Unboxing & hands on with the Glossy-White Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T

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Though it technically goes on sale tomorrow, we reported yesterday evening that some stores were selling the super limited and highly coveted Glossy-White Nokia Lumia 900. A device which has already earned the nickname 'The Stormtrooper.' We likey.

We managed to track one down (literally, it was the only one) here in midtown Manhattan and we picked it up for quite a steal ($99 and all we did was extend our contract by 3 months). To celebrate the latest addition to the Lumia 900 family, we figured we'd snap a couple of photos for you to get you drooling a bit and even do an old-fashioned unboxing video for giggles.

Many have concerns about the durability of the Glossy-White polycarbonate shell of the Lumia 900, specifically if it scratches or gets dirty. While we can't answer that now, we'll be putting it through its paces of the next few weeks.

For what its worth, the AT&T representative told us that Nokia's flagship phone has been selling very well, basically clearing off the shelves. That's a big deal for a store smack in the middle of the Big Apple. There are no Cyans around but we were told that customers were still ordering them and getting them direct fulfilled in about 2 days time, which ain't half bad.

Although seeing how the Lumia 900 is selling a few weeks from now will be more important than today, we have to admit, this is starting to really feel like a hit device with AT&T. There's a lot of buzz and nearly two weeks after launch, the phone is still clearing off of shelves. Now with the addition of the Glossy-White  version, we think this will keep it going even longer.

Finally, remember: today is the last day to get the $100 credit applied to your AT&T account for buying a new Lumia. That counts for the Glossy-White too, if you can find it...

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino

Daniel Rubino is the Executive Editor of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft here since 2007, back when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Microsoft Surface, laptops, next-gen computing, and arguing with people on the internet.
52 Comments
  • Does it still have vibration click bug
  • No, I can confirm it does not have that issue. Will do another post on that later but others have confirmed that this has been addressed as well.
  • Thank you, sir.
  • I am debating on whether I should take my Cyan back and exchange it due to the vibrate issue. That rattle is quite bad, even after applying the data connection firmware update.
  • It's not perfect on the White one. It does "pop" when starting but then vibrates fine. Still a tad annoying but an improvement.
  • Personal opinion, but can't believe that vibratiion is such an issue for others that they think about replacing phones. I personally would think, only if vibration is too low, but I guess personal preferences. Some people are too picky, some more accomodating like me. :) 
     
     
  • Honestly, I consider myself one of the less picky people. But it does rattle considerably, not just a little. The vibration itself is fine, but as Daniel pointed out, when it first starts there is a very noticable rattle/pop within the body.
  • I dunno, I have 14 Windows Phones. This sounded horrible. I cringed when I got an email or SMS. Whether you can live with it or not is a seperate issue from "Is that the best Nokia can do?".
  • Exactly. I don't know how this could have escaped QC without someone noticing. Of course, it could be a manufacturing problem isolated to one factory, assuming earlier info that there are assembly lines in Mexico and S. Korea is accurate.
  • Just purchased one today Daniel...and totally agree with the default Nokia Email and Voice Mail sound files....plus the vibration sounding issue...trying to find a link to your mention of this comparing Lumia 900 to Lumia 800? (Looking under Reviews)
  • Also, does the manual include windows phone suggestions URL and/or multitasking tutorial?
     
