It took the Nokia Lumia 900 simply many days to prime the US sales charts and see delighted handshakes quickly be converted into cluster hugs, as Nokia, Microsoft and AT&T, that carries it completely stateside, were busy celebrating the flagship's performance in recent months.
The Lumia 900 has finally created the trip across the pond however it isn't the come back home it must've dreamed of. nearly the triumphant welcome from thousands flocking to stores and carriers. Yes, there is a massive question mark hanging over the world version of the Nokia Lumia 900. The news that Windows Phone eight is out of reach has taken the shine off its attractiveness. however its character is undamaged - and therefore the Lumia 900 has enough of that to spare.
A big, quality screen, fluid and trendy OS and premium build are all sprinkled with Nokia's magic in an exceedingly package that is created to impress. We've been there already - and that we do not mean the review we've of the Lumia 900 for AT&T. After all, it is a Lumia 800 everywhere once more, solely the screen got larger. And yet, we have a tendency to are delighted to fulfill this smartphone once more - and we'll provides it that, it's beautiful in white.
You'll even be happy to understand that now around we're putting the Lumia 900 to any or all our usual tests. AT&T's Lumia 900 was reviewed off from the workplace however this one won't merely walk in and out of our labs while not obtaining a style of our torture routine.
The newly announced Windows Phone eight has given us masses to appear forward to, however a WP8 upgrade isn't on the cards for the Nokia Lumia 900. WP 7.8 is coming back later this year to any or all compatible single-core devices and it'll be the last update they're near to get. each Nokia and Microsoft promise to continue the support though they're going to possibly be focusing their efforts on multiple-core WP8 smartphones.
Nokia Lumia 900 live footage
But do not shut the page on the Lumia 900 simply however. The Windows Phone expertise is spectacular even on single-core chipsets and therefore the OS is fantastically easy and charmingly social. The proprietary apps are a serious elevate too - Nokia Reading was recently added to the acquainted Drive, Maps and Music.
It will be a short time before the new WP8 devices begin hitting the market, that the Nokia Lumia 900 are the Windows Phone flagship for an honest few months. With a shadow forever looming over it, the Lumia 900 can stand tall or fall short. however it will not go unnoticed.
Long-awaited, heralded, longed for, lusted when, overdue, deal breaker, savior, second returning, dead-on arrival, revelation, last gasp, comeback, hail mary pass, flagship... finally! If that string of descriptors hasn't already tipped you off, Nokia's Windows Phone messiah has arrived stateside to either silence critics or give' em fodder for additional nay-saying. Ensconced during a polycarbonate frame that is like the N9, the Lumia 900 on AT&T's LTE network is widely understood to be Espoo's 1st true stab at building a presence for a mobile whole that is ubiquitous everywhere however here.
To understand the gamble the company's creating with the Lumia 900, one would like solely look to a different critically acclaimed, nevertheless interminably stalled overseas import: Kylie Minogue. That foreign pop siren, a music trade veteran, has repeatedly didn't empty mainstream yankee wallets along with her scattered hits, despite enjoying chart domination across the world. Indeed the formula for US success may be a fickle one. notwithstanding the merchandise class, the crossover membrane will typically prove too thick to permanently breach, typically leading to a "one and done" mentality marked by an inevitable revisit additional conciliatory European shores.
For the time being, though, it seems that Nokia's going all in, able to see its folie à deux with Microsoft through to the tip. Indeed, with an irresistible on-contract value of $99, it'd appear each parties are hoping on this to be the mass market magic bullet they've sorely required. So, will the Lumia 900, a single-core one.4GHz handset hampered by a so-so 800 x 480 show, prove this tech alliance wasn't ill-struck when all? will a sexy industrial style and simplified UI overcome seemingly modest specs? can Nokia find yourself retreating to its overseas kingdom? Abandon those fanboy caps all ye who tag along, as we have a tendency to place this Finnish smartphone beneath the recent lights.
Hardware
Given that it borrows from the Lumia 800's quirky style, you'd assume your initial brush with the 900 would be love initially sight. You'd suppose that, however you would be wrong. Something's slightly amiss here, and it took us an instant to hone in on what, exactly, is keeping the 900 from a front row seat within the wow department. Eventually, though, it came to us: that screen! Forget its humble 800 x 480 resolution for the time being; that is not the obvious flaw. What kept us scratching our heads was Nokia's call to nix the 800's sinuously tapered curves, that chassis whose glass panel seamlessly bled into the polycarbonate hull. It's gone, and for no smart reason. Instead, users are treated to a jarring experience: a border currently surrounds that four.3-inch show, inflicting it to protrude awkwardly from that shapely, cyan body. Suffice to mention, it makes for an unflattering 1st impression.
