Nokia Lumia 900 reveals exterior, interior build differences
updated 01:05 am EDT, Thu April 5, 2012
Cost-saving innards help keep price low
A detailed teardown of the new Nokia Lumia 900 has shown that despite a solid external build quality, compromises made inside the device and with the display may keep it from being a contender against Samsung's Galaxy Nexus or Apple's iPhone. The phone, which runs Windows Phone 7, features a single-core Snapdragon S2 processor, an 800x480 AMOLED display, along with 16GB of flash storage as tested by TechRepublic.
The Lumia also features 512MB of RAM, an 8MP rear camera and 1MP front camera. Compared to the iPhone 4S (4.9 oz), it was found to be both larger and noticeably heavier (5.6 oz). It also felt slightly thicker and heavier than the Galaxy Nexus, even though the Lumia is the same width and height. In part this would be due to the single-piece polycarbonate case, which was described as "solid [and] sturdy." The display, which has a pixel density of 217ppi, was called "good" rather than "great" compared to either the Nexus or iPhone.
The processor is a single-core 1.4GHz Qualcomm with 512MB of RAM, and uses a number of other Qualcomm chips for various jobs such as power management and the 3G/4G radio. Both the Nexus and the iPhone 4S offer dual-core processors at different speeds, with the Nexus featuring 1GB of RAM. Despite the lower specs, Windows Phone 7 was found to run smoothly on the Lumia without lag, though browser and camera speeds were said to be less responsive.
The battery life was called out as being significantly shorter than either of the two comparison phones. Also dinged in the review was the fact that the Lumia is only available with 16GB of storage. However, the biggest selling point of the Lumia (beyond the alternative to iOS and Android that will interest some users) is the $99 selling price (with two-year contract). The consensus of reviews so far have called it a solid, decent option, but not exceptional in any category.
The phone is available for pre-order now through AT&T and will go on sale April 8th. [via TechRepublic]
