The Nokia Lumia 920 was Nokia’s flagship device for 2012, and with the new flagship model, the Lumia 925, being officially launched today, how does the Lumia 920 compare?
The device truly stands out from the crowd with its colourful design and dynamic home screen thanks to Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS. But what can it offer users who are used to the popular Android OS? Let’s take a look…
Specs
The Nokia Lumia 920 shares many of the same attributes as the mid-range Lumia 820 model, such as the polycarbonate casing, which gives the device a high quality feel, and the attractive and easily identifiable Windows Phone 8 home screen.
When road testing the Nokia Lumia 820, I was instantly surprised by just how heavy the device felt in your hand, though when unpacking the larger 920, I was shocked to find that it was even heavier. And weighing in at a massive 185g, the Nokia Lumia 920 is staggeringly bulker than even larger screened mobile phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the HTC One X.
The Lumia 920 features a 4.5 inch screen, which almost appears small when you compare phones released as flagship models last year. However; the 920’s 332ppi pixel density brings the colourful and dynamic home screen to life, making it stand out of the rows of Androids which crowd our shelves.
One main difference between the Lumia 920 and the Lumia 820 is the phone’s shape; the edges are that little bit sharper and less rounded on the 920, making it slightly less comfortable to hold for prolonged periods of time. Another difference between the two Nokia devices is that the back casing is not removable on the 920 as it is on the 820. Although this means that you cannot change the battery or extend the 920’s memory, Nokia has partially got round this issue by building the device with 32GB of internal storage.
Features
Wallet
With the growing interest in NFC chips, Nokia has decided to offer its users access to the Nokia Wallet.
The Wallet app is pretty simple; it stores all of the details, numbers and cards that you wallet does, in a safe and secure system. It’s not just your bank cards or credit cards that the Wallet app remembers, either, it also stores your details for store cards and loyalty cards for your favourite shops, bars and cafes.
The app is pin-protected, so even if your phone gets lost or stolen, no-one but you can access your details.
Music
By acquiring a Nokia Lumia 920, you are instantly gaining access to Nokia’s multiple music apps which make listening to your favourite hits easier than ever. Not only can you listen to Nokia’s Mix Radio, but you can also listen to all of your downloaded tracks, all located in one place.
The best part of Nokia’s Music app is the Gigs feature, which tells you about all of the latest bands and artists playing in your general location over the following few weeks. So if you’ve got a spare Saturday night that needs filling, just turn to your Lumia 920’s music app to pick a gig to invite all your friends to!
Lomogram
Because the Nokia Lumia 920 runs the latest version of Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS, many critics have claimed that it doesn’t have the same lure when it comes to apps. This is not entirely the case, however, and there are a huge variety of apps that do the same job, if not better, than apps available in Google’s Play Store.
For instance, Lomogram is a great alternative to the popular photo-editing app, Instagram, and is available for free from the Lumia 920’s app store.
And when testing Lomogram, I found that there were many more filters and frames on offer when compared to Instagram, making editing my photos fun and more unique.
Camera
I road tested the Nokia Lumia 920 in various situations to gauge how well it reacted indoors and outdoors, and in bright and dull lights. And overall, I’d give the Lumia 920’s camera big thumbs up for quality.
Like the 820, the Lumia 920 features an 8MP rear-facing lens boosted by Carl Zeiss optics, which makes it capture images which are incredibly sharp and clear. Although there is no post-production editing suite built into the 920, I felt that the quality of the photos taken with the device were good enough not to need enhancing, and if I felt that I wanted to edit the images, I simply used the Lomogram app mentioned above.
Verdict
Overall, I really liked the way that the Windows Phone OS worked on the Nokia Lumia 920. Its colourful design, dynamic live tiles and simple interface makes the Lumia range really stand out, and that’s even before you get to the device itself.
The Lumia 920 was pretty heavy and bulky. That said, I felt that the device had been built to a high standard, and wouldn’t scratch or shatter of I were to drop it, as would various cheaper Android phones.
The 920’s camera made the phone stand out, as did its good selection of alternative apps, especially the Nokia Music app. So if you want to stand out of the crowd, then Nokia’s flagship model is definitely one for you! With some of the best phone deals for Nokia models on offer online, being individual wouldn’t set you back too much either!
