AT&T Lumia 830 Windows Phone, first impressions of the Affordable Flagship

Without a lot of fanfare the AT&T Lumia 830 Windows Phone hit store shelves yesterday. Affectionately named the "affordable flagship", the 830 sports a 5" ClearBlack Screen protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass 3. Add the Quad Core Snapdragon processor, 1GB of Ram, 16GB storage with expansion card slot and the 10MP Pureview camera and the 830 isn't too shabby of a Windows Phone.

There are some reservations on whether or not the Lumia 830 is a worthy upgrade and after spending a little time with the new AT&T Windows Phone I wouldn't let the 800 Series designation fool you. While there is some room for improvement, the Lumia 830 is a solid choice.

After charging up the Lumia 830, restoring all my apps and games, struggling to decide which is the better cover (green or black), and letting the "newness" of the Lumia 830 wear-off a little here are a few observations on the latest AT&T Windows Phone.

The Lumia 830 is only .33 inches thick and weighs in at 5.3 ounces, all of which fits nicely in the hand.
AT&T did a beautiful thing by leaving Qi wireless charging support in place. If you are currently using the Lumia 920 (or those who bought wireless charging covers for other Lumia models), all of your wireless charging accessories will work including the Nokia CR-200 car cradle.
Five inches may be the perfect size for a Windows Phone screen. The 830's screen shines nicely with subtle colors, contrast and brightness. However, if you look at the screen from an angle it appears a little on the flat side, making the screen a little difficult to read. I don't mind this much because it will make it tougher for prying eyes to eavesdrop.
The Quad Core Snapdragon processor makes the Lumia 830 noticeably faster when compared to the Lumia 925 or even the Lumia 1020.

The charging port and headphone jack is located at the top of the Lumia 830. While I don't mind the headphone jack up top, the charging port needs to be at the bottom. Not a deal breaker but you will find yourself trying to plug in the micro-USB cord at the bottom of the phone.
The side buttons are nice, responsive and raised ever so slightly to help make them distinguishable. The camera button does seem a little on the sensitive side, and I'm a tad concerned you might start the camera by accident when carrying the 830 in a pocket. More research will be needed before choosing to disable the press to launch feature.
The battery cover is designed similar to the old Samsung Focus S with a series of hooks that firmly snap the cover into place. The cover is firm and lacks the flimsiness the Samsung covers had.

As far as call quality is concerned, I cannot find anything to complain about. The vibration feature, both as a ringer and for haptic feedback, is a little on the weak side though.

Overall, I am very happy with the Lumia 830 and in many respects, and it could have easily been a 900 series Lumia if it had a stronger processor. Is it a worthy upgrade for those looking for a new Windows Phone?

I think that if you are coming from a Lumia 920 or even a Lumia 925, you will be pleased with the 830. The decision gets more difficult for those coming from a Lumia 1020 because of the camera differences. However, the Lumia 830's camera isn't exactly a pushover. I've only snapped a few shots with the 10MP shooter but so far, I'm liking what I see.

Naturally, your best option is likely to find a local AT&T Store with the Lumia 830 in stock and go handle the new phone for yourself. The 800 Series Windows Phone might surprise you.

George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.

Latest

Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family plan may be launching soon

