Product Nokia Lumia 930 review
Website http://www.nokia.com/gb-en/phones/phone/lumia930/
Specifications 5in 1080x1920 resolution AMOLED 441ppi touchscreen, quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, 20MP rear-facing camera with optical image stablisation and dual flash, 1.2MP front-facing camera, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100, 4G LTE, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, 2,420mAh battery, microUSB port, headphone jack, Windows Phone 8.1 mobile operating system, 137x71x9.8mm, 167g
Price From £33 a month
THE LUMIA 930 likely is the last smartphone we will see out of Nokia, and it's arguably the firm's most widely anticipated Lumia device yet.
As well as arriving as the first flagship Lumia smartphone to run Windows Phone 8.1, the handset eyes the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2 with a 5in Full HD display, a quad-core processor and a 20MP Pureview rear-facing camera.
Design
Much like its predecessor, the Nokia Lumia 925, the Lumia 930 has a metal shell with a plastic backplate, and is available in black, white, green and orange colour variations.
We've been using the orange Lumia 930, perhaps the most garish of the bunch, but undoubtedly the model that will get most heads turning. The handset's metal trim, which features just three buttons - volume, standby and camera - gives the Lumia 930 an all-round premium feel despite its plastic back, and the device feels like it would be able to withstand a fair amount of battering.
There's one major downside to the Lumia 930's design, however, and thats its size. Of course, with a 5in screen, the device is going to be big - but at 167g we found it quite heavy in hand, and at 9.8mm thick it's not the most comfortable of smartphones to use one-handedly.
Screen
Until recently, Windows Phone handsets often lagged behind their Android competitors in the screen department. However, Nokia has upped its game with the Lumia 930, configuring the device with a 5in HD 1080p Clearblack AMOLED display.
With Full HD resolution, and a combination of AMOLED and Nokia's own Clearblack technology, Microsoft's Live Tile interface looks great on the Lumia 930, with blacks appearing blacker than on rival smartphones, and colours arguably more vibrant. The screen is a great size to showcase Windows Phone too, with the 5in display allowing for three columns of Tiles to fit comfortably,
Again, there's a slight downside, as some Windows Phone apps that have not been optimised for the HD 1080p display can look somewhat fuzzy on the screen, a downside not likely to be seen on competing iOS and Android smartphones.
Performance
The Nokia Lumia 930 has a quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, which - while impressive for a Windows Phone device - is perhaps lacking compared to the newer Snapdragon 801 chip found in the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8.
Saying that, we had no complaints regarding performance during our time with the Lumia 930, as we frequently find with Windows Phone handsets, where power often goes further than it would on a device running Google's Android mobile operating system. General performance on the Lumia 930 is impressively smooth - apps open lightening fast, and the handset didn't show any signs of stutter.
Operating system
The Lumia 930 is among the first smartphones, preceeded only by the Lumia 630, to arrive running Microsoft's Windows Phone 8.1 mobile operating system.
Windows Phone 8.1 brings a number of new features to the operating system, including Action Center. Essentially a combination of Apple's Notification Center and quick shortcuts menu, Action Center finally gives Windows Phone a full-fledged notifications menu accessed by swiping down from the top of the screen. What's more, it offers toggles for Bluetooth, Flight Mode and Rotation Lock, eliminating the need to trawl through the Windows Phone Settings Menu.
Another big change is custom wallpapers, allowing you to set backgrounds, rather than selecting just a colour for Live Tiles. While we liked this feature at first, during our time with the Lumia 930, we found that having a custom background could make the user interface seem a little overbearing, and with the wallpaper only showing behind pre-loaded applications, we found that it made the interface look slightly disjointed. Nonetheless, this is likely a feature that many will welcome.
One feature that we did find ourselves using was Microsoft's new Wordflow keyboard. While in practice it doesn't feel quite as slick as Swype or Swiftykey, for example, we found the keyboard impressively accurate, as are Microsoft's suggested next word suggestions.
Unfortunately, Cortana - perhaps Windows Phone 8.1's standout feature - is not yet available in the UK, so we were unable to test this.
Beyond the new features introduced in Windows Phone 8.1, we noticed a definite improvement in apps on the operating system, with most big-name apps making an appearance in the Windows Store.
However, those switching from iOS and Android might be a bit disappointed, with lesser-known yet popular apps - such as Threes - sadly missing, although you will find plenty of knock-offs.
You'll find the usual array of pre-loaded apps, too, along with a couple of new additions. These include Storage Sense, a feature that allows you to see which apps are taking up the most storage, and WiFi Sense, which automatically connects the Lumia 930 to trusted WiFi hotspots.
