Nokia may have been bought and rebranded as Microsoft Devices, but its legacy trickles on with the Lumia devices that were designed and build before the merger was complete. The Lumia 930 is possibly the last Nokia-branded flagship device we’ll ever see. It’s also the first premium Lumia to come running the new Windows Phone 8.1 platform.
It’s interesting to see the direction in which Nokia was headed with the classic Lumia look. Things had remained fairly stagnant in that department since the Lumias first debuted in 2011 until now.
Curved sides and a flat top & bottom with sharp corners had become standard. Of course, the iconic bright colour schemes always made a show as well. It was all very vibrant and new at first, but after two years of similar-looking handsets it’s time for a refresh. The Lumia 930 does just that, but still retains that lively theme that remains identifiably Lumia.
Dress like it’s your last day on Earth
Ok, so the Lumia line will probably continue under Microsoft and who knows? Microsoft Devices may even keep the Nokia branding to keep fans happy, although that one’s a little less likely. Either way, the Lumia 930 is a great-looking device.
Once again there are colourful options, this time in orange and green, with the black and white staples offering choices for the less aesthetically-adventuresome among us.
The new look comes in through the metallic trim that borders the frame. In fact, that touch of metal goes the whole way through the device. It’s the outer façade of what is actually the central shelf on which all of the working hardware sits. Best of all, the corners are fully-rounded. Nokia’s unfortunate predilection for 90 degree angles may look nice, but becomes cumbersome in the pocket with the size of today’s smartphones.
That brings us neatly to the 930’s sensibly-sized 5-inch 1080p display with Nokia’s ClearBlack technology. That combination gives you 441 pixels per inch (ppi), which is over 100ppi more than an iPhone’s Retina display, and supremely inky black tones. It should also provide a crisp experience for the new background image support for the WP 8.1 Start Screen.
Camera and hardware
First and foremost under the hood is the 20MP PureView camera. This is the same camera found in the Lumia 1520 phablet with OIS and ZEISS optics that we absolutely loved. Hopefully Nokia used its final days to upgrade the image sensors and software running the picture show to provide an even better experience and perhaps fix some of those light-bleeding issues that can plague night-time shots.
The CPU is a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800. That’s not exactly top-of-the-line but it’s a close second to some of the Android flagships. Besides, Windows Phone doesn’t require the same level of hardware to run smoothly as does the more-fragmented Android OS, so the CPU combined with 2GB of RAM should be more than enough to deliver a silky smooth experience.
Other stuff includes:
- 32GB on-board storage (no MicroSD slot for expansion)
- 4G connectivity
- USB 2.0
- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac
- 2420mAh battery
Pricing and availability
The Lumia 930 has been confirmed for Optus, Telstra and Vodafone. Official pricing and availability are expected to be announced the Lumia 930 and 635 Microsoft Devices event on the 8 th of this month (July).
Alex Angove-Plumb
Digital Content Editor
Related Articles
