Nokia Lumia 820 Sim-free Windows Smartphone - Red

 Brand Nokia | Model: A00008964

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Nokia Lumia 820 Sim-free Windows Smartphone - Red

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Nokia Lumia 820 Handset Windows Phone Sim free Red A00008964 Phones Mobile Phones

1.0 out of 5 stars Could do better Nokia!, 22 Mar 2013

By 

K. R. Fellows - See all my reviews

(REAL NAME)
  

This review is from: Nokia Lumia 820 Sim-free Windows Smartphone - Black (Electronics)

I was quite taken with Windows 8 and the phone is fast and responsive.Everything else - display, music player,camera, calls in/out, battery life is adequate at best but nothing more by today's standards for a phone of this cost.

On the negative side:

The back of the phone should you need to access the battery, Sim card or sd card is almost impossible to remove, at least until you've found the knack and even then it's not easy. Certainly any woman with manicured nails could forget it - either get a man or get a different phone! An unbelievably poor piece of design
The glass screen is unduly delicate (not gorilla)
It's a comparative heavyweight
No FM radio
Nokia Care Centre not very helpful
Froze twice in the first 24 hours

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Far exceeded my expectations, 8 Mar 2013

By 

BrommerD (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nokia Lumia 820 Sim-free Windows Smartphone - Black (Electronics)

I've had the Nokia Lumia 820 for about 3 weeks now and I have to say I'm impressed. By comparison the iPhone and other "grid of application icons" seem quite dull and old-fashioned now.
If you've been put off trying a Lumia device don't be as for anyone looking for a smart phone this is a near perfect device and, if it's your first smart phone, it is THE one to get I would say.
It's good to see Nokia come out fighting after a tough couple of years. On the evidence of this device they are back in the game.

So, good things:

The hardware quality is superb, I often find myself just holding my Lumia because it is such a nicely designed, comfortable to hold, thing, I've got the red cover (which provides wireless charging support) and I actually feel good about getting it out and using it. Nokia have clearly put some real effort into the design here and seem to have taken a leaf out of Apple's book by providing different colour choices for the cases (remember the original iMac which came in different colours). You can even 'print' your own case if you have access to a 3D printer apparently although I haven't tried this.

The Nokia application suite. The Lumia exclusive Nokia applications are terrific. The Here branded mapping applications (Maps, Drive, and City Lens) are top drawer. I particularly like the fact that you can download maps for offline use and save eating up your data allowance when out and about. City Lens is an impressive application as well - you hold it up and it shows you attractions that are in your local environment then when you tilt it down it shows you a map so that you can move around without looking like a dork - that's a nice touch. For someone who has never used Spotify or LastFM or similar the Nokia music application is a really good free music application that allows you to store playlists for offine listening as well.

There is a ton of other things that I really like as well but other reviewers have covered these already so I won't go through them again. But I also take a lot of comfort from the fact that "it's a Nokia" and thus I can be confident that it's going to be well engineered and unlikely to break the first time I drop it (I haven't tested this yet happily but I'm reassured by the youtube video of the Lumia 920 drop tests - basically indestructible in comparison to the iPhone).

Things that I'm excited about but haven't really tried yet:

I saw a demo of the Nokia charging speaker recently and it is really cool. You walk up to it with your Lumia 820, tap it, and it immediately starts playing your music (your 820 has NFC - built in) then you can control your music from your phone or just leave it on top of the speaker where it wirelessly charges. Very cool. Not cheap at £200 but definitely cool. Amazon sell them here:

Nokia MD-100W JBL Powerup Wireless Charging Speaker - Blue

Bad things:

