Nokia Lumia 930 hands-on

The Nokia Lumia 930 was surprising in that while we were thinking it would be a close relative of the Verizon exclusive Lumia Icon, we did not expect it would be an exact copy for the global market.  Not that we are complaining mind you, the Lumia Icon is a nice looking device.  However, its design language is a bit of a departure from the Lumias Nokia has made available outside the United States.

That said, what you see, is what you get.  The Lumia 930 is not really a "new" device.  This is an Icon for the rest of you.  The good news is that the Lumia 930 holds true to Nokia's overall build quality and functionality. 

Display

The 5-inch display is an OLED panel with Corning Gorilla Glass 3.  It provides wide viewing angles, and fits comfortably within the 930's bezels.  The display also has Nokia's stellar ClearBlack which makes the device exceptionally viewable in bright sunlight.

Interface

Windows Phone 8.1 is not a departure from the previous user experience.  Instead, it simply adds some features that add to the whole package.  The action center is accessible through swiping down from the top of the screen.  One added benefit to that is the information bar remains on the screen at all times, signal strength, Wi-Fi meter, Bluetooth and time all stay on the screen with no need to swipe down to see if you have a signal.

The presentation to the user is the same as what we have seen with the Lumia Icon, Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1320.

Processor and memory

Also like the Lumia Icon, the Lumia 930 has 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and no microSD support. The processor is the same quad-core Snapdragon 800 at 2.2GHz.  The storage capacity should be adequate for most people, as it has proven a good formula for previous Lumia devices.  Of course, this new Lumia has all the Nokia experience apps on hand. Like many global Nokia products, there will be a variety of colors available, bright orange, green, white, and black.

Camera

This would not be a banner bearing Lumia if it weren't for the impressive camera.  The 20MP sensor is ostensibly the same as the one found on the Lumia Icon.  It also has optical image stabilization and PureView to ensure superior picture quality.  The Lumia 930 has a dedicated camera shutter key along the side like previous devices.

Other design items

The battery is a 2420mAh cell which should be good for up to 11.5 hours of talk time, 18 days of standby time, 9 hours of video, and 75 hours of music playback. When recording video in 1080p at 30 frames per second, there are 4 high-performance microphones to provide directional, distortion free audio.

Of course, this new Lumia has all the Nokia experience apps on hand. Like many global Nokia products, there will be a variety of colors available, bright orange, green, white, and black.

During the Build 2014 Keynote, Stephen Elop did not mention anything about an eventual US sale for this particular device, though it would work with AT&T or T-Mobile, with selective LTE functionality, but if you happen to buy an unlocked device and bring it stateside early, count on HSPA+ data connectivity.

We do not like to be naysayers though, so we happen to be hopeful that the Lumia 930 may be a US debut later in the summer. By then the rollout of Windows Phone 8.1 will be in full swing, and the Lumia 930 would be a great upgrade for those who have been holding on to a Lumia 920 or even Lumia 925 for a while.