Destiny 2 dev explains why that iconic weapon was in a Lightfall cutscene

E3 2023 is officially canceled

See more latest ►

343 Comments

I'm glad you said the processor is good. So many people have been whining about how it's a huge step down from the 920.
Edit: Wow, this is the first time I've been first. :)
Haha! Don't you dare mention you are first or else your comment would be chucked out soon or later..they strictly prohibit such nonsense on windows central.
If you look at comparison videos it's basically as 'good' as a two year old processor (920). So ill let you determine how you feel about that.
It's also cheaper than the 920 and battery life is way better. How do you feel about that?
Cheaper? This is the same price I paid when the 920 was released.
On contract.
Same price as 2012 in 2014? Let's put that in perspective. In 2012, a loaf of bread was 79p in my local supermarket. Today its £1. In 2012, my cuppa was 89p, today its £1.10. In 2012, iPhone was £550 SIM free, today its £750. So, you were saying getting what you had in 2012, now in 2014 for the same price as 2012 is bad?
Yes, it's bad. The reason being that my 920 was a competitor to the iPhone 5 32gb and that was $299 on contract, I'm in the U.S. so contract pricing, and the 920 was $99. This is Not a competitor to the iPhone 6. I would happily pay $99 or $199 for a iPhone 6 competitor on contract.
Just to bring a little more clarity to your statement, the processor is better than the 920's but the GPU is weaker. So basic navigation and app loading should be faster while intensive games will have a harder time holding solid frame rates.
I have a 920 and even the 630 at this point seems like an upgrade. It may be a hair slower but it makes up with battery life, weight, motion data and more. Plus the 920 never could play music without glitches inbetween songs.
In the beginning my 620 played without glitches (back, when Xbox Music was part of the OS). When it switched to being an app, I had glitches inbetween songs, but now, after some of the latests updates, there are no glitches anymore, it changes songs smoothly
I agree with most of what you're saying, but my 920 has never had glitches between songs. Music has always been great on it.
Look at it from this point. The midrange is as good as the flagship was.
Compare it to 930, you will be disappointed
Oh how weird. Why would they make a 930 better than the 830? :p
The 930 sells for about $50 more than the 830 on ATT. Trouble is, there is no 930 that works on ATT's LTE bands. If they had offered the 930, no one would buy an 830 at this price.
no body is...
Sunspider scores on the 830 (1200's ms) are kinda crappy too compared to the 920's (900 -950 ms)
But how effectively does it measure multicore performance
+635
Javascript in the browser isn't multithreaded so it doesn't matter. The synthetic benchmark may support it, but real world performance won't be, since no browser I know of can run multiple Javacript threads per tab due to concurrency issues. This may change later but it's currently an issue, mobile or not.
Html 5 introduced Web Workers. No idea if the benchmark uses them though, and of course, any native method requiring a callback is likely handled in a seperate thread.
Not a huge step down, but a sidegrade. Not necessarily bad for an 8xx device, but I think it could have been really great if they'd shipped one of the new, truly midrange snapdragon 610/615's.
Even just the 600, and I'd instantly "upgrade" my 920 to it. Sad that they didn't though.
Microsoft is getting to much like Acer. They can't build a device without cheating a little. The 8 series should be equip to play games without a hitch.
It's all yours buddy! Be the first to get one also...
I think what people are complaining about is that while the phone works well, the spec sheet is not future proof. IMO, it is fine, but since it is around $450 unlock, I would like it to have better spec.
For the camera button, just enable the "prevent accidental camera launch" option in settings. It'll disable the button when the proximity sensor is covered (aka in your pocket)
Wish Cortana had this.
I hear you on that!
Yes indeed.....!
Biggest gripe about Cortana.
Speech settings, turn off "allow speech under lock". Done
Awesome
Wow, I didn't know that. Thanks!
1020 owner here...should I wait?
Depends what you want of a phone:O Why are the 1020 owners not sure about what they want from a phone. do you want a phone with the best camera... wait. do you want a phone and you dont care about the camera and you like the size take it. but first of all.. know what you actually want of a phone instead of just asking.. should i wait ..obviously you dont care at all about the camera because you considered going for this one so .. no ..dont wait.. go for it
You would even consider replacing a 41Mp sensor with a 10 Mp one?!
1520 and 930 have good camera, yes 1020 is better, but they are very good too
I hope pure view team will release a phone with 55MP Sensor and Canon lens
Wanna own one of the last Nokia's?? Go for it! Wanna see what Microsoft brings to the table with new branding on the phone?? Keep waiting.
I'm a 1020 owner...I'm going to wait until June!!! But no longer. Was thinking about getting a used 1520 (£140) but then thought waiting might be worth it.
Unrelated: Windows Phone is all over the new turtles movie!
Same here. I was a 920 owner, hated that phone,so I switched to a 1020. Love it but am sensing it's age. But I'll definitely way for Windows 10 to release for a nice flagship phone from Microsoft. It doesn't have to be a 1020 successor, but it would be awesome if it was. At the same time, I would like a thinner phone AND wireless charging again.
1520 is the best smartphone in the world ever
Period!
I think we'll be waiting a long time, listen I hear crickets in Microsoft R&D room.
Wait a minute - you hated the 920 bit love the 1020? They are basically the same phone except for the camera. What am I missing?
Where did you manage to find a Lumia 1520 for £140?!
I'm currently trying to pick up a replacement 1020....and am quite amazed at how they are doggedly staying around the £200 mark!
doggedly? the 1520 is worth it! and despite being almost a year old, it is still the current flagship (the 1520 and 930, atleast in my eyes, share the flagship title as they both are around the same age and have the same specs for the most part) so when you think about the 1520 being the current flagship, assuming the used one is in almost mint condition.. $200 isnt a bad price
The 1020 is a niche device. It will hold decent value for a while.
I had a 925 and did some mental calculations.... W10 Phones are probably not coming out until Spring 2015. Options: 1. Continue with the 925 (I've had this phone for ever, and just wanted a new toy). 2. Get a sidegrade (830) for 6-8 months. I went with the latter.
Yeah that's how I feel right now.
This. Do a 12 month next upgrade plan. Wife just decided on the HTC one.
I did just the same. My 925 broke down and started to shut down, restart several times a day. I wanted to wait for flagship win10 but not in the state my 925 was in no. So I decided to buy a 830 until, as you say 6-8 months for a new win 10 phone.
1020 owner here. Picked up the 830 for my wife yesterday. It's frickin georgous! Doesn't have the camera or storage, but is more responsive, lighter, has Qi wireless charging and has a better look and feel to it. I will keep waiting, but it definately has my attention. FYI - the HTC was also very nice.
She can add storage though, with our 1020s can't do.
Depends. I just upgraded from the 1020 to the 830 and couldn't be happier. Faster, bigger screen, thinner, lighter, etc.
You'd have to wait until 2015, but I still would.
Everyone says this phone is good. Go out and upgrade yourself to an inferior camera.
I have a 1020 and I am waiting. My biggest things are professional support (Exchange, Lync, Skype, and Office) plus the camera. While I feel the 830 can handle the first quite well I think the second is too much of a downgrade (though it will be an upgrade from the 920 camera). If you are a big gamer on your phone (I am not, that is for my Vita and 3DS) then the 830 probably isn't for you. My wife is getting one as an upgrade to her iPhone 5.
1020 owner here. I'm waiting. I haven't seen one yet that gave me that"I want that feeling".
My 1020 is feeling tiny but damn it's a workhorse. And the pictures are freaking gorgeous.
Probably not a big deal for 925 owners with the jack and microusb being on the top.
Or for previous L800 users.
I have the 920 and have always wished the charging port was on top. That way, the cable can hang off the back of a table, by the wall, instead of sticking out towards me.
Or, when in the car, it can sit down in a cup holder without sitting on the cable connector.
I actually like the charging port on the top.... I can type easily without the cable getting in the way. and if the phone is on the table charging, then it really dosent matter where the port is :)
Second this. My 720's charging port became loose after a year and a half of usage, so whenever I use the phone while charging, I end up unplugging the cable. The port being on the top must help.
With the wireless charging intact the location of the port means very little to me.
Agreed. My N9 and L925 both had the port on top, I prefer it for charging and typing since I cradle my pinky right below the Windows emblem.
Also prefer it for throwing the phone in a cup holder when driving and leaving the USB charger connected while using Here Drive (since the GPS and screen being on the whole time slaughter battery).
