Moto G: Motorola Moto G vs. Nokia Lumia 520

[El Sparrow]

Hello,

I currently own a Lumia 520 (windows 8 phone), and it is the first smartphone I have ever owned. I actually like the phone, but the small amount of apps I care for are buggy or I simply can barely "deal" with theme (podcast are important for me). I'm at the point where I'm not sure I can take it anymore, so I'm seriously considering switching over to a kitkat Android phone, but I'm curious if anyone has any advise? Anyone ever use a Windows 8 phone?

I prefer something fairly compact; size wise the Moto G is a the same width and depth so I'm happy.
Lumia 520
Height: 4.72
Width: 2.52
Thickness: .39

Moto G
Height 5.11
Width 2.59
Depth .24-.46 (curve)

I'm concerned about battery life, because the Nokia phone/OS combination does about as good as a job as a battery powered device does. I also like the good responsiveness of the W OS despite the specifications of the Lumia 520.
Price, although over twice as much as the Nokia, is barely acceptable.

Other than that, I don't know what to expect.

Yes yes, I know 8.1 is around the corner, sorry, I don't care.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

Re: Motorola Moto G vs. Nokia Lumia 520

I'd go with the Moto G. It gets great battery life, has removable back cover available in different colors, and a water repellent coating.

Motorola Moto G battery life test: the long-distance runner

Motorola Moto G water repellent coating test - YouTube

 

[sdc1]

I currently have a Lumia 520 and a Moto G and the Moto G is the much better phone. I even prefer it to my Nexus 5, mostly due to its compact size and better battery life. The Moto battery will last much longer than the 520 with similar use. The screen is far better, the cameras are similar, the Moto G has a more pleasant feel and of course you get KitKat with access to the Google Play store. Android 4.4 is so much better than WP8 that's it's just silly.

The only downside is the lack of expandable storage with the Moto, not a problem though if you utilise Google Drive.

Lumia 520 > Moto G is definitely an upgrade and I wouldn't hesitate to switch.

I also had a Lumia 925 and a Lumia 1020. I loved the 1020 but I've all but given up on Windows Phone now, I only have the 520 to see how 8.1 looks when it arrives. I got sick of waiting for features that are already available on very nice Android phones. Also, they say the app gap has narrowed but I didn't have a banking app or Sky Go, BT Sports, etc, etc. It looks to me that even with 8.1 coming that WP will still be playing catch up.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Ry]

Re: Motorola Moto G vs. Nokia Lumia 520

How locked are you to the Windows Phone ecosystem?

 

[sdc1]

Re: Motorola Moto G vs. Nokia Lumia 520

How locked are you to the Windows Phone ecosystem?

WP8 doesn't really tie in to an ecosystem. Apps for example have to be bought separately on WP8 and Windows.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Ry]

Re: Motorola Moto G vs. Nokia Lumia 520

WP8 doesn't really tie in to an ecosystem. Apps for example have to be bought separately on WP8 and Windows.

Posted via Android Central App

I'm talking paid WP8 apps here..

 

[El Sparrow]

Re: Motorola Moto G vs. Nokia Lumia 520

Opps, I have a correction to make, I have the Lumia 521 not the 520.

Does anyone have any experience with 4G LTE? T-Mobile has self-defined "excellent/very strong 4G LTE" coverage in my area.
I'm a little concerned about the Moto G not having this feature, but what do I know. I stream podcast often, and sometimes brows the internet... often websites feel slow with my Lumia 521, and that is on 4G.

Moto X looks nice, but that an additional $150; I can afford it, but call me strange considering I think that is too much to spend on a phone... dang it, why can't someone just make a decent podcast app for W8

 

[Tom_Sewell]

Re: Motorola Moto G vs. Nokia Lumia 520

I switched from a Lumia 520 to a Moto G and have been very happy with it. As for network speeds, although the 520 says 4g its the same as Moto G's 3g. Both are HSPA+.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[El Sparrow]

Re: Motorola Moto G vs. Nokia Lumia 520

I'm really having a hard time understanding this, cell phones are not my hobby

I was looking at the Moto G (US version, not Global - I'm reading the Global version will bog down to 2G on T-Mobile). The Moto G will give me 3G HSPA+ @ 21MBps (not 42); with the Moto X I will get T-Mobile "4G" (HSPA+ @ 42MBps), and also 4G LTE.

