NOKIA Lumia 920 Pro Reviews

This is a beautiful phone with a few flaws, most of which can be fixed through software updates. Ignore the complaints about how heavy it is. You can slip it into your pocket and never know it's there. The integration with contact lists from Facebook and LinkedIn is so nice it alone makes me want to stay with WP. That said, this is my new phone. For its battery flaws, once I shut off LTE, it's as reliable as any 3G phone. I can't tear my eyes off the screen. I was at the iPhone 4 launch when Retina Display was introduced and Steve Jobs wouldn't stop gushing over it. Well, Retina Display just took a sharp stick in the eye. I live in an extremely iPhone-dense region, but you wouldn't believe how many people have stopped to crane their neck at the Lumia when I've used it in a public place. With its 4.5" screen, it suits my fat fingers just fine. The main reason for replacing the iPhone is the screen is too small, and I am not alone in feeling this way.

Recent smartphones have placed more emphasis on their photographic capabilities, and the Nokia Lumia 920 is certainly a very capable performer in this regard, especially if you regularly shoot in low-light where most smartphones begin to struggle.

Well, it's been another action-packed face-off, and we think it's clear already which device we think is the superior one here – it is the Galaxy S4! Sure, its appearance isn't as fancy and the construction isn't as sturdy as those of the Lumia 920, but that's about where the Nokia's advantages end. Samsung's handset is definitely the more convenient phone to use, as it's much lighter and thinner, while at the same time it packs a significantly larger display. But that is not all. The Galaxy S4 also has a much better camera, and when we turn our attention to the software experience, that's where the Galaxy S4 easily gains the upper hand as it simply offers so much more, both in terms of custom, built-in features and third-party apps. Microsoft has certainly nailed a number of things in Windows Phone, including the web browser and QWERTY keyboard, and then we have Nokia's free offline turn-by-turn navigation, but those things aren't nearly enough to save the Lumia 920. With all of that in mind, it seems that the only thing that remains for us is to wait for Nokia's next flagship smartphone, and then see how close it's gotten to successfully competing with the most fearsome Android phone around.

We're not going to make any definitive judgments because we haven't yet spent enough time with the Samsung Galaxy S4. Suffice to say that both of these phones offer high-end features and good performance. They each have great displays and good cameras. Windows Phone users swear that their platform is the best, but you will find that some of the apps you like are available on Android and not Windows Phone. Ultimately, the choice is yours - select either of these flagship phones and you are unlikely to be disappointed.

HTC and Nokia are in a somewhat similar positions with the One and the Lumia 920. HTC’s ailing financials pushed it to deliver its best, and for Nokia the Lumia 920 is an equally important, flagship Windows Phone device. The HTC One is the more recent device of the two, and while it won’t be an apples to apples comparison (they run on different platforms), it outdoes the Lumia 920 in almost every department. Screens are comparably good, but with a sleek, refined design, much more capable processor, an amazing sound output and recording, and a good camera, the HTC One has the definite edge.

Evidently, with the Lumia 920, Nokia can once again deliver a phone handset with a game-changing and useful new technology feature. But relying on a platform partner means marching to its tune - and Microsoft has improved the bedrock of its Phone OS stronger without improving userland as it should have. Ultimately, the choice comes down to whether the camera benefits are worth the weight. And if you want network freedom, you're going to have to wait.

The BlackBerry 10 and Nokia Lumia 920 are very similar handsets and very little separate the two in terms of hardware. The real difference lies in the OS and software installed on each handset. If you were to really force us to say which device we prefered, then we'd say the Nokia Lumia 920, but only just.

There really isn’t a lot to dislike about the Lumia 920 as a piece of hardware. Unless the size turns you off, the actual phone is solid, good looking, and tough. The camera is more than capable of replacing your point and shoot and the specs will satisfy you for at least a couple years. As it has always been for Windows Phone, the software is what really holds this one back. The core apps need polishing and refining, while quality third-party apps simply need to exist. Windows Phone needs its own must-have apps. It can get depressing to hear of cool gadgets like the Fitbit Flex, only to find out they have no present plans to support Windows Phone. We’re also still waiting for native Pinterest and Instagram apps. So if you’re looking to make the switch, be aware that you will almost constantly feel left out. This is also a problem with games. We miss good, impressive, fun games. A lot. Overall, the Lumia 920 is a great piece of hardware, and one of the best Windows Phone 8 devices you can buy, but it does come with a few downsides, mostly related to the infancy of Microsoft’s operating system. Still, if you’re willing to try something new, you can’t go wrong with the Lumia.