I'm on the fence with the 830, even more so with today's leak. My SO is up for an upgrade and is leaving it up to me to chose the phone for her. She's coming from a 2yro+ LG Android and loves my Lumia 1520's camera and WP8.1, just not the size of the 1520. I'm tempted to hold out a week or two until there is more info on this new device leak. I think the pressure is getting to me lol.
The 830 isn't a leak. It went on sale yesterday. No reason to wait for more info when you can go on over to ATT and get some hands on. :)
I know the 830 isn't a leak... That's not what I wrote lol. I was referring to this leak http://m.windowscentral.com/yet-another-upcoming-microsoft-lumia-branded...
That new leak probably won't amount to anything more than another mid-level device. If you don't want to wait until next April/May for a new flagship, hop on an 830 or the One.
But that's a low-end phone (the leak).
Well they are announcing it Tuesday so just wait a few days to see what they reveal lol
As best I understand it, it looks like MS was planning to release a whole lineup of MS branded devices to move away from the Nokia branding. The leak supposedly shows a MS branded 53x, 6/73x, and 1320 replacements. There were also supposed to be a 15xx and 9xx device with 3D touch released, but 3D touch has had some setbacks, so we are not likely going to see those until Win10 is released.
But it looks like the official announcement will be next week, so I hope to be proven wrong as I would love to see more flagship devices coming down the pipe. However, assuming that I am right, then here is what I am expecting: Windows 10 is released for computers in the late spring or early summer, and new phones are announced at that time. It will then take a few months for the devices to come out and become available which puts us in mid to late summer. My thinking is to pick up an 830 now on a 12 month ATT Next program, and then next November the flagships will still be pretty new and I will trade in my 830 and purchase one of the new devices. Still going to wait until next week's announcements before pulling the trigger, but if all of these new devices are low end as expected then this will probably be my course of action.
Speculation.
That is also my expectation - no W10 in phones in retail stores until mid-2015 earliest.
We probably won't see Windows 10 for ARM devices until next Fall.
I'd say, this time next year, for a flagship device.
Get her a 930, it's basically the 1520 in a smaller body and aluminum casing. Great phone and REALLY underrated and underestimated.
Is 930 available in AT&T?
Nope sadly, just Verizon, but you can always get the international version.
Minus Glance and SD card support.
While it would be great to to have SD card support, 32 gb is decent. For everything else this phone has (and will have, Hey Cortana), especially the camera, I personally feel it's worth sacrificing glance. I myself never found it of much use, since it takes just a double tap or click of a button to see the lock screen, although I do understand the novelty and option of having it available.
I thought 800 meant the processor, not the series.
Nope
Thought.
Like I said in a previous thread, you can wait until menopause if you want to. Unless you have a 1020 or 1520, this is the phone. Only drawback, who the hell signed off on the charging port on top instead of the familiar bottom?
Same people as 925 and 928
Meh, I prefer the charging port on the top. It's one of my biggest complaints about the 920.
On top is far preferable IMO. The cable gets in the way when typing whilst lying down - and if I charge my phone on my desk, the cable points out into my work area.
Small things, but annoying nevertheless :)
I would just use the wireless charging anyway. I ordered up an HTC one though and it will be here Monday, I definitely am going to miss wireless charging.
So so tempted... will probably wait and see what comes next... loving my 1520 too much.
If you have a 1520 you have no reason to be tempted. Trust me I have a 1520 and a 1020, my wife has a 930 and I bought an 830 for a friend. It's really nice, but obviously cannot compare to the 1520.
In México doesn't sell this phone yet but I truly know, when come here, is gonna be no cheap...my question is, buy a 1020 even know is an old device or buy this 830 know is a little weak (in general)?
If you want the best camera of any phone (even if the slowest as well) and don't mind a phone that probably wont be as supported with regards to some features in the future (like hey Cortana) get the 1020. Otherwise get the 830, its a bit faster and more future proof, has micro SD slot and is better looking, and the camera is not bad at all, better than the camera of an iPhone 5s (but not quite as good as the iPhone 6)
"and don't mind a phone that probably wont be as supported with regards to some features in the future (like hey Cortana) get the 1020." The 830 won't get "Hey Cortana" either.
Get a 930 and dont hesitate! The camera is nearly as good as 1020 and processor is better than 830 which means it will more likely stand the test of time. You also get a beautiful hd screen and other nice perks. It will also be guaranteed to have the high end features that wilk come with the december update, such as Hey cortana.
The 930 is a solid phone and pretty close in price to the 830, but sadly not an option on ATT.
Wished it were on Verizon, but Verizon sucks ass and screws its Windows phone customers all the time, so.
I mean, in the united states Windows has like 4% of the market. How many of those people are just on Verizon? Like 1%? It's a business they don't owe you anything because you like Windows phone. They do suck tho, and if you can switch providers you should, if you like Windows phone that much.
Leave your carrier then, no need for carrier loyalty.
my wife's employer has a business deal with them, so we get discounts and a bit more pull if they try to pull something over us. we also have unlimited data and not sure if at&t would. finally, i just hear many people here having much good to say about them in this area. but the thought has occured to me more than once.
It isn't carrier loyalty for me. I cannot get any reception at my rural house with other carriers. I hate having Verizon but I have to choose between them or nothing.
how i feel.
If you're on Verizon, you can gave the 930/Icon. MUCH better phone - especially if VZ will release updates.
I like the icon, but it's lack of storage and SD card means I won't consider it.
Affordable flagship = overpriced phone with crappy spec.
is performance bad?
Look at Daniels unboxing video with the camera "resuming" the second he launched it.
Mine hasn't done that once in the two days I've had it. I've used the camera a lot. Overall the device is very smooth and pretty snappy, and I have a 1020 and a 1520.
Comes with the Fitbit so you could actually look at it as $350.00 plus the $100.00 for the Fitbit which would make it the affordable flagship. Too be honest though. Look at specs on models like the m8 ($669 on ATT). If specs were bumped up on the 830 then it would no longer be the affordable flagship. It would be a flagship with a flagship price of over $600. It is what it is, a midrange model with midrange price.
Lumia 920 had top spec at the time of its introduction + 32Gb storage space for $99 on contract. This thing has midrange spec but the price is also $99.
That was a stupid move by Nokia at that time. The 920 should have been $199, but they felt that with a lower price more people would buy it over the competition. That didn't happen (actually that kind of thinking never works no matter the industry) and it has cheapen the perceived value of the 920. So now you have the populace confused and complaining because current pricing doesn't reflect what they have been trained to expect as midrange pricing. I don't blame the customer, I blame companies that keep making that stupid move only to have to fight against it later became they can't afford to keep up the charade. In the end it only serves to piss off the customer. The 830 is midrange and should be $149 with subsidy. The 635 is entry and is $99 with subsidy. A high end should come in at $199 with subsidy, i.e. HTC One.
You can't be serious. The no contract price for Lumia 635 is $99 on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/T-Mobile-Nokia-Lumia-635-Contract/dp/B00LIWB34Q
So, air and water are free yet companies charge for it. Does it make sense, nope, but people will still buy it.
Lumia 920 didn't have an SD Card slot,fitbit included, removable covers or batteries. It also didn't support both wireless charging standards or have the ability to record in surround sound shall I go on? While I myself am not interested in this device it is quite a bargain at it's price point.
If memory serves correctly the 920 was $200 on contract or an outrageous $850 to buy the device outright. Units were not moving well at those prices so it quickly dropped to $100 + free Qi charger which lots of people jumped on (myself included).
ATT is not subsidizing the new phones nearly as much as they use to because they are pushing people to the Next plans which makes this a bad comparison. Really the comparison is the $850 Lumia 920 price vs the $450 Lumia 830 price... you are getting a whole lot more bang for that buck on that. Still not exactly a clear 'upgrade' from the 920, and it is a little sad that the carrier is not subsidizing devices as much as they use to on traditional contracts, but you really cannot say that the 830 is horribly overpriced. Besides, you can sell the free/useless fitbit for some $80 and effectively buy the phone outright new for ~$370. Compared to the $800+ Lumia 920 this really is an 'affordable flagship'.
