Nokia Lumia 920 review: Windows Phone 8 and (a little bit of) camera magic

Nokia Lumia 920 review

It's been almost a year to the day since we reviewed Nokia's first Windows Phone and now we're staring at its second-generation flagship, the Lumia 920. Since the Lumia 800, Nokia's taken a pretty big role in improving Windows Phone's standing in a crowded (but lucrative) smartphone battlefield. While it may be sharing the spotlight with the new HTC 8X, this slab of hewn polycarbonate has garnered plenty of admirers. No doubt, a large chunk of those would-be phone buyers are, for better and worse, lusting after the phone's PureView imaging tech -- and after our early tests, it looks like it could be just as impressive as the lossless optical zoom seen on the PureView 808.

The Lumia 920 dominated Nokia's presentation at Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 press event a few months ago, with the smaller Lumia 820 barely getting a look-in. It's got a "better-than-HD" 1,280 x 768, 4.5-inch high-contrast IPS display, built-in contactless charging, solid build quality and more of Nokia's exclusive software additions. This time, at least on hardware specifications, the company aims to put its flagship on equal footing with the likes of the Galaxy S III and the iPhone 5. Can Nokia's biggest and (literally) brightest smartphone maintain its place at top of the Windows Phone pile? How does that camera fare with extended use? And will the Lumia 920 offer enough to pull you away from Android or iOS for your next phone?

Continue reading Nokia Lumia 920 review: Windows Phone 8 and (a little bit of) camera magic

Filed under: , ,

Nokia Lumia 920 review: Windows Phone 8 and (a little bit of) camera magic originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNokia PureMotion white paper (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Nokia Lumia 920 pre-orders reappear: $699 off-contract at Negri Electronics

Nokia Lumia 920 preorders reappear $699 offcontract at Negri Electronics

If you missed Best Buy's early pre-order showing of the Lumia 920 (which soon disappeared) then you might be interested in stumping a headier amount for the same handset, off-contract. Negri Electronics is now listing the device at $699, but minus those monthly payments to AT&T. The online retailer has the yellow iteration, while it's also stocking the Lumia 820 free from contract restrictions -- and in red -- for $599. The site is sticking resolutely to that pre-order label on both, however, with no mention of a possible delivery date just yet.

Filed under: , ,

Nokia Lumia 920 pre-orders reappear: $699 off-contract at Negri Electronics originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Pocketnow  |  sourceNegri Electronics  | Email this | Comments

Best Buy offering pre-orders for Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X for $149.99 and $99.99 under contract (Update: Lumia 920 no longer listed)

Best Buy offering preorders for Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X for $14999 and $9999 under contract

Nokia and HTC's upcoming Windows Phone 8 flagships are still on the standard release path: announcement, federal approval and now, pre-order. Keeping device availability tucked firmly under its hat, Best Buy is now offering Nokia's Lumia 920 and the HTC 8X for pre-sale, priced at $149.99 and $99.99, respectively. Early buyers have options, too: the Lumia 920 is kitted out in red, blue, yellow, black and white shells. Fashionistas with a flair for purple, however, will need to stick to HTC's hardware. Unfortunately, you don't get that much choice -- Best Buy's pre-orders don't balk at the devices' AT&T exclusivity. The retailer doesn't say when devices are going to ship, but we imagine early adopters won't have to wait too long.

Update: The Lumia 920 has disappeared from Best Buy's listings, while the 8X remains. This seems to suggest that pre-order stock for Nokia's new flagship has sold out, but given the short time it was available, let's hope that other issues are to blame and the absence is only temporary.

Filed under: ,

Best Buy offering pre-orders for Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X for $149.99 and $99.99 under contract (Update: Lumia 920 no longer listed) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Oct 2012 13:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink WPCentral, Verge, Phone Arena  |  sourceBest Buy  | Email this | Comments

Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: fall 2012 edition

Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide fall 2012 edition

Shopping for a smartphone can be an exciting and arduous experience. Along with the promise of something new and fantastic, it brings the fear of commitment, and even worse, the prospect of saddling yourself to a lousy device for two years. Fortunately for you, Engadget spends tons of time playing with the latest gear and we're constantly on the lookout for what's coming next. If you're wanting to take the pain out of shopping for a smartphone, you've come to the right place. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: your one-stop resource to finding the best and most exciting handsets on the market today.

