Nokia Lumia 920
Phone Scoop Review
Nov 13, 2012 by Eric M. Zeman
Nokia pushes all sorts of boundaries with the Lumia 920, its feature-laden flagship smartphone for AT&T. If the luminescent colors don't attract you, the big screen, LTE 4G, and dual-core performance might. Here is Phone Scoop's full review. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Incredible Device
Pros: battery, screen, almost indestructible, xbox live integration (games with achievements), xbox music replaced my zune/ipod, selection of colors, extremely loud with or without headphones
Cons: currently lacking camera options (updates coming), gets warm with heavy use matte however the glossy colors don't seem to get as hot.
Every manufacturer and OS has something incredible to offer. I can't express how much I really like the Android OS and Apple's hardware has always been top notch. This has the best of both worlds. Initially I was set on the Galaxy S3 or the HTC ONE X+. I went into the store to buy one or the other, but was drawn to this Lumia 920. Went home to do some research on this device and read some reviews. After close consideration I decided on this for many reasons and very satisfied with my final decision. The Lumia 920 is extremely durable, built from poly-carbonate. (The same material used to for bullet-proof glass and Astronaut Helmets) So the phone is a little bit heavier that it's competitors. However, it's almost indestructible, I've seen it dropped from 10 feet and hammer a nail in wood WITH THE SCREEN. It's really really durable. I bought and one for me and my girl friend. She is very rough on phones, leaving them in her purse with keys always scratching the screens or dropping them. That's no longer a concern with the Lumia 920, I see myself saving on an expensive deductibles. As a heavy XBOX360 user the XBOX integration and smart glass was a big plus as well as the XBOX music. I can listen my music and get achievements on XBOX LIVE account. (Not something that will be an option on Android or iOS) Facebook looks better and works better.
- Camera takes amazing pics, that with each new firmware update become increasingly better.
-Screen is very vibrant and responsive.
-Battery is amazing. After conditioning the battery, can easily get a full day with heavy use.
Wow..
Let me start off by saying i've been putting off my review of this phone for a while so that I could get a good time using it before I say anything.
That being said I'm a Fan...
Cons:
App store is sad... (not close to android in quantity of apps, most apps are from windows 7)
The Stock alarm needs more customization. (no amazing alarm apps out yet on store either)
I did have it drain battery randomly one day (not sure about service at the time but 7 hours it was dead after leaving in car)
I wish I could pin Airplane mode to the home screen..
Pros:
I get strong LTE service all over the Detroit metro area that is VERY fast (coming from sprint previously), even when not in LTE, HSPA+ is very quick.
I use the wifi internet tethering very often and works very well, (ex, I can stream pandora on my ipod, well playing a pc game online off the wifi at the same time)
The Windows 8 OS is Sooooo Smooth. Android and even IOS bogged down with more apps and things running or crashes on android but this is smooth. Facebook integration into the OS is very nice and doesn't leave me with Duplicate contacts (called people instead of contacts).
I really was a huge android fan for the longest time and was nervous about trying out the Windows 8 stuff (i hated the look of the "live tiles"), but these tiles have really grown on me. "Pinning" things to the home screen works Awesome. (I can pin all sorts of things to the start including links from my Zillow and chase banking apps) Besides the sort app lists I really cant say enough good things about the OS. Takes the best of Android and Apple and puts them together.
Battery lasted all day even when using GPS and streaming music a good amount.
Loud Speakers aren't bad like every other phones.
The Camera is the best I have used yet. Low-light is way better then any other phone I've used yet (gs3 or onex+ or i5). Other cameras add extra color where this phone is very realistic color wise.
Overall I am Happily a Nokia 920 owner
Lumia 920
I got this thing yesterday after running around trying to find one to buy in Minneapolis... BUT it so far was worth the effort. I had a GS3 before this (loved it once I swapped to Paranoid Android cuz the stock JB rom sucks) Anyways what I think so far...
Pros
Battery life is good
Reception is amazing on ATT's network around Minneapolis
WP8 is nice, like the tiles and customization
Fast and responsive second only to iOS stock vs stock (its very close though)
Build quality is excellent
Possibly the prettiest screen ever!
Sexy low light camera performance
Cons
Battery is not removable...
Call volume could be louder...
Why no setting to adjust haptic feedback (it gives feedback on the windows/back/search keys)
Camera is meh in normal/bright light
Limited app store
All in all this thing is great!
-1 for the minor complaints listed above
Potentially great phone undone by abysmal battery life
Pros:
-Camera
-Nokia Maps
-Nokia Drive
-Solid Build
-Serene interface
Cons:
-Abysmal battery life (6 hrs on average)
-Poor or amateurish app selection
-Wireless charging accessories difficult to find
I am writing this review today to express my dissatisfaction with the Lumia 920. I have purchased this device on two occasions and both times I have encountered the same issue. The first time I purchased it was second hand and it was one of the first few released in Canada (came factory unlocked and all). Although the camera was amazing, the build was excellent and the exclusive apps were fantastic (Nokia Maps and Drive to be precise) the battery life was abysmal. Despite multiple factory resets and even attempting to run it without additional apps I could get only 6 hours of usage on average which is unacceptable. I quickly sold it on Kijiji. After a few days I had convinced myself that it must have been just pre-release model glitches (I had owned a #Lumia800 previously and had no such issues). Being without a phone and unable to get my hands on an actual release model from Rogers, I ended up going with a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (and have been very satisfied with it). I purchased my second Lumia 920 on Wednesday the 16th and returned it the next evening. Once again I could get no more than 6 hrs of battery life. I am aware of the battery saving option in the phone and despite not believing that one should essentially cripple their device to get functional use, I attempted using the phone with it on and gained possibly an hour. I am now happily using my Galaxy Note 2 and getting on average 20 hrs of use out of it. Although I would not expect such use out of the Lumia 920 considering the battery size difference, I would expect at least the 12-15 hours of battery life phones in it's league manage.