So, that is ding one: some unequivocal ball dropping on Nokia's half. Are you ready for aesthetic con range two? this alteration is additional delicate and yet again, it wasn't for the simplest. If you have ever held an 800 in hand, you recognize how premium it feels. Inevitably, then, you may notice the amendment during this handset's texture. A body that was once sleek and polished has grown rougher in its journey across the Atlantic. Of course, most shoppers can most likely be none the wiser, having never handled the Lumia that started it all.
For the foremost half, Nokia's kept the final layout of the buttons and ports intact. the quantity rocker, power button and dedicated camera keys still lie along the right-hand facet of the device, leaving the other edge clean. Thankfully, though, these flush, metal buttons have benefited from somewhat tightening -- they feel additional rigid than those on the 800, and you will not encounter any loosening or jiggle. At the bottom, the speaker melds fantastically into the polycarbonate hull, creating hand obstruction unlikely. Meanwhile, uncovered ports for a three.5mm headphone jack and micro-USB socket stay awake high.
The unit's micro-SIM can even be accessed here. However, Nokia retooled the device in order that you now not got to depress, flip and then slide out that slot's flimsy drawer. Instead, there is an included door key that, when inserted, causes the sealed tray to commence. SIM-swappers may take issue with this admittedly inelegant resolution, as it will force them to stay vigilant watch of an simply lost sliver of metal. To that finish, we'd advise prospective house owners to stay a bunch of pins at the prepared.
Flip the phone on its face and you are met with a uniquely contoured back, broken solely by a metallic ellipse housing an 8-megapixel shooter with a f/2.2 Carl Zeiss lens and accompanying twin LED flash. during a exceptional show of restraint, AT&T kept its logo-happy paws off, permitting users to experience the 900's naked beauty. The camera module ought to trigger some déjà vu: you have seen it not once, but twice, within the N9 and Lumia 800. A tour of the device's front finds a VGA camera, ambient sensors, a trio of capacitive Windows Phone buttons and also the solely instance of branding -- double billing for Nokia and AT&T.
For top-shelf phones, an HD show has become a requirement, be it qHD or 720p -- simply investigate the Galaxy Nexus or HTC One X. Sadly, fans of the Windows Phone expertise have had to form do with a software-dictated resolution cap of 800 x 480 -- a frustrating limit that on paper, at least, keeps even the worthiest Mango handsets positioned below different flagships.
Still, with the inclusion of Nokia's ClearBlack AMOLED show tech, prospective house owners are treated to an incredibly bright and intensely saturated screen that is refreshingly liberated from the 800's PenTile trappings. Even when viewing it outdoors in direct daylight, we have a tendency to had no problem discerning the contents of our live tiles or maybe the camera interface. Granted, we have a tendency to had the brightness cranked to the max, however distinction this readability with the high level of glare commonplace on competing handsets and you ought to be able to overlook the Lumia 900's graphical shortcomings. Truly, the simplicity of the Windows Phone UI -- specifically the undemanding style of its icons -- works well inside these constraints. It's solely once you visit image-heavy websites or conceive to read the shots in your photo library, that this pitfall becomes not possible to ignore.
Windows Phone favors the charm of its animations over the immediacy of loading applications.
Windows Phone Mango, as we've said once more and once more, is an operating system constrained by an unfortunate combination of inflexible spec necessities. to understand its easy use is to like it, however that clean UI comes at a single-core value. True, WP handsets with beefier CPUs are reportedly within the pipeline, though what they're and when they're going to launch is anybody's guess. For the time being, we have a tendency to should upset the 900's one.4GHz Snapdragon processor and 512MB of RAM, neither of that ought to be underestimated.
That preamble aside, the Lumia 900's performance is remarkably sleek. Note we have a tendency to did not say quick -- not that it does not show considerable speed when piloting through its live tile homescreen or app list. No, it's positively speedy, however there is not any arguing that the handset moves at its own fluid pace. It seems as if all WP navigation takes on a regular cadence; it is a UI that favors the charm of its animations over the immediacy of loading applications. Oddly, too, though it consistently scores over the Lumia 800 in benchmarks, it seems like it's operating at a more well-off pace: it does not launch apps quite as promptly, and scrolling is not as brisk. Where that additional diminutive phone zips, this one floats. it should frustrate users conversant in lightning-quick smartphone responses, however eventually the 900's flow wins you over till you utterly forget it had been a distraction within the 1st place.