Nokia was likely the most important company at the time of simple cell phones. However, it missed the leap into the age of smartphones and held tight to its Symbian operating system. Nokia's next step would have been expected with the introduction of Apple's iOS in January 2007 and Google's manufacturer independent Android operating system in 2008. However, we waited in vain. Microsoft and Nokia now collaborate with the launch of the Windows Phone 8. Increased advertising is to lure potential customers of iOS and Android. Other manufacturers like Samsung or HTC also offer smartphones featuring Windows Phone 8, but also have devices with Google's Android in their portfolio at the same time.

Nokia arguably offered up the best hardware for the last iteration of Windows Phone. Does it repeat that success here? Yes, but it ties with the HTC 8X for that honor. The Lumia 920 feels substantially chunkier, despite having similar by-the-number dimensions, but it remains another glorious piece of hardware from Nokia. That large shell has afforded more space for the latest PureView camera, which delivers superb low-light performance and effective optical stabilization across stills and video. While these features worked as well as we'd hoped, well-lit shots lacked the clarity and detail we saw during earlier test sessions. Overall, results were a little too smoothed out (and many smartphones have a tendency to over-sharpen), and fell short of our expectations for Nokia's latest PureView phone.

While there are cheaper Windows Phone 8 contenders on the way to AT&T, including Nokia's Lumia 820 and HTC's 8S, the only $100 on-contract alternative to Nokia's unique Lumia 920 is HTC's remarkable One X Android superphone. So the real question becomes: Windows Phone 8 or Android?

On the software front, Windows Phone 8 offers plenty of reasons to give Microsoft's mobile OS another chance. Kid's Corner opens up guest accounts and provides security that isn't available on rival operating systems, and Nokia's exclusive suite of apps are world class. Nokia Drive, for example, offers the best offline guidance platform on any phone, bar none. But in our opinion, none of these points can overshadow some very real drawbacks. First off, it's nearly impossible for Google users to have a complete experience here. The integrated Mail app doesn't handle Gmail well, and you won't find native apps for Drive, Voice, Latitude, or any Google service outside of search. Microsoft's voice integration is also well behind Google's, and the Marketplace void cannot be overlooked. There are still too many flagship applications that cannot be found on Windows Phone, and the overall quality of apps in WP8 (compared to iOS, in particular) is lack luster. After some two years in the mobile world, it's really time for Windows Phone to have a better app store.

The Nokia Lumia 920 is an incredible device. It has a fantastic screen, a unique appearance, and a peerless low-light camera that will rescue many photo taking opportunities. Stellar as those attributes may be, there are issues with the device. The hulking build of the Lumia 920 is a small issue, but the weaker Windows Phone apps options are a major concern. Many apps that I rely on daily are not available on Windows Phone 8, and others are available but receive features long after the Android and iOS versions. The Lumia 920 suffers from guilt by association because no matter how nice it dresses up Windows Phone 8, the OS and third-party software are still playing catch-up. This is a fantastic phone for someone who is a dedicated Windows or Xbox user, or someone with a patient streak who spends most of their time on the web. Users who rely on a healthy app market may find that this is a great phone held back the limitations of its software.

The Nokia Lumia 920 build quality is great and features an elegant and minimalist design, with the most subtle branding to be found in the smartphone market. Its excellent battery life (when the GPS is OFF) makes us almost forget about its heavy and large body, a drawback that ultimately allowed the Nokia team to add an efficient optical stabilization feature in the form of a floating lens. The rear-facing camera, dubbed PureView by Nokia, equipped with a Carl Zeiss lens, delivers bright images and great performance in low light, thanks to its unique stabilization technology. Windows Phone 8 is an excellent mobile operating system, one of most responsive on the market, and we highly appreciate the quality of its aesthetics, even if the user interface would need to be improved in a few areas. The important point is that you need to make sure that you find your favorite apps in the Windows Store before purchasing the device.

