Why do you still use your Windows phone?

I love my Lumia 810 with Win10!

You have W10M on your 810?  I love my 810 - such an underated classic.  How does it perform?  I didn't think the 810 could run W10M - but it is working out for you?

W10M on S4+ is decent. Not a speed demon, but it works ok.

I use it on all my devices, Desktops, Laptops an Lumia 950. I love it.

That's exactly how I feel, plus, the OS is really quick

After 20 + years using Nokia phones and then windows phones, I have given up and gone to an Android Galaxy S7. It was a sad day, there were fewer and fewer Apps that worked on a windows phone. The clincher was that the keyboard did not respond to touches. Frequently the wrong letters appeared. It was like the matrix for touching the windows had slipped and many keys did not respond to touch. This cannot be a hardware problem, but I go no joy with any support. The Android phone is not perfect and I am still having Calendar Sync problems, but at least I can now get apps that work like Uber, Waze and my bank app. So it is goodbye Lumia John  

@ John GWS
I experienced some of the same issues you listed.
It was an extremely sad day for me, too. My eyes were moist.

I don't think we have those problems anymore. The keyboard is neater than ever. And there are plenty of apps to get work done.

The keyboard on my Lumia 640 is crap with crazy mis-types that drives me crazy. The KB on my 950XL on the other hand is perfect. Depends on the device really.

That sounds more like a digitizer issue than OS. I had similar issues with my device, so after troubleshooting it and doing all the usual (& unusual) tests, I finally took it back to the Microsoft Store and they determined it was the digitizer and replaced the phone free of charge. It was less than a year after I purchased it, so they used the manufacturer warranty to replace it and not my Microsoft Assurance (gotta love Microsoft Assurance, best priced insurance that is not a scam). I also confirmed it by testing for similar keyboard issues on multiple other Windows Phone devices I ad at the time (my wife's, and my two kids) all had my older models ... 4 different Lumia models in all ... and all were fine). I've never really heard about keyboard issues since Windows Phone 7 first came out.

I beew usuing windows mobiles for years now and I could never change not even to an I phone and costs are no concern for me either

I was once a Microsoft loyalist starting all the way back with the Zune in 2006, when I was in High School. I switch over to android and  google ecosystem in May 2016 (about 10 yrs). The problem with Microsoft is that they try so hard to attract new customers by playing catch-up, that their loyalist are now jumping ship. There are so many MS products that  I have been burned on over the years that I final wised up. I will list a few: Zune 60gb (the brick from the 80s), Zune HD (was supposed to rival the iPod touch with games and apps), WP7 (just got 7.8), WP8 (my Lumia 920 never officially updated to W10, just windows insider aka beta), Surface (RT is the future of windows but not receiving windows 10), Surface 2 (RT is the future of windows but not receiving windows 10), MS Band (I went through 3 bc the band kept breaking), and MS Band 2 (I went through 2 bc the band kept breaking). And that’s only like 75% of all consumer hardware they produced in the last decade. Lol. Didn't get the red ring of death for X360 but I heard about it and they also abandoned Kinect for X1.   Microsoft treats their loyalist like beta testers in order to obtain new customers. You don't go from under 10% to under 1% market share in 5 years because you are not obtaining customers. It's because your loyalist are jumping ship. Even continuum is only supported on like 3 phones and has less functionality than a Chromebook. Superbook (http://www.sentio.com/) pretty much signed the death certificate on continuum. Chromebook even has more functional and relevant android apps than apps in the MS store. And they have been pushing the Windows Store for years    All the MS apps are on android or are web based apps but their services aren't the greatest either. Onedrive on desktop and Metro is straight trash bc it keeps crashing on my Surface 3 (an MS product). Forced me to switch to google drive. Google hangouts is way more reliable than Skype and its web based (not even an app). I still use the Office desktop apps for work but the web apps are good enough for personal use. Google Docs app pretty much caught up to Office for the average user. Although I have a Chromebook, I still have a desktop that I remote into whenever needed but that has become less and less.    Morale of the story:  M$ stop treating your loyalist like beta testers for the next product and maybe they wouldn't be jumping ship.   Excuse the long post. I'm not trolling just bored at work and figured I share my experiences. And sorry @Dev954 for replying to your post. This was not directed towards you.

Just to pose a bit of a contrast ... I "feel" the same way about Google that you do about MS. Not a lot of logic here. But I'm afraid that they will become, or already are, the next big monopoly in personal tech. So I try to send my business elsewhere. And regarding current MS products, I find that I prefer the Windows Mobile UI over iOS. I'm not that familiar with Android so I can't make the same claim there. Because I'm not a big social media user, Win Mobile fits my needs. I really (really!) like Windows 10 on my Surface Pro 3 and Lenovo laptop. I also have had a good experience with OneDrive, OneNote, and Outlook on my PCs and my wife's iPhone. So I guess you and I are just blind men touching a different part of the elephant! Cheers. Chris

I, like you, am not a Google fan. I have had a Gmail account for decades, but it just doesn't integrate into Outlook as far as calendars go as staying within the Microsoft ecosystem. I wonder if a difference is that I come from a corporate user background, raised on desktops, Outlook, Word, and scheduling meetings with people via my Outlook calendar. Windows is comfortable, familiar, and integrates well between devices. Maybe younger people or non-corporate people are used to cobbling disparate systems together and don't mind the way it works. I don't know. I just know when I get an invite from a google or Apple calendar, it doesn't blend into my Windows world as smoothly as from another O365 user.

Simply put, the OS.

Yes, but a touch of lunacy is also required :) Until some other OS comes up with a replacement for the live tiles I'll try to stay with Windows Mobile. The tiles are sometimes buggy, but for the apps I use most I love being able to glance at the start screen and see all sorts of information. Fortunately for me most of the apps which are missing from the ecosystem are not that big of a deal.

What if Microsoft skinned Android with the same UI than Windows Mobile 10, would you move to Android?  After all, every single Microsoft app that has built for Windows 10 Mobile, it also exists on Android.  I'm more cared about the app ecosystem, I love Microsoft as a software company but mobile developers code for iOS and Android, period.  That's why I think Microsoft can make a skin that mimics Windows 10 Mobile and attract more users into Microsoft products, as an example, users in Android that use Microsoft apps can be candidates for subscribing to Office 365, Groove, Xbox Live and other cloud services that also exist outside the smartphone world. Just my 2 cents.

I would if Microsoft don't come out with anything. And if it works like Windows Phone

You can already do that. After going back and forth, I somewhat tentively jumped from a 950 XL to an LG G5 and immediately added the Launcher10 err launcher. It's pretty damn close to Windows 10 Mobile UI and even has live tiles, so you basically get all the apps and killer UI. I've installed ever MS app I had on my Lumia, inc. Cortana. So far I love it. I'll keep my eye out for the rumored Surface Phone though. :-)

I've tried several Windows Phone launchers including Launcher10. It simply looks fake to me. The tiles don't actually rotate in 3D, resizing and resizing tiles is horrible also. I'd rather just use the real deal.

Have you tried the Arrow launcher (developed in the Microsoft garage)? It doesn't pretend to be W10, but with vertical scrolling and more intelligent use of left and right scrolling and with a little customisation does a great job of bringing your most useful information to the top level, which is where Live Tiles on W10 (when they're working) scored so well. I don't play games on my phone or use a lot of apps, but all the same Android does offer richer useful functionality than W10P these days, and an infinitely better choice of hardware. I still miss elements of the UI, but I have a better phone experience overall.  

Not anymore.  They screwed up that launcher with the last release. Now its just another Android Launcher and is crap.

I was using Action 3 launcher but moved to Arrow and I really like it. It isn't power hungry. MS are spending their efforts on apps for Android and IOS and I gave up on my 640XL a year ago.

SquareHome2 is the best one, it actually has the same spacing as Windows Mobile. I have also tried others and they seem cheesy or fake. Still SquareHome isn't perfect. It's just the closest I have found that didn't have tons of ads or look cheesy.

i did that for awhile but it was junky and you really have to get creative with the tiles/widgets and spacing. its not as easy as it is with w10m. so yes it mostly works but android as an os itself gets very choppy clunky and slow after a few months of use i noticed

I think it is more than the skin. The Outlook app on ios and android is horrible next to the Windows Mobile. Groove is more tonight than it's android sibling, skype is more responsive than on android

Cortana is better on Windows mobile too. Its the lack of support though from just about every quarter including Microsofts own studios that is the problem. I am afraid I gave up on WM this week as a result of so many companiues dropping support for WM and have switched to the dark side and now use Launcher 10.

I would say that Cortana on Android and iOS is downright ugly. Just look at their screenshots in the Google Play / App Store. Here's hoping that the Windows 10 version of Cortana won't go south in terms of design.

outlook is miles better on both Android and IOS. Cortana was great on wp8.1 On wm10 is a mediocre crap!

Well, since Cortana still don't work in Swedish (while Siri does since way back), Cortana is _not_ something to hold me back from switching...

I use android with SquareHome2 skin for the whole Windows Phone live tile thing. Best of both worlds.

I tried this launcher after you mentioned it. I like it. I have made it my default and it does feel like wp but with added widgets best of both worlds.

For me, yes I think i would jump to Android, but only IF Microsoft made a complete overhaul of it and i could completely wipe Google from the device.

To remove Google?  That would be absolutely everything pretty much.

There is a Windows Phone skin for Android. I'm using it right now

This would be a great solution, but it would never be a windows OS, everything would still be different under the bonnet

I agree.  I have a Galaxy S7 Edge, in addition to my Windows phones, and I also installed Launcher 10.   It makes the S7 almost...almost as easy and nice to use as a real Windows phone.  I still switch my sim back to my 950 periodically, though.  As far as I am concerned, Windows still gives the best experience on a phone.  There are only a couple of apps I use that I can't get on Windows, but I would rather have the Windows experience than the apps.

This article pretty much summed up all the reasons I still use Windows phone :)

Same here. I love that my phone connects to everything.

For me as well. The start screen, the twitter app with translate button, my 3rd party Tumblr app, dark theme, my precious Asphalt 8 save that doesn't work with the android version, the storage settings, the 4 seconds shutter speed in Camera if they make it work again.
Considering I will have to give the L735 to my mom, I will at least have the 5.5 FHD screen and the 3GB of RAM, along with the Helio P10 chipset to make up for the other inconveniences. I wish we had cheaper midranges like this one on Windows

Same for me. My family mostly use iPhone & ipad, but for me they appear to be mostly inferior products. For kiddies.

Same here, except for the part about being stuck in a contract.

Yes, I still use my Lumia Windows Phone and I love it! The image and the sound are the best! When thid one become old I will buy another windows phone! Well, if I can afford it.

And how are you going to get a new Windows phone now there are no phones in the market. I have not seen one Windows phone in a shop here in Asia for over 4 months.

Same for me too. I had a Lumia 830 and now a 950XL. Great phones, great OS, best experience especially being on Windows ecosystem. I previously had an Android and hope I will never have to go back. And I don't buy Apple's philosophy.

I like the Microsoft ecosystem and prefer Windows 10 Mobile to iOS or Android. I've had a Windows phone since the htc HD2, but I fell in love when Windows Phone 7 launched and switched to the htc Trophy as soon as it came out back in 2011. The lack of apps never bothered me, especially now that we're moving into what appears to be a post app world. That said, I am about to switch to an iPhone because despite how much I love it, Windows 10 Mobile is simply too buggy (even on the Lumia 950), performs too poorly, and lacks the features I need from full Windows 10. If they ever start making phones that run full Windows 10 on ARM with continuum I'll come back in a heartbeat.

Buggy? My 950XL & ELITE X3 works just fine and no bugs.

Then you seem to be in the minority. I've had 6 Windows phones over the last 6 years and every iteration of Windows Phone/Mobile has become less and less stable. The Lumia 950 has even more bugs than my Lumia 640, and that wasn't even supposed to run Windows 10 Mobile. I'm not denying it's a great phone, but the OS is crippling it.

Were you on the Insider Preview?  If yes, then there's your answer.  My 950 was pretty darn stable, unfortunately my hands weren't.  I dropped it 3 weeks back and broke the screen.

I was on insider previews until I got the 950, and I specifically avoided installing any insider builds on it because I was fed up with bugs, but even my fast ring 640 had less bugs than my consumer build 950.

Get out !! We dont like you here ...😁😁

I used to have a 950 replaced for the XL is heaps much better

I hear you. I've just purchased 950 XL. It was on special and I already have Nexus 5X as work phone, so didn't see a point of having another Android... iPhones, nothing against them, beside that I think they are overpriced. It actually behaves nice - I've expected a bit better battery life, but OK - however, BT is buggy as. I have been using Jabra Tour for my car BT, and it works fine with my old Lumia 920, recent Lumia 830, and Nexus 5X. With Lumia 950 XL, it pairs well initially and works great once I make it work... but I often have to cycle BT "switch" in phone's settings, as turning Jabra on pairs it with any other phone I have/had, but not with 950 XL. It is almost as if BT in phone freezes/switches off, even if settings are showing that it is turned on. Speaking of which, it also doesn't always connect to my FitBit. Again, every other phone/laptop/tablet do, so I cannot even suspect FitBit. There is something wobbly in BT solution for this phone. Could be BT radio, firmware, Win 10 drivers... any or all above... even design flaw... and it seems to be going on for many since the day one. At some point I might try factory reset and redo everything from scratch... but I'm not holding my breath, after all I've read around. It looks like MS has never completely sorted BT issues on both 950 phones. Back to original question. I like Microsoft ecosystem, I use Windows desktop, laptop, tablet... Outlook.com is my default personal email provider, and I also use OneDrive. I also love photography, one of my major hobbies, and while I always have decent camera on me when I plan to shoot, it is good to have as good camera on the phone as possible, because opportunities happen unplanned, too. In addition, I'm very light on apps, even on my Android phone, only basics. Txt, Email, browser, maps, FB, Skype, Viber, weather. A few more, all available on Win Phone and all still reasonably decent. And I love platform, tiles, whole philosophy behind it - I think that basics, foundations are really better than iOS or Android. Sadly, this is probably going to be my last Win Phone. MS is very quiet about Win Phone future, and I've read somewhere that 950 phones have been pulled from some of Microsoft European stores... could be they are quietly shutting them down.

BT was recently hugely improved in Slow ring.  However, that said, my headsets, Motorola and most often Plantronics, as well as both Toyota's (Camry and RAV4) paired with my Icon perfectly.  I know Jabra is top notch.  I'm simply trying to highlight that many headsets and cars are pairing up well with Win Mobile.

Thanks for the tip. I have another BT sitting around, though it is one of those on-ear thingies which I'm not as fond of... but if it works, fine. Sure, I would be really surprised if not a single one BT works as advertised - they would not release phones with such a shortfall, good old Microsoft... what is a bit troubling is that I have seen something like this from MS already. Dock for Surface Pro 4 is very selective about monitors that will work with it. Many models from different brands will flicker or not detect at all. But with that, at least, a simple solution in form of cheap active DisplayPort adapter is available. Still, it looks as if MS's testing department is a bit too relaxed. If my spare BT also fools around, I'll give insider a go. 

​OK, thanks for the tip. I have spare BT I was planning to try (though it cannot connect to 2 phones simultaneously) but if it works, fine. I don't need BT often for my personal phone. If that doesn't work, I'll try Insider.

Too bad the hub-centric philosophy has been long cut, starting with Windows Phone 8.1. Now, it is like a lost child in terms of philosophy; it is no longer a hub-centric platform, and it is very weak as an app-centric platform.

I know what you are saying, but I still prefer Windows to Android. Tiles, Cortana offering to read txt messages over BT as they arive, maps for whole countries downloaded and available offline... little and not so little things like that. I'm always light on apps - even on my work Android phone - so I'm lucky that Windows apps shortage doesn't really hurt me; all I use is available and behaving nice. Besides BT, presently.

I've got the similair BT problem. But on my tablet vs it's keyboard... On my 930 it works as expected though...

My only windows phone has been the 640 series. It has been super stable. I haven't hardly noticed the problems everyone else talks about except for the constant webpage reloading issue that baffles me hasn't been fixed yet. I'm on the slow ring. I love the interface to the point I don't even use my Asus transformer anymore unless I absolutely have to. (chromecast) You reminded me of my favorite feature of windows phone, and specifically, the 640.    Price.       My 2 year old broke my wife's screen. New screen = $36.00. New phone t-mobile prepaid at walmart = $29.99. For less than a new screen I could get a backup handset, backup case, and backup battery. Seeing the demise of the 640 I bought another just in case. So now I have two backup batteries and one more screen in case we break another one. (sturdy for sure, we should have broken more screens the way we treat phones.) I've since upgraded to the 640XL for the camera and I really can't see what else I need in a phone. Paid $89.00 on Ebay. To me, everything else is just first thirty days features aside from windows hello. Cool when you buy it. Never used after a few weeks. I'm sure my 640XL will hold me over into Windows next attempt at phones. Just not sure i can stomach the price where I expect i'll have to pay $200.00+ for a phone.

I just "upgraded" to a new (but outdated) non-LTE 640XL on ebay for $79  just to see if I liked the bigger screen. I really like the screen size and while mobile, the traffic data and internet radio data works fine. All other times I'm on wifi anyway. At this point I wish I would have got the LTE version. But uneccessary frugality won the day. I went backwards from the 5 inch 650.

Damn brotha! I must be because I have absolutely no issues.

You have to shut the phone off once a day or at least every two days and restart it. Just like any phone. Or get off the insider program. Once I did my L730 and L650 work fine .

Absolutely agree. The more updates my L950 gets, the more buggy and unstable Microsoft makes it.

Hanley, I bought an unlocked L950 for $260 through Amazon and have been getting the insider fast builds. This is my daily driver and I can honestly recommend the OS because of it's stability.

Which ring are you on?  I have the same phone, and I'm starting to chomp at the bit for the Creators Update...

I'm not sure that he's the minority.  I run Windows 10 on my Icon and it is as stable and as quick as 8.1 was.  Battery is fine (I get a full day with average usage).  

Same for my Icon.  I'm using slow ring insider, but it's quite fast and battery is great

My friend just recently updated his 930 to w10m, and he was amazed how much smoother it is to use

My 950 is amazing! Smooth as a baby's bottom. No problems here whatsoever! This is my second 950, due to the fact that i had screen burn, but other than that its been great!

I also have a Lumina 950 that is stable. Mine is in W10M Release Preview ring. While not as bug free as my old iPhone 4, it's now more stable than my last Android phone and good enough to be my daily driver. What source do you have for concluding that we're in the minority? Note that bad batteries have turned out to be a major cause of problems for many Lumina 950 users now that W10M is much more stable.

I'm not sure what you mean by the Lumia 640 wasn't even supposed to run Windows 10 Mobile, because that model did indeed make the cut. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-mobile-specifications

I also have a Microsoft Lumia 950XL and a Nokia Lumia 1520 and both work great! I love the OS.

My Lumia 1520 runs better than my 950 especially the camera I love both though I just wish att had offered the xl and I run fast insider with less problems than most androids. My only complaint is my 950 will trip sometimes when I take too many photos too soon and save to my sd card which is about 4 yrs old now.

I wish I could say the same my At@T L1520 has been unstable on fast ring or even slow ring. Apps will force close, battery drains fast, when the phone gets around to 25 percent it will shut. The screen jitters and I have to turn screen of the on to get it working right. That's the only problems I have at this moment.

I don't experience bugs very often on my 950 XL, just the phone occasionally restarts itself for no reason, sometimes while I'm not even using it. It's much less often now though.

I've got a L735. No issues here.

I love my Lumia 735 a lot, though I broke my Qi enabled battery cover and currently using a bland 730 one. Its quite an amazing phone. Win 10 runs like Bolt on it , 4G is super fast. I just wish that it was as sleek as my other love, the Lumia 720 ! I had to revert to Win 8.1 on my Lumia 720 coz win 10 was way too slow and hence excruciating to use.

My. Lumia 735 has been rock solid, never missed a beat. Love the smooth UI. All in all it just works.

What is it about full windows on a phone that appeals to you?

Certificate based encryption, ability to run full Microsoft Office in continuum, better network settings, folder (not just individual file) syncing to local storage, more support developer, the list is basically endless. The Onedrive syncing of entire folders is huge for me. I need to be able to access about 30 GB of documents at any given time and my office is a Faraday cage, so offline storage is the only way to access them.

And a phone with windows would be your ideal solution? Instead of a laptop or other device I mean. I don't see the usefulness of it so I'm interested in why other people seem so enthused for it.

I already have a Surface and a but the promise of having a phone that I can just drop into a dock or rest on a wireless charger while wirelessly connected to a desktop set up would still be much preferred. In short I don't want a desktop, a laptop, and a phone. I want a phone that can be everything. Except for a gaming machine obviously, I have a desktop at home for that.

I'm with you on this.
If they can make continuum support output to two monitors, I'll be heaven!

I use mine also for geocaching. Haven't seen any laptops, nor Surface with GPS (yet...)...

Can I make a sugestion? Download the Microsoft recovery tool and make easily a clean installation of WP or WM in your phone. Impressively fast, bugless and smooth running.

I have, 4 times. Sometimes it had fewer bugs, sometimes more. It makes no sense. It's not even on an insider build.

I agree with you still to buggy on my L950 too. Edge not displaying text properly, spell suggestions in some programs not working, copy&past most of the time not working properly, What´s new in People app not working. I was very happy with my L1020 and Windows mobile 8.5 until Skype stopped working. If things will not improve in the near future I see my self forced to move over to Android.

This article is not complete without a link to this legendary forum thread: http://forums.windowscentral.com/windows-10-mobile/431972-folks-who-make-up-1%25-why-you-holding.html  

Please continue supporting the platform.

+1 crazy guy

+950XL

My first smart phone was dell venue pro, love the smoothness and windows is. I have 1020 now got the past 2 yrs. love the camera, hate that there aren't apps available anymore, have an Apple iPhone but still haven't switched, I'm partial to my Nokia Lumia

I wish I was using my Lumia 950. But somebody stole it and now I'm stuck with my spare Android 🙃 even though the OnePlus 3 is a great phone I would be MUCH happier running Windows 10 Mobile on it

Lies, you'd be much happier using both😉

I'd look on E-Bay.  There are lots of good deals on all storts of brand new Windows Phones.

He might even find his phone there.

Live tiles. Pretty much the Start screen. It makes so much more sense to me psychologically than the Grid of Icons. IOS is deeply off putting in this regard. The closest I've found so far that strikes a chord with me is, incidentally, Microsoft's Arrow launcher on Android. If i had to, I'd switch to Android with Arrow. But I'm borderline angsty over giving up my wonderful, dynamic live tiles. 😁

Good on ya pal 😁👍

Dynamic? Live Tiles are randomly flashing bits of information with no interactivity, limited customization and certainly are not dynamic. They are all the same! Live Tiles and the rigid UI is what caused Windows phones to fail. Every product that has been based on them has failed! Even Windows 8 was widely hated because of that UI. So much so, Microsoft skipped a whole version number just to distance itself from it!

Windows phones use to have 45% market share until they started screwing up everything. They were way too quick to abandon their hardware.  Zune was way better than ipod and people were screaming for year for them to make zune into the windows phone OS and they screwed that up.

What an out right lie. Microsoft skipped a version number so things would get the slightest bit confused with Windows 95/98. I will just assume most everything else bleached has to say is a lie too.

Because I'm a glutton for punishment hahaha also, not a fan of the other two options....but the constant updates for W10 that fixes things and breaks others at the same time is getting really annoying. Don't want to jump ship but...

As a developer myself, I can't put up with the inconsistencies of the overall experience anymore -- not after almost a year and a half. I'm to the point where I want something that works. Devs keep bailing on supporting their own apps, and bugs that have existed since day one never get fixed. I hope Microsoft gets it together. Just burnt out on waiting for it to happen. The start menu alone isn't enough to keep me invested any longer 😢

As a developer as well, i don't release my apps until i feel they're ready. I also use my own apps everyday, so i have to put up with whatever issues (if any) that my users would have to deal with. Big companies don't give a flying crap and i assume their devs don't do this. If they did.... We'd have a lot less issues and much more polished apps in our store.   The only app i've abandoned is one that i was developing for a non-profit. My point of contact didn't/doens't have the courtesy to reply to emails or phone calls. Might i add that i was doing free work for them, so.....   Love the platform, love the ecosystem, blah blah blah. I'm still sticking around.   I'm also on the verge of writing an SDK this summer for a company in NY because they "can't find the time" to make one for Windows.

Are you on the Insider Preview?  I don't understand why people complain about bugs when they're on alpha/beta software.

I'm not complaining that bugs exist, I'm complaining that the same bugs exist and the overall consistency of the experience has not improved. They struggle to get basic stability and functionality to work right -- to this day my Bluetooth headphones still cut out and disconnect randomly, and no, it's not the three pairs of headphones I've purchased hoping to resolve the issue -- what hope do i ever have of new features and functionality to work correctly? Heck GATT has been in the works for well over a year, and still no word on Fitbit being able to beta test the feature. At some point i have to call my irrational hope what it is. Insanity. So i hope to keep my 950, keep providing feedback, and hope that making a quality mobile experience will someday be a priority to Microsoft. Until then I'm moving on and am done waiting around.

This. Can't get a consistent BT audio stream out of it, whilst the iOS and Android devices work just fine.

i stream over bluetooth all the time. admittedly bluetooth had been a disaster for me on the insider program, but that was awhile ago, so i'm hoping its gotten better. but my bluetooth has been fine. are you sure you don't just have a faulty bluetooth chip or something?

Possibly, but MS never attempted to admit fault or offer to fix/replace my device, which lead me to believe it's a design flaw with the 950 or a low priory issue with the OS's Bluetooth stack. Haven't gone back to my 1520 to compare.

BT is much better on very recent/latest fast ring build on my 950xl. Best phone I've ever used. I've been on most phone versions since the begining.

Sorry but I'm not seeing this on my L730 or L650. My wife uses her Bluetooth speaker all the time with her L650 and has no problem. If she did I would hear about, believe me.

I wasn't on the Preview but SMS messaging regularly crashed requiring a reboot and about twice a day I'd find the phone had decided a perfectly valid WiFi connection wasn't on the Internet and started using my mobile data, which is metered. It was those bugs, over the entire time I was on WM10, that finally drove me to Android. 950xl, 950 and Elite x3 all showed the same issues. For over a year. Not acceptable.

Yeah SMS is crazy, I wish Skype in it would have worked out

SMS has never crashed on me.  I only send a moderate amount of texts, but it has never crashed and recovery has restored any lost messages when I had to wipe the device.  I know that doesn't fix you having a problem, but something about your device is not like mine for sure. (Icon)

Maybe you should have just did a hard reset of the phone and stop watching pornos on it.

I did a hard reset, also used the Windows Device Tool, no good. It's buggy. Or were you too busy watching pornos to notice?

Could be since my wife is 7 months pregnant but my L650 ain't bugging out.

My brand new 650 had this issue. No need for the snide comment.

Well bought my wife and I have a L650 and neither of us have had any problems. I have a L730 too and it works just fine.

Same here third party apps work wonders usually better than 1st party unless 1st bans it. That's my biggest gripe is that its not that windows phone os won't handle it its that's devs are lazy and in google and ios pockets they ignore us. I love my home screen just one glance I see any and everything. Speed was always top on my list and ecosystem is great I can go to my surface and pick up where I left off. I'm not an app gamer so I don't care about that. I got a surface and Xbox one. Blue stacks helps me if I just wanna test an app. Cortana is my love and integration with third party apps has been waaay more advanced even since day 1 Cortana can DO more for u than other assistants. Hey dj, was one of the first to help me recognize how great that feature can be.

I remember Hey Dj!  That was one of the first apps that I purchased after a trial.

The way it combines a minimal look with customization, along with so much personality, I really can't see myself ever saying good bye to the platform altogether. It's still my most idealistic phone aesthetic, inside and out. iOS with no customization is hard, Android is very varied. I use them too though, but it's so nice to look at my Windows Phone. My only gripe is the lack of smaller phones with nice battery life. That's the only thing that stops me from using my 950 (battery life more so than size) full time.  If there was a smaller phone with good battery life, I would be okay with putting my other phones down. 

What are you on about ?? There are soo many Lumia phones of all sizes !

When was the last 5 inch Lumia released running with Windows 10 mobile?...and has good battery life?

I think lumia 550 is good enough...

Dat UI Tho!!! For real though, I will not give my privacy to Google and I will not pay the for the privlidge of Apple.

I simply prefer a information first OS over an app based, plus simply put I trust Microsoft over Google for data security and I don't like Apple's our way or no way.  I use my phone as a business tool, so apps are relatively meaningless to me but I like the integration of desktop/mobile for notifications and others like Cortana. Simply put Win 10 mobile just gets out of the way for day-to-day use, which Android and iOS don't. Plus Win 10 mobile works surprisingly well on a Lumia 930 which I use as a daily driver.

You must not be doing much business travel.

my phone is awesome on travel. what's the problem with windows 10 mobile on travel? continuum works wonders on travel. i can have a pc-like experience without having to pack a laptop. sometimes i'll have my surface with me and never even have to take it out.

You check in to your flight, choose your seat, have your boarding pass added to your phone's wallet, get updated for delays, use inflight entertainment, buy train tickets, open your hotel room door with your phone? No-  this experience all needs to be pieced together with edge, Cortana, PDF files, shortcuts, pinned items, oneDrive folders, etc. It is completely seamless on iOS and android. Much less friction.  In fact, this is the only use case ( plus Bluetooth reliability) that has me on alternative platforms.

what one app does all of that on ios or android?
Edit: "edge, Cortana, PDF files, shortcuts, pinned items, oneDrive folders, etc." - your duplicated steps to make it sound like more. Edge handles PDFs. Shortcuts & pinned items? They're different? Moreover, even if those things are that seamless, its far from a hassle without *any* phone, let alone saying, "you must not be doing much business travel." you're probably saving a handful of minutes every trip. Seems like somebody likes to exaggerate.

 It isn't "one app." It is a series of apps that have been improved over time (still evolving!), leveraging the mobile platform paradigms (notifications, wallets, NFC, location services, etc).  In many cases, apps work with one another and are even aware of activities happening within the platform. It's what a mature mobile ecosystem looks like. In other words, exactly the opposite of W10M in line with the original vision of Windows Phone.

nothing you said still means its apparently such a travesty to travel with windows 10 mobile. someone likes to hear themselves speak i think. "leveraging the mobile platform paradigms"? plus, who creates two windows central accounts? or did you change your name in the middle of this?

Very specific problem here... The airline I usually travel on (Qantas) has never updated their app. Boarding passes always fail, their mobile website struggles on edge for some reason and my ff details never update. Means I'm still relegated to paper boarding passes or screenshots.

That's basically the whole story here. W10M is basically email and a browser in your pocket. The apps are a wasteland, and  travel and other use cases that are rife with inefficiency have massively improved experiences with mobile apps. That's where W10M falls apart.

yup, absolute wasteland. everyone that's still using it is obviously just sitting on their thumbs using only email and a browser. i get that the app gap exists for people. but that doesn't mean it exists for everyone. "durr, it doesn't have the few apps i use, OH EM GEE its a wasteland!!"  seriously. that's you. that's what you sound like. /s i've never had any problems traveling. the inefficiencies you speak of are imagined. ugh, i gotta open my door with a card? goodness gracious me, how ever will i survive. so yeah, maybe your experience is better, but if you can't handle life if you someone hands you a card for your hotel room, i think you have other problems you need to work on instead of worrying about which mobile OS is better. if you like something better than Windows 10 Mobile, that's your perogative. But to tell people that they obviously don't know what they're doing? that makes you an *******.

I was just on a Southwest flight. Their in flight experience is strictly through their mobile app. Same for American and United. Tell me again how you would do this with a Windows mobile device? Oh that's right, you prefer paper. Old-school. A magazine. 

um, i just watch movies on my surface or read a book on my kindle voyage? why would i watch something on a phone? Edit: umm, according to southwest flight's you can also control the inflight experience with a windows or osx laptop... sooooo, i'd be fine with my surface. i'd prefer that experience over a small phone anyway, even if i did have an android device.

What? I use Southwest's mobile app on my 950 all the time.

use Tripit Pro!

My business is travelling, I spend most of my time in a car getting to and from clients for contracts. So yes, it's ideal when Cortana can read out text messages or answer the voice with a voice command.

Yes Windows 10 Mobile gets things done.

Highly agreed

Information first?! If you want information on your homescreen, it is hard to beat fully functional widgets. Gimped widgets ("Live Tiles") don't come close. You can't scroll through your messages or emails, can't access them directly, no music controls or any interactivitiy at all. They really are a poor choice if you want an information packed home screen. Why you need that when notifications more than cover it, is what I really don't understand.

Because notifications just don't work when you're travelling at 70mph down the road. I can glance at the screen and decide if it's important enough to pull over. Music controls are built into Bluetooth, ICE and/or inline cord.

There are bunch of ways to easily see notifications without touching the phone. Live Tiles are probably the worst solution in that case!

You're making assumptions of how I work and what I do. I used a Samsung S6 last year for 4 weeks and it was the worst phone I used, even after extensive configuration (without rooting it) and testing. There was too many minor niggles a few major gotchas that I just couldn't live with. At the end of the day the 930 has a better battery life under Win 10 mobile and is more secure. The only other phone that I'd trust with security is the iPhone and that's feature castrated to lock you into Apple's Eco-System.

My Lumia 950 does everything I need it to do and I prefer the Microsoft ecosystem.  I will stay Windows Mobile for as long as it works. I will never use an iPhone and would rather not deal with anything Android.

Me too!
​I have had several PocketPCs, HTC7, Lumia 520, 635 Dual-Sim, 640 (great phone!), and now a 950XL I bought two weeks ago.
​As a developer, I have tried Android, but they simply make development too difficult compared with Windows Phone, likewise iPhone.
​I have developed several Windows Phone apps, some for sale and some for my own use, and (in relative terms) it is a breeze compared with Android and iOS. As a user, the Windows user experience is streets ahead of the other two major players. It was clearly brought to fruition by designers, not by nerds!

My first smartphone was nokia Lumia 520.Now using Lumia 730,long live windows mobile and windows central

The start screen mainly. It's hands down the best most intelligent UI on a phone.

I came for Nokia, stayed for OS, persevered for hatred of google and apple offerings, waited for Surface Phone...

Pretty much same here

Don't you mean, "waiting for Surface Phone..."?

I wrote it all as past tense 😁 but yes, I'm definitely still waiting

Same here, man same here...

Im not a trend follower.

I am using Android, I really like Windows Mobile but things like maps, phone call, sms, unlocking the screen should work flawlessly and was not the case with my 950s. Let alone app of phone company, public transports and bank missing. So I switched, but cannot wait the day Microsoft will give me a reason to come back.

Stay with crapdroid !

I absolutely hate apple and android phones! Ask CIA how many Windows phone they got into!

I absolutely hate apple and android phones! Ask CIA how many Windows phone they got into! I'm glad someone else also noticed that...  

just love the tiles and the way windows mobile works

I use it because of what use to be the best OS UI out there. But the non stop instability of Windows 10 Mobile is starting to wear me down. Couple that with how slow they are to fix issues, plus some huge issues that have now been here for two years, and it is becoming extremely trying.

Just curious, what is the huge issue that have been around for two years?

Yeah me too, what huge issues?

No problem. There a re a bunch, but I'll name a few. •The keyboard will not work if I am in a landscape orienated app and I get a text. If I pull the notification bar down, select to replay to that text, no keyboard will show up. I have to completely kill the app. •Often, it is impossible to wake my 950 XL •the camera seems fine 90% of the time, but I often get where the camera will flash and execute the shutter noise. I'll hold the phone down to look at the photo, and it will be of my feet because the actual photo was taken two seconds later. •Saved pictures, screenshots, and taken photos sometimes dont show up in the photo app for as long as half an hour. •After about 60-90 the phone always becomes sluggish and can only be fixed with a hard reset
•The flow keyboard is flawless in portrait mode. In landscape mode, the accuracy is horribly off There are so many more issues, but id like to add that these all occur on both my 1520,my 950XL and my friends 950XL (as well as my 950XL having being returned once to 'supposably' deal with the inevitable sluggishness that occurs over time). Dont get me wrong. The concept of Windows 10 Mobile is great. Windows 10 runs like a beats on my Surface Book. But as I have heard so many other people say, if they required the builders of Windows 10 Mobile to use a Windows 10 Mobile phone as their daily user, they would notice all of these small hiccups and take care of them. Its obvious that they dont use these Phones or things like not being able to use the notification center to reply to a text when you are in a landscape app would have been fixed a year ago.

Wow you do have it bad, the only problem I ever encounter is the slow to wake maybe a couple of times a month, a restart fixes it.    

One reason: Productivity NO need to open many apps, just a glance at the start screen and I know from whom I have received an email, the last update on Instagram, the last article in WSJ or WC (yup, you guys). The ability to pin profiles from Twitter, Whatsapp, OneNote really speed things up. I honestly can't move from my comfy 830 that really flyes with W10M

Microsoft Ecosystem
Live Tiles
Continuum
Zeiss Lens and Pureview tech
Groove Music
Insider Program 

1. No ads. 2. UI. 3. Start screen. 4. OS. 5. Eco system.

  Completely agree. The ecosystem is so seamless, especially with OneDrive. The live tiles are so much more informative than anything Apple or Android can offer. I bought a 950XL for Continuum (AGONIZED for that or the HP ELite X3), but have yet to try it. I have absolutely no issues with the camera. To tell the truth, I liked Zune over Groove initially, but the updates have made it a better experience. And the Insider Program has kept it up to date, with a bare minimum of bugs - so far, the experience has been very good. I started with Windows Phone at the get-go, and I think the Enterprise/Productivity slant is what will make Windows for Mobile stand out. Also, I can't wait to pull out my Westworld-like Surface Phone and watch the iPhone users eyes bug out... :P

you summed it up perfectly!  but missed 1 important fact... SECURITY should be #6 I can download and install app/game and not worry about security like on sh!tdroid      I just got a sh!tdroid phone and I am shocked and annoyed at all the ads and crapware that comes with all these apps! let alone they want access to my contacts,  emails and camera and gps and mic ect ect  

You're right, the Closed Source(ness) of Windows 10 as a whole.

I'm a fan. Love the UI. Lack of apps? I got what I need. And I love it when the photo's are better or that I can modify a PowerPoint file.....

In all fairness, the latest Galaxy/Iphones have caught up in camera tech.  And Office is available on both platforms.  The UI is indeed much better on Windows though.

Office is a Microsoft product so be grateful !

I am fully on board with MS products.  I am a .Net developer and think they have a great ... start with the WPM.  I would love it if they would be able to get the reality of "Nokia Morph​" and that would make people flock to WPM.  I had a iPhone 3Gs back in the day and yes, IMHO Apple has one product sold in 100 different form factors.  If we could go back in time, say late 1999, I would ***** slap the people at Microsoft who created the Compact PC and the Tablet PCs I used and say "WTF"  Get some marketing.  Nearly 8 years before the iPhone and a decade before tablets.  Damn.     

Ain't it though. Time travel.... Hmmmmm

I use it for 2 main reason. Xbox app and Office.

I simply fell in love with it the first time it was demonstrated. Still loving it and my 950 XL.

I hate iPhone and anything Google so here I am. Give me an alternative and I would consider it, but I do like my 1020. Wireless charging, glance, double tap to wake, and the killer camera.

Blackberry BB10 and Window Phone are the most secure mobile telephone platforms out there. In reality most people use 20 or fewer apps on a daily basis unless you really need to find a Starbucks in Mongolia. As long as those 20 or so apps work really well, then the rest of the app ecosystem is just window dressing. That is why you can hold onto a Windows Phone for a long time or a Blackberry too. They are also great bargains on Ebay by virtue of being unpopular.

