a stupid company in mobile market. it disappointed its fans in upgrading in win 8 and win 10 with stupid strategies. It showed it has no acceptable strategy in mobile market it disappoints Htc too.
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Shame on microsoft
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I love my Lumia 650, but before I thought the Lumia 730 was good enough. It was at the time and for what I needed. Microsoft is trying to define what is needed. Like Apple did 10 years ago. I believe that Apple has lost the vision and has become fat and lazy. This is the basics of capitalism. Grow too fat, move too slow and you miss the wave. I'm too old and have seen too many miss the boat but there is always another boat you can take. You just need to learn from your mistakes and strike when it's good. I'm hoping Microsoft is hungry enough and has learned well.
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Umm, becoming fat and lazy is not the basis of capitalism. That's more about human nature: you find a formula that works and you try not to tread too far away from it while it works. While I agree Apple is lazy and lacks vision these days, it's understandable: the iPhone sells, it earns billions of dollars, and is currently the vast majority of their income. If you had a particular thing that was 2/3rds of your paycheck, you'd be really cautious about ******* it up, too :P. That said, the basics of Capitalism is that when you see a market, you try to earn as much of it as you can. But if it turns out that market is impenetrable, smart money says you pivot and try to do something innovative in hopes of anticipating the next big wave before it happens. Hopefully, Microsoft will never produce another Windows "Phone", but will rather offer a high powered, pocket-sized device that uses cutting edge tech to deliver everything a phone does plus more.
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Great points
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The whole affordability thing is a load of bullshit. How many people went with iPhone's and Samsung S7s?
Both of those phones are > £500 and they sold a boat load. -
I would love to see a new windows phone that looked like the Lumia 920, but with a larger screen. I liked the tiles on my previous windows phone. I like scrolling vertically. I felt the camera was the best. Last but not least, we need all of the apps. I suppose since market share now is in the toilet, Microsoft should allow Android apps to be installed on Windows phones. Just add Android compatibility to Windows. The battle is over now. If the apps were I would totally come back to Windows phone.
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I responded to your article the other day about why people still use Windows Phone, my response being that both my sister and I had both decided to abandon the platform due to lack of support all round from Microsoft and apps. My sister has already moved to an Android phone. I still have my Lumia 820 but will be moving off it when I can afford to. For me, the ideal Windows Phone is one that HAS support from Microsoft and has loads of apps on par with other platforms. That's all I want, support! The Windows Phone OS is a beauty to use, the Live Tiles are a joy to see on the interface. it pains me to leave the platform but I can't work with a phone that doesn't work for me... :(
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Thanks Jason. Great article as always. Just add the L1520 / L 930 screen design (sculpted raised gorilla glass) in the surface pro 4 design(metal) to the 950s with pen support and a great computing / continuum experience (X86..if need be) and thats my dream phone. 450-500 dollars including taxes globally.
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I like my Windows phone because it is NOT a droid or ios. Those who want Windows phones to be able to use the 2.2 million droid apps don't speak for me. I have a (Verizon) Lumia 735 and really, really like it. I think Microsoft should absolutely continue to make lower priced phones available. Only focusing on high end products would seem a little on the elitist side. A Kyocera Duraforce (or similiar) with Windows 10 Mobile OS would be a great phone. It is waterproof and you can drop it and it won't break. Plus it has two speakers for strong volume. If you work outside, farm or do construction work, etc, you really need a tough phone. I have both phones. I really can't stand all of those un-installable apps in the droid. I'm probably going back to a flip phone for talk and keep my Lumia 735. The only reason I have the droid is because there is better coverage here in rural NC by another carrier, which by the way refuses to carry a Windows phone. It would be great if Microsoft would continue to make its own branded phones. If I was designing a Windows phone, I'd make at least one model that is tough, durable, has loud speakers, and it would mind getting a little grease or dirt on it. Plus, it would certainly have a great camera and processor. AND most importantly of all, make a cdma version for those of us not in gsm areas. Anythng over 5.5" is too big for me. I want a phone that is comfortable to carry.
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We love our Windows phones and in fact our Lumina 935's have been upgraded to Win 10. All I want are more choices in Windows phones offered by our carrier, Verizon. The Verizon folks push iPhones mostly and even the people at our local Windows store suggested getting a Droid phone. All I want is for Microsoft to stay commited to something they sell us. For example I had a MS band and it failed but MS has cancled it. At the MS store they offered a Fitbit instead but the Fitbit software does not fully sync with my Windows phone even though it says it does on the box, I do not get call or text notifications Etc. Now I am wondering if MS will stay commited to their phones or leave us loyal customers out in the cold. Also, Verizon,.....I (and my company) will drop you before I will drop my Windows phone.
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I still love my 930s. I'd just want an updated version of that. I like the weight, a larger screen surface -- nearly border free and upgraded internals (and a CPU that doesn't heat up like that under heavy load. They still work perfectly fine, nearly blemish free.
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7", wired tethering hence never lose data connection when tethering.
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Me too. There's a 7 inch windows phone in my country, but I won't buy it though. The processor is too weak and it never gets software updates and probably doesn't even have Micro USB-OTG support. Sad, its a wasted opportunity. This is the phone: http://www.mobiletechpinoy.com/tablets/cherry-mobile-alpha-prime-7/
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<p>Using Lumia 950XL now and I generally like it, but front camera stopped working, so I would prefer to upgrade it if I had something to upgrade to.</p> <p>Still a lot left to improve in Windows 10 Mobil though.</p>
- Need tasks integrated with outlook. <p> </p> - 8 GB RAM
- 835 or better processor
- 256 GB Storage
- Best possible camera
- Ability to run apps virtually in Android to get around the "App Problem". Not that I miss a lot of apps, but would be great to have an option to run the occasional android app. As an alternative, MS should perhaps talk to Apple and make it possible to run IOS apps, now that would make competition with google/android interesting.
- Ability to run X86 apps
- Qi wireless charging
- Glance screen
- Windows Hello. Iris, face and fingerprint.
- Size like 950XL but with thinner bezel. It would not be cheap, but I would buy it. -
Microsoft working with Apple would be beneficial for both of them since Google is so dominant.
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I should be something similar to the device from Westworld on HBO and it should run Win10 on ARM
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Something like that does not have room for a camera sensor.
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Yes it does
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my perfect windows phone is the one i'm using, optimus LG windows phone 7.8, hardware keyboard, runs zune for music, and cost $40, has replaceable battery also. has been running for over 2 years, and replaced another 2 year old phone of the same kind. later -1
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I think the app marketplace is a seperate issue, so I will leave that unsaid and focus on hardware. The best option would be a three tier model. Lowest end would not support continuum, and be somthing like the Lumia 635 we see today. Middle tier would be Continuum capable, 4GB of RAM, 32GB-64GB storage (Think IDOL 4S). The top tier would be a premium device, 128GB of storage, 6GB RAM, top processor, camera, etc. The idea is you make a range of devices so everyone can participate in the ecosystem. Outwardly I think Microsoft needs a new design. Something to move away from the Nokia look (As awesome as it was), and closer to Surface. Something that shows a similar design to the Surface and Surfacebook. Play off the brand, be inclusive, and chase devs.
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I was reading a review of a Windows phone from a local website in my country and I found the review refreshing. Included the "good" list was "Runs Windows 10 Mobile" and in the "bad" list was "Windows 10 App Store." So I totally agree with you that the apps and the OS and hardware itself should be taken separately otherwise people will just keep saying that your phone is worth $50 even it its bill of materials was actually $300 with an industrial design to show it.
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I still love my 950 xl. But with apps, like that of my Bank and my network carrier getting killed, I will need to get a second phone with Android on it just to do banking. Even if ARM comes to mobile phones, I dont see the App gap getting smaller soon. The windows store is still years behind. And it's sad, I hate apple and I dont like the feel of Android. I like my windows. So maybe we don't need to re-invent the wheel. We just need MS to show the world what great products we have been enjoying...
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You do know the mobile web is an option for backing right?
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Not completely. You cant deposit checks via web. You need an app for that.
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A foldable display that when unfolded went from a phone UI to a squarish tablet UI running Windows 10 Cloud on SD835 and was of course able to run enhanced Continuum (full desktop mode). Marketed as the Surface Note, not a phone and was comparable in price to the Samsung Galaxy Note. Was available from all carriers or at least the top 4.