There has been some bad press about the supposedly lack of applications for Windows phone devices and, to their credit, Nokia have compensated for this by producing a first-class suite of in-house applications focussing on maps and imaging functionality.
Most users won't notice that some applications are absent but there are a few holes (Instagram, I'm looking at you). However, I think that the developers of these applications are missing a trick here. The Live Tile functionality on Windows Phone is what makes it so great. If you want an idea of the potential of Live Tiles download the Didlr application (this is a doodling app with social features - so a bit like Instagram only with sketches instead). You can 'pin' users that you follow to your live tile screen so that when they make a new sketch it appears on your home screen almost immediately - no waiting for a notification, finding the app, launching it, etc like on iPhone. Now imagine if you could pin an Instagram user to your live tiles, or better still, pin several, maybe one in Tokyo, one in Miami, and one in Berlin. Pretty soon you have a live window on the world and all on your home screen. This is what disappoints me about some of the apps for the phone is that the developers (eg. Twitter, Eyeem) haven't bothered to take advantage of the possibilities of live tiles to create a really compelling experience for Windows phone. Instead they think that a static icon is good enough (because this is all that is required for the iPhone, duh). This will change, and I'm not really in any hurry as the existing range of applications is already good enough for me.

Finally, tips for getting the back off!

A lot of people have commented on how hard it is to get the back off. This is what I do and it is actually quite easy when you know how:

1) Hold your Lumia in your right hand with the screen facing away from you. Grasp it firmly towards the lower half of the device.
2) With your left hand put your thumb where it says "Carl Zeiss" on the camera lens area.
3) Then, with the fingers of your left hand pull on the top left corner of the device - the cover should peel away.
4) Once you have this corner free the rest should come away relatively easily.

Note that the battery always falls out when I do this. So be careful where you do it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Phone, 20 Feb 2013

By 

H. Pierce (UK) - See all my reviews

(VINE VOICE)
  
(REAL NAME)
  

This review is from: Nokia Lumia 820 Sim-free Windows Smartphone - White (Electronics)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)

I really did not approach this phone with the most positive frame of mind. I do not use Windows in any form unless I really have to, as I prefer to utilise open source software. As you can probably tell, therefore, I have been using Android phones and tablets for years now. After years of becoming accustomed to Android phones I have truly been pleasantly surprised with this Nokia Lumia 820. It is a genuinely easy phone to use, and I certainly don't have any real regrets about changing over to this model.

One of the major things that seems to bug people about this phone is the app situation, in comparison to those offered by Android. The reality is that there are not as many apps out there for WP at this point in time; but the ones which are there are well-considered and well reviewed.

The phone feels sturdy and the screen is beautifully sensitive to touch. You have the option to increase sensitivity to allow you to use your phone whilst wearing gloves, and this is a really useful function that I have not had from my previous Android models.

The camera isn't too bad for what you realistically need your average phone to be able to do. The lens is top quality, and the handy side button allows you to point and shoot without having to enter your camera screen first. This is particularly handy as cameras on your phone tend to be used to capture those moments that are just that minute happening - when you don't have another camera readily to hand. This is invaluable for taking pictures of your kids when they are in the midst of some funny scenario.

The actual feel of the phone is lovely. The outline is smooth and it looks nice. The only downside with the design of the shell is that the back fits so tightly that you really are scared that you might damage the phone trying to get it off again!

Many reviewers have mentioned the weight, but it isn't that heavy. I quite like the weight of it, just enough to know that it is still safely residing in your coat pocket where it should be. We are not talking of the weight of those delightful original 'bricks' that entertained us in the nineties. This is just an average weight for a phone this size.

The screen is lovely and bright, and the choice of background colours is nice. It is a little disappointing that the phone doesn't have some kind of visual notification to alert you to an unread message though. It isn't always convenient to have your phone on ringing mode, and a little 'alert' light would have been preferable.

What I found most appealing about this phone was the speed of processing. It just gets straight on with what I ask it to do. It is very user-friendly, and all your photos and music can be directly transferred into your new model via your original micro-sd card.

