Comparison of the HTC 8X and Nokia Lumia 920

HTC have finally put their cards on the table and released details of the HTC 8X, their new flagship Windows Phone 8 device. Gone are the HTC ultra-utilitarian design aesthetics and in its place we see a smooth curvy body design that comes in some cheeky colours.

HTC have been with Windows Phone from the beginning and many have eagerly awaited the pronouncement of their new devices. With a strong design heritage and deep understanding of the platform, HTC have produced some of the finest devices. The 8X is their flagship phone, but how does it compare to the Lumia 920, the hero device from Nokia?

The following is a side-by-side comparison of the two devices to illustrate the key differentiators.

WP Central Comparison HTC One 8x Vs Nokia Lumia 920

The HTC 8x has some fantastic headline features but as with any design there are trade-offs. The HTC has the higher pixel density but lacks the super sensitive touch technology that allows gloves and fingernails to be used. The Lumia weighs in at 185 grams which is 55 grams heavier than the svelte 130 grams the HTC 8x comes in at. Both devices have excellent optics but the Lumia still takes the lead on the main camera whilst the HTC 8X looks to have a superior front-facing sensor.

Neither the Lumia 920 or the HTC 8X have a Micro SD slot for further expansion but the 920 already packs 32GB leaving the HTC 8X behind with its fixed 16GB. Both devices pack serious batteries, the HTC having 1800 mAh and the 920 having 2000 mAh. Which one lasts the longest will be impossible to tell until we test side by side but it’s likely both will be on par due to the differing electronics on-board.

Nokia and HTC have both implemented sound enhancements on their phones. HTC have finally brought their Beats technology to Windows Phone whilst Nokia have good old Dolby. How well these two compare is hard to say, we certainly hope that both can raise the game for smartphone audio quality.

Unfortunately, HTC haven’t implemented the Qi wireless charging spec on the 8x but that alone likely improves the overall weight when compared to the Lumia 920.

Both devices will come in a range of colours, both look beautiful, are curvy and pack some serious firepower. The specs are achingly close, this one is probably going to boil down to personal taste rather than on the details alone.

We look forward to hearing how you think these two stack up and which one you’ll go for. Did HTC meet your expectations? Let us know in the comments bellow...

170 Comments

Wait, is the 8x not LTE?
Has to be if it's going to Verizon. Verizon will only take LTE phones now.
That was my reaction too. If it doesn't do 4G... that's a deal-breaker, ladies.
I think LTE is carrier specific on the 8X but it was on the specs for it
It is.
my money is with Nokia still. I am glad that they announced a great phone though :) Choice is always great, Nokia is not for everyone.
Same.
Well you guys forgot bluetooth profiles in the comparison. Bluetooth 2.1 is a downer! Lumia supports 3.1(I think?) and seem to have 4.0 bluetooth chip?
http://www.wpcentral.com/bluetooth-40-certification-comes-nokia-920-and-... Announced today that 920 and 820 will pack bluetooth 4.0 :))
It always supported 4.0 in from the chipset from Qualcomm. Not sure where the BT3 news came from.
Hmmmm......
I think the PureMotion deserves some sort of mention as well. The 60 Hz refresh rate is definitely something interesting.
Aye, and it also has Clear Black layer. Meaning if will have deeper blacks and great sunlight legibility. Like L900 and L800.

Lumia 920 to me the clear winner.
+2 But HTC still did well. A lot depends on pricing.
Issues in favor of Nokia 920
Screen Bigger, brighter screen Gloves-on use capability Better direct sunlight viewability
Sound Dolby certified patented 3 mic based noise canceling microphone system (High Amplitude Audio Capture) HD Voice support
Data 42 Mbps HSDPA support Bluetooth 4.0
Storage 32 vs 16 gb
Camera OIS better low light performance than One X already demonstrated 2 stage camera shutter button
Power Consumption/Battery Bigger battery Bluetooth 4.0 for better battery performance Qi wireless charging
and last but not the least,