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A premium build for starters, my "flagship"950xl feels like a throwaway compared to other lower cost phones. Bezel-less, front speakers, curved edges to appease the superficial (the majority), and an appealing interface, I love my live tiles but it can look too busy for many & an OS that is easy to navigate for the average user who don't understand or care about hardware specs.
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Works on Verzion Actually a mini convertible laptop or tablet running on Continuum on Windows on Arm Built-in rechargeble Bluetooth wireless headset (recharges when inserted into the device, like active styli should do) If too big for a pocket, then some way to detach the phone component for fully mobile use I'd be happy if the next generation of mobile devices were all like that, but in a few different sizes, ranging from 5" - 15", like 5", 7", 11", 13.3" and 15.6". In the larger devices, the mobile/phone handset part could slide into the base as the touchpad (where it would also recharge from the laptop's larger battery), and slide out for roaming pocket use. In this cas, it could drop down below 5" to offer a small form factor 4" or 4.7" handset.
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I think the problem with asking this question here is that most people, as you stated, are hard-core WM fans, and WE most likely want high end devices. I know I do, but then again, what is high end in Australia may not be high end in India. Perhaps, right now, the Idol 4s is super high-end in India and let's not even speak of the HP brute. The best answer right now would be a phone that is, 'available', that is no too expensive or at least available on contract as a choice, and best represents MS' OS best. I don't see why HP couldn't put out consumer units slightly smaller and cheaper.
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How we wish Idol 4s was available in India : (
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Continuum is key for me. I only retired my 930 for a 950xl for this feature, also cancelled my home broadband as I only pay £20 a month for unlimited mobile data. Now I do everything through the dock to my 50" HDTV.
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The more I think about it.....Project McLaren with 835, the hovertouch, 41mp camera from the 1020, xenon flash and APPS!
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The MS Courier with up-to-date processing "windows on ARM" power, 4 displays (2 on the foldable inside and 2 on the foldable outside), 256 Gig micro-Sd slot, Full Continuum experience, top-notch Carl Zeiss lenses, carbon body.
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I used windows phone for 4.5 yrs and just 3 weeks back switched to OnePlus 3T android mobile. My L730 worked like a charm in win8.1 and later when I tried fast ring the mobile went crazy & some of the features started working abnormal. I lost battery backup - No new batteries r available in the market.
GPS not working only after upgraded to win10 - no support from M$
1 GB RAM hardly ran windows OS & most of the apps started crashing...
Still it was a good phone but there is no support in INDIA. Service centers are out of contact. -
Thanks @Jason Ward for another great article - thought provoking. I started with a Fujitsu Pocket Loox WM6, then HTC HD7, Lumia 1020 and now L950XL. Loved all of them, despite a few glitches/shortcomings here and there (and all of them being high end devices in their day). I'm self employed, working freelance and privately in the travel/outdoor sector. So efficient mobile productivity, imaging, UK Ordnance Survey and Admiralty mapping, photo/video/audio editing, banking, web browsing, security, media, PIM are all high up on my list. Oh, and all in a water/drop proof design ! I know all this comes in spades with iphone and droid, but I guess I just much prefer the UI and integration of WP/W10M. Not to mention being invested in it re Office365, films and music, etc. To be honest, it's sometimes been hard to justify NOT going iPhone or droid. But I think MS' innovation (41MP camera, Continuum, Hello, USBC ), UI, integration (Onenote, Cortana, etc), services (OneDrive) and the presence of a few excellent third party apps have kept me in the market for a Windows flagship phone. In the UK, it's made much easier with carrier support and contracts from O2, Vodaphone, Carphone Warehouse - despite being more expensive in the long run. Otherwise I simply could not afford a flagship every two years. And one upshot is I then have a spare phone that's not too out of date, as a backup. Elite X3 (v1 or 2) may well be my new phone, especially if the Creators update doesn't fix my L950XL repeated crashing. The X3 rugged spec, larger screen and better chip are a major draw. If Win32 apps on ARM can ONLY run in Continuum, that will be a disappointment (come on CShell 😀). Folding Surface phone? Very exciting, but if it's not water/drop proof (I know, a big ask), then its usability will be a little impaired, for me. But I'm sure I'll manage 😀
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A phone that is actually marketed. That would be perfect. While price is a good consideration, even if it costs $100 out of pocket, what is the casual shoppers incentive to buy? They don't have celebrity endorsements, don't have strong dev support, and people are more likely to know blackberry over Windows Mobile. My perfect phone would be one that is marketed well enough that all the other problems solve themselves. I think Windows could build a good niche market where they don't need the average consumer but that would take risks that i dont think they would be willing to front. Pay for the top 20 apps to be built and sustained for 12 months, something out of the box. I get they are trying to integrate through software applications on other OSs, which is good but it does nothing to keep their own mobile OS alive. This is like the video game problem, when the video game is on all the consoles, people get what their community has, not the outlier just because. I've been holding out only because I'm not app dependent but at this rate my next phone might not be Windows, only because their lack of affirming a new device, not because i dont want one.
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Marketing Windows phones is tough because it solely rests on Microsoft's shoulders. Why would Samsung heavily market Microsoft's phone when they have their own phones that they control the software and the experience? Samsung's Touchwiz phones blew up while their Microsoft phone didn't. Samsung was able to make Touchwiz marketable while Microsoft's phones were not as marketable and again, why would Samsung push a phone that is nearly 100% controlled by Microsoft when they have their own line of phones? Google didn't have to market Android. The manufacturers were compelled to market it themselves because they owned it, it was their device, not Google's. Marketing is one of the issues with Windows phones, but not in the way you think. The phones aren't marketable and marketing rests solely on Microsoft. They have always been lacking marketable features and hardware compared to Android. Also, Microsoft would be smart to find some way to compel manufacturers to take their devices seriously. The locked down, "our way or the highway" approach hasn't worked and continues to not work. Microsoft needs to fix that. They are not Apple. Otherwise, it will be solely on them to manufacture and market Windows phones.
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Lumia 730 + a better camera
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Better camera ??? Lumia 730/ 735 / 720 have the most amazing camera among mid range Lumias
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It'd have removable battery, glance, NFC & wireless charging. Be solidly built, with a full HD screen. Personally I'd like a 5" screen, and a really good camera. It's does NOT need to be metal. I feel I've described a good few Lumia devices right there. The biggest thing for the future of the platform is, without question, support from developers and from Microsoft, in other words the apps. It's not a massive issue for me right now but I know a.LOT of people who've switched because of a lack of apps. Continuum is fine but most people don't know what it is and wouldn't be something they'd likely use anyway.
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Apps aren't the issue with Windows phones. The lack of apps is just a symptom of low sales. Sales are low because Windows phones are not marketable and manufacturers are not interested in marketing them. Microsoft needs to start from the beginning, with a new strategy that makes Windows phones marketable and compels manufacturers to create and market them. Microsoft needs to sell phones and sell a ton of them. That is the only way to bring developers to the platform. Gimmicks won't do it.
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I think the current hardware specs of the current high end Lumia devices are fine, even second hand. Replacing screen and battery of the high end Lumia devices is relatively straightforward which gives the high end devices a second life and work which thru can easily last another 4 years. This I don't see the hardware as an issue and the current high end hardware refurbished or second hand are affordable in the middle process these days. Its the software i think that is lagging behind in seriously spring the hardware which I think it's lagging behind. Microsoft did an amazing thing by letting high end phone be unable and you're to windows 10. That had made older hardware adorable in the long term making high giving high end devices a second life at mistake process in the long run. I hope they continue this roadmap. As for windows 19 mobile they should stick with ironing the core features Thai make windows 10 mobile a great experience for personal and meaningful productive use that makes me want to keep using this platform. 1. Continuum and uwp apps, 2. Start menu and (interactive) live tiles and 3 the fact it works wel in conjunction with the windows and Surface platform.
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Windows Phone merchandising was disastrous. There's an obvious rule, that resumes what Mr. Jason wisely explained: You make marketing using flagships, you sell mid or low ranked devices. Here in Brazil, eventhough Microsoft stopped selling any WP/M devices, its market share is slightly bigger than IOS, thanks to low end devices.
TV advertisement, brand enrichment, assuming apps creation effort until developers feel themselves confident to begin developing.
MS was hesitant and didn't kicked the door of mobile world. It knocked the door and apologized for disturbing that world. MS doesn't act like the company that made Internet Explorer beats hegemonic Netscape Navigator, or that, agressively, left Linux as a cluster OS, or defeated IBM in corporative field, even it was constantly tangled with DoJ and european courts.