Stacked up against its WP comrades recent and comparatively new, as well as mid-rangers and high-end handsets, the 900 disappoints. With a middling SunSpider score, a WP Bench result that fails to best last year's Titan and battery life on par with Samsung's (non-LTE) Focus S, the 900 safely earns the underachiever crown. It's disheartening to check this highly anticipated phone fall prey to no matter discord resulted from AT&T, Nokia and Microsoft's combined software broth.
Web browsing on the Lumia 900 is handled well by the native web Explorer app, although, as highlighted by that SunSpider result up there, full desktop pages will take your time to totally render -- regarding thirty seconds on average. we have a tendency to accomplished pinch to zoom while not a hitch, with no white areas or checker-boarding.
Microsoft's former Windows Phone chief, who claimed late last year that the company's resistance to issue LTE-capable handsets stemmed from a need to form longer-lasting, additional power economical handsets. bear in mind the Thunderbolt? Apparently, thus will Redmond, and though that exact misstep belonged to HTC, Android and Verizon, the lesson wasn't lost on the WP team. Determined to vault past criticism of releasing devices ill-equipped to handle the stress of AT&T's 4G LTE network, the Lumia 900 hits shelves with a one,840mAh battery in tow. seems like it'd be enough and it's... simply enough.
Compared to all or any the Lumias that have come back before it, the 900's charge will nearly double duty, holding on a decent four hours and twenty nine minutes. that is still hardly spectacular, of course, however bear in mind that this was with a video enjoying in an incessant loop. beneath the duress of real-world usage -- that is with the brightness at its medium setting, Twitter set to sync at fifteen min, one push mail account and GPS and WiFi connected -- we have a tendency to were able to squeeze as regards to 2 full days from one charge. create use of Mango's battery saver settings and we're convinced moderate to light-weight users can fancy nearly seventy two hours of productivity.
Camera
Nokia's imaging know-how elevates this device beyond its workhorse performance and into a realm that quite nearly rivals the heights attained by Samsung's Galaxy S II and Apple's iPhone 4S.
Like a beacon of hope shining within the midst of this less-than-perfect storm comes the Lumia 900's 8-megapixel rear shooter. Nokia's imaging know-how, cemented within the outing of its 41-megapixel 808 PureView, elevates this device beyond the flavorlessness of its workhorse performance and into a realm that quite nearly rivals the heights attained by Samsung's Galaxy S II and Apple's iPhone 4S. Imbued with identical f/2.2 Carl Zeiss lens outfitting each the N9 and 800, the 900 ought to delight novices and professionals alike with an intelligent sensor capable of arrestingly vivid pictures. Hold down the dedicated camera key and you may wake the phone from sleep on to the camera app -- a handy shortcut when photographic inspiration unexpectedly strikes. And whereas the shutter will simply be triggered by this exact same hardware key, you'll conjointly faucet onscreen, hold to focus and snap, permitting the sensor to regulate for the scene, white balance, ISO and exposure. otherwise you will manually tweak these settings, still as swap out the 4:3, 8-megapixel resolution for 16:9, 7-megapixel shots.
Nokia Lumia 900 sample shots
The 900's imaging software does not quite match the superior optimization on the N9, however it actually outranks the 800. As you will see within the gallery of sample shots, the phone's module displays a knack for depth of field, crisp replication of detail and balanced color. whereas you will not be able to appreciate this astonishing performance on that 800 x 480 show, you may sit back and smile when those pics stream across your desktop.
Video on the 900 performs simply as admirably, with the phone set to record at 720p. a number of hiccups did surface throughout playback -- you may notice the sensor sometimes regulate the main target as we have a tendency to pan a hundred and eighty degrees. Audio clarity conjointly suffers slightly, however we have a tendency to'll chalk that up to the high winds howling within the background as we filmed.
Software
Users aware of Mango's underpinnings (our full Windows Phone seven.5 review is here) will move along -- there is nothing new to check here. however at the same time as Tango's suite of UI enhancements wait within the wings, prospective Lumia 900 house owners will still savor this older, slightly over-ripened software. Clean style abounds during this portable OS for dummies -- and that is a compliment. From the wide-blocked live tile homescreen to the simply accessible and alphabetically categorized app menu, all the sophisticated and unnecessary bits that may confound the less nimble smartphone user are tucked out of sight. All told, the expertise is amazingly intuitive and fluid, as we've said before, though it might frustrate power users with its lack of personalization choices.
