NetCom today released information on pricing for the Nokia Lumia 920. My choice would be the Komplett Medium subscription which will put the upfront cost of the phone at 1499 NOK ($ 250), with a one year contract which includes 400 SMS, 400 minutes of ringtime, 800 MB data and Spotify Premium included with a monthly fee of 479 NOK ($ 80), making the cost of the phone for the first year to a total of 7247,- NOK ($ 1200).
 
When comparing that price with the price of the Apple iPhone 5 with the same subscription, I found that you would have to pay 3999 NOK for the phone ($ 666,50), the same monthly fee, with a total of 9747 NOK ($ 1624,50) for the first year.

Easy choice… 😀

[section_title title=Introduction – Spesifications – Reception and call quality – Display]

I am looking forward to getting my hands on one of the new and soon to be launched Nokia Lumia 920 phones. Hopefully in a not so distant future. Until that happens what should a blogger with too much technolust do? Thanks to Nokia Norway, I have been so lucky as to get my hands on a Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone 7.5, and I have been using this phone full time for a while now, instead of my old trustworthy iPhone 4.

I have been doing so in order to prepare for the Lumia 920 and familiarizing myself with the Windows Phone OS. And the mere fact that I also are able to temporarily stifle my technolust with a new and shiny gadget is of course part of the story as well.

At the moment the Nokia Lumia 900 is Nokia’s top of the line smartphone. And it is for that fact alone worthwhile to see how this phone compares to my old iPhone, and maybe even the new iPhone 5.

In this review I will cover the following topics:

• Specifications
• Reception and call quality
• Display
• Battery life
• Camera
• Ease of use – Windows Phone 7.5
• Design and form factor
• Portability
• Media Support
• Durability
• Ecosystem
• Nokia Specific Software
• Performance
• Conclusion

Specifications

Reception and call quality

A factor that is often overlooked in modern smartphones is the ability to make and receive phone calls. It is not, perhaps, what you do often on a smartphone, but for me it is a prerequisite to be able to make phone calls without too much fuzz or interference. I live on the edge of 3G coverage, and have occasionally had reception problems with my iPhone 4. MMS-messages have been a particular problem, but also in making and receiving phone calls if I happen to be in the wrong part of the house. No such problems with the Nokia Lumia 900. Reception is excellent, and I even get the added bonus of having HSPA+ available in the house now, which means faster data-streams than what I am able to get on the iPhone. Call quality over the speakerphone is excellent as well, and connected to my bluetooth handsfree set in my car also provide excellent call quality all around.

Subscore: 9 out of 10

Display

The most important feature of a smart phone is the main device for interacting with the phone – the screen. And let me just say it out loud: this screen is beautiful. It is 4.3” with a resolution of 400×800 pixels, which by todays standard may seem lacking, but this AMOLED screen just rocks with its vibrant colors. The black is so black, compared to the greyish black on my iPhone 4, and pictures just look gorgeous on this phone. I have gotten so used to the beauty and size of this screen, that I am in no way inclined to pick up the iPhone when I want to use a smartphone. Crispy clear vibrant pictures on a large screen, that even works great when outdoors. A win for Nokia, and I can only imagine the screen quality on the upcoming Nokia Lumia 920 which has real HD resolution.

Subscore: 9 out of 10

I have a problem! Today Apple introduced the new iPhone 5, and last week Nokia introduced its Lumia 920. Both their respective companies flagship phones, both good looking in their respective ways, but the question is : which one do I get?

Of course todays announcement was filled with the usual Apple rhetoric; “Amazing”, “Revolutionary”, “Best ever” and so forth. That was to be expected. But how good is it? I was skeptical to it before the launch. Based on the rumors it only looked like a slightly stretched out iPhone 4S. So was there enough awe in there to justify the hype? To be honest, I am not quite sure. I was drawn in by the presentation – Apple really knows how to foster my Technolust, but it is still the same old Operating System, although with some new bells and whistles. When it comes to for example sharing photos, Apple seems to have taken a cue from the Windows Phone operating system, although the integration is no where near the way Windows Phone is. The camera has some new features, a new cover glass for the lens (!), the processor is upgraded to the A6 chip and the phone has gotten longer, thinner and lighter. And there is LTE (4G) support. The connector has been replaced with the Lightning-connector and battery life is supposed to have improved.

So what about the Lumia 920 compared to this then. Well, I find the Lumias looking better – way better, although I like how the iPhone 5 looks. Nokia really knows how to make hardware. How it will compare in battery life remains to be seen, but it definitely gives the iPhone its runs for the money when it comes to the camera and picture quality. I really like Windows Phone 7 and thus presume I will like the improvements coming in Windows Phone 8. It is a fresh take on what a mobile OS is, and with the integration with Windows 8 and the Xbox I think and hope Microsoft has a winner on their hands. But then again, iOS 6 has several years head start on Windows Phone 8, which is very obvious when it comes to the availability of apps.

I’ve been an iPhone user since the 3G up until now. I’ve skipped the 3GS and the 4S, but are still heavily invested in iOS through several years of purchasing apps, music and video. Am I ready to switch mobile platform? I am not sure. The fact that it is only a couple of weeks until the iPhone 5 becomes available speaks in its favor. But then again, those Lumias really look great.

To help in comparing the phones I have made this chart with the help of my talented son Kevin who made the background picture.

I will write up a post later on when I have decided and purchased my next phone. until then tell me what you think in the comments section below. iPhone 5 or Lumia 920? Why?