Nokia Lumia 920 hands-on: the dual-core, HD Windows Phone 8 flagship to take on the beasts
By
Joseph Volpe
posted Sep 5th 2012 11:01AM
Hands-On
It's official. Nokia's just taken the wraps off its worst-kept Windows Phone 8 secret: the
Lumia 920. The device, announced at the manufacturer's event in New York City today, is a spiritual successor to the 900 that first broke onto American shores and can largely be seen as a response to critics of that former device. With a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU (the same one that drives the the current US supremos, the
HTC One X and
Galaxy S III), a "better than HD" 1280 x 768 LCD display, PureView imaging (albeit with only 8-megapixels), NFC capabilities, 2,000mAh battery with wireless charging, and a next-gen Redmond-baked OS, this handset's a big break proposition for the flailing Finnish company; an attempt to up the ante and compete on even ground. From the outside, it may appear as though not much has changed in this generational hardware leap, but rest assured that what Espoo's packed inside should take the mobile outfit to the next level. So, follow on after the break as we dive into our first impressions of this curiously-hued smartphone splash.
Nokia Lumia 920
If you've fondled a Lumia 900 before, you'll know what to expect here. The 920 retains much the same form factor as its predecessor, with an all polycarbonate chassis (in this case, a sunny, near neon yellow) replete with rounded side edges and a familiar button placement. The finish of the body has changed slightly, with the 4.5-inch screen now blending gently into its polycarbonate border -- a nod to the "sinuous tapering" of the original, awesomely-built
Lumia 800. But, on the downside, what once was matte and grippy is now a polished, glossy affair. It's a design decision that we wish Nokia hadn't made, since it lends a cheapness to the handset that belies its hearty internals. Obviously, that last bit is a matter of personal taste and it's entirely possible the company went with this less premium exterior to keep costs down, but we miss that matte refinement.
In the cramped constraints we operate under during these official launch events, it's not always possible to test out a phone's imaging capabilities. We weren't able to put the dumbed-down 8-megapixel PureView module to the test. What should be apparent from that spec alone, and the device's smooth back, is that this Lumia won't deliver the same awe-inspiring optic performance of the
808. Perhaps Nokia's saving that ace for another smartphone reveal, but in the meantime, users will have to suffice with the 920's other types of optical wizardry. Nokia said during the announcement that its sensor can capture "between five and ten times" the light of any other smartphone, which presumably relates to the Zeiss lens's f/2.0 maximum aperture -- and yet the One X also has an f/2.0 lens, so perhaps something else is going on here. Then there's also "floating lens" image stabilization, which Nokia insists can beat the optical stabilization even of DSLR cameras. Even at our most open-minded, we can hardly absorb marketing claims like that until we've had a chance to test the 920's photo-taking performance for ourselves -- which hopefully won't be far off.
So, you know how it looks, how it feels and even what's inside, but let's not forget the most important piece of this smartphone pie: how it works. By now, you should be well aware that this is a
Windows Phone 8 device. It's infused with the mobile OS Microsoft crafted from the bottom up and one that shares a kernel with its desktop sibling. Fans of WP will feel right at home when they power on the handset, as that start screen -- now expanded to fill up the entire 4.5-inch real estate --pops with an array of live tiles and a balanced vibrancy of color, even without the contrasty AMOLED technology of the Lumia 800. WP8 is a beast unto itself, so stay tuned as we update this post with further software impressions.
Nokia Lumia 920 official: Dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU, 8MP PureView camera, Windows Phone 8
By
Mat Smith
posted Sep 5th 2012 10:12AM
Breaking News
It was only this past spring that
Nokia crashed onto the US smartphone scene to stake its claim and make inroads into consumers' minds and hearts. Now, just five months later, the Finnish company's poised to overtake the buzz of its
fledgling, former Windows Phone flagship, with what many consider to be a true high-end contender: the Lumia 920.
As one of the first
Windows Phone 8 devices to be officially announced, this device augments Espoo's line with a larger, curved 4.5-inch PureMotion HD+ display, dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU, 2,000mAh battery, NFC, integrated wireless charging and an 8-megapixel rear PureView camera capable of 1080p video. The display packs WXGA (1,280 x 768) resolution, is 25 percent brighter than the next best panel on the market and it's the fastest LCD that Nokia has ever shipped on a smartphone. What's more, the screen also boasts what Nokia calls "Super Sensitive Touch," which promises to let you use it even when wearing gloves or mitts.
As you can tell from its humpless back, this
PureView is not that of the 41-megapixel variety -- it's merely all about the branding, as the moniker will now ring synonymous with "high-end cameras." Despite that fall from 808 grace, Nokia's Head of Imaging Damian Dinning has assured detractors the magic is in
what's done with the optics and pixels and not sheer gargantuan sampling size. To wit, the 920 employs a "floating lens," which, in layman's terms, translates into hardware image stabilization and also packs impressive low-light capabilities -- an area the company's seems squarely focused upon.
In a true return to form, the 920 also hearkens back to
the Lumia that started it all, opting for the "sinuous tapering" that debuted on the 800 with glass edges that blend gently into the polycarbonate hull. Unfortunately, not all of that design language has made the transition, given its chassis now appears glossier and more polished, distancing itself from that premium matte finish. Still, as looks go, the handset's keeping to its 900 origins, appearing nigh indistinct from its predecessor save for that attention-grabbing mellow yellow hue.And as a bonus, Nokia's imbued the device with integrated wireless charging, based on the Qi standard, which corroborates those leaks we saw just last week.
Nokia Lumia 920
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/05/nokia-lumia-920-official-dual-core-1-5ghz-snapdragon-s4-cpu-wi/
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Nokia announces Lumia 820, a 4.3-inch, LTE-running, budget-friendly Windows Phone 8 handset
Breaking News
No matter your budget, Nokia's got a
Windows Phone 8 handset for you. While the
Lumia 920 is holding the high-end hostage, the Lumia 820's planning to sneak in and capture the midrange. The phone is packing the same dual-core 1.5Ghz Snapdragon S4 internals that you'll find in the Lumia 920, 1GB RAM, while wireless charging is available as an optional feature -- with an additional shell that adds around 1mm to its overall thickness.
While the 4.3-inch handset isn't unattractive, the design language of the
800 (and
N9) that captured our hearts has been dumped in favor of something a little more symmetrical. The glass of its OLED 800 x 480 ClearBlack display is flat rather than curved and the body's finish is a little more shinier than the previous generation of Nokia's brand of polycarbonate.
Photography fans looking to get their hands on some budget-flavored PureView goodness will be disappointed to see that it's been reserved for the high-end model. This unit comes with the more familiar 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss optics that we've seen on other models. A further improvement on the 800 comes round the front, with the inclusion of a VGA camera for video chats.
Those clamoring for more storage will also be happy to see that while it comes with only 8GB of on-board memory, it's packing microSD support and you'll get an additional 7GB of SkyDrive space on Redmond's cloud service as part of the deal.
It'll arrive in Red, Yellow, Grey, Cyan, Purple, White and Black, in LTE and HSPA+ variants, with shipping starting "later in the year," but with no specific announcement on pricing or availability.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/05/nokia-lumia-820/
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Nokia has just introduced its 820 and 920 models:
They are much more interesting in terms of new features than the new iPhone IMHO (wireless charging, an OS which hasreally evolved, dual core snapdragon, close in term of architecture, to the cortex A15, nicer design, "true" HD screen. ..)
Apple will have to amaze us during its upcoming presention ... today the competitors have serious arguments 