MS wants to be great again in these Trump's times and rules a relevant technological tendency? Revisit the MS winner's spirit.
At that time, even with bizarre mistakes, MS won most of the times.
Now-a-days, and besides the tenacious efforts of its staff and hence being the colossal software corporation it is, remained only the mistakes, without victories. -
Just moved back to my 1520 from a 950XL. Both running 15055. But the 1520 seems a happier, more responsive, less glitchy. I forgot how much I love the the larger screen size. Really think my next phone will be an x3 if I can convince the financial controller (my missus).
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A Lumia 930 with working microphones with whatever is midrange processing power now. Optional 1440p or 4k video and not being forced to record 4k.Give us back coloured back covers. SD Card support. Current highend/midrange phones are too big. If I could afford to spend on a highend phone. It would be a better looking version of the 950xl, with the Snap 835 in it. Thinner bezels. Wireless display or some casting capability. Something to keep it cool. A heat pipe, water cooling.
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I think that a Lumia 955, like a 950 updated, with the same Snapdragon 808 but with 4GB of RAM, the 32GB of storage in UFS chips, W10M 64-bit, bigger battery, sealed, Hi-Fi DAC or just an amp, stereo speakers. Nothing new but a right recipe that could work with a fair price tag.
Or, if in time, use the Snapdragon 660 for newer hardware. MS has to finish the 64-bit W10M and take the 32-bit phone off the market while pushing new devices. Just like a Apple did. -
We need another Lumia 520 type device but not so cheaply made or so cheap looking.
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You have a point there !
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What I want is basically a Lumia 650' with maybe an SD 600 series processor (a continuum-capable one), and 2 GB of RAM. But for now, I'm pretty happy with my 650 as it is 😀 Just like I was with my 535 before (which I still use occasionally btw, because the 650 is my corporate phone, and the 535 is my personal. And it's still a good experience)
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Both are brilliant designs. I never understood the idea of launching 540 and 550 after 535 though. Those two didnt do very well !
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Perfect wp? like many things its usually the thing that's just out of your reach. So for me its things that are in reach, so multiple price bands with good build quality all with continuum so the can hook up to large screen and behave as a pc, and the performance will depend on your pocket. Lastly advertised the heck out of my biggest moan about Ms is its got the most innovative tech most people have never heard of.
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If my 640xl LTE had mobile pay I'd be satisfied with it.
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6.4 inch AMOLED UHD
Bezel less like Xiaomi Mi Mix (in fact similar form factor with small chin bezel)
VaporMag magnesium body with Gorilla Glass 5 / wood back for NFC and Qi charging
Quad speaker Bang & Olufsen audio
Snapdragon 835, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB min storage (256 max)
Expandable memory
Windows 10 mobile
Fingerprint reader and Windows Hello iris camera
21 MP Carl Zeiss pureview back camera / 13 MP Carl Zeiss pureview front cam (center mounted on chin)
Quad DAC
Headphone jack
USB-C
5000 mah battery
Controllable via Surface Dial for certain apps (Dial doesn't necessarily have to be placed on the screen)
Liquid Silver Chrome, Gunmetal Grey, Glossy Gold, titanium, magnesium, etc. In other words, the absolute best. It may not be approachable/affordable for everyone but I'll make space for it. -
My first and favorite phone was the Lumia 928, really liked the camera button. Had a 640 but it was a little slow. Have a Lumia 735 now and I think it's a very decent phone, especially at $120.
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735 isnt decent, its brilliant !
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Westworld. I'll wait.
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the Nokia 1020 in a choice of multi - coloured plastic cases was my ideal phone style. We need apps of course (just far too many organisations killing off windows apps) , but a big camera, plenty of main storage & 1080p min screens - 2k even better along with a better upgrade cycle. Glance screens & dedicated camera buttons high on my list too. Windows 10 UI & settings are near perfect... Black is so boring these days ... iPhones expensive & rigid & everywhere as the ubiquitous Andorid in so many flavours with manufacturers interfereing in the interface & app junk its hard to really keep up. Nokia didnt really do much wrong with Windows, MS did the killing & decline with its poor upgrade cycle & support.
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I am thinking of a device that is category defining in its own class. Should there be a need to encase a new phone in an old chassis, what does it bring apart from the feel good warm fuzzies of the devices that have been? Don't get me wrong, I owned a 925, 820, 830, still have my 930, 1520, 950XL, and recent upgrade X3. Found myself using X3 more and more. 1520, 950XL is on fast ring, X3 on release preview. A phone that is beyond the X3 would be something that the next Windows Mobile should take a leaf out of. It should not be just another phone, phone. A class of it's own. Processor: 835 or higher
Memory: 64GB to 500GB range.
Ram: 8GB offering and above
Removable battery or non removable to suit peoples needs.
Designs cues from X3 and Surface lineup.
Pen support
If it is to run full windows 10 that should be the minimum it needs.
E sim and physical sim
Memory card expansion is always welcome.
Metal body and almost bezel less screen.
20mp camera front and rear with good sensors.
Decent battery.
And market it till you drop, MS, no they won't sell by themselves like no wall is gonna pay for it itself over and over again. -
Hopefully that is the X3 V2. I still have my 820, 920, 930, 640XL and 950XL but I am done upgrading until they come out with the Win on ARM phone. In the interim I am going back to a BB passport as a vacation from the Windows phone gap and will only re-enter it when the above phone specs you mention come about.
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950 specs, but updated to snapdragon 835 processor to run Windows 10 on ARM, in the design of a 650.
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Body to screen ratio must be over 90%
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I usually like the higher end models. Not necessarily because I need all the power they might pack, but because I see them to be more future-proof (especially since I don't like to switch phones all that often). Design-wise there's two things I'd really like to see. One would be a nice and solid slate design. I have nothing against curved ("3D") glass, or chamfered edges... heck, they can round them for all I care, but the only thing I never really liked on higher end Lumias (post the L800) was that they had camera bulges. However small or unobtrusive, I never really liked them. I would also love it if they could let the surface team work their magic with the device and experiment with that magnesium alloy of theirs for the chassis. Or other metals. Heck, they could go with ceramix, like that xiaomi concept device. But all aluminium all the time is boring and noone seems to like plastic any more. As for size, I'd like something between 5.2 and 5.7 inches. smaller devices are... well, small, and anything larger seems a bit overkill for me. Personal preference, I know, some people have way larger hands. I don't really care for SD card slots as long as they have sufficient internal storage. Gorilla Glass is basically a given at this point, if it's "3D" that's a nice plus. Would like them to minimize the depth of the layers and eliminate the air gap as much as possible tho. Resolution-wise 400PPI and above is fine by me, I don't intend to watch 4k video on a phone. USB type C is practically a must at this point. I would also like the return of dedicated capacitive buttons. While I understand the merits of on-screen ones, until we don't get the "under-the-glass" fingerprint reader that's been patented, it's a nice place to put them. Then again this might take up realestate so I'm a bit on the fence about this. The rest are mostly software tweaks I'd like to see, so they don't really have a place in this comment.
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Yes they need a high end phone. People like to spend money on their phones. Nokia always had an amazing camera. MP may not be everything, but having the most is neat to talk about Sturdy build. Nokia was known for physical build quality - bring that back. Our phones go everywhere! Standard charger, and fast charge options (love Qi charging) A mighty ecosystem (Windows 10) - hopefully integrates with the cloud well. Perks for having hardware that plays well with my cloudware. And other company hardware. When will my phone and the Xbox play togehter. Not sure why yet.... Feels good in my hand. I don't mind a heavier phone. Seriously, 170g vs 120g... I will be ok. 200g...guess what, will be ok (but fill it with useful quality components...not just lead) Looks good. Apps and app developers. This might be less of the case if web sites become much more responsive to mobile. IE if my bank web site had great mobile design, I would not need an app.
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Windows Phone are Just great
Can Some tell why on my 640xl WhatsApp, ringtone maker and other such app stuck on loading. My phone is updated to latest windows 10 -
Factory reset and start from zero. 640XL is a great phone
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Microsoft should not neglect low end device it has fans there too
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I think one can get a new Lumia 730 in India for about a 100 dollars now. Dont think you will get a better deal than that ! Its an awsome phone ... Only slight issue is that it lacks LTE radio. You can find Lumia 735 on ebay though for about 150. Also, check out deals for Lumia 830 LTE.
