The Lumia 920 is a hero, helps save a man's life

The tale goes that an unfortunate gentleman in China, Mr. Geng Ming, fell victim of a wall collapsing. And his Lumia 920 came to his rescue.

We all know that the good ol' 920 is a bit of a brick. When the wall came down he instinctively held the phone up to his head which helped soften the blow of the actual bricks. While thankfully he survived, the phone took the brunt of it. Microsoft China saw what happened (and no doubts a PR opportunity) and replaced his destroyed phone with a new Lumia 640 XL. Which is nice.

Apparently in China, Microsoft has been accused of "cheaping out," for not handing over something like a Lumia 930. We're not commenting on that, because the important thing is that he's alive and well. And he still has a Windows Phone to use, a pretty good one at that.

If you've got any tales of incredible things your Lumia 920, or any other Lumia for that matter has done, be sure to share them with us in the comments below!

via Engadget

Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine

169 Comments

Wow they gave him a cheaper one! Bigger though.
So what? They didn't have to give him a phone, he could have ended up having to buy himself a new phone.
It's a PR gag. A price difference of 500€ really isn't the world for this kind of publicity. They saved 500€ in order to invert their marketing success, which will cost them hundreds of thousands, if not more. But eh, this kind of ludicrous almost-success seems to be inherent to Microsoft.
That's true
There was no obligation on Microsoft to replace his phone. Still he has got one for free. Nothing wrong with that
Really? No matter what good is done people still look for something to moan about...
They did give him the highest spec "newest" phone. If they gave him a 930 they would be criticized for giving him a old phone
This.
Not only that but Nokia manufactured the 930, not MS.
Yes exactly, thank you. Engadget was trying to spin this as being cheap. And also mentions that MS is rumored to be working on higher end phones. I'm surprised they didn't complain that they didn't give him a 940. Engadget is a joke.
Exactly! It was the latest.... No foul here... But when you look for dirt, you can always find it... I am sure the man who received the "gift", not insurance entitlement, is happy. It's people who have no say on the mans or Microsoft's side making this a pr mess... If I was Microsoft I would ignore it... If I was the man, I would be thankful and that would be my reply to the masses. I am thankful for Microsoft's kind gesture. People think that if something happens a company is supposed to do something extraordinary to look good in front of the public... Or I can scare a company with a ludicrous social media campaign... Im not cheap, I am not for sale... Nor am I expecting a handout... Give kindness, be thankful... And appreciative of gifts.
You are absolutely right buddy.
Yes, if the "latest" was a Lumie 430 they should have given him that. Hell, if the latest Nokia (Microsoft) Asha was coming out a week ago, they should have replaced his 920 with the "latest" Asha. The amount of logic-blind fanboys here is astounding.
highest spec "newest" phone
They could have done the 930 and an sp3. Rather than being laughed at for the cheapness they would have made it rain on the guy. However he would have prolly flipped it. When you go for the publicity good will hit, and your a multi-billion company it's really go big or go home. Posted via the Windows Phone Central App
They should've ignored him so these type of comments will not exist.
Yeah. I agree. Like a piece of paper with a dot.
Nokia, Nokia not windows phone
640 is new phone which needs some promoting . 930 is very old phone that will soon be out of sale . So it was logical they will promote 640 here.
Doesn't matter, the 640 XL is an amazing phone. Hell, for 250$ that phone blows an 800$ iPhone 6!! Haha
//facepalm/ For starters my brotha, the Lumia 640XL they gave the guy as a replacement, is a better phone in many respects, than the 3-year old Lumia 920 that was broken. So they gave him a better phone than the one he broke. Secondly, (and this one goes out not to you specifically), but to all the jaded smartasses out there all across the internets, who are using this as a reason to create anti-Microsoft hate, and take a crap on Microsoft in general. The highly vaunted Lumia 930 that the internets have decreed Microsoft should have given the guy as a replacement, does not, I repeat, DOES NOT support any of China's 4G networks. Neither does other "recently" released Lumias, like the Lumia 830, the Lumia 1320, or the Lumia 1520. Or for that matter, neither did the Lumia 920 that the guy lost. So in essence, Microsoft replaced the guys 3-year old, 3G phone, with a higher spec'ed 1-month old, 4G model. You would not know it the way the internets have exploded over this, but Microsoft did right by the guy, and he really did come out ahead.
