I haven’t been able to confirm this, but it certainly appears that Lumia Camera Classic is going away in favor of the new stock Windows 10 Mobile Camera app. Now, keeping track of the four Lumia Camera apps is a bit confusing, so here’s a quick breakdown.
Continue reading Lumia Camera Classic vs Windows 10 Camera Comparison
By Rich W Woods
This is my last week with the Microsoft Lumia 640 XL. One thing that has become clear is that this is a flagship camera. In fact, there are only a few differences between the Microsoft Lumia 640 XL and a flagship device. It’s really just awesome.
This time, I want to compare the Microsoft Lumia 640 XL to the Nokia Lumia Icon, which is the flagshipiest flagship Lumia out there. While it’s clear that the Lumia Icon is a better phone with twice as much RAM and a Snapdragon 800 processor, I’m not sure which will have the better camera. We’ll get into that a bit later. First, specs.
Continue reading Microsoft Lumia 640 XL vs Nokia Lumia Icon Comparison: (Spoiler: The 640 XL Wins)
By Rich W Woods
I have no new phones to review. In fact, I don’t need any. The fact is that both the Nokia Lumia Icon and the OnePlus One are due to go through the rounds again. The OnePlus One just got a Cyanogen update that promised camera improvements. Also, the Nokia Lumia Icon got an update that literally made it go from being one of the least desirable Windows Phones to possibly the most desirable.
Both the OnePlus One and the Nokia Lumia Icon happen to be my favorite phones in their respective operating systems. The OnePlus One is my favorite Android phone and the Nokia Lumia Icon is my favorite Windows Phone. Well, not really. The Nokia Lumia 930 is my favorite Windows Phone; however, the Icon is the Verizon variant of the Lumia 930, except Verizon is a bunch of party-poopers and they only use black and white phones.
Then there’s the OnePlus One. In case you have been living under a rock for about a year, the OnePlus One is the undisputed hottest phone of 2014. It uses a 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801, 3 GB RAM, 64 GB SSD, 13 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera, and a 5.5″ 1080p LCD all for $349 unlocked. That alone would make it enough to be the hottest phone of the year, but it also requires an invitation to purchase (well, not on Tuesdays anymore), causing anyone with a OnePlus One to feel like he’s part of a community, which is a pretty awesome community if I do say so myself.
Continue reading OnePlus One vs Nokia Lumia Icon Camera Comparison
By Rich W Woods
I have a whole lot more to say here than I thought I would. We first heard about Lumia Denim, the firmware update that would be bundled with Windows Phone 8.1.1, on September 5, the same day Nokia announced the Lumia 730, 735, and 830. I reviewed the Nokia Lumia 735 and the Nokia Lumia 830. Later, Microsoft announced the first Lumia to drop the Nokia branding after Microsoft acquired Nokia’s devices and services division, the Microsoft Lumia 535. I reviewed that as well. I’ve reviewed three phones that were built around Lumia Denim. I really thought I knew all there is to know. The only difference I expected from the Lumia Icon was 4K video.
I was wrong. I’ve been hanging onto this phone for months. When Microsoft sent me a Nokia Lumia 830 to review, I asked for a Nokia Lumia 930 to compare it with. All they had was a Lumia Icon. It didn’t have the Lumia Cyan update yet, so it didn’t have all of the camera improvements that came with that update.
Continue reading Nokia Lumia Icon Camera Comparison: Black vs Denim
By Rich W Woods
This is going to be the final comparison with the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge before I write a full review of this dreadful phone. Despite the fact that it is a dreadful phone (uncomfortable to hold, features don’t work well, standard Samsung stuff), there are some really solid features of this device. That being the display and the camera.
Of course, there is one more brand that is known for their cameras. That brand is Nokia. The Pureview cameras with Carl Zeiss lenses are second to none. Here, we’ll find out if they’re second to one.
Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Note Edge vs Nokia Lumia Icon Camera Comparison
By Rich W Woods
When Microsoft sent me the Nokia Lumia 830 to review, I also requested a Nokia Lumia 930 so I could compare the camera to a couple other phones, including the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, considering that they both have 20 MP cameras. They didn’t have any Lumia 930s, but they has a Lumia Icon, the 930’s CDMA sister phone.
The Nokia Lumia Icon still has not received the Lumia Cyan update, so it hasn’t received the camera improvements that come along with it. The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact was shown to outperform the Nokia Lumia 1020 in low light, so it seemed fair to compare the Nokia Lumia Icon and the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact.
Continue reading Nokia Lumia Icon vs Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Camera Comparison
By Rich W Woods
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a very big fan of the Nokia Lumia 930. I feel that it is the best Windows Phone that exists and that it is a shame that it isn’t sold by carriers in the United States. The Nokia Lumia 830 shares a design language as the Nokia Lumia 930. In fact, many reviewers have called it a lower end Lumia 930.
When Nokia was sending me a review unit of the Nokia Lumia 830, I requested a Nokia Lumia 930 as well, for a comparison with the Lumia 830 as well as others, such as the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, which also has a 20 MP camera. They didn’t have any Lumia 930s on hand but they did have a Lumia Icon available, which is the CDMA variant of the Lumia 930; however, as any Verizon Windows Phone users know, it does not have Lumia Cyan yet, which will affect camera performance.
Continue reading Nokia Lumia Icon vs Nokia Lumia 830 Camera Comparison
By Rich W Woods
Verizon has always had a limited selection of Windows Phones. When Windows Phone 8 launched, they got the HTC 8X and the Nokia Lumia 822, both mid-range phones. Later, they got the Nokia Lumia 928 after the former two had left the shelves. The Lumia 928 was a variant of the Lumia 920 that came out 8 months after AT&T got the 920.
Contrary to what Nokia, HTC, or Verizon would have you believe at the time, both the HTC 8X and Nokia Lumia 928 were mid-range phones. In fact, all of the original “flagship” Windows Phone 8 phones were mid-range. They used dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processors. They were slow and frustrating to use.
Then came the Nokia Lumia Icon, a beautifully designed Nokia Lumia that packed a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 20 MP camera, and a 5″ 1080p display.
By Rich W Woods
I don’t like Verizon. I also don’t like Sprint. The reason is that with either of those networks the only phones that you can use are ones that they sell. If you buy an unlocked phone, you can use it on any network in the world except Verizon and Sprint.
Because of that, the only flagship Windows Phones that can be used on Verizon are the Nokia Lumia Icon and the brand new HTC One M8 for Windows. Last time, we reviewed the rear camera. The conclusion was that the HTC One M8 for Windows would probably be better for an amateur user while the Nokia Lumia Icon would be better for a professional photographer.
Today, we will compare the front facing cameras of the HTC One M8 for Windows and the Nokia Lumia Icon. The HTC One M8 for Windows uses a 5 MP front facing camera while the Nokia Lumia Icon uses a 1.2 MP front facing camera. While 1.2 MP sounds very low when numbers like 41 MP gets thrown around, it is actually pretty standard. The iPhone 5S uses a 1.2 MP front facing camera.
If you are interested in selfies or video chatting, read on.
By Rich W Woods
I am not a fan of Verizon. In fact, I’m not a fan of Sprint either and it has nothing to do with the quality of their networks. It has to do with the fact that if you own an unlocked phone or if you want to buy one, you can’t use it on theirs. They use CDMA while the rest of the world uses GSM so if you have your eye on a OnePlus One, a Sony Xperia Z2, or any other unlocked phone, you are out of luck with Verizon and Sprint.
That being said, the only flagship Windows Phones that are available for Verizon are the Nokia Lumia Icon and the brand new HTC One M8 for Windows. It’s a trade-off too. The HTC One M8 has a better processor while the Nokia Lumia Icon has a superior camera.
Here we will compare the cameras of the HTC One M8 for Windows and the Nokia Lumia Icon.