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The phone that comes from "Microsoft" needs to be premium. Perhaps only a different size with a lower price, but still premium. If OEM partners want to make cheap phones then let them. Premium is what gets people to even pay attention your offerings, no one "desires" cheap...they settle for it. Folks will buy what they can afford once they get in the store but they show up wanting the big bad premium phone. Although, with subsidies and payment plans premium phones are more affordable than one might think. I've made it a point to linger around a bit whenever I'm in a wireless store in 'strip mall' America (where most phones are sold) just to pay attention to how people shop for smartphones...people tend to first check to see if they can afford the premium phone before they even look at anything else. Of course, none of it will work if Microsoft doesn't make a MUCH bigger commitment to big budget robust, creative and relentless marketing. (One of their biggest problems w/phones)
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Simply the one that has the apps that actually matter.
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An iPhone 8 with Windows 10 Mobile and all the apps.
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It'll look like it's available on Verizon. That's about it for me.
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We Windows Phone users don't have it easy...
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At the very foundation, the perfect Windows Phone needs to stand out fromt he crowd with its physical design. No generic round / beveled / chamfered corners like an iPhone. Lumia 920 was perfection, Lumia 1520 was a great alternative to the fabula design language. Sharp cut at the top and bottom, smooth edges on the left and right sides to cradle into the hand. Nokia and Marko A (forget how to spell his last name) got it right witht the 920. It only needed to be a little bit thinner (although it really didn't). Aesthetics matter as much as specs. You can cram all the nice high end hardware you want into a 950 series, but the bland, generic design completely ruins the experience.
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My dream pocket PC spec.
-foldable screen,2k screen resolution, McLaren concept are welcome.
-surface pen with wireless charge
-breakthrough new Carl Zeiss 50 mgpx, xinon flash, lightning fast auto focus, 4k video, great ios, 3-D scan.
-8mgpx front camera
-great surface outlook design, durable.
-water and dust resistant
-above 4000mah, removable or non removable, wireless charging, screen solar charging, USB C, blue tooth,infrared,NFC and non explosion
-quality apps, app gap reduce, great security, open apps smooth experience.
-fingerprint and iris scanner
-high quality processor, battery efficiency, small, no heat issue.
-6 gb ram or above
-internal memory 32, expendable storage 2TB
-virtual assistant able to read any languages without Changing language setting.
-able to set fm radio as alarm.
-4 microphone, surround speakers
-price lower than Iphone and Samsung galaxy s
-super Cortana.
-wireless continuum
-dual sum
-universal platform
Innovative in every aspect -
Well, now I don't have to list mine. You've listed exactly what I want.
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I usually don't post comments in blogs but this one deserves my 2 cents. Microsoft lost their way with apps and features. They could have done it in-house or bought 3rd party companies or made better incentives. Apps were basically lacking updates while the iOS/Android world exploded (I'm writing in the past on purpose). Years later, here we are. Again. Discussing specs and attractives. Half of their appeal used to be the Nokia design and quality (amazingly done by the way). Hek years have passed and we still haven't seen a proper successor for the L1020. Question is: now that Nokia has moved on, what is left exactly? I dreamed on having a proper lockscreen notification on Windows Phone for years and it never came. Why should I still hold on to that? Don't get me wrong. I've been a Windows Phone fan from the start. It ran smoothly and bug free even in the lowest specs. I still believe the Lumia 800 is the prettiest phone ever build. But... why should we expect anything when we constantly did it in the past and got absolutely nothing in return? I guess that is exactly the Microsoft's advantage right now. No one is expecting anything *good* from them.
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my ideal wp would like like a 6" 930, with 950XL specs plus a fingerprint scanner embedded onscreen but at this point I would be happy if microsoft was kind enough to refresh the 950's with SD820, 835 and so on as the years come
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I have been using Lumia 620, 830, 640 XL and 950 XL.
My most ideal Windows Phone is Lumia 950 XL. -
Yes,exactly because android is providing cheaper high end devices with features like finger print scanner,2-gb ram 1.5-1.8 ghz processor upto octa cores ,usb-otg in the price range 10000-15000 ₹ in terms of Indian currency.
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Yes,exactly because android is providing cheaper high end devices with features like finger print scanner,2-gb ram 1.5-1.8 ghz processor upto octa cores ,usb-otg in the price range 10000-15000 ₹ in terms of Indian currency.
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Yes,exactly because android is providing cheaper high end devices with features like finger print scanner,2-gb ram 1.5-1.8 ghz processor upto octa cores ,usb-otg in the price range 10000-15000 ₹ in terms of Indian currency.
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No shitdroid crap here ! Thank you very much ...
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at least the "shtidroid" actually works unlike the joke called windows 10 mobile.
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Hell, give me a Surface 3 LTE that can take calls and I'm good. Make it a 7" and I'm set for years.
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You wanna say 200*135 mm, 7 inch is depressing ☺ Hope you get me
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I think that a big part of the pricing issue has to do with carriers support of Windows phones. It's not that Windows Phones are so expensive relative to other devices, it's that you can't get them at subsidized prices like most Samsung and Apple devices. I love my 950XL, and my wife and kids love their 950s. I am really looking forward to the prospect of running my library of win32 desktop applications on ARM, which allow me to essentially retire my laptop (Continuum is a nice teaser, but win32 is the ultimate game changer for businesses).
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I want a phone that wirelessly powers Augmented Reality glasses... With the brains and power in the phone, the glasses should be able to be smaller... That would be cool and unique!
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For a midrange phone, I would say that the 950 for $300 is hard to beat. Microsoft could take a page out of Apple's book, and sell that as the "Surface Phone Classic." Maybe throw in a few upgrades to the case to add a metal edge all the way around, and something a little more glamorous than flat black/white plastic on the rear. The thing is, when people buy entry-to-midrange phones, they care about two things: price, and what services their phone has access to. They do not care about hardware, so designing the perfect phone is a fool's errand. The gateway, is to provide access to more of the everyday apps available on Android and iPhone, which has always been Windows Phone's problem. Well, that, and the fact that almost no one sells or advertises them--which was true even when there were many Windows Phones out there, unlike today. If anything, to win people over, it is so cheap to add flash storage these days, I say just solder in a 128GB card and entice people that way. That said, my perfect phone would be a flagship. Honestly, the 950XL I have now is pretty close to perfect, hardware wise. There is plenty of room for improvement in the OS and apps departments, but that is a story for another day. I would make the following changes: -5.5" screen for better pocketability (merging the 5.2" screen of the 950, with the 5.7" of the 950XL). Folding screens will be awesome someday, but that won't be here for a while.
-Metal edges, but retain NFC and Qi charging with a non-metal backing. I am okay without a removable battery. No one swaps those out with any regularity anyway.
-Better low-light camera performance
-Instead of upping the megapixel count, add multiple lenses at the back or dual/triple cameras--if they can remain 20 megapixels. I could see a rotating ring with standard, zoom, and wide angle lenses that spin in front of the camera either manually, or by using pinch-to-zoom. I really would love some good optical, lossless zoom. A macro lens would be awesome too.
-Tighter grouping of the tri-color flash LEDs. Their current configuration creates weird warm/cold shadow boundaries in close up photography.
-Keep the camera button!
-For reverse-Continuum, when running desktop mode on the phone, some type of more precise pointing interface would be wise. I don't feel that a stylus is the perfect solution, but maybe? A track-pad-like touch surface on the rear of the phone would be pretty cool (since your finger covers such a large percentage of the screen on the front).
-A set of VR goggles to be able to see a "large screen" PC interface in regular Continuum...or watch movies, etc.
-3D-Touch/Force Touch/Dual-Pressure Screens are not necessary, but a long-press to right-click has long been a wish of mine. If anything, maybe a set of virtual keys that require more force, to prevent accidental presses.
-Compatibility with more infrastructure hardware outside of the phone, such as Apple Pay and Android Auto. -
Nobody read that, so kindly be precise and brief !
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Over the last 20 years I have had quite some phones to many to name. When I retired I bought myself a Microsoft Lumia 950XL. I am extremely happy with it, performance is great, photos are awesome, and the only point is the IP class that is missing. However I assume that has to do with user being able to replace the battery, and I like that feature so I give up on the water resistance. With the Continuum I believe this is the excellent PC/Smartphone. With the further pogression of W10 in he enterprise environment many companies will swiitch to the 950XL profile for their employees because of the ennhanced cyber security features and the dual sim is ideal i.e. company sim and private sim. Furter with the many integration in Azure and Dynamics I am sure that companies will provide 950XL style products. From a costs POV one saves 50% over the overrated price of the competition. The whole application issue i.e. lack of apps is for the business either small or large not an issue. Having some cosultancy work going on whille I am retired this phone is in my view a no brainer. Thhanks.
