Once in a while, a smartphone comes along that is so impressive, so technologically advanced, and so sublime, that it can draw you away from your previous operating environment of choice. Nokia's Lumia Icon/930 is not going to be the phone that gets you to switch from Android or iOS, though.
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Don't get me wrong. It's great to look at, plenty fast by virtue of its hardware platform, and a pleasure to use in the real world. Even Android and iOS loyalists have to admit this package is tightly-built. If Windows Phone 8 already is your favourite, you can't do better than the Icon, which gets Microsoft on equal footing, hardware-wise, with some of the most advanced devices introduced thus far in 2014. Whether you're talking about its 5" 1080p AMOLED display, quad-core Snapdragon 800 SoC, Adreno 330 graphics engine, or 20 MP camera, the Lumia Icon is a strong, well-rounded showing.
For a device to be truly...iconic, though, it needs to best the competition in a number of meaningful ways. As we look for fields where the newest Lumia excels, it only stands above the crowd with the ability to capture directional surround audio. That's a cool advantage, to be sure. But it's not a must-have feature. There might be a handful of folks willing to try Windows Phone 8 for the Icon's quad-microphone array, but Nokia isn't going to convert technophiles en masse like this.
It's certainly possible that the Lumia 1020 won over photography enthusiasts to Windows Phone. But those same folks won't find themselves now compelled to try the Icon. The 1020's camera is superior to the Icon/930 in every way, even though Nokia's new flagship is otherwise technically superior to its Snapdragon S4-powered predecessor.
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| Analysis | The Nokia Lumia 930 is the worldwide LTE version of the Verizon exclusive Lumia Icon. | |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974VV) | N/A |
| CPU Core | Qualcomm Krait 400 (4 Core) @ 2.15 GHz | N/A |
| GPU Core | Qualcomm Adreno 330 (32 ALU) @ 450 MHz | N/A |
| Memory | 2 GB LPDDR3 | N/A |
| Display | 5-inch AMOLED @ 1920x1080 (441 PPI) | N/A |
| Battery | 2420 mAh (Non-removable) | N/A |
| Storage | 32 GB | N/A |
| Optics | 20 MP 1/2.5-inch, 1.12um, AF, Dual-LED Flash | N/A |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, microUSB 2.0 | N/A |
| Size | 137 x 71 x 9.8 mm, 167 g | N/A |
No, the Lumia Icon and Lumia 930 are for folks who already own a Lumia 900/600/500-series phone, an HTC 8x, a Samsung ATIV, or perhaps a Windows Phone 7 device. It's for brand loyalists who already appreciate Microsoft's niche mobile operating system and want to step up to more cutting-edge hardware. For these users, Nokia's new Lumia represents a big jump forward in screen size, performance, and capability. It's a Windows Phone that you can be proud to pull out of your pocket; it's not one that you have to make excuses for as your more smug acquaintances flash their iPhones and Galaxies.
- Windows Phone Gets A New Flagship
- Design, Look, And Feel
- Windows Phone 8 And Nokia Software Tour
- Availability, Options, And Accessories
- Camera Features And Example Photos
- Microphones And Video
- Benchmark Suite, Methodology, And Test System Specs
- Results: System And Graphics Tests
- Results: Web And Battery Tests
- Results: Brightness, Black Level, Contrast Ratio, And Gamma
- Will The Icon Convert You From Android Or iOS?
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0 Hidedottorrent , 29 April 2014 00:42It does seem that Windows phone 8.1 is a vast improvement over phone 7. I think the Lumia 930 will be the perfect phone for anyone looking for the fastest phone on the market, since phone 8.1 uses little to no resources on the RAM.