​First of all...app store isn't so bad. it's easy to judge but you should try it first. from all the apps i was using on my xperia and galaxy phones i was missing only one app when i got the windows phone smartphone.
But ...different people, different needs.

Second and the most important of all..dont compare specs of windows phones and android phone. windows is optimised in a much better way and its not as hardware heavy like android.
g4 has better spec than lumia 650 but g4 is still slower than lumia

Leaving aside the fact that windows app store is rubbish and Microsoft has dropped production of lumia phones,

even the hardware on this is not very good considering the spec on similarly priced android smartphones such as:
Motorola G4
Vodafone Smart Ultra 6
Wileyfox Swift etc...

if this were a lumia 950 for £100, only then would I even consider it as an option.

very cold

Unfortunately very few people even consider Windows phone. I use and prefer these to Android and Apple which I have tried. A phone for individuals and great value.

I never cared for the app-gap...but then we lost the eBay app and that's what has made me look twice. I say I'm not a big app user but I still have quite a few installed and the ones I do use are fine - WhatsApp, Flipboard, Spotify... they are my most frequently used 3rd party apps, with Outlook, OneNote, Camera and Edge being used just as much. To me, the base apps, OS and the little touches are what makes Windows my favourite. Things like Glance, double-tap to wake, camera button (and the camera app itself), wireless charging, microsd, and live tiles are things that I miss when I use iPhone (which is my second choice if I am to leave Windows). Having to press the power switch or unlock the phone to do basic things like tell the time or take a photo is "normal" to most people but seems a bit ridiculous to long term Windows users. Also looking at the home screen and seeing a bunch of dead icons, having to click each one of them to see what's going on in them just seems so behind the times for a device that's meant to be at the forefront of innovation (ha ha yeah right). It seems to almost be a gutsy move to stick with what makes sense despite the whole world telling you to follow the crowd. Never really been a fan of Android, although in description it would be closer to Windows than iOS.

...that all being said, that eBay app being pulled is kind of a deal breaker to a regular seller. More will probably follow it out the door. I'm waiting to see their next move before deciding; they are trying to be like Apple keeping everything hush hush but are just losing customers as a result.

they are doing windows 10 app now

the phone it self specs ways and reliability, not only to mention the accessibility, and saying how most stuff has migrated to a Microsoft account now days. This phone is prob one of the best phones for this price on the market. If you know technology you will understand and this is coming from someone that uses a android phone. WIndows app store has improved and when was the last time you had checked the store since windows 10 update.

whats the difference between this and 550? better camera and thats it, innit? not worth extra £55 imo

This is a decent price, but I wouldn't recommend it at all as WP is on the verge of extinction. The decline in the last 2 years has been staggering. MS has only released 1 new device this year (as opposed to a full range of devices in previous years).

I used Windows Phone for over 5 years before buying an Android phone earlier this year, and I was shocked at the difference in both app selection and quality.

Some apps on WP are a long way behind their Android equivalents as they're just not updated regularly enough. Facebook, Instagram, Wikipedia, Twitter, HotUKDeals, Spotify are the examples that come to mind.

As for those that say WP isn't missing many apps... It really is, especially now some major online retailers have removed their WP apps. These are the apps I personally use regularly that just don't exist on WP: Amazon, Ebay, Quidco, YouTube, HSBC, Scottish Power, Amazon Music, Gumtree, Costa, Roku, Snapchat.

It had a good run, and lots of potential that it never quite reached, but WP is over.

I probably know more about Windows Phone than most. I've owned most of them at one point or another...

And Here/MS Maps have always been ropey. The big selling point was being offline. But Google Maps are significantly better. & the offline map feature works v.well.

You do know that windows phone has had offline full maps entire continents since 2010? originally here maps, and now the windows maps app....

Leaving aside the fact that windows app store is rubbish and Microsoft has dropped production of lumia phones,

even the hardware on this is not very good considering the spec on similarly priced android smartphones such as:
Motorola G4
Vodafone Smart Ultra 6
Wileyfox Swift etc...

if this were a lumia 950 for £100, only then would I even consider it as an option.

very cold

But if windows can't compete, what hope is there for any other? I use use ebay and banking apps, so no Windows apps for that.

windows is dead long live android, support being withdrawn, like iphone 4

A shame that companies like eBay have decided to stop support for the app for Windows.....a mobile screen is simply not great for viewing these mobile sites................i fear Windows OS for phones is taking it's last dying breaths

Prices should plummet for all Lumia as MS yesterday announced they are discontinuing them. I have running Lumia 930 for months now and overall very happy, although some apps are poo or absent it does what I want, WAZE is great and super VFM. Recommend getting L930 with that all-metal body or the more recent but apparently not as good L950/XL as prices reduce hhhfhuhrh.