920 price dropped quickly? That's an understatement. I got my 920 on release day at the ATT store for $99 with the free charger. I don't recall anyone actually paying $200 on contract for that phone. All the pre-orders at that price were either adjusted or people just canceled and purchased at the lower price.
Wouldn't the 600 Q chips be more mid range. I get that the 400 series is mid range for the most part, but the 600 series should be mid range now Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
Actually it isn't bad. I didn't want to be stuck in a contract as I usually just pay for the phone but I also didn't want to drop $450 this month due to some big purchases for the house. I went with the NEXT program because based on a previous WPC article doing the NEXT makes the cash price of the phone roughly $340. Subtract the $99 fitbit that my wife has been wanting anyway and you're looking at roughly a $240 brand new phone.
Exactly. Sadly no matter how much sense you make, there are those that can't be pleased whatsoever and would rather complain.
not to be horribly annoying, but it is still a $450 phone, and you are essentially selling it back to ATT for $110 after 18 months. The gamble here is two fold: 1) you are assuming that the device is in good enough shape after 18 months that they will accept it back for trade-in, and 2) If it is in good enough shape to trade in that you could not sell it on the open market for more than $110. They have some pretty good actuaries over at ATT, so I would bet that if your device is in good enough shape to turn in then it is a good bet that you could sell it for a lot more than that after 18 months, or else it is broken and you end up paying full retail price anyways.
Financing is about making things available today that you can afford tomorrow. Next is a better deal than a subsidized plan (assuming you take good care of your devices), but not better than buying a device outright if you can afford to do so.
Even if you intend to just buy the device outright, you should get it on a Next plan because AT&T waives the activation fee. You have to pay the fee if you buy the phone full price, off-contract. After paying a minimum of 2 monthly Next installments, you have the option to pay off the remaining balance in full; so if you do that it's essentially the same as paying for the whole thing up front, but you've saved yourself the $40 activation fee.
If you really believe it is worth more than $110 after 18 months, you can just pay off the balance and then sell it. In reality i think it might be worth a bit more after but you're really paying for the convenience of just being able to trade it in.
Its a great deal if you're thinking about buying a fitbit anyway. The 830 is a great phone, but if you compare it to the Moto G and even the 930 on other carriers it looks very overpriced. The Moto G is $179 - less than half the price of the 830, has the same proc, RAM and storage, but a lesser camera and no Qi. The Icon on VZ is $499 or $99 on contract.
I love it so far, and its a lot faster than the 920 or 925, wait until you install the first update!!
When is denim update with gdr 2 arriving?? I am not talking about the preview for developers version by the wat.
Well considering that some haven't made it to Cyan (yes Verizon, you suck), it's probably going to be January or so.
How does it feel in your hands compared to the rounded edges of the 925? I always feel like the 925 (wife's phone, I have a 521 waiting on m8), is going to slip out of my hand cause of the edges.
The 830 feels good in the hand and the flat sides seems to add to the phones grippability.
Thanks George. I figured as much but sadly with no 830 coming to Tmobile I didn't want to go to ATT and down my hopes and dreams more,lol.
The issue is that it's neither affordable, nor a flagship.
But if it's a good product, who cares?
But it's not affordable or a flagship considering its price and specs. Sure it's a smooth good device, but for something with a Snapdragon 400 at 450 dollars, I don't think that's worth it at all. Maybe last years models are worth more like the 900 series and the 1520. It would've been better if it had a Snapdragon 600 or 610. Like even the OPO and the Nexus 5 are cheaper and they have Snapdragons 800 and 801. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
WP likely doesn't support the 610 yet.
Who cares? Buyers who would rather spend less for the same hardware, or spend just slightly more for much better. I love this phone, but at this price all it does is give ATT an excuse to complain about how Windows Phones dont sell.
Bought the 830 yesterday. Loved my 920 but I was itching for something new and I couldn't be happier with my choice on the 830 so far. The charger on the top seems odd but I mostly wireless charge so its bot a big deal. The lighter feel of this phone over the 920 is perfect. The overall look is beautiful and I think will win a lot of non win phone users over.
Strange to me that you and the author don't like the charge port on the top. I think I'd like it a lot better.
LOL! I've to agree with you... I'd love it more if the charge port on my 930 was on the top..
Came from 920 & 925 and love the 830. By specs yeah not anything drastic but runs faster than my other two mobiles and the form factor and feel of the handheld is top notch. Plus, dig the expendable storage.
Im actually surprised by how awesome it looks in these photos. I've honestly not cared about these lower spec'd phones, but this one looks nice, even with the removable cover. Ill be waiting til the summer to upgrade anyhow as I have a 1020, but tho might be a nice replacement for my wife's aging 920.
I debated about ditching my beloved 920 but so glad I made the move. The 830 is a beautiful phone.
I'm still too happy with my 925, I took the case off yesterday and I think it looks better than any other smartphone. Although I would be happy with the charger on top like my 925, I couldn't imagine it on the bottom.
The 925 is gorgeous.
Yep. Just looked at my water damaged 925, and its still a beautiful device.
It IS affordable. With contract pricing, which is the way most people in the US buy, it's $99 with a free fitbit. It's $100 less than the IP6 and S5. I know its silly that this is what buyers look at and not the monthly contract price but that the way uninformed buyers look at these things.
$200 less than iPhone 6... Right?
It's currently priced $100 less on contract. It wouldn't surprise me to see the price of the 830 drop to $49 on contract in the next month or two.
925 owner here.... should I get it??
I'm considering. Love mine but it has got so scuffed and dinted from drops and scratching the top while plugging in the usb, I'd like a new look.
Two things to consider. Qi charging and a larger screen. Camera is a nudge better in my opinion but I needed the larger screen and have grown tired of needing an accessory cover to use my Qi chargers. The micro-SD card is also a nice addition and gives me 64GB of storage for pics, videos and other stuff.
what do you guys think about the processor? worthy upgrade?
Windows Phone deserves a full blown Lumia flagship across all the carriers. Many of the 920 owners will be getting released from their contracts soon. Those users deserve better than a sidegrade. It is also the time for the lucrative holiday season. Microsoft will be missing out this year I guess
Agreed - My contract just ran out. Due to the lack of a veritable flagship successor I changed to a device-free contract for little less price. Tough luck for Nokia/Microsoft but I am sure that I'm not the only one.
With you. 925 right now, considering a used 1520 til the new variant comes out. The marketing gurus at Microsoft have put the screws to all of us with those stupid carrier exclusives. I'm mad enough to consider going back to Android.
Those users can get a 930. It's a very worthy upgrade to the 920, i made my switch few weeks ago and realized how underrated and underestimated this phone truly is. Even if new models come out, it is fully capable of standing the test of time, just like the 920 did.
Yes. Only glance holds me back from pulling the trigger on the 930! I'm addicted to glance at the moment :-(
@kaymd I've heard that so many times (glance issue) that I'm surprised MS/Nokia havent tried to resolve this issue... For what it's worth i think after a few days with the 930 you will find it's worth the sacrifice.
Again, the 930 is not available in the US. Not an option.
i thought it was being carried by some stores, otherwise isnt it the same as the icon?
Speaking from the U.S. perspective, Lumia 930 is missing US LTE bands. Icon's LTE doesn't work outside Verizon.
Nice phone, but nah, still prefer my 925
Same here... All I need is a 935, otherwise I'll stick to my 925 for some time and then I'll see, probably switch to android if there's no 935 by summer
Looks like a nice device. Too pricy for me off contract though. I'll wait a couple of months and then scour eBay for a deal
I am tiring of the "resuming..." screen which I see all too often and for too long on my 1020. Do you see it less on the 830? Also, I wish they would put USB on top and headphones on the bottom. Makes better sense to me. Charging on a table or desk, the cable typically comes from the top on every desk I've seen, but you gotta bring the cable to the bottom and do a 180 degree turn. And most people put their phones in their pockets upside down, so headphones make sense on the bottom. On a desk, it also makes sense on the bottom as the phone never sits BEHIND you, it is always in front of you. USB on bottom and headphones on top is so backwards imo.