OK, so my 521 was 3G. I understand that the Moto G is HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps (not 42Mbps), I guess the 520/521 is the same? If my data speed is the same as on my Nokia, then I can live with that.

Regardless, I already purchased the Moto G, but I'm still having conflicting thoughts if I should have rather went with the Moto X :-*.
Moto X apparently doesn't have wifi calling on T-Mobile, and I kind of want that.

I switched from a Lumia 520 to a Moto G and have been very happy with it. As for network speeds, although the 520 says 4g its the same as Moto G's 3g. Both are HSPA+.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[UJ95x]

Re: Motorola Moto G vs. Nokia Lumia 520

I'm really having a hard time understanding this, cell phones are not my hobby

I was looking at the Moto G (US version, not Global - I'm reading the Global version will bog down to 2G on T-Mobile). The Moto G will give me 3G HSPA+ @ 21MBps (not 42); with the Moto X I will get T-Mobile "4G" (HSPA+ @ 42MBps), and also 4G LTE.

OK, so my 521 was 3G. I understand that the Moto G is HSPA+ up to 21 Mbps (not 42Mbps), I guess the 520/521 is the same? If my data speed is the same as on my Nokia, then I can live with that.

Regardless, I already purchased the Moto G, but I'm still having conflicting thoughts if I should have rather went with the Moto X :-*.
Moto X apparently doesn't have wifi calling on T-Mobile, and I kind of want that.

Speeds are the same on Moto G and 520. The X will get HSPA+42 and LTE.
As for WiFi calling, only T-Mo branded phones get it. The X doesn't have it, but I still think it's a great upgrade over the G.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SlimKat 4.4.2

 

[El Sparrow]

Re: Motorola Moto G vs. Nokia Lumia 520

I have the Moto G in my hands

First impressions of Android... don't like it. Too complicated, not as in I can't figure it out complicated, but I like things more simplistic. I like they way W8.1 is in navigation and menus. If only the apps in W8 phone worked...

I should probably give it some time

 

[mtvictor]

Re: Motorola Moto G vs. Nokia Lumia 520

I have the Moto G in my hands

First impressions of Android... don't like it. Too complicated, not as in I can't figure it out complicated, but I like things more simplistic. I like they way W8.1 is in navigation and menus. If only the apps in W8 phone worked...

I should probably give it some time

Complicated? You want more simplicity than stock android?
Oh well, go for your W8.1 then

Posted via Android Central App

 

[UJ95x]

Re: Motorola Moto G vs. Nokia Lumia 520

I have the Moto G in my hands

First impressions of Android... don't like it. Too complicated, not as in I can't figure it out complicated, but I like things more simplistic. I like they way W8.1 is in navigation and menus. If only the apps in W8 phone worked...

I should probably give it some time

Anything specifically that you find hard to use? Could just be that I've been using it for years, but stock Android is extremely intuitive to use.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SlimKat 4.4.2

 

[El Sparrow]

Re: Motorola Moto G vs. Nokia Lumia 520

Anything specifically that you find hard to use? Could just be that I've been using it for years, but stock Android is extremely intuitive to use.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SlimKat 4.4.2

Not necessarily hard to use, maybe just too tedious, not "relaxed". Maybe I'm strange, because the little things drive me insane, like the 5 screens and you are stuck with theme, can't disable the other 4 screens (Moto G).

They both are alright phones, usually I would find myself reaching for the Nokia; this isn't a hobby of mine, all I really want is decent reception, POP/IMAP email, internet access, and podcast.