Nokia 3310: Son I am proud
Haha! Nice one! xD
Haha +920
+925
Agree :)
Hahah clever;
920 is a legend
Nokia 1110 is a legend
^^This.
Church
Damn, Microsoft should make phones like these. A robust and tough chassis can be a distinctive feature for even a flagship.
The new flagships should have built in parachute.
And fire extinguisher
OR airbag!
Okay why not a Lumia 3310 ;)
Lmao
Bullet proof glass may be
What about carbon fiber or titanium alloy?
Still going strong from day one, I'm waiting for the 940
Same here, preordered the 920 and still using it. Waiting for a 940XL or similiar successor to the 1520.
There won't be one. The 950 is coming.
Winter is coming.
Nokia, saving lives since N3310
You won the internet today. :)
Lol!! +638
Great phone but they should not have cheaped out on him and gave him a 930 or at least an 830. Shame on them
Why? Because people are so self-entitled that they expect the most expensive things they can get when they're given something for free? He had a 2.5 year old phone. He now has a pretty damn good, brand new Windows Phone.
You should've seen the Endgadget article. People can be really entitled sh*ts. Not only is a new phone expected, but it needs to be a high end too.
Yeah I read that shit piece as well. Engadget, home of low quality journalism.
Let's say MS gained some good publicity on this accident. IMO it is worth a 930. And, btw, now it's easier for haters to fire the shots. Engadget already wrote an article on how MS "cheaped out". If they wanted to advertise a brandnew model they could give him a 930 and 640 for his parents/grandma/girlfriend/whatever.
My thoughts also, but no good deed goes unpunished.
Fully agree there. MS really did not have to do anything except play on the publicity that gonna come. The 640xl he got reads up to be a great phone..
I too agree. If MS had given him a 930 they would have told MS gave him old phone instead of something new like 640. And when MS gave him a new phone its like they didn't give him a flagship. Funny people!!
And now he's morally obligated to use it, because it was gifted to him, despite being a shittier phone than his old one. Think about his situation.
Shittier phone? The 640xl is superior in every aspect.
Ehh, not true. I don't have any opinion on what kind of phone Microsoft should've given this person, but I will point out that there's a reason people keep begging Microsoft to release a new flagship phone and that reason is because the 930 aside, there simply hasn't been any new phones worth an upgrade from the 920 era. I have a Lumia 928 and I've been waiting a year for a new phone worth upgrading to. Microsoft has only been focusing on low to mid range phones recently and none of them can fully surpass 3 year old Windows Phones. Let's compare the 920 and 640 XL: CPU:
Indeed the 640 XL does have a more powerful quad core CPU so in this regard it is superior to the 920's dual core CPU. But Windows Phones never needed high specs to begin with. RAM:
Both have 1 GB of RAM Storage:
The 920 has 32 GB of storage while the 640XL only has 8 GB. Big difference there and major advantage for the 920. Yes, you can expand storage with a microSD in the 640XL, but there are advantages to internal storage vs microSD Display:
The 920 has a 768p display at 332 PPI while the 640XL has a 720p display at 258 PPI. Yes, the 640XL has a bigger screen, but it's of a lower resolution and lower PPI count meaning the display will be significantly more pixelated than the 920. So it's clear in this case that the 920 has the far superior display. Camera:
The 640XL does have a 13 MP camera which is greater than the 8.7 MP camera on the 920. However, the 920 has a much higher quality Carl Zeiss lens and dual LED flash. While the 640XL is not bad and newer, it is not superior to the 920. The 930 is probably the only phone that can be called a good replacement for the 920. The 640XL is still a mid range phone that's barely on par with the old high end 920.