SOFTWARE Nokia Drive (offline GPs) Nokia City Lens (Google Goggles but better :) ) Nokia music Nokia Maps Nokia Camera Extras
The only downside with 920 is its weight. Nokia probably should provide wireless charging as an option instead. It should reduce weight somewhat. Personaly, I rather have less weight without wireless charging. But either way, how could you pass Pureview camera for something less. All the AT&T stores should provide a small portable dark room for customers to try, test and compare all the newly coming smartphones, HTC, ATIV S and iPhone 5 included.
If they had a Dark Room to test cameras, that would slightly hurt the sales of the iPhone, and ATT does not want to do that. That is their bread and butter.
Although, maybe not. Dark photos can be advertised as a (Mysterious Images) feature that was invented by Apple and they would still sell like hotcakes.
Lmao! +11
I agree with Tamer81!!! Coming soon to an iPhone near you...
Lmao +1!
Love the mysterious feature part! LMAO!
all wp8 will have offline drive powered by nokia.
Both devices look nice but Nokia does offer more to distinguish. Also the wireless charging is a plus.
not to forget PureMotion HD + Tonnes of new 'lens' apps
+1
Is the 8X coming to T-mobile? I'm a music listener so the amplification/beats enhancement is a plus. Sorry Nokia, you failed Again by only going to ATT.
Yep T-Mo as well as Verizon and ATT :) although being in the UK it hopefully won't bother me :P
Why you blame Nokia? Have you even consider that Carrier has the choice?
what carrier wouldn't want to have the 920 in its portfolio? I'm on T-mobile and I'm glad I will be getting some love from HTC.
The same way Verizon didnt want the Lumia 900, even though it had the LTE that they say would be necessary?
It is all about the amount of marketing the carrier is willing to put for the Phones. If you give exclusivity to the carrier, then market you phone as their Hero device. Do you remember how the Titan 2 outshined by L900, even with a better camera? That's Nokia's strategy, all these HTC will be just another device on the shell while the L920 will get all the attention
Yeah, but just think about the sheer number of potential WP devices you can sell b/c you are on all three major carriers rather than just ATT exclusively? I don't think I'm alone when I say that I want to support Nokia as much as anyone, but since I'm on T-mo my options are limited. Luckliy I've got the Ativ and the 8x to choose from now.
... His point is still standing that the lack of availability on other carriers is more than likely due to the other carriers, not because of an exclusivity deal. The other carriers are the ones who don't believe they have enough users who want the devices to warrant buying the phones from Nokia or whatever other OEM. If it were really only up to the OEMs, do you really believe that none of the WP manufacturers want any Sprint customers to buy their phones?
I didn't know it had been announced which carriers would be proving the new Nokia phones. Is there a source confirming that only ATT will get the Lumia 920?
I could have sworn that the 920 also has Gorilla glass 2.0 Both are great phones and look stunning. Personally I'll be going with the 920 for the obvious extra spec goodies.
Yes, both phones have GG2
I was wondering about that as well. The specs state only Gorilla Glass for Lumia and Gorilla Glass 2 for HTC. Hopefully a typo.
Nokia's published spec sheets specifically site Corning's Gorilla Glass 2
I think I'd still go with the Lumia 920 solely based on the app support that Nokia has given its Windows Phones... But, the HTC phones are pretty tempting...
16 vs 32 GB storage clear win Lumia
I wish HTC would have gone for at least 32GB, or failing that, I hope the memory is user-upgradable. Much as I like my Zune 120GB, I would like to move to a single device someday. Those of you saying even 8GB is should be plenty haven't seen how WP7 behaves when free storage space drops below 2GB. Maybe WP8 addresses that somewhat. Also, it's just plain nice to have room for media and apps.
The freezing and when it spazzes correct?
I have about 1GB of memory free on my Omnia 7 and my phone behaves just fine, but I agree 8GB is far too low for storage space.
I really want the Lumia 920, but it really depends on which phones are offered on my carrier in the UK (Virgin Mobile).
I dont get it, i thought this was a comparison article.

Why are you showing two lumia 920s???