I don't even use 10 apps on a daily basis.

You don't need an app to find Starbucks. Just ask Cortana. And I've been to Mongolia, there are no Starbucks there.

20 apps? Most people dont use more than 5-7 apps everyday.

Why do I use a Windows phone? Simple. It does the necessary basics, phone, email, text, calendar, like all smart phones do. The rest, well, it's just fun. I like being part of the insider community. I like getting the updates. I like when cool new features are added. It's just fun for me to watch the OS develop. I'm sure iOS and Android are more polished. My wife was a long time iPhone user and most recently switched to Android, so I have some experience with both. Yes, they are more polished bit they are boring. I don't like boring. For me, windows is fun.

There are somethings that my Lumia 950 hands down just does better and more efficient than my iPhone 7. In all honesty I can't not use Windows Phone.

My first phone with Windows OS was the Motorola MPX-200, then an i-Mate K-Jam, HTC TyTn II, HTC Surrond, Nokia 920, Nokia 1020, and now the Microsoft 950XL. Why should I abandon a plataform that I like so much, the main benefits as still there. Instead of cable sync we now have over the air. I just wish there was more commitment from companies with UWP apps. But this is not a problem for the mobile side only.

Wow, you went waaaaay back.  My first Windows phone was an HTC Dash.

Nicely stated. I do want to call out for all of it's short cummings the web treats w10m like a desktop os giving you access to things iOS often can not access in the business space and instead requires an app. Additionally I like the app list because a lot of times I remember the name of an app and not where it is so the apps lis. Lastly Cortana is much better than siri and does things google assistant still can not do and having her and the apps across Xbox,phone and pc lower the learning curve for new features. An example would be android settings,chrome, chrome book or apple preferences on osx vs iOS, tvOs etc. Vs on pc,Xbox and phone. And for apps or Cortana that connection between the devices becomes more evident. I'm actually of the mind that ten mobile be it in its current form, windows on arm or something else entirely is the end game. So I'm in it for the ride. And if hp and others keep supplying devices then I'll keep buying them. And one day when Ms is ready....they will make a Surface "like" commitment to the mobile form factor. But not before Windows is ready...and not make the Lumia 950 mistake again. Sorry this is badly edited. I used Cortana in the car.

Nicely stated. I do want to call out for all of it's short cummings the web treats w10m like a desktop os giving you access to things iOS often can not access in the business space and instead requires an app. Additionally I like the app list because a lot of times I remember the name of an app and not where it is so the apps lis. Lastly Cortana is much better than siri and does things google assistant still can not do and having her and the apps across Xbox,phone and pc lower the learning curve for new features. An example would be android settings,chrome, chrome book or apple preferences on osx vs iOS, tvOs etc. Vs on pc,Xbox and phone. And for apps or Cortana that connection between the devices becomes more evident. I'm actually of the mind that ten mobile be it in its current form, windows on arm or something else entirely is the end game. So I'm in it for the ride. And if hp and others keep supplying devices then I'll keep buying them. And one day when Ms is ready....they will make a Surface "like" commitment to the mobile form factor. But not before Windows is ready...and not make the Lumia 950 mistake again. Sorry this is badly edited. I used Cortana in the car.

I like to suffer? Or, it still meets my limited needs and gets me through the day. It sucks when the things you want to succeed fail, but that's the way things go sometimes. I've had my 920 since March 2013, but I think I will be jumping ship soon, or rather, getting on a ship at all.

You're still rocking the 920?????  Wow man, that's some commitment there.  That thing was a brick.  I've had two other phones since my 920.  I think you'll find upgrading to a new W10M device will make you wonder why you waited so long.  

I still have my March 2013 Lumia 720, though my daily driver now is the Lumia 735. I also own a Lumia 830.

Oh, the 830 was a beauty.  Never had one, but wanted one.  That was way back when the carriers actually put windows phones front and center.

I've been using the 830 for close to a year now, really great well-rounded phone with just two weaknesses in my opinion; weak front cam and mediocre chipset. It is really cheap in Asia now at about 150 USD and is quite the bang for the buck at that price.

$150 will buy you a really great one these days. The L830 can't compete.

Firstly I love being a Windows Insider. Secondly, it has all the apps I need and use. Finally soomth OS and I love it. (I used iOS9 and Android 6.0)

I have to admit that a big reason is that I can't afford to just go out and buy a new phone, when what I have works fine. But my son recently had to switch, because his school uses a couple apps that don't exist on the Windows platform. After helping him set up his Android, though, it's helped me realize Windows' strengths, at least in features we've come to depend on in our family. Two off the top of my head. We use our Live (or Outlook.com or whatever the official designation is) calendars and share them with each other, and the Calendar app manages them effortlessly. But getting the Droid's calendar app connected to his Microsoft account wasn't entirely intuitive (had to use the Exchange ActiveSync account type, and had to copy the server address from my Windows Phone's settings), and the shared calendars aren't even showing up. Then we ran into an issue with storage. Windows has the easy feature of telling it to use an SD card for apps and storage, but we couldn't find an easy switch in Android. We did find the option to move an app after it's been installed, but only a few of his apps even allowed that -- and, of course, it was for some of the big space-hungry apps that Android didn't show the "move" option.. (After some googling, I guess you can have it format and use the SD card as an extension of internal storage? But then it's impossible to remove or replace the card without completely resetting the phone?) He likes being able to play Pokémon Go, but he does miss his Windows Phone already.

Also wanted to call out the car OS Audi showed off. I'm sure it too is a version of mobile since it's NVidia powered.

I have a Lumia 640 as my daily driver and another as a backup in case it breaks. Got each for $30. I love the UI and don't use many apps. The signal and voice quality at my apartment are better than the Android phones I have had in the past. I appreciate the look of Windows 10 Mobile and the organization of Settings. Once in a while I would like to play with an app I have seen talked about and is not available on WinPhone, but the apps I have seem to be the ones I actually need.

It does what I want it to and I love developing for it much more than iOS or Android.

I love my Lumia 950XL with Windows Phone 10..windows phone has more potential than IOS n android.. Only thing lack of some good apps

I stay with Windows Mobile because I like the start screen with live tile. I tried an Android phone for a weekend and came back to my Lumia 640.

I echo pretty much everything you said in the article. I'm never too far away from a desktop or tablet, so I'm not an obseffsive phone person and have yet to find that one app I simply can't live without. I've only switched to W10M from WP8.1 within the past few months, but like the overall integration with all devices. And that start screen.... <3

Love having all my devices within the same ecosystem and Microsoft's preferably. Love the ease of the OS and the simplicity of management from one device to another. Live tiles and Cortana, nuff said. I don't use many apps so that is not too much of an issue although I would like banking apps and a new Onstar app.  Don't like the restrictiveness of iOS and just plain do not like anything Google as I have divested myself entirely from them.
 

+1, 950XL, buggy a little, running fast ring, but prefered to iOS even like this. Droid is out of question for me, by now I just simply don't like it. And I just love the OS, plus having the same platform on all my devices is best.

You might want to consider switching to the production version.  Less buggy.  It was cool when we were all on 8 and excited to see what 10 would bring but I don't see the point now.

I have a 950 XL too, but have not had any buggy issues at all

Android is to cartoonish and settings everywhere. iOS is to static and is almost the same since launch. I will definitely keep going with Windows OS on my phone!😎

I am a CEO of a Health IT Outsourcing Company.  Windows Mobile is the only "Enterprise Ready" mobile OS, thus the reason I use it.

Ditto

Because I believe in Microsoft's philosophy and ethics. Also, because of live tiles, general design and security.

For reasons I don't understand yet

Hmm, I guess I'm one of those crazy people after all. What I liked about Win10Mobile is also the Start Screen and the "uniqueness" of the OS itself. Also, I loved the fact that I can readily access Office files from my phone and work from there when I don't have my laptop. I do have some gripes about the OS but I'm sure that I won't ditch my Lumia 950 XL in the near future (unless, there's a new Win10M device that's at least non-enterprise-centric)

I wouuld switch my L950 to a mid-range device < 4,7". Lumia 820 for me is still the best mobile device ever made (might even outrank the Nokia 3310).

It started with Windows Mobile 6.0 on a HTC p3400i. And I still love the OS. But i think its time i get practical and get myself an android phone as my 2nd device. Tired of letting Microsoft change my preferences.

I just love Microsoft. With everything you love, you have to accept the good and the bad.

I like the start screen, the whole UI is smooth and intuitive. I have used all mobile OS offerings over the last 10+ years and I am happiest with W10M. I also see the future in what Microsoft is trying to accomplish overall and I think it's definitely the best future to invest in.

I'm still on Windows Phone because I really like the OS. I really like the fluidity of the UI. I really like the comparatively simple settings. And I really like the customization. I like using Edge on both the phone and PC. It's fast. And I've never cared for add-ons and extensions. That being said... I got the Lumia 950 in Jan. of 2016 on AT&T with a 2-year contract. This will be my last Windows Phone. I plan on getting an Android next year. I don't care for social apps because I'm not very social but I do want the latest updates to IG, Twitter, Facebook, etc. I do want Snapchat. I know we've got good official apps on WP but they're still not as up-to-date as on iOS or Android. They take a while to get updated, especially Twitter who seems to update their WP app once a year. I still plan on staying in the Microsoft ecosystem. They do have apps on Android. The main ones I use are Groove Music, OneDrive, and OneNote. If anything, I expect to miss the customization on WP. I understand Android is EXTREMELY customizable but it won't look as clean as WP. If Windows Mobile is going to be for enterprise, then I am ready to switch OSes, but not ecosystems.

I go all the way back to PocketPC 2002.  And have used every version since then.  I even had multiple Zunes.  IOS is uninspired and Android is kind of a mess.  Why switch now?

Yes me too, way back to 2002. I waited forever with my HTC 8X for another flagship HTC to appear but it never did. Then I waited forever for the HP Elite X3 to become available on contract, finally gave up in January and got a Lumia 950 on a 2 year contract. Frustratingly the HP is now available on contract with Carphone Warehouse! I may end up with 2 phones 🙂. Absolutely love everything about the OS. No plans to ever have a Google or Apple related phone, riddled with ads and kids' game apps. I'm an adult use my phone for business and relaxation. Love the customisable live tiles and the integration with MS Office.  My wonderful phone has everything I need and I regularly convert colleagues.

I have a Zune too

Three reasons for me: 1. I use continuum extensively, about 6 hours a day so its a massive part of my work/productivity suite. 2. Heavily invested in Microsoft hardware and the windows ecosystem 3. Waiting for that elusive, mega powerful, foldable screen, category defining surface phone:)

If I'm being honest, the only reason I still use it is nostalgia and pining for something that never was. In fact, if I didn't have other devices to use (in my role as a developer I have a number of them), I'd probably be long gone. I was hopeful about W10M, but with W10 on ARM I guess the plug will be pulled - I'm not even sure if we'll make it to RS 3 and by then it'll be painfully obvous that the only thing to do is put W10M out of its misery.

I prefer the good ol' 8.1 actually. The 830 does everything I need it to do and looks great too. Wish they just put out better flagships and apps instead of revamping the software.

I had to give up my 950xl because my bank's app is not available. But I keep using it with a second line just to keep the business separated from the personal. Office 365 is easier and better on the WP than the android or Apple for me. It was even so on the 550 I used for 2 months but that 950 camera keeps amazing me, especially the zoom :)

Should have just changed bank, lol. Tangerine's app works flawlessly on Luma 950XL. CIBC and TD also have apps for Windows Phone, although they do not offer photo-cheque deposit (but Tangerine does). 

I use it because of the Live Tiles, how the OS looks, and everything just seamlessly works with everything I use

My 1020 is still my daily driver, although battery life is degrading now, so I may have no choice but to switch to the 950 use strictly for testing out the garbage coming out on W10M.  Absolutley nothing tops the beauty and solid build of the 1020, as far as I'm concerned. Every other smartphone looks alike. And the camera on the 1020 is still IMHO the best, especially adding the fact that I have the camera shell, too.  WP8.1 and the original Metro apps are far better and more attractive than the W10M stuff but, as was mentioned, it's sad that nothing is being updated on it.  As for W10M, as horrible as it is in every way in comparison to WP8.1, it's better than Apple or Android.  I've never experienced the app gap.  I don't smother my devices with a ton of apps and, as statistics apparently show, I tend to use websites more than apps anyway--which can be pinned to Start.  Since I live in a small border town I have no need for things like Uber or coordinating with mass transit (and, quite frankly, I'll drive my Camaro SS rather than ever take a bus).  One thing I will miss dearly when I finally have to lay my 1020 to rest is the HERE suite of apps, which easily trashes any competition.  Local Scout, City Lens, etc., all excellent.  I tried out Continuum and don't find it useful at all.  I always have my Surface Pro 3 (and looking hopeful for a Surface Pro 5, if Microsoft doesn't ruin that like they do everything else), so using Continuum is laughable.  But, W10M is truly at this point the lesser of three evils.  I despise both Apple and Google as companies so passionately that I'd rather go back to a feature flip phone and tether my SP3 to it.

I find it interesting that after all these years, the 1020 still has one of the best if not the best cell phone cameras around.  I now know how spoiled I was when I had to replace my 950 with an Idol 4S.  Don't get me wrong, the Idol 4S is a nice phone.  But there's just no comparison.

I had a 1020 but I much prefer the camera on the 950 XL.  The picture quality is equally as good, but it's so much faster.  The 1020 was just agonizingly slow to take pictures.

Same here. My 950 mostly gets better photos than my 1020. Obviously the zoom capability on the 1020 was nice though.

True, the zoom was good but I can't say that I miss it at all.

Good article. I have been with windows mobile since the beginning. Big fan of 10. I recently purchased Samsung j5 and am not happy with interface however the apps are good. I was happy with my Lumia but needed a dual SIM option. I hope that microsoft revamp their hardware (surfacevphone perhaps) e options and that UWP delivers the app ecosystem very soon. As i write this I feel like i am cheating on my Wife!

I have a Lumia 950 XL and it has a dual-sim, so there was no need to leave Lumia because of needing a dual-SIM option. I thought the 640 (not sure) was also dual sim?

My Nokia 640XL is my 3rd or 4th windows phone. I bought it (ATT) 8/15. I love it. EXCEPT that ATT will not update to windows 10. I just (today) received my Pixel. I'm sorry to say good by to my windows phone but it just doesn't allow me the apps that I would like to use at this point. I'm sorry to put it aside.

All is said! And i love being an insider, windows mobile is fresh

I use a Windows Phone because it meshes so seamlessly with Office 365.  

Yes, i love OS and productivity, live tile is amazing and fast UI with all the information in Glance. i have sunc my PC and Phone and love the situation.

The start screen. The interface is better.
I tried android a few years ago and it sucked.
I have an iPad, but don't like Apples iOS interface, or their corporate culture/ego.

The article starts on the false premise based on a flawed assumption of how many USERS there are. The stat quotes is for a quarterly SALES number. Using that number, I'm not a user of any OS, as I didn't buy ANY phones last quarter. Why do I stick with Win10m? Partly habit as I've always had a smartphone running Microsoft software. I even had Pocket PC devices before they had phones in them. Part of it is that I like being on the journey. Regardless of the bumper sticker depth "dead" analysis, it is clear that something is happening and I feel like it is going to be extraordinary. I'm also prepared to be let down. The question is a good one and lately, I've been second guessing my continued use

.1% would be around 2.5 million devices on Windows 10 Mobile assuming there are 2.5 billion smartphones in the wild. That might be a little bit low, but probably not far off. W10M hasn't been available for that long and sales have been small since it was released. Microsoft also didn't make it easy to update to W10M which limits the number of devices that were updated from WP8. Anyways, at the current sales rate, it won't be long before it drops well below 0.1% in use.

I know. You post bit of conjecture all the time, yet have no data to support it.  The ecosystem is not limited to Windows 10, just as a big chunk of the overall smartphone ecosystem is not exclusively running the latest version of any OS.  There are plenty of people clinging to their 1020 and 1520 devices and haven't been counted in quarterly sales data in YEARS.  I get that you take bits of data and use them to constantly bash Windows, but it's based on bias more than any known fact.  

WP8 doesn't count. Microsoft rebooted and these devices are not compatible with UWP. They are totally irrelevant.

To you.  I also remembering you thinking that UWP itself is irrelevant.  The devices count to the people who use those devices. My 1020 still counts. The number of phones running a Windows OS is the topic.  Again, you take whatever curated bits of data you can to further your mission to bash, and denying the existence of Win8.1 devices does that for you. The reality is quite different. Is Windows on desktop less relevant because it is being overstated with Win7, Win8x and maybe even earlier versions? No. 

Windows Phone 8.1 devices are totally irrelevent if they are not running Windows 10 Mobile. WP8 was totally abandoned. Microsoft doesn't update it, does support it with new apps and it doesn't count as a UWP device. A developer looking at supporting UWP doesn't count anything but Windows 10. WP8 is just as relevent to UWP as Symbian is. The number of WP8 devices is pointless. It is not growing and they will all be gone in a year or two. And yes, Windows 10 not growing even as fast as Windows 7 does make it less relevent. Microsoft needs UWP to be a success or they are going to continue to struggle in future. Windows 7 being so popular hurts that push. Microsoft really should make UWP backwards compatible with older versions of Windows.

To you.

Me and UWP developers. No biggie.

You pretty much summed it up for me too.  But...the damned phone just WORKS.  Wife's iPhone and subsequent Androids...uh, not so much. 

 I really like the interface on W10M (dark theme especially).

I love the OS, I love the UI, I love the Home Screen, I love the design language. I thought I was going to move to Android late last year but after less than a month, my Lumia 950 XL became my primary phone again. I love how the built-in email can have all of my emails in one uniform fashion. Looks good at it. I love the camera. I do still keep my Android phone just mainly to accompany my kids in Pokemon hunt. Give me my Surface phone!!!

I've met windows 8.1 with very clean stable and fast ui, win 10 is great it became more friendly still great design concepts but it so luggy. I was about to switch to my iPhone but "bind mi bend" 3rd party app makes me stay. Edge so slow.... Slowest browser ever      

I've been a MS user since day one (I'll be 80 in August) basically because Bill allowed us to choose other vendors to use with his OS, where Steve said, it's all mine or hit the road. So, in another sense, choose a democratic process or a dictatorial system. Guess which I choose. My 950 is a great phone and have no need for hundreds of thousands of apps. How many can you use? The Store has all I need...and lest you "young ones" :) dismiss me as an old foggie, I've been in and around the tech world since the begtinning. If the leaks are true about a Surface hybrid computer/phone, that promises to be an exciting offer.

  Nice to hear similar story to mine.

The os fits me the best. In android I can't find anything, it just feels chaotic to me. And iOS is too rigid and too limited in using third party stuff. Also, both os es are pretty boring. Windows mobile looks a lot nicer and is matches my logic more, in the past there used to be more unique qualities that made me like the OS, but MS has killed or neglected most of those.

Yeah me too. I found it hard to find things I needed on Android.

I have impressed few of my friends with an iPhone and android users by showing them the great customized live tiles on Windows phone and how i use it for daily activities, they were pretty much impressed. Maybe I could get convince them further to buy one😝 Windows 10 on Phone is working pretty good for me. Being a great fan of Windows Phones always.

I bough a wp as my first smartphone, because I really preferred the UI over Android/iOS. Yelly Bean just looked ugly, overcrammed and unserious with its childish font, in my personal opinion. I also personally dislike Google, and iPhones were too expensive for me for just 'having an iPhone' over other phones. Honestly, the 'supporting the underdog feeling' of buying a Windows Phone may also have contributed to my decision. wp8.1 was so close to being the third option OS for everybody, but unfortunately w10m at launch made too many steps back. Don't get me wrong, I really like some parts of it, as well as some really cool Universal Apps out there. But to have success, w10m would have had to be in the state it will be maybe 2019 at launch, minus the upgrade debacle MS performed. I fought for wp8.1, but I do not recommend buying a Windows Phone any more. So why am I still hanging on?
- I really like the design and functionality of my Lumia 950xl hardware wise, no matter what the majority says about it
- I keep waiting in hope that w10m will get really good one day, when we truly get the 'one windows' philosophy we got promised so long ago, plus all the small things that are missing
- I do like the UI best, still
- I don't really see any alternative

I just love it for its user friendly character. Kudos to Start Screen tiles and the way user is allowed to customise, for pc like experience, and mostly for no nonsense apps and what else I am a user since desktop 3.11, windows 520 and now 550 with windows 10, edge is a real edge over to get my jobs done, my banking any growing to update my profile. What else I need and all the needs can be achieved. It's camera, video and music apps entertain me more than sufficiently. And most importantly the FREEDOM it allows me. Well done and love it

PureView + Zeiss = Lumia. Live Tiles + Cortana = Windows Phone. That's all

Despite the annoying things like Facebook and Facebook Messenger apps becoming increasingly slower, videos randomly taking forever to play unless I restart the offending application several times and word flow somehow getting worse at its job, I stick with Windows Phone because it's the only mobile OS that handles Exchange contacts, email and calendar in a usable and fully synchronous way, which I need to run my business. Also, the One Drive synchronization of my Excel and One Note is also necessary for my day to day operations.

It's all I've ever known.  I started with the HP Jornada in 1999, and moved into Windows Mobile right after.  Every few years I would get the next Windows Phone.  I also use all PCs.  Used the old power macs in the mid 90s.  I'm not interested in iPhone or Android.  C'mon Microsoft.  Get your act together with mobile.  Really?  0.1%?  Why?.  I like my Lumia 950XL.  Hope they keep going and the next Windows Phone is available when this one is kaput.  Please don't force me to switch to Android or Apple.  It's a whole new world I am unfamiliar with.

I enjoy the Microsoft ecosystem.. between Windows 10 Mobile, Windows 10 Desktop, and my Xbox One.. it's really easy to share stuff between them.   I had an Android (Note 2) before, and I liked Google's ecosystem, but it wasn't quite there yet. When I switched to the Lumia 1520, I never looked back. I've been tempted (Note 7, before the clusterfire) to switch, but so far my Lumia 950 XL has been doing OK.    I occasionally bemoan the lack of certain apps (New app for Ghost Recon Wildlands is Android/iOS only!), but for the most part the phone does what I need it to do, when I need it to do it. You can do almost everything in a web browser these days, so the "need" for apps is not as dire as it once was. Games and specialty stuff are the main places we're suffering.    Looking forward to what comes next.. tempted to get the x3, but too much $$$ right now.

Save your money for the Surface Phone maybe it's gonna be announced at the October event...

It sounds more like 2019 now.

Because I have been a non-stop user of Windows Mobile since the very first release ever back in 2002/2003, my old Hitachi G1000. Before then I used an iPaq 5555 with the PCMCIA backpack for a Verizon data card haha! I also did allot of years developing for it back in the days when everything was custom ROMs and .cab files in the heyday of XDA. I think that peaked just prior to the first release of Windows Phone 7.

For me I stick with it for a multitude of reasons. For one I'm a Sys Admin who works almost exclusively with Microsoft software. As much as I'd love to have all the apps available for the iPhone or Android that could make my life a bit easier the idea of giving up security for Android or control to Apple doesn't work for me. So security is a big part for me. The rest is similar to the writers thoughts. It works, it's beautiful, I like my 950 a lot, and I honestly trust Microsoft more than Google or Apple. 

Because I know it is effective. Application simpy created an debugged once at Windows can as simply by run at Windows Phone and Xbox as smooth and robust application. That is how applications should be made now. Microsoft made long path for this to humans.

Continuum and security

Just switched to andriod on a free HTC 10.......convoluted bullshit!!!!   It is amazing how crap can with out :(  

1. Start screen. 2. Continuum in theory but I never actually use it in practice. Yet. CShell and leaving a monitor connected to my Elite x3 dock may get me using it instead of reaching for a laptop in some situations. 3. Microsoft ecosystem which I'm in for everything else both at home (Windows 10, Xbox) and work (Windows 10, Office365 including SharePoint).  4 and probably ultimately the most important. Windows is both open and security/privacy-conscious. Android gives the former, iOS the latter, but I think I would be constantly worried/annoyed having one without the other.

Productivity mainly, data security and connection to the Microsoft ecosystem, e.g. Office 365 services.

People still using Windows Phone (all three of them) do it because either :
1 - they don't really need a smartphone and are contempt with a smarta*se phone (not dumb but not smart either) : 2 - they're blind fanboys that keep repeating to themselves WP isn't dead when it's already rotting; 3 - They're just plain stubborn. Kinda like those people who insist in going down with the ship.

You forgot are not fascist.

Uh?

Poor little troll.

I don't like Apple, I don't like Google. I like the Windows 10 ecosystem and OS. My two Lumia 930s are still running like champs and have gone through several misadventures and have never faltered nor cracked. I was also given a Google Pixel Plus which I dislike with a passion. Too large, flimsy and I don't like Android. I don't care about "apps" that generally give me half the functionality that sitting down for a few minutes and multitask at a desktop allow me to do. All I need for work is supported anyway in terms of the Microsoft productivity suite.

Well said. :)

I have been on Windows mobile since Samsung Blackjack 1 came out. Being an IT guy I have to keep up with ios and android just enough to install exchange email for employees and that's sometimes difficult. In my family we have 4 950's and an I6 for my daughter. She has a full laptop to work off of but my 2 sons and wife use continuum for all there school work and such. They love the fact it goes everywhere with a display adapter. My oldest uses it in multiple classes for presentation. Hands down Win10 even with all the bugs in fast ring by far exceeds the evolution of other os's out there. For work and business its the only way for truely productive people. Ask my wife and kids and you get the playful side answer of nothing compares. It is a complete eco system that you can touch anything at anytime and anywhere.

I've been using a Windows phone since purchasing a Lumia 920 when they first came out (5-6 years ago?). I eventually sold that model because it felt too heavy in my pocket and purchased a Lumia 830, which I love! I keep using the phone because it works well! The battery is fantastic and the phone does everything I want a phone to do, including taking great pictures. The navigation programs were crummy for a while during the transition from Nokia to MS, but I am generally happy with the way Maps functions now. The other great this is, the Lumia 830 was (and is) an extremely affordable phone, especially compared to iPhones and Galaxy phones!!!

I was taken by storm when I got my first phone with windows os on it. It was way back and it was the ability to use internet on a phone that was similar looking to a PC that really got my attention. I have always loved the idea of having a portable computer that could do pretty much the things I did on my regular PC. And it is still that wish that keeps me going. I really never liked the "mobile" version of windows. It wasn't something that felt like core Microsoft , for me it was simply another take on the ios in its own format. I am one of those how always loved the physical qwerty keyboards and now for the first time in many years I see products that actually reassembles my vision that I kept true. Microsoft is for me the company that delivers the best ability to do things. Its not restrained and you are truly able to pretty much whatever you want. That's why I am still all on board not giving up on my vision!

I have access to an Android (Samsung) phone and compared to my Windows 650 phone the 650 is so much nicer to use, to admire as the tiles are so arrangeable while the andoid circles are simply boring. I also am not a great apps user and use only those that came with the phone but use these to their full potential. Battery life could always be better but I have never run out. I compare my phone with my friend's android Blackberry and my daughter's blackberry and my son-in-law's Apple and still the little 650 offers the nicest presentation. Though I look forward in seeing the Surface phone, I do wish MS would reconsider and keep the Lumina phones around for the next few years. Once someone has held them personalized them they will never want an alternative.

it's got all the apps I need and use. Used with a Microsoft account, OneDrive, office 365, OneNote, outlook all work so well and sync very well with my pc. Having a windows phone is like carrying a pc in your pocket. The photo app automatically uploads all my photos and videos safely to OneDrive. I organize my whole life and financial affairs using my windows 10 mobile, couldn't manage without it. I use an hp elite x3 which is very fast, smoothie and fluid.

You are my twin.. I feel the same way and thanks for articuting my comments for me. Have a great weekend. R/ JT

I use windows phone because of its simplicity... UI / just basic... im not a big apps guy so that makes no difference to me as long as we have the essentials ...i also get chiveos on the xbox live enabled games

I use Windows Phone because the user interface is elegant and it has all of the apps and functionality that I need.  And I am brand loyal and doing whatever I can to help the brand succeed.  I don't like arrogant Apple corporation.  Android is not secure.  Windows Phone rocks!

I have been a Windows fan from windows phone 7. My wife is not the sharpest when comes to electronics and she loves it , thats all that matters the price of the Windows phone are great. I would hate Microsoft if they ever dropped the phone OS. I had and Android phone once and came to realize Google is to obtrusive.

I use my Windows Phone everyday. I have Lumia 950XL and a Lumia 640XL as a backup. The ecosystem is the main reason. I have a Surface Pro 4 for travel a Surface Studio for home all running Fast ring Insider Preview. I personally hate all things Apple and Google just always seemed underdeveloped (like a dumb smartphone) That being said I have a Google Pixel XL at home on WiFi only that I use to make mobile check deposits. I also do "fun" things like rooting and running dual/triple boot environments of different flavors of Android. Surface Phone FTW!

Windows 10 Mobile isn't without its flaws. The apps or lack thereof are one. Phone selection is another (good luck getting a good W10M device if you're on Verizon). But then every OS has its flaws. Using iOS makes me feel like the whole thing is cluttered. The whole thing feels like a desktop where the user saves everything to the desktop. Yes, there's search for when you can't find the app you need, but that feels supplementary, not primary. Android feels like a Fisher Price toy with bright colors and sounds. And then the fragmentation! It's gotten better in core Android, but you have half a dozen companies that have made their own Android version. So, like everything, it comes to trade-offs. What am I willing to give up to get? I'm not willing to give up a clean and informative UI for Pokemon Go or any app missing from Windows. I'm not willing to trade the business capabilities of the OS and the across the OEM spectrum unity for a better phone selection. On top of this, I'm largely in the Microsoft ecosystem. I have an Xbox One. I have an O365 subscription. I'm a Zune carry-over using Groove. I use Windows on all of my PCs. OneDrive is my cloud service. When it comes to Microsoft tools and services, more often than not, Windows 10 Mobile is the best mobile OS for them. And then there's the general rule I have with technology: Don't look at what's in the now. Look at what could be. Technology changes so fast now and I don't want to bounce from OS to OS for what's hot at the moment. While Continuum is a bit of a gimmick now, it, along with Windows on ARM, has the potential to be something great that no other company in the market can match. Will it ever achieve that? Don't know. But the potential is there and that's exciting. Even being as unbiased as possible, what am I losing if I stick around for now? The Mario runner game? If the potential doesn't pan out and W10M dies, I move to something else. But I don't feel a need to abandon ship yet.

I love my 930, a strong and deep relationship, with an empty pockets😀

I came for the UI. Staying because of Universal Apps and Continuum. Windows 10 being unified across all form factors means I have a full fledged computer in my pocket at all times. The Surface Phone should be the culmination of this as phone specs reach those of decent PCs. I have Android and Apple phones, and when I go to use them it is immediately apparent how abrasive they are to use. While Windows Mobile has gotten more buggy, there still doesn't seem to be any competition for an OS I want to use routinely.

I used a Handspring Visor Prism for a few years; loved the stylus and handwriting recognition. It was genuinely a personal data assistant.  I felt the same way about my HTC Kaiser/AT&T Tilt/8925. Used it 4 years!  Ran a couple different custom ROMs.  The slideout keyboard was great for me. I like to keep notes on the run, and I used it as a mobile PC.  So why do I use Windows Phone?   On an HTC One M8, of all devices?  It still has native MS Office apps. I use Word, Excel and OneNote a lot. OneNote syncs to my Mac which is another benefit.  I'm not that worked up about having 16 million apps to choose from. Like the author, I use Edge, Groove, Office, phone and text. Weather too.  The other stuff is really just frosting on the cake to me.  Live Tiles really set this OS apart. They give me a quick view of my calendar, weather, tests, and news headlines if I'm interested.  To be honest, it would not bother me if MS quit worrying so much about feeding the media happy consumer market and focus more on a functional data assistant platform that has phone abilities. But, the money isn't really in that market I suppose.  http://pocketnow.com/2016/01/27/windows-mobile-called-it-wants-all-of-it...

wow...didn't know windows mobile was able to all that since late 90's

Lumia 520! my secondary device since I changed daily driver -> MSFT L550. Onenote, Twitter with stars, miCoach still I deal with & good to use.  

I find myself asking this question every day lately... I have been with Windows Mobile since the original Samsung BlackJack with windows mobile 6... When Windows Phone 7 came out, i loved the interface and how they integrated as much information possible into a few "Hubs". I loved never having to open an App to keep up with social media, and was one biggest things i showed people when showing off the phone... I have never really had an issue with the "App Gap", almost everything i want or need is accounted for.. but I'm not someone who likes 50 apps that each have a very specific point, such as banking apps.. i would rather just use the bank websites then multiple apps..  But my biggest issue is how Windows Mobile 10 hardly resembles what they originally made and what i loved about Windows Phone other then the Live Tiles. i have to open an app to access almost anything (typically a crappy, extreemely slow app.. facebook I'm looking at you) instead of just going into contacts and seeing all their linked status updates in one spot. Over the last couple years, Microsoft has removed all of my favorite features and things that made Windows unique.. Kids corner was amazing, being able to give the kids my phone without fear of random text messages going out or accidentally deleted apps/people, now i wont even let my daughter touch my phone beause she can get into too much.. Family Room was such a great way to share things and have a group chat in one place.. People Hub was my favorite when it had actual information in it from facebook, twiter and others... the integrated messaging with facebook chat built in to the main messaging app, and no skype preview is not a suitable replacement... i could keep going, but to answer the question the only reason i am still using windows mobile because i still like the OS (or whats left of it) a lot better then android or iOS. I dont know how much longer i will stick with it at this point, but hopefully something will change and make the OS great again.

I'm backing you all the way with Kids Corner. It's the best feature ever!

Yeah, the kids are always disappointed now when i don't let them play on my phone anymore.

My children have all been given second hand Nokia Lumias (930, 820). Cheap as chips, and very robust.

My first smart phone was the Lumia 800. I initially got a windows phone due to a recommendation from my brother who owned a windows HTC phone. After three years with my 800 I upgraded to a Luma 830. I've been stubbornly holding onto it ever since. I love the OS, The live tile interface, Cortana, office apps, groove music,easy connection to my one drive and my microsoft band have left me unwilling to leave it behind. I don't really use apps all that much so i've never really been bothered by an "app gap" The only thing I really miss is not having a dedicated app from my bank for things like check deposits. I imagine that getting my hands on a newer windows phone is going to be difficult here in the middle of nowhere Canada so I'll probably have to bite the bullet and get an unsubsidized phone directly from Microsoft. 

My phone journey began like all with the Nokia Symbian system. Then the iPhone and android and moved to Windows in August with 950XL dual sim. Been an amazing experience. Love the interface. Doesn't hang up at all. Very stable OS and continuation of W10 I use on my Dell Venue 7140. This is for me and don't see moving from Windows!

Because I feel it's a much more logical and user friendly OS. And it's everything I need, nothing less.

Still use and love my 950 XL. I use it with mozo leather housing and wireless charging. Windows 10 mobile continues to be clean and reliable. Core functions such as calling, messaging, camera, still on par with today's tech. I really enjoy music enhancement ability when connected via headphone jack; combined with beats headphones, music is a joy for me. Third party apps aren't really a thing for me except for Spotify which is available. I am sticking with Windows mobile 10 and anxious to see what microsoft have under their sleeve later this year 👽🖖🏻

I have

Despite the lack of support currently displayed by some major app and game vendors, I will continue to use Windows Phone for as long as it's around. I love the flexibility of the Start menu, being able to pin and size just about anything I want to the Start is a HUGE​ benefit. And Live Tiles? Sure there's still some bugs with it, but I like being able to see information without opening the app unless I feel it's necessary. With the release of Universal Windows Platform, it's so much easier to accomplish things with all my devices because they all share information seamlessly. And sending text messages from the desktop via Skype Preview is HUGE (damn, I sound like Trump). I type over 90 wpm and sending text messages at that speed is so much more convenient than tapping on any phone. Android and iPhone (aka idiotPhone, worm phone, etc.)? Please. If I wanted an old Windows 3.11 for Workgroups interface, I'd set up a virtual machine on my Windows desktop. I have a decades old hatred for everything Apple and I will never use an Apple product willingly unless there is absolutely no way to avoid it. I used to have an Android years ago, but after switching to Windows Phone, I didn't look back.

Simply put, I like being different than everyone else, even if it comes with a price (missing out on most trending apps). I have been in love with Windows since Metro design inception. The fact that Microsoft was the first company to really push a Universal App Platform made my heart grown even fonder. In my opinion, the UI has struggled a little since the UWP, mainly for mobile. However, I believe that Microsoft will deliver a great phone, or what shall be known as Surface, a really personal computer that can go with you anywhere. Features that I love most: Start Screen, most importantly the live tiles App Hubs (kind of lost when Windows 10) Windows Hello Skype Preview for across device SMS Camera on 950XL and 1520 Groove Music (I really wish it had the Zune UI though) Edge Browser Cortana Loved, now missed Microsoft Band MSN Health & Fitness (Mainly the food tracker) Bing Vision (Search text, QR code, and barcodes from camera)

I chose windows 8.1 in 2015, when I bought my first smartphone..Lumia 730..absolutely loved the screen quality, and the camera..and 1GB RAM with 1.2GHz quad core processor was more than enough for windows 8.1 to run butter smooth, and without crashes or lags..I still use the phone..but Windows 10 requires more resources, as far as I can understand..and I am slowly getting frustrated using it..but, I still hate Android because no matter what, a year of use makes it laggy and unuseable..I do like iOS, but can't "waste" that much of a fortune on a phone..and, the only other OS that I liked is going to be deprived of support from it's manufacturer..BB10..
I won't say I am with windows coz it is the best..(I feel iOS is better than the others..though it is a closed OS) but, windows isn't causing me too much trouble either..after about 2 years, my Lumia 730 still runs great..better than my bf's Moto G2..though I feel performance on win8.1 was better..but app support seems to get better in future..though I still doubt that will ever improve..
So, though I don't really enjoy using Windows, but I really love certain things..like the live tiles..I just hope windows improves..and they focus on mobile section..coz I ain't got money to get another phone..and in my budget, windows is the only platform that works properly..for long years..

Oh, and, my battery life was really great initially..but maybe it's win 10..or maybe It's 2 years of use..the battery life has become worse..

Again I hd the same problem. Reset the phone, get off the insider program. Your battery life will come back.

I have a L730 too and after I moved to the insider program and Windows 10 Mobile I had some problems but after resetting the phone and getting off the insider program the L730 works great on Windows 10 Mobile. I would advise to download apps only on the phone and use the SD card for photos and videos or just get a faster SD card.

I just love windows Phone. Mai 2012 se windows phone use kar raha hu.

My first smartphone was an Audiovox PPC6600, since then I had an LG e900h with Windows 7, a Lumia 625 with W8, updated to 8.1 and insider previewed to W10. Sadly broke the screen and had to buy a Lumia 830 with W8.1 updated to W10. Wouldn't use anything else because of both the OS, and the fact that all my settings works with my Iconia W3 Tablet, computer and phone.