You can get one from O2 in Like New condition for £70 with no top up required.
You have to choose the PAYG tariff that I presume will be linked to the included SIM but not actually top-up which confuses many. Not sure how easy it is to unlock though!

https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/phones/microsoft/lumia-650-like-new/#contractType=payasyougo

Actually...

WhatsApp for Windows Mobile is ahead of both Android and iOS in terms of development
Third party Windows Mobile YouTube apps are VASTLY better than the first party ones on Android/iOS (Offline video downloads/background playback to name just two functions).
& if you're a Tinder aficionado - then you get all of the premium things from iOS/Android for free on W10M (6Tin). Geolocation changing, back swipe etc etc.
Also, if you have a custom email address hosted by Microsoft, then good luck trying to get the contacts to 2 way sync on Android. Google just make life so difficult for people who use MS services (and have been doing for years)

W10M will never win the war - but depending on your needs, it is better than Android (I say that as a current Android user).

The only reason I am on Android is because I'm off travelling and find offline Google maps to be really useful in big cities (even if the download area is v.small). Also find the proper Strava app to be v.good - oh, and BBC iPlayer downloads (which I love!)

But the Android user experience itself is horribly impersonal. It's just an overpowered device with a load of icons and no real style. Shame that Microsoft never backed their mobile OS horse.

I never cared for the app-gap...but then we lost the eBay app and that's what has made me look twice. I say I'm not a big app user but I still have quite a few installed and the ones I do use are fine - WhatsApp, Flipboard, Spotify... they are my most frequently used 3rd party apps, with Outlook, OneNote, Camera and Edge being used just as much. To me, the base apps, OS and the little touches are what makes Windows my favourite. Things like Glance, double-tap to wake, camera button (and the camera app itself), wireless charging, microsd, and live tiles are things that I miss when I use iPhone (which is my second choice if I am to leave Windows). Having to press the power switch or unlock the phone to do basic things like tell the time or take a photo is "normal" to most people but seems a bit ridiculous to long term Windows users. Also looking at the home screen and seeing a bunch of dead icons, having to click each one of them to see what's going on in them just seems so behind the times for a device that's meant to be at the forefront of innovation (ha ha yeah right). It seems to almost be a gutsy move to stick with what makes sense despite the whole world telling you to follow the crowd. Never really been a fan of Android, although in description it would be closer to Windows than iOS.

...that all being said, that eBay app being pulled is kind of a deal breaker to a regular seller. More will probably follow it out the door. I'm waiting to see their next move before deciding; they are trying to be like Apple keeping everything hush hush but are just losing customers as a result.

Apps are crap, BUT, this is a great phone. I love mine, highly recommended.

The negative comments about the device, OS and the app store are bang on the money IMO. I have this as my new device; it works like a dream for Outlook and Office etc. but as soon as you stray even slightly beyond this, it descends into utter failure. The range as well of quality of apps is shocking (developers simply don't have a business case in maintaining their windows platform versions) and will be a deal breaker for most. The user experience is poor by current standards and the OS feels years behind the Android marker. All of those phones by htslough are a wiser purchase by a country mile. Particularly the moto g4

Unfortunately very few people even consider Windows phone. I use and prefer these to Android and Apple which I have tried. A phone for individuals and great value.

I have a Windows phone, and not really a great app user. So bit disappointing that the apps I would use are not available on Windows. Have to use the wife's Android phone for online banking and travel apps.

​100% agree. Iirc, even Amazon has now stopped their app for windows (some do correct me if I'm wrong though) and fewer and fewer of the apps I used on Windows were being updated.

It's lightweight. Takes great photographs. It's not bad at all.

​First of all...app store isn't so bad. it's easy to judge but you should try it first. from all the apps i was using on my xperia and galaxy phones i was missing only one app when i got the windows phone smartphone.
But ...different people, different needs.

Second and the most important of all..dont compare specs of windows phones and android phone. windows is optimised in a much better way and its not as hardware heavy like android.
g4 has better spec than lumia 650 but g4 is still slower than lumia