:p
Hahaha!
Nice one.
lol but still its a nice phone
+1.... u're so funny guy! lol
Good thing Nokia isn't Apple or there would be anohter lawsuit in the air!
To be fair, the Hardware requirement Specs and IU being the same its hard to see much difference from up front between any WinPhones as long the bright color option is enabled!
+ a lot
lol
Nokia still...cant wait for the 920
They announced Verizon support, which is more than I'm expecting from the 920 at this point :/
My thoughts exactly. If the 820 comes to Verizon I will probably get that because of the Nokia app support but the 8X may make it interesting. I plan to buy it outright to keep my unlimited data plan so price will also play into the decision.
Where is the ativ s? Come one guys, do a full windows phone comparison.
Halfassing Samsung is no match here;)
Guys, take a look at the tile on the HTC. It has a clock on it. That means live tiles are now able to update more frequently than every 30min!
the Lumia 920 feels heavy and I'm not even holding it
Workout more. :p
LOL
That's no problem
Buy two of them and you have weights for workout ;-)
You just cannot handle to weight of its beauty.
Heavy is good, heavy is reliable. If it doesn't work you can always hit them with it.
The difference? Nokia has proven customer support and updates. HTC has left their customers in the dark on multiple occasions.
So true. As an HTC user I know getting an 8X is a double-edge sword (no support), but atleast I know I'll have the option to get a flagship device on T-Mo.
Well I prefer the size of this one to the Lumia 920 and it does look pretty nice. I would have loved if the 920 came with that screen size..but i'll still be going with the 920. It just offers more.
Wondering what they were thinking by going with 16GB non expandable memory though. It was maybe acceptable in WP7 but now with hd screens and 1080p video recording it's just not enough. And everyone doesn't have access to a huge data package that allows them to stream media from the cloud all the time.
Agree. WP7 without expandable memory was pain in the butt. It's inexcusable to not add the mircosd slot with just 16GB internal memory. Why does HTC always make some stupid decisions like that?
I agree. Even Nokia was smart enough to include expandable storage on the 820 (although I'd wished they did the same for the 920, 32GB will suffice).
My guess is that the carriers have something to do with this too. More data overage means more money in their pockets...
That Sense tile takes up waaay too much real estate. Red Lumia is in my future, also.
Every tiles size can be changed buddy
Then un-pin it.....DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Network specs don't match all of TMo-US's current frequencies. Hmm...
HTC had me up until I realized that there was only 16GB and no SD slot. If the 920 doesn't come to VZW, I'll end up with an 8X. If 920 comes to VZW, I'll get it.
You are in the same boat as I am in, Verizon better come with a Nokia Lumia 920 or I will have a fit by how much they are sitting on that Droid dick.. I want the choice of a Windows Phone 8 and they are trying every excuse in the book because they don't want to kill there Tyrondroid...
Please Verizon bring the Lumia 920 so that I won't have to get the Ativ S or 8X..
Competition is good. That's all I care about.
I'm tempted by the HTC just because its much lighter.
So you think holding Nokia will make you look like Arnold? :) Weight differences is in ounce.
Nokia Lumia 920. It's time to pump... <clap then point> you up! New workout program that only requires you use your Lumia smartphone. In 4-6 weeks you too can have guns like me. <flexes>
I smell a cool marketing campaign! /s
And a Nokia exclusive gyro supported dumbbell app.
Whahaha you're killing me!
Nokia will be my next upgrade because of the support they have shown me so far (exclusive apps, and awesome Customer service). Had HD7 and Titan, obviously they haven't done a whole lot support their devices. So my business will go to Nokia.
Design wise I prefer the L920 over the 8X. I just wished the L920 was a bit smaller. Love the size of my L800
Well, i'm getting the lumia 920 simply due to its exclusive app list which quite frankly is disrupting the whole windows phone software marketplace. I bought the HTC Titan, only to see it being left behind when Nokia's lumia phones keep getting exclusive apps. That's it. Nokia it is!
Lumia 920 has Gorilla Glass 2, not the HTC.
920 is the winner.
Why was HTC allowed to give the press hands on? Why wasn't Nokia? How come HTC managed to line up the carriers where Nokia seems to have locked the 920 into an AT&T exclusive? Just get the 920 on all the carriers already. Galaxy S III managed to do just that.
No official carrier info has been given from Nokia yet so the AT&T thing is still speculation. It may turn out that way, but we really don't know yet.
Nokia DID give press hands on, and Nokia has NOT announced which carriers they will go with. Only thing Nokia would not do is allow the Press to go into the OS very much, and same goes here with HTC. Microsoft does not want it delved into until they release wp8.
I'm pretty sure the 920 has Gorilla Glass 2. I could swear they said that during their unveiling video.
Still the 920 for me if for no other reason than the support and 32GB but loving that we have 2 original designs to choose between. HTC really brought it with the design and will force Nokia to keep upping their game which is great for WP8 all around. Samsung is looking very dated in the WP* game with their warmed over Galaxies.
the 920 is obviously the better phone, with exception to the weight. Their app support crushes htc though. Honestly, I think I'm skipping the first generation of wp8 handsets. I'm impressed but feel so meh about these htc phones. I feel they could have done a lot better. IMO the one X is a much sexier phone.
Very disappointed with HTC...lumia 920 all the way
For me , it'll be like: Nokia>HTC>Samsung .
175 for the nokia 900
lets be honnest. those new 8x series have an awesome design and great colors, its looking better than the lumia 920... so HTC wins the design, specs and support still on lumia 920.
Honestly, no. I applaud HTC for giving some custom design flavor to WP though, don't get me wrong. They are nice, but for me the Nokia's still look better, so let's not put words in everyones mouths.
+10
If you take away the color the design is the same as any other phone HTC has designed. As far as color they are copying Nokia.
Couldn't disagree more, its completely different in design and im suck of hearing how they "copied" Nokia. MS personally wanted HTC to make phones inspired by the rules amd the tiles are bold colored...simple as that. At the end of the day, these are WINDOWS phones, and sharing similarities is not a bad thing!
The price(upgrade price) of the Lumia 920 is going to be the deciding factor for me. I'm really digging these phones too. I thought storage would persuade me towards the 920 but I realized that I'm on an 8GB Flash and getting by fine. So, now that I've seen 8x it has me rethinking about the 920.
I think that this will be a good competitor for the 820 if priced right. Against the 920 hte only people who wil choose it are those who hate weight. Otherwise the use of only 16 Gb of storage, combined with the rather lackluster appearance of HTC's displays will kill it off.