Actually the 640xl has a better CPU, gpu, storage, better screen tech, better sensors, better cams on both the front and back, slimmer frame while providing more screen real estate, Miracast, BT 4.0 and better battery life. The 920 is outdated compared to the 640xl and has only one advantage, wireless charging. The 930 is a Nokia manufactured device as is the 920. MS stepped up and provided him with a free MS product, not a Nokia device, simple as that.
Wow, you ignored all the hard facts I just presented. The 920 has 4 TIMES more storage than the 640XL. It's 32 GB vs 8 GB and the 920 wins by far. The 920 has a higher resolution screen with more PPI for a much clearer image than the 640XL. The 920 has a better camera with a Carl Zeiss lens and DUAL LED flash. And if you include the 928, it has a Xenon Flash. Point is, the 920 is old, yes, but despite being old, IT'S STILL SUPERIOR to the 640XL. Do you not understand that the 640XL is a low-mid range phone? It's not a flagship replacement. So what if the 930 is manufactured by Nokia? Microsoft owns Nokia now and even so, they could've given him an 830. That phone is closer to the 920. But even then, its specs are barely considered an upgrade. The sad truth is that Microsoft has not made any flagship phones for awhile, thus prolonging the flagship statuses of the 920 and similar phones from that generation.
They could have just given him nothing, they didn't have to do what they did. :)
Simple logic that people just aren't understanding here. The 640 XL is the flagship Microsoft Lumia right now. The 830 and the 930 are Nokia's. That means diverting attention to Nokia even though they didn't spend even a single penny.
Not sure why people don't understand this. Does MS even control the rights to the 930? I don't think so.
Yes they do, they own Nokia's mobile division. Microsoft completely owns the rights to ALL Nokia mobile devices including the Lumias and all the way down to Nokia flip phones and Asha devices. Microsoft could've given him whatver Nokia device they pleased.
Underneath the case of my 735 (released alongside the 830) it clearly says it is made by Microsoft.
I really don't see the problem. He got a new phone! What is that saying? Don't look a gift horse in the mouth? Or something like that.
640XL was just released in China, so they gave him the most recent phone they have. Lumia 930, has good as it is, is quite old. This is a PR stunt, after all, and it would make no sense to promote a phone that will be discontinued in a couple of months. In any case, kudos to MS for giving him a new shiny good phone. If you still think they are cheap, I hope you will pay this man a new 930, although you have the same obligation to do it as MS, none.
True that
What about the 830?
830 is a Nokia product. MS is pushing a new generation of 100% MS products as fast as they can. Also, 640XL is in several ways equal or superior to 830.
My aunt had a Nokia lumia 900 and it fell straight on concrete face down.
Not a scratch on it. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android on my Oneplus One
Dropped my 920 on my head in bed once. Nearly gave me concussion.
So better then taking a sleeping pil? ;-)
Soft head lol
Lol XD
Every time my 920 falls I'm scared the ground is gonna crack :D
Chuck Norris uses a Nokia Lumia 920
Not that much, but I only said "uh" then pick it up, always turn on. :)
My 920 fell really many times that I can not remember how many.. And it survived every pitfall and it works now like the first day I bought it. #bestphoneever
My 1020 fell few times on tiles, from the table, my shirt pocket. I don't care anymore this thing doesn't break.
I dropped my 1020 about 2 feet onto a table top. LCD liquid cracked. It took about 24hrs for the liquid to spread and blackout the entire screen. Not impressed.
1020 = AMOLED, not LCD ;)
I managed to shatter both a 920 and 1020.
My 925 has survived several drops from my two year old daughter. Nokia made some tough durable phones.
Te be honest I shattered the 920 slamming it on the floor at Radio Shack attempting to show how durable it was, a two week old cyan purchased on the first day it was released. The 1020 however was nowhere near as durable. That shattered (twice) from basic drops on the left corner.
