The Nokia Lumia 928 will be shipped on Monday, but ahead of its release date, the reviews of the latest Windows Phone 8 smartphone are flowing in.
As a refresher, the Lumia 928's features include a 4.5-inch display with 1,280x768 pixels. The Windows Phone 8 smartphone, exclusive under Verizon Wireless, comes with 32GB internal storage and 1GB of RAM and no card microSD card slot. The photography specifications include a rear-facing Carl Zeiss optics camera with 8 megapixels and 3,264x2,448 pixels. The front-facing camera, meanwhile, has 1.3 megapixels.
Starting with CNET, the Lumia 928 was credited for its slimmer body and "straight, grippable sides."
As it has been evident with Nokia's promotion of the Lumia 928 so far, the low-light camera is getting the attention it wanted, being referred to as "top-notch." In regards to the negatives of the Lumia 920, the smartphone's speed "stumbled" and call quality sounded "harsher." CNET's bottom line is the Lumia 928 is still worth the $99.99 price.
"I already prefer the 928's shape to that of AT&T's 920, and the $100 on-contract price tag is a great buy. My stumbling block with Verizon's usually rock-steady data speeds is concerning, but people who mostly use their phone on strong Wi-Fi networks will be less affected," concluded CNET.
BGR's Zach Epstein highlighted the Lumia 928's use for productivity.
"The Windows Phone keyboard is fantastic, Office for Windows Phone is the hands-down best smartphone productivity suite available, Microsoft's mobile email client is my favorite of all time, and there are plenty of appealing enterprise features," reviewed Epstein.
However, unlike CNET, he believes the Windows Phone 8 smartphone will be a "tough sell" even with its $99.99 price tag. Epstein stated he doesn't see the Lumia 928 "taking Nokia very far" in the United States.
PC Magazine's Alex Colon believed the Lumia 920, which is an AT&T exclusive smartphone, was the best in its market, however, he has not moved that title for the Lumia 928.
"It's a well-priced alternative to Android and Apple, but it's still not the best phone on Verizon," added Colon.
According to Colon, the pros, similar to CNET, include the low-light camera's performance. In addition, the bright camera flash and call quality is considered "excellent." Cons for the Lumia 928 include its size, referred to as big and bulky, but then again, the same was said about the Lumia 920 when it first launched.
The Lumia 928 was compared heavily with the Lumia 920 in Engadget's review by Joseph Volpe.
"Though the build quality remains just as solid as ever, there's an unmistakable sense of cheapness to the 928," wrote Volpe. "The glossy plastic looks chintzy and doesn't give the impression that it'd survive too many hard knocks."
The Lumia 920 and Lumia 928's performance was test, as it utilizes the same dual-core S4 processor, and the results were "exactly on par: navigation is brisk, apps launch almost immediately and all of this carries the hallmarks of WP8's elegant, swooping transitions."
PhoneArena referred to the Lumia 928 as Verizon Wireless' own variant of the AT&T exclusive smartphone.
"Constructed out of the same polycarbonate material from before, the Lumia 928 has the same sturdy feel in the hand just like the 920, but it's still fairly weighty over other flagships we've been seeing," reviewed PhoneArena.
Despite a considerably positive reviews, the review believes Verizon's latest addition of the Windows Phone 8 smartphone is "late to the game."
"Despite that, it's undoubtedly the best Windows Phone that's on the lineup - for now, that is. Who knows when we'll see another Windows Phone, but let's not think ahead of ourselves right now, seeing that the Lumia 928 is a wonderful offering that delivers the goods in making it a very well-rounded choice for those conscious on a budget."
PhoneArena Nokia Lumia 928 Video Review:
The Lumia 928 is now available online and will be shipped on Monday.
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