Windows Phone was one of the best mobile operating systems to ever grace our phones. Six years after Microsoft ditched its almost perfect phone OS, I tried using Windows Phone in 2025, and the experience was surprisingly good.
The reality check first
First, let me be clear about what we’re dealing with here. Microsoft officially ended support for Windows Phone in December 2019. That means if you open up a Windows Phone today, no external app or service will work. You won’t have the option to download any new apps, and if you’re stuck on an older Windows Phone version, you also can’t update your phone.
This is absolutely not a phone you should try to use as a primary device in 2025. That said, if you’ve got an old Windows Phone lying around, it’s well worth the effort to bring it back to life. There’s more life left in these devices than you might expect.
Bringing the phones back to life
I have two Windows Phones with me, the Nokia Lumia 525 and the BLU Win HD LTE. Both of these phones were cheap, entry-level devices at the time of purchase, so they don’t have flagship-level specs. They’ve also spent well over six years lying in a dusty drawer, so I did not have much hope they would come back to life.
I started by trying to charge both devices. The Lumia refused to charge—a problem I was eventually able to narrow down to the battery. Thankfully, it has a removable battery, so fixing the problem wouldn’t be too difficult, as long as you can find the right battery. I haven’t been able to find another compatible battery at the time of writing, but the search continues.
The BLU Win HD LTE doesn’t have a removable battery, much like the phones of today. I purchased this phone in 2015, so I didn’t have high hopes for its battery health. However, against all odds, it charged, and I was able to boot the device up.
I got relatively lucky in reviving my Windows Phones as they didn’t have any major damage. However, if you have a busted screen or any other major damage to your phone, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to find spare parts to repair the device.
Windows Phone remains a fresh experience
Once I was up and running, the biggest surprise was how much of the core Windows Phone experience remained intact. The live tiles are still doing their thing, updating with photos and other information received the last time the phone was active.
As was the case before, there’s something oddly refreshing about having all the information you can possibly need right on your phone’s home screen. This information is presented in a way that doesn’t overwhelm you, in an interface that’s still gorgeous to look at.
Performance-wise, the phone still holds up. There are no lags or stutters when going about the interface, and I can still access most of my data. In fact, scrolling my old Windows Phone feels smoother than using my flatmate’s iPhone 12.
I would like to give special mention to the keyboard. It was ahead of its time and still feels fantastic to use. It came with several features that allowed you to resize or move your keyboard, and honestly, I’d love to be able to use it on my Pixel 9a.
Calling and texting work exactly as you’d expect, although you will need a physical SIM card and some configuration to get things going. In my case, forcing the SIM to run in LTE mode was the solution, but I had to contact my carrier to make this change. Modern SIMs try to connect to the fastest network possible, and there are a few areas in New Delhi without 5G support in 2025.
The cameras still work, although the image quality is nowhere near that of modern phones. There’s also no computational photography wizardry that automatically improves your images. What you see in the viewfinder is what you get. I edit selfies with my Pixel’s AI, but those comforts aren’t available on the Windows Phone. To get an idea of the image quality, check out this comparison between my Pixel 9a and BLU Win HD LTE with no edits (the Pixel 9a photo has been cropped to 1920 x 1080).
My BLU Win HD LTE only has an 8 MP rear camera, but if you had something like the Lumia 1020 with its legendary 41 MP camera, you can still get some pretty sweet photos out of your old Windows Phone.
Another special mention goes to the Maps app. Yes, you can still navigate on your old Windows Phone. It won’t show you the best routes, newest places, or real-time traffic, but it can come in handy when your main device runs out of battery.
Back when I was using a Windows Phone in 2018, there were no official apps for a lot of services I was using. This included major apps like YouTube, Instagram, and more. The Microsoft Store doesn’t work anymore, so you’re stuck with apps that are already on your phone. Most of these won’t work, but surprisingly, Steam was still working and logged into my old Steam account.
The nostalgic joy factor is worth the effort
Using a Windows Phone in 2025 is a lot like driving a classic car. It’s not practical, but there’s genuine charm in the experience. However, once that charm is over and you actually need to do something more than make a call or snap a photo, the OS will start showing its age.
There are practically no apps available. You can access the internet using Wi-Fi or mobile data, but most sites will refuse to work on the ancient Internet Explorer-based browser.
So all you can really do on your old Windows Phone is make phone calls, send text messages, navigate to places, snap a few photos, use it as a dedicated music player, and that’s about it. Web browsing may or may not work, but it largely depends on whether the site you’re visiting still supports the Internet Explorer-based Microsoft Edge. For anything else, you’re going to need an Android or an iPhone.
Microsoft also had a Connect feature that would sync up your Windows Phone 10 and Windows 10 PC, similar to how iPhones do it. This feature also doesn’t work, but that’s not surprising considering Windows 10 is also on its way out. Currently, Phone Link is the only app you’ll need to connect your phone to Windows.
Despite that, there’s still a charm to using this OS that I can’t seem to get over. Would I recommend buying one in 2025? Absolutely not. However, if you’ve got one lying around, it can be perfect as a hand-me-down device for a kid or a backup phone for yourself. If nothing else, it’s worth the nostalgia trip.
The user experience is still as smooth as I remember, and Windows Phone 10 will make you feel like your phone is an extension of your PC. If you’re using one when out and about, it’s guaranteed to be a conversation. Just don’t expect to be able to Uber home afterward.