Windows Phone 8.1 also introduces a number of new features that likely will be welcomed by business users, including integrated VPN support, password-protected Microsoft Office document support, S/MIME email encryption and enterprise WiFi support.
Camera
The Lumia 930 features a camera setup that's similar to that of the Nokia Lumia 1520. There's a 20MP rear-facing camera, a big improvement on the Lumia 925's 8MP offering, complete with Carl Zeiss optics, dual LED flash and optical image stablisation.
Nokia has become known for its market-leading cameras, and the 20MP camera on the Lumia 930 is no exception, trumping the cameras on most of the other flagship smartphones on the market. Images taken in natural lighting come out full of colour and detail, while the camera also outperforms its competitors in artificial or poor lighting, with the Lumia 930's camera capable of picking up detail that other phones on the market simply cannot manage.
Taken on the Nokia Lumia 930
What's more, despite arriving stuffed full of additional settings and features, such as Nokia's Refocus tool and the ability to adjust settings such as ISO levels and white balance, the camera on the Lumia 930 is especially easy to use, thanks in part to the dedicated camera button.
Battery and storageThe Nokia Lumia 930 packs a 2,420mAh battery under its casing, which Nokia claims will deliver over 15 hours of use. While in general usage - sending emails, browsing the web and so on - you'll likely get a day to a day-and-a-half out of the handset, we found that when gaming and streaming media, battery life can deplete quickly.
Watching an hour long episode on Netflix, for example, saw battery life drain by around 15 percent, which means you'll get just over six hours of video playback from the device. However, the device does come with the added bonus of wireless charging, so it's not as frustrating to charge.
We will continue to test the battery life, and will update this review with more detail.
In terms of storage, the Nokia Lumia 930 comes with 32GB of internal storage, and despite Windows Phone 8.1's support for moving apps to an SD card, there isn't room to expand. However, with 32GB onboard, and 15GB of Microsoft Onedrive storage thrown in, it's unlikely that you'll find yourself falling short.
In ShortThe Nokia Lumia 930 might be our favourite Windows Phone yet. While it has its shortcomings - such as its cumbersome design and not so impressive battery life - the Lumia 930 more than makes up for those with its Full HD screen, smooth performance and market-leading camera. µ
The GoodFun design, Full HD display, smooth performance, great camera, Windows Phone 8.1 adds some useful features, wireless charging support.
The BadBulky, difficult to use with one hand.
The UglyLess than impressive battery life.
Score
8/10
Website http://www.nokia.com/gb-en/phones/phone/lumia930/
Specifications 5in 1080x1920 resolution AMOLED 441ppi touchscreen, quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, 20MP rear-facing camera with optical image stablisation and dual flash, 1.2MP front-facing camera, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100, 4G LTE, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, 2,420mAh battery, microUSB port, headphone jack, Windows Phone 8.1 mobile operating system, 137x71x9.8mm, 167g
Price From £33 a month
THE LUMIA 930 likely is the last smartphone we will see out of Nokia, and it's arguably the firm's most widely anticipated Lumia device yet.
As well as arriving as the first flagship Lumia smartphone to run Windows Phone 8.1, the handset eyes the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2 with a 5in Full HD display, a quad-core processor and a 20MP Pureview rear-facing camera.
Design
Much like its predecessor, the Nokia Lumia 925, the Lumia 930 has a metal shell with a plastic backplate, and is available in black, white, green and orange colour variations.
We've been using the orange Lumia 930, perhaps the most garish of the bunch, but undoubtedly the model that will get most heads turning. The handset's metal trim, which features just three buttons - volume, standby and camera - gives the Lumia 930 an all-round premium feel despite its plastic back, and the device feels like it would be able to withstand a fair amount of battering.
There's one major downside to the Lumia 930's design, however, and thats its size. Of course, with a 5in screen, the device is going to be big - but at 167g we found it quite heavy in hand, and at 9.8mm thick it's not the most comfortable of smartphones to use one-handedly.
Screen
Until recently, Windows Phone handsets often lagged behind their Android competitors in the screen department. However, Nokia has upped its game with the Lumia 930, configuring the device with a 5in HD 1080p Clearblack AMOLED display.
With Full HD resolution, and a combination of AMOLED and Nokia's own Clearblack technology, Microsoft's Live Tile interface looks great on the Lumia 930, with blacks appearing blacker than on rival smartphones, and colours arguably more vibrant. The screen is a great size to showcase Windows Phone too, with the 5in display allowing for three columns of Tiles to fit comfortably,
Again, there's a slight downside, as some Windows Phone apps that have not been optimised for the HD 1080p display can look somewhat fuzzy on the screen, a downside not likely to be seen on competing iOS and Android smartphones.
Performance
The Nokia Lumia 930 has a quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, which - while impressive for a Windows Phone device - is perhaps lacking compared to the newer Snapdragon 801 chip found in the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8.