Photo fans who were expecting a phone with exceptional imaging performance, such as the Nokia PureView 808 may be a little disappointed to find a more standard sized mobile phone sensor and LED flash, instead of the larger sensor and xenon flash on the previous PureView model. However, saying that, the Nokia Lumia 920 has an emphasis on imaging features in a mobile phone not much bigger than the competition, with a 16:9 multi-aspect sensor and built in optical image stabilisation, which gives slightly better low-light performance than competitors. Adding a larger sensor and xenon flash would have caused the phone to be much larger, and in a market where size matters this would not have been particularly popular. For those who put image quality before everything else the Nokia PureView 808 is the ideal choice, however if you want a phone with a contract, a modern O/S, and an active and growing marketplace, the Nokia Lumia 920 makes a reasonable choice - the optically stabilised video may be of particular interest to some. Features are good with full HD video, reasonable macro performance, optical image stabilisation, wide-angle f/2.0 lens, and sharing straight to the popular social network site such as Facebook and Twitter. Colour is decent, and having a bright f/2.0 lens with optical image stabilisation is certainly a unique feature, however image quality is generally quite low as images are quite soft, and lacking detail, which is a shame as OIS sounded like a killer feature. Sharing images to social websites should be fine, but for anything beyond this images were quite disappointing.

Many of the frustrations we used to have in Windows Phone are now gone with this latest version, and Nokia has given the OS a very good stage with the Lumia 920. The speed and multitasking improvements, connections to Xbox and SkyDrive, and Start Screen experience are all much better, but there’s still a critical lack of apps and they too often feel as though they’re not as good as what’s on other platforms. It’s fitting that I’m reviewing the Nokia Lumia 920 while Microsoft’s Build conference is going on here in Redmond. Microsoft has resolved many of the developer complaints with Windows Phone and is aggressively courting them to bring more and better apps to the platform. The work to bring Windows Phone 8 up to par is happening all around me — and it needs to keep happening. With its new core, Windows Phone 8 is in many ways a completely new platform that should enable rapid innovation — and users will need to continue to wait for it to come into its own. The Lumia 920’s hardware and design is top-notch, the screen is lovely, and the camera is a marvel in low light — but you can’t ignore just how big and bulky the phone is. The software and hardware tradeoffs inherent in the Lumia 920 could be worth it if you’ve bought into the Microsoft ecosystem, but for most people I don’t think it’s a sure bet.

Our final rating is going to be a 8.3 out of 10. The hardware, the screen, the camera, the sound quality, the video stabilization, and Nokia’s custom apps are all extremely impressive. The pricing is pretty great too. The only negatives for me are really the large size and lack of user-replaceable battery. Everything else on this phone is top notch. Even though the hardware design may be a little old now, since it was first used on the N9, the smoother curved glass, ceramic buttons, and extended color choice availability still make the Lumia 920 stand out among a crowded smartphone market. Then, once you learn about all the features, Nokia’s software additions, and Windows Phone 8′s personalization options, you’ll see that it’s even more unique among smartphones.

So, it seems Nokia has done a pretty good job this time around. The Sold Out signs are no accident and if the Lumia 920 keeps it up, the Finns will have something to celebrate. Its sales alone won’t instantly bring Nokia back in contention, but could really be the start of the fight back. And by the way, Android shouldn't assume it's absolutely safe. Sure, it has a pretty big lead in terms of sheer specs and features, and the droids are generally cheaper than their WP8 alternatives. But the Lumia 920 comes at a time when the current Android flagships are probably starting to lose some momentum halfway through their ride. Microsoft and Windows Phone are Nokia's only shot at getting back into the race. This is a situation that no company would like to be in and a huge responsibility for the Lumia 920. It must be wondering which one weighs more on its shoulders, the company's past glory or hopes of the future. It doesn’t crumble under all that weight though. Things maybe even start to look at least a little bit brighter for Nokia. And even if the light at the end of the tunnel is, you know, an oncoming train, we can bet you'll hear the Nokia Lumia 920 say, "Good. Finally a match for size".