1000000000000% agree
i wish they also would put a "play" button on the side where the volumes are. like the sony ericsson walkmans had. but the idea with headphones on bottom is not bad, i hate it when i have to turn the phone to stick it in my pocket.
How does it compare to the 8X? Wish this site would compare to non-Lumias.
Bigger screen, better camera, newer processor... It's pretty easy for you to go to a site with all of the specs and compare yourself, or just go to the store and check it out.
Personally, I think it's better. Better camera, screen, processor, Qi charging, memory card expansion and larger screen. I do think the 8x is a nice Windows Phone but dated and HTC hasn't really set the world on fire with its support of the platform.
I appreciate your response, George. Thank you!
I just need an in depth camera comparison. Waiting for AAWP to do it (or did I miss it).
AAWP did a comparison of the 830 and 1020. Although the differences were noticeable, the camera does hold its own.
I love this phone. It's beautiful.
Agree :)
I actually like the thought of the USB on the top, since I place it in my car's cup holder and wireless charge everywhere else.
Had the 928 and 925 and both have top USB. Took a while to get used to, but now I really like it on top. Especially useful in the car cupholder.
I checked it out yesterday while I was buying my One, it's pretty nice, especially if your coming from a 920. It definitely doesn't compare to the One tho, it doesn't feel premium, but then again, neither did the 920.
My 920 would like to have a talk with you ;-)
Seriously! No one I know has ever held the 920 and not felt totally impressed by the feel. The 920 is a legend in the WP universe lol!
Maybe you got a different 920 than I had. Small screen bloated plastic doesn't exactly have the premium feel of a metal unibody. :)
Happy with this phone so far good speed, sleek aesthetics, glad it's not unibody also.
The word flagship is taken very lightly now I suppose.
It would really be awesome if Oneplus came out with a REAL affordable WP flagship.
1+1 Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
=2
Charging port needs to be at the top. Makes it easier for cup holders and having headphones and USB plugged in is better on the same side and much better than putting both on the bottom.
Agreed.
Will you be able to buy different colored back covers for this phone?
Good question. And from where? Thinking of getting this phone for my Mom.
So far, a guy sent me a link to eBay. They are like around 20 dollars though.
Yes: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0...
I picked this phone up on Friday as a replacement for my 920. Its processor is snappy, camera is really good, feels great in the hand, and call quality is great. I have to say it was a pretty easy switch and I personally, couldn't be happier with the phone.
both double tap to wake and camera buttom are disabled when the proximity sensor detects anything near it, like a pocket, so stop worrying
The 925 has a top-side charger too, so I definitely wouldn't have a problem with it on the 830
I'm sorry if it was already answered, but does this phone support the "Project My Screen" feature?
yes.
Thank you George!
It's not a "affordable" flagship phone by any means. Its a lower end phone by todays standards. Tested this out at my local ATT store and not impressed with the speed. This should have included 2gb of RAM and a more updated processor. The camera speed, even with Denim, was noticeably slower than my 1520. Based on the extremely slow camera speed and slow loading of key apps my wife opted for an Iphone 6. There just isn't a 4.5" or 5" Windows phone that touches the Iphone 6. I love my 1520, but that phone is simply too big for most women.
I can see how you wouldn't be impressed with the 830 coming from a 1520. The 1520 is the benchmark but not everyone is comfortable with the size. Personally, I haven't seen any lag with the camera or loading apps and find the 5" screen more manageable for my needs. Still believe that of all the non-6" Windows Phones the 830 holds its own nicely.
Demoed two at ATT and the camera lag was 5 seconds or so. Perhaps ATT demo bloatware bogging things down. If so it caused a lost sale.
If you put ask this, you get the 930... Ok not USA, but I have one and have the ram and speed processor you mention
*No ATT Lumia phone. You forget about the Icon and the One M8?
How exactly would one find themselves trying to plug the USB cord into the bottom if the ports on top? To me that is kind of a deal breaker as you can't talk and charge if you needed to.
The 900, 920 and 1020 have their ports on the bottom. When I started using the 925 that has the ports on the top, I caught myself looking at the bottom of the phone out of reflex. As far as talking and charging, it's not an issue or at least I haven't had an issue with it.
I have a 900 sitting next to me right now, and I can assure you: Its port is on top. Lord only knows how many dozens of people commented on that fact when it was still my daily driver.
Dug mine out of the drawer and yep... you are right. It's on the top.
What would stop you from talking and charging? You can't afford to lose 5 inches of cable?
No! Don't you know every inch counts?
Lol
It I'd really nice design... Looks like a 930 on the sides... Something different.... Really cool phone and cheap is always good
if the 930 had a micro sd slot i had decided to buy it :)
I have one...930...it's great...best at it's size....
+930
My wife picked one up yesterday and is completely excited over it. She has, at a minimum, a dozen times, told me how happy she is with the device. It was an upgrade from the Nokia 820. I have a 1020, and it looks nicer than mine. I know it doesn't have the storage or camera of the 1020, but the overall look and feel, the display size and the Qi wireless charging is really impressive.
Reminder: SD Card expansion available. Keep are your high performance, graphic intensive games on the phone memory, as well as a few of your most frequently used apps, then store everything else on the SD card and/or the cloud.
Do you know what the card reader is limited by? Because there are different speeds of cards right?
"... Isn't too shabby ..." Not really exhilarating. All these more or less mediocre devices are important but a real flagship would do good. That's what the line of Lumias is missing, wouldn't expect for one to be announced before the end of year. Too bad...
what is considered to be a real flagship? a phone that costs $600+? that have unnessesary features? that cant be upgraded with sd card? i am glad wps dont have so pricey models like iphone and galaxy S. why pay $600-900 when thw camera is just slightly better, resolution not noticable higher and there is no way to change the battery or upgrade it with a good micro sd?
But they do with the One M8?
Lumia 1020 and the 1520 are still the Flagship Phones. The L1020 is due for a replacement, but Elop probably won't let it happen due to the lower sales of the L1020, which is stupid since its disadvantages were that they didn't put a fast enough processor and an SD card on it. Due today things alone and it would fly of the shelves
Bump it up to a SD600 and 2gb ram and I'm sold
IPhone 6 is a real flagship phone.
Lol jk WP fan here.
Should I upgrade my Lumia 925 to this or wait until W10 phones?
Hard to say... The new phones releasing alongside W10 should definitely be true, modern day "flagship" material, but a lot of folks are simply looking for /something/ new until those are out. After all, while most people have no problem holding on to a phone until it simply doesn't work anymore, the techy types you often find 'round here tend to want new tech toys to play with (myself included). I love my 1020, but I also am getting kind of bored with it. I need a new tech toy, and this phone looks awesome, so I might grab one, use it alongside my 1020 for awhile as a daily driver (and use the 1020 far any "serious" photography), then sell it when the long-anticipated 1030 finally makes its debut.
Yeah I get your point if your like the next tech step type of person. I mean I love my 925 but yeah it is showing it's age not physically but technologically. But yeah I do want to jump to the next thing but it still works so I rather wait me my brother included.
I totally understand. I'm still not sure what to do, because if I buy a phone now, I might not have enough money to buy a Lumia 1030 down the road. So we'll see how things work out.
Yeah if you have the money go if not wait but people aren't patient or been patient for a long time and become impatient.
Yeah, I really had my heart deadset on McLaren, so with it being canceled, I'm in a bit of a state of limbo. Not really sure what to do, actually. I want to have enough cash to get the 1030, but I can only work during the summertime, so no income at the moment. But I've been with my 1020 for so long. It's an awesome device, and performs admirably, but I don't like missing out on some of the newer firmware features, either. It's a conundrum, which is why it's extremely unfortunate Microsoft killed McLaren.
Yeah that's a conundrum. So what was suppose to be the McLaren? specifications wise.
Basically an HTC One spec wise, + Lumia Firmware features, + a brand new 3D touch/interaction system. Supposedly like the Amazon Fire Phone, but better. Sadly, it was killed off, never made it to light, so no flagship this season...
Wow that 3D system got me interested. Why do you think it got killed off?
