Nokia Lumia 930 deals and reviews

Should you buy the Nokia Lumia 930?

Boasting a reasonable balance of hardware and software, the Nokia Lumia 930 is easily the best Windows Phone device on the market at the current time. A full HD screen produces outstanding colours and is matched by a massive 20 megapixel camera. Clearly, for Windows fans and keen photographers, the Nokia Lumia 930 is a compelling choice.

That said, the chunky design may prove off-putting to image-conscious smartphone users. A perceived lack of available apps is also a potential drawback of the Nokia Lumia 930, particularly for those who like to be able to download and test hundreds of games and tools.

Reviewers liked

• The high quality 5" AMOLED display which offers fantastic image quality.
• The 20 megapixel camera which produces excellent pictures in all lighting conditions.
• The wireless charging - this reduces cable clutter on your desk or bedside table.
• The solid build quality which makes the phone feel premium.
• The bundled Office apps - these are advantageous to people buying the Nokia Lumia 930 as a work smartphone.

Reviewers disliked

• The battery life - many reviewers felt this was disappointing.
• The lack of options for expanding onboard storage.
• The absence of top gaming apps.

The Nokia Lumia 930: in more detail

As Microsoft's flagship Windows Phone handset, everything has been thrown at this device in the hope of luring Android and iPhone users. Gareth Beavis, writing for Techradar, concluded: "The Lumia 930 is the most complete Windows Phone to date. It's the first to properly challenge the flagship might of Android and iOS with its impressive design, new Windows Phone 8.1 software and all round decent specs."

Quad core processor

The Nokia Lumia 930 packs a 2.2GHz quad core processor ensuring that everything runs smoothly and operating multiple apps simultaneously is flawless. The processor is backed by 2GB of RAM, which according to Khidr Suleman at IT Pro, endows the Nokia Lumia 930 with "race-car performance".

The phone is powered by a 2,420mAh battery which most reviewers felt was insufficient for the demands of a modern smartphone user. On the plus side, wireless charging means that you won't be fumbling with plugs when it does come time to recharge.

Materials & build

The Lumia 930 may be chunky, but the Gorilla Glass front is curved perfectly to meet the metal side casing, giving a definite sense of quality. The rear polycarbonate shell is available in a range of colours to cater to most tastes.

Khidr Suleman described the casing as "luxurious", but David Gilbert of IBTimes was less enthusiastic in his opinion of the "unattractive" design, with its "chunky metallic band around the screen [which] may help protect the phone, but does nothing for the aesthetics".

Display, sound & camera

A 5" full HD display allows Nokia Lumia 930 owners to view video clips in all their glory. The device uses an AMOLED ClearBlack display to render incredible quality images. "It's very bright too which not only helps counter reflection from overhead office lights, it also means it's easily readable under bright sunlight", said Andrew Hoyle in his CNet review.

A 20 megapixel camera perfectly complements the awesome screen, taking excellent pictures in most lighting conditions. Optical image stabilization also reduces the risk of blurring caused by shaky hands.

A small rear-mounted speaker delivers adequate sound when using the hands-free setting, and none of the reviewers mentioned any problems with call quality. That said, many reviewers did point to other handsets that had better speakers.

A business-ready handset

The Nokia Lumia 930 runs Windows Phone 8.1, helping to create a familiar user experience for PC users. This also means that the phone will integrate neatly with your computers at home and at work.

Whilst it's true that Windows Phone 8.1 has a limited number of apps when compared with iOS or Android, the Nokia Lumia 930 handset does come with Office, Skype and OneDrive, so you can edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations 'on the go'. Combined with its powerful processor, the Nokia Lumia 930's focus on work apps qualifies it as a business-ready handset.

