Nokia Lumia 930: User Reviews

[cubit]

Been using the 930 for just over week now and must say, rather impressed with it. Moved over from HTC One. Was starting to get fed up with Google and their sneaky ways. Also, i can't say i like the front end of lollipop - some of the apps are already changed over.

With regards to the 930 over the HTC One;
Much better screen and viewing.
Much better battery life.
Better audio quality on calls (i realise this is somewhat subjective).
General apps - no issues. Only have a problem with a couple of cctv specific ones, but i knew that before changing.
Works/integrates better withmy work requirements.
Overall, a happy little bunny.

 

[Vojtech Palkovic]

I'm using my new 930 for about a week now and I have to say it's brilliant. Moved from HTC 8s and the difference is huge. 1080p display is amazing and double tap to wake function is from now on must have feature.

 

[zocster]

Back on windows phone after a hiatus. Will post shortly.

 

[Radu BARAC]

Hi all,
just wandering should I get the 930 or the 1020 ? I have read that 1020 will not have new Denim update or support ( but it has a great camera ) on the other side the 930 will receive updates and seems to be from an other league ! I had the 808 and mainly used it for taking photos, loved it.

So....930 or 1020?
Thanks in advance

 

[Suedezu]

Hi all,
just wandering should I get the 930 or the 1020 ? I have read that 1020 will not have new Denim update or support ( but it has a great camera ) on the other side the 930 will receive updates and seems to be from an other league ! I had the 808 and mainly used it for taking photos, loved it.

So....930 or 1020?
Thanks in advance

Radu, my advice would be to get the 930 as it has better hardware (amazing screen, new CPU, better audio capabilities) and will be future proofed in comparison with the aging 1020. The Denim update will truly make the 930s camera shine and it's just a matter of days before they start releasing it.

I went from the 920 to the 930 three months ago and so far the phone has been great.

 

[dicks-webos]

I am very happy with the 930. It is a bit heavy and I am letting the battery run down totally before recharging. Since I did that the first time, the consecutive charge held up nearly three days (low usage).

Camera is great and as posters mentioned before, the screen is amazing and so is the future proof - Denim and 10.

Got my 930 for only €299 so could not resist

 

[niutu]

A month with the Nokia Lumia 930 and here's my take on it:

+Solidly built, a bit on the heavy side but feels premium
+Screen is amazing, to me WP is at its best with an AMOLED screen (though the difference in resolution is barely noticeable when compared with 720p Lumias 920/925/1020/830)
+Pleased with the battery life, usually lasts 2 days (mostly in 2G, browsing about two hours, some calls and texts and music via bluetooth headphones)
+Camera produces realistic colors and is reasonably fast
+Seems like there's less "resuming" than ever
+No signal issues, as opposed to the aluminium rimmed Lumia 925

-Lack of glance screen
-Some quality assurance issues; speaker hiss, rattling side-buttons and the infamous purple screen with automatic brightness
-Internet Explorer crashes randomly (seems more or less universal, had the exact thing with Lumia 830)

 

[Senordingdong2K]

My two cents.
First impressions are that the phone looks nice, although I feel the build aesthetic is derived somewhat from the iphone 5.
Picking it up, it is noticeably lighter than the 920 but in my opinion, this comes with its faults.
The build quality feels cheaper, less sturdy and durable than Nokias usual standard that I have come to love in the 920. Also, the increase in screen size is difficult and uncomfortable in my small hands.
This contrasts with the M8 which is of very similar spec but fits much better in the hand.
The camera and the screen are immeasurably better than the 920 and w8.1 runs alot more fluidly. But that being said, the camera on the 920 is still quite good by todays standards, so too is the screen.
8.1 also runs relatively well on 920 if not with a slight battery drain.

No glance is a blinding let down in the middle of the night but its not a deal breaker. I also see quite abit of screen flickering and I hope its not a bad omen.
Also, all round, I find the colour selection of the 30 series awful by comparison to the 20 series.

Round up, I don't think the 930 was worth the wait and the performance isn't enough of a leap forward.
Improvements in some areas but sacrifices in others, especially the aesthetics.

 

[Iina the Magnet]

I got my lumia 930 in White and have been using it for few weeks now. I really like this phone, it's snappy, screen is good enough and I feel safe to say I'll be happy to use this for the next few years.

My screen had the purple hue issue. I think the update did fix it mostly, but it's not completely gone. When brightness is low I can see it adjusting the screen, from purple to grey. I don't mind this, but it takes away the feeling of dealing with a top notch device.

It doesn't seem to go very hot either. Only in the use of IE and camera it heats up, not hotter than normal though. It's just an awkward place, I wish the top would heat up rather than the bottom where I hold the phone. IE also uses a lot of battery, I can watch Netflix for hours with little to none battery consumption, but 30minutes of browsing takes a chunk. Otherwise the battery life is okay, good enough for a day with moderate use. This is subjective of course, I think my moderate use is heavy for some people.