I'm sure the Android has more features, and some unique things I wish I could have, but it also has a lot of fluff imho. I wish I could get Chrome on the Nokia..lol. I have found OneDrive surprisingly useful yesterday. I really like the compactness of the Lumia 521.

In all honestly, for a short while I was undecided on which one to keep, but it looks like it will be the Lumia 521.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

Sounds like you're just used to how things work on WP. It can take some time to adjust to using Android.

And getting rid of the extra pages on the Moto G home screen can be accomplished by installing a different launcher like Nova.

Sent from my G2 running Carbon 4.4.2

 

[Septembersrain]

My opinion: Moto G wins hands down. It's got a camera with flash, a quad core processor, a screen that will be pleasing to the eye, and is a decent price.

I had a 521, hated it. It was very laggy and constantly was crashing! I got an 810 to replace it. It's a good phone but I think Windows phones aren't my cup of tea.

I like Android, iOS, and BlackBerry.


Sent from the one in beautiful blue using Tapatalk.

 

[duoFurious]

Tough because at low end price is everything and the WP8 is optimized well for all devices and preforms great on the 521 but Moto G for sure, slightly more expensive but worth the cost for battery life, updates including later with CM if needed and lastly it's Android so the app store will be more fulfilling for a long time.

Sent from a G2

 

[z33dev33l]

Just to be clear among all the fanboys, with similar use you will get more battery life, a smoother experience and removable storage on the Lumia.

The moto G will win if you need a FFC, flash or tons of trivial flavor of the week apps.

Going as low as $40, I feel that choosing anything over the 520 is a bit bizarre but some people like Android. It has more customization and apps. However, you will not get a quality or intuitive experience on it.

 

[duoFurious]

I wouldnt call myself a fan boy, I owned a 920 for 10 months, and I still like WP8. However, apps like banking, stock alarm and clock function apps that are reliable and included in cost, reliable app updates, and true Google support are a few things I wouldn't call trivial flavor of the week. And reading most reviews the relatively stock experience of the Moto phones and smoothness of kitkat are quite quality focused.
However lumia has a smooth limited, can't break experience. It has typically high build quality and good performance for a 512mb ram device (that being important for some WP8 apps) as far as anything else, camera, talk quality, and screen it's a wash. I'd you're not a complicated user and don't need support of a broader development community, lumia is great because of in house support. But WP8 has a lot of ground to go on the app gap they claim to have improved so much.

Sent from a G2

 

[z33dev33l]

I wouldnt call myself a fan boy, I owned a 920 for 10 months, and I still like WP8. However, apps like banking, stock alarm and clock function apps that are reliable and included in cost, reliable app updates, and true Google support are a few things I wouldn't call trivial flavor of the week. And reading most reviews the relatively stock experience of the Moto phones and smoothness of kitkat are quite quality focused.
However lumia has a smooth limited, can't break experience. It has typically high build quality and good performance for a 512mb ram device (that being important for some WP8 apps) as far as anything else, camera, talk quality, and screen it's a wash. I'd you're not a complicated user and don't need support of a broader development community, lumia is great because of in house support. But WP8 has a lot of ground to go on the app gap they claim to have improved so much.

Sent from a G2

I apologize, I was more talking about the people saying the 520 was lagging and crashing. I've used over 15 Windows Phones to date, 9 of them being WP8 devices ad have used them pretty heavily. Never once have I seen an absolute phone crash and less than 10 times have I seen an app shut itself down. The app gap is certainly bad on the smaller businesses scale. For instance, I use a bank that only encompasses about 6 cities. If I hadn't made the app for them, we never would've gotten that unless we have some sudden burst in users.

i certainly wouldn't call the camera a wash though, Nokia has proven time and time again that they're constantly ahead of the curve in camera software.

Oh, as far as Google services go, blame Google. I wouldn't touch their services with a ten foot pole as I feel that they've proven to be much more evil and deserving of an anti-trust suit than Microsoft ever was in the early nineties.