Good. question. I also have a 925 and and wondering the same thing. Guess it depends on how satisfied you'll be with the 925 for who knows how long. W10 release will not RTM until spring or summer 2015. Probably late fall before they get to the carriers. I think I might pick up a well maintained used 1520 to use until then. Will also give me a little time to save up a few dollars for the new phone and some computer upgrades that I want to make.
My 925 feels bogged down now performance wise also the heating issue I mean I love the design and all it just feels old to me now lol also I want a bigger screen size now that my eyes aren't like they use too.But I guess I can wait a little longer or I'll get an unlocked 1520 or a 735 depending on how much money I have for either one of those.
Interesting. Bad eyesight is the exact reason I need a 1520. You can find a 1520 in good shape for around $250-$400 depending on your tolerance for cracks, dents & dings. Found a refurb still in warranty for $350 at a local pawn shop.
Yeah also because people around have bigger screen phones ala iPhone or Androids like Galaxy etc. Also hmm I have to check that out thanks.
Good Luck!!
Thanks,
unklmik
I bought the 830 here in Germany 3 weeks ago (price was 380 €) It was an Upgrade from Lumia 625, and i just love it. Readability on low brightness even in sunshine (some times i have to change to mid brightness), sharpness with 720p (for me enough, even 480p in 4,7 inches was enough), its very light, lies perfectly in the hand on doesnt fall down, ist fast and pretty. Battery life is amazing, in fact i am using glance screen the whole day and battery dies first after more than 24 hours. Listening to music is no problem and calling is also long. I just love the 830 and i dont want to miss it.
Thinking about getting this and giving my 920 to my daughter who is going to move up from a flip phone. Or.....I could wait it out until the next true flagship comes out and just buy my daughter the 635. Decisions, decisions....How much is the 830 off contract, anyways?
Thanks for the review, appreciate it! I think I just might go in and pick this one up. I love my 1020, but it's getting a little long in the tooth. I just want /something/ new until a 1030 comes out, and this phone is REALLY pretty, I like it! The camera is indeed a huge step down, but with Nokia's PureView technology, I'm sure it'll be "good enough" for daily use, and I can just whip out my 1020 whenever I want to take some more serious shots As for this, "The charging port and headphone jack is located at the top of the Lumia 830. While I don't mind the headphone jack up top, the charging port needs to be at the bottom. Not a deal breaker but you will find yourself trying to plug in the micro-USB cord at the bottom of the phone." I actually preferred the charging port being on top when I still used my Lumia 900. Hell, I still have two Lumia 900s sitting around, and I /still/ prefer the charging port on top. Not entirely sure why, but I just like the design better. Although, I also preferred the charging port being in the center and the headphone jack being on the left (like the 900), whereas the 830 is swapped (USB on the left, jack in center). But hey, back on top, on a very slim, sleek and stylish phone? I'll take it! So yeah, while I'd like a 1030 now, I really just want /something/ new to hold me over, and this phone seems like a great option until it's the 1030's time to reign.
I love my 830. Few times boots itself, especially when using this WCapp. What I don't like is the gap between power and camera buttons. It's just too small, when trying to place it to the car mount. Otherwise, buy it and you'll like it.
I'm happy with my crappy 520. But I wonder If i can use it for the next, let's say 8 years, like my old Nokia phone?. I say this for the updates.
I don't like the fact that comes with an slower processor but won a better camera but still not being competitive , I will still with 820 till gets broken doesn't attract me because even the 820 have 1 5GHZ of speed versus 1,2 GHZ processor
My old Pentium 4 runs at 3.2GHz....my i5 runs at 1.8GHz...
Which ones more powerful? ;)
(Hint - the quad core in the 830 is faster than the dual core in the 920, even if it has a lower clock speed)
I'm a 920 owner since day one. Itching so very hard to get a new WP. For those who have bought the 830, is the battery better than the 920 and is the camera better? I don't play a lot of games so gpu doesn't concern me. Got that new phone itch and I can't shake it. Phone did feel good in the hand yesterday when I held it at ATT.
Does the LCD screen make those ugly ripples when you press on it firmly? My 830 is a mess like that. Also, the first random reboot I've ever had on WP (since 2011) just happened while I read this article. Thus phone is a dud. Going to an unlocked 930 on Straight Talk... Lack of LTE be damned.
You have to press PRETTY HARD to get the ripples on the 830. Unlike the 1520. That can be expected due to the surface area of the larger screen, though.
That shouldn't happen to any phone with gorilla glass.
I've been using mine since yesterday and the battery life is phenomenal compared to my 928. Battery Performance actually showed 1 day 15 hours lol after a restore and literally messing with it all night it was still at 40% when I went to bed. It only used 4% battery overnight as well. The phone is tremendously light and just extremely well built. Already have people asking me about it at work when they see the green backing lol.
I just picked up 830s for myself, ,my brother, sister, and a 1520 for my mother (big screen). The 830 is pretty slick. These replaced a Titan II, an HTC 8X, a 520 (spare replacement for 920), and my 1520. If you're looking for something a little newer, sleek, packed with some things a mid range phone in WP space doesn't normally have, and perhaps a tadsmaller the 830 does indeed make a suitable and affordable replacement for all of those. Since I'm the fanatic, the 830 will do just until the big bad flagship comes along. No one ever needs a flagship, so it's just a wanna-thing anyway and won't prevent me from surviving this world. I saw the HTC One. It was a beautiful phone and I quite like the soft start button tray that hides. Aside from its camera, the specs would make it a good phone I'm just worried about support. And say what you will about their line-up, Microsoft has done right by its customers in terms of support. The AT&T store I went to in Austin is one of the larger ones and is always busy. They had several display stands featuring the phones alongside their competing counterparts. No AT&T agent awkwardness, either, it was a smooth transaction and pleasant experience (even though I upgraded 4 phones with a new agent!!).
I went to an AT&T store a few hours ago. I'm have 635 now and all I can say is WOW. That is a nice phone. I played with it for about 5 minutes and was impressed. Lumia camera launched fast. Screen is top notch. I can see why the msrp is so high. If Mondays announcement is anything better for $450 off contract and soon means within two months, this is my next phone. Once it drops below $400 ;).
I played with it too early and it actuallly a nice phone. I just do not want to buy the phone for $450 when it is priced around 350 world wide like in the UK. I think adding that fitbit, whihc is not actually free, is what causing the phone to be so expensive. I expect the price to fall down, then I will definitiely take a look at buying it until windows 10 comes out.
Ok. 920 it's from two years ago and this 830 got still 1GB Ram and cheap Quad Core processor... for something from the series 800 maybe it's ok.
Coming from a 925, I actually love the USB charger being on the top. Something that has really grown on me.
Why do people want the charging port on the opposite side of the headphone jack? Have you ever tried using an AUX cable while charging your phone?
Didn't get to read through all the comments but did anyone else notice that we aren't able to switch between tile sizes in the settings? I'd like my wide tiles to fit the entire screen instead of only a third of it.... I do like the phone so far. That's my only gripe so far. I do notice the slower processor as well. But I'd say it's a nice side-grade to my 920 with a shattered screen. The 830 can definitely tide me over until a Windows 10 phone is released.
That's an issue with the OS
Should be at the bottom of the start+theme settings page.
Sorry off topic but do you guys can use Facebook Beta app? Coz I can't even open mine.
Yeah I'm able to use the Facebook beta app np.
What do you lose or gain coming from a Lumia 1520 side from screen size?
I think the 1520 is still the king of the hill with one caveat. That is if you are comfortable with the 6" screen. I liked the 1520 but it wasn't practical for my day to day needs. The 5" screen of the 830 is the perfect size for me.
I loved also.
But it was too much for me.
As soon as I had the opportunity I trade it. But it is fast and beautiful
Processor and RAM are huge downgrades from the 1520. As well as the camera.
I don't think anyone is suggesting you give up your 1520 for the 830.
I really like my Nokia 920, but AT&T USA does not offer the 930. Thought I might go to the 1530 but AT&T gutted the wireless Q charging. So it looks like AT&T is not going to offer newer models on the 920,1020, 1520 flagship design I'll have to go to Android. The 830 is not a upgrade to previous Nokia flagship phones.
I wonder if Microsoft will make phone with a fingerprint scanner...just a thought. the 830 looks like a nicely built phone, but nothing to get too excited about, it won't make me get in a hurry to upgrade.