The 900 never lags or stutters, defaulting instead to a measured, sleek flow.
To Microsoft's credit, the 900 never lags or stutters, defaulting instead to that measured, sleek flow we have a tendency to described earlier. sure applications load appreciably quicker than others, significantly native ones, however because of that pristine, visual uniformity decreed by Microsoft, even the slowest of apps manages to dazzle. Gone, too, are the times when WP critics might deride Redmond's smartphone ecosystem for a paucity of those pinnable tiles, as there are currently over forty,000 80,000 apps accessible in its Marketplace. Nokia and AT&T have done their best to tread gently with the bloat, selecting to pre-load the Lumia 900 with solely a dozen applications, like Code Scanner, myWireless, U-Verse Mobile, Xbox Live, ESPN, Tango and Maps. Blessedly, eighty % of those are removable, thus whereas this handset could ship with a plump software load, users a minimum of have the choice to scrub it up and create the foremost of that allotted 16GB of storage.
In a welcome flip of events, Nokia is additionally releasing the 900 to the general public with web Sharing enabled from the outset; an possibility that was sorely missing on T-Mobile's Lumia 710 and also the unlocked 800. So, if you choose to opt in for this handset and happen to decision one in all AT&T's 4G LTE or HSPA+ coverage areas home, you ought to haven't any downside tethering to your laptop and enjoying the liberty of a real mobile hotspot -- your knowledge set up, willing.
Network
This is Windows Phone's 1st dance with LTE and, despite being late to the ball, the Lumia 900 still gets to surf along those radio waves -- they are simply now not as incredibly blazing. Speeds have diminished somewhat since AT&T's 4G LTE network officially launched in big apple town, owing undoubtedly to an uptick in shopper adoption. Considering performance consistently maxed out at regarding 21Mbps down and 8Mbps up, users will not have a lot of to gripe regarding, with typical downlink results ranging between 17Mbps to 20Mbps and uplink at 5Mbps to 7Mbps, excellent for streaming Netflix or sharing giant files over SkyDrive. Default to an HSPA+ solely zone and people downlink speeds can hover around 5Mbps to 8Mbps -- still over adequate for many uses.
Wrap-up
Windows Phone fans have waited with bated breath for the Lumia line's "true" stateside debut. Standing tall with a four.3-inch show and being the primary of Nokia's brood to boast LTE connectivity, the 900 is that the company's call-to-arms, a mid-range contender crafted with a single-minded mission: shore up the gaps left by the lesser 800 and 710 and establish a whole presence. Those handsets, for all their attractiveness and performance strengths, were additional mobile welterweights than something else: they aimed too low and too wide to capture the general public imagination.
This Lumia, though, was alleged to amendment all of that, backed by a substantial selling push and higher-end ingredients. whereas we have a tendency to would not color this AT&T debut as a failure, we have a tendency to would not decision it a crowning achievement either. with the exception of a stated preference and dedication to Microsoft's Windows Phone OS, savvy geeks on the cusp of succeeding smartest thing will not essentially wish what the 900 should supply, particularly in light-weight of that different spotlight-stealing flagship, the One X. By no means that are these phones on equal footing. It's simply that Nokia could have shot itself within the foot, succumbing to the hazards of hyperbolic quicksand way earlier than launch day. a lot of ado regarding nothing? more or less, the Lumia 900 has its strengths, returning mainly within the style of optics, however it is the overall package and performance that is just too plain, too standard, too dependable to advantage the haughty flagship halo it aspires to emanate.
In that context, the Lumia 900 comes off as one more good giving on AT&T's increasingly bountiful LTE lineup. Dispense of Espoo's rose-colored glasses and also the case for this middle of the road Lumia becomes somewhat clearer. Filter out the selling noise and specialise in its excellent performance as a reliable point-and-shoot and currently you've a winner. Toss in those considerable network speeds and default access to web Sharing and, suddenly, it is a shining star. Sprinkle all of that with a sexy polycarbonate case, a saturated and legible show and also the magic eraser of its $99 on two-year contract pricing and, ipso facto, you've a no brainer purchase staring you within the face. will the Lumia 900 fail to search out its place amongst different smartphone hulks? Well, yes. But again, it's enjoying during a league of Windows Phone's single-core own. With the careful cultivation of a cultish, fashion-conscious shopper following, however, this might all right be Nokia's greatest hit.
