Nokia Lumia 920 Price Revealed? Smartphone's PureView Camera Bests Apple iPhone 5, Say Early Reviews

Nov 05, 2012 04:52 PM EST

We've been hearing news of Nokia's new Windows Phone 8 powered smartphone, the Lumia 920, for a while now, and now it seems we can finally confirm the device's price. The Lumia 920 is rumored to have a Nov. 11 release date and will be available on AT&T for $149.99 with a signed two-year contract, according to WPCentral.

iPad Mini Sells 3M First Weekend, Is it Cannibalizing iPad Sales?

The tech website noticed that Nokia's mobile website happened to show a Live Tile on a mobile browser, and that the same tile came up as static on a computer. The Live-Tile on mobile devices revealed the $149.99 two-year contract pricing for the Nokia Lumia 920, WPCentral reported.

Best Buy had accidentally listed the Nokia Lumia 920 for preorder in October, but the listing was removed shortly after. According to the listing, the Lumia 920 cost $149.99. Of course, a signed two-year contract is required to obtain the smartphone at that price point, which otherwise will cost $599.99.

Reviews

As early reviews for the Lumia 920 roll in, this looks to be one of the instances where much of the hype is actually true. Reviewers especially loved the phone's new PureView camera technology, which some said was even better than the camera on Apple's iPhone 5. The Lumia 920's crisp display, and unique design characteristics also wowed, while the lack of apps in Microsoft's catalogue, and bulky size of the device tended to disappoint.

BGR

BGR particularly loved the Lumia 920's unique design.

"Nokia's high-end Lumia lineup may feature one of the most unique hardware designs we've seen on a smartphone in recent years. Even Apple's lawyers singled out a Lumia phone as the perfect example of a unique smartphone that does not copy Apple's protected designs."

"While Apple's camera may or may not be the best in the business, Nokia's new Lumia phone definitely gives it a run for its money."

"The 8.7-megapixel PureView camera on the Lumia 920 is exceptional in low-light situations, as Nokia claims. The F2.0 aperture, high-quality Carl Zeiss lens and dual-LED flash combine to capture point-and-shoot quality images in moderately low light. They're not almost as good as pictures captured on a dedicated point-and-shoot camera, they are as good. In this area, the Lumia 920 puts the iPhone to shame."

"In daylight, interestingly, the playing field is leveled. I found that some images captured by the iPhone 5 in daylight were sharper than similar shots taken on the 920, though the 920 is certainly no slouch."

"Blacks are deep and the contrast on this screen is outstanding. Colors definitely pop, though they seem a bit oversaturated at times, and I find that Nokia delivers on its promise of a display that is much more visible in sunlight than the average smartphone panel, as well. Also incredibly handy is the fact that the touchscreen still responds when the user is wearing gloves."

"It's not the quickest draw in the West but compared to Windows Phone 7 and 7.5 devices, performance is dramatically improved."

"Poorly made apps still perform poorly, of course. And sadly, that applies to a huge portion of the 100,000 apps Microsoft currently has in its app store."

"First impressions can mean everything and the unfortunate truth is that the Lumia 920 doesn't make the best first impression."

"In a market where high-end phones are getting thinner and lighter, Nokia's new Lumia 920 is heading in the exact opposite direction."

"In fact, wireless charging in the Lumia 920 is actually a burden. Why? The wireless charging coil Nokia included in the phone adds even more thickness and weight to a phone that is already too thick and too heavy."

"Nokia's Lumia 920 is a wonderful smartphone in some ways and a heartbreaking handset in others...There is still no differentiation compelling enough to pry people away from Android and iOS."

Computer World

Computer World loved the Lumia 920's PureView camera technology, and thinks its just as good as a stand-alone camera.

"While we can appreciate the amount of tech that's packed into that shell, particularly the camera and its floating lens optical image stabilisation system, f2.0 aperture and backside illuminated sensor, users who long for a thin and light phone are likely to be left disappointed. The weight and girth of the Lumia 920 is immediately noticeable, even coming from a large device like the Samsung Galaxy S III."

"The screen of the Lumia 920 immediately looks very impressive. Performance was also notable. Windows Phone has always been an efficient and smooth operating system, but we experienced no lag or slowdown at all in our brief play with the Lumia 920."

"In a direct comparison with an iPhone 5, the Lumia 920 launched the camera app from standby quicker than Apple's flagship. It was only a matter of milliseconds, but it's pretty clear that performance isn't going to be an issue."

Computer World was given some accessories though, and "Undoubtedly the best of the bunch are the wireless charging accessories. There's a wireless charging pillow by Fatboy, a Nokia-branded wireless charging plate and a JBL speaker that will charge the phone and enable one-touch Bluetooth pairing using NFC. Because these accessories all work on the Qi wireless charging standard, they will be compatible with future models and should even work with non-Nokia smartphones that feature Qi wireless charging capabilities."

ZDNet

ZDNet thought the phone had improved markedly over the Lumia 900.

"The Lumia 920 feels much the same as the Lumia 900, and I doubt many folks will notice much of a difference. This poses a problem for Microsoft since Windows Phone 8 is not much different than Windows Phone 7; yet something different has to be done to get consumers to buy Windows Phone 8 -- and the existing strategies haven't worked."

"The display resolution is better, and you can see the difference as soon as you turn on the Lumia 920. I love the polycarbonate designs of the Lumia line and Nokia continues it with the 920."

"The display has a slightly higher resolution than the 8X (1280x768 compared to 1280x720) and colors are vibrant as well. The PureMotion HD+ technology is pretty amazing and I recommend you test it with your fingernail or glove on."

"Yes, these wireless charging pads need to be plugged in to an outlet to get power that is passed on wirelessly, but the convenience of simply dropping the Nokia Lumia 920 on the Fatboy pillow is great. I have it sitting on my desk so when I am there the Lumia 920 is charging up which can lead to it being charged up more often."

"I have to say the sensitive display, wireless charging capability, Nokia Music service, Nokia Drive software, and camera performance have been great so far. I didn't realize that the Lumia 920 had some advanced audio settings, but when you plug in headphones and go into the Settings, you will find custom equalizer options. You can choose from several presets or customize the audio levels. There is also a toggle for Dolby headphones. I could definitely tell a difference with the Dolby toggle on and making changes in the equalizer."

"It is easy to see that the Nokia Lumia 920 is an upgrade over the Lumia 900 and I continue to look at the yellow or cyan one for AT&T. There is definitely heft to the Lumia 920; it feels like a rock solid device. Windows Phone 8 has addressed several weaknesses in Windows Phone 7/7.5 and the Lumia 920 looks to set the bar for features, functions, and apps on this new platform."

Nokia Lumia 920 specs

General

2G Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

3G Network: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100

4G Network: LTE 800 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600

LTE 700 MHz Class 17 / 1700 / 2100 - Nokia Lumia 920 for AT&T

SIM: Micro-SIM

Body

Dimensions: 130.3 x 70.8 x 10.7 mm, 99 cc (5.13 x 2.79 x 0.42 in)

Weight: 185 g (6.53 oz)

Display

Type: IPS TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors