Nokia Lumia 930 WP8.1 review: excellent software but lackluster hardware

At the Build conference yesterday, Microsoft released several blockbuster products, including Windows Phone 8.1, Windows 8.1 update, voice assistant Cornata and three new Nokia Lumia phones. The three phones are two low-end Lumia 630 and Lumia 635, and one high-end Lumia 930.

Unlike the Nokia X released by Nokia at MWC earlier this year, the three new phones released at Build all run the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system.

Nokia's Windows Phone sales are on the rise in various regions, especially in Europe, so Nokia is working hard to design new models while developing smartphone peripherals such as wireless chargers.

design  

Although built on Windows Phone 8.1, the Lumia 930 has many similarities with the Android-based Nokia X smartphone, the most prominent example being the same square body design.

Just from the model, we can tell that Lumia 930 is more like the successor of Lumia 925 rather than Lumia 1020. Lumia 930 has the same color back panel as Lumia 925 and the camera configuration is also very similar.

The Lumia 930 features a 5-inch Full HD (1080p) OLED display, a 2.2GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. Other features of the Lumia 930 include 32GB of onboard storage, a 20-megapixel camera with OIS (optical image stabilization) and Carl Zeiss optics.

Unfortunately, in The Next Web's early tests, the Lumia 930's indoor photography seemed to be quite unstable. We'll hopefully see the Lumia 930's camera perform better in more comprehensive tests.

software

Lumia 930 is equipped with Windows Phone 8.1 operating system. Simply put, most of the new features of Lumia 930 are brought by WP 8.1 update.

For example, the Lumia 930's home screen has a new row of icon options and supports setting a custom image as the background.

Thanks to the synchronization feature of Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1, any device registered with a Microsoft email account can share passwords, history, applications, etc. Microsoft even provides an option to share the start screen wallpaper.

The Next Web recommends that Lumia 930 users set a start screen wallpaper and set the tile icon to "transparent". This will allow the wallpaper to be seen through the tile, which is a very good effect.

Another major change in Lumia 930, or Windows Phon 8.1, is the addition of a notification panel at the top of the screen. Like the Android system, swiping the screen from top to bottom can quickly call up common settings, and clicking can switch to full-screen view.

Another impressive feature is the Swype-style virtual keyboard, which is responsive and accurate. Compared with Windows Phone 8, the keyboard function of Windows Phone 8.1 has been significantly improved.

Browsing the web with IE 11 on Lumia 930 is also a good experience. The browser responds and web pages load quickly, and watching web videos is also very good. Importantly, IE 11 can also synchronize favorites and browsing history across devices.

Lumia 930 also offers the ability to sync passwords across devices, and it's also easier to share WiFi with friends.

Lumia devices are full of apps developed by Nokia and Microsoft. MixRadio, Xbox Radio, Xbox Video, and some camera apps, like Storyteller, are all ready to go.

in conclusion

It is reported that Lumia 930 will be released at the end of June and will be available in three colors: white, orange and green.

The Next Web believes that compared with other Lumia phones, the Lumia 930 has only slightly improved hardware. Consumers who want to see a completely new design phone may be disappointed.

Of course, this does not mean that Lumia 930 has no merits. The software, namely Windows Phone 8.1 update, is its biggest highlight. It is said that by this summer, Microsoft will push 8.1 update to all older Windows Phone phones.

Since Nokia has not yet announced the price of this phone in various markets, it is really hard to say whether Lumia 930 can attract consumers.

In general, the smartphone market will be busy again in the summer of 2014. New Lumia phones, HTC One M8, Samsung Galaxy S5, and Sony Xperai Z2 have all been released. With its full HD display, quad-core processor, and unified platform, Lumia 930 will become a strong competitor in the smartphone market.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.