Nokia Lumia 930 review: Iconic once again

Unboxing the Lumia 930

Compared to the Lumia Icon, the Lumia 930 offers a robust array of additional extras to entice more followers into Nokia's camp.

One such extra is the Wireless Charging Plate DT-900, which also comes with its own A/C adapter. The plate is one of the few around that feature a rubber ring in the middle to prevent the device you're charging from slipping, which is a nice little touch. The plate supports the Qi charging standard - as does the Lumia 930 - so you can charge other Qi-supported devices with it, or use a third party Qi charger to charge the Lumia 930, if need be.

Oddly, one extra that was omitted from the otherwise robust retail package is a headset.

The robust retail package

360-degree spin

The Nokia Lumia 930 stands at 137 x 71 x 9.8mm and weighs 167g. The phone has a 0.5" bigger display compared to its spiritual predecessor, the Lumia 925. It's also 7mm taller, but enjoys roughly the same width and thickness as Nokia's top PureView cameraphone, the Lumia 1020. Without the camera hump, that is.

Design and build quality

The Nokia Lumia 930 features an aluminum frame covering the sides of the device, alongside a polycarbonate back panel that can come in a variety of colors, including orange, green, black and white.

The front is covered by Gorilla Glass 3 with a very slight tapered edge. The taper is very subtle, but surprisingly adds immensely to the look of the smartphone, and feels very pleasant to the touch.

The back panel is of polycarbonate, and comes in up to four colors. It's a bit more prominently tapered toward the edges, resulting in a naturally curved shape for a very comfortable grip. The back panel is nonetheless an odd choice by Nokia, as the plastic feels slightly out of place on the device, and looks like it should be removable but isn't. It somewhat detracts from the build quality, especially when compared to the Nokia Lumia 925.

Nokia Lumia 930

The aforementioned aluminum frame is sharply cornered and provides a different feel to, say, the bulky Nokia Lumia 1020, which has a rounded back panel and sides. The sharper edges feel a little rough in-hand, but not overly so.

Handling the Lumia 930

Controls and handling

The Nokia Lumia 930's front is all black glass, with three capacitive buttons located below the display. Above the display is the earpiece next to the front-facing 1.2MP camera, as well as some sensors above the Nokia logo.

The Gorilla Glass-covered front of the Lumia 930

The bare left side is complemented by a somewhat crowded right side, where you'll find a volume rocker, power/lock button, and a dedicated shutter key. The shutter key is a classic two-stage with a reasonably distinct half-press for autofocus.

A peek at the Lumia 930's left and right sides

The top of the Lumia 930 features a centrally-located 3.5mm audio jack next to a high quality microSIM card tray that fits flush with the frame, yet is easily removable. There are two colored strips on either side of the audio jack as an accent.

Like we said, the retail package of the Lumia 930 doesn't come with a headset, so you'll have to provide your own to stick into the 3.5mm audio jack.

On the bottom you'll find only the microUSB port flanked by the same colored strips.

The top and bottom of the Lumia 930

Finally, on the back you'll find the 20MP PureView camera with Carl Zeiss lens, a dual-LED flash, and two microphones. There's also a small loudspeaker grille in the bottom right corner.

Despite appearances, the back panel is non-removable, so you won't be able to access the 2,420mAh battery inside without taking it in.

The back of the Nokia Lumia 930