  • There's a How-To app built in on the device and yes, the Quick-Start guide explains Multitasking and how to do it.
  • How did you only extend your contract by 3 months?
  • Yeah, how did you only have to extend your contract by 3 months? I can't upgrade for a year, but if there's a trick I'd love to try it.
  • Thats what I want to know as well! Tell us the trick!
  • I know I did this when I was on sprint. Got a new phone and only added 3 more months to my contract, (my story: my previous phone had broken, so I bought a new one for the discounted price)  how does it work with at&t?
  • @Chacness, others Few things: I get a discount through Cornell as well, which may have applied. Usually it doesn't but in this case, it took. Also, I had renewed only a few months ago (Focus S purchase) and basically, since I can't "up" for a full 2 years, you can just add on "X" months from two years.  Normally this just gives you some discount but, once again for some reason, the full discount applied. It was suppose to be just $250, but with Cornell and magic, it rang up as $99. So it was nothing consciously that I or the rep did ;-)
  • So there's really nothing any of us could do to get this same deal?
  • man i was so upset i couldnt get one. I was able to locate one yesterday and when i did try to pick it up att wanted a 500 deposit. damn att. i will get this phone
  • You guys pay a lot for your phones, is that 500 just for the phone and then a contract? We will probably get the phone for free in the UK.
  • It looks gorgeous!
  • Absolutely whitewashed by this phone! Crikey!
  • I got one yesterday. Loving the white. I just happened to be at the store right after they got the shipment. I asked them to show me one, the ATT employee and I were the first to see it in the store! I had no idea that they were actually going to sell it to me. It was a good Friday :)
  • Thge white looks really good.  I can get a new phone until May 1 because of upgrade status  so it will cost me the 99.00 Thats okay  Now have to decide betrween cyan and white  if available  if not i'll jyst get trhe black or wait for cyan to come in.,, or order it  rather getr it direct from the store
  • Vibrating problem??? Please elaborate...??
  • I documented it in our Lunia 900 review. Look for the video comparing it with the Lunia 800.
  • Lunia? haha I'm guessing that got autocorrected?
  • Personal preference but I think the lumias (especially 800 with the more curvaceous glass) look better in black. With the black background of the os and the black shell it looks like a never ending screen that wraps around.
  • Nooo! Now I'm no longer sure if I should buy the Cyan or not...
  • I'm starting to wonder myself. Though I don't kinow if I will get get the chance to get a cyan or white in Canada anyway and may end up waiting for Apollo and hope for more choice then.
  • My source indicates Rogers will start selling the white 900 May 4.
  • GIve the white phone to an auto mechanic for a week to test how it cleans up. That would be a real test.
  • Off-white is not so bad too. Like any stains, the faster you clean it up, the less chance it will be permanent.
  • Oh boy... I called my local AT&T store and they said they were down to a lonely Black L900. They told me they will sell the white one tomorrow and to come before the store opens if I really wanted one. How long before we start calling the L900 launch a success?
  • I just really don't understand why they went glossy on this phone. White in the matte finish would have been stunning. Plus it could throw off the whole appeal of a scratch proof body if the gloss wears off.
  • I would assume that they went with gloss instead of matte on the white model because of smudges and stains. If it was a white matte it would stain almost instantly from use. With the gloss it's able to be cleaned, keeping the pristine finish clean longer.
  • This phone is sooo nice ;)
  • The body of the white Macbooks are made of the same Polycarbonate material.  Mine is about 5 years old, and still looks decent.  There are tiny scratches if you get up close, but from a couple feet away you don't notice.  The notebook spends its time slipped into a case when not in use (similar to phone -   either in your hands or in your pocket).
    For someone who would be slipping the phone into their pocket, I suspect that the durablity of the phone would be similar.   But for people who would toss it into a bag or purse, the glossy finish is going to pick up scratches that will be noticable.
     