You want the TRUTH?
To the point.
Pros:
- screen size is nice, and HD video is gorgeous to watch.
- despite a the $99 price tag(with contract), this is a very well constructed device.
- wireless charging built in.
- good battery life
- app store has plenty of apps (approx. 135,000)
- WP8 OS is very nice and very smooth.
- improved voice features. Understands a little better.
- Office, One Note, and MS PDF viewer.
- resizable tiles
- voice calls sound good, IMO. I've only used speaker phone a few times. So, I'm not going to really comment on it.
- Gorilla Glass2 (it's nice and fairly sturdy, but it's still glass. Need I say more?)
- camera takes very nice pictures and video.
- speakers are loud enough to watch video or listen to music, without any issues.
Cons:
- App store need more mainstream apps, that people have come to enjoy on other platforms.
- battery needs to be cycled a few times, before you get optimal performance. 8-12 times. (run battery until heart icon shows, then charge it.)
- phone will get hot on occasion. (I've noticed it happen when screen is on too long, with mid to high brightness.)
- wireless charger doesn't charge on occasions. (seems to make phone hot, when it occurs. Taking it of for a few seconds seems to fix the issue.)
- no expandable memory
- built in battery. (but, that's one of the things that make the build quality so good.)
- as of yet, no way to play Zune purchased videos. (hopefully this will be addressed sooner than later, in an update. Although, not a deal breaker for me. There're other video options: Crackle, Crunchy Roll and Netflix. Hopefully others like HBO GO and Hulu will follow.)
There you have it. An honest review from a WP8 a fan. Despite some missing features, it's still a nice phone, and will serve most people well. Again, the lack of main apps is what will keep a lot of people from trying or staying with WP. I guess I can consider myself lucky or unlucky, but I've never used Android or iPhone. So, I've come to love it for what it is.
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The good, the bad and the ugly
Let me just say that I have owned the Lumia 900 and now this phone for about a day so far. This builds on all of the already positive things that Nokia did with the 900. Better camera, screen and lots of other tweaks.
The Good:
*Solid build
*Screen is beautiful
*Windows Phone 8 is a HUGE improvement over WP7.
*Price is very nice for what you get.
*Live tiles are one of the best things ever created for a phone OS.
The Bad:
*Early battery indications are not great.
*Have had a random reboot or two. Supposed to be fixed with an upcoming update.
*Accessories are few and far between now, but more are on the way.
The Ugly:
*Apps, apps and apps.
I gave the phone an overall high rating, because the major faults are due to the OS, not the phone itself. Nokia has made another winner here and I wish I could recommend it to people but the apps are killing me and this phone right now. Other than the most popular 20 - 30 apps, you will find yourself going down a rabbit hole looking for something else compatible. MS SHOULD have had developers working on a whole SLEW of apps while this was in the pipeline, but it appears as though they have not. Granted, there are apps the others don't have, but they are such niche offerings, they miss the mark. Yes, I know, there will be more and more apps coming, and that's a great thing and I truly wish Nokia and MS nothing but the best but I can't spend all my time working in a browser because there aren't apps to do what I need right now.
Nokia 920
Have had the phone for 9 days. Impressive!. I come to ATT and Nokia from Sprint and a Blackberry Curve 2. I was very happy with my BB. This 920 is phenomonial compared to what I had.
My son has a new Droid. He is impressed with the 920, He has several apps that are not yet available on the 920. In my case apps are not an issue. iPhone maps may have a problem,, but I love the Nokia maps on the 920. I will have to get use to the amount of map data I need. I downloaded the entire US. About 2.5 Gig of data. I have currently used about 10 Gig of the 32 Gig storage. I don't think data storage will be a problem, but I do wish there was a data card port. Not sure how I will conveniently get Video off the phone to my PC. Lots of variables in the software
set up to get used to. Has a steep learning curve for the uninitiated. I am getting there.That isn't the phones fault. I think for something this advanced I am impressed. The adjustment to the size of the phone from the small form of my BB is going well. weight is a non-issue. The IE10 browser is super. I have been able to access anything that I get from my PC. Course you have to zoom in. Finding the area you want to see on display is very easy. Swiping, pinching in and out, tapping, tap and hold, and what ever I haven't used yet are staples of the newer smartphone. Moving displays is very fluid and immediate. Camera is terrific!
Need a MSN mail account. Established one the first few hours I had the phone. Backup in on Sky Drive. I don't fully understand have backup occurs. I had to return my first 920 after two days because of a defective "micro" port. exchange went well at the ATT store. I had backed up the phone before I took it in. The new phone took the old setting just fine. Music and Photos need to come from syncing to a PC. It looks like you can save those to Skydrive, but it is very slow. Had to manually input my initial phone contact list. didn't know automatic way.
Wish it Saved Passwords
I bought the Lumia 920 after buying the Lumia 900 in hopes that it would save my website passwords. It doesn't I have to manually enter username and password each time. I will only save passwords if the site gives you the option. Very frustrating. For this reason I went back to my iPhone 5 that saves all passwords on ALL site.
I use for my work and need to look up things for clients quickly and need quick access.
Pro:
The phone is solid and easy to use.
Large Screen
Great Camera
Great sound quality
Able to customize screen is wonderful
Con:
Not save password in websites
How could they forget this very important feature?
Overall if not saving passwords is not important to you it is a great phone.
Still have iPhone 5