Final words
Launching a flagship months before a significant overhaul of the platform is not specifically a coming up with masterstroke. The Nokia Lumia 900 won't get Windows Phone eight and therefore the news breaking as regards to when the phone hit the stores is quite simply an unfortunate coincidence.
The Nokia Lumia 900 comes at the incorrect time and it certain feels like the incorrect place also. the world version cannot even dream of the success of its AT&T-branded sibling.
Well, all that's sadly true however solely from an explicit perspective. There're various politics and agendas concerned. the ecu (and global) launch does not return at the simplest of times however the AT&T exclusivity had to be honored. the purpose is, the Lumia 900 is debuting in Europe however it's by no means that a newly released device. The phone has had a formidable run - it in all probability did even higher than Nokia and Microsoft expected.
So, what quite market is that the Lumia 900 returning to? the nice news is it will not have a heavyweight WP7 competitor just like the HTC Titan II. The dangerous news is that the new generation of droids are at war and therefore the Lumia 900 lands right within the middle of the carnage.
No, the Nokia Lumia 900 won't be happy with walkover wins against the likes of the HTC Titan and therefore the Samsung Omnia W. It should not be shocked by Nokia Lumia 800 house owners giving it the cold shoulder, convinced they created the correct alternative many months ago. Finally, it should comprehend it stands very little likelihood against the multiple-cored and HD-screened Android flagships. and therefore the incontrovertible fact that it's currently priced at around their level does not facilitate.
HTC Titan • Samsung Omnia W I8350 • Nokia Lumia 800
On the opposite hand, it has been recently released and therefore the value can solely go down. How quickly and by what proportion is difficult to inform however the Lumia 900 is overpriced and therefore the sooner Nokia will one thing concerning it the higher. But when, and if, your carrier is prepared to supply an affordable deal, the Lumia 900 may be a phone value considering. And it does not even got to be free-on-contract just like the current AT&T plans.
The premium build, the simplest screen on a Windows phone, the fluid UI and therefore the exclusive apps are adequate reasons in our books. to not mention, it will seem like a correct flagship, and a few of the new droids ought to take notice.
The Nokia Lumia 900 had the time of its life in America and lands in Europe during a amount of transition. it'll be the Nokia flagship till succeeding generation of Microsoft-powered smartphones accompany a bang. In a way, it's like being responsible of an interim government. Still gets you an area in history. however the Nokia Lumia 900 may be a phone that deserves higher than being remembered for leading the coalition of the forgotten.
Specification:
GENERAL
2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
Announced 2012, February
Status Available. Released 2012, May
BODY
Dimensions 127.8 x 68.5 x 11.5 mm, 90 cc
Weight 160 g
DISPLAY
Type AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 480 x 800 pixels, 4.3 inches (~217 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass
- Nokia ClearBlack show
SOUND
Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
MEMORY
Card slot No
Internal 16GB storage, 512 MB RAM
DATA
GPRS Class thirty three
EDGE Class thirty three
Speed HSDPA, forty two Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth Yes, v2.1 with A2DP, EDR
USB Yes, microUSB v2.0
CAMERA
Primary 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, dual-LED flash, check quality
Features Geo-tagging
Video Yes, 720p@30fps, video stabilization, check quality
Secondary Yes, 1 MP, VGA@15fps
FEATURES
OS Microsoft Windows Phone seven.5 Mango
Chipset Qualcomm APQ8055 Snapdragon
CPU 1.4 GHz Scorpion
GPU Adreno 205
Sensors Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Messaging
SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
Browser HTML5
Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS
GPS Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
Java No
Colors Black, cyan, white, magenta
- MicroSIM card support solely
- SNS integration
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA player
- MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player
- Document viewer/editor
- Video/photo editor
- Voice memo/command/dial
- Predictive text input
BATTERY
customary battery, Li-Ion 1830 mAh (BP-6EW)
Stand-by Up to three hundred h (2G) / Up to three hundred h (3G)
Talk time Up to seven h (2G) / Up to seven h (3G)
Music play Up to sixty h
MISC SAR US one.29 W/kg (head) zero.95 W/kg (body)
SAR EU 1.33 W/kg (head)
Price cluster
TESTS Display Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) / two.562:1 (sunlight)
Loudspeaker Voice 70dB / Noise 68dB / Ring 75dB
Camera Photo / Video
Battery life Endurance rating 38h