Ugh... Same specs as my 2 year old 920. LOWER RESOLUTION (768 vs 720p), HALF THE MEMORY (32 vs 16 GB). Testing shows it's as fast and maybe even a bit slower than the two year old processor that has half as many cores.... All for the same exact price I got my 920 for that INCLUDED a wireless charger. I'm not wasting a new contract on a phone that isn't an upgrade to my 920. I rather wait for a true successor to the 1020, with a serious camera, better display, more memory and a 64 bit processor that week be able to handle whatever I throw at it. I want to take 4k video with my next phone. Something the 830 will never be able to do.
Blu HD Windows Phone is prettier, cheaper and beefier than the 830.
Maybe... but it's a Blu.
I have the Lumia Icon.
Nokia Lumia 930 specs in a 830 body would be the ideal phone..
Lumia 1520 specs in the 930's body would be the ideal phone! :P :P :P
yeah i also thought a compromise between 830 and 930 would be very great: Full HD, 20 mp camera, removable battery, aluminium case, micro sd slot and i would pay 450 € (dont know the price in dollars)
Are you going to write about the HTC one for at&t Daniel?
He compared this to the htc one and chose this. I don't agree but he did go into detail on both devices in his comparison.
Definitely not worth wasting an upgrade on, especially if you want a high end device.
I read that it chokes on Jet Pack Joyride.
Still happy with my 920 (start screen crashes aside. Anyone else having that problem? I scroll too fast and for some reason it crashes to the last program I used. Best way I can explain it is when on the PC explorer.exe crashes). I'm gonna wait to see what happens with W10 and the first quarter phones before making an upgrade.
There is a really good comparison of the cameras on the L1020 vs the L830 here:
http:www.microsoftproductreviews.com/windows-phone/lumia-1020-vs-lumia-8... Plus an accompanying video. In a nutshell, you aren't going to love the camera on the 830 if you are used to the L1020. It's more like the camera on the new iPhone in terms of being speedier, but lower res, plus it has that flat focus field and weak flash like an iPhone. So a great snappy camera oriented for a average cell phone camera user, but no match for the creative, flexible, cinematic camera of the L830.
To each their own. If you match the camera to the User, everyone will be happy
I've used the iPhone 6+ camera and I'm sorry to say this but its far superior in every way to the lumias 928 and under. It's alot faster then my 1520 which is still WP bad boy, but not better.
The 928 is certainly not the best camera in the Lumia line. As I said, the iPhone cameras are designed for the masses and are quite good, but you end up with a flat focus field, mediocre resolution and poor low light performance. These things don't bother the bulk of cell phone users, hence its popularity. If you want to push your cell phone camera to perform like a dedicated camera, you need the Lumia 1020. It's combination of lenses, sensor, OIS, physical shutter and Nokia's processing algorithms are far beyond the iPhone 6+ and all the rest of the competition.
For typical phone owners though, the L830 is at least as good as the iPhone 6+ and superior to the iPhone 6. It gives a little in terms of speed, although the new camera apps may close that gap, but you get better resolution, low light performance and color balance (the later is somewhat a matter of preference, although the Lumia is more natural.)
Look at the review I referenced above. It's detailed and thorough, and hits on all these points. Not saying the iPhone camera is poor, but its not the best by a significant margin.
Just picked up the 830 it's really nice and faster then my 635 this was my 2nd trip to the AT&T store since last night they were looking for fitbit first and then the 830 and they told me they had none in stock. Today I went same scenario except this rep found the bundle box he had no idea about the promotion. I am VERY dissapointed that it does not have Hey Cortana now I'm thinking about returning it I really want this feature.
None of the current phones have that feature and when they announced the 830 they stated that it won't receive the Hey Cortana update.
Played with one today. Love the feel and size. But the low red camera, low res screen (tho beautiful), and lack of 4k video make this a non starter. Get a flagship that does it all in that body and I'm sold!
We need better n more powerful hardware that matches the iphonies and androidies of the world. Microsoft should make a high end phone and leave low end to the partners
I'm not fully on board there. Microsoft needs to make both. Class leading Flagship pointed to attract power users, who are usually pretty evangelical for the platform, and great miss range phone like the 830 and low end ones too.
Lets face it, they aren't going to compete with the iPhone in North America with upmarketed mid range handsets, not with Android anywhere without killer mid range and low end ones. That's the market reality.
They're doing a good job with the mid and low range models, but Elop's aversion to high end hardware is going to be a big problem!
Dear Windows Central, could you please always put the size and weight in international units (mm and g) in addition to the imperial units? It's a very small effort for you, but a nice advantage for most international readers. Thanks
I've have my 830 for about two weeks and it's definitely more powerful than my 710. However, the less prominent HUB integration is a bit of a downer.
As for the processor, I find it able to handle most things quite well and there are videos online of people playing higher end games with only slight slow down. The main weakness that I noticed is the web browsing. I find the 830 struggling to render longer webpages as it readers part of the page in chunks. This might be due to IE. I noticed IE for the 830 doesn't function with hover elements as well as my 710...
Finally, I have had more reboots on my 830 than 710 over 2 years. Its is usually due to a memory leak in one of WP7 app, but the same app on my 710 only crashes and doesn't reboot the phone. A few reboots were due to the browser on the 830 as well. Usually the app/browser will freeze and after a 5 seconds the phone will reboot. Good thing is that the 830 boots/reboots much faster than my 710.
Have been using my brand new 830 for 2 days now and it is a excellent device!, way faster then my 1020 and the screen is gorgeous. Only problems I have with it is that I can't seem to get the peek feature of the glance screen to work... You know, when you move your hand over the phone to bring up the glance screen... Anyone else having this issue? Other little issues include the left bottom corner of the back cover not sitting as flush as the right and an area between the black bezel of the screen and the metal trim where the glass meets the metal there is a light leak at the bottom from the 3 lit up capacitive keys.
The USB on top is plain dumb. There is no other way to say it. Its stupid. Its a poor design. I use my phone while its plug in all the time and with the cord having to stretch to the top it would make it cumbersome to use. IMO.
The black one looks so elegant. Really nice.
Still can't see it replacing my E71.
Anyone want an LG G3 WP as bad as I do?????
what's the weather app in the first image ? the one with transparent tile?
Amazing Weather HD
thanks a lot man!
I can live without the Fitbit flex so hopefully they have a non bundle soon at $350 ish or have it free on contract. That just seems the most reasonable for a phone that is slightly better than midrange.
The Lumia 830 specs and features are like 2 years old. Affordable is Windows pitch with poor support even for their own software. Losing..... is acceptable while using a WP Lumia device.
Yep
Microsoft Lumia, we provide repetitive phones at affordable prices. We also have poor apps and never focus on improving our own mobile apps like Office Mobile, OneDrive or even OneNote. But hey guess what the phone is cheap, has dated specs and features.
Lol pretty much I'm starting to hate Microsoft now. Not really a fan boy but a pissed off consumer.
I love the start screen, OS fluid functions in the phone and hate everything else about it. I have had numerous of Lumia devices all the same.
Yeah actually my first real phone was WP7 after that stuck through it until now never actually owned an iPhone or Android. People try to convince me to switch to one them but I got use to the app gap and Microsoft catering to other OS. But I guess now I'm getting tired of it lol over a phone OS but I understand.
Spec wise
Lumia 925 vs Lumia 830 ?
I have have a WP7.8 device way back as well. I had Android, Apple, Blackberry and now Windows Phone. I can say Windows Phone wins in some areas but other platforms win in most areas. It's not the app gap its just POOR support for the platform period. No advertising, no accessories, no universality at all. Just plain old Windows Lumia and WP devices. I'm tired of their lacking BS affordable phones and dated specs and features.
I got one yesterday. With a day and a half of usage, I am beyond satisfied with the purchase. For me, I am coming from an 820, so this phone is an obvious upgrade. I don't regret passing on the HTC M8 for Windows. I took a long hard look at the HTC as well but still decided on the 830. With the large price discrepancy between the two, I believe the 830 is not so far behind the HTC to justify the price difference. However, I will say I am not a big game player on my mobile so I can't comment on game play between the two phones. If game play is not a high priority on your list for a phone than the 830 is the one. Btw, the camera is great!! Trust me on that one. Even the 0.9 front facing camera is not that bad for selfies if your into that. :-)