The Nokia Lumia 920 is, for the most part, a fantastic phone. It is an attractive and unique approach to smartphone hardware and still includes all the must-have features. Things that stand out are the gorgeous display, blazing fast user interface, and impressive array of Nokia-developed applications. The media options are plentiful, the camera and video camera are powerful and immersive, and the performance on AT&T's data network is among the fastest I've seen in recent months. The 920 falls short in at least a few categories, though. Battery life under LTE coverage is questionable, call quality was not that good, and the incredible weight of the 920 makes it cumbersome to carry around and use. But as far as Windows Phones go, the Lumia 920 is almost as good as it gets.

This might have sounded pretty strange just a year ago, but the Windows Phone 8-powered Nokia Lumia 920 is the better phone in many respects than the five months older Galaxy S III. It has the better screen, better camera, better call quality and better sound recording and playback. It also offers free offline voice-guided navigation, to solidify its uniqueness before Samsung’s handset. Still, throwing every edgy piece of technology Nokia could muster for its first true Windows Phone flagship took its toll on the chassis girth and heft, making it feel like a tank next to the slim and light Galaxy S III. Thankfully, that also affected its stellar drop durability in the positive sense, yet its body, while ergonomic to handle, seems unsightly compared to thin handsets like the S III. Furthermore, when it comes to the operating system, Windows Phone, which on the surface is fresh and easy to grasp, feels much more restricted than the freewheeling Android with all its widgets and customizations, plus the superior multitasking and natural voice commands. The app situation is also widely in favor of Android, and thankfully Nokia throws in some fine exclusive apps like Drive and Mix Radio to soothe the pain somewhat. Compared feature by feature the Galaxy S III doesn't offer many advantages before the burly, but capable Lumia 920, yet its hardware and software combo is more aligned with the smartphone trends of late, so it feels more familiar. That familiarity is exactly what Nokia has tried to escape from with the unique features of the Lumia 920, sacrificing on the compact factor in the process.

On one hand, you’d have to sacrifice quite a bit of comfort picking the Lumia 920 before the iPhone 5. It is chunky and hefty, with shorter battery life, and you might find quite a bit of apps still missing from the WP Store, especially compared to the iOS ecosystem. On the other, the Lumia 920 offers some pretty unique features you can’t find not only in the iPhone 5, but in any other handset, for that matter. Things like shake-free video recording with outstanding sound, the ability to use the screen with gloves, and the free offline voice-guided navigation are not found on the iPhone, so if any of those is important to you, they might tip the scales in Nokia’s favor.

There’s no denying the compact and feathery nature of the HTC 8X in comparison with the chubby Lumia 920. If you can’t carry around a hefty device, you’d likely prefer the 8X as your Windows Phone 8 flagship. It is indeed a very slim and capable device, with top-notch design, offering wide-angle front camera and pentaband GSM radio. The Lumia 920, however, offers so many unique features, such as optical image stabilization for shake-free videos with excellent sound quality, supersensitive touchscreen and free offline voice-guided navigation, that about the only thing the HTC 8X has against it is the more compact design, not to mention the Lumia 920 sports double the internal memory of HTC’s phone at similar pricing

The Nokia Lumia 920's biggest downfall is the fact that it weighs nearly half a pound, but if that doesn't matter then you should give Microsoft Windows 8 a try!

Frankly people, this isn’t the most cutting-edge or compelling device in recent memory, as we can name quite a few notable ones that are superbly premium in all categories. Regardless of that, the Nokia Lumia 920 simply has the luxury of being attached with the notion of having a whole lot of value for the buck. Naturally, we can overlook the fact that it’s rather hefty looking in size – mainly due to it sporting one solid build quality combined with its stylish color availability. Those elements alone help to splash a dose of youth and vigor to make people take notice of it from afar. At $99.99 with a 2-year contract, there’s no denying that you’re getting something feature filled from head-to-toe, and as well as inside-out. Of course, the Nokia Lumia 920 stands apart from its other Windows Phone 8 colleagues thanks primarily to two specific items – its PureView camera and Nokia branded apps. With the former, its low lighting performance is something to behold, since it currently seems unmatched. On top of that, you gain a very useful image stabilization feature with video recording. And lastly, Nokia’s set of apps help to strengthen its worth over the offerings we’ve seen already with the competition from HTC and Samsung.

A great camera, and we generally like Windows Phone 8, but the bulky, battery-sapping Lumia 920 has too many issues to recommend