HTC - this is no Hero! Up the Memory or price it agins the 820 or go home.
No NFC for HTC?
It does have NFC.
I would like to see a WP8 that has comparable dimensions and weight to apples phone so we can have some direct competition going.
The 8s is exactly in line with dimensions so there's competition, spec wise though iP5 should be compared to the 8x not the Mid range 8s
Why so ungenerous with storage, 16 GB not expandable is simply not good enough. Espescially with the Music Branding with "Beats"...
Now thats interessting, if the 8 x indeed has the bigger 28mm lense it would mean it has a bigger aperature than the Lumia to get to the same f/2.0 ratio. If my math on this crappy smartphone calculator is correct that would result in 16% more light hitting the sensor at any given moment. Thats a huge increase. Providing i remember pi correctly :)
I think you are misunderstanding something :)
As far as i know an f/2 lens no matter what focal length will always cause for the same exposure on the sensor. It is a industry standard for a reason. The lens with the bigger focal length will have a bigger diaphragm opening at the same aperture number than the one with the smaller focal length like you already said, but that's only so as to make up for the loss of light that will occure from the longer distance the light has to travel in the lens with the higher focal length.
So basically the slightly bigger sensor size on the 920 should make the cam of the 920 better than that of the 8X if we are only looking at specs.
Hi, glad to see a response. I may very well be mistaken and didn't find anything about the dimensons on the sensors used in the Lumia nor the 8X. Of course, if the Lumia has a bigger sensor it will be adventageous and if i have missed that i am sorry, but i based my previous entry on the sheet given in the article above, which does not mention sensor size. My point was only about aperture size. I also did a quick google search to find out the exposure time the 920 uses in low light situations but coudn't find anything. If you have any information about that i would be happy to hear it. Still, correct me if thats wrong, apart from sensor size the 8X appears to have a bigger aperture which would result in an increase in light captured by about 16%.
It will probably be the 920 for me, but I'm still thinking about the ativ. I think the only thing I really like about the 8x is the lighter weight..
I like the smaller screen and dimensions of the 8x. If its battery life and camera are comparable then I will go with it over the lumia 920, because I don't really need wireless charging or glove screen.
Agreed!!! Love the size and design and for me , the Nokia is just too big...i might change my mind after getting hands on but HTC really stepped it up with windows 8 and Im seriously thinking about an HTC as my next device!!! I di t need nokias apps, MS has given me everything I need!!!
HTC, not bad, and higher ppi than Iphone 5 and Lumia 920 (though I know this is because it has a slightly smaller screen than the 920). I truly like the designs of both the 8x and the 8s, the latter in particular. And Beats audio, impressive! But 16gb, with no expansion? I would have preferred 8gb on board with expansion option. Everything else I could have happily lived with, but for me, this may be the deal breaker. I love my HTC Titan I, with LED notification, which unless I missed it, wasn't mentioned. I don't have continuous access to data signals (my phone is in airplane mode most of the time because of my occupation). I NEED STORAGE! I'm still leaning towards Nokia's 920, but again, my contract doesn't expire until June of 2013. I may wait this one out for awhile, (read 1 year) and see what WP8 Gen 2 devices bring. Nokia is the only company soo far to bring true innovation to the platform. HTC brought new design, which I give credit for, but Beats audio is already in Android based phones. Where's novelty ideas backed by creation of said ideas? Lead on Finland...., I mean Nokia!
+1
Both are hero devices on par with the iPhone 5. I will go 920 (or 940 :-p) when the time comes.
I'm probably going with the Nokia.