I think calling this as an affordable flagship is wrong. It's either flagship or nothing. There is no flagship after 1520 and a flagship can never have a missing feature. 930 without a micro sd card is a joke. Flagship is something MSFT need to release this year.
If only it had an amoled screen, was smaller, less blocky, a better cpu, a bottom firing speaker, and came in more colors. My 820 and 920 are good for now.
I just used the GPS on my L830 all day yesterday, and I'm surprised it didn't heat up extremely, like my old 920 did. I'm still getting used to the charging port on top, but overall I'm happy with my purchase...
That round glas over the rectangle aluminium body looks ugly. My 930 has the glass and the body with the same rounded corner. I've seen the 830 in store and its a bit bigger than my 930 though it has half the resolution. Although the 930 doesn't have glance I really love this screen.
Seems nice. Now that I own a 1020 though, giving up the camera capabilities would be a hard transition. I know there'll be a successor and hey I'll be eligible for upgrading by then at this rate. :P
I picked it up on Friday. Great phone so far plus I like the run so the fitbit was a grew bonus
Man that green looks good on the black metal.
Said the charging port NEEDS to be at the bottom, but didn't provide any reasons. Care to expand? Seems like it would be fine on top to me.
Actually, I prefer the USB on top. I often have my phone on my car's beverage holder on the console, especially if I am using the GPS. I have broken a couple of USB cables because it was resting on the bottom of the holder. Having the connection on top is preferable for me. Now if they will only make the 835 available T-Mobile.
Charging port is really not an issue since I have 2 dt-900's and a dt-910 dont really have time for plugs which is why I miss wireless synce on Zune so much!!
It is unlocked? I live in México and travel a lot to US, this phone is perfect, LTE bands are compatible in both countries
My 928 has the USB at the top. In the beginning I wasn't sure if I would like that, but over time I prefer it on top.
I just moved my Wife from a 1020 to the 830 and she is really loving the speed impovements and she can't tell the difference on the camera yet.. but so far she is liking the speed of the camera and the living images that I have with my 1520. this is one feature she wanted. what she did not like about the 1020, and beleave me she was not a fan of moveing away, is the fact that is was alittle slow.taking pictures and she really did not notice until getting the 830, she also wanted a fitbit that she got for free. I'm still waiting for the 1030 I'm sure like eveyone else but we will upgrade again for sure when that arives. mark
If you really want faster photos, use the Microsoft Camera. It's nearly instantaneous compared to the Nokia Camera.
I think its a beautiful device. Specs are solid, screen size is perfect and it looks very chic and Icon-like. Post up some snaps George when you get a minute. Sunshine and lowlight. That would be great to see.
I suppose Microsoft has not released 830 in India??? They have this practice of keeping Indians in the dark
All I want to know who was the Brainiac at MS that gave the green light to produce under powered phones? Maybe thats a good idea for India and other 3rd world nations but Americans deserve the best, not this tripe
It performs fine, even with games and its definitely faster than my 822 was.
E jackson! India m8 be a 3rd world nation but that has nothing to do with MS providing underpowered phones. Ya we are budget conscious but that doesn't mean we like underpowered devices. Flagships sell equally well here as well as mid range phones.. As for MS providing outdated specs it always provides outdated specs for all its lumia devices.(except 1520 and 930). Don't know why bt may be because windows doesn't require that much power. I believe its all about how smartly they make the final product and how efficiently it manages to squeeze out every juice of that "outdate" SOC
Bought this bundle yesterday at our Microsoft "kiosk" (not a full-fledged store). Folks there were very helpful btw. And re: the USB and jack on top - not a problem when one is upgrading from the Lumia 900 (yes, nine, zero, zero). :D
Neither affordable nor a flagship.
Affordability is relative.
I also only wish this had a better camera
Why do you say that the charging port needs to be at the bottom? I think that having it at the top makes more sense especially if you use that headset and want to charge the phone while driving. Both wires will be at the top when the phone is in cup holder.
Agreed
No more contracts! $450 is way out of line off contract. Expansys USA has unlocked Lumia 830's for $379 + shipping. Still expensive, $325 seems a fair price IMO.
don't forget you get a $99 worth fitbit flex when buying from ATT either on contract or on Next. You could sell that on ebay or give away as a Christmas present.
Checked local ATT stores. Out of 4, 3 had them listed "in stock". I went to the closest one. They had the L830 on display. The clerk went to check for the phone in the back, came back and said they don't have them. I asked her kindly and she checked again apparently upset that I did. She also told me she hasn't sold any yet - odd. Called the next closest store. Yep, they have them on display, but the rep went to check just to tell me they don't have them. He said he will have somebody else check as well and before he went off I asked him to check for large white boxes and told him that due to the free fitbit the boxes are different than normal. When he got back to me he apologized, and said that indeed there were two white large boxes. Only when he scanned the bar codes he was able to confirm that they are L830. Went to the store and got the only two boxes they had in store. The boxes only show the bar codes. Nothing that indicates these are Lumias of any type. Pretty bad from ATT to ship them to the stores this way I think. I called back the first store and they did find the large white boxes too. Apologized that they sent me away without one. So, if anybody tells you they don't have them in stock, make sure they check for large white boxes ;) And thank you George and Daniel for the details on the L830. I have no regrets switching from L920. It's a beauty in my opinion. My kids love their new L920s as well (coming from L520). thank you
Same exact thing happend to me.
Me too....
Picked one up today, using it right now to write this review....nice, very light...i like the fit band...and over-all experience....traded n my 925... So this is a side grade....
What happened to the Nokia logo on the front screen? Looks bootleg without it...
Personally, I prefer the charging port at the top. The only question I have is, will it have the passive voice feature for Cortana?
No, only the snapdragon 8** chipsets will have the passive voice feature.
That really sucks seriously considering returning it and buying a 930 from EBay instead unlocked for ATT thats feature I really wanted.
I wanted to purchase the Lumia 830 for myself after my 1520 died (out of warranty, no insurance). I'd have gone for more of a hero phone if there was one, and I can't use my 1020 for work anymore because of the move to nano sims (although I am tempted to try SIM trimming). But all of that isn't the point of my post. I wanted to share the experience I had at a local corporate ATT store. It was different then any I've had before. First, as I walked in the Windows Phones were on the display closest to the door AND also on display at another counter near the registers. I'd never seen so much real estate devoted to Windows Phones by ATT. When asked I told the clerk I wanted to buy the 830. She had to go check in the back. While she was gone, I held the 1020 they had on display. Another clerk approached me and said "That's the best phone in the store." I own one of these too and agreed with him. He pulled out his personal phone from a pocket: it was the 1020. We told each other stories of our love for the 1020 until the first clerk returned with the news that they sold out of their 830's over the weekend and because of the holiday were late in getting restocked. In fact, she claimed, they had "sold so many" Windows Phones in the last few days that all they had right then was one green 1520. They checked the other corporate ATT store in my town for me and it also had no 830s. They even checked Best Buy and said the local store had none either. They offered to help me order on line, which I declined and suggested I check tomorrow because they expected their stock truck later today. I said I would do so. I actually just drove a little further and went to my Microsoft Store and bought the phone there. I would be inclined to not believe what I was told about a sudden burst of popularity of Windows Phones except for the fact that the ATT staff usually doesn't say anything positive about Windows Phones even if you are coming in to buy one. And the fact they employ a guy who carries a 1020 and tells customers it is the best phone in the store was amazing too. My experience with the 830 so far has been fine. I expect it will do well for me until a real flagship/hero phone is available. And there will be another new in box FitBit Flex for sale soon on eBay.

Show more comments

Related:

Get the Windows Central Newsletter

Most Popular