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I'd be happy sticking with my 1020 of the apps were available, pulling eBay killed me as I sell on ebay & used the app so much, no Amazon and others I mean come one why can't they busy make apps available, at this point I'd pay for them to keep my phone..
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Concentrating on Hardware here Everyone likes HIGH END PHONES A PHONE SHOULD BE GOOD LOOKING unlike my Lumia 950 (HTC M8 was Beauty) Two variants be there a HIGH END With all modest Tech
And a MID RANGER having same looks n feel For MID RANGE DEVICE
RAM SOC N ON BOARD Memory shouldn't less than 4GB, QUAD CORE n 32GB NFC optional
Wireless charging optional
Continuum MUST
Type-C Must
Fast Charging optional
Good Camera Must
Display not less than 5 inch n no bigger than 5.5 inches (Since Continuum is there so no need for much bigger Displays)
Foldable Amoled Good
Touch ID must. I think I wrote much what many of us requires -
Buy a MOZO body shell for your 950. Stunning!
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My 640 meets all my needs save one, if someone could assure me that installing win10 on my phone would allow me to continue using Google Apps that I am forced to use to access my work emails. Read somewhere that Google Apps and win10 are incompatible. I can't find any current information on this issue.
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If you are a 'googler' why are you even here ??
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A phone similar to Lumia 730 or 535 ; a bit thinner and full screen instead of top and bottom bezels.... Higher internal storage, Higher RAM, Very High Battery Life
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Lumia 720 design after all ☺
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Hmmm. 4.7 inch. 720p.
Snapdragon 821.
Continuum.
950 Camera.
Ergonomic Design. Simple. -
What year do you live in, 2008?
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For a perfect windows phone bring back kids corner!! I need that for strangers and for my kids. I want everything like the 950xl except with kids corner (heck call it something else but leave it the same) and more responsive apps. They don't have to focus on getting more, just faster responding apps that do not glitch on you. I would like to see windows phone advocates going out and working with different companies to develop more apps for windows store (for really low costs). I would like to see pricing at the $200 range because lets face it, nobody wants to pay more than that for a less popular phone. I would like to see a ton of attractive advertisments to get the word out. Not to mention regular updates for improvement on the phone. My dream phone does not have to look like android or iphone (I love my windows phones because they are not like iphone and android). I just need everything a little bit better than the 950xl at the size of the 950 with the price of $200, kids corner, better apps and choices, and maybe throw in the option of having a fingerprint scanner with the iris reader (love my iris scanner and I wear glasses). Just focus on what you have and amplify it windows phone developers! Seriously it is almost perfect. Oh I almost forgot to mention,a continuum dock would be nice for an extra cost. I love docking stations and one that will charge the phone. Don'tmake me be unclassy and lay my phone down and look like a loser compaired to inferior phones that have no business being classier than my 950xl. I may sound like a snob but I am really getting frustrated with bad marketing and design. I don't need fancy colors just something to be super fast, simple, and handy with a bomb camera! Oh and to add $50 to the cost make it water resistant.
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• I reckon if they just be on par with other phones like Samsung S series and HTC, which have the latest and top hardware specs. Windows phones usually use slightly older hardware. • I personally don't care for games or social media apps, but it would be great if companies like Dyson and Philips upload apps for their appliances like they do for other platforms, for example, air purifier, TV or lights. • Last point and most important is price, of course 😊. The cheaper the better, but obviously it has to be reasonable for the manufacturer and customer.
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My perfect phone (or collection) would be phones that Samsung has built !!! probably with windows 10 mobile. I know people are going to give me a negative, thumb down, whatever ... But those are people that are using a phone date back to 2015 (950 series) !! So I don't really care. Moreover, I know people are going to talk about boring design of Samsung phones, But Microsoft gave us a phone that barely looks like a brick compared to HTC. Even Xiaomi makes better phone, better designs!
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For me, there has never been a Lumia design that topped that of Lumia 720. I still dream of a phone which is an exact copy of Lumia 720 but better RAM and faster processor. 🙂 My Lumia 735 thankfully has the same cam as 720, better RAM and processor, and Win 10 but its not even a patch on the physical design of the Lumia 720. Its bulkier and unweildly as compared to 720
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Living in the past much?
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All xiaomi phones are very good at budget price. So I would love same phones at same price with W10 Mobile.
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Mi 4 has been made to run Win 10. Check blogs and fora !
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Microsoft has recently patented a foldable/detachable hardware https://www.technobuffalo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/microsoft-surfa...
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Everyone has a similar patent.
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To answer the question in the article's headline - The perfect Windows Phone would look as slick as the jet black iPhone 7 Plus.....but with Microsoft's own flavor, of course.. The Windows OS is a more used friendly system. However, the lack of apps and the features within the existing apps is something that needs to be solved.
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Honestly, I dont think that Microsoft should go anywhere near the low end market ever again.....and taking that further they should avoid launching any new "phones" until they create a new mobile form factor. Microsoft have tried and tried and tried to gain traction in the mobile space but the hard facts are that ios and android totally own that space. The only route Microsoft have in front of them is the creation of an entirely new mobile computing solution. The most obvious new form factor is the folding screen option.....I see it as having two separate screens. When its closed we see one screen (5.5-6") with windows 10 mobile. Open the device and we have a 11-12" screen running full windows 10 on arm. I would see this being an incredibly powerful device, having perhaps two processors (for phone mode and tablet mode), a front camera, rear camera and tablet camera. It would need to offer 128gb or higher storage and a massive battery. A device like that will not be cheap. I'd say you're somewhere between £1000-1500, but frankly there are rumours the next Apple phone will go for £1000+ so that's just the reality of where mobile phone prices are going. Personally I'd happily shell out decent cash for a foldable phone
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Totally! There is NO market for phones anymore. Saturated market. Best to create market. ONLY way to go. Foldable, battery, memory, continuum.....massive success. Go MS!
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I am using Lumia for the past 3 years. In those years I have used 2 different brand windows phone Nokia as well as Microsoft.
It's the best OS on mobile anyone can get and the most user friendly interface and My dream phone always have been a windows phone and will always be windows.
So I am going to buy 950 XL LTE DUAL SIM.
I would request all the people who are currently using windows phone and who have ditched the phone just because of limited apps to be with windows, as this platform have some glitches and some problems for some period of time windows phone is growing. -
Couldn't agree more. If people can't afford the HP Elite x3, then 950xl/950, Alcatel Idol 4s, then Cerulean (coming soon!!!) , then Microsoft 640/XL, then Microsoft 650. I have all these phones except Alcatel, and all GREAT devices with P L E N T Y of apps!
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One which looks like a Galaxy S8 but with build-in stylus. I'll make it rain on Microsoft if they make such a device.
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I want a "sleeper" phone. All plastic, cheap dragontail glass, cheap (but bright enough to view outdoors!) display. I'm fine with a 5mp shooter, maybe even less, but it must have good loud speakers (I don't care about using my phone as a camera, but I care about how it fares as an alarm clock! lol). It must have powerful internals, with an SD 835, plenty of RAM. I want it to have continuum support and must have software support for at least 1.5 years. It must be priced as a mid range phone. Alternatively, I just want a Windows phone with a physical keyboard and preferably with a joystick, d-pad or scroll wheels. I'm tired of touch screen navigation and typing. Please give me a keyboard and physical navigation so I can use my phone one-handed again. And it should have software support from the OEM for at least 1.5 years.
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Like my old 1520 (only updated) with all the apps available that I currently use on Android :-)
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EMEA here. I am used to Microsoft ecosystems, I have working with Windows OS and windows mobile since I started making a carreer. Microsoft technology always has paved the road for me to learn new technology. I have been an owner of several Android devices, when I got the opportunity to switch to the x35 series I did. I have always been wondering why people would spend like almost 1000 euros on a proper ios based phone, then spending less than 300 for a proper windows phone, which works just as slick. I am ready for the next level in mobile computing. I believe the roadmap Microsoft has laid out with windows 10 and unified platform. Not sure if the newest snapdragon will allow better performance and 32-bit apps, but if it does I will move to the new range of 3-in-1's coming in 2017/2018.
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I agree about cheap MS users. They seem to be full of crap always asking for stuff and nit putting their money where their mouth is. WTF! Sick of people complaining a about WM when it is awesome. Look at all the cool things MS is doing, all the new UWP apps and developers. Things are going so well. Apple, Android still stealing/copying off MS. Surface phone to come.
