The Lumia Icon isn't a flashy or colorful device. Unlike other Nokia models, there are no bright colors available. You choose between black and white. It's a businesslike, sharp, and understated phone. A cut, beveled edge surrounding the case is more reminiscent of an iPhone than it is the rest of the Lumia line. It's fine-looking. But Icon owners who want to express their personal style a bit more will want a case with pizazz.
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The Lumia 930 features an identical platform, but is available in two additional colors: green and orange.
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Up top, you can barely make out the nano-SIM tray next to the more prominent 3.5 mm headphone jack. The tray is atypical in that it requires no pin to remove; you simply pull it open with a fingernail.
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The front face of the phone hosts a speaker/mic, with a 2 MP camera just to the right. There are three illuminated Windows Phone buttons right below the 5" screen, and another forward-facing microphone. "Another one," you ask? That's right. The Icon has four: two unidirectional mics up front and two multi-directional in the back.

You won't find anything interesting on the left side of the phone; instead, all of the buttons are on the right side. From the top, there's the volume rocker, a power button, and a camera button that protrudes a little more than the others. All three activate crisply. My only complaint is they're too easy to press accidentally. The power button is particularly susceptible to this, since it's right where your fingers rest while holding the phone.
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Those pinholes in the back are the multi-directional mics. They're purportedly able to track a sound source as it moves during video capture, which is something you'll see us test. The 20 MP camera is in the top-center of the device (or the right in the photo above), with a dual-LED flash next to it. The speaker is on the bottom-right, with the phone standing up vertically.
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The only connector on the bottom of the phone is a micro-USB charging/data port.
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Compared to the Lumia 1020, Nokia's Icon/930 is the exact same width, slightly longer, a hair thinner, and a bit heavier. I certainly understand why this is the case, given the Icon's larger 5" screen. But make no mistake, Nokia's latest is neither small nor light. The increased size is forgivable considering the larger display, and it's only about two millimeters larger than the Nexus 5 in each direction.
At 166 grams, though, it is noticeably heavier than Google's 130-gram phone. On the other hand, it's also quite a bit lighter than the brick-like Lumia 920, a 185-gram beast that represented the ultimate manifestation of Windows Phone 8 when it launched.
Nexus 5 (left) and Lumia Icon (right)
The Lumia Icon rides a fine line between size, heft, and usability. I purchased a Lumia 920, but quickly exchanged it for an HTC 8x because the Nokia was just too cumbersome to haul around. And I'm definitely not prepared to put up with a phablet, either. But I can tolerate the Icon in my pocket all day. Its beautiful 5" screen makes that decision all the more easy to rationalize.
Nokia's Lumia Icon/930 feels sturdy in-hand, and there's no doubt as to its high-quality materials. I only wish it was easier to hold on to. You might not suspect it, but this fairly large smartphone slips through my fingers if I'm not careful. That's reason enough to enclose the Lumia in a case, which won't do the device any favors in the bulkiness department.
- Windows Phone Gets A New Flagship
- Design, Look, And Feel
- Windows Phone 8 And Nokia Software Tour
- Availability, Options, And Accessories
- Camera Features And Example Photos
- Microphones And Video
- Benchmark Suite, Methodology, And Test System Specs
- Results: System And Graphics Tests
- Results: Web And Battery Tests
- Results: Brightness, Black Level, Contrast Ratio, And Gamma
- Will The Icon Convert You From Android Or iOS?
Nokia Lumia Icon & Lumia 930 Review: Windows Phone, Premium : Read more
I'm surprised by the bloat. My 1020 (with Windows Phone 8.1) has 32GB, of which 29 is available, after O2's (slight) footprint.
You did not even mention one of the coolest and most useful features that this phone offers that no other on the market does.
The icon/930 comes with software that adapts every element on screen to the lighting conditions it is exposed to. Whether picture, text, or video it will analyze every pixel displayed and either lighten/darken/change contrast to make it perfectly view-able in any lighting condition.
I saw this feature in person against my own GS4 and an iPhone 5s and it absolutely annihilates the other phones. I took a picture with my own GS4, sent it to the other phones (iphone, nokia) and then compared side by side. In shade the picture was visible. In bright light both the GS4 and iPhone 5S the picture was washed out and darker parts not visible. The 930 software detected the light, analyzed the picture, and dynamically adjusted the picture to make it look the exact same in bright light as it did in the shade.
Hands down the coolest and most useful feature I have seen on a phone in the last couple of years.
Um, because Intel and MS are supposed to be attached at the hip? So, just because Intel isn't in the newest WP product, it's doomed? Surely that means nVidia is also screwed since their Tegra didn't make it into the 930.
Nearly every carrier puts it's logo on all its phones. Verizon is no different here.
The icon/930 comes with software that adapts every element on screen to the lighting conditions it is exposed to. Whether picture, text, or video it will analyze every pixel displayed and either lighten/darken/change contrast to make it perfectly view-able in any lighting condition.
This has been in most Lumia phones, and I'm a fan of it. The auto-brightness setting works very well regardless of the lighting situation you're in. My 925 is perfectly legible in just about any conditions.
(I had been using Lumia 920 before I returned to 808 PureView. I still have it for testing purposes)
Most of that is the OS itself.
My original post was wrong; on my 1020, there's 29 of the 32 available to start with, of which 2.82GB is taken up by the system. Assuming a couple of gigs of apps and data, that still seems a bit better than what you get on the Icon. I suppose the lack of O2 bloat on my phone is because I didn't get it directly from them, though had I done so, it would've been the 64GB version... :|
You are in for a treat then because they have enhanced it and it is even better for the 930.
They had a 920 and 925 on display there as well and while they did a decent job of auto adjusting it was 10x better on the 930. The representative said they reworked the software's algorithms to do a better job.
(I had been using Lumia 920 before I returned to 808 PureView. I still have it for testing purposes)
Most of that is the OS itself.
Android and iOs are like a graveyard of dead icons. If they font adapt, their fingerprint sensor, eye recognition and waterproofing wont be able to protect it.
In the case of this device: Perfectly smooth performance no matter what you do. You can forge the phone all the time and with how many apps you want, this thing will not slow down, compared to Android. Plus the scrolling is butter smooth. Flawless 100% of the time.
It's also easier and in my opinion more fun to use.
Also, like iOS, you can't screw you device installing/running too many apps.