I'm still on Windows Phone, but if nothing groundbreaking comes along in 2017, I will be moving on to something else. The lack of apps its starting to hit me finally. I miss MyFitnessPal and I'm struggling with trying to setup any kind of home automation without Android or iOS. Insteon technicaly makes Windows apps, but has dropped Cortana support and serveral of their devices either dont work at all with the Windows app or have limited functionality. I have a Garmin watch now, and bluetooth connectivity to the watch on Windows is unreliable. Works perfectly on Android. But, I still prefer Windows as a phone OS because of:
Live tiles
Dark Theme
​I prefer mail and People to other other built in options on iOS and Android.
Messaging
​Maps - the ability to download a state.
Stability - yes, with its quirks, its still more stable than Android on my HTC m9. I get application crashes almost daily. Sharing an image from Chrome to a text recipient crashes every single time. ​While its of no use to me now, I like the promise of what Continuum could one day be.       

For me I still simply want something a little different. I chop and change phones and OS a lot (every 3 months on average) and on iOS or Android I tend to get a little bored as everything works too well. Yes that sounds crazy I know but with Windows phones there's rarely a dull moment and because it's a bit buggy or needs workarounds here and there for apps or bugs etc it seems to keep me interested and stops it becoming boring. It still feels like a Beta platform in many ways and I like that personally. I also love the look of it, and especially on the Lumia range from my 1st Lumia 800 that drew me here in the 1st place then 920,925,1020,1320,1520, 435, 950 to the Lumia 950xl I'm using right now. It also feels like a tighter community here as there's less of us and we're all in the minority

Love the OS. Switched over late last year from android and can't go back. Even when I use arrow launcher its still not the same. I also came to realise I only use a phone for a couple of things and MS seems to offer the best solution to me. It's fluid and everything works together really well. Yes it crashes sometimes and I almost managed to brick the phone once but I think its still the best solution for me.

I love the windows ecosystem! My first windows mobile device was in 2005. The Windows Mobile is far superior to the iPhone or Android. The reason there is such a low market share is because Android and Apple are clearly better at marketing to consumers. Had Microsoft had a similar approach to consumers they would have a strong base out there still. What frustrates me the most, is Microsoft lack of communication to there faithful followers. Why won't they just tell us what's going on? More people would stay on the platform if they had some form of inspiration. I love my Lumia 950, but everyday I toy with the idea of switching to Android or iPhone. Simply because I feel as though I'm left in the dark.

I still love my windows phone. I keep using mine because of quality and reliability neither of which android offers.

Sorry... I need the apps. Or else there's nothing to put on my start screen. But I love the software. A lot of the really cool features got booted early on, but one thing I loved that not even Android can do without an app or rooting is giving individual apps separate notification sounds.

I still use Windows phone since my first WP Nokia's Lumia 800 , back in 2012. I still have hope in the platform. I'm anti apple. If it does come to an end, I would get one of those android Nokia phones or maybe a sony xperia.

I love the Windows 10 mobile interface on my Lumia 950XL. As you say, adjusting layout to your specific look and feel is perfect for me. I'm not at all keen on android, iOS look and feel what with their different coloured app icons. I've always liked the Flat UI interfaces on my 950Xl and also on my Windows 10 desktop.  I'm not particualry bothered about people's comments on the lack of apps, as I don't use many of them, plus as mentioned, interfaces such as those for Amazon can be obtained via their website and pinned to the start page. Some niggles still though: difficult to find help for things I'm still getting familiar with, but a forum helped me set email and messaging alerts to my start page. Setting this up was a bit awkward and I don't know how android and iOS compares, so still putting up with the learning curve I'm going through. The People / phone app doesn't show faces against names, whereas I could before when using Windows 8.1 As I've said, still working my way through it but the interfaces, start screen, lock screens are brilliant and much more nicer and cleaner than my friend's apple or android phones.Addiitonally, hate the continuous updates android phones seem to alerts people to. I've had a cheap android tablet in the past and the the updates were a constant pain.  Haven't tried 'Hello' facility yet, so that may be interesting :) So, people joke saying I must be the only one who uses windows mobile but I just love it and looking forward to possibly windows surface on mobile in the future?  I do like the HP elixte X3 but too expensive for me, so the Lumix 950XL is perfect for me.

Still great camera, still works, looks great in red mozo. Actually waiting for iphone 8 and sgs 8 to leave dying WP

Because I thought the reason WP8.1 was half assed and rushed out was because Windows 10 was going to be super polished, stable, and fluid.
Instead it turns out W10M is an even worse, unfinished, inconsistent, unreliable, half baked pile of garbage that can't even maintain a stable connection with Microsoft's own wearable (literally Android without the app selection) and now I'm stuck with it until I pay it off and buy a different phone.
Of course, I can pay it off now and let a poor family member have my Idol 4s but that's just not fair to them. Plus I'm waiting for a possible iPhone SE refresh.

I like the ecossystem of Office, built in right on defaul. No need to search or install any aditiona app. Like the UI. Much more pleasing than iOS or Android. I like the simplicity, yet it's sofisticated, not boring simplicity. Media player is another bonus. The Android i used didn't play any movie. By default, I can play all the most popular codecs without a glitch. It's different. And I like been different. But, like manny products from microsoft, iOS and Androids are now mimicing some Windows Phone features, like Glance, Live Tiles. They will say its revolutionary, but Lumia had those for ages. (on a sidenote, I really miss Glance on L730. Had it with an L620. Was awesome) The Windows Mobile keyboard. PERIOD. The android one just sucks.  In Nokia days, the Lumia Camera app was THE camera app, and I think it still holds a lot against the competition. Being a photographer, I can say it with some confidence. Still, the Lumia 730 I own is not all that bad, considering it's age. Just miss the RAW file, though... 

For me my windows phone is my world.
I don't use much app and the ecosystem is awesome.
No one can beat Microsoft in ecosystem, I have used android but was not able to resist windows os.
So finally I had to change over, for me whatever apps I require it's there in the store

I would also request people not to leave the OS, as Microsoft Windows Phone will improve in the future.

I love the GUI.

Yes I do, and won't change to anything else. Simply put, it's a great OS. As W10 grows, the integration with windows and existing windows services makes everything even better.

I like mine as I'm a gamer it connects to everything. ..my xbox1 , tablet and phone. I do my gaming with all 3. Well 4th. Also have a Lumia 635 512mb running Windows 10 . But my ativ s neo is my primary still running Windows 8.1. Love them all!

Agree that Zac pretty much outlined the reasons for me as well. I've had an Android (and used, but never owned and iPhone) and can't understand why so many people don't use one. I think that 95% (or higher) of the mobile phone users could live their entire life with a <$100 handset, running about 10 apps. I know so many people walking around with $$$ phones and they don't do much other than text, taking pictures, read mail, navigation, surfing the web, social media, and occasional games (in that order). Granted, if you are a social media wh0re, you may not find all supported on the WP platform, but for many the decision of what phone to buy is not based at all on logic, but in either status or listening to supposedly "learned" friends. I have same issue with Media Center - why is it so hard for someone else to design a UI as elegant and simple to use? (but that's another story)

The UI is so much better than iOS or Android. The integration with Windows 10, so I get notifications on my Surface from my phone (and can type txt replies). Cortana voice recognition is actually good, so I can deal with txt messages while driving. O365 integration. OneDrive integration, including ALL my massive .mp3 music collection playable via Groove (which is ok now). It deserves to be better marketed, but MS still don't understand consumer marketing at all well.

I've used a dual sim Lumia 950 since late 2015. I also have had a Windows Phone 8 phone, a Windows Mobile 6 phone, and then a couple of iPhones (3G ? , 4GS?) and a Note 3. Each OS has advantages and disadvantages. iPhones have by far the most polished apps, Androids have many but sometimes less polished apps. (E.g., iBridge Baron is super on the iPhone, but was bug ridden on Android the entire time I had the Note 3. iPhone has excellent dictionaries, e.g., English-Spanish; Android dictionaries are very poor -- even dictionaries on WM are far better. The Snapspeed photo editor from Google is far superior to anything I've seen on WM; I assume Snapspeed also exists for iPhone, but not for WM). I have issues with Apple/iPhone -- when I upgraded iOS on the 4GS, all the mp3 files I had purchased via iTunes were deleted. I was not able to figure out how to download them again, and iTunes refused to let me buy them a second time. In principle, I like the OS on Windows phones: there is a file system (similar to Android; iOS doesn't have this). I can delete apps I don't want on my phone in WM -- not on iPhone and not on Android (unless they have changed): on the Note 3, I could delete apps, but then every time there was an update, Android re-installed the app without asking me. On iOS, I understand that "deleting" the app just makes it invisible -- it is still lying there somewhere. Also, I like (in principle) the Office apps on WM -- it is easy to integrate mail client with Outlook, etc. -- this is very important. MS is sometimes doing things that are extremely frustrating. At some stage (this lasted perhaps 6 months) -- when the Lumia 950 went into "deep sleep" during the night, it totally hung up, and for several months I had to take out the battery every morning to be able to restart it. There are other examples. At some stage, accessing photos on the micro SD card from Facebook became much, much, much slower. Etc. I don't buy new phone very year or every six months. I may switch to another OS in the future -- more and more apps become available on iPhone and Android, but not on WM -- e.g., health center apps (for booking an appointment with my physician, etc., etc.). We'll see. Overall, I'm relatively satisfied, and I don't play games etc. But there are apps I miss.

Lol. I think it's safe to say that we're all predictably irrational when it comes to windows phone Lumia 950XL, Functionality (or the apparent lack thereof) aside, I just love my phone 'cause there is no better camera still.

Because I like it. No further explanation needed.

Hey Zac. 1. UWP (sync with my pc at its finest) 2. Apps (like People and Photos using OneDrive syncing) 3. Ongoing updates to the OS 4. I like Microsoft more than Apple and Google 5. The UI (start screen and dark theme) 6. I'm a crazy person And please fix your website, using Microsoft Edge, it takes the website more than 10 seconds to become usable. It freezes so much and it's just too heavy.

Don't need to install separate app for everything, most of them are in-built in Windows 10 Mobile.

That's pretty much me too.

I am sure any ardent fan of windows phone who is adamant to forsake this ecosystem if dig deeper into himself would discover at least a couple of terrible experienced he had with Android. Well, I am not an android hater but remember very distinctly how I was so thin on cash and decided to buy a smartphone for the love of technology. I researched a lot and fell into the horrible traps of the Samsung. Well my first phone was Grand Quattro- a horrible piece of machine. So bad was my experience that it became almost impossible at one point to attend the emergency call of my girlfriend in distress. The speaker volume was terrible and it was as sluggish as a stupid mule. I have already spent so much cash on quattro. Then on eBay I purchased an old Lumia 510 with a sigh knowing that it had an inferior camera in terms of megapixels, battery rating, processor and everything else than the Samsung set. And I would have no access to the apps (yes, i was an app junkie teen then)... But that little piece of 510 changed everything for me. It's pictures were astonishing, the OS fluid as honey, the browser so capable at dying 2.5G speed. The call quality, music everything was just amazing. And apps whatever ever present were rather pleasant.. I almost got a second life. Today I have lumia 1520 and 950 and I think I am better off in this sealed ecosystem than the free world of android. For me its the nostalgia and a capable hardware that matters. I am sad how the OS is going down every year. The edge browser now is far slow in loading a page on terrific 4G than lumia 510 on 2.5G. Something has changes for sure.. And for worse.. And I wish microsoft should not go any lower. I abhor Samsung and ridicule it whenever a friend of mine shows off his S7. I at once take a picture from my 950 and compared it with his.
I am sure every crazy windows phone user of current time must have had the similar experience some where buried in his head, where modest windows phone transcended the performance of high end androids of those times..

Sorry... It's lumia 520 not 510...

For me, the core of the OS is a big part. It's clean, stable and genuine from the inner most part of It's code. Even if Android had a skin with live tiles, it would still Android at It's very core. And that to me, at least is a disease. I respect IOS for It's efficiency and speed, but it's not my style. That's why I still and will always us windows 10 mobile. And also, it looks damn awesome. Lol

The OS is why I stick with my Windows Phone. The other OS's just don't do it for me. Unfortunately, my Lumia 950's camera is now making a crazy sound when it tries to focus. Luckily I purchased the Microsoft Complete :)

Guess I'm 'Crazy' here too! I simply enjoy the User Experience on Windows 10 mobile, especially compared to IOS or Android. I have the Apps that I need and want on Windows 10 mobile and Windows 10 tablet. In terms of hardware, I have a Lumia 930 which is dated but with Windows 10 mobile it's just great! Long may it last!

I like the nice design language of the controls. Everything in Windows 10 mobile is good and feels decent and neat (apps, animations, starts screen, emoji's, overall OS), not cheesy like Android and iOS.
I like to be a part of MS ecosystem. I like how MS is providing services to every platform. All my music is in OneDrive, I put all my notes in OneNote, my to-do's in Wunderlist (now Cheshire), etc.
I like how the direction of MS is always towards a better and unified experience.
Settings on w10m are the best (compared to other platforms, I feel nausea when I open Android settings).
I like how OS is slowly improving, and the feedback system is extremely unique. I also use Android (lollipop) on my Nexus 7, but I find experience on my windows phone better. That said, I hope Pinterest and Linkedin bring their apps to w10.
And I really hope MS focuses on the mobile side.

The problem is that with next to no hardware on the market, it's going nowhere. I have only recently left for Android after having Windows phones going all the way back the old Lumia 710. The interface is better on Windows phones and I do miss that, but the sheer number of useful apps on Android is amazing. It's all very well to say that you have an app for the things you need, and it is very likely true, but there are many many more apps to discover that you simply don't have access to in the Windows ecosystem. People on Windows phones don't miss them because they don't know about them, but that isn't the same thing as saying there's an app (1st or 3rd party) that does the job you need it to do, there is lots that's missing. With the market share where it is and no comittment from any of the big handset makers like Samsung and HTC, the share is just going to get smaller and smaller until theres nothing at all. HP are tyring, but they're never going to sell the virtualisation or Continuum features to average Joe, only business users (but even that isn't going great). On top of that, every time MS do come up with a nice idea, the other OS makers get wind of it and deliver it before MS themselves do. Don't even get me started on banking apps, there is almost none available for Windows phones in the UK, the only one I know of is Metro bank, which is actually an American bank. As an aside, it is possible to retain most of what you had on your Windows phone when moving to Android, I would especially reccommend Nine (way better than the official Outlook app). There are also launchers which look and work the same as Win10M if you're really missing Windows. Microsoft should never have called it "Windows", this immediately put a lot people off on day one, should have called it "Tiles" or "Metro" or something, anything other than Windows. I'm sure I'll take some flak for this post, but I was one of the biggest supporters of Windows phones, but sadly the time has come to move on. It really is dead and will only ever be revived if they come up with some kind of game changer at some point in the future, but that will still leave all existing users/phones in no-mans land with no upgrade path. I'm not really sure what the x86 compatibility will bring to anyone other than business users.

I agree with you on every point, and I do believe that it can be difficult for anyone to rely completely on a Windows phone. That's where my nexus tab comes in.
My tasks are divided b/w both devices, but I personally like to have Windows as a 'Phone', and tab for browsing and watching movies.
The other reason I get along with the low number of apps is my nature. I don't do social media, I hate mobile games (I have PC and PS3), and most of my hobbies depend on videos/books/physical activity. I'm planning that if MS ditches mobile in RS3, I'll switch to android as a main device. Mostly because there are no new wp devices (worldwide) and we still don't know MS's plan regarding mobile.

Because I trust only Windows Phone its dignity's of work are so good I love you Windows

Love the OS, Apps, and Hardware. All the Apps I like, Continuum, full customizable control, Cortana, tile updates, integrated Microsoft Office, One Drive, One Note, Xbox games and other cross platform games, Groove Music, and VR . Never leaving, why would I !!! Alcatel Idol 4S

I still use my Nokia Lumia Icon from over 3 years ago. I use a theme that's bright pink/magenta on black. I have thought about buying an Android phone, and I have looked into it extensively. I can't replicate my Start screen in any Android launchers (I don't use translucent tiles). Window's dark theme covers every app I use (except for Facebook of course), and the UI across the device and its apps is constant, so I don't get whiplash from switching around. Windows runs much better than Android. My phone can match some modern Android flagships, and it's 3 years old. The camera beats everything out there except for probably the Moto Z Force, Lumia 950XL, and Lumia 1020 (and likely some others, but those cameras are either just announced or on phones that aren't worth looking into anyways). The only apps I am missing out on are a full Discord app (Clamour isn't a great replacement) and one game. But then there are apps like MyTube, Mail, Groove, Photos, and some others that are better than their Android alternatives, so... Why would I spend $400 on a new Moto Z Force on Ebay when I could stay with my Lumia Icon, which is better-looking, also has AMOLED (don't really care about resolution), has better build quality, has a camera button, has fantastic camera software, has a better-ish camera, looks much better software-wise, is still fast enough, has a better settings layout, has enough (and sometimes better) apps, is Nokia-indestructable, has better integration with Microsoft services that I use like Cortana, and runs the same OS as my Surface and desktop? The only things I am missing out on are a fingerprint sensor/iris scanner, better battery life, some gestures, USB-C, and maybe a better camera. But I can get almost all those by upgrading to the Lumia 950XL or Elite X3, so...

Heads up - the 950XL is not going to be an upgrade to the Icon.  The 950XL feels very cheap - plastic buttons that are supposed to look like chrome/metal, etc.  Sooooooo miss my Icon but had to give it up when moving to AT&T.

I have the Z Play and just got a 735 today! So true what you say! I like w10 on the 735...I bought a Surface Pro 3 a month ago because I wanted that integration too! Hoping for a Surface phone!

Microsoft Movies and TV app. All of my shows and Movies going back to Zune. There's no app for the other platforms. I like to watch them on the go on my phone. Also the dozens of Xbox Live capable games available.

I absolutely adore the platform. I've been a long time Android user (since 2.1) and I've been flirting with Windows Phone since version 7.0. I'm mainly here for the constant updates and the way the OS looks is just amazing. I love the Live Tiles and the sleek design language that only seems to get better over time. Sure, Android has all the apps but I've never had as many issues as I had on Android (okay, WP8.1 was a mess as well whilst in preview). I still keep an Android phone around as a spare but I always come back to Windows Mobile and my x3.

Zac Bowden, I'm in the same boat with you. Started with Sony Ericsson Aspen with WM6.5, HTC HD7, L920 then L950. I personally love to be part of Microsoft's ecosystem, as side my gaming habits, the WM OS helps me get work done quickly with my research reports, I even did a presentation with continuum last friday and I just couldn't handle bow proud I was. Love the OS, apps not an issue for me, love my Xbox games and saves synching between PC and Mobile games. This is one mobile OS I have used since I switched from Symbian OS back in the days and will forever be part of it until Microsoft kills the OS or I die.

I keep asking myself the same question. I guess I'm jut not ready to let go completely. My first smartphone was a Lumia 530, then a 635, then a 640, then a Fierce XL, and now the Idol 4S. Somewhere in there Windows 10 Mobile came out for Insiders. That's when it became a community of crazy people trying to decide if we were on a sinking ship or being a part of "The next big thing". Most of us probably still have our doubts. For me, at this point, I'm along for the ride. After swearing I'd never use an Android, my "Daily Driver" is a Moto X Pure Edition. The Idol 4S keeps me up to date with what's going on with Windows. My version of Retrenchment. I guess I'm hoping for Microsoft to finally start putting emphasis on Mobile. Until then, "Just along for the ride"

Nah I don't fit in either of those I'm afraid. I just like it. iPhone 7plus, Galaxy s7 edge before that and they were great phones but I love my current 950xl just as much if not more in some ways. I don't have to be here just now....but I am

I bought a Lumia 640 because I wanted something to sync with my MS Office Outlook program for Tasks, Contacts, and appointments. I then upgraded from Win 8.1 to Win 10 mobile, only to find out that I can't sync Tasks anymore. Microsoft is ignoring complaints about this issue. I think that I have my last windows phone.

I believe in Windows and Windows  Phone integration, also I believe in Cortana evolving in these 2 platforms. 

Because of the OS

Been a Windows phone user since the Dell Venue Pro, which replaced my Blackberry. Also owned a Nokia Lumia 1020 and now I own a nice large 950XL. It just works and the OS is intuitive, clean, and beautiful.
 

Your article pretty much sums it up for me to :) I love how it integrates with my ecosystem, and I dont think I could ever use a phone whit a different start screen ever. I simply love the customisability of the live tiles, and the fact that they display information.. I dont really care for apps either, shire it would be grate if there were all the aps from ios and android, but I honestly dont care :) + I feel the hardware is miles ahead of the competitors'. Why you say? In the time I have ovnrs my L950 my wife has killed 2 iPhone 6's and her current Samsung s7 edge is always akting like it has no coverage when im speeking to her, and I hardly hear her.
The camera is better, the screen ia better, its faster, and I hate the cursed screen. Im always touching something im not aware of.....

I simply prefer the operation system over the other options although Android would be acceptable.  In Windows Mobile I like the single vertically scrolling home screen, and the alphabetized list of all apps. It's not perfect by any means.  Glitchy sometimes, and the auto-correct / swipe keyboard sucks balls, which is even more annoying given that 8.1 had the best keyboard ever, but iOS is a horrible operating system and I just don't want to support Google in any way, which is why I'd rather not use Android.  

Zac summed up most of it for me too.
Let's not forget the potential of Continuum and UWP - through which Microsoft is, in my view, uniquely positioned to do some amazing things across Windows Mobile, PC, XBox, etc. I do prefer Windows Mobile to the competitors, but I'm excited to see how this potential evolves. It's not beyond possibility to see 0.1% mobile market share turn into 10+ over a relatively short time if Microsoft can leverage this potential effectively, which, I think, is the real goal.

I'm still using my Lumia 950xl along with my nexus 6p. I'm still in Love with the OS the fluidity, the live tiles, the crisp feel of going in and out of apps...... And I don't mind being the .01%....😀

I think it's a bit of crazy....Im at conferences and such and can never use the apps they provide or discuss, but I like the OS and think it's a far superior interface (and beautiful), and I like the Insider Build network. I feel also like a participant in something active and not a pacified consumer.

Been a Windows phone user since the Dell Venue Pro, which replaced my Blackberry. Also owned a Nokia Lumia 1020 and now I own a nice large 950XL. It just works and the OS is intuitive, clean, and beautiful.

Hi!  I'm also crazy!  I have a Lumia 950 (dual sim), and I love the phone!  I'm a Windows software developer (not mobile though).  I use my phone as a tool to help me get my work done, and help with everything else in life.  I'm finally getting into using Continuum more and more, and leaving my laptop behind more often.  My spouse has a Galaxy S7, and I really don't like that phone (or android for that matter).  I can never figure out where to find anything on it.  There have only been one or two cases where there was an app I wanted, but it wasn't available for my phone, so all in all, i'm very happy with what I have.  It has been really great when traveling outside the US, where I picked up an Italian sim card for a european trip, and a canadian sim card for another trip.

Sure, my Lumia 950 still does what it is supposed to do. 
The camera is great and does a terrifc job.    If I were to buy / had to buy a new phone today 
I would buy an Android phone.  Given the current narrative from Microsoft regarding Windows Phone / W10M 
I see no reason to stick to Windows Phone other than already owning one.    Regarding Windows Phone / W10M / Windows-on-ARM 
there's a whole lot of pie-in-the-sky at the moment.    Once all this smoke has cleared I might be to reconsider my decision-  If I don't hear anything explicit/concise and convincing from Microsoft 
I'll remain in a go-Android default-mode.   So it's all up to Microsoft.    -   -    

The worst part is I agree with you. I love my phone and the OS and would love for it to work for my company. Though if there is any doubt of its future and it dropping updates or being unusable in a few years then having to train users on a whole new OS again... the OS is out then. Especially with little to no information on the matter from Microsoft to base my decisions on, it is making it harder and harder to go that route.

Stockholm syndrome.

The aesthetic. I can set up my home screen to present tons of quickly readable information and it still looks tidy. iOS and Android just look clumsy, old, and inefficient. The Microsoft ecosystem is also a perk, though not one that requires using a Windows phone anymore. I am a productivity user so I do quite well with what apps are available - I mostly use the standards: mail, calendar, edge, office, and messaging, with readit, tweetium, and the odd word and number games competing with my productivity from time to time. There's always room for improvement, but I've been very satisfied with my 950 and dread the day Windows phone may no longer be an option.

I miss my windows phone ☹️ It broke and I'm with Verizon so I don't have any options for a new one 😠 Stuck with an iPhone for now, so sad compared to the greatness of windows phone...

Just by seeing the Start screen I go crazy. This OS is damn gorgeous. I have the apps that I need now. I have recently moved back after 2 years on Android and I couldn't be more happy to be back.

Using Android implies use of Google services, am worried about privacy. Every time when I read my gmail and then use facebook the ads that fb shows are about the topics of my mail. I don't like iThings, too expensive, too weak. Windows -when use a Insider Preview- have some bugs, but if you use the normal releases works fine. I love the speed, the dark theme too, the integration with Onedrive, my camera. When I see new iDevices or Samshit devices I see my phone and think about the specifications related to the way the SO works and I don't want expend my money in another devices, I don't need it. 

1) UI is better than others
2) universal apps
3) camera
4) security

Doesn't break, doesn't slow down and having Windows in my pocket is very handy.

Dark Theme, start screen, has everything I need, and works well with my PC that I use frequently due to engineering.

Wanted to try something other than IOS/Iphone. Not a heavy App user so that was never an issue.Use windows/10 -MS apps all day long at work in the enterprise so I figured why not try Win10M. Office Apps work very well although some features like writing in Onenote are still abscent but exist on android/IOS is frustrating. Getting the Lumia 650 ($100) just prior to xmas gave me no excuses to experiment. I am on the slow ring and like others using Win10M it has some bumps. Sometimes its difficult to know if (Cel & WIFI) issues I am having are HW related or SW. But all in all Its been positive. Luv the OLED display and the visual optionality of the home screen. Using transparent tiles that makes my phone really stand out. iPhone really looked dated next to it. I proved to myself that this platform and the $100 phone works for me. Cheers. 

I bought a Nokia Lumia 800 for my wife. At the time I was using a Samsung galaxy and didn't like it very much but it was a birthday present because my Nokia 5800 got stolen. My wife really liked that Lumia 800, it was a nice phone. She still has it but it's broke. My Galaxy screen got broken so I got a Lumia 730 dual sim running Windows 8.1 and it felt so right just from the beginning. I could never get used to Android and could understand why they did things the way the did. Just wasn't comfortable for me. I liked how I could organize my start screen on the L730, with each phone number on each side top with sms and carrier apps. It's clean and easy to use. I never mix up phone numbers like I used to do on the Samsung. Then there's the live tiles. They are so convenient especial when you're in a meeting or talking with someone you don't have to rudely pick up your phone to know what a message is about while the person you are meeting with is talking so you can just glance at your screen and see if it important or not. Then there are the news tiles that let you quickly read the latest news and know if you want to open it or not. I love the photo app tile and that it keeps changing and the whole thing with live tile just makes the screen look more alive and engaging, inviting. I also use the color for my tiles and set a textured background wallpaper to give a slight texture to the tiles by using the transparency slider. Gives a nice little effect to a plain colored tile. Color is important for are mood and feelings. Photos on my start screen and fully transparent tiles just don't do it for me. I can set photos on my photo tile anyway, it's a color that will relax me. I too don't use much apps. I have uninstalled many after realizing i hardly every use the and if I need them I can just go to the store, my library and reinstall them. It's a phone and a communication device so I have Skype, WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, WeChat, VK (the Russian Facebook). I also like how with contacts you can tie everything all together. Phone numbers, Skype, Viber, and even their VK post with "Timeline", great feature! Oh and all my friends on VK are in my people app, very nice indeed! I guess it would be the same for Facebook, I don't know because I don't use it. Then I guess it's just how the rest of the OS works. I think they took a little from Nokia but it was easy for me to use this system from the start. Android took a long time and never really got used to it.

1) I honestly prefer the UI to iOS, by a mile. I could (almost) literally wake up in a cold sweat thinking about the prospect of switching to apples wall of many icons. It's busy, it's difficult to sort (yeah, slightly easier with folders) and newly installed apps hide quite well. When I use my wife's iOS products I find my self always using search to find apps because I have no hope of finding them otherwise. 2) Live tiles were always a good idea, they still are. 3) I actually find Android UI very reasnoble and I like the shareing mechinism best out of all platforms. But that said when I owned one I lived in constant dread that the device would, one day, suddenly stop working. And it usually did. Around the 1.5yr mark of ownership. These were moto devices, bulletproof construction. But the software it's self was it's fault. It just got caught up in its own muck. 4) Redstone gave me more reasons to love my Lumia Icon (which still works as well as the day it was unboxed, see point). I love that my phone app notifications are pushed to my laptop and work desktop, and that the notifications are actionable there. Sure I have more limited apps to action notification on, but I've blocked callers (through TrueCaller) on my desktop more than once. I also like the notifications from chat programs found only on my phone, like WhatsApp. And even for IM+ with my traditional chat providers, I'm still being pinged if I get a msg and my trillian is closed.   These are probably the biggest points. I realize that especially as a VZW subscriber I'm at a dead end and probably can't reansobly stay on WP much longer. But I have every intention of staying as long as I reasnobly can.

Live Tiles, I hate the icons that look old from Apple and Android.  It also has all the apps I need.  I don't need 200 fart apps like you get on the other app stores.  Integrates with my Office stuff.  I use OneDrive for storage and I have that connected.  I don't own any other apple products so not interested in that.  I have 950 XL and I will buy a surface phone when it comes out.  The phone also quality, everything is pwoerful enough, great photos, etc.  For me I feel like the apple products just look the same every year, people buy them just because, maybe status, maybe they dont know any better?  Google?  To me google is only useful for searching.  None of their other stuff has panned out.  The OS is cheap.  That is why it is so popular and available.  Great for them.  Not for me.  I do everything in Microsoft products.  O365, Azure, Office, Windows, Xbox, ... that's what fits me and makes me comfortable.    

I'm using my Windows Phone because I got one at my 14th birthday as a first smartphone. I have a talent to break any device I got, so I tried almost every OS existing out there, but nothing made me feel one with my phone. My first Lumia was a 1320 produced by Nokia, a pretty cool phone. I used it a long time, but finally the Sim slot was not any longer working. So I got a Galaxy S3 (not very nice, I thought), 2 Lumia 430 (battery was in both of them damaged and they were kinda old), iPhone 5s (wasn't mine, now I know I'm not an Apple-Fan), an Elephone p9000 (lived only

For 2 months till it hot a hard brick) and finally a Lumia 950xl. I was really afraid having a Lumia again, because I'm just loving the System. It's just the most cool one and perfect for me. Snapchat is missing, but that's fine, it is working on my old galaxy tab (of course with arrow launcher :p). So I got a windows phone because I feel connected to the system and it is just like made for me. I can't imagine having android or iOS again. And pls excuse if my english is not the best you ever heard, I'm just a german student and 16, so I'm not finished learning it yet;)

The honest answer: If the whole world dislikes, then I like it. The well accepted answer: ecosystem, start screen, camera, Windows Hello.

This article basically hits the nail on the head for me. I love the Microsoft ecosystem -- I like that my Windows Phone, Surface 3, and Xbox all "talk" to each other. Same apps that sync together seamlessly. I love WP's live tiles; it's far superior in my opinion than Apple's and Android's dull as doornails interface. WP has character and personality -- I can make it my own. The "app gap" is not a big issue for me. I do miss Snapchat sometimes, but Instagram stories is basically the same thing. The apps on WP that I use the most are stellar: Outlook, Calendar, Twitter, Xbox, Grover Pro, and Groove are all exactly what I want. My Lumia 950 does everything I need it to do. There's never a day I wish I had a different phone -- I only wish to have Microsoft's next phone, whatever that ends up being.    My only problem with WP is the existential dread: the question "Will it still be here tomorrow?" That's the one thing in the back of my mind that has made me question staying on the platform. But I love my setup with WP so much that I'll just go down with the ship if that's what happens. 

That is the same question that's constantly in the back of my mind too!

The OS is still the best Mobil experience for me. I'm loving my Idol 4S, and the go-to apps i use everyday are still there.

I've been on iOS for 3 mos. now & I hate it.  I have a top of the line 7 Plus (Jet Black), my wife moved to a 7 Plus as well.  Both of ours have had to have warranty repairs for stuck power buttons.  The Camera is just fine, not the best, but just fine.  The 2x lens is a gimmick...fun, but eh...I'd rather have 1 good camera.  (I feel like my older Galaxy S6's camera was better.) Things I miss on the 950.  Windows Hello...double take to wake, double tap to turn off.  Not having to use iTunes just to move files around...I miss Bluetooth File Transfer.  I miss a proper 'back' button...and the consistent UI of WinPhone.  Android puts Apple to shame when it comes to UI consistency, and that's not saying much. Things I like on the iPhone.  Apps...even dumb stuff, like using Giphy to harass my daughter.  Sometimes, its the little things.  I needed to switch b/c the Anniversary Update killed Mobile Iron email syncing, and I'm an IT guy on call.  I need my work emails...so I switched.  I don't like iOS...so this will be gone soon..but I also don't think I can come back to WP until I see what Win10 on the SD835 has in store.  In the meantime, planning on a move to Android where I'll pray for OS Updates. Keep up the fight guys!

I wouldn't use any ​other smartphone, if MS doesn't continue I'm back to a flip phone.  Truth is, I have been using Microsoft for many years and still think it is the superior OS.  I've had PCs, smartphones, pocket PC, old tablet (long before ipads were even a glimmer in apple's eye), and yes -- even a SPOT watch.  My wife has an android, and I can't stand that interface.  As far as apple goes -- the last one I used was a IIe.  Enough said?

Too invested in Windows ecosystem. Might switch to Android, unless Microsoft shocks us with the Surface phone.

I use windows phone because the amazing display, live tiles & camera which android & ios don't offer me! My lumia 540 always gives me good charging backup !i love the OS windows! Its unique though microsoft couldnt baked it well still unique in many ways! Moreover windows phone makes me feel that i am different than others! Whatever folks says windows phone is dead, it still alive in my hand I love my windows phone! Hope someday it will rise again! I can't explain why I am still loving it! But I love it

Just 💖 it.

After 7 years of windows phones and believeing in the platform all the way, I am sick of it and cannot wait until I can upgrade to Android, The only reason I remain is because I am stuck in contract! Until now, I realy did think windows phone could make it. I love the Ideas behind the platform and the UI is way above the rest (aside from some recent changes trying to align with IOS and Android). It was capable and while not always being able to match other phones, often had inovative features which they did not have! in the last few years, it feels like everything is collapsing and microsoft seems to activly be working to errode away what was once so great about the platform! Whatever Microsoft creates, windows phone always feels like an afterthought compared with IOS and Android and most of the time it does not even create an app for its own platform! week after week, the feature list seems to reduce (basicly anything the other platforms cant do, is now classed as unnessicary, despite providing the important differentiation from the other platforms). Developers have definitly noticed the trend and are leaving in droves, even banks are discontinuing support! if barclays leaves, im buying a new phone tomorrow! there are stories all the time of big name apps leaving windows phone and its very rare to hear of a new one joining. The phone itself is full of bugs. I switched off the insider program and wiped my phone several times but still find myself regularly waiting for spontanious resets or for the 5 second wake-up delay by screen often experiances. In my latest holiday in the mountins I found myself unable to record videos at temperatures of 0 Degrees without the phone restarting while my friends all laughed and got their phones out to record the videos instead. Drove me crazy! (i still would choose this rubbish lumia 950 to an iphone 7 but i dream every night about getting an S7!) I miss the good old Nokia days :( with them, it really felt like they believed in making windows phone great!

Ummm I don't know what you are doing with your phone, but mine is working perfectly. I had only stuck about one time per month so it's okay... Every smartphone got it's bug, samsung and apple are not better. The s7 of a friend of me isn't working, the display makes colourful flashes through using it. So bugs and mistakes are normal, that's why the makers are taking updates to the devices. Lumia 950 (xl) is by now quite stable, and there is no problem with using it. Maybe you got a hardware issue, don't know, but it's bot normal.

The Start Screen with live tiles and the simple and user friendly OS. I also like the week view in Outlook Calendar which is missing in the Outlook app in Android.That Windows 10 mobile gets regular monthly updates is another great feature. I have got used to Cortana.Though I use Android as my primary phone since most utility apps in my country are developed for Android phones I don't want to let go of my Windows 10 mobile.

My Lumia 1520 does everything I need it to do and does it well.  The only issue is not having access to a few apps for work, like WhenIWork, but that's not terribly limiting as long as I can access a webpage alternative.  Once the Slack beta app came out, it's been golden.

My kid for some reason put my iphone in the fishtank and it died. I went back to my Lumia Icon

Probably cause Im a bit crazy myself and can't stand doing as everyone else does.
​Then, first phone was a 3310, then a 7370 (for the color screen), then an express music (for well the music), then a 920 (because i wanted this one), then a 1020 (for the photo part), then a 950XL (for Win10, continuum, photo, screen size, and the fact that no one has my phone at home/friends'/work even if i converted people to windows phone). No problem with the app gap (use only one android app, on bluestacks : simpson tapped out, and quite no more actually), and such in love with the personnalization of the windows mobile, from 8 to 10.
​Really, mostly for the personnalization. None is comparable to Win 8/10 for that.
​And probably because i have a win 10 computer, a surface pro 3, so having a windows phone is 'quite' logical.
​And at the WP 8 times, I loved the app hub where you were able to send facebook messenger texts as sms. This was absolutely useful. Too bad it can't be done anymore.
​Ho, and no apple/android friends' smartphone i've tried have such a deep black screen for videos. Gorgeous.

I don't waiting for some magical event that might cause windows mobile to be popular then I will switch to it 😌

The reason I use Windows Phone as it's pretty straight forward in functioning and using.

The article hit many of the same points for me. The eco system. Camera/Onedrive/photo sync. Customizable Live tiles and start personalization. My investment of movies/shows and apps available on PC and Mobile.  I like the MS calendar. The week view is no doubt the best out of any device I have used. Even the Outlook app on my iphone 6s+ doesnt compare.  That said though, WM has gone backwards from the original 7 and 8 versions. I mean, damn do I miss the ME tile. And Groups created in the people hub were available in the messaging app to send quick group MMS. It no longer works like that anymore. While I understand the changes that had to be made it doesnt mean I still have to like it.  I'm not as gungho over WM as I use to be because of the slack off. I dont recommend it anymore to anyone but I do get comments when I pull out my Alcatel 4s. For years I was the cutting edge tech guy in my circle of family and friends and while I still get probed for advice, now I tell them stick to where they invested their money.    

For me it's all about VALUE. Or, maybe I'm just cheap! I use WP mostly for the carryover of other purchases. At least thats why i originally got into WP. Going back to when I very first started buying tv shows and movies on my Xbox 360, the idea of having what I've already paid for available on my laptop (and eventually my phone) was a no brainer to me. I'm using a Samsung Ativ SE which I upgraded to Windows 10 using the guide I found on this site, and it has been a GREAT phone. GPS doesn't seem to work real well anymore after the update and it sporadically shuts down from time to time, but I can deal. I think I also just enjoy not being very trendy. I drive a near 30 year old jeep Cherokee becuse I love it and wouldn't trade it for anything and literally shake my head when I see these new jeeps rolling around with led lights trimmed around the headlight bezels. I don't want the newest phone that's advertised - I want a phone that does what I need it to do. Just like my jeep!