The deciders are better optics and more storage...and those overcome the terrible "all buttonson one side layout," the glossy finish and the lousy color selection (red/yellow) vs. the 8x colors. This will be my first Nokia since I had an absolutely terrible early GSM phone in San Diego 10 years ago.

If the price is right, I'll do it in November at full boat and save my upgrade for a quad core HTC later in 2013.
I like the fact that HTC decided to copy Nokias decision for bold color choices. I think MS should use that with all new WP8 handsets. People are tired of the same old black or white slabs. Give us personality in our devices! With all of the bold colors in Windows 8 and WP8 it only makes sense for them to have hardware to match. Having a unique design is what gave the original iPhone its stronghold on the industry. While there is something to be said for minimalistic black slabs, there is also room for Color! The rest of you boring manufactures, cough Samsung, take note! GIVE ME COLOR OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!
I hate articles that just list specs, and then leave out the user experience.
When I use my phone, I'm concerned about the sound quality of the calls, both how the other person sounds to me, and how I sound to the other person. That's more important to a slight difference in pixels per inch.
When I use my phone there are some apps that have become invaluable, like some of the Nokia-exclusive apps. That's more important than if the front facing camera is 1.92 or 2.1mp.
When I use my phone, I'm concerned about reception quality. The last HTC phone I had was a joke, with reception going up and down like a pogo stick, while Nokia is one of the world leaders in reception quality on their phones. That's more important than if the phone is 10.12 or 10.7mm thick.
I'll just wait for a real life comparision of the two phones.
You use your phone to call people?
And still the Samsung Ativ S is the only HIGH-END device with expandable storage. If that comes to T-Mobile and not the Nokia Lumia 920, that may be the one for me. But until then the 8X is looking great and 16gb is more than enough for me.
Coming from a 4.7 Titan they closed the door in my face. Now it comes down to price. If the Nokia is expensive and the 8X is reasonably priced then I may bite. Otherwise I like Nokia. But if both are not reasonable, I can wait until next year. I thought HTC would keep the big screen design but their probably saving it for later. I just like my 4.7, 16mp camera is just too nice!
lets not forget that in an earlier article on wpcentral they said that htc was in a tough spot financially and that it would be difficult for them to churn out new phones as the did in the past maybe the bigger screen was more expensive the memory could be cost choice i mean all in all the 8x is a delicious looking piece of tech and id be glad to own it but the lumia 920 is just a beast and ive already had a relationship with its relative the 900. :D <3 shout out to my cyan lumia 900 and kisses to my soon to be 920 ill see you later girl :p
I'd love to use the smaller, lighter design of the 8x, but like others have said, it really comes down to Nokia's exclusive apps. Sort of a shame, though I'm looking forward to using that Pureview camera.
The HTC 8x is still going to be followed by a quad core version in Jan?
Is it just me or the pics, but the 920 rocker switches on the side of the phone look more prominent than on the HTC. It might make for better feel of the buttons. Looks like HTC blended them in more on the sides to smooth it out. Some people will like this, others won't... :)
I actually returned the Titan the day after I bought it just for this reason. The buttons were difficult to use. A BIG difference from the Samsung Focus I had previously. I got a Lumia 900 that same day and Loved It!