I do love the design though, it feels sturdy and has a nice grip. I'm not afraid of dropping it. It's a bit big for one handed use for me, but I wanted a bigger screen so I'm okay with that.

Camera is okay, I like taking pictures, but I'm not good at it or know much about it. Pictures look good and sharp and there's surprisingly lot of detail.

I am happy for the purchase I made, even though I may sound like I am complaining. I love the OS, I don't think I could go back to Android after using WP 7 and now WP 8. I just really love the tiles and the smoothness. So yeah, I'm a happy user

 

[laynardi]

Just looked the review here. Very helpfull. I have L920 and thinking to upgrade. But after read this thread i think i stay to my L920. I need new lumia like L920 but more battery life. Hope microsoft can fulfill my wish tee hee..

 

[Tempest790]

I joined the ranks of the Lumia 930 users. My 920's battery was finally giving out at over two years old, and I couldn't wait another year for Microsoft to release another flagship. My wife has the 1020 which is great, but I really wanted an upgraded screen. Didn't want the 1520 or HTC One M8. My service is with ATT. So, I forgo LTE and went with an unlocked Lumia 930 (black).

After a few days use this is my impression / mini review.

Pros:
5" 1080x1920 AMOLED screen is absolutely fantastic! Love it.
Form factor is hardly bigger than the 920 despite the bigger screen.
920 was not as fast with the latest updates; the 930 speeds along
Camera seems very good quality and nearly as good as my wife's 1020.
Lighter than the 920 (although I don't have it in a case yet).
Cell signal is better than my 920 (more on that in a bit).

Cons:
Speaker placement and sound is not as good as the 920.
Side buttons very flush which makes it harder to press (that might be good though).
Hard to tell which way the phone is oriented since it's very symmetrical. Keep grabbing it upside down.
No LTE, but that's understood since it's an import.
Lots of apps I can't download due to country region maybe?
Doesn't seem to work with my Microcell

Overall, very happy with the phone. Internet Explorer renders pages a lot faster despite no LTE. My two biggest complaints are not being able to load a lot of apps like Time (Magazine), Here Explore Beta, Nokia Ringtones, Cellular Live Tile, Urbanspoon, Nokia Trailers, Nokia Smart Shoot, Microsoft Store, and more. However, a lot of other apps are available (several from the same companies). What gives?

Secondly, my phone won't connect to the ATT Microcell. Not sure why that is. I checked the settings and even rebooted it but no luck. I thought it was supposed to work as long as the phone number was in the list. But, thankfully I can use the phone all over the house even where the 920 would get no signal at all so I guess I can deal with that.

I wish that ATT would have released the 930 but this will hold me over until a Windows 10 flagship comes out.

 

[Florin_Anghel]

I got my lumia 930 in White and have been using it for few weeks now. I really like this phone, it's snappy, screen is good enough and I feel safe to say I'll be happy to use this for the next few years.

My screen had the purple hue issue. I think the update did fix it mostly, but it's not completely gone. When brightness is low I can see it adjusting the screen, from purple to grey. I don't mind this, but it takes away the feeling of dealing with a top notch device.

It doesn't seem to go very hot either. Only in the use of IE and camera it heats up, not hotter than normal though. It's just an awkward place, I wish the top would heat up rather than the bottom where I hold the phone. IE also uses a lot of battery, I can watch Netflix for hours with little to none battery consumption, but 30minutes of browsing takes a chunk. Otherwise the battery life is okay, good enough for a day with moderate use. This is subjective of course, I think my moderate use is heavy for some people.

I do love the design though, it feels sturdy and has a nice grip. I'm not afraid of dropping it. It's a bit big for one handed use for me, but I wanted a bigger screen so I'm okay with that.

Camera is okay, I like taking pictures, but I'm not good at it or know much about it. Pictures look good and sharp and there's surprisingly lot of detail.

I am happy for the purchase I made, even though I may sound like I am complaining. I love the OS, I don't think I could go back to Android after using WP 7 and now WP 8. I just really love the tiles and the smoothness. So yeah, I'm a happy user

Indeed, IE does wreck the battery in half as well as commenting on windowscentral app(on forum). Also it is laggy the writing in this app

 

[Byrese]

I joined the ranks of the Lumia 930 users. My 920's battery was finally giving out at over two years old, and I couldn't wait another year for Microsoft to release another flagship. My wife has the 1020 which is great, but I really wanted an upgraded screen. Didn't want the 1520 or HTC One M8. My service is with ATT. So, I forgo LTE and went with an unlocked Lumia 930 (black).

After a few days use this is my impression / mini review.

Pros:
5" 1080x1920 AMOLED screen is absolutely fantastic! Love it.
Form factor is hardly bigger than the 920 despite the bigger screen.
920 was not as fast with the latest updates; the 930 speeds along
Camera seems very good quality and nearly as good as my wife's 1020.
Lighter than the 920 (although I don't have it in a case yet).
Cell signal is better than my 920 (more on that in a bit).