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It's not only hardware, actually its definitely not about hardware. My aged Lumia 930 was still had perfect performance with W10M, which is now almost in the affordable midrange, but without apps, the platform never thrive again. Already to late. Sadly a release preview bricked it and moved to S7 Edge.
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Why cant continuum be actually windows 10 on arm !!
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The more I think about it, the more I like the 950 and the 950XL, the hardware in terms of checkbox features is pretty good and I would've been quite happy with a 955 and/or a 955XL on the market. These should at least have Snapdragon 921 or better on board. I would also have like a return to 2.5d glass screens with super sensitive touch. I'd also like to see fingerprint sensors on them as well.
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Given the history of Lumia nomenclature, there cant be a 955. 920,925,930,950 all good. Even 940 would have been ok. 9xx series successor will have to be a fresh sub series, 960. Also, a 740 and 750 would be awsome. My 720 just needs new internals, else it already is the best designed Lumia ever !
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Very easy: Lumia 850 as a true succesor of the 820. Max. 4,7" with upper midrange hardware (and continuum support).
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4.7 is USELESS.
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LOL! So now we have a certified Warditorial? :D
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950 XL. Still in use. Despite cracks and bruises.
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Respectively, please do not use a Windows phone in public with a cracked screen. Leave that to the google and apple phone people.
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By the way, Viber got a new update! They said we won't update last month. Seems like they changed their mind. WP Central should make a news for it.
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Must have an happy developer community and a great store.
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A "750" type of device would be great, 5" oled 1080p, dedicated camera button, 3 gb ram, 16 gb storage, 8-12 mp zeiss camera, design like 650. And a 200 price range. That would be great!!!
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Just take a moment guys to look at the table of specs towards the end of the article. Aren't the features mentioned as "minium requirements' not available for USD 200 or less already for Android phones? Will windows phone market share not be at its highest point since the arrival of iPhone is we really had phones which could run windows 10 with contiuum at a price band of 200 dollars or less? Will we not have bought the so called 'premium recomendations' for a windows phone for about 400 dollars, considering there are many options with those specs already present in the market? I am certain that answers to both these questions is a resounding YES. Alas! those are both fools dreams. Nothing of the sort has happened. Just when it looked like Nokia is gaining some traction in the market, it was bought over by Microsoft. Then it first lost market share, and eventually was shut down. End result: the already laggard of an app-store has now become almost completely deserted (just read about shazam moving out too). On top of it all, the surface phone is only getting delayed further and further. I too have a battered windows phone. While I am more than happy to keep it running if it just means replacing back case (which I just did a few days back!) or screen protectors, but I cannot survive on 8 GB of internal memory. With none of the newly launched apps coming to windows and the existing ones leaving the OS so very regularly, I will soon switch to android begurdgingly. If it was not my love for the OS, I would have bought an android instead of the 640XL last year itself. but its too much for even me now. I am not sure if I will make a re-entry to windows OS in future, but the way MS is handling the mobile side of things, I have very little hope that I would.
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:)))) I simply want MS to get the F out the mobile world. Their incompetence and stupidity are a disgrace to others.
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For me, the problem was the Lumia range never really had true "midrange" phones. You had the 735, 830, 640 and 650 bumbling along with Snapdragon 400 (or worse, 212), and then you had the 930 and 950 running Snapdragon 800 and 808. Nothing in the middle. And for screen size, I know the Android market has pushed and pushed so that even a 5 inch screen is considered entry level these days, but for me, the best compromise between being too small to read and too cramped an on screen keyboard, and too big to comfortably use one handed is 4.5 to 4.7 inches. So, in 2017 a mid range phone, for me, is this: 4.6 inch 1280x720 screen Snapdragon 625 (more efficient follow up to the S617 which is the current minimum spec for Continuum) 2GB RAM, 16GB Flash, Micro SD support up to 256GB > 2500 mAh battery (which should be enough for all day with this processor and screen combo) Design/style wise, I always thought the Lumia 735 was the best looking Lumia, the best example of the Fabula design language that I always loved. But I guess these days an all polycarbonate phone wont cut it with buyers.
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Noooooooo
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One with acces to all major apps and services on other platforms
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No loadings and resuming's gives a best result..
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Light weight, 4.7 screen, small frame, fast processor, 32G expandible memory. Average cameras, other basics, minimum of installed apps. Reasonable price.
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What is with the candy-arse mini-fingered small screen lovers. NOTHING less than 5.5
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Instead of a phone maybe you should get a tablet.
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Microsoft should create proper commercials to show off Lumia phones features and windows on phone. In last two years I saw only one Lumia (Lumia 535) commercial on my TV. And it was a hit Lumia. Commercials play an important role in representing the phone and OS features. Microsoft should take help of a leading commercial maker.
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Sadly, Microsoft is very poor at marketing and advertising and they either don't know it or simply don't believe in them as truly effective.
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My windows phone is stuck on airplane mode - I use it as a sat-nav now - I'm not buying another one.
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Ever heard of factory reset?
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I have gone to a pixel with a windows 10 launcher. The app gap is the problem
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4.6" screen, Lumia 830 design, upgraded version of the 950's camera, 6 GB RAM, SD835, 720P screen.
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4.6 way too small!!!!!
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Not for me! I went from a Lumia 950 to a Sony X Compact and love it!
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The perfect phone would be Windows 10 OS , Apples eco system and Androids customization and if possible a hologram like Princess Lea in Star Wars instead of skype : )
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Android customization ? What on earth is that, a joke ? 😁😁
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Not as big a joke as windows mobile at this point.
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I'm with AT&T and spoke to several employees in their store, and they comment that the Apps is the biggest problem with the Windows phone. The people are not willing to pay a high price for a phone that doesn't contain certain apps or can't install them. I feel it's not necessary for the phone to get all the apps available on the market. The phone as to be able to perform as a phone first, I found the 950 XL has a major problem with the Glance screen interferring with getting to open the phone to either look at text messages, making a call, or answering a call. When outside it's difficult to see the screen, even in the shade.
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Has to be under $600 or I'd just grab a Pixel.
What is going to keep me here is the apps -
what would it look like? a phone that works on Verizon.
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I would like a Windows smart phone to have the case design of the old Nokia N8 with tiles that have all 4 corners rounded off and spaced apart with the tech specs of a HP X3 with the Qualcom 835 Arms CPU. the next thing is Microsoft keeps & develops Windows 10 mobile OS. Windows smart phones went from windows 7 to 7.5 to 8 to 8.1 and now to Windows 10 mobile. the Windows smart phone has to stablize and stop changeing so much because it's been losing customers as it changes.
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The Nokia 925 was thin and light give a qualcom 835 snapdragon cpu and a USB C connector for continuum and you have nice smart phone
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To have sucess the next Windows phone should be able to run Android or iOS programs. Else Microsoft have to wait until Snapchat goes out of style, or Snap make a version for Windows phone.
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What is wrong with just producing one quality phone? Apple has had a great deal of success with this concept. There are many people on a limited budget using an iPhone because they bought an older model and are perfectly happy with it. Providing this level of stability across the platform would solve a lot of Microsoft problems. I recently purchased another 1520 because I loved all the things that phone can do. I could care a less about the app difference... What is wrong with just going to the website. Microsoft could then leave the mid range phones to OEM Partners.