Your name says it all! xD LMAO
You can say I cost Nokia a sale that day, lol.
Lol
First, the 520, and now this, good job Nokia. They're like SAAB car
There is a story about a Lumia 520 save a police from getting shot. Never thought a phone can withstand a bullet. But there are stories about a bible does the same.
Well, it also depends on which kind of ammunition/caliber was used. If the crook shot the guy with a rifle the phone wouldn't have saved him.
An iphone took 2-3 bullets and stopped a man dying in America, any phone can take gunshots if that can.
Ironically, I read this story the other day on WMPU and shared it with several of my friends. Gotta love Nokia, it'll save your life!
The only thing my 630, not damn tough though had while falling from my pocket to concrete road while riding a bike was rolling like crazy and the battery and back cover sliding out. Due to the back cover and screen guard the scratches where replaced and worked with no more problems. Microsoft build robust phones. Everyone doesn't need paper thin phones with cheap metal.
My 920 is running like a champ despite the yellowed burned screen, clogged speakers and dusty front camera. I will wait until a 940 or something like that is released.
Pity that the 640 cant save his life. Nit a brick anymore
Hey what about all the times I have survived having dropped my 920 on myself?!?!
Irony of the story. Microsoft want him dead. The next time he continues to break the falling brick with a 640. Damn man that's gonna hurt. RIP 920.
I thought smartphones are used for other purposes.. When did the idea changed to saving life? ...
When you think its the last second of your life. What comes next on your hand would be the final weapon you have, and apparently every one holds a phone every damn time. So things changes dramatically while you're at risk.
I don't quite understand. If I'm holding a phone and a wall comes down my first instinct isn't going to be to hold the phone up to my head?
Having both the 920 and the 640XL, it is no cheaping out in my opinion. Waiting for a successor of my 920, the 640XL is a worthy placeholder. Lucky man on both sides, for having his life and a good device.
Smaller sibbling 820 surving every drop nd accident
Smaller sibbling 820 surving every drop nd accident
Ofcourse why would MS promote Nokia models now??they gave him the best Microsoft phone.In India you won't find a Nokia lumia in any decent store,only Microsoft.When asked for lumia 930,they say "its out of the market"
Sad :(
I love Nokia logo!!
It's a pr stunt anyway to replace his phone, so they deserve to get some stick for cheaping out.
Wow, first the Lumia 520 story then this. Lets hope future Microsoft phones will be as good as how Nokia designed them to be Hulk proof.
I still can't imagine this, how did it happen again?
Cheaping out..
---
1. The 930 is a Nokia phone. It has the Nokia name on it. It makes sense to give him a Microsoft one instead.
---
2. Every stupid person in China would start throwing bricks at each other so they can get 930s.
"Cheaping out"? ... MS should have gave him an Old Lumia 920 itself...
This.
Great. Another one added to the already billions...
Well most people who don't live in China may not know that 640XL is the second WP device that supports TD-LTE (638 first) and China authorities have made a f..king rule:Phones who don't support TD-LTE will lock the FDD-LTE(4G) option in the setting menu.With that...640XL is more meaningful in some ways.(same with 640)
Taking brick phone to whole new level
This news is almost a week old. Good job Nokia though.
I love my 920. XD
The only run in I've had with my old 920 was it making me bleed after I clumsily dropped it on my forehead while laying in bed. Lesson learnt about positioning my grip!
There is a joke in there somewhere.....
Isn't the 640xl the most expensive "Microsoft" Lumia out right now. Don't think that's being cheap.
Hit a tree head on at 50mph with my Lumia in the seat beside me. Walked out with a cut above my eye and used my unharmed 920 to call for help. Thank u Nissan and Lumia.
I'm quite surprised that Microsoft didn't replace his phone for a iPhone or Android to go with Microsoft's new iOS/Android apps
Wow, haven't yet heard the tale where a 920 stops a bullet, making the 3310 proud :)
Ah, the Nokia Lumia 920 sure has the strength from its first descendants. Gotta love Nokias!