What the critics say (scores are out of 100)

100	Expert Reviews | Katharine Byrne The Nokia Lumia 930 may not have the staying power of other Lumia devices, but for those who want the best Windows Phone 8.1 experience in a normal-sized handset, there's simply no competition. What's more, it's now eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 10, so you won't be left behind when it comes to keeping up with the latest features. With a fantastic screen, lightning fast performance and a great camera, the Lumia 930 is still one of the greatest Windows phones you can buy today. Read full review
100	Trusted Reviews | Katharine Byrne Battery life could be better, but this is still one of the best Windows phones ever made Read full review
90	TheEffect.Net | Luke Hoare Greene It might be a bit big for some people and Windows Phone itself still turns a lot of people away, but if you're willing to give the OS a chance you'll find a well-made phone with an amazing camera and a stunning screen, it's easy to recommend. Read full review
90	The Next Web | Ben Woods Finally, a flagship Lumia that feels like a phone first and a camera second. The Lumia 930 is easily the best and most balanced Windows Phone money can buy right now, and I still don't want one. But one day I might. Read full review
90	Pocket-lint | Mike Lowe This is one that will divide the crowd, but is a device that can't be ignored for its positives and its aspirations. Whether it can be so highly praised in two months' time from now is another matter, but right now this is the best Windows Phone device that money can buy. Read full review
87	What Mobile | Callum Tennent The plus side for those looking for something different is that Windows Phone has come along enough now that its mere presence on a handset isn't enough to relegate it completely. The Lumia 930 is the flagship that the range has been crying out for for far too long now, and if you don't mind having a relatively restricted ecosystem then you should have very few issues with it. Read full review
87	Engadget | Jamie Rigg The Lumia 930 is arguably the best Windows Phone on the market, with a brilliant camera and top-end specs. Read full review
87	NotebookCheck | Florian Wimmer Those thinking about making the jump to Windows Phone will rarely have had the opportunity to own such an attractive device. Likewise, those who are already sold by the OS will be able to purchase a great new high-end smartphone for an affordable price. Read full review
85	Australian PC World | Tony Ibrahim All of the things a smartphone should do, from phone calls to streaming a movie over 4G, the Lumia 930 will do without fault. It is Windows Phone refined, the quintessential incarnate of the promising software thus far. Read full review
85	phoneArena | Daniel P We found the Nokia Lumia 930 to be an excellent Windows Phone device. Perhaps the biggest virtue of the 930 is that it finally packs Nokia's PureView camera goodness into a fairly compact and manageable format, coming with solid premium build but without bulk protruding on the back. Read full review
83	PC Pro | Bobby MacPherson The Nokia Lumia 930 is the best Windows Phone-based smartphone yet. Windows Phone 8.1 provides a welcome boost, the design is among the best in the business - as long as you don't choose the green version - and the camera is a real cracker. Read full review
80	TechSpot | Tim Schiesser All in all, if you're after a Windows Phone or just an all-round capable high-end smartphone, the Lumia 930 from Nokia is a solid choice. Read full review
80	S21 The Nokia Lumia 930 is an almost perfect WP8.1 smartphone. It's a beautiful, premium device with a curved edge to the screen - and it's a stunning 5 inch Full HD OLED screen at that. With a quadcore processor, 20MP camera and 4G it's a powerful device, but we've deducted one star for battery life and excessive weight. Read full review
80	Digital Versus | Florence Legrand A great follow-up to the Lumia 925, The Lumia 930 is currently the best Windows Phone on the market. Read full review
80	What Hi-Fi? The best Windows Phone we've seen to date, but not quite the full monty. We still want more from the apps side of things, and its file compatibility is restricted - that's still too much for us to consider it for the full five stars. Read full review
80	Digital Spy | Hunter Skipworth The Lumia 930 is very much the phone that Microsoft needs to succeed. With the iPhone 6 inbound and handsets like the HTC One M8 showing that the competition can do design just as well, there is a lot of pressure on this handset. Read full review
80	Mobile Choice The Lumia 930 is the best Windows Phone handset yet. It has a gorgeous, high-definition screen, a powerful quad-core processor, great, high quality design and an excellent camera. Read full review
80	Know Your Mobile | Paul Briden A great achievement by Nokia and a big breakthrough for Microsoft. Windows Phone can get better from here but at the moment this is the very best WP experience available and a compelling device in its own right Read full review
80	International Business Times | David Gilbert Don't get me wrong, the Lumia 930 is not a bad phone. It has great build quality, colourful design, a superb screen, wireless charging and decent performance. However a so-so battery, inelegant design and of course the Windows Phone app issue means the Lumia 930 is likely to appeal to those who want something different rather than those who necessarily want the best phone. Read full review
80	ITProPortal | Alysia Judge If you've never tried a Windows smartphone before, the Lumia 930 is definitely the device to get you going. Its eye-catching design really makes it stand out from the crowd (a big plus point in an increasingly competitive market.) Read full review
80	The Gadget Show If it's Windows Phone you want, rather than a truly outstanding camera phone like the Lumia 1020, the Nokia Lumia 930 is the one you want: it's a truly cutting edge piece of hardware only let down by Windows Phone 8.1's limitations and lack of critical mass Read full review
80	The Guardian | Samuel Gibbs Overall, the Lumia 930 is a solid phone, but not a remarkable one. Worth buying if you're looking for something different, but there are better smartphones around for the same amount of money. Read full review
80	V3 | Alastair Stevenson Featuring a distinctive design, great display and top-end PureView camera, the Nokia Lumia 930 does a great job of showing off all Windows Phone 8.1's business benefits. However, its overall appeal is slightly let down by its below-average battery life Read full review
80	TechRadar | Gareth Beavis The Lumia 930 is the most complete Windows Phone to date. It's the first to properly challenge the flagship might of Android and iOS with its impressive design, new Windows Phone 8.1 software and all round decent specs. Read full review
80	The Inquirer | Carly Page The Nokia Lumia 930 might be our favourite Windows Phone yet. While it has its shortcomings - such as its cumbersome design and not so impressive battery life - the Lumia 930 more than makes up for those with its Full HD screen, smooth performance and market-leading camera Read full review
80	IT PRO | Khidr Suleman The best all-round Windows Phone device to-date, the Lumia 930 packs excellent performance with the updated Windows Phone 8.1 interface. Read full review
77	Coolsmartphone | James Pearce Overall the Nokia Lumia 930 is a great device, decent specs, decent camera, great new software and some wonderful new colour schemes. What is there to not like about it? Read full review
70	Register Hardware | Andrew Orlowski Lumia 930 isn't a bad device by any means. It has superb build quality and its corporate-friendly features could see it sell in decent numbers. You wouldn't grumble if you were assigned one, but it may be worth waiting until later in the year to see what Nokia-soft has up its sleeve. Read full review
70	CNET UK | Andrew Hoyle With its great display, brilliant camera and attractive, colourful design, the Nokia Lumia 930 has most of what you'd expect from a top-end Windows Phone device. It's battery lets it down though and with an unimpressive selection of apps still available from the Windows Phone store, a high-end Android device with a good camera will likely be a better option for many of you. Read full review
70	AnandTech | Brett Howse I feel like Nokia (now Microsoft of course) has done a lot right with the Lumia 930. The 5" 1080p display is a nice addition, and every time I use a larger phone it makes it hard to go back to one with a smaller display. I do not find it too awkward to use, and the increase in real estate on the home screen is a welcome change. Read full review
70	LAPTOP | Michael A Prospero With a vivid, 5-inch, full-HD display; 20-MP camera; and a fast processor, the Nokia Lumia 930 is a powerful Windows Phone 8.1 device. Read full review