The phone is good; no arguments from me on this one. It isn't without a few minor flaws, but nothing that have a big impact upon my use of the phone. The hardest part about transferring to this phone was the part where we had to manually trim my Sim card to fit the micro-Sim space. I did not wish to purchase a new Sim card in a smaller size, but my original Sim card is working just beautifully...just utilizing a smaller space.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Phone I have ever owned !!!, 14 Feb 2013

By 

Andy w - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nokia Lumia 820 Sim-free Windows Smartphone - Black (Electronics)

Yes this is the best mobile I have ever had ! I have had iPhone 3, 4, 4s, HTC One X and this by far is my favourite.
Don't get me wrong, iPhones are great but now serious contenders are on the field, they are showing their weakness points.
I personally don't like the android operating system, something just really niggles me about it, I think it's the speed, hesitation that neither Apple or Windows 8 shows.
The windows 8 platform is fast, never hesitates, easy to use and full of features. Unlike apple you can download a ringtone app choose the tone and put it straight on your phone, no restrictions. I tried that on the iPhone 4 and it was a total nightmare, apple just don't want their phones to breathe, they are stranglled in many ways.
I did read the reports regarding the 820 screen not being up to the iPhones standard and was a bit sceptical, once I powered it up though, I can't understand what all the fuss is about ?? The display is as good as any screen I have seen.
The phone feels as solid as a brick compared to some of the plastic android phones out there. I'd say the build quality is to the same standard as apple but with greater functionality, you can replace the battery by yourself, insert bigger sd cards etc.
Last thing the wireless charging is a dream, so easy to use,shame the pad was extra though !
Well done Nokia, I thought you were about to disappear from the scene, I think this phone could command a £600 Price tag on Par with iPhones, you are selling yourselves short !!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this Phone, 14 Feb 2013

By 

HJK (Gomersal UK) - See all my reviews

(VINE VOICE)
  

This review is from: Nokia Lumia 820 Sim-free Windows Smartphone - White (Electronics)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)

I really love this phone.

It has a solid build - It is very easy to use - very intuitive - looks good - and feels good to hold.

The home screen is good and you are able to design this how you want it.

I have had mostly Nokia phones in the past and have also used a couple of Samsungs.

I have not used an iPhone so cannot compare it to that. I have used a Samsung galaxy Y - and this is much nicer.

Of course this phone is a lot heavier than my previous phones but a think on a par with similar phones nowadays.

JUST LOVE IT

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This was a upgrade to Lumia 800, 4 Feb 2013

By 

C. L. Weekes "Charliegadgets" (London,UK) - See all my reviews

(REAL NAME)
  

This review is from: Nokia Lumia 820 Sim-free Windows Smartphone - Black (Electronics)

I did love my windows phone, as useful to have Nokia music, hotmail, nokia maps. The main thing about the 800 is the heavyness of the phone in your pocket. the 820 is an ugrade, I love the tile effect of the menu like email, music, contacts, internet etc, so you click on the item you need. This phone is lighter has the same 3 icons at the bottom of go back, home or search. You can also customise your phone by choosing which menu / tiles to put on the front of the phone, i.e the items you use the most. I would definately recommend this phone.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally there, 30 Jan 2013

By 

Peter Petrov (Bulgaria) - See all my reviews

(REAL NAME)
  

This review is from: Nokia Lumia 820 Sim-free Windows Smartphone - Black (Electronics)

After much hesitation I upgraded from Lumia 800 to Lumia 820. I did not regret it in the least.

This is my third phone using the Windows Phone OS, which says enough about my comittment to this operating system. I honestly think this is the best OS for a business phone today. My first handset ruing WP OS was HTC HD7 which I liked tremendously both in terms of functionality and form and usability. Unfortunately I lost this phone and had to move to Lumia 800, which though visually stunning, had some deficiencies in terms of usability - mostly the much smaller screen compared to HD7 and the screen being oversensitive, which made me trigger stuff accidentally. Finally with the Lumia 820 I think I found my perfect match - amazing looks (although no gorilla glass), big screen - great for reading stuff on the go and browsing, and WP8 - a much more mature OS, with improved usability and uber-cool appearance. In this iteration of the Windows Phone the good news is they have left out nothing of the things I liked in WP7, and have added a few extra nifty bits, that I really love. The Nokia navi (by far the best turn-by-turn I have ever used) and the other extra Nokia perks also add significant value to the package.

Overall really happy!

EDIT: After using the phone for some more time, I really like the integration with Skype - you can recevie Skype calls at all times even if the Skype app is not running in the background. There is however an issue with the microphone sensitivity - during normal calls people report bad sound coming from my end (interruptions and faintness of sound). So for them to hear me well I have to press the phone to my cheek (not something I would normally do or which I like). This is probably a software issue as this problem does not appear during a voice call using Skype (which obviously is using the same microphone). I hope they fix it soon with a firmware update (that is why I am not downgrading my review on this phone yet).

3 of 19 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Minus (-) 5 yes minus 5 for Lumia 820, 26 Jan 2013

By 

Urvish - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nokia Lumia 820 Sim-free Windows Smartphone - Black (Electronics)

I buy this phone from T-mobile as upgrade but i found many problem and i decided to return because of lots of problem and most poor service from T-mobile

(1) Back Cover hardest to open in any smartphone available on the earth and I hurt my nail when I try to open
(2) The same place I got excellent signal with other 2 phone this phone is loosing signal and drop calls (reason may be there is no option in the phone to switch to 2g only mode)
(3) This phone got problem with low outgoing call voice and each some time
(3) This phone is frequently freeze and restart for no reason
(4) Lowest capacity battery life for 4.3" screen resulting poor battery life
(4) No notification light so chance to missed call
(5) No option to know mow much internet data you used so far so its chance for many people to go beyond the data limit and costing money
(5) No vol up down button on headphone its a shame for company like Nokia
(6) Dolby sound is absolutely useless and got no effect
(7) Black wireless charing plate comes with white charger such a absolutely odd combination
(8) Program cannot be install on SD card and actual memory is only around 7 gb after boot up
(9) grains on photo
(10) big font displayed on screen while recording video which is annoying and useless
(12) No or confusing notification - difficult to know when new email, text or missed call
(13) from camera is only VGA and can't focus properly, disappointing result not a joy to use
(14) Low incoming vol.
(15) Wifi cannot be always on and turn off when screen off

another surprising thing about Lumia 820 is there is lowest interest or user forum count in XDA and no point of Removable better when there is no replacement or compatible battery available in the market, I checked replacement battery for Lumia 820 on Nokia Uk website but no result, I search ebay but No result, I search on Google but no result, I search on Amazon but no result WTF

Now I know why the world biggest phone maker loosing a market, they not learn a lesson after even great downfall, some people including me are trying just because they just want something new or different other than IOS and Android, same like me I tried the best OS available in the market and and just for change I gave another chance to Nokia and Windows Phone, I feel something new in WIMO and Nokia but that new thing is not good at all and Frustrate me, even after recent update problems are still there

As another option the same or lower price I can get Nexus 4 or HTC One X or Sony Xperia T which is much better option then any windows phone including Lumias

2 of 10 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars A very disappointing phone for the price, 26 Jan 2013

By 

Doug "Doug" (York, England) - See all my reviews

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(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
  

This review is from: Nokia Lumia 820 Sim-free Windows Smartphone - White (Electronics)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)

On opening the box the phone is well presented with a detailed and well written instruction book which is easy to follow.

The phone in a tray, there is a cable to connect it to your computer

A mains adapter which has a pull out earth, (which feels as if it may break with repeated use)

Headphones.

The phone is supplied discharged, so one has to charge it before starting to set it up.

It comes with a white interchangeable back panel that supports wireless charging, which it has to be said is a very neat idea indeed.

Inserting the Sim is a simple operation, back off, battery out, insert Sim and micro memory card if you are going to use one. Battery back, cover back on. Done.
Well it should be. But getting the back off is not easy, indeed Nokia have turned it into an art form... [...]
However there should be significant praise for Nokia here, instead of charging an arm and a leg for a higher memory phone as some makers do, Nokia let you pop a memory card in, which is so sensible, however as other reviewers point out this memory is not for apps or system files just media files.

The screen is OK, it is very bright and clear, but looks a little pixelated compared to the higher resolution retina displays on iPhones.