  • I have had my black 900 since April 6th and don't hear any rattle from the vibrate motor. Did I just get lucky or are those without a rattle just keeping quiet?
  • Got my black 900 today at the local AT&T wireless store. So far no issues, but I have a lot of testing to do.
  • I picked up a white one Saturday in Redmond, WA. They weren't on display yet, but I just asked amd they sold it to me. They had cyan in stock even as well. I really wanted the latest firmware and visual voicemail so that is awesome, but so far it's hard to get used to the added size and weight compared to the focus s.
  • I'm really enjoying the white one I picked up yesterday. I did look over the options with the cyan and black matte versions, but held them, used them, and they just looked...well...dull. This glossy white pops, and people notice it right away. It's got the same type of feel that my white iPhone 3GS had but with a much slicker design. Apple I hope you are paying attention. Nokia's got you beat on the design front now.
  • Naw they just caught up in terms of design. And that's what, five years later?
  • Nice try. Design wise, the iphone looks like a turd next to a Lumia 900. The iPhone looks like a f*cking ice cream sandwich for crying out loud.
  • I have the black one and love it.  The white looks nice but not really my style.  In any event, I love wp7.5 much more than iOS on my former iPhone 4 (but I still love my iPad!).
  • Guys, if you are not sure about the quality of the white Nokia Lumia 900 just check out this link where Nokia explains how the white color was made:
    http://conversations.nokia.com/2012/02/06/brilliant-white-how-nokia-designed-the-white-lumia/
  • Just tested my Lumia 900, & the vibration is annoying. There is an initial short click then vibration. Vibration is more of a combination of rattle & vibration. If you have this click/vibrate issue, try shaking your phone. You may hear the mechanism moving: I do. Disappointing.
  • Got a white Lumia 900 today. It rattles when it vibrates...AND the keyboard looks purple when the brightness is on low. :(
  • Ah! Same complaint here...... Pink tone to the Greys when set to low brightness, or on autobrightness. As if there werent enough weird differences between the three models. Seems as though the Cyan has the better speaker compared to the Black and White model (almost sounds compressed when turned up). And then the Black model has a really loud vibrate, (not as bad on the White model, almost none existent on the Cyan). And the camera seems better on the White. Hope nokia figures out how to correct there issues, which would seem like a combination of software and manufacturing. Other than that.... I keep the brightness on medium and all is well, so that really seems like a software issue, ive seen it on the original Focus..where the two models have slightly different amoled screens and the final mango update seem to balance them out, sort of. Im suprised WPcentral hastn picked up on the speaker issue, Nokia deffinitely needs to be called out for using two different speakers in these phones, SHAKING MY HEAD. <3 wp7 <3 nokia
  • Oh, and by the way, ive been through FOUR lumia 900's... yes, ive had 4 in less than a month, should of stuck with the Black model. First they swapped out my orignal when i had data issues, the one they replaced it with had a ginormous pink spot on up and down the right side (no, not a tint to the entire screen, an abvious defect) had to bitch a little to get a swapped, the first store ticked me off so i went across town, the third was perfecto' (minus the vibrator issue). AND TODAY, i randomly pulled into an at&t store before closing to check out the white one, walked in, touched it, walked out... went back in, and they told me today was my last day to exchange! i was so shocked that they wanted me to have the white one... so here i am, in a love hate relationship with my phone. loving windows phone, not liking the sloppyness of nokia, not trying to dog, but theres obviously things that WP7 fan boys wont say for the sake of helping build momentum for WP7.... lets face the facts, the phone sort of falls flat on its face. =/
  • Of course the white phone will go with the white USB Cable and Wall Plug!
  • I went to 3 different AT&T stores (South New Jersey, outside of Philadelphia) looking for a white L-900 to replace mine that has the issue with the camera lens/vibration rattling.  One store had 2 white phones in stock, plus the display model.  The second and third store had no stock of the white phone.  All of the white display models had the same issue.
     
    I was met with everything from indifference to "You switched from an iPhone 4 to that?  Why?"
     
    In the first store, the salesperson just tried to rush me out of the store as quickly as possible.  Telling me that I should just call Nokia.  When I mentioned that their display model suffered from the issue, he just shrugged.
     
    In the second store, I actually got someone to listen, but it took some effort to get him to get another phone and test it for me.  It also had the issue.  Again, I was told to call Nokia to "make sure they're aware of the issue."
     
    The third store was where I was asked why I would do something such as buy a Lumia and told that I should've waited for the new (HTC, I believe?) Windows phone which will "be awesome because it has a 16MP camera."
     
    I really hope AT&T/Nokia pull their heads out of the sand on this one.  They were quick to acknowledge the data connection issues, but not this.  Possibly because it doesn't affect the use of the phone?  Possibly because the phone was eventually free to a for a lot of people?  I"m not sure.
     
    What I do know is that I love this phone (despite it's flaws) and that I would LOVE to talk it up and recommend it to people.  But, I can't honestly sing this phone's praises, and won't attempt to sell people on it because of these issues.  I'm positive that I'm not the only person that feels this way.  This can do nothing to help the efforts of Microsoft/Nokia.
     
    I am disappoint.