Before you dive in, however, we've introduced a few changes to the buyer's guide, so take a minute to prepare yourself for what's in store. First and foremost, you'll now find alternate selections to supplement our top picks. This should already be familiar to many of you, which is the same format we use for our seasonal gift guides. The next one is a biggie: we've dropped the QWERTY selection. By and large, manufacturers and carriers alike have shifted their focus away from keyboard-equipped smartphones, and you'll rarely find more than one option on any given carrier. That said, if you still insist on the tactile experience, you'll always find everything you need to know in our reviews. Finally, whenever possible, you'll now find prices from Amazon Wireless, which allows us to provide you with more compelling budget selections and highlight the substantial savings that you can score by circumventing the carriers. It's not like they need your charity, anyway.

If you're curious to see how it all unfolded -- and we know you are -- join us after the break, where we round up the very best smartphones of the season.

Continue reading Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: fall 2012 edition

Filed under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: fall 2012 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Leaked training videos peg Lumia 920 as AT&T exclusive for six months, shows off City Lens, wireless charging

Leaked training videos peg Lumia 920 as an AT&T exclusive for six months, shows off City Lens, wireless charging

Itching for Nokia's latest piece of Windows Phone kit, but aren't ready to saddle up with Ma Bell? Get comfortable: according to a leaked AT&T training video, you'll have to wait six months for the Lumia 920's exclusivity contract to expire. The unofficial Windows Phone 8 flagship is due out next month, though mum's still the word on its actual ship date. The trio of videos also give AT&T employees a brief run down of Nokia City Lens, wireless charging and the handset's NFC features. If you simply can't wait until spring, Verizon and T-Mobile are serving up a pair of mid-range alternatives, the Lumia 820 and 822, respectively. Otherwise, head past the break to see the videos for yourself and test your patience.

Continue reading Leaked training videos peg Lumia 920 as AT&T exclusive for six months, shows off City Lens, wireless charging

Filed under: ,

Leaked training videos peg Lumia 920 as AT&T exclusive for six months, shows off City Lens, wireless charging originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 01:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMy Nokia Blog  | Email this | Comments

Nokia Lumia 820, 920 for AT&T swing through the FCC

Nokia Lumia 820, 920 for AT&T swing through the FCC

Hopefully AT&T subscribers weren't spooked when the Nokia Lumia 920 first passed through the FCC in only its non-US guise, and its lower-end 820 cousin only as the (currently unofficial) Verizon-ready Lumia 822. The two Windows Phone 8 flagships have had follow-up approvals in GSM versions that are unmistakably destined for AT&T and Canadian carriers. Never mind the slightly distracting RM-820 model number on the Lumia 920; it reveals the 920's distinctive curved design, 700MHz LTE in AT&T's range and AWS-based LTE for both AT&T as well as its Canadian neighbor. The Lumia 820 is equally identifiable as the RM-824, even if it limits the LTE access to AT&T's network. We haven't seen any shocking revelations from either device, although we weren't expecting any from phones that hew so closely to the original templates. The filings mostly set expectations for Microsoft's October 29th event -- now that the likely stars of the show are cleared to make their appearances, the companies involved should breathe more easily.

Filed under: , , ,

Nokia Lumia 820, 920 for AT&T swing through the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 21:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Vodafone Germany expects Nokia Lumia 820 and 920 on November 1st

Vodafone Germany expects Nokia Lumia 820 and 920 on November 1st

Everyone knows that Nokia's Lumia 820 and 920 are slated to arrive in November. But how soon into the month? Going by Vodafone Germany's assertions, both of the devices will come just as some of us are nursing our Halloween candy hangovers -- that is, November 1st. While neither Nokia nor Microsoft has confirmed the timing independently, it lines up with a brief mention of a similar date at retailer MediaMarkt and would follow just two days after the big Windows Phone 8 event where Nokia is likely to take center stage. Provided Vodafone isn't just being optimistic, it gives us hope that the North American launches of the advanced Lumias won't be far behind.