My Lumia does amazing things every night on social media video chat
;-)
Am using Lumia 820 1 day while driving my bike with headphones in my ears suddenly on a hump it was off no music I checked ma cell phone in jacket it was not there n I looked back a car just rammed over my phone I thought damm it's over n went back to see when picked it back I was damm happy it was working brilliant no damage just screen guard was scrapped n little bit scratches' around screen.great thanks to Nokia
That's jst wonderful
My 920 saved my life on a few occasions Once I was out hiking and twisted my ankle, So I used my trusty 920 to ring the emergency services. Another time I was being growled at by a rabid Rockweiller So I used my bulky 920 to wack it round the head. The last time was when a bloke tried to rob me at knifepoint,quick as a flash I lobbed my 920 towards in reflex he went to catch it dropping the knife in the process! Whereupon seizing my opportunity I picked up the knife and stabbed the little git in the eye.
The 920 Phone, Brick,Legend
I was angry once and smashed my 520 into the wall, and the screen didn't crack, phone remained intact and well.
And so the tales of the juggernaut lives on... So strong that it saves a man's life from a wall collapsing lol.
Nokia 1100-->3310-->Lumia 920. Great phone. Extremely durable. Had to replace the screen once due to a break in the corner when it fell onto a pointed rock face. Currently having some issues with the microUSB port but all's fine. Updated to GDR2 as well :)
I miss using my yellow 920. It's awesome! The 920 camera is better and it's display is faster to respond than my current daily driver 830 :( I'm tempted to sell my 2 month old DENIMLESS AT&T 830 and go back to the 920!
Wasn't the 830 released with Denim? My girls 830 came out the box with Denim.
Sadly no not in the U.S. It came with the customer confusing fake Denim out of the box and no Lumia Camera 5.
Hmm...I should double check then. ATT Lumia 830. I saw Denim and assumed it was the correct version. No Hey Cortana but the Lumia 830 doesn't get that feature anyway. She want too happy about that, especially after I demo'd it on my 1520.
Wow ! I know this news , saw it in local website with video weeks ago and as soon as I saw this man's white Lumia 920 when they interviewed him I hospital i shared it to my friends and told them how good build quality of Nokia 's phone . The phone was in pretty good condition if you know what happened to it , not sure I still working or not but the screen was damaged little bit and for polycarbonate part I don't see any damage from the wall which is by the way just fall after harmless wind
Somewhere the founder of the National Inquirer is weeping tears of joy that his love for tabloid journalism lives on the internet.
Reminds me of the story about a year back when a Lumia 520 saved a police man's life when it bore the brunt of a criminal's bullet in the man's pocket.
It was a hero phone that could've made Lumia phones more relevant. No, MS had to go off making all kinds of phones. Its That bombarding of phones that hurt HTC badly. "NO BRAND RECOGNITION."
Replacing a Nokia L920 with a Microsoft L640XL is downright insulting. And one thing is sure: that man will not be able to use the phone to save himself again.
How so? The 640xl trumps the 920 in every way minus internal storage. It's upgradable to 128gb microsd. Bigger screen. Better battery life. Slimmer profile. Better camera on both front and rear. Better sensors. Better dispay. Better gpu. Improved bluetooth. DNLA. Same ram. I fail to understand your gripe.
And with cheap design.
Or they could've done nothing.
So pathetic
"Which is Nice" lol :D
I was attacked by Superman, i hit him with my Lumia 920. And now i know... He bleeds!
Bleeds in his nose of course
They should give him Surface 3,Microsoft shares,free apps, a blonde...
Last year I dropped my 920 on my sons head while I was feeding him.
He was only 3 months old at the time but never even acknowledged it had happened.
I think it was me panicking that made him start crying as I had taken his bottle out of his mouth. He's a tough kid. We named him Clark because we're big fans of Superman. Our daughter is called Kara, after Supergirl.