I prefer my two years old Lumia 730 to any iOS or hangdroid phones ... I can't think to different os anymore. Windows is the sexiest

Man, I'm on it since 7.0. Lumia 800. I like the style, I love the live tiles, start screen, en the home screen. I'm from the Netherlands and my Lumia 950 is one of the last Windows Phone you can buy in my country☹. that makes me sad. But he can only hope for the surface phone to arrive when my 950 died

One and only reason: My Surface. It is perfect. And with my Lumia 950, I'm within the same ecosystem. App-gap does not really hit me too much, there is literally nothing I am missing right now. Well, I did: 3 apps in total. 9292 (for public transport) suddenly disappeared from the store but I managed to find it back again. Dutch public broadcasting only has some aged, basic apps, but recently a developer launched a very pretty UWP. And so was Dumpert, but also there is a beautiful UWP for. Heck, I even got it on my 55" screen of my HTPC now, eat that iOS and Android! Banking apps, messaging, regional news channel, it all still is there. The only party that is disappointing me now is, you already guessed it, Microsoft. With their stupid Yammer app, for instance.

I like Windows 10 Mobile a lot and actually stuck it out until this week. I was loving it thanks to its tight integration across the Microsoft ecosystem (PC, laptop, Surface, OneDrive, Office365, etc.), the awesome camera (Lumia 950 XL), the expandable memory (128 GB), and really good battery life. The biggest reason to stick around was its perfect integration with Exchange (I have 3 Office 365 accounts for different businesses). That said, I've had to abandon the platform because the Skype Preview app sucks as the primary messaging client (threads with multiple recipients are broken out into different threads based upon who is sending), some of the business apps I need aren't available for W10M, Cortana hasn't been as reliable or proactive as Google Now / Google Assistant, the native Maps/Navigation capability is still primitive, and there have been increasing issues with Bluetooth reliability and connectivity which all conspired to upset me enough to leave the platform. I've held out for as long as I could and argued against the switch to Android but I finally jumped in and took the plunge with a new-to-me 128GB Nexus 6P with the Nine email client which provides nearly as good an email and PIM experience as W10M. Is it perfect? No. But thus far, it has been more reliable and dependable than Google's EAS implementation into Gmail and that means a lot to me.

I'm still mostly satisfied with Windows phone, and often even enjoy it, but I admit its limitations and that it has lost the mobile OS war, and I'm planning to switch to Android in the summer.

I'm sticking to Windows Phones because I believe in having one device that does it all, hopefully one day it will come true and #continuum will go from strength to strength

I keep my Windows Phone for the same reason I got involved in the first place, for the same reason I picked up zunes, I love the interface! The rest doesn't mean as much to me honestly.

I like the UI, the home screen. :)

I don't know that I'm crazy but I did buy 3 650's,  for back-up,  when they last went on sale.

No, you're not crazy. The 650 is a very nicely designed phone. As thin as they get and the position of the speakers / microphone is as good as and phone can get. It leaves screen space as open as you can get. As far as RAM goes I don't see why anyone would need more than one GB? The 650 with 16 GB on the phone is enough for apps and 200GB for an SD card is more than enough for photos, videos, music. If I didn't have a 730 dual sim I would have bought two 650's for $300. You seem to have gotten a better deal.

I sold my L925 and got a L650 and think its a great phone all round.

I have loved Windows phone since I switched to a Verizon Lumia 928 in 2013. Coming from droids, it was shocking to see the innovation, intuitiveness, and integration with my other Windows/Microsoft devices. I have never looked back and take pleasure in preaching about my phone to iPhone users. I use my current 950 xl dual sim for home and byod use, and my coworkers were recently shocked when I did a major presentation to all of our employees using PowerPoint and Sway in continuum (wirelessly). Can't wait to see what comes next!

Simple. The OS.

Yes the OS is it.

I am a fan since the pocket pc. That was all that it is today except the phone part haha. Well not quite, but that thing made a lot of heads turn. I was starting my business and in that time having everything with me was something new and the touch screen added a lot of excitement. It was small, light and very handy. I had my emails with me, all contact information, prices and information about all my products and I had it really in my pocket. Back then (2001/2002) I already wondered why the touchscreen wasn't hot and taking the world by a storm. I was in love with that pocket pc thing. everything synced and working together and when I got home and put it in the cradle it automatically was up to date again.   After that I have spent forever to find that same feeling, that way of working, that streamlined working. I did not find it. I have had a lot of phones. First Android. I did grab a launcher in the first two days to make it my own. It looked great, but it was buggy. When windows 8 came out I changed my android phone to an exact replica of Windows. Everyone around me thought I had a Windows phone haha. A lot of trouble with my contacts. They doubled and things got mixed up and linked. I hated that. I missed the integration of programs and my contacts en email. That did not work as I wanted. I did a lot of things twice or send myself an email to get things done. I did buy a second android with a newer version and more memory, but that wouldn't help long. After only a few months I was back to restarting the thing over and over, resetting, installing everything again, using battery apps to shut things off.   The memory problems, the having to restart my phone once a day lead me to iPhone 5 eventually. That was cool. The most reliable and stable phone ever. Took a while to get used to really having one app active. Well I did not get used to it at all. I missed the personal touch, to be able to make it my own. It was stable, worked all the time but at a cost.  In no time my memory was full. A small looking app with only text in it and a blue stripe behind the title so nothing fancy, was 78 Mb memory. Then I read a few articles in that app and in a few days it grew to 575 Mb of memory and no way to get that down again. Yeah by deleting the app and installing it again or by pretending to buy a 4,3 Gb movie that would certainly not fit in the phone. Then the iPhone started deleting stuff to try to make enough room so they could sell me that movie ;-) All the Apple apps that could not be deleted too... hate it! No way of changing stuff except the background, hate it!   When I broke my screen for the second time I have waited till the Microsoft Lumia 950 came out. That was like coming home after years of traveling. Okay not the first weeks/months, but now it really is my most stable phone ever. It works all the time. I cannot remember having to restart the phone due to problems. Finally I have things streamlines again, always up to date. I can change the looks and feels. What? It does it by itself. I am changing my personal 'corporate' identity several times per year according to the season and the holidays. I was amazed when my computers started to change the theme out of themselves after I changed one. I have no idea how, but the last time my phone changed with it. So cool.   So I have a great screen, a huge amount of pixels and beautiful colours. I have the best camera I have ever had. I work fast and reliable, I have tons of options and all of this is still getting better. My phone is now better and faster than when it got out of the box. I have no need to change phones and I have the feeling it will work for another few years. There is no scratch on it and I have never owned a screen protector or case, because eh I hate it!   Okay I have been sending tweets to Microsoft a lot. There is a lot that really should be better. The quite hours break through list for example. I have tried 20 things to keep my dad and best friend in there, but within hours or days they still disappear. In 2017 that it a shame really. Somehow OO got into my phones dictionary and you will be amazed how many words are replaced by OO. Hate it! The fact you can't delete a word in your dictionary is so 1975. In my pocket phone I could. That's where my hate/love relationship with Microsoft started and they still maintain it very well. They are great of leaving perfect features out of new versions by the time you love it and can't do without it. They are also great in pushing things through your throat. The new start menu with the list of all apps that continuously screams and messes up my personal identity theme, while I don't use that list ever ánd having to click all the time for the things I need. Finally in the next update there will be a possibility to hide that. But then I have been irritated with it for a year or so. That's not a mobile problem, but there are so many of those small things. Hate it!   But now I have bought an android tablet to automate my home. I have a Broadlink RM2, I have some cam's and some other stuff that can't be used with a windows phone, because no one makes apps anymore. I do believe we are headed to a future where apps are not that important anymore, but now you just need them from time to time. And of course there is always a way around. But sometimes I just want to install something and be done with it. History repeats itself. When the ceo told that the Lumia 950 series would be the last Lumia’s I immediately said okay now this will be the death of Windows Phone as we know it, because really everyone will stop making apps now. At that turning point new apps were presented every day. One stupid thing to say. Well Nokia ended the same way. Hey, who was that person who said too much back then?   But this is getting a very long story. All in all I still love my 950, it does get better every day and I do believe in the future of MS's eco system. I would love to put on my heating, turn off the lights and check the camera's with a handy app without having to spend a lot on equipment, but that I'll have to do on my heavily personated Android tablet. Otherwise I would have bought a surface, but then nothing would have changed. All other stuff can be done with my Windows Phone.

1) The way Cortana handles texts, navigation and searches via Bluetooth headset when I'm in the car, all built in to the OS. 2) The Lumia 950 camera. 3) Live Tiles and the beauty, usability and customisability of the Start Scren 4) City Art Search app (combined with CAS-Preview UWP app for random art cycling for Lock screen, and Start screen background). 5) Quiet Hours functionality. 6) Lumia 950's display quality. 7) Wordflow keyboard. 8) Removable battery. 9) Dual-SIM unlocked, purchased directly from Microsoft, so get updates in timely fashion. 10) The whole Feedback thing.

It's a killer OS. Ahead of the competition. It is what the world is becoming your computer your world in your pocket ... On a large screen with a keyboard and mouse oh and yeah soon run win32 apps. Talk about Eco System....

I think most of the other answers are complete bullshit. I have a love hate relationship with Microsoft.  I am the proud owner of a Lumia 950 XL.  On a daily basis I hate my phone for multiple reasons.  Performance issues.  Crashes.  MS Garage releasing apps to other phones.  Lack of apps is a big one now.  Every vendor and business that has an app always excludes the Windows varient.  But deep down I appreciate my blind following of their lackluster platform because I personally hate people that are glued to their phones. Microsoft made me hate phones.  I'm more social.  I carry conversations.  I'm interested in the person talking.  And I value speaking face to face.  My personality wouldn't have evolved into this with a captivating phone.  I would have been the next dumb **** that we all hate today. Plus everything I own is part of some Microsoft stack.  Apps I've purchased, music, car entertainment all flows through Microsoft.  I'm an original Zune owner. I hate Apple anything and I don't trust Google - I don't know what they are as a company.  My next phone is going to be a feature phone.  Where the battery life lasts over a week.  Apps are a distant memory of cluterred bullshit littered with ads.  And the reliability is 10/10 solid experience. Furthermore I feel like the next release to Windows 10 we were promised a big shift to Mobile.  Previewing the releases that has yet to be seen but I do expect to get ****** over yet again until next year where they under deliver and over promise to 1% all over again.  

Really dude

My wife was given a iPhone 5 for work and when she lost her job I bought her a Lumia 650. It took about two months and I bought one for myself. I got jealous very quickly, because the L650 while close to a L730 is a much better phone. Very thin and light, nice screen and the perfect size. I don't understand why some say Windows 10 Mobile is buggy? I and my wife have little problems with our phones. Nothing like what I had to go through with Android and my wife's work phone (iPhone 5) gave her problems all the time. I was on the insider program with my L730 but once I reset the phone and got off the insider program it works fine. I still use it. I like Windows 10 Mobile because I can make it mine and it works for me. I've had a few people tell me how nice my start screen is and they wish they could have live tiles too, mostly business people. It's a device to get things done and I find it does that very well. Long live Windows Phone!

I like the IU because it is very intuitive. I like the fact that I can customize the Start screen to a configuration that is most efficient for me. I love the live tiles because I can see things like news and weather conditions without having to open the app.  I have an Android tablet running Lollipop that just frustrates me to no end. I'm sticking to WP until the bitter end until someone turns out the lights and locks up.

I purchased a Lumia 950 and 950xl during Black Friday last fall. I find these phones great pieces of hardware. Their camera's are the best I have used at the moment and they do exactly what I need. I use youtube, netflix, alarm clock and phone. Youtube can be sketchy, but I can use Edge for youtube instead of an actual "youtube" app if I like.  Overall, the image quality is great and the phone is a beast!  My last phone was an HTC One M8, so I am used to good devices, such as this. Also, I prefer the fact that I can take out/replace the battery instead of working with a sealed unit.  It's too bad that Microsoft seems to be dumping the platform...the 950 and 950xl are no longer on the Canadian Microsoftstore. SEADRIVE

I started with Windows Mobile with Windows Phone 8 with the dream of a unified ecosystem. While that dream still isn't fully there, it still has me hooked. While that is what got me started, I've grown to love the start screen as well, live tiles to me just make sense. Now with the addition of Continuum and working in an IT department, I couldn't see using anything else. When I'm on the go at one of our 11 locations, I just hook my dock into a monitor then get my bluetooth keyboard going. That's normally all the power I need for while I'm out lately. I'm also hanging on for Skype Preview to get its act together, which I believe I would like to replace messaging with. I'm also loving the idea of HP's future into Windows Phone for my company. I'm tired of dealing with the nonsense of iTunes. When I can back everything a user needs up to their one drive for business, provision their phone from the server via active directory / group policy to make sure our policies are being upheld and then on top of all of it replace our laptops with just a phone and a dock... what isn't to love? Holds up security, reliability and affordability in one go. This next iteration of HP's phone will probably be the breaking point for us and when I push to switch over completely. Unify all of my users under that so there is no worrying about who has what system and be done with it for good! 

Also Productivity... I live in a Microsoft ecosystem... Integrated calendars - my work, home, and a shared one with my wife. OneNote Back always does what I expect (I wish everything worked that way) Start screen United App (I know they're on other phones) for boarding pass (If they take that away from Windows phone Microsoft might lose me) It seems with each release the integration between my desktop, Surface Pro 4, and my phone get better. Seems that almost all 0.1% are present and accounted for with comments :-)

Windows Phone 7 with Lumia 800 (in love) Windows Phone 8 with the Lumia 920 (+ in love) and Windows 10 Mobile with my Lumia 950 (- in love) Start screen all the way. The apps I need I have them. With the others I don't, simply use, edge. I hope good future for the platform.

Here's my response, and I hope it sheds some light into my advocation for the Windows phone platform: ​I started with Windows phone when I was a tech support agent at Verizon Wireless. The platform was the easiest to troubleshoot, understand, and work with at that time when WM 2003 and soon-to-be WM 5.0 was to be launched. It was the phone to have: Great software, excellent support (IMHO), quick resolution, and Microsoft's Activesync Exchange built-in for business users, all of which just went together. Plus, on the business development side, users were flocking to the platform and wanting more of it. The big one at the time was the Motorola Q and the Palm Treo 700w, all of which were loved by business users everywhere. ​Then, iPhone changed all of that because it focused on the consumer platform. I hate iPhone...and always will. It's too easy to use, too boring, too much like a kid's toy. And it's still that way today. It's the same with Android also, because it's incremental changes to services that still are, technically, the same, dull, boring sea of icons. Phones have not changed, and there needs to be a refresh for them. I've held onto a Windows phone even through the hard times of 6.5, 7.0 and that debauchery, Windows 7.x and then 8....flocking to Windows 10 Mobile. At this point, it's been engrained into everything I do, and Android and iPhone just do not come anywhere near what Windows phone can do. It supports my email out-of-the-box. My calendar. My contacts. My phone. My SMS. The basic needs of a smartphone user without all the hype of "oh, it's missing apps"! My response to these people are this: "Why do you need apps?" I have NEVER needed apps to do what I do, and that's why I love Windows phone! It works out of the box on its own, and yes, I install a few apps to enhance the functionality of it (Facebook, Instagram, Pandora, etc.)...but the main purpose of a smartphone is to keep information at your fingertips while still allowing you to experience life! People are glued to their phones these days, and it's sad because normal conversation has gone by the wayside for texting, Snapchat, these applications that quite frankly, make us isolated from actual human contact. THAT'S what I love Windows phone: Look at what I have, get it done, and go. Not tons of notifications that iPhone and Android do (which I JUST got one on my work iPhone....case and point). ​There ya go ;) Feel free to reach out on @terrokkinit on Twitter

I agree 100% about the iPhone and android simplicity. So simple that It's complex to me.

One nitpicky point: the .01% figure is confusing sales figures with active userbase... Userbase is 3% of U.S. broadband households - same as its been since about 2015 (according to Parks Associates, a market research firm). So people are holding onto their phones even as the whole "retrenching" thing happens. Onto the actual question! I keep my Windows phone for the same reason I switched from iOS: I like the OS more. I also like the UX, Continuum, having a file manager, and also a SD card and removable battery. And giving direct feedback to MS and app developers is also pretty great.

I have many reasons why i still use my windows phone. In fact I just upgraded from a 930 to a 950 xl and am loking it even more. (anyone who is interested in the 930 let me know). First of all I've been using windows phone ever since I got my first phone, a Samsung Omnia 7. It was my uncle's old phone which he lent me after he moved to android (although he said he really liked wp but it wasn't mature enough for him at that time). At that time I had no need for apps and the one's I did need were there. I stuck with wp ever since because it combined the best in android and iOS for me. It was (and still is) snappy, responsive, had a great ui, was easy to she, and most of all, the keyboard was excellent even on the Omnia, like ios, and it had live tiles and great information density on the home screen which was like widgets on android. My main gripe with android was the user experience and lack of fluidness (much better now but some niggles persist) and mu gripe with ios was that it was so expensive and took some time getting used to, not to mention its incompatibility with other phones and devices etc etc. So since I never needed apps I stayed ever since. Next I got a Lumia 920, then 2 years later the lcd died on the 920 abd I was really sad because it was a really good phone. The camera was excellent, on par with the best of the time bar the 1020. After that I got the 930 because of it's audio features and camera of course, and the upgrade to windows 10. Now I got my 950 xl because of the camera and large screen, and because I still don't need the apps because I game on my pc and I do a lot of other stuff on my surface so I have no desire or need for the apps. And ios and android still have their gripes

OS and design

I like the clean interface, the live tiles that give me what I need to know, and the apps I *need* are all available. The build quality and battery life on my Lumia 950 is aIso superb. If I forget to charge it, I still have most of a second day to get to a charger.
The lack of a blinky notification light is also something I highly value - glance does a great job without being a constant distraction from what I need to be doing at work. I mean, other than right after you check your notifications, when are those lights not blinking?
I did try to go back to Android, but it was just too much of a mess - useful widgets take up too much space, the lack of a consistent design language just made the UI too chaotic, and all of the 'improved' default apps usually messed something up (don't get me started on Samsung apps - I've never seen such a lack of understanding of how IMAP should work. I mean, really, when I delete an email, it is supposed to clear it from all my devices and the server, not show up again a minutes later as a 'new message' - along with a blinky notification light to further distract me).

Very strong points. Especially annoying different size app icons in Android. Used Sony Xperia Z5 Premium 6 months and back to 950XL with great continuum feature.

Definitely the UI. Also the keyboard, much better than other OS. When I use android it just feels cheap and messy and IOS I find it just too saturated of shades, transparency colors and buttons and features in general. My only wish is that windows phone keep things as simple as it is but with less bug and faster response.  

Exactly

I had have had a Nokia 920 running on Windows Phone 8, then a 1020 which I upgraded to Windows Phone 10 and it ran flawlessly, now I have a Microsoft lumia 950 XL. Love this phone too. I find android/iOS both to be not user-friendly at all. Windows Phones are so user friendly, their layout and everything is where it needs to be. As for the Windows Store, honestly, I have all the apps I need, who needs thousands of apps that aren't used/needed. I was disappointed that ebay and paypal both got rid of their windows phone apps, however, the browser in windows phone is great, and I can access their websites fine, so really don't need the app. I wish more banks would make their apps available for windows phone to allow for photo/cheque deposits. I like that everything is integrated and I don't have to convert files or flash drives or anything to make it compatible. I have an Acer Iconia W510 tablet (which I've just left for my kids now, as it doesn't really work fast enough for me), I want a Surface Performance Book, but cannot afford it yet, and my 950 XL integrates so well with my home PC (windows desktop). I can open Excel files on my phone and look at the same files on my phone and my PC with one drive. It just makes it so convenient. The photos are pretty cool too, very high quality even if I still miss the camera from my 1020 (I got a $200 trade-in for my 1020 to my 950 XL, else I would have kept my 1020 just for photos). I reccommend Windows Phone and tablets/laptops to anyone who will listen, other operating systems really just do not compare. I like that I have access to my photos etc no matter which computer / phone / tablet I'm sitting in front of. I like the Tiles and Start layout too.

Every day, 950xl , Continuum, Continuum, Continuum !
​My phone is a dang desktop like user experience when I want it to be. No other mobile platform provides that.  I am a professional who needs access to a full featured virtual network lab environment at all times to build custom Windows system images. Continuum provides me just that. Remote Desktop to my dev environment while connected to a large HD monitor, mouse and keyboard... people just don't understand how amazing that is.  Hell, if people would give it a chance they'd see that a docked Continuum capable phone is likely to meet all the needs of 90% of consumers too. As far as apps, you said it Zac. The third party apps are superior to First party apps anyway... aaand believe it or not, they are almost all there. I think Windows 10 Mobile has failed as a mainstream platform for one reason more than anything... the Facebook, Google, Snapchat... and the like... they don't like the idea of you not having to enter their app with all it's branding glory and instead just glancing it on the home screen. That doesn't do much for them as far as gaining and retaining mind share, promoting their brand. The MS philosophy of mobile apps has always been the best for the consumer but the worst for the application vendors. For that reason MS has gotten bad rap for not having all the backing of the app vendors in the way of native apps. 

  I wouldn't want to have to change to Iphone or Android.  I LOVE MY WINDOWS PHONE.  I'm not an "all app" kind of user.  I dont' need them.  If I need to find something, I can simply go to Edge and find it there.   My brother just switched because certain apps like ebay and others were no longer supported.  If I need ebay I use my Dell tablet...  by the way, which is synced to my phone, and my PC at work.   

Same here Beth.

Today my only mobile phone is a Windows 8.1, HTC M18 on Verizon. It does almost everything that I need a cell phone to do. And I like the Windows 8.1 UI. BUT I plan to purchase an iPhone in the near future for three reasons: 1) I can't get a Windows phone that I like from VZ, and VZ is the only mobile carrier that provides enough signal strength to reach our house in the deep woods of NH, 2) so I can use a few apps that I can't get on Windows (e.g. Waze), and 3) so I can provide tech help for my wife and a few friends and neighbors who have iPhones. In addition, after I review my budget to see if I can afford it :), I also plan to buy an unlocked, current gen Windows phone, which I can use (hands-free!) when I'm driving in areas where ATT or T-Mobile have good signal strength, and at home or other locations where I can get Wi-Fi.

I feel Windows Phone users are a very niche market for people with specific likes and needs. For myself, like the author, I like being in Microsofts EcoSystem through my entire chain of devices. I use a Lenovo X1 Carbon for work, I use an SP4 for home use and an Elite X3 for my primary phone with a 950 XL as a backup. It's pretty simple for me, I was a former hardcore Blackberry user. When we phased out BB's, I tried to adapt to both iOS and Android but found them to be too simplistic and clunky. I prefer a more rubust UI which I feel Windows 10 Mobile is far superior at. I don't have a lot of app needs, I dont play very many games, I use my phone primarily for business and personal communication. All of which I can do with ease on my Windows phone. I also like the integration to the rest of the ecosystem. Having the ability to use interact with my phone through my PC is quite convienient. I will stay with Windows Phone, wherever it takes me.

Actually gonna jump back to Lumia 920 w WP 8.5 from a Nougat driving Nexus 5X. I've never cared about apps. So, it's gonna be fun to see how that pans out. 8 and 8.5 phones were sooo much better than all this W10 crap. I miss all the social integration from WP7/7.5 though.

I'm a college math instructor who uses OneNote for all my classes, other professional activities, and much of my personal life. I know that OneNote is available on Android and Apple, but it integrates so much better on a Windows phone. My Windows phone also syncs and integrates with my work and home PCs which are Windows 10. I can bounce from decide to device seamlessly. I must admit that I do get App envy at times. On a recent Alaska flight for example the movies were free but could only be watched on Windows phone because there was no App. And some of my favorite Apps (Uber, Glimpse) aren't as sophisticated and tend to be more buggy on Windows perhaps because programmers spend less time on Windows because there are so few of us. What I really want is the rumored Surface Phone. WHEN?

Cant stand the wasteland that's android and it's malware ridden os with it's unintuitive design. I won't ever leave windows it's got the apps that I need.

The os is great. I don't like iOS or Android and have recently had to help out people with those devices. the only problem is the bloody Store. I am quite happy with the os and the apps that i use . I just do wish Microsoft can finally persuade people to develop for windows 10 including mobile. The apps that have been just ported over wth no ui consideration are pretty crappy and fall short of Microsoft design and don't fit the OS.

Because it's the best OS available

Hi I am very slow on changing especially when my things work.  I have always used a Nokia phone and the natural transition was to go Lumia.  I used the 920 and am currently on the 950XL. The most negative is the inability to find apps for my service providers for instance medical aid which gathers activity level information which leads to less cash savings if not activated. I am really happy with my phone and will be very sad to transition to the competitors; Apple or Samsung. Hoping there would be some development soon to prevent me from leaving. Regards

I prefer the live tiles and when I got into Windows Phone my experiences with Android had been poor (Honeycomb/ICS era) with a feeling that devices are abandoned for updates pretty much as the credit card was charged, even important security holes, and I just didn't like the iPhone.  Android has gotten better and my wife loves her Galaxy S7, but I still prefer the Windows interface.  Further, the UWP platform has gotten me back into coding, a hobby when I was a teen, and I've got an app that I'm developing that works awesome on my phone, tablet, and PC without having to learn Xamarin (yet) to port to Android - and let's not even get started about iPhone development requiring a Mac to compile apps in Xcode.  I'm not buying a Mac or renting space on a cloud Mac for my own personal app.  Windows lets me develop completely for free in Visual Studio.

I unfortunately had to switch to iphone because windows store stopped supporting some apps I still use daily and need such as kakaotalk and a few others. I regret selling my 1520 as I had that phone for three years. Felt that I lost a piece of me when I let it go. I still have a lumia 640 and I use it as a backup and still love windows 10. Thinking of rebuying a 1520 that was just my best phone. I know that since they are experimenting windows 10 on arm, that will bring windows mobile back to life. 

I too just switched to iPhone. I had the 1520 and absolutely loved it. Problem was it started crashing constantly. There were also apps I needed for conferences and such that windows simply didn't offer. The thing I miss the most is the texting voice capability when driving and the live tiles. IPhone is severely limited in the usability of basic things. It is very clunky combated to what I was used to.

I'm just bored of this "oh! I need this new stuff, I need that, even if I didn't know it could exist and will do nothing that I really need" so, my 950XL will have a long life!

I love the fast clean UI.  I love Outlook for email and it's calendar.  Phone hardware has always been better than crapple phone had at the same time.  Best camera phone on the market.  Loved my 1020 best of all.   Now using 950.  Love the phone as well. Has BofA, United, Pandora, Shazam which are all I use.  I don't want a ton of apps.  I would rather use IE.  I'm a bit bummed about only getting Edge in Windows 10 mobile but, it's still way better than any other browser on mobile devices.  I would rather just use a browser for everythign on mobile if possible. What I look for in a cell phone is an amazing Camera & Call Quality, Swap battery, memory cards, covers (when scratched), Outlook,  IE (Edge).  I would also like to have a phone which you could replace the glass yourself when you scratch it.  Basically asking for modular phone which is dead but, hey with Windows mobile anything is a possiblity. 

Yes - two reasons.  Tile interface is so much easier on older eyes than Apple iOS.  And Nokia Lumia -- the Icon and 830 are great tech -- solid, tap to wake, etc.  The 950 was a disappointment -- the phone felt cheap and UI looked like crap (fonts didn't auto scale within tiles) -- ugly - bad.

I really do not know why i still use the platform, my wife has an iphone, hates the camera but like the apps in comparisson to her old 950 BUT still says her best phone was her 930. I have the 950xl, had a 1020 and a 1520 BUT i have smashed the screen on the xl by running it over with my SUV, feel out of my pocket... and i wanna change BUT TO WHAT?? I need a good camera, im a photography teacher... i need access to Onedrive, all MS apps in Office as amm my teaching documents are there, so what can i go too? I guess i am trying to say that if i were to go to IOS i would be a bit lost, camera quality IS NOT on parr with the XL, tried the 6s and 7plus and they do not get the limited noise values and colour quality and depth that this monster give. I could go for Android, a Galaxy Note 5 has the Stylus, very cool - great use in Onenote which i use far too much lol. But the camera is poorer than the iphones on offer. So i could go for an Xperia, is a Sony ffs, they make the cameras for most other units and their current batch are really really good at noise control, speed and colour depth... but i still have android, what does it actually give me? So im stuck... WP10 works well, it does nothing wrong, has no issues that i can see, i dont use apps apart from access to youtube, facebook and news feeds and those are all there. the home screen i nicer than the other, the MS apps seem to behave better with Onedrive than the other operating systems and the phone.. well its smashed, batter heats up like mad, backs falling off. BUT GOD DAMMIT IT GOT RUN OVER BY A SUV

You think you're crazy? You have an X3 and a 950! You have no idea what Windows 10 Mobile realy is because you have always had high-end devices. I have a 630, always had it, and let me tell you, hell i even bet you the device itself, you wouldn't stand it in your hand for more than 10 seconds. Anyway, i have two main reasons I'm still sticking with it: 1. I like the experience. It's neat compared to the other two platforms. 2. More importantly, I don't have the money to buy a new phone.

I will continue to use it until they ever decide to do away with it. I use my Windows Phone because it provides exactly what I need without an ounce of clutter and is remarkably well-built. I have a Lumia 650 and I don't own a case for it. I have dropped it countless times on asphalt, on the concrete in my driveway, and various other hard surfaces. It has some slight scratches around the metal trimming, but no significant damages. The most that happens is the back casing pops off. Windows Phones are crazy rugged. To hammer home the point about being well-made, my friend had a Lumia 520 awhile back. He had it in his pocket when he was on a roller coaster. It fell out of his pcket during a loop and fell 80 ft into the grass. It still works.

My L730 fell down a slope on a path in the woods about 15 meters bouncing off rocks and it only has the smallest chip on the screen, you can hardly see it. My friend dropped his iPhone once on the street and is dealing with a cracked screen.

I condidered the Windows phone, but since the user base is so tiny, I don't see it lasting for long, so I'm still using Samsung and guess I'm stuck with it.  It's too bad Micrcosoft had no clue how to make an impact in the smart phone world.

I have to fix/manage the Andriod phones for the rest of the family, so I know it first hand. There is nothing that could convince me to leave Windows, not even some missing apps. And let's not talk about apple. Wireless charging, no physical home button? Had this with my last Lumia 650 and the Lumia 820 before (at least the charging). By the way, I'm not using a phone, I use a full HD screen with keyboard and mouse, powered by a Lumia 950XL Continuum device. By another way, most of the apps used by my family in Android are made by Microsoft anyway...

I am on iOS, and I use very few apps. So that doesn't bother me. And I am with you, Windows Mobile has the best home screen. But how is Skype? I have stuck with iOS mainly for iMessage and Facetime. Last time I had a windows phone (probably 3 years ago) Skype was horrible, and not many people I knew were using it. Now that Skype has messaging, I'd be willing to give it a try again if video calling has improved.

I haven't used Skype in two months but it worked fine on video calls and file sharing.

Try it on iOS first. The only way to evaluate an app is using it.

My family uses windows 10 on tablets, pcs, laptops, Xbox, mobile phones truly a fluid experience. Tested android phones and they are disconnected, complicated and overloaded with advertisements. IPhone to dull not customizable. But miss rooms, kids corner, and social network integration in people app.

I had a Lumia 820 for Windows Phone 8 and 8.1. I am with Verizon and AT&T is really poor coverage in my area. So I got two free Lumia 735s with them when we came in and got a "regular" account not prepaid. When the 950 and 950 xl as well as the Windows mobile 10 from HP, the Elite are all on ATT or GSM??? OK let's say that when you are the lowest market share you do not debut your last ditch effort as only an expensive phone and then only with the 2nd place vendor. When I got my 820 all of the world was asking me what it was and then did we like Windows 10 mobile on the 735. We both loved them. But, the 735 had cheaper hardware, no hello Cortana capability, no notifications and time in locked mode on the lock screen. I am thinking seriously about just dumping the Verizon and dealing with dropped calls and dead spots and just get a couple of used or refurbed Lumia 950s. No, I will not spoend more on my phones than my Surface 3 Pro tablet cost. ($500 with the i5 and 128GB 4GB new.) So we got two Moto Z PLay phones on an upgrade. Man these are a great concept carried off poorly. Can't get bumper edge only cases for them and they are not wireless charging ready like our Lumias. We found a Windows launcher that makes it work and look like a Windolws 10 mobile phone. It is called SquareHome2 Launcher: https://apkpure.com/squarehome-2-launcher/com.ss.squarehome2 It even let me make a second page with all my apps, that swipes out from the left. But then it is still the crsappy Android OS underneath. I did have issues with vendors not having Windows Apps for their security cameras and Smart Home devices. I also have three Fire OS HDX tablets, two 7" and one HDX 8.9" 4th gen. I really liked the Amazon Fire OS but they have recently changed it to be more Android like with the recent upgrades. I have three Windows desktops one a Dell XPS One 2720 with all the bells and whistles, as well as a Dell Venue 11 Pro, a Surface Three Pro, an ASUS T100 CHI-D4-BK that has the Z3795 SoC with 64 bit windows and 4 GB of RAM all with better than full HD resolutions. I also have a dual OS Android/Windows 10 MIni PC from Voyo, an amazing little portable desktop that has a battery and the Z3735 that powers the Guest bedroom. I have recently sold the old T200 and several laptops and desktops, five in the last 5 years since Windows 8 debut where I got 4 licenses. I want a Windows phone that can just do the hardware notifications and time/Date on the lock screen, has fingerprint and face recognition, and hello Cortana. Our two Amazon Echo dots bluetooth connected to our Bose MIni SounLInk and SoundLink IIIs are getting more use than Cortana. But voice control of our new Android Moto Z Play phones is outstanding. I have been with Verizon for several years but would rather be on a year old Lumia 950/950XL used and inexpensive, than these Android. I also tried a new iPhone six with Credo mobile. We got two free just before the release of the iPhone7  for joining and leaving Verizon. They use Verizon towers. I only opened mine and set it up. DEspite ordering with 64 GB of storage I was astounded at how I would HAVE to load iTunes and all the associated bloatware to be able to transfer some of my 200GB of ripped cds. THey also wanted to tell me what to do with my music and how it may be used? I called Apple within the hour and proceeded to cancel my Apple user account that was all of an hour old, and they then said I woiuld have toi listen to a 20 minute spiel about how I would not be able to acces whatever I bought or used on Apple servers???? I discovered that Apple products are for folks who cannot or will not customize or alter their phone's system to their liking. THey actually think Windows tablets are like iPads. They would be if iPads ran OSX and full blown 64 bit, x86, Apple programs. For any reading my Windows 10 tablets all run the full Windows 10 and my licenses for MIcrosoft Office home and biz are on them too as well as our printer softeware etc. I can live with Amazon and Windows, both of whom sell products not just my info like Google does. They want to sell us stuff, not give our infor to a competitior to sell us stuff. Google is what is making the Internet cluttered with ads. THey only have our advertising data to sell. Of course they say it is not personally if=dentifiable and will be used to tailor our experience online with ads we want to see. If none of it is personally identifiable, how do they know who to send my tailored Internet to?? The previous CEO at MS screwed up by debuting the ARM architecture Surface before the full Windows Pro. Ballmer did not stick with the tablets and phones at all, until Surface Pro. Nadella has led MS back to legitimacy, yet he stopped Windows Phone too early, did not release the 950s on Verizon too, and just when the momentum of mobile 10 was starting to gain traction he bails, just like Ballmer on phones and tablets early in the century. HP, hats off to ya. Now how about a phone for the masses on Verizon?? A Windows $300 phone. I bought your first Windows x2 convertible. A sexy sculpture in aluminum that you dropped after a year. So I went elsewhere as I did NOT want a ten pound tablet with a 13" or 15" screen. MS, HP, HuaWei, HTC, come on boys, make us proud again.

I started off with a Lumia 520, and was surprised by the amazing experience I got from such a cheap device! I then upgraded to the Lumia 1520 with its amazing camera and great display. I was in the insider preview for Windows 10 since the beginning and it ran amazing with my 1520. Currently I am running a Lumia 830, once again a cheaper device, but it has an amazing camera, Microsoft does a really great job with their camera software. I also like having Movies and TV and Groove Music integrated on all my devices. There's things they can improve on for sure, but I'm not so much excited at the current state, but the future of Windows 10, because I see a lot of potential.

I sue it now as a 2nd device as 1520 has issues with hardware keys but I love it because of its uniqueness. It's not as rigid as iOS or not open & buggy android. I'm on Galaxy S7 edge and its soo buggy and random lags make me pull my hair out.
Windows 10 mobile is perfect and was really good but they came to market late and didn't make it free for OEMs like Google and that's what killed it.
But, I still love it, I wish they would do more with it and just not maintain it artificially.

It is the only smart phone that suits my personality and functionality from being myself to business. It flows seamlessly and effortlessly between work and play with all my windows devices and services. I do not have to have multiple platforms to do multiple tasks. Windows does it all for me and has since the beginning. I am free to be me with Windows...especially Mobile. I don't want to be told what I can and cannot use for media and how I am supposed to sync it up. I do not want to sort through endless screens as a newly released "dessert". I want to be ME and utilize everything on ONE platform regardless of my location. Thanks Microsoft for WindowsPhone 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and beyond...

  I fell in love with Windows Phone when I first heard about Windows Phone 7. I had a HTC HD7 i loved it! I loved windows phone before Mango before it had multitasking etc. I just loved and still love the way Windows Mobile looks, i love the start screen. I hate the screens on android and ios they are so boring. Since 2010 i've had the HTC HD7, then the Lumia 1020 (obviously in yellow!) and now i have the Lumia 950 xl! I have to admit though.. i am starting to fall out of love with some of it..Apps id like to say it doesn't bother me but kinda does, it occasionally sucks when an app is all the rage, my bank doesn't have an app or that i can;'t get the Three signal app as i don't have signal at work anymore thats kinda annoying.. One thing that is annoying me though is the bugs! Windows Phone 7/7.5 i hardly had any bugs it was smooth as anything! Windows Phone 8 i had some bugs, but Windows Mobile 10 has a lot of bugs for me :( (950xl) for example the BLUETOOTH it bugs me so much! If its on then i turn it off i can't then turn it back on :S i have to Soft reset my phone (not even turn off cos it refuses too :S). I've tweeted Microsoft loads about this problem but they never seem to be able to fix it :S I've formatted phone etc. Soft resetting is just annoying as it loses all my breakthrough list etc for quiet hours etc etc. I do love Windows Mobile, but i'm due an upgrade in December and no consumer phones out this year that im aware of :( soz this probably doesn't make sense because i was ranting.. But anyway i love Windows Mobile and i hope to stay using one, i just hope they sort of the bugs which never seem to be fixed! i really don't want to move to android / ios i don't like them!

I use a L650 for my work phone. It is fine for what it does, but I'd never trade in my Android phone for it.

i love windows phone bcs i like start screen, live tiles and dark theme. Its looks better than other os. and the most thing is windows phones 1gb ram is better to use phone smoothly as compare to 2gb of android phone
and not only this there are so many reasons for me to love windows phone. like i'm not getting any nonsense unusable advertisement notification on my windows phone like in android
apart from applications lock protection. For me windows os stand's up from other os

I LOVE MY WINDOWS PHONE! I've had 4, (can't remember the model of the first one, sorry). BUT, I bought a Nokia Lumia 1520 from my t-mobile salesman and fell in love with it. I dropped it in the tolet, so had to get another one. Then dropped that one and cracked the screen, so now have a new one. Ok, why do I love it, the organization of the O/S. Everything is right at my fingertips, no need to search. I love Cortana, use the bluetooth when driving, she tells me when a text msg comes in, reads for me and if she's in a good mood, :) will relay my msg back and send it. I will never go back to an Android phone again. I just wish the apps that you can get on an Andriod phone, would be avalible on Windows. Things like Chase bank app, I would like it for my Windows phone, or Groupon app, (it use to be, but they took it off for some reason). Anyway, thanks for listening!