Saying that, we had no complaints regarding performance during our time with the Lumia 930, as we frequently find with Windows Phone handsets, where power often goes further than it would on a device running Google's Android mobile operating system. General performance on the Lumia 930 is impressively smooth - apps open lightening fast, and the handset didn't show any signs of stutter.
Operating system
The Lumia 930 is among the first smartphones, preceeded only by the Lumia 630, to arrive running Microsoft's Windows Phone 8.1 mobile operating system.
Windows Phone 8.1 brings a number of new features to the operating system, including Action Center. Essentially a combination of Apple's Notification Center and quick shortcuts menu, Action Center finally gives Windows Phone a full-fledged notifications menu accessed by swiping down from the top of the screen. What's more, it offers toggles for Bluetooth, Flight Mode and Rotation Lock, eliminating the need to trawl through the Windows Phone Settings Menu.
Another big change is custom wallpapers, allowing you to set backgrounds, rather than selecting just a colour for Live Tiles. While we liked this feature at first, during our time with the Lumia 930, we found that having a custom background could make the user interface seem a little overbearing, and with the wallpaper only showing behind pre-loaded applications, we found that it made the interface look slightly disjointed. Nonetheless, this is likely a feature that many will welcome.
One feature that we did find ourselves using was Microsoft's new Wordflow keyboard. While in practice it doesn't feel quite as slick as Swype or Swiftykey, for example, we found the keyboard impressively accurate, as are Microsoft's suggested next word suggestions.
Unfortunately, Cortana - perhaps Windows Phone 8.1's standout feature - is not yet available in the UK, so we were unable to test this.
Beyond the new features introduced in Windows Phone 8.1, we noticed a definite improvement in apps on the operating system, with most big-name apps making an appearance in the Windows Store.
However, those switching from iOS and Android might be a bit disappointed, with lesser-known yet popular apps - such as Threes - sadly missing, although you will find plenty of knock-offs.
You'll find the usual array of pre-loaded apps, too, along with a couple of new additions. These include Storage Sense, a feature that allows you to see which apps are taking up the most storage, and WiFi Sense, which automatically connects the Lumia 930 to trusted WiFi hotspots.
Windows Phone 8.1 also introduces a number of new features that likely will be welcomed by business users, including integrated VPN support, password-protected Microsoft Office document support, S/MIME email encryption and enterprise WiFi support.
Camera
The Lumia 930 features a camera setup that's similar to that of the Nokia Lumia 1520. There's a 20MP rear-facing camera, a big improvement on the Lumia 925's 8MP offering, complete with Carl Zeiss optics, dual LED flash and optical image stablisation.
Nokia has become known for its market-leading cameras, and the 20MP camera on the Lumia 930 is no exception, trumping the cameras on most of the other flagship smartphones on the market. Images taken in natural lighting come out full of colour and detail, while the camera also outperforms its competitors in artificial or poor lighting, with the Lumia 930's camera capable of picking up detail that other phones on the market simply cannot manage.
Taken on the Nokia Lumia 930
What's more, despite arriving stuffed full of additional settings and features, such as Nokia's Refocus tool and the ability to adjust settings such as ISO levels and white balance, the camera on the Lumia 930 is especially easy to use, thanks in part to the dedicated camera button.
Battery and storageThe Nokia Lumia 930 packs a 2,420mAh battery under its casing, which Nokia claims will deliver over 15 hours of use. While in general usage - sending emails, browsing the web and so on - you'll likely get a day to a day-and-a-half out of the handset, we found that when gaming and streaming media, battery life can deplete quickly.
Watching an hour long episode on Netflix, for example, saw battery life drain by around 15 percent, which means you'll get just over six hours of video playback from the device. However, the device does come with the added bonus of wireless charging, so it's not as frustrating to charge.
We will continue to test the battery life, and will update this review with more detail.
In terms of storage, the Nokia Lumia 930 comes with 32GB of internal storage, and despite Windows Phone 8.1's support for moving apps to an SD card, there isn't room to expand. However, with 32GB onboard, and 15GB of Microsoft Onedrive storage thrown in, it's unlikely that you'll find yourself falling short.
In ShortThe Nokia Lumia 930 might be our favourite Windows Phone yet. While it has its shortcomings - such as its cumbersome design and not so impressive battery life - the Lumia 930 more than makes up for those with its Full HD screen, smooth performance and market-leading camera. µ
The GoodFun design, Full HD display, smooth performance, great camera, Windows Phone 8.1 adds some useful features, wireless charging support.
The BadBulky, difficult to use with one hand.
The UglyLess than impressive battery life.
Score
8/10
0 comments:
Post a Comment