Availability, Options, And Accessories
As of right now, Verizon is the only carrier offering the Lumia Icon. It can be purchased for $199.99 on a two-year contract, or for $549.99 outright. That puts it in line with other premium offerings, such as Verizon's HTC One Max and the iPhone 5s.
The phone is compatible with the following cellular bands: LTE: 700 MHz; SVLTE Band 13; Band 4; CDMA: 3G EVDO 850/1900 Rev A with Rx Diversity; Global Ready: GSM (850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz), UMTS (850, 900, 1900, and 2100 MHz).
Verizon ships the phone unlocked, so you could, in theory, buy it and use another company's nano-SIM card. I tested the Icon up in Canada, where it worked well on the Rogers network (albeit limited to 3G/HSPA+ networks, as the cellular modem is incompatible with this country's LTE frequencies). I'm hoping that the more recently-announced Lumia 930 will support more options than the Verizon-exclusive Icon.
In addition to its cellular connectivity, the Icon is equipped with Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi radios. We couldn't get Windows Phone 8 to recognize a Bluetooth-attached keyboard or mouse, since the operating system doesn't support the required HID profile. That's going to become more of a limitation as form factors continue growing. I'm much more pleased with the inclusion of wireless 802.11ac. Using the Icon on a comparably-equipped Wi-Fi network yields an impressive online experience.
Again, if you're interested in Verizon's Lumia Icon, you have a choice between a black or white phone. You get 32 GB of storage, standard, with about 23 GB accessible out of the box.
Other than a pre-installed Verizon nano-SIM card and non-removable 2420 mAh battery, the only included accessories are an AC-to-USB charger, USB-to-microUSB cable, and documentation. The lack of earphones is conspicuous, especially for a device aimed at the high-end of the smartphone spectrum.
The Icon also features Qi wireless charging support, though a charging pad must be purchased separately.