I like the O/S and it's intergration with my Surface Pro 3 and my desktop. Plus I'm a MS fan.. I will not be on W10M next month.  I have held onto hope that a new phone would be release and would play nice with Verizon.  That hasn't happend and my Icon is on it's last legs.  I would like to stay on W10M, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.  If W10M comes back to Verizon in the future you bet your ass I will drop Android like a hot potato. 

Because I'm still paying off my phone

I am disapointed from current situation. I believed in real progress in time of upcoming W8 and W10M, but after few years of waiting and using Lumia925 and now Lumia 950XL, it was wate of time. Ecosystem is nice, but iPhone makes better service, even for MS services. Market share answers your question. Windows phone is only for geeks.

For me, it's a combination of everything that W10M provides that other platforms don't. I just love the way the platform works. I thoroughly enjoy the flow of the OS and always have, since Windows Phone 7. I've suffered long and hard as a Verizon customer who will not move, and I've been on the platform ever since the HTC Trophy (currently with a long in the tooth, but still chugging along, Lumia ICON and a play 950XL even though I know it'll never be my main phone). I love the aesthetics of the platform and the utility of the start screen. The Pureview camera in the flagship Lumias has been HUGE in keeping me on the platform. I enjoy the features like OneDrive camera roll sync and all of the other Microsoft services as well. I also really enjoy the way it works with Windows 10 in the way the other platforms don't. I have been holding on with a thread to the hope that things will get better for the platform and MS will get their act together. I enjoy it a lot and I don't want to see them get rid of it, but I have more and more thought about switching to an iPhone given that it seems like there will never be another Windows Phone compatible with Verizon. I have been very, very close to letting go with certain frustrations anyway. Perfect example: The Messaging Everywhere nix that occurred last summer for what is now the Skype Preview SMS Relay feature. I use it because I really enjoy being able send SMS from my Windows computer. But it's unreliability and the way it's messed with my contacts has just been unacceptable. Messaging Everywhere was a great path that they were on that was usable, reliable and effective for what it was supposed to do, which was simply to send SMS messages. But it's one prime example of where Microsoft's shift in strategy has made things worse for its users. Another issue that I have is that the OS as a whole still gives off the feel that it's either buggy or not complete. Despite how fast the 950 and 950XL should be hardware wise, the OS never feels quite optimized enough for anything that it runs on. Android is faster and more fluid now as an OS. Same with iOS (though iOS only has to run on iPhones). Microsoft is lagging behind (no pun intended.....originally) in a department that they used to be one of the best at in this regard (back in the WP7/8 days, but started to struggle with once they hit 8.1). All this said, I still am trying to hold on to hope that it'll get better. W10M to succeed and I'm still holding on to it with the hope SOMETHING good will come to Verizon eventually, but while I raise the money, I'm probably going to look elsewhere if nothing turns up in the next year (Surface phone or WhartonBrooks/Cerulean Mobile????).

Tiles give information without opening app or message center. All the apps I need are there. Still have faith that windows phones will become full PCs. And windows phones are colorful out of the box. No compelling reason to switch from Windows 10 mobile to iOS/Android. Probably same reason why many didnt try windows phone, no compelling reason to break off from the iOS/Android herd. Android, iOS and Windows are all about the same...good mobile OSs. Without a differentiator, users will keep whatever they have. Including me.

Start screen, live tiles, app list. iOS is a dull icon grid, Android is chaotic. Windows Phone is 'grown up'.

Never had an iPhone, but I did have an iPod Touch. I do have an iPad though, and really the idea of having two devices with the exact same information on it, but at different sizes, just seems a little silly to me. I tried Android, did the whole rooting thing, and it was just too much. I don't want mucking around with my phone to be almost mandatory to have a good experience.  Got a Samsung Focus Flash, and that was it. The simplicity of the UI, the "just enough" customizability of the Start menu, the fact that it feels more like a phone/communication device that can also run apps vs a glorified PDA - all of that sold me on Windows mobile. The possibility of having a more fully-featured Continuum device has also got me excited, so I'm sticking with it.

I use a Lumia 950. I love the interface, apps aren't a huge concern for me, the built-in apps keep getting better and I love the integration with my Windows 10 laptop.

No. I stopped using WPs about a week ago.i had the 950 and had nothing but heating issues with it so I traded it. Then I got a 2nd N1520 ( my 1st N1520 screen got shattered, I think my wife was the cause ).I still have my 650 until it's sold. But still I'm keeping my 1520, I just hate Its on the insiders program. I also switched carriers that week and my At@t 1520 will work but I won't have the features T-Mobile has on my Stylo 2+ like video calls and Wi-Fi calling. I would've​ of tried the Alcatel 4s WP but i don't like dragontail and prefer gorilla Glass. So for now it's Android as daily driver and my WP on the shelf.

I started using Windows phone 7 with my daughter's old HTC HD7, but it had some mechanical problems with overly sensitive buttons which would frequently turn off the ringer or lower speaker volume while in my pocket. My Lumia 640 with Windows 8.5 is a huge improvement and does everything I need. I only use a few apps for such things as reading and displaying bar codes, banking, MS Office products, etc. Cortana with voice enabled hands free texting and the start screen with live tiles and the beautiful daily Bing lock screen images are especially nice. Unfortunately, I can't update to Windows 10 Mobile because my carrier (T-Mobile) isn't offering it for the 640 at this time.

+1 crazy person....Can't live a single day without my start screen..Madly in love with my Lumia

I love my windows phone. I have used since 7.5 and still love the integration with Onedrive and Office 365.  I'm not a big App person. It does what I need, phone, text, email, calendar, onedrive and Office 365 (not that I edit much on my phone)  I have a Unlocked 650 and it cost me 199.99 can be expanded to 200GB storage if I like. Screen is clear, its lightweight and essentially at that price point disposable. I figure I'm doing my organization a favour they pay for the phone I use the mose cost effective one that allows me to do my job.   I do wish that Skype for Business loaded a bit faster on the phone but other than that its fine. 

HTC Touch, Touch 2, Dell Venue Pro, Lumia 920, Lumia 830, Lumia 950, iPhone 7 Plus and back to Lumia 950. Honestly, app gap etc has never been an issue for me. WP has all the apps I need. In fact, I missed some WP apps and their simplicity and intuitiveness when I was using an iPhone. I still believe that Microsoft has the best implementation of how a mobile device should be. My only issue for switching to iPhone was the battery drainage in Windows 10. Now I'm learning to live with it till they sort it out.

Works really well, really fast. Live tiles, action center and Cortana present info very fast. Youtube apps with no ads, great camera with onedrive integration, great twitter apps, great music/movie apps integrated with Windows PC & Xbox, excellent browser/email/calendar/messaging/phone/search. A synced app library and OS updates across all of my devices. Specific to my Lumia I love wireless charging, unlocked ability to use on any GSM network, frequent instant OS updates without carrier involvement, and the ability to seasonally change the Mozo backs of my device without putting on a bulky ugly case. Bottom line is it does everything I need really well and it has the same interface and updates as all of my other Windows devices. It makes life really simple where it could be complicated and frustrating keeping track of changes of 3 different operating systems. I'm actually a tech enthusiast who wants to try other platforms, but I'm waiting for an Android device that actually does something distinct or unique from Windows. I can't justify buying an Android flagship to play with when it does nothing different from the device I already have. A foldable phone might be the type of thing Im waiting for. I am actively looking for an Android device to justify play testing Android and I don't believe there is anything innovative yet. Phones have been severely lacking innovation lately. Waiting on the foldables or glasses (HMD) phones I suppose.

One key word: POTENTIAL (IF promises are delivered on, I think developers will flock to UWP across the board and with them the ending of key bias in the media) For me: It's fast, responsible, customisable, great native satnav, well implemented (& functional and best value) cloud with seamless music (anywhere) and office integration. Productive and comfortable platform. Bring on ARMx86e, CShell and wider UWP adoption.

I like the UI and dark theme. I have all the UWP apps I need. Finally I am comfortable with how everything works/doesn't.

I've been a part of the ecosystem for years. Surface, Xbox, Desktop, Lumia 950XL. I  they will continue to build on this and seamlessly integrate them all, Excited to be a part of it.

I still do not like iOS (I had an iPhone 4), and I do no like/trust Google.

I love my 950. I have tried using Android and hate it. Apple has never done it for me. I just hope that in 2 years when I am ready to replace my 950, there will be a device running Windows of some version. As I don't really want to have to go over to the droid.

My journey is similar, having worked with rugged pocket pc machine just as the iPhone era began. When my Windows Mobile 6.5 HTC died the same day as the UK release of the Lumia 800 I took a chance and feel in love with windows phone. Moved on to a banana yellow 1020 which is the best smartphone I've ever come across. Then the first major blip, I was an early adopter of the 950xl and however cool the liquid cooling that the surface team added, the terrible build quality was such a disappointment. Mozo leather back made me feel better about the phone but the appalling state of windows 10 mobile dented my resolve. A year on from then I couldn't bear it any longer, having retained my ageing 1020 as my main phone I gave in and bought a Sony Xperia XZ but still have the 950XL on my second sim. The Sony is a great piece of kit but doesn't have wireless charging, glance or, most importantly, live tiles and proper jump lists. I never worried about the app gap but i am enjoying the wealth of things in the Google Play store, but I find myself, every day, hoping against hope that the next Microsoft device is the category defining piece of luxury kit that the surface team should be capable of and the OS, particularly continuum, will be properly mature and I'll be first in line to come back to the platform

Waiting for contracts to expire. I think it is/was the best phone, but I have to go to Android, so I know of 3 phones that will no longer exist, as contracts expire.

I still use it because I very much like it. I'd prefer a bit more support from developers but I'm not currently missing anything I NEED. Of people who speak to me about my choice of phone I find some have moved away due to a lack of apps THEY need, and more often than that, people who are frankly a little ignorant. I speak to a guy who has been given a 950XL by his employer and his mock hatred of it is down purely to him not knowing how to use it! It's trendy to bash Windows on Mobile, you only have to read Thurrot or MSPower user to see examples of it.

I love my Elite X3.  I am on Fast ring and there are barely any issues that affect me.  Also have Lumia Icon which still runs beautifully.  Everything stated in the article is why I am still with Win 10 Mobile, and Continuum! I work in IT and have to support 500+ iPhones in our company, anyone see's mine and they ask if they can have one, lol, but management wants iPhones, even though I can not see why. It may be a low market share, but if they continue to push towards enterprise for it, it will get to the consumer level later.  Blackberry was enterprise, then consumers went crazy for it.  BB failed partly because they started to focus more on consumer base instead of sticking to the enterprise focus and consumer second.  I think the OS is far superior to any other mobile OS out there.  It doesn't matter what OS you go with, there will always be something missing or worng for you.  Apple Fanboys say they have the best there is, but you can find them ******** about stuff that doesn't work all the time, same goes with Android. I have everything MS for me, 4 Surfaces, 2 Win phones and 2 MS Bands.  The hardest part of sticking with MS lately is when they get a great product like the Band, they stop at the peak!  I know they are just making these to make the other manufacturers get out of the tiny box they stay in, but don't give up so soon and stop support dead, that is my biggest complaint with them, as the quality of the product is amazing to me.

Same reasons. No need of more useless apps to make memes or silly games. Common apps are there 1st or 3rd party doesn't really matter, excellent example of mytube. The ecosystem is everything you need and again, totally agree on the best start screen, iOS's start screen is ridicully boring and hasn't change in 11 years. 

Homi 101 faced alot of issues from android phone till 2014.I always have to root for majority of apps plus there is no storage option you have to have a rooted phone.No solid file explorer just like in wp just tap and into your mobile directories straight away.Android is fake along with iphones cult in many many terms.Just if wp acquire more devolopers and update maps and search apis like google it can take the lead.Just my thoughts.

I actively use my 950XL and 1020. Once can say couple of years ago I am simply a fan of windows phone, but since deployment of windows 10, the xperience has changed dramatically for me. I have the comparative experience between 8.1 and 10. I stayed 8.1 on my 1020 because that is the OS that works best for the reason I use it which is the massive beaty of a hunk of camera. windows 10 phone on the other hand is an absolute joy to use for ME. I am an insider, as such I get all new features and tweaks and YES the bugs too, but it still is a joy for me to use. My wife uses iPhone 6+ 128GB and anytime I peruse it, I am left with why would anybody not get the simplicity familiarity and beauty of windows phone compared to my wife's iPhone? My said maybe because I am so used to it, the OS environent is second nature to me plus maybe because it is mimics using our PC or SP3, I replied she might be correct and then I stopped and asked her why do you ALWAYS ask our 17 years and I for help on where certain features are or get what I consider little things (Note: my wife has degrees in Micro-Biology and another in Clinical Laboratory Science, so, she is not device technical person but definitely not a novice like my 84 year old dad who uses 640XL perfectly fine with accounting degree in the 50s). Can I answer the question why is windows phone the least used by folks as a function of market share, No I can't, but windows phone is offering a whole lot for my use case scenario and an absolutely JOY to use beyond fanboism.

I have 99% of the apps I need and the phones are generally inexpensive. I also don't trust an operating system given away for free from a company that makes all of its money on advertising. As for the iPhone, I find the OS too bright.

Yes!

I still love the Windows experience. However i only use my 650 on wifi at home. I carry around an Android. Im still an insider on release preview and enjoy the updates. I gotta say the last rp version has my 650 running better than it ever has.I have little hope for the future of the mobile platform. But im wishful.

I love my Lumia 640

My primary reasons for WP are that ai like it, and it has nearly every app I want. Apps came to vogue before proper responsive web design and HTML5. They will not last forever. My other reasons for WP: Don't trust Google even a little bit I've developed for iPhone and have one for work when I'm oversees. There is simply no joy in using it. It's a great phone, sure, but I just never want to pick it up to use for anything. It's plain Family control - I can control my kids' usage. They both have cheap 520s just for games, camera, and Skype. You simply can't control family settings on other platforms without separate apps, etc.

I have loved every one of my Windows Phones and Windows Mobile devices. They just work and they give me an interface in an customize as much as I want to on a phone. Until the initial release of Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Phones often offered faster ways to do things on my phone and just worked better in many cases. All the apps I have ever wanted on a phone have been here on Windows. All my social networking needs are met by capable first party and often fantastic third party providers. I'm not a teenage girl, so I've never had any interest in SnapChat, which, from my understanding, is the main outlier on the platform. The phones last longer (Just replaced my Mom's five year old 920 (which still worked great and kept a whole day charge) with a new 650 and she is thrilled with it. I have too much of a social conscious to use Apple products and I care too much about my security and privacy to use Android devices. I have an X3 right now and it is amazing; fast, long battery life and a beautiful screen. I'll stick with Windows Phone, I know that there is something really cool around the corner and i can't wait to upgrade to it when it arrives.

I use Windows phone from  windows 7 with Samsung focus  after this i buy the great windows 8 Nokia Lumia 920 in yellow color follow by Nokia lumia 830 and now with Lumia  950XL.I was the one that jump from Blackberry to windows but ocasionally use Android phone, LG X power and thinking to get one of those new phones made in China  The UMI plus E,i have two phones account  and i like more windows platform.        

I love my W10p. I started with the tiles and early ui feel back on my ZuneHD (which I still have) and then hung onto my blackberry patiently until Windows Phone 7 arrived and I got the Focus a couple days after release. I'm an unashamed Microsoft fanboy. Even with all of their woes, bugs, and abandoned great ideas I'm still firmly staying entrenched in their ecosystem. my 1520 is my favorite phone of all time and I can't imagine going to something else. Don't really care if I can Snapchat or if I get to instagram through 6tag. The apps meet my needs and the missing ones aren't worth giving up the best user experience on any mobile platform. Give me live tiles and an app list over swiping through pages of icons any day. I can't wait to see what the next evolution is and to get a shiny new phablet. Great article, thanks for sharing!

Forgive my wordiness, but there are couple of reasons. First, because it isn't an Apple product. I've watched family and friends nearly break the bank trying to keep up with the social cache and cred of having the newest, most awesome iPhone in your pocket. That kind of slavery to marketing hype is not for me. I built my first PC back in the days of Windows 3.1 and the Intel 286 processor. I've always liked knowing how the things I rely upon work, and wading through all the "Hi there" and hand holding that Apple foists upon its customers (supposing they can't be bothered figuring out how their stuff works, I guess...) has always rubbed me the wrong way. I love my Nokia 635. It is the best PHONE I've ever owned -- I still miss a keyboard, but I'm learning. But that's just it, it's a phone, not my primary computer or life-saving support in times of stress, or... Anyway, it cost me all of $50, and came with a Pay as you go plan, which suits my infrequent need of a mobile phone. I was very happy when I learned I could scrap Android and move to Windows 8, which I did seamlessly. I then moved into Windows ten, and it does everything I need it to and much more, including giving me a Kindle reader when needed, maps, GPS positioning, email, an encyclopedia as needed along with a multilanguage dictionary when needed. Mostly, only having one OS to learn to feel comfortable with makes me happy. I should also mention that I don't use Cortana. Ever. If I needed a secretary I'd hire one. I hope they don't completely kill Windows Mobile. I'll stay with it 'til the day comes when I can't read a screen.

Answer to title: "because I have to save money for a OnePlus 3T".
My Lumia 640 is dying and no high-end Windows Phones convince me in terms of specs. However, on android, I'll use "Launcher 10" because it's the only launcher that TRULY has the authentic look and feel of W10M ( https://www.windowscentral.com/e?link=https2F2F... ) and essential Microsoft apps like OneDrive, Outlook, Groove, etc.

My first phone was a Nokia Lumia 900. The original in the cyan. That was my phone for five years until I decided I needed an upgrade to the 950 XL. I've never used an Android or iOS phone. Never.

Live Tiles UI and constant updates. The only other phone OS with regular updates is iOS but what a boring OS that is... There are also the Nexus/Pixel phones from Google with regular updates, but like iPhone no external storage (I.e. no microSD slot). The only Android interface which is usable is the straight pure Nexus experience but too limited. On Windows Phone, I can put a MicroSD card, I can plug a usb key with the right cable or through Continuum dock ans use it!!! Now that my bank's website works on Edge I don't need an app for it. Always loved Windows in any mobile version all the way back to the Pocket PCs from early 2000s. Now waiting for the Snapdragon 835 and emulation to run Win32 apps in Continuum... Also any other onscreen keyboard with cursor control? That's the blue pin juste below z and x keys... Just love it

Back to 8.1, where I joined... It was Cortana, Office, Xbox branded games with achievements (specially Halo: SA) , amazing typographic UI with live tiles, buttery smooth OS and alot more reasons but now Win10M has some of those left. Cortana is not available offline anymore, Office is much cooler but available everywhere, Xbox branded games are fading, Ui is cool but it's not unique anymore...
I guess my only reasons for staying are my loyalty and trust in Microsoft + Edge and live tiles (you are still going to miss these if you consider leaving for another OS)

Exactly the reasons you mentioned @Zack. The Android and iOS experiences are flat out boring and dated. The Start Screen is superior to any other mobile OS. The Microsoft ecosystem just works like a charm and the flexibility Windows 10 Mobile offers are some of the reasons I'm in love with my Lumia 950XL. I'd hate it if I'm ever forced to use something different. I'd rather switch back to a dumbphone then.

the same like you, crazy I am ;)

Windows Mobil getting better and better, compared few years ago. Lots of improvements. I did love before BB but the love is gone. Can't imagine to have android, apple is way over priced.

I regularly switch my handset, but keep coming back to Windows Phone/Mobile.
Why? I like the way it looks, I love the hardware (loving my Lumja 650), I like the fact that it actually fits my low app lifestyle.
But there is a certain something that brings me back, but I couldn't say what it is.

There's only one reason to not choose Windows Mobile: The lack of app.
For the rest, my 950xl is for me the best handy. It's a very good photo phone and a very productive tool, with office suite, continuum, OneDrive and the last but not least, Cortana everywhere.
Fb, twitter, WhatsApp, Skype and it's all for me.
It's clear that Windows Mobiles are not made for "young people" who care about games and good social apps.
It's a productive device, not a toy. I'm sure with a good strategy and marketing, WM would keep more than 0,1%

Same as you, I like using one ecosystem and all apps I need are available. Being in the .1% sounds like being a rebel, who would have thought that about MS 10 years ago? 😝

I am on WP because it works. Specifically the modular design of my 950XL, the efficient design of tile UI, and finally the no BS functionality on top of the two...no unnecessary screens to swipe through, overcrowded notification center, endless grids of icons which I am not allowed to remove...I use it cause it feels like a step forward in what feels like two steps back once I am on Android or iOS. Finally it comes with that rogue status :D

Love the tiles and the animation.
Seamless integration of the cloud.
Frequent OS updates.
My 950xl doesn't explode. Can swap battery if it dies.
Wireless charging
Many other features. All I need is more apps from companies'.

The Metro UI is the only feature that keeps me from switching (for now).

I tried iOS and Android, i keep coming back to windows phone, i keep waiting for something new to come to the platform, it's so exciting

I'm still stuck on Nokia Lumia 1020.
I'm looking for prefect alternative but can't find one. Maybe only Nokia can give me that again.
It's camera & OS fluidity is the main reason I'm unable to drop it!

Android still is a mess. The idea of buying Apple gives me hives. Windows phone does everything I need it to do in a way that is simple and intuitive. I did , however, like the 8.1 interface better than Windows 10.  

UI & UX. Can't stand the look & feel of Android or iOS.
LIve Tiles, Dark Theme, Glance Screen, Cortana these are just a few of the things I like about Windows.

I just love Windows... And love, as we all know, makes all things beautiful so I don't have a problem with it.

I love windows 10 system, which can sync between my pc and mobile phone without any hassle. I can play the same game in each device. I owned 920 and 950xl, but if the shortage of apps still exist, unfortunately I may switch to android for my next phone, although I like windows platform a lot. But so many usuful apps are gone in the store or never exist, like banks, airlines, hotels, popular games. The windows phone market is just so small for MS, and I think nobody care about the sales at all, I am not sure if blackberry will be gone in the future, but windows phone may be next.

Still rocking my Samsung ATIV SE

Lumia 950 XL - Dual sim, Glance, Wireless charging, Expandable memory, camera, windows 10 mobile, USB-C with fast charging

Same reasons really. There's nothing else on the market I want, and if my Elite x3 broke and the was no hardware replacement available on the platform, I'd only turn to the iPhone as at least the MS services on the platform are decent and iOS itself gets regular updates. I'm hoping that MS keep the platform going though, and it's a shame as here in the UK, the platform was into double figures for market share and catch iOS, just needed to keep committed.

Lumia 925, 2 years now.  If I had the budget, I would probably move to the HP Windows Phone.  Because I know that the OS almost unified between PC and mobile and once that is achieved, I predict within 2017, the power of windows mobile wll be tremendous, primarily for proffesionals.  Windows phone is not dead on the Microsoft side.  I see every day all my apps are updating.  I am glad, even though Lumia 925 has stopped receiving system updates, due to processor drawbacks. The tiles are great function.  They did not develop enough across apps.  I mean like Weather Channel has a tile that stays empty, because they apparently do not care much for this product. MS should bring in addition in the start screen, widgets that do so build value in Android. What make the OS to me are the corresponding email clients.  And there is nothing like the duo Outlook-Outlook.com.  When Outlook mobile is not working well on my Lumia 925, I shift to the also great Outlook.com mobile.  The EAS is such a powerfuls syncer.  The Microsoft's folder system, the drag and drop Outlook feature for easily kicking any file existing on the planet within the pst file, and than having it synced on the outlook mobile.  I got all that I can digitilize  from my life, with me.  That is life!  In the Microsoft OS, this digital team works best, compared to Andorid or iOS. I am willing to stay MS, even with malfunctions like: the GPS sensor intermittently stopping, erratic and crashing syncing with the mobile. Apps, yes, you will often miss apps that otherwise you would be able to get on Android or iOS.  And apps, are often a must have.   I use One Drive only for music syncing through Groove.  From Goggle I use Maps, You tube, Drive, Chrome.  Edge has been lying for long either on feauters it did not have, or promised but never brought them.  But the above are not enough to make me buy an Android.  Because E-mail and Calendar are my basic digital partners.

I love using W10 on my Lumia 735

hi, im new on windows phone on this version cause i've htc and samsung cell phone before. But my 950 is a beast but the things i dont like too is the apps variety. But i think this is a task for the us , the developers. Also im in love of hp x3 elite but here in mexico the price is really ridiculous like a 2100 dollars , hopefully some day i can buy and the notebook too  

  You can take my 1520 when you pry it from my cold dead fingers.   Windows 10 Mobile lost a lost steam, but My Nokia 1520 running 8.1 is still ahead in abilities and simplicity. IOS is a thing for the low demanding masses. Android is illogical, hard to use, but at least delivers ... sometimes. 

I've been with Windows Phone since the WP7 days (and before with a Zune), and I'm still using my Lumia 925 because of my self-imposed three years lifespan for mobile phones. Having bought it iback n June 2014, that still leaves me 3 months with it, after which I'll wait a bit more and get an iPhone, as I've always wanted to try one. After that, who knows? All I can say is that besides the many issues, lack of apps and mockery from friends and family about my phone choice, I really loved the developing experience for the platform. So long, WP.

I had very bad experiences with all mobile SO, but Windows Phone keep bother me less than any other, specially the last bug on Android that erase contacts without any warning.

Because I hate the fifty shades of gray of the ios, and the rainbow puke of the android.

Still using my 930 because the galaxy s8, Nokia 8 or the next modular moto z aren't out yet... Leaving because eBay left, iPlayer soon won't work, my bank app not working, no sky go app, no snap chat, no Pinterest, my local coffee shop do loyalty points on an app rather than a physical card (no prizes if you've guessed they don't have a windows phone app), no Pokémon Go. That next big app or game which wont be on windows phone/mobile, need I go on. Real shame really as I do much prefer the windows UI.

I love the interface, and I love that it is consistent with my laptop. As a developer, I love building UWP apps that I can run anywhere. ...and I love being different.

When the window is open, the wind often scatters the papers on my desk. This is where my Windows Phone comes in. I place it on the papers and they'll stay put. Guaranteed. I guess that's why it's called Windows Phone, so you can open the window and not worry about the papers.

i love my lumia 1020, I do not know why there's no upgrade for its system. The current operating system works wonderfully, it is fast, never crashes...it works really smooth and I like that. I wouldn't change my phone. It works just perfect. Too bad there's no windows 10 for my phone.

I love it. The os/ui is very nice, continuum still is a killerfeature for me and the os does simply what i need it to do. Google is no option for me anymore (monopolistic for the whole internet...), apple is not my favourite neighter. W10m is nice and my 950xl is great with a very nice camera and good performance. I am even developing for windows os and it helps to use it too.

With you completely. As a user for business the "app gap" doesn't exist for me in UK. The integration is outstanding, and oh that amazing home screen😀.

Where did this 0.1% figure come from? Don't confuse recent sales figures with size of userbase.  Anyway, I love my Lumia 950 for the camera (I've compared it to Pixel, S7, P9, iThing 7 and I'm sorry but the 950 is still better).The OS (Amazingly, unlike Android, it's the Microsoft one I don't have to worry about malware with!), the live tiles, The updates that don't need a manufacturer to bother to update their custom OS build months after a fix is released, maybe, if you're lucky.  It does the job I want, simply and easily.  Can't wait for Surface pocket / phone / new category :-)

I just love ❤ my Lumia 950xl.I like the start screen of windows 10 mobile 📱 and continuum is a game changer for me.Yesterday I fix a major problem in sql server on a Windows server on a big corporation from my home using it.0.1% in the world are still alot of people 📱🙌❤

I still use Windows Mobile just because I don't like the competition (And I just like Microsoft) I can't stand Apple and android phones force you to use google services (i also hate them) so this is what is left. If Nintendo ever made a smart boy or what ever they would call it, I would be interested.

I'm with windows phone since 2011 
Dell venue pro
Lumia 920
One more Lumia 920
Lumia 1020
Lumia 1520
Lumia 950 XL
I also had lots of cheap lumias like: 520, 640 etc. I can't stand an iPhone, neither android, believe me I’ve tried so many time switching to those platforms and finding myself missing my windows phones. I think this system is so easy to use, so right that all other UIs just don’t look right. No matter how many apps they have. But that’s not the case with windows 10 for PC which I strongly hate! So today I’m using windows 8.1 on my lovely 1520, and windows 10 mobile on my 950 XL. I’m always looking for good deals on windows phone, to have them in stock in case some idiot CEO will decide to kill them.            

I am a developer and I love using C# and XAML to write apps. I have several apps in the WIndows store and I still support and enhance them

I still use my Windows Phone, I am currently on the Lumia 1520. By far, this has been my favorite!!!! I love that I can use my screen for all my important apps as well as a beautiful background as well as the live tiles, that is one of my most favorite things. I also admire the ease of the operating system. I am very sad that there isn't many of us Windows Phone users out there, and I want to keep my phone for life. I am also anti-apple...can't stand the company, the costs they charge for everything, and the phone OS I think is ugly. I don't want to have a bunch of apps 'dotting' my screen...to me it just looks ugly. I used to use Android when it first came out, but since I first used Windows, I was hooked right away. The Lumia 1520 is one of the best Windows phones out there, great camera...size is big but I really love the size...and I never have any issues. Please keep the Windows Phone's alive...I don't want to switch, ever!!!!!!

Lumia 950 does everything I need. Spare battery, SD card slot. I travel for Biz every week, leave my laptop at home and have no issues. Sounds like some of the defectors have to justify why they left WP to make themselves feel better, why else would you comment in a thread that asks why you still use WP if you don't?

I had a chance when my 1520 cratered to go android or apple and I bought a 950. I'm anxiously waiting for GATT and notification support to my Charge2.

The UX. Overall I find the Windows ecosystem better than iOS and Android IMHO. ​ Their unmatched openess to being cross-platform thus not limiting me to their hardware is something I appreciate and respect. If tomorrow I decided to get an Android or an iPhone, Microsoft would be there for me. Can't say the same about the other guys. That's why I closed 99% of my Google services and I stopped using Apple almost a decade ago.

Because it's a simple and clean os. No fuzz. I must say that WP8.1 was more stable and fluid then W10. That's a pity as many improvements in W10 over WP8.x are spot on but the downside is that it became sluggish and laggy. You forgot to make sure that W10 is delivered on hardware that can cope with the needs of this new iteration. Even more important is that the apps that where "ported" to W10 aren't running smoothly anymore. Many of the my apps that where running smoothly and blazing fast, even on basic hardware are now slow, laggy and even annoying. They final and biggest issue is the clear fact that Microsoft lacks a clear vision, roadmap and consistency in its mobile adventure. You have loads of talented people but it's very clear that there is no guidance. It seams that everyone is busy doing bits and pieces and in the end it's thrown in a box, stirred and voila...here you have it. That is the reason why there is only 0,1 percent of left even despite your totally misplaced attempts to "buy" the interest of app devs and OEMs. Start selling decent devices with sex appeal in line with current tendencies for all segments of the market (entry, mid and premium). Have them equipped with hardware that can easily cope with the OS requirements, developed consistent sales and marketing strategies and try again or else be honest and quit the effort. You must ask yourselves what is the best strategy. Is the clear and simple Metro UI a necessity or should you think about making a UI that is more inline with other OS'es? Continue trying to merge X86 and ARM efficiently? Ditch ARM in favor of X86? Is X86 still the future of Microsoft? Let me know when you know. I'm still interested but I don't how long it will last.

Pinning.  you can pin separate icons for separate mailboxes.  you can pin web shortcuts separate from the browser icon.  the other mobile OS fail to provide that feature Glance, i don't have to touch my phone or pick it up at all to see the time and notifications.  the other mobile OS fail to provide that

i gave up last month. my 950XL is now just an emergency tablet.  the app gap was just too much.

Hi, "crazy" people! Why Windows phone? Because is the best. Security, updates, reliability like iPhone and flexibility like Android. Desktop like ecosystem. I think every normal people should choose Windows phone, except there are specific applications not available. But someone must try it first, here is the problem. So the crazy step is to try it, then you simply stick with it. Anyway we can be proud that a company like Microsoft offers us such a product, while we are so few.

I'm a Nokia fanboy... Using Nokia phones from early 2000's and so my first 'smart phones' where the E51, and E52 (2x) ... Then, I moved to the Lumia 800 (loved the materials and solid feeling on that phone), 925 and since that one died the 950... Why?
It actually works well. I'm connected through 4 different mailboxes, the agenda is great (much better than the outlook agenda or built in agenda on android) and the OS is just easy to use and make it look nice...
The live tiles are fantastic to see what is going on in one glance.
And the glance screen is something I never want to miss...
I'm a heavy user: As a sales rep, I make calls in my car over the Bluetooth connection, I'm checking my mails and calendar all the time, and while I'm driving in Brussels, I use Waze to get around more efficient... Battery lifetime is good enough to leave me at 60% at the end of the day (charging in my car). Downsides: Build quality isn't super: third back cover in 1,5 year, second phone (warranty) and wifi isn't always as reliable as I want it to be.
Difficult to find (alternative) apps and accessories in Belgium, and using a WP, you feel like an alien... :-)

I just love Windows Mobile (Phone), it's the whole thing the OS provides me and as a MS-Fanboy who really likes the Microsoft Ecosystem in its eternity can't think of using another phone. Sometimes it may be painful if you see what's lacking on the phone (apps that may be missing or incomplete and bad cared for), but in the end of the day it doesn't matter for me. Windows has all I need and the 3rd-party Apps are good enough most of the time even better like you said in the article. I'm even participating in the Insider-Program which also shows some kind of love for the platform and how enthusiastic someone is about, and also that you care for it even if the majority doesn't. I really just like this phone so I can't even thinking about going away, my history goes only three phones back (8s, 830 and 950), and a Windows Phone was my first Smartphone (the 8s) and I decided to go Windows at the beginning. That's why I'm still using it. There's no alternative love for other operating systems on the phone from my side. Microsoft did really a terrific job on making a GUI that's easy to use, highly customizable and also is much different from its competitors, and the features it offers.

I'm not on W10M anymore but not by choice, my 950 crapped out on me so I have a hand me down iPhone 5S for now. As soon as I can I'll be getting the 950XL and dumping this garbage. That being said, 2 things I like in iOS that I wish W10M had, iMessage and auto full screen for videos in Safari, both are small things but I find them really good to use. Some apps are brilliant compared to their W10M counterparts, like Barclays Bank and Kindle, but I wouldn't think twice about heading back to Windows as the overall OS experience is miles ahead of iOS and Android and seems to be getting better all the time.

Forgot to mention Microsoft Film and TV isn't on iOS or Android and I miss that like crazy!

I'm pretty much with you. I do use Continuum a lot too. At work I have a KVM switch on my desk and one port dedicated to my MS dock. Not only do I keep my phone charged all day, but all the stuff I can't do via the work LAN I can pretty much do on my 950XL and Continuum. Having a 24" screen full size keyboard and mouse means I no longer carry a personal laptop/tablet with me for doing non-work stuff throughout the day. I use TeamViewer as well, so I can remote to my home server at a full 1080p! That said, I've just dug out my 1520 and updated to 15051 and I really miss it. The screen size, the feel of a true Lumia... But there's no Continuum on the 1520. I'm torn! My wife has a 950. She loves Windows Phone, but feels all the phones are too "manly". She's trying a spare Galaxy S6 I have as she's aware that new Windows devices are going to be far fewer and probably even more "manly"! She already hates the Android launcher. "Where's my Live Tiles?", "How do I pin things?", "What's a widget?". She's not happy...

I just love the look and the ease of use of my Nokia Lumia Icon.  Most apps that I use on a daily basis are supported.  There's a few apps that I wish were supported (like the Chase Bank app) but I can live without those.  But the main thing is that I go to concerts regularly and I can get a great WAV recordings with my Icon and the fabulous HAAC mics that are built-in (along with the great Audio Recorder Pro app).  Unless the coming Nokia Android phones blow me away (I'm hoping that they come with the HAAC mics) I'm going to either buy another Icon (hoping to find one new) or switch to AT&T and a 950 or 950 XL.

Followed forever came over from faboulus Nokia. 1. Livetiles
2. ui win 10
3. Syncro files pc/phone seamless Most apps i want and ever need, but a bit sad Here Maps no longer is supported... So had to invest in an android to have on travels. Mine Lumia then is backup with sygic as gps and win inbuilt maps but not as sharp as Here.

I still love the Windows UI but I, admittedly, switched to Android when Pokemon Go came out lol. I had the HD2, HD7, 8X, Lumia1020 (best phone camera ever!), and the Lumia 950. I do miss having all my devices with Windows 10 (I have Surface Pro 3 and Xbox One).

I'm proud to be a Windows Phone User. I like being unique. I like to see peoples faces when they ask me 'Apple or Android?' - and I say neither, Microsoft. Yeah, we have a lot of bugs and not as many apps, but I feel comfortable with the Windows OS. Also, it feels more like my computer with the simular icons, etc. As long as Microsoft continues there Moble support, then I'm staying with their Moble OS! I have no intentions in switching! 👍

"At most, it means future hardware will be less consumer-friendly​..."  GOOD!  You realize that "consumer friendly" is actually "user hostile", correct? It means making a phone thinner than paper that is entirely made out of fine china, and does't even have a charging port left.  It means a phone made to look so hot and sexy (for the bloggosphere to touch *********** to), and the normal user will then quickly throw it into a protective case that looks like an 80's walkman painted black (where it will still eventually be dropped into a slightly humid area - destroying it anyway). I'll take the business-focused phone, since in a case, all phones look the same - and so I don't have a mobile computer that is stripped down past where even kid-friendly gaming consoles are.

Because I like the OS. They just need to get the developers to actively support their apps especially Facebook and I'm fine

Amazing to see a lot of positivity here - kinda forgotten that existed!
In all honesty, I might use W10M for now but I doubt I'll use it for long.
I will definitely miss certain features when I make the jump - the clean UI, the start screen (although I feel live tiles aren't as useful as they once were) and the 950XL's fantastic camera.
But all of the Microsoft services I can get on Android, and just general compatibility will be greatly improved elsewhere. Countless times I have found myself in a situation, often as a student, where it'd be beneficial to download an app for some reason but I haven't been able to. Regardless of whether I only download a few more 'new' ones from the Google Play store than I already have on my Lumia, the availability and potential there is great.
Plus, after 5 years with Lumia devices (800,1020,950XL) it'll be quite nice to change it up.
There's a slightly odd thing with Windows Phone that I can only liken to tribalism to some degree; it's a product and I think that the best OS available for you and for the job should be the one you go for, not the one you feel obliged to use.
It'll be a shame to leave it though.

I use it because I can treat it as an extension of my laptop and tablet. And I love the screen size (950XL).

Still one of the best cameras on the 950 but using a 930 as I broke the screen (gutted) the phone does everything I need and tried my daughters iPhone 5S and hadted every minute of it, not intuativeand certainly not easy to navigate as WP10.. Here's hoping for the surface phone will hate the day if I ever had to move to a different OS      

Windows is simple and different. Yes bugs are ther and so are insecticides. I been on android for a long time but nothing is more fun than being a windows insider. Helping developing a software with a crew that listens is all we need. Too bad Google us jealous of MS, that's why they don't offer their services cause the fear MS wil be in the lead

I couldn't function well without the glance display in red at night or during the day to see if I have calls or messages and of course to see what time it is.  The most important feature that I cannot give up is the camera on the Lumia 950 XL.  I consistently take superior pictures compared to friends and family with the latest iPhones and Galaxy devices.  I am on the fast track and appreciate the constant improvements via ota updates.  I read that many Android devices are rarely updated to the latest OS.  Are there features on my wish list?  Yup but most are beyond the control of MS.  I use a CRM application that has apps for Android and iPhone but inevitably cannot be bothered for a Windows phone.  Beyond that there is little to envy about the other ecosystems.   I do however hold out hope that Windows on ARM will translate into a Surface Phone with the Snapdragon 935, 8+GB RAM, and continue the tradition of having a superior camera that I can use for my business. My biggest complaint about the 950XL is the placement of the power button between the volume buttons.  I keep taking screen shots or turning down the volume when I am simply trying to power up shut down the device.  Oh and it would be swell if Cortana would wake up to "Hey Cortana" more than 10% of the time.

