Most of the criticism regarding Nokia’s handsets has always focused on the supposed lack of relevance of the Windows Phone 8 operating system against its strongest competitors, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS, and the various shortcomings of the platform. Let’s see how Nokia’s latest flagship offering stacks up.
Design
While iOS or Android fanatics may not take Windows Phone seriously, there are many unbiased, open-minded customers looking for something fresh and interesting to tinker with who would immediately see the appeal of Lumia 920. At 5.12 inches tall, 2.7 inches wide, and 0.42 inches thick, the Lumia 920 is constructed from polycarbonate and available in a range of vivid colours. The 4.5 inch screen curves neatly within its confines, leaving room for Windows Phone’s three capacitive buttons (Back, Home, and Search). At nearly 6.5 ounces, the device is heavier than both the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3 but, despite this, the weight takes nothing away from the comfort or ease of use.
Camera
One of its main attractions, the 8 megapixel camera features an f/2.0 AF Carl Zeiss wide-angle lens coupled with Nokia’s PureView Technology; the same technology that launched Nokia’s most successful camera phone, the Nokia 808 PureView, into the ranks of one of the best camera phones of 2012 (or possibly, ever). While not as impressive as the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone in terms of normal-light video recording, the floating lens technology keeps videos quite stable, clear, and steady. Of particularly stellar quality are low-light images, the bane of almost all smartphone cameras.
Software
The operating system on the Nokia Lumia 920, although lacking a few features and apps, is almost at par with iOS and Android and has very impressive substitutes for the more conventional media players, office programs, mapping and navigation applications and others. Voice quality is crisp and clear, and the device supports eleven major spectrum bands. Nokia’s custom apps like Nokia Drive are a particular highlight of Nokia Windows Phone devices, and make for great value addition to the platform. As of now, Nokia Drive is perhaps the best navigation service on smartphones, and features offline and voice guided navigation.
Wireless charging is another innovative addition, and though slower than regular charging, is reasonably fast and rather convenient. You’ll have a tough time going back to cables once you’re hooked to the wireless mat.
Hardware
The Lumia 920 features a 1.5 GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 processor by Qualcomm, coupled with 1 GB of RAM. Storage is limited to 32 GB with no microSD slot. The display is a 4.5 inch IPS TFT touchscreen with Nokia’s ClearBlack technology and Gorilla Glass 2. This puts the pixel density of the Lumia 920 display at an eye popping 332 ppi, higher than the iPhone’s 326 ppi. In real world use, the device is extremely snappy, with smooth transitions and nary a hiccup. Native apps open almost instantaneously, though third party take a couple of seconds to load. Rounding off the specs list is Bluetooth 3.1 and GPS as well as GLONASS for navigation.