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The Windows 10 user interface is far superior to any other smartphone I've used. I find it more intuitive and easy to personalize. I love my Nokia 1020 Windows phone but am currently using an Android phone because of lack of compatibility in apps. If I cannot get the mobile app for my bank, healthcare system, library, work webmail, etc., on my Windows phone it becomes less useful to me. There were several apps that I depended on in Windows Phone 8.1 that didn't make into Windows 10. The platform isn't competing effectively in the app development arena. Secondly, the cost of Windows phones, and all smartphones, is ridiculous! The effective life of a cell phone is about two years and you won't even have paid off the phone before it is obsolete. The way that cell phones are priced and marketed is just greed on the part of manufacturers and carriers. The big players need to come together to design a standard for a nationwide, or continent-wide, broadband infrastructure for North America that can be tax supported. The premium recommendations for Continuum cited above are a minimum for what I expect in a basic smartphone. There will always be people who just want to make calls on the go. For the rest of us, a smartphone is a mobile office, an administrative assistant, an entertainment center, a datebook, a journal...an extension of our bodies/minds. For me the most desirable features would be: Endless safe power. I want the screen to collect solar power and keep the battery charged. I want the phone to go days without needing a charge. I want super quick charging and a power supply that does not explode or catch fire. Enhanced memory and storage. Windows has always needed a minimum of 8gb RAM and performs better with more. I'd love a phone with 16gb RAM and 120gb of onboard storage with two SD slots to support up to 1TB storage. Because, I use the Office apps on my phone, I want projector capability along with high def cameras front and back. I need the phone to be both beautiful and rugged. It will get dropped, rained on, sat on.. and must be able to survive real life. I want a big, bright, high def display that doesn't scratch, chip or crack. I want to be able to zoom or adjust the font size in support of my aging eyes. I definitely need 1 micro-usb port and one regular usb port. I want to be able to use it anywhere in the world. If that means two SIMs, then I require two SIM slots. I'd prefer that the capability be software based and work seamlessly on the fly. Even better, I'd like carriers and manufacturers to collaborate to standardize cellular communications and costs. I am tired of the special 'loss leaders' deals offering "introductory pricing" to snag new users at the expense of current customers. I want automated, encrypted cloud backup so that my environment, and data, and contacts can be restored in the event of a catastrophe. I want continual product improvement. I want a Windows phone that is everything that Microsoft can squeeze into a pocket-sized form factor for a price that doesn't require me to take out a loan to purchase it. I don't want to buy a new phone every two years. I want the software to be fully tested and stable when I get it. I want fewer, more efficient sotware updates that enhance and refine the functionality rather than patch poorly designed programs.
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Got bored halfway....☹ 🤓
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Give me a sexy, yet comfortable-to-handle Surface phone with continuum and a bomb a** camera. It would be so cool if they made it so that you could simply tap your phone on a display or something and that display would become your computer. Hop in the car, tap the display, Surface phone powered computer for my infotainment system in a Jag. Hop out at school, go to the library, tap the screen. Working on an essay from my phone. A1. And please keep all the annoying glitching and hang ups out of this ordeal. I hate my surface book sometimes because it starts hanging and glitching all the time. Why does Groove throttle my CPU to 0.70GHz? Why does task manager use 60% of my $2000 computer CPU when it opens? Why does edge constantly glitching so. Why does my mouse curser move 2 seconds after i slide my finger on the touchpad? This stuff is very annoying for a $2000 computer and didn't happen on my 2009 Hp pavilion. Crappy processor or OS or something. Polish your sh*t MS.
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Just that Windows 10 mobile were in applications terms equal than Android and IOS
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Windows 10 on ARM with CShell Foldable display Inking support, including some sort of gestures/shortcuts
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Basically make a Samsung Note, non exploding please, with Samsung pay and heavy one note integration.
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So I have been very pleased with the 640xl for price and useability. It is smooth processing, and the battery lasts all day. Camera is sufficient as I am not a super photographer, and I use my Canon when I want super great pictures. What would I add? Windows Hello would be great! USB-C. And more APPS! I would pay $349.00 for that phone.
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640xl great for the money. I replaced mine as the 8GB too little. Otherwise perfect phone for price.
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My ideal device would actually be the surface pro tablets. I carry it pretty much everywhere I go, just get a legit sms/phone system *cough skype cough* and bluetooth headset and win.
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The ideal Windows phone would (1) be sold and (2) have an OS that was sustainable, with actual features. Microsoft, please don't pull another Windows Phone 7.8. :p Don't care too much for apps if the OS can surface content that would normally be in separate vendor apps.
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I fear that my comment will drown in here, but here are my thoughts. Windows phones shouldn’t be affordable. Sounds wrong? Well, what’s an affordable iPhone? The only thing in that direction was iPhone 5c. And in my opinion it was a dumb device (and per price tag still not affordable). You’d expect an iPhone to be a premium device not a cheap plastic wannabe thing. Apple also stopped selling those things. And the iPhone SE is also not quite affordable. What are the most popular and best-selling Microsoft Hardware products out there? I would guess those are Xbox and Surface. They aren’t what you would call “affordable”. Still they are popular and Microsoft manages to get them off the shelves. Imagine a low-end affordable Xbox One, that runs games worse but costs half of Xbox One S’ price. Sure, with Project Scorpio incoming this will be the case for the original Xbox One. But if they did it in the first place, people would more likely have bought the Cheapbox One and would share their bad experience which would lead to worse sales overall. Or imagine a Surface less pro than a Surface 3. Do you think that an affordable plastic Surface would lead to more sales or would it damage the name of Surface, because more people think about their bad tablet laying around in the drawer? If Microsoft would put a new cheap phone on market along with the new Surface “phone”, people would still buy the cheap thing and say “Ugh, Windows on phones is such a crap.” While the experience on a premium device would be just fine or even awesome. I fell in love with Windows Phone 8 because of my beloved Lumia 920, in my eyes even the 820 was waste like any other cheap Windows phone. People who bought a Lumia 520 mostly didn’t buy it, because they wanted Windows on their phone. Most of them didn’t care and bought the cheapest thing they could find on Black Friday. Keep the cheap phones for Android. Windows phones should be loved because they are the best option you could get and not because they are the cheapest one.
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I want a premium phone; I want a very good camera and very good sound, both through speakers and headphone. Also, I want to be able to dictate the color of the tiles on MY phone; and I would love it if Microsoft would release a password management app which wouldn't connect to the cloud (I know there are a few password management apps like that, however they are all 3rd party and I just don't trust that). There should be three versions of whatever phone Microsoft releases - however, I hope they'll remove the branding on the front, as I think branding on front of phones is ugly - and the 'power' (for a lack of a better word, as English is my third language) should be the same; however the storage should differ as well as the screen size, there should be a phone with a "small" screen size, "medium" and "large" and the same should apply to the storage
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zero bezel phone, and 50mp camera the follow up to the 1020 with removable storage, and the newest chip with crazy amount of ram,and memory, all magnesium construction
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(old)Blackberry build, s-pen like features, WM10 and ability to access android or apple apps. I still miss the old BB's, my wife's note is a charm with that s-pen and i use an moto besides a 950 for apps not available. Never understood why MS never tried to take over blackberry when they were up for sale. As for handset I always liked the form of the nokia 9000 series. Easy to hold, full keyboard inside. Make a modern version with technology at hand today and I'm sure the likes of Panos can make something incredible. Personally I don't care about camera and internal storage etc, it has to be functional, easy to use and help increase productivity.
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It's all abpout the camera for me. Something in the Lumia 1020 range as far as image quality, but with a beefy modern processor and loads of RAM to give it speed. Beyond that, OLED screen with 2.5D glass, removable battery, expandable storage, and a colorful, durable body. So basically a Lumia 1060.
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Yes yes yes!!! :)
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5.5" AMOLED 1080p display, thinnish bezel, thinnish build (6-7mm?), Lumia 950XL camera (upgraded?, OIS, 21MP, biggest possible lens size and aperture for mid-high price range) but designed to look small like the Lumia Icon or Nokia 6, 3GB RAM, 64GB, USB-C, fingerprint sensor on side power button, metal sides with removable polycarbonate back (Lumia 830 & removable battery with microSD slot and SIM slot inside), camera button and button layout of Lumia 950XL, matte black or silver with black bezels, capacitive touch navbuttons, curved glass (Lumia Icon), main speaker would be the same as the ear-speaker for phone calls (Moto Z Force), headphone jack optional (could take it out to save costs of internal placement if it would), biggest battery possible with those specs and a Snapdragon 435. Made by Nokia, or Microsoft if they can do it right. Probably would cost $350-$450.
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Havent seen the phone yet, but from what im seeing in the leaks, it would be a Samsung Galaxy S8, but running Windows 10 Mobile, with the ability to install Android Apps.
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Got to be at least 6GB Ram.
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I would like an updated version of the HTC 8x Windows Phone. Enlarge the screen to about 5.2", upgrade resolution to at least FullHD, Slightly slimmer bezzel. Upgrade cameras to modern ones. Change micro USB to USB-C, add wireless charging add support for sd card and upgrade the rest to modern standards.