I purchased a Nokia phone because I had loved my Nokia pda.  I found the Windows OS to be easy to set up and navigate.  I like the customization but also felt it was more secure than Android.  I've since upgraded to an Icon (Verizon limits anything further) and have been on the Insider program.  When my mom finally said she wanted a smart phone, I got her an Icon and set it up for her.  I think once set up, it's easier to use than an iPhone. Oh and I couldn't live without Cortana! I like that some items follow me from desktop to laptop to phone.  I like the ecosystem. And I think the Nokia phone has been a workhorse (luckily).  I'd have purchased the HP if Verizon carried it. The lack of apps is starting to be disheartening.  I've limped by with an Android tablet so I have an app there for my small local bank etc.  But as someone previously mentioned, home automation is a no go with Windows.  I purchased wifi camera's for home and office.  But no Windows app.  I have wifi at home to open garage, turn on lights etc.  Only husband can access with is Android phone.  I was really hoping that there would be some crack (like the Samsung  Phone???) that would give WP an opening to really jump into the market.  

I use my Windows Phone (950) because of OS (live tiles - adjustable, customization, etc). I have 3 phones: Win 10 (personal),  iPhone (6 - mostly use for work), and Android (personal). Out of 3, Windows is my favorite OS. Its so intuitive and easy to use. I know it does not have alot of apps and that is a major concern for everybody. I am not a gamer and there is always browser :) that works fast.. who needs apps when I can open a web site and browse. No issues here.  If they will not release Win Phones, I will be very disapointed.

Apple OS is boring and expensive, android is about as secure as a wet paper bag. I want to keep using windows mobile

For me, personally: The 950XL hardware is great. SD slot, removable battery, a decent CPU, 3gb ram, and an awesome camera with RGB flash. Compared to the middle of the line iPhone cameras or the 12mp standard cameras...eh...not much of a tangible upgrade. I don't want to go back to basic flash either. I also want a f❤cking headphone or USB type C headphone jack. Not the proprietary BS of yesteryear. Additionally, I have mostly windows hardware, so I don't get any benefit from that if I go iPhone. iOS still looks rather dull. And doesn't have USB type C, which is a deal breaker. Android is alright. But the apps are incontinent and it makes the OS look awful, like the old, inconsistent auto emoji packs from 2009 websites. App design is not uniform, updates are still completely at the mercy of the carriers in 2017, and android still has glaring security holes. Also, none of the readit apps are that good, and the literal, only compelling feature was the google cardboard YouTube app, which is inefficient and fun for a week. Honestly, win10mo has plenty of issues. Notifications are broken on the pubic ring for me. Apps crash a lot. Some of the apps don't receive updates. But it's better than nothing, and their design is slick and consistent. My battery still lasts longer than my friend's phones. I just want Microsoft to push windows10 mobile harder, fixing bugs and delivering improvements, while advertising like crazy.

My phone is still a functioning phone it does everything it supposed to do, sure it doesn't have all the app I want but that's just a few. But it works for me !

I have experienced all major platforms, but really feel me more comfortable in the Windows environment due to its inherent configurability and think almost exactly as the author of this article.
Otherwise, we have few options.
Android lacks on privacy, is confusing, heterogeneous, and its interface doesn't makes my mind. If you want configurability, have to root the phone.
IOS is stable, but is old-fashioned, boring, it seems that renitent dumb-proof software in franchising shops.
Windows Phone/Mobile is dead? They claims for that, but my six devices resist bravely, offering all apps I needs, all my homebanking apps, entertainment apps, video and audio editors, governamental apps, some indexes related to my profession and possibility of easily put a site icon on start screen., as a tile.
Its kind of "sandbox" running clusters transmit a more secure feeling in general use.
Recently, I did clean installations in all of them with MS recovery tool, through my PC, and had a surprisingly improvement in performance, had my radio app back, and everything is working bugless and smoothly.
I have a L930, a L950xl, a L630, a L640xl and had a L1520, broken irrecoverably after a fall, still in excellent conditions before the incident, even passed almost three years of its acquisition, and unquestionably the best Windows Phone device ever, except for its fragile screen.
I have and Ipad mini, a Obex tablet with windows 8.1, a HTC One M7plus and an Android LG G3. I will just leave my madness and Windows Phone/Mobile OS when they finally will be dead and buried. It's very exciting being crazy at this level.

I named my L640 "NotaniPhone". I enjoy peoples confused looks when I say I have a Windows phone. My L640 has great reception. It's UI at all levels looks sophisticated compared to 'droid/iOs.

windows phone for life! I used android and ios. thy suck

Maps are great, not as detailed, but with help of Google Maps, it is the best GPS I have ever had. Free maps, worldwide...
The music player is great, the office is fantastic, I study my powerpoint on my way to work.
I have a Lumia 650 dual SIM, it is low weight, thin, and large screen, for very little money.
As a job phone, it is perfect. I also have an iPhone 5S private, but I mostly use the Lumia when surfing also off work. 

Loved the 8.1 on lumia 630 & 1520 back then (sad face) and loving 10 on my powertank L950xl. Had a S6edge + yeah yeah the screen and nothing else interesting... And came back to windows almost every day. The OS is just BETTER. Love windows although i think 8.1 had more style & personality. Cheers brothers!

You can work on it. Love continuum. A computer in the pocket, how cool is that?
I think things are made a lot smarter than in ios. Wife and kids have iPhone 7. Not my thing. Haven't used my iPads either since I got Surface.
With 10 and a Lumia 950 xl, I feel the mobile os has finally come to age. And what then, all bugs sorted, just a smooth user experience? Microsoft kills off the phones. Had to spend a lot of time to find a new 950 xl after my 950 died.
Wp7 and 8...yeah buggy. 10, great and confident!

I like the camera and the UI. I use MyTube a lot and prefer it over the first party android app. I prefer the keyboard also even though the swipe suggestions are trash. The Emojis are better looking. Most of the stuff I treasured on Windows phone is dead though. Here maps, mix radio, kids corner, the restaurant suggestions near me on the tab in search. NOKIA...

The Home screen mostly. Sometimes I look at my workmates with a snappy Whatsapp that opens instantly and I wonder if I should switch. But when the press the home button, I get bored. The only thing that pisses me off a lot is the screen brightness problem of the 950 XL...

I use my Windows phone because the HP Elite x3 is a great cell phone and it works well with my Surface Pro 4 tablet. The HP phone is a great eReader, content viewer, the Outlook email client is top notch, and when my tablet is out of reach you can actually do work on it.

For me it is a matter of budget. I bought a Windows phone (Blu) because at the time it was very inexpensive and would work with my carrier which is also very inexpensive. I have been disappointed on numerous occasions because there was no equivalent software or app for things that are available on Apple or android but I have an old IPhone that was passed down to me and that i can use as a WiFI device for most of those things. I am retired and do most of my online stuff (A lot) on my PC. I do not need to use a lot of data. If I found a cheaper method I would grab it. Windows did not live up to expectations in the app department so my loyalty is not strong.

First and foremost, for Continuum. After I get to the hotel, I plug my HDMI cable into a TV set and connect it to my HD500 Display Dock, with a keyboard and mouse as peripherals. Sometimes I play 3D shooter games on these large TVs, on my Lumia handset. How cool is that, being a sniper on 106 cm? I also have a NexDock equipped with a Microsoft Display Adapter v2 that my Lumia 950XL connects to, and I use my phone as a laptop, wirelessly, while my phone is charging. I like the OS, especially its Dark theme, and I like the overall felling I get when I use the phone.

I've been a windows nut since the 80;s. My Windows phones began with the, HTC X8, then the Nokia 1520, now the 950XL. I had in the past Android phones, my daughter and son-in-law and many friends use apple phones. I'm the only one in my circle who uses Windows. I have no problem and will continue to use Window Phones. I'm waiting for the so called "Surface Phone" end of story

I would say the reason I still use a Lumia 950XL is: #1 Edge browser...why? You might ask...I can look at PDF embedded files in websites which is important for my work. IOS and Android do not support this. #2 Great Camera, camera app, and shutter button. #3 Windows 10 mobile is a good OS with a bunch of included apps. (Eg. Calculator, calender, outlook, etc) #4 Continuum... really like the computer like experience.

Waiting for Surface Phone

I am a little crazy!

Absolutely. I just had to go 2 months on an Android device while I sent my 950XL in for repairs (they just sent me a replacement one) and it was hell. Android is so buggy, so laggy, and so unintuitive. I have no idea how people use it. I will stay with Windows Phone as long as I can. Best OS BY FAR.

First things always first. I wanted to be unique and use what others in a bunch do not have. So, first Nokia, then Microsoft made my First Smartphone 920 and now 950XL. I don't have complaints except some banking apps previously, but now its settled much better. I have Iphone 6s also, which I am forced to get last September as business mobile..

I just switched from Release Preview to the Slow insider preview mode and my 950 has been running very smooth for the last 4 or more months. The only thing that is not =fast is the Iris scanner.   -Rich

I love Live Tiles and I love being able to update something on one device and have it update on another.

The only thing that has kept me on board is the start Screen, but at this stage I have had enough. I have been an insider for just over two years now, and the phone is more unstable now then ever. Okay, you have to expect bugs when your effectively a beata tester, however, you would think after two years the OS would be nearing stability? Everyone goes on about apps being on the way out, we have heard this for the past 12months, still not gone. I cannot use my phone for hailo/mytaxi, Bank apps range from limited to non existent, oh there's an app for my rubbished/garbage, just not for windows phone, what about car parking in a public car park, guess what, no windows phone app, public transport museums etc etc. At every turn your thwarted, so its sadly time to switch to Android, I have held on for too long now so arrivederci.

"There's 0.1 percent of us left" ?? What does that mean? .1% of what? The implication is .1% of the original WP users but I doubt that. .1% of all cell phone users? I thought WP was more like 2-3% of smartphones...

I simply like the UI better than Android and iOS. More than happy with my 650, and yeah, insane too.

Your article says a lot about why I went back. The UI is simple beautiful and well thought out. I've tried them all ios, android, one with solid hardware, but lacks luster. Android to fragmented no solid eco. Microsoft is pulling it all together, constant updates, continuum, I did I mention that UI!. I miss some apps but not enough to completely switch for good.

I use my Windows Phone heavily for work. I'm sticking with it mostly because of the GUI and the Office suite, especially Outlook.
But mostly it's the GUI. It's so so so superior to android and ios, imho. The tiles idea is the only real innovation I've seen in any OS' GUI since... forever. Note that my pc is a macbook, so I've also been through the pain of this almost-non-existing interoperability. I made the serious mistake of signing up to Windows Insider on my Lumia 830, and it's really testing my devotion. (I had a 820 before, until it it felt and broke). Even on the slow ring I had troubles with Onedrive and the Photo app that eventually forced me to reset the phone. After that, voice navigation stopped working, and photos upload to onedrive is still unreliable. The bad thing about the Insider program is that you can't get out of it until you're back on an official release, and imo it's just silly.
My wife has a 930 (had a 520 before) and although she's not on the Insider program recently she's recently started having troubles with notifications and various instabilities. I mostly blame the poor poor quality of most apps, but it's disappointing nonetheless.
Last year we even bought one Band2 each and we were so happy with it. It is (was) the only serious "wearable" out there. Even my Apple-fan friends were "meh" about their Apple Watch, but the Band was great. In twelve months, the Band's strap broke not one but two times at the same time on both of them and now we've been told that we'll probably get a reimburse check instead of the repaired Bands. It's baffling how Microsoft is willing to throw money out the window (no pun intended) on apparently long-term programs that get eventually killed. One thing is giving it a try like Google did with Glasses, but I can't really understand what's the rationale behind the Lumia and Band fiasco. Oh and let's not forget the Here fiasco... Maps is still not at the same level that Here was when they removed it from the platform. Almost there, but not yet. I'm willing to wait and give the Creators Update a try, but time is ticking out. If the upgrade will make my phone stable again, I'll consider buying a HP Elite in the future or wait some more for a Surface phone announcement.

I have been using for the last 3 years three flagship smartphones simultaneously: an iPhone 6, a Nokia Lumia 930 and now recently the Huawei P9. The Nokia 930 with the latest build of Windows Mobile is still excelling the two others in terms of OS and hardware, definitely the display and colours. Only difference is the availability of special apps. Some banking, fitness, health and navigation apps are missing and will probably never come. 

Best interface, feels better in the hand, camera and all the apps I use fun tion smoothly and I prefer the user experience. Plus continuum. Also have an S6 that I barely ever carry with me. 950xl is the goat

I love my 950XL went from Nokia straight through basically all Lumia's, live tiles is pretty. I hate Android it's bad privacy and sluggish aps, iPhone is damn ugly and it's aps aren't always easy to use. Love my iPad though.
One thing I want my credit card ap on my phone.

I use WP because I still view iPhone as a toy and while many use Droid, I just cannot accept the same sea of meaningless icons to launch apps. My whole house and the company I work for run Microsoft top to bottom so I just like how WP integrates with everything. I am over the app thing and just accept that when I see commercials or someone says I can download an app for something that it won't be available for me. My only worry is what I will use once my 950L stops working. If rumors are true that the next Surface phone wont emerge until 2018, I am scared I will have to end up caving for iPhone or Droid.  

Seems like everything I do is based around Windows. Office, OneDrive - business resources with SharePoint and ODforBiz. It's just a natural fit. The thing I love the most are the tiles. I can get a view of the day - calendar, weather, news, etc with just a glance. One thing I learned, for people with poor vision, is Windows 10 scales very well for those who need really big text sizes. Big easy to hit tiles also help. Can't do that with iPhone.

As a professional in the software industry, I consider the UWP a great piece of engineering. One code base that is several products at once. User experience is great also: start screen, live tiles, simple interface... Particularly as a developer, I find great pleasure to work with Windows 10 Mobile. Apps are universal and can be written natively in great languages like C# and C++. Device emulator is fast and the Visual Studio as IDE is state of art.

OK, I'm crazy for switching back to WP. Years back I had to move from my beloved BB Slider to an IPhone. I felt I had lost 2 weeks of work before I switched to the Lumia 920. not great, but ok. Then it went bad and I HAD to go back to the iPhone. I was always annoyed of the lack of functionality of the iPhone compared to WP and BB. a few of my favorite BB moves were the communications hub configured to show ALL comms throughout the day, email, text, phone calls, twitter... And the ability to shortcut the date/time into the notes... the ability to config ringtones for different situations, ie, outside, inside, quite, loud... Like Reagan, it was the great communicator. As for 920, I LOVED City Lens and few others, no biggie about the lack of apps. But like I said, several years ago I had to go to an iPhone and struggled through the change. Then a few months ago the iPhone crashed and I finally got the 950XL with dock. I was very excited, till I started using it. I had gotten use to the iOS, it was a difficult switch back. I immediately became VERY DISAPPOINTED with WP10, NO CITY LENS, almost crippling. Many (most) apps are crappy, same as iOS, but at least with iOS there were enough apps that you could find a good one. Even my other software vendors, whose stated direction was WP10 had shifted directions. Now I'm waiting till this 950xl breaks so I can go back to the iPhone and that is hard for me to say being the geek that I am.

I'm a Windows 10 insider and enjoy helping to improve the phone through my feedback.  I also have  a windows 10 PC, in which I am giving feedback on it as well. The battery life is much better then a friends Android phone, where I don't have to find a place to charge the phone mid day. Also using Continuum works great editing documents when not near the computer.

I still use my Lumia 640. I really like that is really fast for the hardware it has, also don't have any problem or need of apps. Other reason is the fact that where I live, Argentina, the inflation makes difficult to upgrade to a newer phone. If I had the money, I'd buy an Android phone, but as a secondary phone. Love my Lumia.

Indeed fell in love with the WP from the first product

I am still using my Lumia 920! I like the look and feel of it and prefer the email and UI to the Samsung option which I tried last week. I refuse to join the iPhone rip off for a poor experience many years ago which forced me to spend 4 days rebuilding my music collection after trying out a shuffle of all things! I am not a huge user of apps so the phone suits my purpose. I am contemplating an upgrade to a 950...soon! Essentially I can't justify paying more than $250 for a phone. When I find a 950 for $200 or less, I will "upgrade"!
 

I have been a Windows Phone user since the introduction of WP8, when I pounced on a Lumia 920 with AT&T when I could take advantage of an employer-related discount. I continue to believe that the WP platform is a much more utilitarian one, especially as it regards the start screen, where I can actually get information presented to me in real time WITHOUT having to execute an app, something that STILL sets WP apart from any Android or Apple handset. I have voiced my dismay on other blogs about Microsoft's apparent lack of interest in creating (AND PROMOTING) a consumer device.  Their apparent insistence on going all-in on an enterprise-only strategy is DOOMED, not because the OS or the hardware is deficient, but because more and more people view their smartphones as the primary platform to manage their personal (and business) lives.  If someone is using an iPhone or an Android phone for their personal lives, they will NOT want to be told they must also carry a WM10 device for work-related use. An enterprise-only strategy for WM10 also means that developers will be positively frantic to avoid developing any applications for the platform, which leaves only corporate developers to create specific enterprise applications for their employers and NOT for the general marketplace (especially NOT for a wide consumer audience).  This can only turn out badly for Microsoft and for WM. Microsoft may have some whiz-bang new device(s) in the pipeline that will totally captivate the general public, but so far we have no proof that is the case.  Their Continuum platform is intriguing, but it only works with a wide level of adoption, not just by enterprise users, but also for consumers, to a level that attracts application developers to port their apps to WM.  Short of that, the future is pretty dim. In the interim, I will continue to use my WM devices as long as they are supported and useful to me.  I loath the idea of moving to an Android or Apple phone, and will resist doing so for literally as long as possible.

II have all the Apps I need - I have a desktop, Surface and  950XL - all nicely integrated. And I love the live tiles.  I can set up my systems the way I like - am not dictated to by Apple - -     

I've been using "Windows Mobile" since the Pocket PC days(HP Jornada). While at first I didn't like the look of WP7 I decided to give it a try(Apple person at work was actually impressed and recommended it). I grew to like it - did not like Android at that time. Eventually I became dissatisfied with some elements: Gigantic text, minimalistic toggles/switches, panoramic view). At the same time as this Android Lollipop debuted. I was sold - smooth, refined - Material design. Yet when Win10m was offered in preview, loyalty and intrigue ruled the day. And I tried it. In spite of its roughness, lack of polish and stability, I liked the direction MS were going. A year and a half later I can say I prefer Win10m to the alternatives, though it still needs some work. Love my 950, but also like my S7E with Nougat.

I love the interface and it has the apps that I need and want. I also am deep into the Microsoft ecosystem.  I tried iPhone and Android and while the hardware was nice, I felt like I had stepped back in time several years.  I currently use a 950XL and look forward to better devices coming out. Maybe the next one from HP will be my next phone.    

I was an iOS and Android user for a long time but I fell locked in an ecosystem with a lot of limitations (especially with iOS)!!! I choose my Lumia 950XL not for the platform but mainly for continuum feature! Now, after 8 months living with this device and ecosystem I can say that difficulty I will go back!
For sure store missing a lot of stuff but this is a mistake of Microsoft that it is not so attractive to developers.

I have an Android phone to see what's up all the fuss about with the app gap. So my reason for sticking with wp/w10m is im not happy, I'm feeling glad, I got sunshine in a bag, I'm usless, but not for long, the future is coming on

For me, there are a few reasons.
-Top decision: I really dont like iOS and Android art directions. iOS has a saccharine look and Android, well, material design. I'll take Win10 with a dark theme over the designs of a more popular OS any day!
-App and OS updates are more frequent. I say this as an owner and previous user of a GS7. While carriers play a part in timetables, but with the GS8 around the corner, it just now updated to Nougat. Apps update every. single. day. Facebook seems like it updates every other day! By contrast, with an unlocked 950, I can expect OS updates on top of the seldom issued app updates.
-Lack of apps. I dont use many apps to begin with. Granted, I'd like to see a few Android apps come over to Windows but this is not and has not been a major pit fall for me.
-As an owner of a PC, Kinects, X1 and X1s who also buys media from Store, I am kinda buying into the platform. I'd love to see a Windows/Xbox Chromecast (I know), an Alexa system (I know), a better universal notifcation system, and Cortana be more present and smarter in my home to compete with Google Home. Still, I hang on to my 950 and Windows Phone. I can hope for a leap in evolution for the mobile ecosystem. For the time being, it satisfies my needs and design preferences. I'll stick with it until something better comes along.

I'm already in the eco system and dropped money into it.

I use it for a number of reasons;
1. offers superior email and calendar support for business use vs. IPhone.
2. Dual sim support is excellent.
3. Film & TV and Groove use on Xbox, Surface Pro 2, and Eiltex3 provided me with access to my content wherever I am. I watch and listen at home, work, holiday, and in transit all the time.
4. MS Office and office lens toolkit gives me presentation and workshop functionality that others platforms have traditionally not provided.
5. OneNote. Shared lists with my partner make our shopping experiences easy... Always have the household shopping list
6. Battery life
7. Continuum. Has removed the need for a word processor PC at home.
8. Simple and multi device Wi-Fi hotspot sharing.
9. Camera has traditionally been excellent.. Not do much the elitlex3
10. Build quality. I once looked at my work provided iPhone and the screen cracked... My Lumia's and now elitex3 have survived drops, water immersion, strong winds, and general unpleasantness' without issue.
11. The look on peoples faces when they see me using my Windows Mobile device in ways that their devices cannot perform e.g. Running a PowerPoint presentation from my phone wirelessly connected to the office SurfaceHub and using the built in laser pointer as I shift through slides. Things that have annoyed me;
1. Bluetooth performance is poor and should be improved.
2. Reliability of W10M still requires some attention.
3. The fact you can never really get all the yogurt out of a yogurt tub.... Oh ... Also other peoples small children running around in a restaurant.

Shortly after I started university in 2004, I decided to get my first smartphone. I picked Windows then, because of the promise of having a PC in my pocket. I remember going to Download festival 2005 with my HTC SPV C500 and thinking how amazing it was that I could use MSN Messenger in a tent, in a field, miles from a landline/broadband connection. I really loved that phone, which I thought ran Windows Mobile 5.0 but the internet says it was Windows Smartphone 2003. I liked it so much, my next phone was a SPV 600 with Windows Mobile 6. More of the same, still awesome. There were some improvements to the UI but it was still basically attempting to be Windows desktop on a tiny screen. The move to Windows Phone 7 with the HTC Mozart was initially off-putting due to it no longer looking like a mini desktop version of Windows (and being my first touch screen, no buttons for typing). It felt over-simplified to me, but I grew to love the new OS for it's looks and speed. For Windows Phone 8 I finally ditched HTC (though it was close) to get a Lumia 920. This was the perfect device paired with the best mobile OS around at the time. It worked so well, and had a great camera. Now I'm using a Lumia 950 XL, and I love this service and OS too. I don't really get all the hate you guys occasionally mention about Windows Mobile 10 being worse than Windows Phone 8. So to finally answer the question, I guess I still use Windows on my phone partly because I always have, I'm used to the OS and know how to get things done with it. It's also partly because the promise of Windows on a mobile device is stronger than ever with the next wave of devices and updates sounding like they will essentially be able to be used as a full Windows desktop machine. And it's also because it's a beautiful OS, it still looks incredible. Sure, occasionally it stings that fancy new game X or app Y isn't available, but it's not such a huge problem. I can still do just about anything I want to on my phone. Also, scree Apple and Google. That might be a little bit of the reason, too. A small, tiny bit...

Yes I still use WP (Lumia 1320) and in fact I'm planning to upgrade to Lumia 950 XL. Windows Phone is a great OS with multiple points over Android (although 7.0 is catching up) and IOS. The point is Microsoft uses same business model for mobiles as for PCs and that will never work..

I started with a Windows pocket PC sliding brick and loved it. Moved to iphone when didn;t have other options, but after having issues with terrible call quality and stubborness of wanting to configure my own use of sites rather than use apps I switched to a Nokia 920. I then got a 1020, and have been buying those whenever I could find them. I love the OS user interface and the fact that I can adapt everything on my phone so I can use it without reading glasses or at low brightness levels. I think the downfall of the experience for me was when Microsoft went cheap and put together the mostly garbage quality plastic disposable phones. I hated the 950, and was about to switch to perhaps a Pixel before the HPx3.  I have to say the phone has had issues (I have had to return one and this one has been reset two times) but enjoy using it. I do have to say Cortana and Bing (unless they changed it again) mobile searches are much more accurate to my lexicon than anyone else I know who uses Siri and the iPhone, and my son uses Cortana for his android phone after watching me say Hey, Cortana a few times and then get accurate answers without redoing my search

I really like the Windows Mobile due to the interface and the live tiles.  Anythiing I need I can link a live tile to the website if needed.  I Like the entire Microsoft product line, and dispise Google due to their reported selling of personal information to the government! Yeah I know, unsubstanciated but I dislike the Android OS anyway.  I currently own and use two HP Windos desktops, 950XL phone, Surface Pro3 and Surface Studio level 2.  I am invested in the ecosystem! Loving every minute.... bugs? I got no stinken' bugs!!

i still use my Lumia 1020 and 1520. I never used android or iphones and at the moment i don't have the need to buy a new one as they still work perfectly. Main reason was the camera at the time, nowadays i prefer my 1520 for photos (i like living images) and use the 1020 at work (easier to carry around) i really love the metro tiles and everything syncs perfectly with my pc.

Well, Zack, nothing to add here, really. You said it perfectly. I am a hard time Windows mobile 10 user, and nothing/nobody is going to deter me from being a Windows fan. Period!
P.S.: My old Lumia 1520 is still a great joy and fun to use.

It's hard... I need access to some of the apps not available on WM10. I still like the UI, but the tiles don't always get updated or are buggy at times. I used to be able to record a call on my 950XL, but it's not always available it seems. I'm having an SD card error that requires scanning the disk, but it hasn't fixed the issue. I'm going to have to reset everything soon. After the last People update, it linked two random contacts in my messaging for some reason. Also, sometimes I'll only see the person's phone number on an incoming call or text, but I have their number stored already. Lots of problems. It's wearing me down and I'm getting close to switching back to the ugly iOS for awhile. If Surface phone appears, I'll be back. Sigh...

I have used since windows ce. I still prefer the feel over android or ios, however I miss the loss of features like hubs and panarama. I also found the app issue got to big with poor wearable support and no Pokémon go lol so now have an android also so slowly leaving the eco system.

Yes I'm hanging on to my Microsoft Lumia 950XL. Nice and sturdy hardware. I dropped it a few times. Love the simplicity of the Tiles and the application list. Easy to find your apps... I have the apps I need. I know my phone is much more secure than Android. And I can move files and music around without having to deal with Itune. Whatever information I update or add to my phone it is automatically synched up to OneDrive or Outlook. Don't even have to think about it. Not true for iOS and Outlook. iOS is not design for people that need glasses. Small fonts. Grey fonts on white background. I can't use an iPhone without my glasses. But I can easily use Windows Phone live tiles. My next phone will not be a Microsoft phone obviously but it's gone a be a Windows Phone for use. My dream is that Microsoft comes up with a Surface Phone and trump iOS and Android.

I still use WP 8.1, mainly becasue the hardeware (Nokia Lumia 830, not one of ther useless microsoft plastic phones) is so very good.  It is however, always falling over, randomly restarting and the apps are second rate. I also agree wirth those who find it gets worse alsmost every upodate ansd MS continues to add unwanted bells and whistles rather than fixing defects. Its only a matter of time beofore i go to Android, once I can afford a new phone.

The following is a list of my Windows phones: Palm Treo 750 HTC Windows Phone 8X  Nokia Lumia 520 Nokia Lumia 625  Nokia Lumia 635  Nokia Lumia 735  Nokia Lumia 830  Microsoft Lumia 650  Microsoft Lumia 950    (Don’t ask me about my BlackBerry phones)   The answer to your question?  Easy, I am insane.  

I luv my 950 have used windows since my HTC titan.tried android and iPhone absolutely hate them also not a sheep like millions around the world.

I love windows 10 mobile and if it wasnt for gestures beta, here maps and paypal all mossing from the app store, if there was a proper premium sucessor to the 930 and not the plastic none premium 950 feeling phone i would now be on a windows mobile.phone and payed 80 uk poinds for one drive. But they dont and i havent. 8.1 was geting there with apps and even with woreless paymenta and google apps missing i could still manage but not on windows 10. To much basic things missing. Shame cause the os is mostly great but now im on a s7 edge, id require the windows eco system to have everything above and more before i invest i windows mobile, hell its only windows desktop that keeps me investes in windows but bring gaming to apple and google and even i might fully exit. 3_4 years waiting is just too long.

I got a 1520 and windows 8.1 I'll never put 10 on it or my PC. And since Microsoft won't support it's own phone ( even the xbox game app is better on IOS 10 than windows 8.1 goes to show you how much microsoft cares about you) I just switched to IPhone 7 Plus. even though I love windows OS with the tiles. And that app thing that's another story.

Windows 10's home screen is beautiful, and I love my Lumia 950 -- despite it being rather large and difficult to use one-handed. I tried switching to an iPhone SE last year, because I wanted something smaller, but iOS annoyed me, and I missed Windows 10. Windows 10 Mobile does everything I need -- (admittedly, mostly e-mail, podcasts, web, and RSS feeds). I use my Lumia 950 as my daily driver, and I'm proud to use it in front of the other nerds at work. I used Macs for 16 years starting in 2000, and had an iPhone for five or six years until 2015, when I switched to Windows Mobile 7. Android's regular issues around security and privacy always scared me. Windows 10 is the only decent mobile operating systems available right now, in my personal opinion. Yes, I am insane, but very happy. The only thing that might convince me to switch again is if a FreeBSD or Fedora-based device became available -- Elle-oh-elle.

Secure, reliable , still has the best camera, fluid and insanely customizable (LIVE TILES!!!), has all of the main apps most people use (and real gems in the windows store), Office & Outlook, continuum, QHD (Lumia 950), Windows Hello :-D, quick response and feedback, gorgeous smiled screen. I have an iPhone 6s, and still use my Lumia 950 as my daily driver. There are so many more things that make windows 10 mobile a unique, 'one windows ', wholistic experience .

That UI tho!!! Man...dem Live Tiles be hooking ah brotha.. lol. On a real though, Windows phones still handles PIM (Personal Information Manager) the best, on any mobile phone right now. From contacts management to email etc. Virtually pin anything right to the start screen. I love that. Pin your favourite news site right to the start screen with live tiles update too? C'mon man. That's nirvana for me.

Samsung Focus, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 830. Still have my hope for win Mobile platform even some people say otherwise.

I am still using Lumia 950. Because I have installed 100 apps and system is quick like it was fresh. Because included apps like Outlook mail are better and clearer. Because I can use Continuum. Because phone Camera is very good. Because my phone has double-tap and glance screen.

My wife and I use unlocked 950's with dual sims.  We have AT&T and TelCel (Mexico) sims. The Windows platform to us is the best and easyest to use allowing us to stay Windows 10 on our phones and laptops as well a my tablet.  We upgraded from 920's to get the dual sims and a few other features.  The cameras are among the best out there and there are few apps we find lacking.  Using Edge I can create short cuts that suffice for amost all apps that are lacking.    Having used IPhones I was never impressed with them and felt that Apple really owne the phone and was just letting me use it.  

I still have a pretty smooth and responsive experience. Windows 10 has the responsiveness of an iPhone but the customization of an android. It's a happy medium.

I used Windows back when I had an IPAQ Pocket PC (stylus and all). I switched to iOS as soon as iPhone came out and I stayed with everything Apple until 2 years ago. I then PURPOSELY switched back to Microsoft starting with the 1520 and have since dumped ALL my Apple stuff in favor of anything either Microsoft or company's that supported the ecosystem (HP Elite x3, Vector Watch, etc). I also switched everyone in my home and we never looked back. My wife and I love our Windows Phones (she has the 950xl), and even my kids are being raised on only Microsoft stuff. I did it because I caught wind of what Microsoft had in store with what is now known as continuum and with their vision of the Universal Platform using ARM. The apps are not a big deal to me. I do not Snapchat, so I can basically find everything else I have needed in the Store. I'm committed to the future and I still see it heading the way I thought, so I'm sticking with it.

I like the Windows tile interface.  I'd prefer a physical keyboard but when it comes to touch screens the tiles work for me.  I don't like the small icons on the android phones and I'm against the iPhone on principal in that it is a closed system similar to the mainframes of the 1980's.  The only downside to the Windows phone is the lack of certain apps.  For example Air NZ had a great app for Windows 8.1 but when they upgraded to a new version of the app support for Windows was dropped.  If Windows is going to be the choice for business then pressure needs to be put on companies like airlines to support their business clients who just might be using Windows based phones.  So to all of you that like the Windows phones don't just complain in forums like this about the lack of app, get pro-active and complin directly to the app writers to encourage them to support Windows.  If they don't see the benefits of supporting Windows phones then tell them to consider Surface or generic Windows PCs.  The number of Windows devices is huge and app writers need to consider more than just phone hardware. 

I use a Lumia 735 because on Verizon my brand new Google Pixel drops calls like I have never seen on any phone. The 735 does not.

This is not about being different, or anything else I have always said PLAyductivity and you got Android or I Phone, if you want Productivity go to microsoft. Now I personaly know people do not like me but it is becuase they just do not understand me, and the same is with Microsoft and there Phone OS. The fact it is so integrated with the desktop, adn Cortana, Speach to text in any application.. etc... the issue is Microsoft is not a marketing company they show cool stuff but do not know how to market it. They have the highest resolution phone on the market, the best integrated with the desktop... I have all my presentations on my phone and just use continuum to connect to the csutomers machine and we are off to the races... I can go on but I hope they get it together becasue they have a great system adn devices.

It works. Great interface, live tiles are unbeatable. Easy to use. My wife loves it. I love it. Even my VW Passat bluetooth loves it better than an Asus Android.    

All I ever wanted was a mobile device with a browser equal to that of my desktop, that was otherwise fast, efficient, intuitive, with great reception and battery life.  Windows Phone was and is still the only device that meets these criteria. 

I really like the OS/Interface more than the other platforms. The original swipe right/left made a lot of sense and was easy to navigate, but different. I've been holding off on a new device lately because the options are pretty slim right now. I keep hoping for a "big announcement" of some sort, but I know that's going to come a month or two after I finally bite the bullet and upgrade. I have sworn off carrier-locked devices, though. ATT locking down their devices/functionality for so long has been troubling. At least I can get around that w/ the Insider program to some extent, though.
 

I still use windows phone because it just works. It very simply and beautifully does everything that I want and need it to do. The start screen is second to none, and Groove music is best on phone, better than most other music open, and the only music player that could even touch it was its predecessor as far as speed and design and just simply, ease of use. Those are the main reasons I still use windows phone.

also, the keyboard on W10M is the best to me. I love iphone keyboards, but the prediction and smoothness on the W10m keyboard are the best.

I've got enough. Now OneDrive drops to 5Gb. I'm out back to Android with its personal assistant that work on every phone, regardlress of your region settings. It may not be funny as Cortana, but hey google, who cares. I'm not here to hear her lousy singing skills or listen to her jokes. I'm done...

Enjoy google and ads every 30 seconds. 

I bought a Lumia 950 XL this past week. I knew it was dated, I knew it wasn't 'supported' any more. I also knew it would be a phone that, say, would take me through until something 'amazing' comes along... It was to replace my Lumia 1020, which whilst mostly OK, annoys me with the speed of some things, loading web pages that no longer render correctly, or how slow the camera is sometimes, or glitchy (green screen). And slowly it's got a fair amount of burn-in on the screen too. So, I got the 950 XL and not an Android or iPhone. I like what apps ARE available on the Lumia, and for those companies that have substandard apps, I sometimes contact them to just add a voice. The iphones are too expensive, and too samey, tbh. Androids... I know the mid-range ones can suffer lag, and I don't think any mid-range one that was the same price as what i got the XL for would have a camera half as good. I also have found android to be a little like windows 3.1 - too many settings or things that can change. Which brings me to the next point... we left icons behind in 2012, I find tiles much more useful with the information they show. So, I like Windows 10 UI, and what it can do. I am the 0.1%

I still use My Lumia 1020, IT still has the best camera.  IT can't be upgraded to Win 10 which means that more and more apps doesn't work any more. If Microsoft can find à way to tun Android apps on à Windows phone I Will continue to use Windows Phone, otherways Imhave to change to iPhone. POJ  

OS and Live Titles

I'm still using the Classic 535 and it's still works well after many drops

I'm pretty much exactly the same. I had a PDA running Windows Mobile, then upgraded to a HTC HD2, then a HTC Mozart, then Lumia 820, then Lumia 830, then Lumia 930 which I am using now. I stuck with Windows for much the same reasons: I liked the Microsoft ecosystem, and I didn't like the look of iPhone or Android. I really like how customizable the start screen is, the live tiles are so much more informative than anything on other platforms. The lack of apps has never really bothered me as all the staples are there. And thanks to Rudy Huyn, I used 6tag for a long time!

Because I've tried android and iPhone don't like the interface windows phones are seriously underrated if you have a snappy browser which is brilliant and fast you can short it all sites you can't get apps for it's just as quick I'll be sticking with my excellent 635

Live me MS mobile. There is NOTHING else as far as I'm concerned. It's not perfect, but it gets better all the time, and I believe the future of MS is going to be innovative and awesome.

Still waiting for Microsofts Promise on Mobile, waiting and waiting and...

It works.   I'm loyal.   I'm a Microsoft partisan.   I am a Windows Insider.   The Live Tiles.   The hardware.   The promise of integration across devices and platforms.   Continuum Blackberry's problematic (as of yet) adaption of Android. The rotten quality of the Ten Billion Names of Android and Iphone Apps.   Outlook Mail

Because I get phones dirt cheap! Lumia 640's and 640XL for Myself, Wife, and Daughter.  Along with Backup phones.  None over $100, and most under $40, New!  I've also got 3 Desktop PC's (Intel i5), and 2 android tablets in my house. 

Ditto. Only craziness is my reason.

I have been with Windows since the old days of Mobile 6.5 as well.  I have developed a real love/hate relationship with it these days.  I still love the OS.  It's the best.  It's the simplest.  And I really dig the Microsoft apps (Groove, Office, etc.).  However, I regret to say that the only reason I am still with Windows Mobile is because the Nokia 6 isn't out yet.  I plan to make the switch to Android.  You can reframe the app gap however you want, but it's a real thing, and it's a bummer.  I have many friends who talk about various apps regularly, and I so often have to say that I don't have that app, since I have Windows.  It's gotten old.  If they do something impressive, I'll be back, but it doesn't seem promising at this point.  Sad day.

A couple of different reasons:  because I really, really like it, and because my 2-year-old Lumia 830 seems to be built like a tank. I just wish Windows Mobile 10 was available on it with AT&T.  When and if it croaks, I'll have a real choice to make.  I have an active disdain for Android - my tablets, including Nexus and Kindles, have been crap piled on top of crap.  And buying Apple would feel like selling my soul to Satan.  Then again, by then there may not even be a Windows choice to replace it with. 