Filed under: , , ,

Vodafone Germany expects Nokia Lumia 820 and 920 on November 1st originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink WPArea.de (translated), WMPoweruser  |  sourceVodafone Germany (Facebook)  | Email this | Comments

Nokia Lumia 920 to be a Rogers exclusive in Canada, we wonder if red is an option

Nokia Lumia 920 to be Rogers exclusive in Canada, we wonder if red is an option

Where goeth AT&T, so often goeth its one-time partner Rogers. That's certainly true for the Nokia Lumia 920: Rogers has confirmed that it will have an exclusive on the Windows Phone 8 flagship in Canada, much as AT&T has a lock on the device in the US. While there's no pricing or color options yet, the Canuck model will share the November shipping window and LTE support, and it's easy to imagine Rogers gravitating towards its signature (and coincidentally patriotic) red. Other Canadian carriers haven't chipped in about the Lumia 820; if history is any indicator, though, we'd anticipate the less expensive portion of Nokia's lineup going Telus' way.

Continue reading Nokia Lumia 920 to be a Rogers exclusive in Canada, we wonder if red is an option

Filed under: , ,

Nokia Lumia 920 to be a Rogers exclusive in Canada, we wonder if red is an option originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Nokia Lumia 920 for AT&T hands-on: a Windows Phone 8 flagship with PureView imaging and LTE (video)

Nokia Lumia 920 for AT&T handson a Windows Phone 8 flagship with PureView imaging and LTE

Much like the 900 before it, Nokia's Lumia 920 will be making its US debut on AT&T as an exclusive. Despite not having Microsoft's "signature" blessing, this Windows Phone 8 flagship is poised to ship sometime this November with all the stuffings of its international counterpart. Inside that vibrant polycarbonate hull, of which there are now five colors (including cyan), is a 4.5-inch PureMotion HD+ 1,280 x 768 display, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor buffered by 1GB RAM, an 8-megapixel PureView rear camera and 2,000mAh battery augmented by the inclusion of wireless charging. Naturally, this locked and branded variant will run on the carrier's 4G LTE network and offer the same "Super Sensitive Touch" panel that we tested extensively at the company's Espoo HQ.

This being Microsoft's WP8 game, however, we still weren't able to go past the live-tiled start screen and into the meat and potatoes of the fuller app drawer, nor could we truly give the OS a spin -- that'll all have to wait until end of October. From the tightly controlled software bits we did demo, though, the 920's shaping up to be a smooth and solid contender for the beast phone race. Icons and text scroll by without any marked blur thanks to the screen's 60Hz refresh rate. And colors on that saturated display pop, while viewing angles remain consistently impressive. What also hasn't changed is the handset's girth and weight -- it's still chunky and relatively heavy in hand, but we're willing to overlook it for the PureView rear module alone.

Within the frenzied constraints of events like these, it's hard to really dive deep into camera performance. But we don't really have much need for that given our exhaustive coverage of the 920's optical image stabilization, low light capabilities and Cinemagraph GIF-making magic. Still, expect us to give it a fuller poke when final review units land in our laps (hopefully) later this month.

Unfortunately, the wait for Nokia's next of high-end Lumia kin isn't over yet. AT&T's playing coy and won't fess up to a concrete date or even on-contract price. That should all change as soon as Microsoft makes things officially official. Until then, sate yourself with the images below and don't miss the video after the break.

Continue reading Nokia Lumia 920 for AT&T hands-on: a Windows Phone 8 flagship with PureView imaging and LTE (video)

Filed under: , , ,

Nokia Lumia 920 for AT&T hands-on: a Windows Phone 8 flagship with PureView imaging and LTE (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Microsoft continues invitation spree, asks us to attend its Windows Phone 8 launch event on October 29th

Microsoft continues the invitation spree, asks us to attend its Windows Phone 8 launch event on October 29th

Can we call October the Month of Metro, even if Microsoft isn't keen on the idea? Hot on the heels of its Windows 8 invitation, the company is asking us to head out a second time to see a street-inspired OS, inviting us to Windows Phone 8's formal launch on October 29th in San Francisco. The teaser doesn't say much about what Microsoft will show, although there's a real chance we'll get firmer launch schedules -- not to mention more opportunities with the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC Windows Phone 8X than staring lovingly at their home screens. You can be sure that we'll report back with the full details.

Filed under: , , , , ,

Microsoft continues invitation spree, asks us to attend its Windows Phone 8 launch event on October 29th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments