The Lumia 928 is the latest flagship Windows Phone device from Nokia, and the first high-end smartphone from the Finnish manufacturer to be sold through Verizon Wireless. In many ways, the Lumia 928 is not unlike AT&T's Lumia 920 — both feature a 4.5-inch display, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, and 1GB of RAM — but the Verizon exclusive still has some unique tricks of its own, specifically its AMOLED display, new design, and the Xenon flash that accompanies Nokia's signature PureView camera.
By far the biggest difference between the Lumia 928 and Lumia 920 is its physical appearance. Instead of the curved unibody casing that Nokia has used with a number of its recent smartphones, the 928 uses a flat Gorilla Glass panel on the front, with a polycarbonate rear case with prominent edges. While the new design isn't as unique as previous Lumias, the white and black model still stands out among other smartphones.
Within moments of holding the Lumia 928 its clear that it's on the heavy side, weighing more than the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One, both of which feature larger displays. Still, the 928 is lighter than the Lumia 920, and it doesn't take long to get used to its heft. One has to be careful though, the plastic is much smoother than it needs to be, so it doesn't take much for the device to slip right out of your hands or a loose pocket.
The Lumia 928's AMOLED display is a welcome upgrade from the 920's LCD screen. Windows Phone's minimalist UI relies heavily on negative space, and the deep blacks that come with AMOLED technology is a great match. The dark display flows into the black bezel, and makes Live Tiles and the rest of Microsoft's "Metro" design pop out in ways that just can't be achieved with an LCD screen's lower contrast ratio.
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As with Nokia's other high-end smartphones, the Lumia 928's most touted feature is its camera, and rightfully so. Initial testing has shown that the PureView camera's low-light performance is almost as good as Nokia's marketing says it is. Unfortunately, the same technology that makes these impressive low-light shots possible also causes light to bleed in some daytime photos. The device's optical image stabilization helps with both still photos and video, allowing the Carl Zeiss lens-equipped camera to capture as much light as possible when taking pictures while keeping panning shots steady when filming in high-definition.
On the software side, there isn't much that makes the Lumia 928 stand out when compared to other Windows Phone handsets. It runs Windows Phone 8, and comes with Nokia's suite of exclusive apps, such as Nokia Drive, Music, and Here Maps and City Lens. No major changes have been made to the operating system, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Windows Phone 8 is still attractive and speedy, even when paired with devices that have much lower specs than what is seen on current Android smartphones.
At just $99.99 with a two-year subscription, the Lumia 928 is considerably less expensive than Verizon's soon-to-be-released Galaxy S4 and last year's iPhone 5. And while it isn't likely that it will perform as well in the market as Apple's or Samsung's flagship devices, Nokia's Lumia 928 may just be good enough to pique one's interest in Windows Phone, even if only for a moment.
Justin is all about his family and his gadgets. Follow him on MyIGN or on Twitter at @ItsTheLingo.
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