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5.7 inch lumia 930 with a curved screen 4000 battery that out does the s7 edge, WINDOWS 8.1 CAUSE I HAD MY PHOTO ALBUMS FROM FACEBOOK INTERGRATED INTO MY PHONE and speakerphone option from gestures that windows 10 2 years later still doesnt have. Id want the same prwemium plastic back and a slightly thiner metal frame. Fast wireless chargeing iris and fingerprint, and all the major apps like googles apps, paypal, myfitnesspal, buy back here maps cause microsft maps is not a sutable replacement. a 20 mp camera, sd slot. must cast netflix to tv which it still cant. and there must be a up and runing wireless pay that i can use in the shops today not in 2 years time. Oh and being someone that switched to a s7 edge android phone i feel a windows mobile user should get more free one drive storeage than a android or iphone user. when i get 100gig free on android and 15 gig on my lumia 930 thats kinda slaping your own users in the face and saying swear words to them. Lastly, in clude a decent wireless charger and give us a min of 128gig space for our now surpassing 60 gig music and video collection. Oh get groove to read sd cards on s7 edge and alow ipads to have a groove app too. thats what i want from my windows phone and eco system. most of us want to buy the digital content from their eco systems like android apple or windows but when you dont give people enough space to put all their music files and video filmes on then thats a big issue. If you do includ a sd card make sure theres no restrictions on the card that prevents your phone seeing useing it like a hd and that includes drag and drop, copy and paste and adaptive storage. Oh also a garantee that microsft will not reboot their current os again for many years and garantee our ownership of digital content in our life time, dont want a games for windows situation where half my pc games stoped working cause microsft stoped suporting their own systems and software.
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Bring back HERE Maps
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For me, the best Windows Phone I have ever owned is the Lumia 1020. By far the best smartphone camera & it had fantastic integrated apps such as Lumia Radio, Nokia navigation & excellent camera editing capabilities. I currently have the Lumia 950xl & I do love Continium, larger screen size & the ability to add an SD card for greater storage. My favourite Windows phone feature is the Live Tiles.
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I agree!! Add to that a fantastic Camera Grip... Still using both on my trips with a small tripod (also useful as a selfie stick!). Currently using a L950
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I would like to have something like the MS Lumia 650 (which I currently own), same build quality, weight and dimensions, but with 1080P, 3GB RAM, better low-light camera with faster autofocus (at least 12-16 Mpixels), minimum the SD820 chipset and USB Type-C. Other than that, of course the Google Apps. (coming from Android, but that wasn't the issue at hand)
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Perfect Windows phone? 1) Go back to Windows Phone with it's awesome Metro UI as found in Windows Phone 8 2) Bring in all the modern features you'll find on Android (WM10 has... some). 3) As for device, an updated Nokia Lumia 1520.
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I have an L950XL with the Mozo leather/metal back. With that back it has a really premium feel. I'm not price sensitive so cost is not an issue for me. If MS continues to make phones, they probably will sell them unlocked, and at cost -- as I think MS's current mobile thoughts do not revolve around the consumer space rather enterprises. Windows phone is not a revenue generator for MS, but it does provide a vehicle for continued developent of W10 mobile which is a strategic product for MS on platforms such as the HoloLens, and the Surface Hub -- there will probably be other "mobile" devices in the future -- though not in the traditional "phone" form factor (an Alexa/Echo competitor perhaps?). If there is one thing that MS should do is come up with mobile products that can run full W10. They have already indicated that they are moving towards full W10 on ARM for both servers and clients -- that will make a W10 mobile devices much more interesting for enterprises. Beyond that I'd like to see mobile devices with far field microphone technolgy, and better voice recognition.
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i have a 950xl, would like to see full w10, and a more me-proof case. i am self employed residential construction and do as much office work on the road as possible with it. i will admit it has taken some abuse, but still seems like it will meet the same demise as my other phones. i know it would be pricey, but water, dust and shock proof would be a good start, at least in my trade.
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My Ideal phone still looks like the Lumia 1520. It is simply a performer.
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The perfect Windows Phone is so optimized that works great on low end hardware, like how it used to be back in Windows Phone 8.1. Bring back the smoothness and the fix all the issues. Also,I would love to see a better action center.
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I want the latest CPU/GPU =>Snapdragon 835, AMO LED of 6" (and 7.5" with more CPU/GPU power for gaming with at least 128GB), Solid- State Batteries (3x), HBM (RAM), eSim in all models (3 in 1), flash memory => 64GB, USB 3.0 type C (at least 2 ports), the possibility to connect to others Windows 10 devices via wifi and/or bluetooth for multiplayer gaming and a "standardied*" gamepads (fixable controls on the sides) (*to all 1P and 3P models).
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Perfect Windows Mobile: - von Microsoft - Mac style support für mehrere jahre, nicht wie bisher alle nase lang im dreck liegen gelassen - hardware die nicht den bodensatz der chips von vor 4 jahren dar stellt (muss nicht das top-end sein aber minimum midrange) - ordentliche verarbeitung und design (keine 950 tupperware) - stable system - windows 10 mobile still is a far cry from where win 8 was and with de facto no app support and the few apps that do exist being lack luster at best this is the major pain point in short my perfect windows phone would be an iphone without the unbearable boring ios design.
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Lumia 950 screen & size Lumia 920/1020 design & build quality SD 82x/835 with liquid cooling 4 GB RAM, 128 GB storage fingerprint reader dedicated camera button stereo speakers 4000 mAh battery 60mpx Pureview camera, 1/1.2" sensor size, f/1.8, Xenon & tri-LED RGB flash 12mpx front camera, f/2.0 or better new Camera Grip with 2500mAh battery
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Sow most idea's her are high end super spec phones, wich I would buy my self. But for a low- mid range phone I woul love: - 4" 1080p corneringdisplay (like the one from Lumia 800, 920 and 930)
- usb-c fast charg
- qi-pma wireless charge
- Snapdragon 4 or 6 series
- 2Gb ram
- 8Mp camera front and back
- 1080p 120fps video recording
- Polycarbonat multy color chassie
- Dimensjons 116 x 60 x 15mm (yes a very small device) This would bee a wonderfull smal device for people with small hands or just smal pockets. Or as in my chase, the perfect secondary hand-set to acompany me when I dont need the distraction of my phone, but the convenience of kontakts, sms, email, calender from my primary power hous. Wich I could leave docket at my desk or somthing. (Yes and what if the small phone could show notifications from the big one, even without the application installed. This phone wouldnt cost much, 200$ maybe, but I would gladly pay up to 400$ for this convinience. -
I was happy with the 1520. It's still my most wanted device (it ended up at sea). Should anyone make a similar device with more updated specs a bezel-less screen, 6 inches' display a good camera etc. I'd go for one. That is if the software ecosystem (read apps) supports what I need. The 1520 was a good phone. The OS was a joy to use. The lack of apps (and even some keyboard inputs) did in such a way that I could only use it for pictures and not for work. So I carried a galaxy note too. But I loved the concept anyways. It's a pity microsoft didn't support the whole thing.
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Windows phones are great. I have been using them since the lumia 800. Microsofts main and only problem (to me) is the lack of Quality apps. In comparison ,Apple and Andriod apps totally outperforms windows apps.
A Phone without a great camera and apps is just a phone -
Personally, I'd trade a fast processer, lots of memory, and a ton of RAM in for a battery that lasts 2 days with light email use. Like my ancient Blackberry used to do.
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Lumia 1520, in its current dimensions and available in other various smaller sizes for those who don't like a 'phablet', and also available its current materials and in fancier material (nice metallic casing that doesn't take fingerprints.) Cool colors too. Smooth bezel, no edges, no corners, sleek, no camera lens jutting out from the back.
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What I want, more than anything in a phone running W10M is something sort of like the iPhone experience. I want to be able to go to the MS store, select my device, and then just pop in my SIM regardless of which carrier I'm using here in the US and just have it work. Turn on the phone and all my necessary features are there, none of this nonsense of having to choose the phone based on the carrier. I just want to have that level of mobility and control.
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5-ish" screen, 1080p
4 GiB RAM (or rewrite W10M so it uses RAM better).
USB-C
Continuum
Headphone jack at the bottom of the phone
Wireless charging
NFC
Bt+WiFi AC
Fingerprint reader (back and front)
Dedicated chip for image processing (e.g. the Lumia 950 is too slow for taking pictures - it just suck as it is now)
Skip the AMOLED screen (burn out problems). Go for a good IPS panel instead, but work on getting Glace Screen working anyway And the two most important things:
It must be stable
...And it must be supported and sold world wide, with no lingering feeling that MS will drop support any time they feel like it Since this is never going to happen, I guess I'll just go for a nice Android phone with a call recorder and put the BlackBerry suite on it. -
Does anyone know what wallpaper is being used in this picture ?
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my ideal windows phone would be a large phablet like the 1520 with continuum but for aaroun $150 (which is affordable)