Nokia Lumia Icon review: Perfect frame

Retail package

The Nokia Lumia Icon ships in a rather basic retail package. In the Verizon-branded retail box, you will find the handset, a charger, a microUSB cable, and a couple of booklets.

The contents of the Lumia Icon's retail package

Headphones are traditionally missing in the retail boxes US smartphones and the Nokia Lumia Icon is no exception. Users will need to spend additional funds on the essential accessory.

Design and build quality

With clean lines and almost perfectly right angles, the Nokia Lumia Icon follows the same design language as its predecessor, the Nokia Lumia 928. Thanks to the metal frame around its body however, the newcomer packs an additional dash of high-end appeal. A looker in the flesh, the smartphone stands out from the rest of the Lumia range and is certain to appeal to those with a knack for minimalist looks.

The Nokia Lumia Icon is a looker

The handset is available in two matte-finish colors - black and white. The black version, we reckon, is certain to be one of the sleekest-looking smartphones on sale today.

Excessive Verizon branding is the only visual downside of the Nokia Lumia Icon. Two large carrier logos sit at the front and the back of the device. We find the one above the display particularly gaudy. It all makes an otherwise pretty smartphone look a bit like a billboard. We know carriers are trying to get the most out of their investment in subsidizing devices, but Verizon has really gone too far here and has sacrificed the looks of the smartphone to do so.

The metal frame around the device is a nice touch

Build quality of the Lumia Icon is up to Nokia's high standards. The smartphone is exceptionally well put together, using high-quality polycarbonate, aluminum, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 in the front. It is ready to take on the hassles which a high-end smartphone is bound to be a subject to these days.

Measures of the Nokia Lumia Icon are 137 x 71 x 9.8 mm, while its weight tips the scale at 167 grams. Despite packing a bigger display, the handset is as narrow as the svelte Nokia Lumia 925, thanks to its slim bezels.

Comparisons with Android flagships are not so flattering though - the LG G2 has about the same footprint despite packing a 0.2" larger screen and is 0.9mm slimmer and good 24g lighter.

Display

The Nokia Lumia Icon features a 5" Full HD ClearBlack AMOLED display, covered by Gorilla Glass 3. Its 441ppi pixel density is standard for a high-end device these days and this means that everything on the screen is tack sharp and you have no chances of telling individual pixels apart without the help of a microscope.

The ClearBlack AMOLED display of the Nokia Lumia Icon

High-end Nokia Lumia smartphones have always boasted impressive displays and the Lumia Icon is no exception. With superb contrast, brightness, and excellent viewing angles, the screen of the Icon is one of the best around.

A closer look of the ClearBlack AMOLED display

Nokia has supplied the Lumia Icon will the handy color profile app which lets you tune the saturation and color balance to your liking. If oversaturated colors aren't your thing you can go tune them down to more realistic levels and if you like that effect you can go all the way up.

Sunlight legibility of the screen is also well above average. An additional setting to enhance it is on hand too, although it does take its toll on image quality.