It has to be said that the set up process, which I always think is a good indication of how user friendly a device is going to be, was not easy and intuitive at all.

However the key thing is the use of the new phone.

In use I have found the phone to be rather large, not a great deal larger than an iphone but it feels big, and compared to an iphone 5, it is rather heavy! Even compared to an iphone 4 it is heavy. Even compared to a brick.... Well lets not get carried away, lets just say it seem big and heavy.

The controls are interestingly positioned I kept nudging the on switch which for some reason has been put on the side of the phone where your fingers grip, thus allowing me to constantly turn the hone off in use.

I do it has to be said like the idea of the tiles and think this will really catch on, they are the best thing about Win 8 Mobile, but they are far from intuitive to set up.

Overall impressions of the phone...

I wanted to be excited about this phone and its new Microsoft operating system, but in reality it is for me

Too heavy
Not easy to set up
Not intuitive in use

However, it does have all the components that you would require in a good smartphone, and the fact it has Microsoft Office, the ability to add your own memory card to store files, and a reasonable (but not as good as I expected) camera means this is a serious contender when considering your next phone.

However for me, I have given up my battle with this phone, nice as it is, and have gone back to my old iphone4 - a breath of fresh air...

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent phone for the next few years, 20 Jan 2013

By 

M. Iankov - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Nokia Lumia 820 Sim-free Windows Smartphone - Black (Electronics)

I have been a long time Nokia user. Last phones N97 mini (more than 3 years) and E65 before that. Finally, I have upgraded/switched to Nokia Lumia 820.

Things I like
1. The phone is very fast. Screens and pages open extremely quickly.
2. The screen is big and bright, easy to see.
3. Reasonable prices for a phone (which can be dropped and broken).
4. Easy to make calls and send SMS. I use it mainly as a phone.
5. Excellent integration with Hotmail/Outlook and Messenger (the later in process of being killed).
6. Wireless charging is excellent (charger sold separately and I have one which is not Nokia branded).
7. Uses the same micro-sd from my old phone (with my music instantly transferred from the old phone).
8. Replaceable battery for the day when it does not hold enough charge for a day (seems to last for 3 days with very light use for now).
9. Touch screen is excellent and can be used with gloves and big fingers.
10. The customisable `Live tiles' and the ability to show large contacts on the main screen.
11. Maps can work offline (my carrier has prohibitively expensive data roaming charges/rates).
12. Most of my old applications are available for the new phone. Plenty of new applications and games.
13. Pictures and videos are very good for a phone.
14. `Find/ring/erase my phone' features.
15. `Free music' and offline music mixes from Nokia music.
16. Uses micro-usb charger and data cable (same as my old phones).
17. SkyDrive integration for pictures/videos and documents.
18. OneNote.
19. Easy to close applications which have been used and no longer needed.
20. Headphone jack is on the top.
21. Rigid back cover (requires some strength and practice to take out).
22. `Kids corner'

Missing from N97 mini
1. Remote SIM for the Bluetooth which allowed my car to load the address book and show on the car's screen the name of the caller (only the number is displayed with Lumia 820)
2. The option which allowed the phone to pronounce the called name so you know who is calling even when you cannot see the phone screen (in the pocket and dirty hand, in the other room).
3. The pulse light which tells you that nothing needs attention when reunited with the phone (after a meeting for example).
4. The ease with which a song can be set as a ring tone. I do not understand why in 2013 I have to connect the phone to a PC and then copy (and maybe convert before) the song to the phone to be able to make it a ringtone (if want to use more than 20 sec of the song).
5. Stereo sound from the build in speakers

Things which Nokia/Microsoft needs to improve on
1. DLNA player or application.
2. Backup/restore (especially the later) is very basic and does not meet my expectations (set by N97 and rival phones).
3. Vibration can be stronger.
4. Ring volume when on max can be stronger.
5. Skype integration with `Me'.
6. Ability to re-assign the third (search with Bing) button functionality (may be search in contacts only as a default).
7. Better multitasking for background applications.
8. Mute/un-mute button.

On the whole it is an excellent phone for the next few years.

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