Nokia Lumia 930 Review
by Brett Howse on September 8, 2014 3:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Microsoft
- Nokia
- Mobile
- windows phone
- Lumia
Wi-Fi
The Snapdragon 800 SoC supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac wireless, and the Lumia 930 implements all of them, which means it supports 5 GHz as well as 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. There is only single band Wi-Fi though, so on the typical N network you would be limited to a maximum connection speed of 150 Mbps. If you own an 802.11ac router, connection speeds will get bumped to the maximum of 433 Mbps.
I was able to achieve peak transfer rates of around 55 Mpbs with the Lumia 930 on a Wireless N router with just the 930 attached. Due to only having 802.11n available, the maximum transfer speed is going to be reduced compared to 802.11ac.
Cellular
Cellular connectivity on the Lumia 930 supports category 4 LTE for maximum download speeds of 150 Mbps, with 50 Mbps upload. LTE bands on the 930 that I was sampled were 1, 3, 7, 8, and 20, which prevented me from testing LTE at my location. DC-HSPA is also supported for up to 42.2 Mpbs downloads if available in your area.
Speedtest.net did not give me great numbers on the days I tested it, but that can be typical of HSPA depending on cell tower usage.
GNSS
Again, with the Qualcomm silicon at the heart of this device, we’re working with well known, and well tested parts such as the GNSS. The Lumia 930 supports Cellular and Wi-Fi assist and supports GPS, GLONASS, and BeiDou for location, and it locks quickly. Hopefully the days of poor location tracking are over.
Speaker
The 930 has just a single rear-facing speaker. Both volume and sound quality are surprisingly good with this speaker, but there is certainly no sense of stereo sound. For notifications, this speaker is adequate for the task but if you are going to watch a movie, you would be happier with a set of headphones.
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Yeoman_guard - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
Hmmm. Good review. I'm quite a fan of windows phone & lumias. Shame about the battery life on this fella though - I would've expected a lot more. I own a 1320 and the battery life is ridiculous, and everything I've read suggests the 1520 isn't far behind despite its high-end spec. :/Yassarian - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
Page 7 needs to be redone... arbitrarily comparing an ac capable phone at n speed and display it alongside a bunch of phones clearly connecting at ac speed is just plain misleading and lazy writing. If you do not have the gear to properly test it - then don't test it - don't put in some misleading chart simply because you need a chart there.Same goes for the cellular speed test - arguably the most important part for this phone, since I'm not sure 930 4LTE bands would even work on any of the US carriers - and apparently, neither does the tester.
snoozemode - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
Microsoft: Fix the screen calibration issues with next firmware update!eddman - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
What's wrong with this phone's web browsing battery life?!I've seen sort of similar results in other reviews. Could it be that nokia/MS used a subpar, inefficient display?
frostyfiredude - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
Just speculating here, but I have a feeling they're using a panel like the Galaxy S 4's or even the same panel. It has the same meh to ok colour accuracy and high power draw characteristic giving mediocre web battery life. The S4 had a similar 5 odd hour battery life. Cost and the fact that this device was released in February (before the S5 and it's efficient AMOLED panel came out) as the Icon definitely is it.jhoff80 - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
"The original image in its full resolution is also available on the device, but can only be accessed via a USB cable by connecting the phone to a PC."Are you positive about this? At least with the Lumia 1020, that has changed as of Windows Phone 8.1. Instead of automatically uploading the 5MP oversampled (and reframed) image to OneDrive when using Camera Sync, now the high resolution original gets uploaded. I really would prefer it worked how it did before - the high resolution original is pretty useless to me except for reframing.
Brett Howse - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
You are correct - the high res shots are now uploaded to OneDrive.I agree with you the 5 MP picture was often good enough. I wish there was an option.
jimbo2779 - Tuesday, September 9, 2014 - link
There is an option for uploading "Good Quality" or "Best Quality" in the upload settings:Photos App=>Settings=>OneDrive
I realise there is some ambiguity as to what is Good Quality and what is Best Quality but there is at least some distinction there.
coburn_c - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
I'll take a proper white level over good greys on an AMOLED anyday. My biggest gripe with AMOLED is the historically horrible white levels. Nothing wrong with blown colors either, I'm not going to print a proof.. or anything... off this display.tom5 - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
I have stopped reading at battery life tests. This is a joke, not a flagship device.