Cons:
Speaker placement and sound is not as good as the 920.
Side buttons very flush which makes it harder to press (that might be good though).
Hard to tell which way the phone is oriented since it's very symmetrical. Keep grabbing it upside down.
No LTE, but that's understood since it's an import.
Lots of apps I can't download due to country region maybe?
Doesn't seem to work with my Microcell

Overall, very happy with the phone. Internet Explorer renders pages a lot faster despite no LTE. My two biggest complaints are not being able to load a lot of apps like Time (Magazine), Here Explore Beta, Nokia Ringtones, Cellular Live Tile, Urbanspoon, Nokia Trailers, Nokia Smart Shoot, Microsoft Store, and more. However, a lot of other apps are available (several from the same companies). What gives?

Secondly, my phone won't connect to the ATT Microcell. Not sure why that is. I checked the settings and even rebooted it but no luck. I thought it was supposed to work as long as the phone number was in the list. But, thankfully I can use the phone all over the house even where the 920 would get no signal at all so I guess I can deal with that.

I wish that ATT would have released the 930 but this will hold me over until a Windows 10 flagship comes out.

Did I read you right. No LTE? I'm looking at getting an unlocked 930 to put on TMO.

 

[Fred Wilson2]

Correct the 930's are international and don't have the AT&T LTE bands.
Why would you think you would get LTE ?

Fred

Did I read you right. No LTE? I'm looking at getting an unlocked 930 to put on TMO.

 

[gordonfink]

Did I read you right. No LTE? I'm looking at getting an unlocked 930 to put on TMO.

If you are going to use TMO, I believe you can get MMS on TMO with an Icon (929). You can't do that with ATT, which is a deal killer for many.

By getting a 929, you can probably save $200-300. They are factory unlocked out of the box. You'll have Verizon on the screen and back cover, but you'll be in for half the price.

 

[Fred Wilson2]

I had a 930 and I'm on AT&T. No problem at all with MMS or internet sharing.
Everything worked fine, other than no LTE which I knew and is no problem for me.
If you get an ICON (Verizon) you'll NOT get MMS or Internet sharing. Verizon firmware locks those functions on their phones.
I tried a Verizon Samsung ATIV.


I currently have an international, unlocked L830 on AT&T and no problems at all with MMS or internet sharing, nor anything else, other than no LTE, which I knew.


Fred

If you are going to use TMO, I believe you can get MMS on TMO with an Icon (929). You can't do that with ATT, which is a deal killer for many.

By getting a 929, you can probably save $200-300. They are factory unlocked out of the box. You'll have Verizon on the screen and back cover, but you'll be in for half the price.

 

[Coreldan]

I feel bad for you US peeps. At one point I was jaelous at your contracts where you "only pay" so little for brand new phones, that was until I learned that you pay a crapton for terrible data plans and then you have these silly service providers who lock you out or limit/charge for basic features.

 

[gordonfink]

Fred - I may be wrong, but I thought the MMS block on an Icon was only an ATT issue, and that it worked on TMO. Could be wrong, but I thought the guy might want to look into the Icon threads to be sure, since Icons are much less expensive.

I have ATT personally, so no MMS with the Icon is a killer. I have a 930 on the way from Europe, which I hope gets here by early next week. I can live w/o LTE, so I jumped in. I think the Icon might be the best phone I've ever seen (and I see lots due to our little electronics business), so I am anxious to get the 930.

 

[Fred Wilson2]

The only phone(s) that I've ever had that could not get MMS on AT&T were Verizon phones (2 of them. the 928 and the Samsung ATIV SE), If you wander over to the XDA developers forum(s) you'll find that Verizon firmware locks their phones such that MMS and internet sharing does not work off the Verizon network. My last three phones (and my current phone a L830) were/are all international phones and all work(ed) fine on AT&T (MMS and internet sharing) with the expected no LTE because the bands are not the same.
So Verizon is required by the FCC to GSM unlock the GSM radios on their phones, they do still firmware lock several functions, two of which are MMS and internet sharing (tethering).
As an aside an unlocked (non-Verizon gsm phone) gsm phone will NOT work on the Verizon network. Verizon only allows their own phones on their network(s).
A gsm Verizon phone will work on AT&T with the above noted restrictions.

Fred


Fred

 

[Byrese]

Fred - I may be wrong, but I thought the MMS block on an Icon was only an ATT issue, and that it worked on TMO. Could be wrong, but I thought the guy might want to look into the Icon threads to be sure, since Icons are much less expensive.

I have ATT personally, so no MMS with the Icon is a killer. I have a 930 on the way from Europe, which I hope gets here by early next week. I can live w/o LTE, so I jumped in. I think the Icon might be the best phone I've ever seen (and I see lots due to our little electronics business), so I am anxious to get the 930.

Thinking about buying international 930. Tell me how u like it.