Real story:
I used to work at a landfill a dozer operator in Austin, TX. Had a blue 900 on my lap and never noticed that I had dropped it as I was getting out the cab. Anyways, that phone must have been plowed at least a dozen times before I realized that my phone was missing. I looked frantically inside the cabin but to no avail. A coworker suggested that we give it a call and luckily found it after a couple of tries and heavy searching. I was lucky to have been working nights where it's much more quieter and we could turn off equipment. As for the phone: The screen was cracked internally so touch capabilities were ruined. Anyways, its a testament to the phones quality build.
Lumia 920 is great but mine was so good that someone has stolen mine. However Find My Phone app sux ..... if you leave battery save on you can't turn on gps and wifi or hspa to find it. Now Find My Phone is useless.
Bugger he's a lucky whatsit the 640 xl is excellent I wouldn't complain
I dropped my 520 on laminate flooring a couple of times and it had survived!
I think he threw his Nokia at the wall and caused it to collapse...
HUGE FAIL!!! Instead of generating a positive buzz everyone everywhere is reporting on how cheap Microsoft is, they spend more time on that point then the fact that the guy is alive! This is just f&%king pathetic!! They could just as easily replaced it with a 930 heck! A old ass 1020 would have even been better! You see even though the 640 is great and the guy will probably be happy with it in the non windows phone world (99% of people in China) they equate 9 replaced by 6 ....wtf that's just how they see it, as a cheap shit phone replacing a flagship for the sole reason of a cheap shit marketing gimmick... Really so Microsoft, FIRE YOUR PR TEAM IN CHINA NOW!! before they further mutilate the mindshare of that 1% ....
He should have got a 930 imo, no one asked for my opinion, but anyway, at this point Microsoft should just cancel any flagship phone, because since they are giving everything to Android and IOS, a w10 phone would be just pointless
isn't china version of 640xl somewhat have higher specs almost comparable to a 930?
When people will realize that a gift is a gift, and gift are not meant to be evaluated... Even if it costs a penny only
O.O
I'm not exaggerating when I say this, I've dropped my phone (920) at least 15 times on hard surfaces (cement, asphalt, tile floor) and it hasn't cracked once. I've gone through 2 920's (both by water) and I don't think I will ever see a better made phone.
My Lumia Icon hasn't gone through any moments like that... Yet!
Wow now that was cool story
My 920 took a dive in at least 60 cm deep water after it fell down in an almost empty pool. It stayed on the bottom of the pool for at least 5 if not 10 minutes - that's after it fell down bouncing some stairs for at least 1 meter.
When my dad recovered it for me, I turned it of - yeah indeed, I still could turn it on to slide down the lock screen to turn it off - I was amazed - then I used a paperclip to remove the SIM card and let it dry inside... After 3 hours drying I put the SIM back in, and turned it on again. It worked but the screen was not very reactive. I noticed steam condensing on the glass on the inside, so I put it another 2 hours in the sunlight... By the end of the day it worked perfectly again... In fact I'm typing this message on it right now !
I recently had to replace a 630 because it fell on the ground and the glass broke... I bought 640 LTE. It's nice, _extremely_ light compared to my daily driver, the 920. But the biggest miss is the dedicated camera button on the 640 LTE. Why oh why Microsoft did you ditch the probably most used button on the Windows Phone ?!
I would rather have another 920 for free, but yea its free, can't argue with that
In Brazil, a policeman had him ass saved by a Lumia 520, which deflected a bullet.
LOL
http://adrenaline.uol.com.br/2014/05/02/25424/lumia-520-desvia-bala-e-im...
Oh yeah! I remember!
+920
920, 820 and 800 will never be forgotten.
I had bought a new Lumia 720 then went to mall one day with friends, we were on the third floor suddenly my Lumia 720 slipped from my hand and fell down but truly speaking that even a scratch was not on phone even after felling from so much height.
The man survived wall collapsing on him and he got a new phone, what a lucky guy.

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