I just love the Microsoft ecosystem. My Lumia 950 feels like an extension of my Surface 3, laptop and desktop pc. Anything I do on any of my devices, Ican review on my phone without problems.
I also love the startscreen, it makes it feel like MY startscreen. When I say this to friends,they laugh and say that it looks messy, but that is just it. For me it is not messy, everything is were I want it to be.
The lack of apps doesn't bother me, since I am not much of an app user. All standard apps are good enough for me.
And the Microsoft apps themselves are impressive enough. So I don't miss the others.
I am a developer and already convinced the company where I work to switch to Windows 10 for laptops and embedded software, so hopefully I can convince them to stay on it;).
I hope I will be able to release some apps soon for Windows 10 mobile, so that the apps grow a little bit :). Btw I love to read your articles Zac,keep up the nice work ;).

Me an the wife bought our first smart phones a few years back in China. We bought 525's. We like the compatibility with the PC and being able to integrate the Cloud wih the PC. They are still as new despite being in daily use. We thought we would get bigger screens and so I bought my wife a 640 and myself a dual-SIM 650. Now I do not know what to do with my little 525. My wife uses one phone on roaming with a Philipinnes SIM and Giffgaf on the other. I have Giffgaff and a £4.50 a month Virgin SIM which gives me 1500 UK minutes and a 1GB data with rollover. We are happy to stay with Windows.    

Great article 👍, love my 950 in the insiders fast ring and my 3X as a daily driver.
Windows 10 mobile I can use like a desktop. Its file driven, not apps. The best feature is connecting devices, love it and use it daily.

But I definitely like the offering of continuum. So I bought with me portable folding kb, portable by mouse and ms wireless display adapter, and on road desktop computing is as easy as said.

I wouldn't use an iPhone in a fit and Android annoys me everytime I use it, so I hope the Surface Phone is pretty special. Thanks to me a few of my circle have Windows Phones and one recently decided to get an Android phone. I didn't try to change his mind but a month later he showed me his new Lumia 950, seems he didn't like Android either.

I want to come back! I have Verizon but they offer no phones so i went with a Note 5. I would switch back

I use a NokiaLumia 830, my wife and kids have Microsoft Lumia 650's and 550's. It's the perfect platform for us as it syncs so well with the Xbox one. I have always been extremely brand loyal to Microsoft since the days of Windows 3.0 and have always made preference to products with their logo on it. I waited a few years to buy a smartphone and started with an HTC8S and have been hooked since. I do feel a little bad that my oldest daughter feels left out at school as SnapChat is not available on a Windows phone.

I have had about 10 different windows phones and i still prefer the os over ios and Android. I have an iPhone 6, nexus and galaxy s 6 but still prefer my lumia 950xl and lumia 650 over them. I also will from time to time throw in my sim on my htc one m8 for windows. I love the live tiles and like you prefer it over both ios and android launchers. I really love the Microsoft default apps too especially Outlook and groove. I do miss the dish app and nba app on my other devices but i am willing to sacrifice those for the overall experience windows phone delivers.

I got hooked on the Windows ecosystem with the Compaq iPaq3630 in 2003 running windows mobile 2003. I loved the idea of having similar experience on my desktop, laptop and pocket too. Then my first windows mobile 5 experience took me to another level in 2006 with my i-mate JAMin. I could have the same files synced automatically between my work PC, pocket iPaq and phone too (that was a really big thing back then). And now it's a convience that I can't live without. Even with the slight quirkiness of my current L950xl, I still prefer it to my work iPhone 6. I use an android just to fill up the app gap. But neither the iOS or droid experience give me the joy of the windows metro interface, the dark theme, skype and OneDrive integration is also better on windows, the live tiles (admittedly I hated the metro interface when it was introduced with wp7 and I held on to my HTC diamond with wm6.5 till wp7.8 was launched, I guess the original large tiles put me off). And now, 13 years after my first windows pocket experience, this platform is the only one that is a joy to use, and the only one that allows my the customisation and creativity I enjoy so much. Fingers crossed for a surface phone (and a Surface 4 mini tab please MS ;)

I loved Windows Phone so much for the first four years. I think I would still be using the platform had it not been for Microsoft's unfair distribution of highend flagship to carriers outside of AT&T. I bought plenty of phones unlocked but really got tired of T-Mobile getting all the secind rate phones while the best of Apple and Android were readily available. Secondly, and I didn't even realize this was a problem until after switched over to Android, was the app problem. The apps are so much better 99% of the time on Android outside of a few third party apps that no one cares about on other platforms because the first party apps just do what they need them to do and are updated very regularly. And I'm not talking about those stupid little cutesy apps like Snapchat and others. I'm talking about real apps. Useful ones. Not one Windows Phone user can use their phone as an Uber driver( or Lyft probably) to make money. Not one. I can watch live T.V. through the Xfinity app on my home network as well as download shows to watch later. I can use my phone as a remote shutter for my Sony mirrorless camera which can be very helpful for setting up certain shots as well as self portraits. And there are so many other apps that are just missing AND don't have a replacement in the Windows Phone store. I have played Final Fantasy VIII all the way to disc three on my phone with USB OTG support through my PS3 controller. And Android has so much customization that it is ridiculous. There are quality launchers that can give you beautiful, minimalistic experiences and even some worthy W10 knockoffs featuring live tiles thst work pretty well. All in all I still miss the OS for the visual aesthetics and feel but Microsoft has over the years killed off some of the really differentiating ideas that I loved like the Picture Hub, Me Tile and the lock screen animation and probably some others that I missed. I don't care so much about having full Windows 10 apps on phone as much as I do having powerful mobile apps that I can use on my phone without connecting to something else. On the same hand, I would love to see how Continuum continues to evolve and grow int the future. I will probably get the "Surface phone" when it comes out but it won't be my only phone. The best experience you can get while using Windows Phone is having a counterpart phone to fill the gaps the Windows 10 Mobile continues to leave open. See Uber driver example. I'm glad you guys are keeping the platform alive in a sense. One day I'll get to gush over the platform right with ya.

It just works.  I purchased an LG V20 to compare to my 950XL and there is no comparison.  The 950XL has a better interface, smoother operation and "just works".  All the LG V20 has is apps.  So many of the same apps are built into the OS for WP.  Then there is the lack of trust in the apps in the play store, google cotinues not to vet their apps and malware is showing up to feed ads to unsuspecting users.

For me the best is the Startscreen. My things can be pinned, that is nearly all i need. I am really happy with Windows 10 mobile on my Lumia 950. 

Just like Zac, I've been using Windows Mobile since the dark ages of Windows Mobile 5, all the way to 10. I started with HTC devices, buy when Microsoft acquired Nokia, I jumped on a 1520. I later got a 950 for my wife and she loves it (although she doesn't use the device to it's fullest potential). Still, today on 2017 I'm still rocking my 1520 with Windows 10 (fast ring preview). It is a head turner, people ask me what kind of phone is that, when I tell them that it is a Windows Phone, they say really? When I tell them all the functionalities, MS Office, email, etc. they become sad because now they are stuck with a $700 iPhone. I ask them why do you have an iPhone, they say, it's because everyone has one.
My Windows Phone is personal, I love the customization options for the start screen, no two phones are alike. There are great apps out there for the ecosystem. And there is more coming, with continuum on the 950, is like having a portable PC. The 1520 is not too far behind of what I consider a portable PC experience, that's what I like most of Windows Phones, it is not a phone, it is not just a smartphone, it is not your average garden variety berry. It is a portable PC, it is individual.
Looking towards the future, I'm waiting on the birth of the Surface Phone, that's when I'm planning to retire my 1520. I love to be a 0.1%, that means (as history has taught us) that either we are really, really crazy and weirdly wrong or we are the the next step in evolution, the ones who struggle, the insane geniuses, the witches burned at the stake, those who later prove humanity that the world is round and that the earth goes around the sun. Yes I love my Windows Phone.

What you call the "dark ages" I call the "golden age". WP7 was the true dark age.

I’ve used phones since 6.5. I’m currently on a Lumia 830. With the 830, the phone is ‘good enough’. I’ve not seen any need to spend a lot of money to buy another – directly or through a plan. It makes phone calls, maps, GPS, web, text messages, syncs with my smartwatch, etc. I don’t live on Facebook or enjoy phone games and any productivity apps (banking, eBay, Amazon, etc.) work fine in a browser. I’ve tried at Android and iOS devices. Screens of little icons aren’t helpful when my WP10 already shows me the information on one screen without finding and opening apps – I have an appointment, it is raining, I have two text messages, my package has arrived, my wife left a message, etc. Even if the interface wasn’t so bad… the idea of paying $600+ only to ask… Where is the camera button? Why doesn’t the iPhone have wireless charging? Why do I need dongles to plug in headphones? Sorry… I’ll save the $10/month on my phone bill and not upgrade to Android or iOS until the current devices do what mine can and provide a compelling reason to upgrade. By then… who knows? Maybe a Surface Phone?

I got hooked on the Windows ecosystem with the Compaq iPaq3630 in 2003 running windows mobile 2003. I loved the idea of having similar experience on my desktop, laptop and pocket too. Then my first windows mobile 5 experience took me to another level in 2006 with my i-mate JAMin. I could have the same files synced automatically between my work PC, pocket iPaq and phone too (that was a really big thing back then). And now it's a convience that I can't live without. Even with the slight quirkiness of my current L950xl, I still prefer it to my work iPhone 6. I use an android just to fill up the app gap. But neither the iOS or droid experience give me the joy of the windows metro interface, the dark theme, skype and OneDrive integration is also better on windows, the live tiles (admittedly I hated the metro interface when it was introduced with wp7 and I held on to my HTC diamond with wm6.5 till wp7.8 was launched, I guess the original large tiles put me off). And now, 13 years after my first windows pocket experience, this platform is the only one that is a joy to use, and the only one that allows my the customisation and creativity I enjoy so much. Fingers crossed for a surface phone (and a Surface 4 mini tab please MS ;)

I love my lumia 950XL, it's quick, it's synchronising in a perfect Way with my PC, it makes very good pictures and I find most of the apps I really need ...

Functionally I use my phone more like a ATT connected computer rather than a smartphone with electronic toys. The MS account means my computer stuff is automatically there when I log in, even on a new phone. And the OS environment on phone and desktop are so close, and getting closer, and I like continuum. What would make it perfect is desktop apps on the phone.. . which is just around the corner?

  I started using Windows Mobile with my Dell Axim. My first Windows phone was the Nokia Lumie 900 - loved it and stil when you hold it in your hands it feels so solid. I then got a Lumia 635 to get to Windows 8 and then to the 640 because I wanted and still want a larger display. Plus I knew it would allow upgrading to Windows 10. The UI is phenominal - real Live Tiles. I wanted a phone that worked in the Eco-system of Windows. Xbox, Windows 10, etc. Today I know I want at lesat a 5.7 to 6.0" phone screen. I have two Surface's a Pro 1 & Pro 3. I would jump at getting a Surface phone when it comes out. Yes, it would be nice to have certain apps, but basically, I have 95% of the apps I need. Features are great. Getting the updates regularly from Microsoft is awesome, just like the Apple phone. Not being able to get the updates, hurt the Windows phone. The carriers did a number on them and Verizon was the worst culprit. I love my Windows phone, even though it is not the flagship model phone - I have been patiently waiting and just can't wait. We might be only .1%, but we are the proud .1%!  

I actually use mine when I cycle to track my activity and also it's my in-car gps prefer choise of navigation. Why? The GPS just work and the battery last longer. Actually my Android device battery died and had to take out my Window phone again while waiting for the new battery.   I therefor then realised how I missed my Windows phone for daily use. The problem for me is the lack of certain apps. So I'm stuck with this problem. I use my Android because I can do more on it. like my fitness wearable app and so on, but the GPS suck.  So when I need to go somewhere, I take my Windows phone and use Here Maps. It's a LOT LESS frustration and it just WORKS. Even on cloudy days.  Not to talk about going on a MTB trail and recording my activity. Just a pitty I have to use another app that exports to Strava but at least my Windows Phone talks to my Heart Rate Monitor and connects with my Ant+ Cadance Meter.  Windows Phone battery last longer, bettter battery saving mode and LESS JUNK.  Why is it that Android devices seems to store crapp and cache nonsens on the phone and eating up the phones storage. I'ts like Windows PC's You have to keep cleaning it! Anyway, Story short, if Windows phone had more interests with app development or they make it easier to bring apps over, Windows Phone will be the best perfect phone and not only apps, they shouldn't restrict the phone so much. I mean, take recording a call as an example.   And best ever, if the kids want to play games in the car, just give your Windows Phone a swipe to the left for them in the Kids Corner.  

Hi Zac, While reading your article I came to the conclusion we are much alike. Like yourself me too I began using the Microsoft mobile platform with Windows Mobile 6.5. I still have at home my HTC Touch Diamond. And it is still working. After HTC Touch Diamond I bought a HTC Radar with Windows Phone 7.5 which got upgraded to Windows Phone 7.8. I really liked that phone. With its aluminun chasis it has a very high end look. Currently that handset is being used by my father.
​ I have to admit that I was really frustrated when Microsoft decided to reboot its mobile platform and my HTC Radar could not receive OS updates anymore. But I got over the frustration with a Nokia Lumia 1020. I remeber that I watched its release media event mesmerized. I remember that I went home and told my wife that I just found my next phone. Oh, I forgot to tell you, before buying Nokia Lumia 1020 I bought to my wife a Nokia Lumia 925. She liked that phone very much. Oh, and now I remebered. Before Nokia Lumia 925 my wife used a Nokia Lumia 800. She liked the UI she had seen on my HTC Radar and wanted a phone with the same OS. So I bought for her Nokia Lumia 800. And then, when Nokia released Nokia Lumia 925 she liked its design and liked to have a bigger screen, so then I bought for her Nokia Lumia 925. I took a lot of pictures using my Nokia Lumia 1020. I have a Flicker album dedicated to that phone with I think more than 300 pictures. Currently my Nokia Lumia 1020 is being used by my mother. My wife's Nokia Lumia 925 is kept as a backup phone in case it happens something bad to her Microsoft Lumia 950. Yes, my wife upgraded her phone to Lumia 950. And again she is very happy with it. She likes the size of the screen and she likes all the things that phone can do. My wife is more social than me. She uses Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram more than I do it. Now I'm using a Microsoft Lumia 950 XL. And I have no major complain about it. I have all the applications I regulary use. And as you said, if there is no application probably you can use Microsoft Edge instead. Yes, I agree, there were ocasions where I might have needed a certain app which existed only on Adroid and IOS, and Edge couldn't help. For example, this winter I travelled a lot to Norway. Here they use either Apple iPhone, or some Samsung variant. And I've been told that I might see some people using a Sony XPeria. In Norway they have apps for many things. For buying transportation tickets, for paying in groceries and shops, for checking train and buses timetables, and many more. And of course those apps exist only for Android and IOS. But I stick to use my Windows 10 Mobile phone. Why I do that? Because I like the start screen and what it offers in terms of customization. Yes, it's true I can't transform my tiles from rectangular to round ones, but I do not need that. :-) What else I really like to my phone. Well I enjoy its responsiveness. I like that it doesn't lag and it doesn't gets stuck. I also like Cortana and the integration with my Windows 10 laptop. I like that I can start an e-mail or a Word document on laptop and finish it on my phone. I like that I can view the text messages I received on my laptop too and I do not have to go and pickup my phone to see them. I like the camera that is present on my phone even though it is not anymore the best smartphone camera available on the market. I think that's about all I can say for now.

I believe in Microsoft's vision for the platform, and show my support by using it

I'm just as crazy as you. The windows environment is the one for me. Android truly sucks. Need one for my job. Ads everywhere.
And Iphone... No way I will ever add to Apples screwed up money making scheme.
When I do have to cough up € 1000,- I'd rather do it on a innovative device. Or rather the 2nd edition of it. Just waiting impatiently for the surface phone and Windows on ARM.
When I do have to cough up € 1000,-

Everything i want in one device. I have a very Windows central ecosystem. Plus, the OS. I love the start screen. I've also been with Windows since my HTC touch pro....

950xl user here, and I believe first post. I increasingly believe WP is the best platform. Continuum is truly a unique feature, which I use every day. Connect the phone to a 30" monitor and watch Amazon Prime on Continuum Edge. No other platform even come close to providing this capability. I read about the instabilities described in this forum, but for me, the phone is rock solid. I just hope MSFT does not ditch the platform.

My 640 does ever thing I need a phone to do, so why would I pay for a different phone?

Just switched to another platform (Sailfish, Nokia's legacy at it's finest), but I thought I'd share some of my thoughts too. I never thought I'd miss anything after leaving Windows. And I do, it's weird. I miss live tiles, Sailfish has something that's similar and kinda cool for its native apps (imagine interactive live tiles, but it's also showing last used thing, cause it's for switching between open apps), but it's not quite the same. I miss the ecosystem. Sure, Microsoft has quite a few solid Android apps (some of them are much better and more feature complete than on Windows), but it's not as integrated as on Windows. I even liked having SMS in Skype. Also, for some weird reason, I like Nextgen Reader and Poki more than official apps. I wish I could stay, but I like things that just work and for me, w10m doesn't do that, failing way too often.

I came late to Windows phone not knowing it even existed.  Had an Iphone 4 which I grew to dislike its huge limitations and have has several Android phones but grew tired of constantly having to update them.  Have had a Lumia 1520 and LOVE it.  The interface between laptop, surface tablet and phone is outstanding with Microsoft cloud.  I seem to constantly explain to people asking about my phone.  Microsoft obviously needs to let people know that these phones DO exist and how well they work with their other devices!

It's all about the ecosystem for me

I stopped using my 2012 Galaxy Note 2 in April last year, just before starting a new project in Bosnia at a water utility.  My new device was/is the Lumia 640, 2 x sim slots. Why?  Because I got wind of the Surface Phone and, with my Surface Pro 3, and since December 2016 my Surface Book (i5, 8 Gb RAM, 128 Gb SSD), I believe that will be a very productive device, especially with the Pen.  So I wanted to get used to Windows 10 Mobile. I don't use it for games, I keep in touch with my family in the UK mainly via WhatsApp, Skype and have all my email accounts on the 640.  I am still getting my Outlook contacts tidied up.  It is great to be able to communicate virtually anywhere, and I have enough apps to keep me abreast of the news, sprt, technology, weather, flights etc. What I do miss, at 69 years, is the lack of predictive text and Swype with WhatsApp etc on smaller device than the Note 2.  I have been tempted to try the Lumia 950XL, but right now would rather see what comes of the Surface Phone (or whatever it will be named, IF it materialises! Interestingly, at one of my early project meetings here in Bosnia last year, the number of Windows Phone/Mobile devices was about 30%

I have had Windows phones for many years. Just love them and can't live without Them. Now I have the new Elite x3 and before the 950 XL and the Nokia 1520. The best! Cheers     

Because I love the ecosystem and Windows 10 mobile is really fun to use. The LUMIA 950XL is my first Windows phone ever and although I carry around an LG V20, My Lumia just has that Windows feel that I enjoy and I use them both a lot equally when I'm away from home, sadly my Surface 3 never goes outside with me except on the porch if its nice and warm. There is one thing that bothers me with my Lumia is you can't charge with it powered down. I mean what the hell is Microsoft thinking?

I like being one in a million!!!

Been a WindowsPhone user. I've had for a 4ys when from blu win jr to the 550 to the 650 . from droids had about 10 of those over a & more fond of ease over customization and phones have been really good and sterdy devices. i prefer a windows phone i want microsoft to pursue it.

i am still using my lumia 950, i love the camera on this device. although many companies are cancelling their apps and many government and back apps are not available in australia. but i can live without these and use the browser and pin the page as a shortcut. i also love how i could mirror my lumia 930 on my TV screen and use continum on my TV to browse the net wirelessly on my 950 im giving microsoft another chance until the surface phone is released. otherwise im moving to Andriod.  

The UI is definitely the still the best mobile UI, Cortana is the best virtual assistant and it works so well with the Microsoft ecosystem. If Microsoft could just put it all together it would be amazing, its so frustrating. I have an 6s Plus and a 950, I'm constantly swapping between them. The iPhone is great but boring and Apple's services are crap unless you buy every device you own from them. Also the camera is overrated and Microsoft don't support the UK very well on iOS(no Cortana or Wordflow etc). So I swap to my Lumia an all is well with the world. Cortana is great, the UI is great, they way it works with my laptop is great. Then it does something stupid like refuses to connect to anything over Bluetooth or an app breaks(usually Groove). So then do I just deal with it and carry on, do I hard reset or do swap back to my iPhone. W10 Mobile is great when it runs well which is usually, its just a shame Microsoft took two years too long to get to this point.

  i have been using windows phone since 2002...when i-mate launched i-mate Smartphone! since then i have used dozens of mobile devices running windows as OS....from i-mate to sony ericsson to nokia to dopod to hp to dell to MS to many many more.....sometimes i even owned 4 devices at a time! its been so emotional for me to see the slow decline of windows phones....and its heart bleeding that even MS is not committed to producing phones! i am still hopeful that MS will at least release one device in at least every 2 years....just for the fans and loyal and die hard supporters....we dont want useless medium level device....we want good high end one....having top of everything.....be it a lumia surface phone or call it whatever.....but please MS dont leave us in dust....we were happy with 950xl but then what??? x3 is from hp not ms.

NOTHING DISPLAYS LIKE WINDOWS 10 ON MOBILE! WE ARE THE SELECT FEW THAT TURNS HEADS WHEN WE SWITCH OUR PHONES ON COS NOTHING OUT THERE LOOKS AS AWESOME AS WINDOWS 10! HOW BORING TO SEE MILLIONS OF ANDROID SAMSUNGS AND HERE WE COME WITH WINDOWS 10 ON MOBILE! I WANT TO STAND OUT IN A CROWD AS A INDIVIDUAL AND MY PHONE IS A REFLECTION OF WHAT I STAND FOR! I DONT DO MAINSTREAM! OVER THE MOON HAPPY WITH MY LUMIA 640 LTE WINDOWS 10 ANNIVERSARY EDITION! LISTEN TO THE RING OF THAT SOUND! NOTHING ELSE REMOTELY COMPARES! LET THE WORLD GO ANDROID MAD AND NOT BE NOTICED AS THAT LEAVES A NICE VACUUM THAT I WILL PROUDLY FILL MR BILL GATES! BILL GATES FOR PRESIDENT! I SALUTE YOU MY MICROSOFT MASTER! PS I HAD A SAMSUNG A5 2016 LOLLIPOP 5.1! WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING! WHY COULD I NOT CHANGE? I RUN WINDOWS 10 ON MY MSI GAMING DESKTOP AND 3 LAPTOPS AND 2 PHONES! SO HAPPILY THAT FORTUNATELY LEAVES NO ROOM FOR POOR OLD MAINSUCKSTREAM ANDROID

I've used Windows my whole (professional) life. I ostensibly purchased my L950, having never previously owned a Windows Mobile/Phone device, to do some mobile development work but ended up using it pretty much every day for keeping up-to-date with news, weather, e-mail, etc.  I'm not interested in signing up to the Apple cult, and having seen Android on a Samsung phone and a Sony TV, I can't say that it impressed me or that I much care for it.  I like the consistency of the Windows platform and user experience across my L950, tablet, desktop PC, and laptop (and someday, when I get around to buying one, an XB1), and for W10M specifically, the Home screen is definitely a plus over the competition.  If using Windows on a (smart) phone was no longer an option, I'd ditch smartphones altogether and go back to using my feature phone exclusively.

I still use my Windows phone and love it. I got it at a really good price, I liked the platform of using Windows 10, and the phone does just about everything I needed it for. There are a few apps that I can't get, that I would use, but it is not the end of the world. When I bought it I thought that there would be more people using them and that the apps had to play catch-up, but I was wrong about that. I love the phone and all the features it has. I thought for a while that Microsoft didn't do a good enough job in promoting their phones and that is why there are so few using them. I kind of still think that. I am not a fan of Apple so I would never have one of them, so this just leaves Android. I still think that if Microsoft would have promoted them more that they would have got more of the pie. Point 10 percent is not good.

First of all, the 0.1% is of people buying new phones isn't it? Doesn't say anything about people using a particular OS. ​Anyway, in our 5 person household we have 3 android tablets, 4 android phones, an iPhone, an iPad Air, and an Apple TV. Also several w10 PCs and laptops including a Surface Pro 3. So we have experience with all the platforms. My wife and I choose to use Lumia 950s. Why? The interface on everything else feels like they've barely reached the 21st century. It is sooo much quicker and easier to find and do stuff on W10M compared to the other interfaces. Fortunately the majority of the services we use often (eg banking and digital IDs) have apps on W10M. Public transport and loyalty apps are our biggest challenge, but I'm dreading the day our 950s start to die and we're left we few options to stay ..... :( Bring on the Westworld phablet Microsoft! Follow through with that patent!

I have been window mobile plataform users since version 6.1 with HTC HD until my NOKIA 1520, for me is the best plataform  and of course work in the same ecosystem Surface, PC and phone is amazing. But to be honest in these day we need more from microsoft, specialy app. Everybody know that your cel phone is more complex than that,  personal assitance, entertaiment, comunicaction,  data base etc etc, and when you begin to use wearables like smart watches the problems begin. Microsoft has a shy steps on this world given us a great thinking gadgets but poorly execute with   the microsoft band 1, in my opinion a totally garbage if we talk about materials and desing, but breat about display  and software, and then came the Microsft band 2 better design but when you decide to make the jump and upgrade, huge surprise !!!, microsoft stop selling this device with no aparent reason. Then if you want to walk trough the home automation...ANOHER HUGE SURPRISE !!!!, is practically impossible to find any app in the windows store to work with it or a gadget compatible with  this plataform. Sad to say but look there is no future in the use of windows phone or at least Microsoft vision look like. I love windows phone interface, i am 100% sure ther is the coolest in the mobile world, also is solid, looks amazing and above all is customizable, music app groove,  is fantastic, thx god is avialable on android, but let be honest we as users want a phone that let us grove,  interact  with  the future. Every day the options are narrowed to keep using windows phone with useful app and gadgets, pushing users to migrate to other plataforms. I hope MICROSOFT think better and deeper in the future of windows phone plataform and unsdertstand and trust in their own amazing products in mobile........

I like the Windows environment and chose a Windows phone a few years ago. I do not have a drawer full of other phones, just one, a L640 running W10M production. It serves me well. I'll likely keep it until it goes belly up. Next? Dunno, but if there are still Windows phones on the market, I'll probably go that route.

You already said it, it's because I'm crazy. But it's also because can't stand using my iOS and Android devices. The Windows interface is just so much better, and no Android lookalike can do it well enough. The main reason however is because I think MS is on the right track, they have so much good stuff coming. I like their vision. So much that I gladly sacrifice a few apps to show MS that I believe in them. More now than ever.

I switched to the Windows Phone years ago, after trying to use an Android for business. I love the O.S. and the seemless intergration with other Windows products. I am currently running a 950 XL and greatly appreciate Continuum. My entire family ended up switching to Windows Phones, including my teenage daughter, who has no complaints about the number of apps. Windows needs to stay in the fight and keep buidling these phones. People will eventually figure it out...

It's the general feel and usability of the os the camera is excellent and with the 950 there's the hint of what the device can become. I love the windows phone its pretty rock solid it looks good and it feels more stable, secure and finished os than android, plus how many people have the same black rectangle looking like nearly every other black rectangle, not me.

I just don't find the other platforms compelling enough to switch. Especially with the 950 xl which is a year old, maybe in a year and a half if there is no new compelling and well priced devices, I might switch. In addition to that, 99% of the apps I need are on the windows store.

Maybe this thread should be sent to those in charge of W10M at Microsoft. Might be an eye opener for them. :-)

I think the number one reason I use Windows Phone is that the Microsoft Windows ecosystem takes me back to the point in my life when I was a kid and the whole world of technology was being unfurled in front of me, most notably on my very own desktop computer running Windows 98 that I could play Motocross and Flight Simulator on. Then Windows XP for a decade, then finally, Windows 8.1 and now Windows 10. I spent so much time tweaking and getting familiar with the Windows platform as a kid that it just feels like home now, especially as the majority of Windows controls and settings haven't changed much in the last 20 years. Number two reason I use a Windows Phone: My love affair with Windows Phone started with the Icon and it's amazing camera. When it came out I was broke and couldn't afford one, so I had a 521(my first smartphone btw) for a while on Straight Talk until I could afford the Icon on Verizon. I really wasn't into smartphones until around that time, I was a huge desktop PC user, so that's why I was never into Windows Mobile before that. It was so cool to be able to awe users of the iPhone 6 with all of my cool camera capabilities, the awesome low-light capabilities, Lumia Refocus, and the raw quality of a 20MP sensor, to name a few things, and the coolest part was knowing my phone was a year older than the iPhone 6 and still managed to easily outperform the iPhone camera, that's how far ahead Nokia/Windows Phone was in terms of camera tech. It's really what sold me on the platform as a whole, and it's one of the main reasons I got a 950XL. The third reason is the integration with Microsoft services and the downright sexy GUI of Windows Phone/ Windows 10 Mobile. Live tiles are so awesome and the tile layout is worlds better to me than anything Android or Apple have come up with. I've been somewhat disappointed that Microsoft hasn't kept the focus on cutting edge camera tech as Nokia did and I hope there is something else in the works for us along that avenue. However, the OneDrive integration, tile interface, and the ability to be a part of the Windows Insider program have kept me with the platform. The app gap really doesn't bother me that much, in fact, the lack of apps doesn't really irritate me at all, what irritates me is that even for companies that have a Windows app, not all of them advertise it alongside the Google Play and App Store logos, which is ridiculous. And many companies don't seem to realize or care that they could be writing all of their apps with .NET/Xamarin and release them to all platforms, including Windows 10 Mobile, without adding that much workload. (I'm not a programmer, so maybe I don't understand how things really are, but I digress.) Even so, with the exception of a mobile banking app for my local bank that I use (First Dakota National Bank, really the only thing I can't just do online is deposit checks), I really haven't seen the gap personally. Everything I need is on my phone, shout out to the awesome developers that make apps like OBD Auto Doctor, Chronos Calendar, PC Remote Pro, Playcast, Tubecast, Plex, just to name a few of the apps I use frequently. They are all on the Windows Store, and I am a happy camper. I have to say, I really don't know what's in store for Windows mobile in the next year or two, I'm honestly a bit nervous about it at times, but there seems to be some really cool stuff coming down the pipeline, and my 950XL should be good for at least another year or two. So notwithstanding the complete demise of Windows mobile, which I don't see happening any time soon, I'll be sticking with the platform come what may, I just love it that much :). Anyways, just my perspective on things, thanks so much for putting the question out there Zac Bowden.

I still luv my 950xl after 1+ year of use no phone envy of new models of other phones. Does what I need solidly and reliably. Have had iOS and Android phones in the past. live tiles is awesome. Solid, secure and upto date os like ios, customisable and memory expandable like android.

My first Windows phone was a 620 to see what it was about, then I upgrade to 822, and a year ago I have a 650. It does all I need from a Samartphone, some times it is dificult to decide if I am going to check my emails or twitter in my Surface or my WP... I am waiting now for the Surface Phone. I wonder if Microsoft could incentive institution like Banks to affer apps on the wondows store, even if we have to pay for them i will be happy to have them.

My Windows Phone is my PC in my pocket. With this 950, I feel invincible!!! I thought I would miss my 1520, but I don't. I love it more actually. The camera is definitely on point. Writing documents on my phone, taking notes, and uploading to OneDrive has been a pleasure. Using continuum is also amazing! I'm in love with Microsoft, no matter how upset I get with them sometimes, I simply can't see myself using another platform.

Hey Zac,
The answer is simple:
-The operating system is good and solid.
-It allows me to fully synchronize all the mail, contacts and schedules and on all of my devices.
-The live tiles are great.
-I have all the Apps I need.
-Great battery life (unlike the iPhone people who run to a charging station at every stop at an airport).
-The phoned are durable and well built (I have a 950). You're not crazy Zac, you know how to pick a good phone.🙂

  "Are you like me, wanting to be apart of Microsoft's ecosystem? "
​I have to say, yes but reality is, the ms ecosystem is better on other plattforms "Do you like the platform?"
Yes, it has some glitches but any plattfoorm has this, the major one is the perfomance Why do i still use W10M? I still believe the ui ist superiour to others, i like to not to worry about "do i get the next security update", i dont see the need to replace my phone yet (lumia 830) and i dont know which device i should choose...i think the ui on android is not intuitive, ios is to restricted and of course not compatible with many of my homes hardware (miracast, dlna....)  

Also I would like to add... Cortana is my go assistant while I drive or when I'm to far from my phone to do a search, answer a text etc. my sister has one of those, whatcha ma call it iPhones. We compared picture quality my 1520 vs her iPhone 6, she was astonished by the colors and how vivid and bright are the pics on the 1520. Her pics were dull looking. Living images are awesome, when i show my living images people are often impressed and say, my phone can't do that. The notification area is pretty useful to reply to texts and emails. Double tap to wake and glance screen, and be able to just hover my hand over the phone to see the time or if I got texts it very convenient. I use word on the daily basis, at work and at home; it's awesome how i can start a document on the PC, step away and continue to write the document on my phone and vise versa. Convenient productivity. It's a simple minimalist UI that it is customized to the user needs.
We use iPhones at work, they are just plain boring, it's great hardware but lacks personality. I always carry my phone to do work on the fly that the iPhone can't do.
I can go on and on.... Long live the 0.1%!

I love my 950L, it's no longer the newest on the market. Having said that what I love is the windows comination, live tiles that show updates and my recent pictures, wireless charging (after owning a 920L, not having wireless charging seems like a backward step), love Cortana, expanadable memory and the fantastic camera. Even love using the Windows Hello. So far Windows phones have everything i want and those features don't appear on many other phones. My least favorite thing is how hard they are to find in the shops.

I love the UI. It has,all the apps I need, and integrates perfectly with all of my other devices. I am constantly running into people who love my phone and are thinking about, but never another WP user. I think if MS knew about marketing usage would grow well above .1

I'm still with Windows Phone/Mobile because I see no reason to move on from my Lumia 1520.  It's just the best.

Yo estoy encantado con mi Lumia 950. Va fenomenal, tengo las aplicaciones que quiero, menos wallet con mis Bancos. Pero por lo demás lo tengo todo, y Microsoft Edge va como un tiro. Y seguiré con él hasta que no de más e si. Y cuando llegue el final de mi lumia seguiré con Windows: La pantalla de escritorio, el tema negro en casi todas las aplicaciones, la fluidez, la cámara, la facilidad de su manejo... Son infinitas las ventajas que le veo.

Yes agree re comments about dark theme

Being part of a minority elite and triyng to enlight the ignorance of the masses are two rewards I get from my WP

I've been a Windows evangelist for more than 30 years, and got my first Windows phone in 2010. I subsequently jumped on the Nokia bandwagon with my Lumia 900 in early 2012, and was resoundingly b*tch-slapped for my loyalty, when Windows went to Windows Phone 8.X, leaving me and my fellow loyalists with our 7.8 features and a decidely bitter taste in our mouths. I later purchased a Lumia 1520, which I loved, and then bought a Lumia 950XL, which is current my goto mobile device. The article above expresses the reasons for my loyalty and satisfaction to-date, despite Microsoft's failures in marketing, CRM, and roadmap clarity. What the article doesn't touch upon is why I am choosing to stay with the OS: Microsoft has been playing a long game for the past 5 years, IMHO. The following is admittedly largely conjecture, and will potentially leave me open to all sorts of embarrassment from members of this community who are far more knowledgeable than myself, but here's hoping one can still simple share an opinion without too much backlash!: Microsoft is continuing to develop an interface scenario that centers around ubiquitous content access (The Cloud, in the form of OneDrive, OneNote, Microsoft Office 365, etc); device agnosticism (note that Microsoft software applications are freely available on Windows Phone, Windows 10 Mobile, iOS, and Android platforms alike); and cross-platform seamlessness (Windows 10 Universal, Continuum, etc). It is this last objective that Microsoft sees itself pursuing alone, for now. Apple and Google have tried, but are way behind, and are focusing on the consumer marketplace, where they are also competing with Amazon and others. Microsoft alone is developing a roadmap that will allow businesses and individuals to access their content without any hardware or software interface obstacles.  It's an immensely ambitious challenge, but they are almost there. If they succeed, they will be in a position to invite corporations and governments worldwide to completely refresh the way they communicate, work, strategize, collaborate, and trade. If that invitation is accepted by these market sectors, Microsoft will - once again - be the dominant force in computing life, this time across all platforms. They did it back in the 80s, and it led to them subsequently dominating the home computing landscape, until Apple came along and showed them how to do it with a more finely attuned consumer-facing sensibility, and then Google came along and showed both of them how to do it cheaper and more intuitively. How IoT (an area Google and Amazon are investing in), VR and AR (where Microsfot is one of the leaders, or AI might affect the roadmap remains to be seen, but I am staying, in the hope that I will soon be able to enjoy a computing, communications, and media lifestyle that makes me less of a slave to an awkwardly rigged device ecosystem of my own construction, and more the beneficiary of a fluid environment that works attractively and reliably in service to my needs and aspirations, as a businessman and indivdual. My loyalty to the Microsoft deveice and OS ecosystem is an investment in what I hope will be a rewarding evolution in UI, UX, and lifestyle.

well said, don't you also want to someday be able to say "I told you so/"    

I know this comment/question will probably get lost at this point, but would it make sense at this point to buy a 950 XL, to replace my 830? Is it too close to the "Surface phone" releasing and Arm on mobile?

I love my 950XL, but if it crashed on me tomorrow, I would have to think long and hard about which device to buy (it would still be Windows 10 Mobile, but not sure I'd make the financial commitment, given the rumblings over the horizon). I like to keep my devices for 3-5 years, if possible. If you are the type to buy a new device every two years or less, and your 830 is in dire need of replacement, I would heartily recommend the 950XL. If, however, your 830 is fine, and you want to make an investment that does not leave you holding a brick within the next year or two, I would suggest you hang on Sloopy, hang on.  

My very first Windows device was the HTC Touch Pro. I've essentially used almost all HTC Windows phone since 2007 all the way up to my HTC 7 Pro which was my first Windows Phone 7 device. My first Lumia was the 1520 (which I still have in a drawer as a trusty backup). I even have an unlocked international 1520 with QI. Then came the 925, the 640xl, the 830, 930 for the wife, 950xl and finally the Elite X3. Every computer in the house runs Windows and my Surface Book is the best Windows 2 in 1 ever. Personally I've never used an android or ios device. I feel like I need to take a shower every time I have to hold one of those things when a friend asks for my help with a function on them, or when I have to give a visitor access to my home wi-fi... 😁

I continue using Windows phone for its sheer elegance. The interface it provides is no match to the ones provided by the alternatives. I love the Live Tiles, Themes and the personalization that it offers. The only thing I find annoying is with the lack of some apps from some upcoming and popular vendors whose products I use (such as Arlo Security Cameras) but find no support in my phone.

I've had a company provided BlackBerry for years. In 2015 they went to BYOD. I've been using Windows 8 then 8.1 and fianlly Windows 10 on all of my home computers and love it, so the only phone that made any sense to me was a Windows phone. Microsoft was kind enough to release the Lumia 950 just in time. I love having the same interface on all of my devices, I love the live tiles, and so far they've had every app I've needed/wanted. I'm just getting back into programming and this will be great, I can write one app and use it on all of my devices. Can't wait for the new Surface mobile device!

