NOKIA Lumia 822 Pro Reviews

If the hardware and price of the Nokia Lumia 820 and its carrier equivalents appeal to you, then Verizon's own Lumia 822 is likely your best bet. It may not have as sexy of a build as the Lumia 810, but what it lacks in style, it more than makes up for in performance. After all, the greatest drawback of the Lumia 810 -- the awful performance of the T-Mobile network to which it was tied -- is no longer a factor here. And while the Lumia 820 on AT&T's network certainly offers better performance than T-Mobile's network, it's still not quite on the same level as that of Verizon's. Those who are willing to overlook the rather plain (to put it nicely) build in favor of Verizon's excellent 4G LTE network and the carrier-exclusive apps (namely, DataSense) will find that the Lumia 822 makes for an attractive package. Despite being a mid-tier handset, this is still a respectable piece of hardware for $50, and unlike the competition, it's running on a powerful network, to boot.

The Nokia Lumia 822 does a masterful job at most tasks. Windows Phone, and Nokia's line of 8xx smartphones, have been consistent across the board in terms of features and performance. The 822 loses the best feature of its companion devices with its lack of customizable shells. The hardware is mostly good, but crummy buttons and the awkward shape are a bit of a let down. The user interface, applications, and other services all work just as they should. I didn't have problems with anything. Aside from the lost shells, the camera's slightly inconsistent performance is about the only real mark against the Lumia 822. Network performance, call quality, and battery life offset these, though, and make the 822 a worthy choice if $50 is your budget for a new smartphone.

The Nokia Lumia 822 isn't likely to inspire love at first sight, but if you're able to look past its homely design and chunky enclosure you'll quickly discover a device that's worthy of your affection. The Lumia 822 is a well-rounded handset offering good performance, solid battery life and an excellent camera. It also narrowly edges out Nokia's other mid-tier smartphones with a higher-res front-facing webcam, twice the internal storage and Data Sense. Unfortunately, the Lumia 822 doesn't fare as well against the similarly priced Lumia 920, which is currently exclusive to AT&T.

The Lumia 822 delivers exactly what Nokia and Verizon wanted: a midrange Windows Phone 8 device packing almost the full range of Lumia enhancements, custom-tailored for America’s largest wireless network. And somewhere in the midst of that tailoring, between Verizon’s LTE support and Nokia’s excellent camera optics, the 822 became something more: we think the device has an impressive enough feature set to warrant the label of “mid-to-high-tier” smartphone. It loses points for including a display from last year and a body only a mother could love, and Windows Phone 8 still has a ways to go before it can match its contemporaries in overall utility – at least in the consumer space. But the Lumia 822 is a solid device, and at $49.99, the price is certainly right for the amount of features you’re getting. If you’re shopping for a Windows Phone on America’s largest network, this custom job from Nokia deserves serious consideration.

In the world of Windows Phone 8 devices, there isn’t a big selection at the present time, but Nokia is clearly trying to make its presence know. The Lumia 822 is a solid device with good features that complements its $100 on contract price. We like its overall design and comfortable feel, and the 4.3” ClearBlack AMOLED display shows relatevely accurate colors and is bright enough for outside use, even if the resolution isn’t the best we’ve seen. The Windows Phone 8 interface is very polarizing, as you will either love it or hate it, but the Lumia 822 provides a nice implementation of it in a modest priced handset.

The Nokia Lumia 822 delivers a solid, if unexceptional, Windows Phone 8 experience on Verizon Wireless.

If you're sold on Windows Phone, a $99 price tag makes the Nokia Lumia 822 a good value on a carrier whose high-end devices usually settle at $200 or even $300. Buy it if you're scouting deals, want a simple design, and appreciate a smartphone that will sync with Microsoft's Office app and music content. Skip it if you're looking for a slim, light, or stylish handset above all else. Compared with the HTC Windows Phone 8X, the Lumia 822 is thicker, heavier, and less attractive. It's also $100 cheaper up front and contains more software extras. Compared with the Nokia Lumia 920, Verizon's 822 costs the same, is a little lighter, has a clunkier design, and has an expandable storage slot. Its camera isn't known for mastering low-light shots, and it doesn't have wireless charging right off the bat.

The crowning jewel on this device is, of course, Verizon’s 4G LTE. We’ve had no Lumia device work with data this quick thus far, nor indeed any Windows Phone 8 device not on Verizon’s network. The Nokia team was smart to finally make a connection with Verizon for Windows Phone 8 here, especially now that the Windows 8 wave has begun. Hopefully the hot selling action that’s happening with the Lumia 920 will continue here with the Verizon-bound 822 so Nokia can continue to bring unique solutions like this one to the market. Available immediately if not soon in any color just so long as it’s black.