Nokia Lumia 930 Review
by Brett Howse on September 8, 2014 3:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Microsoft
- Nokia
- Mobile
- windows phone
- Lumia
Introduction
Nokia has once again refreshed its Windows Phone lineup with the release of the Lumia 930, which is the spiritual successor to the Lumia 920 which first launched with Windows Phone 8.0 way back in November 2012. But like the Lumia 630, it takes cues from more than just the Lumia with the closest model number. The Lumia 930 is an interesting combination of many of the other Nokia Windows Phone designs from over the years all wrapped up into a striking package that certainly gives it a new take on the polycarbonate bodies of all of the higher end Lumia devices over the years.
The Lumia 930 was first launched in the USA in February as the Lumia Icon. The Icon is practically identical, with only a few key differences. Being a Verizon exclusive, the Icon of course must support the Verizon CDMA network and has the correct LTE bands for that provider. The Lumia 930 has support for different frequencies due to it being designated for a more international audience. The other key difference is the Lumia 930 ships with Windows Phone 8.1 and the Nokia Cyan firmware, while the Icon first shipped with 8.0 and Nokia Black firmware and the update to the latest OS and firmware version is currently “under testing”. Those two differences aside, the Icon and the 930 can be mentioned practically interchangeably.
The Lumia 930 is the highest end offering currently available from Nokia, with a 5” 1080p AMOLED display driven by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC, which in this case is the 2.2 GHz quad-core Krait 400 version with the model number MSM8974VV. The Snapdragon 800 platform also includes the Adreno 330 GPU at 450 MHz, support for up to a 21 MP camera, and the cellular baseband built in. The Snapdragon 800 platform is certainly something we are used to seeing, with it powering most of the flagship smartphones from last year.
| Nokia Lumia 930 | |
| SoC | Qualcomm MSM8974VV 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Krait 400 |
| RAM/NAND | 2 GB LPDDR3, 32 GB NAND |
| Display | 5" 1920x1080 Pentile ClearBlack AMOLED |
| Network |
Cat 4 LTE 150 Mbps DL 50 Mbps Upload LTE network bands 1, 3, 7, 8, 20 WCDMA network 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 2100 MHz WCDMA DC-HSPA 42.2 Mbps DL, 5.76 Mbps UL GSM network 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz |
| Dimensions | 137 x 71 x 9.8 (mm) |
| Weight | 167 grams |
| Camera |
20 MP rear camera, 1.1 µm pixels, 1/2.5" CMOS size, F/2.4, 26 mm focal length, Dual-LED Flash, OIS 1.2 MP front camera, wide angle, f/2.4, 1280x960 |
| Battery | 2420 mAh 3.8 V (9.196 Whr) |
| OS | Windows Phone 8.1 with Cyan Firmware |
| Connectivity | 802.11 b/g/n/ac + BT 4.0 LE, USB2.0, MPT, DLNA, NFC FM Radio |
| Location Technologies | Cellular and Wi-Fi network positioning, A-GPS, A-GLONASS, BeiDou |
| SIM Size | nano SIM |
Hardware wise, the Lumia 930 actually shares a platform with more than just the Lumia Icon. The Lumia 1520 which was launched in late 2013 is a 6” Windows Phone with identical hardware specifications. Practically everything except the display, battery and form factor are shared between the 1520 and the 930 with the exception of microSD card support which is present in the 6” 1520, but not available in the 5” 930. Other than microSD, the Lumia 930 ticks most of the other boxes for a high end smartphone, with built in 32 GB of NAND, a 20 MP camera with Zeiss optics, Qi wireless charging, NFC, Wireless AC, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, and something that is unique to the Lumia line at the moment – four High Amplitude Audio Capture (HAAC) microphones which allows not just stereo audio recording, but Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 as well. The HAAC microphones have been a staple of the higher end Lumia series for a while, and they enable a higher dynamic range of audio to be recorded without distortion. We’ll see how it works later in the review.
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ritwik - Tuesday, October 14, 2014 - link
I don't prefer windows phone, I personally feel android platform is goo enough for device. and I am pretty much happy with the way my Honor 6 is performing. It's just an amazing phone. http://goo.gl/4wojuWnuna12 - Tuesday, October 14, 2014 - link
I Lumia 930 with Windows Phone may be best seen, with a beautiful screen, great camera and video performance easily compete with the best Android phones out there. However, I wanted more from the application of the material, and the compatibility of its files is limited.Boogaloo - Wednesday, November 12, 2014 - link
I couldn't help but notice that you included a result of 55 Mbps in your UDP wifi performance table for the Lumia 930. The reviewer that recorded that value (Brett Howse) was called out several times in the comments section of his review for his incompetence for testing wireless performance using a router that only supported 802.11n when benchmarking a device that supports 802.11ac, and even worse placing that result into a graph with phones that WERE benchmarked against an 802.11ac capable router. He then "corrected" the issue by adding a note to the graph (http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph8441/67571... that doesn't really fix anything. I don't understand how you can be in a position to write technical articles and reviews without understanding why this is fundamentally wrong.Anyway, apparently his erroneous metrics made it into the database of test results that you pull from despite the fact that it's completely unrepresentative of reality. Please either re-test the performance or just remove the result from your recorded metrics. I know nobody really cares about Windows Phone, but I honestly just expect better from anandtech.
chrisouth - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - link
I purchased a brand new Nokia Lumia 930 from Singtel Singapore on a contract. The phone would heat up during normal use (making phone calls, checking email, browsing internet, etc..) after two weeks the screen starting showing signs of heat damage.I would have expected a nokia phone to have lasted longer than two weeks!?
On the recommendation from the Singtel retail store I handed my phone into Nokia Singapore (Harbourfront) to be repaired under warranty. Although I would have really expected a replacement handset given that the phone was only 3 weeks old at this point. Apple seem to provide this service all through their warranty period.
After three weeks and I was still waiting for my phone to be repaired. I tried calling the service center over 20 times, yes over 20 times and with no reply. I also tried calling Nokia support and it is so automated that there is no option to talk to a person regarding my service request or just in general (it has now been changed). I also tried re-visiting the service center where I dropped off the phone and it had closed down! With a note to call Nokia AKA the same I tried before which is (was) useless to a human being.
When I did finally got hold of a Nokia rep over virtual chat, they were helpful in answering my questions and providing an update but with no real result. I was told that the service center are waiting on an important part to arrive but without a date when it might arrive.
Well it's now been over six weeks that Nokia Singapore has had my phone. Apparently the parts are still on their way and the delay is due to bulk shipping them... really? from where the moon???!
The Nokia rep was pretty much useless (again). In that he couldn't provide a timeframe or even escalate my call other than add a priority to the repair once the part(s) arrive, whenever that might be.
According to Nokia's own Limited Warranty, "During the warranty period, Manufacturer will, in a reasonable time, remedy the Defect free of charge by either repairing or replacing the defective Product or the defective part of it at its option provided that you have informed Manufacturer of the Defect before the warranty period expires." Anyone with an iodate of common sense would determine that 6 weeks for a phone repair is beyond a "reasonable time".
Surely it must be cheaper to just provide a replacement phone than ship parts over to Singapore??
I purchased this phone from Singtel and its just money wasted as far I'm concerned as what is the point on owning a phone without being able to use it?
Nokia Service in Singapore is absolutely atrocious and non-functioning, compounded with an unannounced service center closure I don't see a future for Nokia here.
Also given my recent experience this will be the last Nokia phone I'll be getting, back to HTC or even Samsung for me.
The whole experience has been utterly frustrating.
Shame on you Nokia.