The all new NOKIA LUMIA 920

First impressions

Is it just us, or is anyone else excited to play with Windows Phone 8 on a Lumia 920? In many ways, what we've seen so far looks like more of the same from both Nokia and Microsoft, but we're hopeful that there is more to this phone than meets the eye.

This first impression — of same old, same old — comes from the now-familiar Lumia design. We've seen this identifying profile used several times by Nokia, traceable back to the Nokia N8 and more recent Lumia 900. The 920 is a little bigger than its predecessor, and slightly slimmer, but overall we're guessing that it will be hard to spot the difference between the Lumias from a distance.

Is this a good thing? On the one hand, Nokia's design is a major part of the Lumia brand it is trying to build. It is instantly recognisable as a Nokia, and, perhaps more importantly, it's not easily confused as someone else's phone. On the other hand, we are all so hungry for the next new gadget that a change of the design could have attracted more attention had it been executed well.

Hardware-wise, the Lumia 920 looks to be very solid. Nokia is packing a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset under the hood, with 1GB of RAM. Compared to older Windows Phones, this is a big leap forward, though considering how different Windows Phone 8 is expected to be from Windows Phone 7, this may not translate into a noticeable leap forward in perceivable performance.

Nokia increases the screen size of the 920 over previous Lumias, making this 4.5-inch touchscreen the company's biggest yet. There is a change in screen technology, too, with Nokia passing on an AMOLED panel in favour of an IPS screen instead. Some may balk at this change; AMOLED is well respected, but with a pixel density of 332 pixels per inch, we think that this is a screen we are going to love.

This is a 4G phone, too, and from the information we've seen so far it should be compatible with both Telstra and Optus 4G networks. This is important, as it will face stiff 4G competition when it launches in Australia.

That camera

Of course, perhaps the most-publicised feature of the Lumia 920 (for both the right and wrong reasons) is the phone's 8-megapixel camera. On paper, this camera looks like so many others, with a back-side illuminated sensor, an F2.0 lens and the standard array of features. What sets it apart is Nokia's new PureView image sensor, which Nokia is boasting will improve photography in low light conditions.

To achieve this, Nokia has also developed what it calls a "floating lens", an optical image stabilisation system to help take blur-free photos, by reducing the effect of shaky hands on the final image, especially during long exposure, ie: in low light.

There's a lot to process here as a consumer, and, at the end of the day, the proof will be in the pudding. Marketing speak aside, we'll be making our own minds up about the PureView camera when we get one in the office to play with.

Unwired

Perhaps the most interesting element in this smartphone package is the inclusion of wireless charging. Nokia has built a Qi (pronounced "chee") wireless charging interface into the 920, allowing users to place the phone on a compatible charging pad rather than plugging the phone in. Importantly, Qi is a wireless charging standard, and while there are very few compatible devices today, there is a chance to see many more in short order, from companies like Samsung, HTC, Sony, Motorola and LG.

In the US, Nokia has reached agreements with a couple of major franchises to deploy wireless charging pads in various public locations, letting "Luminaries" charge their phones when they are out and about. There is no word yet on whether similar plans are afoot in Australia, but this is exactly the kind of push that wireless charging needs to become mainstream.

Outlook

Peel back the banana-coloured coating on the new Lumia 920, and there is obviously a lot going on below. Nokia has offered up a device with several elements that we haven't seen before, and innovations on tired old processes, like charging. There are a number of elements that Nokia isn't in control of, and, at the end of the day, this excellent-looking phone lives and dies by how well Windows Phone 8 addresses previous complaints and advances our expectations of smartphones generally. All in all, a very exciting release.