Love it. Still liking Nokia, but I'll have to feel a similar size and weight phone to be sure. How long til we walk in an ATT store and the numbers of Windows phone options is on par with Android. It's a 30 to 1 ratio right now! Ridiculous!
are the tile accent color customized for each phone? They yellow on the HTC is different than the 920.
16 GB no expandable SMH :-S
If only Nokia had brought in an amp to go with their Lumia line of phones. I'm practically an audiophile, and audio quality is a huge deal breaker for me. The amps of the 8X are really attractive, but I also want the screen and camera of the Lumia 920. Why is it so hard to choose??? Aesthetics wise, both phones seem to be on par for me.
LUMIA 920 OFF COURSE...
HEAVY WEIGHT CHAMP..
BUT IM REALLY IMPRESSED BY HTC.. NOW I CAN TELL THEM..WELCOME HOME
Now now someone copy icon and someone copy color and design.
You should have setup a proper Poll so we could vote. Anyway it's the Lumia 920 all the way for me. The HTX 8X (so called flagship phone) is below par when it comes to memory (only 16GB and non expandable). I can survive nicely with Nokia's 32GB non expnadable but not HTC's 16GB.
TRUE 16 is just not enough and 32 will do just fine!
Does the lumia 920 have a curved screen? becaues it annoyed me that i couldnt get screen protectors for my lumia 800?
Gorilla glass is very resistant to scratches, negating the need for a screen protector
I'm probably going to get the Lumia 920 but I'll have to see it in person first. It looks big and sounds a little heavy. I think this 8X might be the sweet spot deponding on how good the camera is. Who knows, the Samsung Ativ S might even be an option for me. I'm just glad to be with AT&T now since they will be getting all the top Win 8 phones.... I don't miss Verizon and their lack of Windows Phone love!!!
Will most likely trade in my 900 for the 920 but have to admit these look really nice. The HTC 8X actually looks more comfortable to hold. Colors just pop!
Atleast HTC showed all their wp8 colors devices, nokia has only showed the red and banana !
Looks good, but as much as I want to support HTC, I'd probably go with Nokia first... as they've proven they're committed to great 1st-party apps and exclusives, solidly behind WindowsPhone.
HTC and Samsung didn't seem that "into it" with WP7... and until they can show they can offer the same support as Nokia... I'm wary. :P
Still, I do like the design, and the camera looks like it may compete fairly well with the Lumia 920's ('til we see a head-to-head...).
The Support issues is Paramount for me. I've owned Samsung, HTC, and Nokia. Nokia is the leader of support and apps by a mile! Nokia has been releasing updates to their firmware and software many times over their rivals.
Man, this would have been a lot closer if the HTC was LTE.
It does have lte. What kind of comparison topic doesn't have correct specs? Sad. Some sites say the X has expandable memory, some don't. Not sure the story on that.
Dammit, I couldn't think of anyone to make me rethink buying a Lumia 920 right away. Now here's HTC...great design on the 8X, love it, and beats audio is one feature to think about, for being a music maniac.
For now, I'd say I'm still a little bit more on the Lumia side, but I'm really not sure how that will turn out
If this was a naval battle, Samsung showed up first and fired off some warning shots. Then Nokia showed up and made some direct hits followed by HTC sinking Samsungs ship and holding its own Nokia in the battle. HTC has gone and made my October shopping spree a little harder.
Oops, posted this previously to the wrong comment thread; seems more appropriate for this discussion. Sorry for the double post...

Neither has the screen size of a Titan and HTC’s rear camera is actually a step down from their own Titan Gen2…ugh…

Honestly, nothing really overwhelming by either vendor…

You need to combine the two to get a real “flagship” phone lol

Resolution: Nokia
Pixe