For me, it's funny. I am not a big part of Microsoft's ecosystem. I don't like the XBOX brand of products. I've always been a Sony guy, more so because I actually like the sticks next to eachother than apart. As far as Windows phone goes, I've had a Samsung Focus, Lumia 920, Lumia Icon and a Blu WIN HD. I love the homescreen and "app drawer." The homescreen just feels comfortable and I've never been a fan of a iOS or Android. The main mic on my Icon stopped working, or else I'd still be using it daily. Now I have a s7 Edge and I'd gladly give it up for a Lumia 950 XL or Elite X3.  Windows Phone/Mobile honestly does everything I want it to like with Zac and I long for a new device that I can convince my wife to let me buy. I hope that someday they start to be offered on contract by carriers again.

Starting with the love of Nokia and Microsoft, I bought my umia 920

Simple OS. No overly complicated menus everywhere. Address book, email and calender sync with laptop perfectly. Android "address books" and "contacts" functions are ridiculuosly complicated.

Love my "OLD" 1520, for exactly the same reasons!!

Lumia 950 and previous like 820,920.1020,I writing true never freeze,jam,tuch the best,maps world ,and camera ,pocket pc any other can do this?

Reasons I am no longer using my Windows Phone (Nokia 830): - Microsoft removed the FM Radio WITHOUT MY PERMISSION AND WITHOUT NOTIFICATION. - The FM Radio is part of the Hardware (a chip on the phone) and should not be classed as an 'App'. - Microsoft updates DISABLED THE MAIN MICROPHONE on the phone - an issue that is yet to be fixed. There have been enough users who have posted that they have the same issue to indicate it is a software fault, not a hardware one. Otherwise, I would still be using it, despite the lack of Apps. (I have a Samsung Tablet that I can access all the Apps I want on).
What I did like about it and miss: Live tiles Cortana - far more personal and interactive than Google's nameless voice assistant. (I have never owned or used an Apple device, so know nothing of Siri)

I am still a fan.  I'm a Verizon user with a Lumia Icon.  I've been using the Win phone since release day of the 928.  While I've been frustrated by the occasional missing app, or app that is missing certain features on WinMobile, I still love the basic OS.  I always seem to be able to find a work-around that is not too onerous.  My son has an iPhone, his mom has an Android, so I use both the competing devices regularly, as I am the designated "fixer of electronics".  Out of the box, WinMobile has, by far, the best user interface of the three models. However, once my Lumia dies, I don't know where I go.  I've considered moving to AT&T, but Verizon still has the strongest signal in my area.  On top of that, my company gets a 20% discount with Verizon, which adds up.  I don't see any feature phones coming down the Verizon path, so it is very possible that the Icon is my last Windows phone.  This makes me sad.  

Join the unlocked world...Lumia's are a dime a dozen on Amazon!

My phone IS unlocked, all Icons are.  How does that help me?  Like I said in my OP, I have an incentive to stay on Verizon.  If there is no new phone to use on their network (CDMA), then locked or unlocked, I'm screwed.  Yes, if I go to AT&T (GSM), I can consider other devices, but that's exactly the dilemma.  I have better signal and coverage in my area with Verizon. The hard truth is that all we are really talking about is a phone.  If, for what ever reason, I need to change to another eco system, I can with relatively minor annoyances.  It's not like moving from a Mac to Windows or vice-versa.  Cell phones are typically swapped out every two years or so, where as I expect to get 4 to 5 years out of my laptop and even more out of a desktop computer with incremental upgrades. It just sucks that MS has this fantastic phone OS, but never really put the effort into a coherent plan to bring it to the masses.

The OS is the reason. It makes perfect sense. Apple is too rigid and boring and I'd never use their overpriced barely updated devices. Android is too much of an opern frontier and really not much different iOS. Sure it has widgets, but those just don't satisfy like tiles do. Most of what I need is readily available and with updates right on the tile if I need them. It is a shame that apps keep a lot of people away, but I've got all the apps I need.

It looks good.  It is configurable, tweakable (within limitations), and customizable. The most productive mobile device on the planet (for me of course).

As has already been said here by others many times, I love the Start Screen and customization possible on Windows Phone. My employer bought me an iPhone 6 and I actually tried to use it, installing various Microsoft services. It is just so dull to look at. I don't use it, it sits in a drawer. I use my 950XL which I've owned since it was launched. I even bought a second 950XL recently at a far reduced price in case something ever happens to my original. A glance at my Start Screen shows me the temperature in my back yard as well as the regional forecast, the latest email, newest Tweets, news, finance, and sports headlines and more. Looking at the iPhone shows me a static grid of icons. My bank has an app for Windows Mobile and so does Starbucks (which I proudly frequent). I won't willingly ever give up my Windows Phone.

Best phone going around. Long-time Windows phone user. Best interface - ability to connect with my PC - fantastic apps. Have used iPhones (briefly) - don't understand all the hype. Far too expensive and I reckon iPhone users cannot think for themselves. I just hope Microsoft continues supporting Windows Phones - I am currently using Microsoft Lumia 650  - best "small" phone and a fantastically cheap price. Please don't disappoint me Microsoft

Yes, I still use and love my windows phone. I currently have the 950 and am patiently waiting for the Surface Phone. I got an email from my Bing Rewards asking me about my Microsoft Story. I basically said, I go into the Microsoft store looking for something new, money in hand, and there isn't anything!!! I have windows 10 on PC, Surface Pro 4, Lumia 950. Xbox 360 (i don't use it enough to justify the Xbox One-yet) I am on my second Band 2 (one got damaged in a car wreck) and had to buy it on ebay. I like where Microsoft was headed with one system for all devices, but they forgot to keep up with the devices!!! When I got the unlocked, dual sim, 950, I put two sim cards in and it work flawlessly. It is a great idea for business, and I cannot for the life of me, understand why it isn't utilized more. So, yeah, I will stay with the Windows phone until there really isn't one...        

I'm using an iPhone 7 plus, but I still love Windows phone. My 88 year old mom is now using my 950. I set it up in a simple mode for her - only ten basic tiles at the wide setting. and set it for large text. I wish my iPhone had W10M and several other things indigenous to it.

For love.

  I have been using a Windows phone since my Lumia Icon back when I was with Verizon.  I stayed with Windows and in part, chose to move to AT&T so I could get my Lumia 950, which I love!  The start screen is one of the most immediate features I love everytime I open the phone.  It's so nice to see updates in certain apps without having to actually open the app.  I also love Cortana above Google Now or Siri.  While I know she's available on the other platforms, the integration just isn't as tight.  Speaking of integration, I rely on the seamless syncronization between my phone, desktop, and laptop for notes, mail, and my calendar.  I know the others can do that, but it's built in, so I only have to have my account attached, and everything happens automatically.  The app gap never bothered me, though I would like Chase to return to supporting Windows with an app.  As for glitches, I've had them with just about any smart phone I've ever used.  I look forward to the next phone that comes out with W10M!  *Gosh, after reading comments, I can't believe I forgot to mention two of my favorite features!  The camera is one of the best I've ever had, whether on the phone, or a dedicated digital camera.  Then there's Continuum.  I use it daily at work during my lunch breaks to watch Netflix, and all the other employees are jealous!  Continuum was rather buggy at first, but with all the updates, it's become quite smooth and reliable, and the number of Universal apps has increased.  I also use it for Power Point presentations in the conference room.  Whenever visitors need something for presentations, they love when I let them borrow my phone!  lol  

For all the reasons you stated so reason repeating. I just like it!! Sadly Verizon doesn't but I'm stuck with them. Verizon coverage is many times better where I live. 

I prefer Windows phone platform. It is better than any other to connect with windows computers. I use Nokia Lumie 1020 - the best photophone ever - and a perfect smartphone. I will buy a new windows phone, next time.    

I jumped on the Windows Phone bandwagon with a Lumia 720, I was Android prior to that.  I liked how smooth and polished the experience was on low-end hardware which Android wasn't.  Also I find the layout logical - things are where you expect them to be. However the clunkiness of Android has been resolved somewhat, and even low-end hardware is great these days so I might be swapping over next round.  

I use the Lumia 950 daily and love it, but I will hold my hands up I do also use a iPad and android phone as well but compared to how much i use windows it's a tiny amount. It has to to be the OS and onedrive for me it just works in my daily life so well

Other platforms are not bad so shed your guilt...competition is a good thing

I've been using Microsoft mobile devices before they even integrated the phone, all the way back to the 4 grayscales Palm-size PC in 1998. Really enjoyed the Pocket PC days and integration with the phone. I think using the Smartphone platform for a few years as my primary phone device made me realize I didn't really need many apps. I value mostly the synchronisation of my Outlook / PIM data (contacts, e-mails, calendar) and the full integration with Exchange Server. ​I was pretty upset about their dumbing down of the platform in the Windows Mobile 6.x days, and regularly voiced my dissapointment with the lack of real evolution towards a touch-first instead of stylus-first experience.
​So I kind of lost faith, but kept using them for PIM, as Exchange AirSync is still the most important thing in a PDA or Smartphone to me. Windows 10 Mobile picked my interest back, as they finally managed to unify the API and UI layer across platforms, which was the holy grail we were aiming for all those years. So while I know some apps are missing, I don't really care as I value the consistency with apps I have on tablets and PCs more than the time-wasters I don't have access to.
​To me having the same apps on my phone as on my other devices is the most important, if I want more than PIM and a few games, I'm likely to grab the tablet anyway. I also believe the smartphone will only be one of the many devices we'll be using soon, and not the most important one. 5 years from now we'll grab the smartphone just for a quick glance at some app, and take out the tablet or the holographic glasses when we want more than just a glance. Unified apps across all our devices will then be the most important thing. In 10 years, we'll probably have Windows Mixed Reality working on glasses no bigger than sunglasses, and won't even carry a smartphone anymore. So UWP really is the critical piece missing in every other smartphone.

I had an iPhone, but was excited by the prospect of Continuum and I was getting bored of the layout of iOS.  So I changed to a Lumia 950,  proberbly the best device I have ever bought.  The camera is amazing, I dont use continiuum much but when I do I still cant get over how well it works and how useful it is.  Basically I think it really was an up grade.  I am the IT guy at home and still have cause to use Android and iOS and if I had to get a new phone tomorrow it would still be a Windows phone.  I dont use many apps so never notice the app gap.  I like the live tiles, the whole UI.  Android always feels messy and a bit buggy to me.  iOS drives me nuts now because it feels like its for children.  Also the navigation on WP feels far quicker with less clicks to get from place to place.  I hope to contiuue to use WP for the forseeable future.  When I need a new phone, I will want a good camera and continiuum with a 5"+ screen, those will be my main requirments so the continiuum will mean I have to get a WP.

I love the OS I cant imagine not having live tiles, the future of UWP, and Continuum. All my PC's are Windows 10 I have no desire to work across multiple ecosystems Microsoft has everything I need. The app gap isn't an issue I have way to many apps on my phone I don't use as it is. To be honest I see it all as Windows 10 no matter what type of device

I like the promise of Continuum, and I'm waiting to see what's next in Creators Update. Seriously thinking about an Android or iPhone at this point tho...

I'm waiting for some new hardware first. I still charge my 920 every week and using it as a second device, like playing music with its amazing equalizer! The battery still holds quite well, not as well as with 8.1, but the W10M version for it is just a preview which is outdated for a long time ago. I'm using a Xperia Z5 as a daily driver, but what drives me crazy is that they promise better battery life with every update, but it just gets worse. I recently got Android 7 Nougat and Sony promised some big improvements within battery life, I think I've never been so desperate after a charger like I am now. I could stay a whole day at school with one charge, now I always need to ask someone to borrow a charger since I'm not used to take with me a charger to school. I'm very curious about when, how and what Microsoft will show us at their next hardware event. I would hope for a huge launch of Surface Book 2, Surface Pro 5, maybe a Surface 5 and Xbox Project Scorpio at the same event. That would be a mindblowing turbo event with a badass tornado!  (PS: New movie spoiled, Surfnado) My last wish would be a smartwatch too, and I'm sold. But that's maybe too much to ask about...

Because android is a fragmented mess and it's UI looks like ****. iOS is just too restricted (no file system, need an app to handle every simple task)

I have a 640 XL.  I really love Windows Mobile and have had almost zero problems.  The phone is through ATT.  The display is crisp and fits my elderly eyes.  I really like the fact that things look and act the same on my phone, tablet, and pc.  Of course the 640 XL has very little internal memory so I have a micro sd to store what I need to there.  Most of the meaningful things I do I store on One Drive.  And occasionally do minor editing to documents in mobile versions of Word and Excel from the phone.  I don't play games or download music or watch movies.  Photos and videos are more than adequate.  I'm a retired computer technician and do volunteer networking for a small non profit.  My Windows phone does everything I need it to do and everything is familiar.

I still use my Lumia 535 because it has all I need on the go. I also see it as an understatement. I just love it

I still love the Windows 10 mobile system. It is missing some apps that I would like to see, but for the most part, what I need is either available, or can be done from the web site. The start screen is unbeatable - live tiles are still the way go. I have a Lumia 640 which fully fits my needs. I am on a month to month t-mobile plan, so I am not locked in. I just have no desire to move anywhere else. Hopefully, Microsoft will continue to support to O/S.

I've been with Windows Phone since the Lumia 900 dropped, went through WP7.5 through to my older L930 which is ably running W10m. I have had the option to switch a few times. I've resisted, and have stayed, and would STILL stay if this phone crapped out right now, because: 1. The home screen is just home to me. It's useful, it's personal, and it is STILL the best going. Nothing on Android or iOS is remotely as desireable as a properly personalized Wiindows 10 Mobile home screen.  2. The app gap isn't a huge problem for me. Yes, there are apps that I miss, but there aren't many. 90% of what I want this phone for is covered by what I've got access to right now. 3. Maps is awesome, and significantly better than the implementations of Apple Maps and Google Maps, IMO. I love being able to download a whole region and be set for travel ahead of time.  4. I still love my Lumia 930. The form factor is great, size is totally sufficient for what I need it for, and in a pinch I'd jump on either a L650 or L950 as a replacement.   

I only bought my Lumia 640 in either January or February of 2016. I went with Windows phone because I thought it would be less of a learning curve since I have used Windows computers exclusivley. I see no reason to stop using Windows phone. Because I have a pre-paid Go Phone account with AT&T there are not a lot of affordable options when it comes to smart phones other than Android. Though if I could not get a Windows phone I would   certainly get Android any day before an iPhone (I have an aversion to Apple products). The only thing I would like that I do not currently have is the ability to use Facebook live on my Windows phone. Strangely, I can use Facebook live using the Facebook app (as opposed to going to the Facebook website) on my computers but, even though it SHOULD be the same app on my phone, I cannot use Facebook live on my phone. I honestly believe that Windows phone is such a niche market because they do not take the time to properly market to their target demographic. Microsoft also needs to pay better attention to what their customer base wants rather than hoping we like what they shell out.

I love my Lumia 950XL

I use Win Mobile because I love live tiles and most of my life is in the MS ecosystem. My 950 is my daily driver, though I do own a Moto X, which is used as a controller around the house for use withAlexa, my Perfect Scale, and Phillips Hue. 

All my computing devices are windows 10, therefore I enjoy the same look and feel across all my devices. Every thing I need and (so far) want is available in the Store. It just doesn't get any better than this.

The start screen.
Live tiles are what hooked me and they are what keep me.

  Absolutely love Windows Phone, especially my Lumia 950, but the lack of apps is a bit of a problem - I bought an iphone and android phone just to use PayPal Here. I hate both of them: Android is just a mess and ios feels medieval in comparison to Windows phone, So, for me, the alternatives are awful. What do I love about Windows Phone: ​Firstly, I'm with you - I love the start screen, at a glance info easily accesible plus fun stuff like my favourite photos bring a smile to my face And again like you, the windows eco-system: I put calendar entry in outlook on my desktop and its already there on my phone. I make a OneNote note on my phone and I can continue editing it on my Surface. I take a photo on my phone and it's already on my desktop when I get home ready for editing. Seamlessly perfect. The Lumia 950 camera is brilliant. I love iphone users that moan about their memory being full - I tell them to put a bigger memory card in, ha, ha! (Have over 200gb on my phone, plus endless storage on OneDrive) Wireless charging The glance screen - a perfect bedside clock Cortana - love her reminders, especially location based ones which I use all the time Maps - so much better than apple maps Office lens The ability to quickly pin notes, web pages, contacts, directions or places, weather forecasts, photos, whats app groups and so much more to the start screen for quick access back buttom, windows key and cortana always available the dedicated camera button Groove  Windows Hello Fast USB C charging and the ability to plug in usb drives and memory cards Cortana reading out my texts in the car, and replying by voice Continuum! So much goodness, just wish the rest of the world would wake up and realise what they were missing out on because that would solve the only real problem - the lack of apps. So hoping we soon see an awesome Surface phone that is even better and finally gets Windows Phone into the hands of the masses.      

I apologize if this is a repeated comment... Wow 650 comments... We might have found all the WP users left!=P

I've been with Windows Phone/Mobile from the beginning. Endured the ups and downs, but not once, has the phone not done what i needed it to do. I had the Samsung Focus, Nokia Lumia 920, Lumia 1520 and now the 950 XL. I loved each of those phones during the time I owned them. Although, i still have my 1520, it's just not usable as a phone. Despite certain apps I would love to see on Windows 10, many of them have Mobile websites that can be pinned to the background and used in a similar way as an app. Besides all of what i just mentioned, I just love Windows 10 Mobile and i am looking forward to seeing were this long road will lead. There you have it.

You're completely missing the key point. MS alienated the Nokia user base by not understanding the brand they acquired. Nokia's core selling points were excellent design, cutting edge imaging, innovative mapping capabilities and a commitment to increasing and maintaining the key apps that users need. Looking at my Lumia 950, MS failed on all of the above and made a joke of Nadella's cloud first, mobile first mantra. Right now I'm waiting for the rumoured Nokia 8 on Android. I feel very let down by MS, and they have to learn that an acquisition that is not understood is a waste of time and money.

Okay well I'm a 17 years old student from India. And I love my windows phone actually I'm using a Lumia 730 which is really good. And I'm committed to windows phone is because I trust Microsoft that they will will soon make us proud being a windows phone user.

I have used Android phones for donkeys years,  but was recently tempted to have a new Windows phone on contract, although I was a bit wary. I've had major problems with Windows 10, mainly the constant "freezing up" of the operating system at random periods,especially whilst online. It locks up for minutes at a time, and has just done so as I typed this!!  Apart from all the security problems with Windows 10 collecting and retaining all my user habits ( which I put a stop to eventually by using an anti-spying-and-reporting-home software program)  I thought I'd give the Lumia Windows phone a go but it didn't last long, and is in a bag ready to sell to my local CeX shop.  It lacked so much of what was good on an Android phone, especially the app I needed to monitor my home security cameras which, I was told most indignantly by the camera manufacturers, would NEVER be made available for the Windows phone as quote "it's not viable because not many people have them" If it was possible to run Android apps on the Windows phone I may have stuck with it, as it was easy to transfer items to and from my home computer. I have always steered clear of  iPhones, but my son gave me his old one to use after I ditched my Lumia, and I will never use anything else. All the types of apps I used to use on Android are available on the Iphone, there's loads of storage  and the battery charges up as fast as Lewis Hamilton on a great day! I might even consider saving up my pension and purchase an Apple iMac to see if it's any better than my Windows 10 desktop computer. It can't be any worse.

I'm just loco :)

Windows phone is just different. Everyone talks about what it can't do. But what about everything it does. First to iris, first with high mega pixel camera, first to continuim, micro SD expansion, home screen, live tiles, its just a matter of time until things go windows phone way. All the apps I need are there. Snapchat will be gone as Instagram will overtake it or buy them out. Plus every time I have someone take a picture using my phone they always say what kind of phone is that, and when I tell them they always ask how come they don't have them a stores. People follow trends. Windows phone/mobile/10 or whatever you want to call it will have It's day. And ill be glad to be a pioneer when they do.

I forgot to add that I detestb iTunes, and iPhones are overpriced. The Moto X Pure Edition is actually a nice phone at a reasonable price, Andriod just doesn't do it for me as a daily driver.

Here's why I use it-it isn't android and it isn't iOS. Don't want the same thing everybody else uses.
And still the best start screen, always will be.

Well i am using windows phone from 2014 n i did go to ios n android...but problem that i face that these two os have many apps but i cant install all of em at one time or memory goes full ...but in windows i have no such problem i have all high end games windows store have all major app that i use ...over hundred apps are installed and work smooth not as fast as android or ios but smooth... And there is monthly updates ... And time to time i see improvement in windows os too... And i like the fact its not get slugish than before but it gets faster with each update unlike android...and i love interface ..waiting for surface phone

'cuz of the ecosystem, and it pretty much works. Lack of support for Waze hurts though, it's the only driving app that gives traffic updates in my country, and there's always traffic.

Professionally the phone is everything I need, complete connection to the whole W10 ecosystem. Full Office compatability, with Continuum when I need it (presenting, on the road), and a great camera to boot... All with cloud systems that just work.

Preface: I have been with Microsoft both personally and in corporate deliveries of Microsoft server side technoloigies since DOS beat OS2 (righty or wrongly), and when Windows arrived and allowed more than one application to be open at a time (breathtaking at the time). Comment: The Microsoft 'ecosystem' clearly has been and still is a continuous evolution using open systems (a mix of open and closed these days). The competition to Windows NT back in the day was Sun Microsystems and others in the UNIX consortium, which was natively a closed system ('you get what we give you') but still to enterprise only at that stage. UNIX derivatives are still the underpinnings of MAC's OSX/iOS/iPhone (note the 'X" in there being a nod to UNIX) and the 'you get what we give you' philospohy, and along with the incumbant stability captured the imagination of the tour de force that was Steve Jobs who brought it directly to consumers. The Microsoft ecosystem has never directly focused on any single client type and has corporately faired both well and badly at different times as the paradigms have rolled by. Conclusion: Windows phone is at the same stage as Microsoft is more generally, it's survived somehow to bring together the amassed evolution of value adding features and philosophies that with the unifying Wondows 10 initiative, is seriously set to leap frog everything else out there and actually drive the next paradigm (Nadella willing). On Windows Phone specifically, an impartial side by side, on its merits, as it stands today, comparison as a smartphone (I use a Lumia 950XL Dual SIM with a Mozo leather back case - yum), it stands head and shoulders above all my business colleagues' iPhones, Android's, Blackberry's, Sony's and recent Chinese entrants in terms of 'look and feel', operability (once configured), and even for apps which has all the ones I need that don't have an HTML5 equivelants anyway (often inextingishable). I would be broken hearted if I had to go to an iPhone, even with the Apple versions of Office and Onedrive available. I gave my 13 year old a Lumia 950 for her first phone along with a Surface Book for her first term at high school. She is fully integrated with the schools O365 both on her phone and Laptop. With no preconceptions she loves it and knows instinctively she's got the jump on her peers (no stigma rather repsect and even awe). Plus she gets stuff done in a fraction of the time (sometimes on her phone while waiting to be picked up) and without having to do everything through a web portal. The youthful approach to technology lapses interestingly is to simply get out of it what it can do and move on to something when else when it doesn't do it - no frustration, just pragmatism. I even set up continuum with a Microsoft fold out mini keyboard and quite regularly knock over edits to office documents on my phone. I wonder though if my imunity to Microsoft lapses is infact numbness or mental conditioning by the journey since DOS. PD

Without question it is the start screen and live tiles that keep me with W10M. All that information at a glance with a very pleasing look does it for me.

I also love this Os!!!! I go way back to the Htc Wing? Geez, i think that`s what it was called. Also had the Htc Hd2. Fully agree with you about the start screen,it`s the best! My favorite though by far was the beloved 1020. It just burns me through and through of why can`t they get the apps to compete with the others. Heck i dont really care if they want to compete with them or not. Why can they not get the apps like other Operating systems? You know they know that they won`t attract other consumers until they start getting all the main apps. It alway`s seems like it`s a battle for Microsoft to do what they need to do. It really isn`t brain surgery like they make it seem like.They are alway`s at least 6-10 months lacking behind the other Os`s. Again,you know they know this!!! Why don`t they hire someone that get`s things going on time and with the current trend? Oh HELL i could go on and on about this and that. I love my Microsoft 950 Xl though. I beg of you to hire me to get everything going in the right direction. :P

I have been tinkering around with windows on PC since I was a kid. Why would I move away from it. I always assumed anything with similarities would make more sense to me when learning an ecosystem why bounce around from a home windows pc to an android phone and a sony game system, there fore I bought all Microsoft and it is much easier navigating settings, signing in, sharing files, updating devices or even changing my kids family settings works across all devices.
I don't think Windows haters understand what they are missing.

You pretty much summed it up for me and written with better grammar. Android just does not do it for me. I have a iPhone for work it does what it supposed to do...I feel like I have to tap more places to get where I need to get to on that phone. The same goes for android. Windows I can access certain really fast with one hand too.

I love the Windows ecosystem. All my devices are Microsoft.

I like my Samsung ATIV S and find Windows easy to use. Unfortunately my phone cannot be updated to Windows 10 but I can live with that. All three of my compuers are running Windows 10 and, being a simple kind of chap, it is nice to have similarity between the devices.
Window had more than enough apps for me so I see no merit in making my life more complicated.

My first Windows Phone was a 520. I got it in the end of 2014 for just $45 as a replacement to my iPhone 5s - I just couldn't stand spending hundreds of dollars on new sets of lightspeed-degradable lightning cables (and I used a number of “sturdier” options as well) and a battery that would go down to 20% after just one-to-two hours off the cable. And I wouldn't get a Nexus or any 3rd party Android device, since in most cases the current hardware of the time couldn't keep up with current software, and battery life was also generally awful.
When I got the device, it took less than a minute to set it up and my first impressions were good: I liked the OS - it was simple, fast, easy to navigate, and absence of apps bothered me only at first. It didn't seem to be as monotone as iOS or as overwhelming as Android, In fact I liked it so much that I upgraded to 1520 just three months later. Now THAT beast had a magnificent 6-inch screen, I think that it was one of the best screens on the market at a time, even though the phone was almost two years old. Call me blind, but I swear I couldn't see much difference in resolution between my 1520 and iPhone's Retina display, even when 6 Plus came out. It had what felt like an enormous and efficient battery – after a full day it still had at least 50% of juice left. The 20MP camera was great at taking beautiful pictures, and Lumia Creative Studio suite came in handy in case I needed some light tweaks here and there. I also found that I could just put pictures taken with my DSLR onto computer and edit it instantly on my phone, thanks to OneDrive synchronization - It felt like having a miniature photo studio in my pocket whenever I needed it. It served me well on WM8.1 and got even better when I installed W10. As a college student the Microsoft ecosystem serves me well even today since I want to have access to all of my files on all of my devices.
But all good things come to an end: last September I dropped it and the screen shattered to the point that it became almost unresponsive. I couldn't find a store or a shop that could find a replacement - had to wait for over 14 days with ClickAway to fix it, but they said that their suppliers don't have 1520 screens anymore, and I wouldn’t risk taking the phone apart to replace it myself. Boy I was glad when, after an excruciatingly annoying and long session of luck-tapping the screen, I managed to connect my Microsoft Design mouse and keyboard to the phone. A couple of clicks later I already backed up all of my data to OneDrive. After that I had to switch back to 520, but, spoiled by W10 on a much better hardware, I couldn't stand the freezes and lags of that phone.
Then I went and purchased a 950. I knew that MS were killing the Lumia brand, but I surely didn't want to come back to Android or iOS. Continuum has become my most favorite feature of the phone - I think that this is the future of personal computing and I am happy with it.
 I remain hopeful that one day W10 on a phone will find it's popularity, but if not I am going to stay with it until MS kills it.
(Typed up on a Microsoft Lumia 950 w/ Continuum)

My first smartphone was Windows phone, 7. I have always liked it because it seems easier to move around in since I use a desktop all the time. Both have 10 on them and I really like that I can get information on my computer when I get a call letting me know if I want to get the phone to talk or ignore, which I do most of the time anyway. Hey, phones are for me to use when I want not just because someone calls me.
I like my Windows phone for the same reasons you listed plus one thing I do on my phone is I create a tile for each member of my family that has a telephone so that I can find them on the start screen and not have to go to the phone app. Plus that if I have their email address it too is linked to that listing meaning that I can not only call them but text or email them from one location along with a picture of them on the tile so that I can easily see it. Now that I am older I have to have glasses to read but I can see a picture of each person and identify them without my glasses.
The live tiles are great because even with my personal contacts on there the picture and any information letting me know I have a message or a an email changes with the pictures. Another thing about tiles, I have a 640 XL and I mix up the sizes of tiles and I currently have over 50 tiles on my start screen that I can access without scrolling at all. My wife has a 950 and she has the medium size tiles with a few small ones of family on her phone as well with not nearly as many on her start screen that she can access without scrolling. Can't do that on the other two OSes to my knowledge.
While some companies have dropped support for Windows in the mobile world, my bank was one of them, it has not really been a bad situation because I use one of the password managers, Last Pass, on my desktop and phone as well so I can easily access my bank through there. All the talk about all the apps out there on the other OSes is mostly just bragging anyway because in reality how many ways does a person need to hear a fart anyway?
I am an older person now, 60+ years in age and I have hearing loss so a phone is not always something that I will be able to use but with Bluetooth connectivity and some of the newer hearing aids a smartphone will work better for me than the traditional home phone and hearing aids that use magnetic connection to make them work better. But when the Windows phone os becomes obsolete if what people are saying then I will not have a smartphone to use because I really don't like the other choices at all. I will have to use something else for my hearing a call or better yet it will be a good excuse for those who want to talk to me and I don't.

Well i am hoping that windows platform will become better in time. For now I am satisfied with my lumia 650xl, everything that is connected to my job is working just fine, apps are good, i dont really care about facebook, twitter, instagram etc... But now for example after update to os version 150 i cannot open my glance screen settings. Overall i am happy with this phone but i can wait for that day when we will be able to install, run or open any app from pc on our windows phones.

Simple because I love it. I love this OS, the designe, the live tiles.
I still think it is best then android and ios. Simple, clean, no messy and the "app problem" it's not so big as people talk.
The one think I do not understand:
Nadela ideas for W10M. Stupid, stupid man.

Microsoft ecosystem for me is the biggest reason. It's the tight integration and of course the similar interface between WM10 and all my other Windows devices. I 'work' both personal and enterprise the Microsoft ecosystem and WM10 makes sense to me, is productive for me, and find it easy. I'm hoping for the next Windows mobile (or surface phone) but very cautiously. On the other hand or the negative side, I'm honestly contemplating my next phone and whether I jump to iOS or Android because of the market share and shear number of apps and support. In many ways the lack of apps and support such as my favorite grocery store, or my bank, or plenty of other everyday things, has me on the fence with one foot already in iOS., WM10 feels like the long lost illegitimate child that nobody cares about. Bottom line on any device and OS; I need to do what I need to do when I need to do it without jumping through hoops or perhaps not able at all. I've done some crazy things on my WM10 phone to do things it wouldn't do. Even looked at hacking it to allow android apps (Astoria).

I am a grownup.  Not really interested in fashion statement. I have always used Lumias and now use HP Elite X3 with great reception, sd slot, email, text, screen quality and size.  Would rather have 7" Microsoft/Lumia with Glance etc. but HP OK for now.  Only use apps for news, weather, podcasts.  Don't care about your kids, cats, facebook or twitter.  By the way, nobody cares if you can't afford the phone.      

I will hopefully never have to go back to Android.  I will never go to iOS.  I love my Windows phone.  I have two of them; both the same thing, Samsung ATIV SEs.  My wife also has one.  She also loves her Windows phone, although she never had an Android one (I have).  I hacked the registry on all three so I could put Win 10 Mobile on them (They were 8.0 -> 8.1).  Win 10 Mobile runs fantastically on the two (My wife's and my daily driver) that are Release Preview insider builds.  My test phone which is Fast ring build runs great too, when I can get the stinkin' thing to actually upgrade.  With all that said, the reason I love Windows 10 Mobile is it's ease of use and fantastic UI.  Sure there are a lot more apps on Android and iOS, but I don't care.  I don't use many apps on my phone.  Yes, there are a few apps I used to use on my Android phone that I can't get for Windows 10 Mobile; I live with it and find an alternative app or just don't use it anymore on my phone.  I don't feel my phone has to be like my desktop computer.  Anyway, if and when Microsoft does what it says and releases a new pocket PC I may jump on it; don't know yet, though. - RW

Sorry I like android! Specifically the Galaxy S7, but I think we all can agree both platforms are better than ios.

700 comments strong, it doesn't even load in the app. I'm using Lumia 950xl because the OS was made for me I believe. I love every bit of it.

So I am still using my 950XL on the Fast Ring, would not trade it for anything. Upfront, not a gamer, my device is for work and private personal endeavors, it needs to work, not provide me with the best FPS rate on the latest brain neutralizing game. I also lack any type of social media accounts, but they are all available on WP as well. I came over from Blackberry, but I was an Open Handset follower for a brief while until Google went on full ad mode (Droid 1, Rooted, Odexed and Google removed) then went back to Blackberry. Sad day when it became apparent BB10 was on the death bed, a lot of potential, then my Z30 screen got damaged sealing the deal. (I hoped MSFT would have grabbed them up). So work, secure, and focused is why I came to WP.
My positives:
First, anything with a Google label is going to be a personal privacy nightmare, at the end of the day Google is an advertising company first and you are their product.
Second, while I am a Linux user, I never got onboard with the Mac (Unix) boat because of the status item classification, lack of customization or options that Apple offers. While they claim to be the most secure, I would counter that having all proprietary hardware and software means less effort to find them exploits, which there have been more than a few. Not impressed with the hardware either.
Third, as many feel, the GUI on Windows is the best experience in my opinion as well. Coming over from Blackberry when they sold out to Android, the notification system alone was the only thing close. Now with cross device notifications and capabilities like Blackberry established is the most useful feature when working. Everything mostly looks the same on my phone as it does my 2/1. When the x86 apps start working on WP as well, I figure my Display Dock will start getting a lot more use than it does now.
Fourth, Exchange and work related integration directly on the device is simple and since it all comes from Microsoft, with no problems that are not workable. The Apps I need are all here most from Microsoft, but I do use Telegram, a banking app, VLC, and a few others but the important stuff is all locked in. Also the wireless display option means I can flip on presentations or a movie right from my phone, which sums up my entertainment requirements.
Last thing, security, being the smallest market has benefits, like the least amount of attention from those that would like to exploit systems. Look at the latest leaks from the US Government, how many times is Windows Mobile mentioned? If that kind of program is leaving us alone I am comfortable to think those with limited funding and personal will as well.

Because Windows is the only OS I feel at home while using.

I have have an Android phone, but I keep my SIM in my L650 for these reasons: Large tiles means I can use my phone 98% of the time without having to wear my glassess. This is major! Apple and Android are outright hostile to far-sighted people. And widgets are someone's idea of a joke. Secure platform - Pixel and Apple are secure, but you have spend upwards of $700. Mainstream android phones don't get regular updates. Works better with my car than Android. I can receive/voice reply texts (but not on my android) as well as play music, navigate. Maps works just fine for me. Affordable. Apple is just crazy expensive and Android mainstream & value phones are just awful. Built-in core apps. I was surprised when I had to buy a file explorer and  non-hobled music player for my Android phone. These "great" Android apps aren't that great - slow to load, mediocre features and reliability. I just haven't been impressed with the apps I've loaded to my Android. I know I'll have to move to Android at some point. I just hope that if I wait long enough, they'll have large icons and an affordable Pixel model.

Call me crazy, but I use my L950 because of the camera, Cortana (specifically for answering text via my bluetooth stereo while on the road), and integration with my Microsoft Band 2 watch.  Other than that I use my iPhone 7 for everthing else to fill the app gap, i.e. home automation devices, shared shopping list, Life360, bank apps,etc. Sadly I now carry 3 phones.  L950, iPhone 7 both for personal and an iPhone 6 for work.

None of my phones is under contract. In fact, I get AT&T telling me pretty much every month that I am eligible for an upgrade. But upgrade to what? I tried an Android phone for a few weeks, but happily went back to my Lumia 950. Them I had an iPhone for about two weeks and couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Now I am rocking my x3, finally have my work line and private line in one phone again and all my productivity apps simply work.
I am not an everyday consumer and I really use my phone about 80% for work related tasks, primarily within the Microsoft ecosystem, but I really don't miss anything.
I will stick to Windows 10 Mobile as long as I can find a device to run it on.
Am I crazy? Maybe. Do I care? Not at all.

2.3 Billion Smartphone users 2.3 million WP users....better than 0.... Why do I stick with WP. 1)  Nokia (930) 2) Awesome OS 3) Reliable - still works well 4) Cortana - using it more and more 5) MS Ecosystem 6) Underdog!

Ok, this next comment may get me completely blasted, but in support of Windows Phone, which I've been using since my Samsung Focus to my Lumia 950...what if...Steve Jobs was right and people don't want apps. Allow me to clarify my lunacy. As HTML5 has progressed and web based programming languages have progressed all you really need today is a compatible browser and a shortcut pinned to your desktop for the site's app that you want to interact with. Ok, sure there are hooks and plugins that allow the apps to use the camera or access other features of the OS, but the base functionality the company wants users to be able to access is available from their website. Prime examples of this are the banking and healthcare industries. They still cater to people running Windows XP and IE7 in their backend, yet are smart enough to put their development costs into their web presense to meet a growing mobile platform base. So back to the original question of why am I still using Windows phone? First is cost, as I'm currently one year into one of those two year payment plans for my Lumia 950 that I had to have. Honestly, I still have my Lumia 640XL and would love to use that as my daily phone, but I'm riding the bleeding edge of the Insider Program and I'm worried about what the 640XL won't get but the 950 will. Second and most importantly, it's just easy to use. Like the article says, the start screen experience is the best. Normally all I need to do is look at that to see what I want and never open an app, thanks to the live tiles. I've been in IT for over 20 years and while I like to learn new things, when it comes to daily use consumer based technology, I don't want to spend multiple hours RTFM! I really hated when MyFitnessPal dropped support for the platform (and I've gained 15 lbs). I just haven't found another app that has the same database integration for barcodes and food statistics. The other furstration is device support for the platform. After my third Band 2, I decided to go to a Fitbit Blaze. It tracks the basics fine but doesn't integrate for maps of runs, and while I can control music, I don't get the notification functionality. Car systems, yeah that's a hit or miss too. I've been thinking about switching to Android and using the same Microsoft services, but after using an Android tablet to ease myself into the experience, I just don't want to leave Windows for my phone. And yes, I've used iOS. I had a second gen iPod Touch and everyone else in my family has an iPhone (even after once having a Windows phone - it was the apps for them), and I seriously hate trying to troubleshoot and fix their issues. Their iPhone 6 were a disaster with regards to battery and all had to be replaced after a year. And data usage...Apple is seriously in bed with the carriers in terms of data usage. I've looked at all the settings on my daughter's phone and she still went through over 15GB in under 3 days after our plan reset for the month. I got into IT as a Novell guy and Microsoft was the Evil Empire. I slowly transitioned and got onboard as part of my job. I listened to podcasts and read tech journals/blogs before I got my first smartphone and since that Samsung Focus, I haven't left the Windows phone platform since. I still believe there's a future, or at least it seems Microsoft is the only one that is trying to plan and make a future for all platforms. Apple wants your money, Google wants your data, and Microsoft wants you to use them for everything so they have a plan for that. Is it a work in progress? Yeah, but so far it's a fun ride and I don't see a reason to change.

There are a few reasons. Note: I do use the Insider builds (Legacy 1520 Lumia) 1. For work they had built support for Windows Phone that is still present. It just work well and is reliable for accessing needed resources from anywhere. 2. Due to the nature of some content on the phone the security through obscurity is attactive. 3. Cortana Hands Free is still the Best when it comes to text message handling. I