Compare Nokia Lumia 930 specs side-by-side with other phones COMPARE SPECS

Dimensions & Form	Form factor: Touchscreen bar Dimensions 137 x 71 x 9.8 mm (5.39 x 2.8 x 0.39 in) Weight: 167 g (5.89 oz)
Screen	Size: 5 inches diagonal Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels Screen Density: 441 ppi Screen-to-Body Ratio: 70.9 % Display Type: AMOLED
Runs
Performance	Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 CPU: Quad-core 2.2 GHz Krait 400 GPU: Adreno 330 RAM: 2GB
Camera	Main Camera: 20MP PureView with Duel LED flash Secondary Camera: 1.2MP, 720p video recording
Storage	Built-in Storage: 32GB Expandable Storage: Not Available
Battery & Charging	Capacity: 2420 mAh Removable Battery: No Wireless Charging: Yes Quick Charge: None
SIM standard	Nano SIM Compare SIM Only deals
Water & Dust Resistance	Not Available
Fingerprint Reader	None
References & More info	Official website GSMArena specs page

Photos taken with the Nokia Lumia 930

We've used Flickr to find a selection of pictures taken by the Nokia Lumia 930 camera. Here is a selection of photos taken by users from around the world so you can see what kind of picture quality you can expect from real-world use of the Nokia Lumia 930.

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All images shown are used under the rights and terms specified by the Creative Commons.