iPhone 5 vs Lumia 920: Why Nokia Wins

The Nokia Lumia 920 is thought to be the revolutionary device that Microsoft and Nokia have been craving. Nokia’s sales have been falling and MS is still waiting for Windows Phone to make it big. All eyes are on the Lumia 920 to change this with its high-end hardware and software. The collaborators are hoping that the Nokia Lumia 920 will be the ‘next iPhone’ and take them to the dizzying heights that Apple reached in 2007. The Lumia needs to actually take on the iPhone 5 first, though. So can it do it? Let’s see.

iPhone 5 vs Nokia Lumia 920

Apple is already engaged in battle against the Samsung Galaxy S3 for top title, and now it seems that the Nokia Lumia 920 is entering the fray at AT&T. Nokia has, in theory, the advantage thanks to a big screen, innovative design and UI, lots of colour choices, and a brilliant camera that tops the iPhone 5.

Screen: the Nokia Lumia 920 has a 4.5”, 332ppi 1,280x768p display. The iPhone 5 has a 4”, 326ppi, 1,136x640p screen, so the obvious winner is the Lumia given its better resolution and larger display.

Camera: The Nokia Lumia 920 has an 8.7MP camera and a 1.3MP front camera. It has autofocus, dual LED flash, Carl Zeiss optics and PureView. The iPhone 5 has an 8MP rear camera and a 1.2MP front camera. It can take stills and HD video at the same time, and has autofocus, LED flash, geo-tagging, panorama, Facetime and face detection. The Lumia’s front camera is better than that of the iPhone 5, and the rear camera is the best one around for low light, so the Nokia Lumia 920 wins another point.

Storage: The iPhone 5 wins here as it has more options – 16, 32 and 64GB. The Lumia only comes in 32GB.

Connectivity: Both phones support 2G, 3G and 4G LTE, but the Nokia Lumia 920 has the added wireless charging, NFC, and uses a standard micro USB cable for charging instead of proprietary tech like the lightning connector. So it wins here, too.

Operating systems: Very different – the Nokia Lumia 920 has Windows Phone 8 and the iPhone 5 has iOS 6. The iPhone 5 wins because of the size of the App Store. We have to give credit where it’s due to the Nokia Lumia 920 though as its UI is unique and stunning. Nokia has also put some native apps into the Lumia 920 like Nokia Maps and Lens Caps, but this isn’t enough to overthrow the 700,000-plus apps open to the iPhone 5. It’ll be some time before Windows Marketplace catches up!

Battery: The Nokia Lumia 920 has a 2,000mAh battery and the iPhone 5 has a 1,440mAh offering. The iPhone 5 should give around eight hours of talk on 3G and 2G, and give 225 hours of standby. The Nokia Lumia 920 should offer around 17 hours of talk on 2G and 3G, and last for up to 400 hours on standby – a clear win for Nokia (on paper at least).

Design: The iPhone 5 comes in black or white, and the Nokia Lumia 920 comes in a rainbow of red, black, white, yellow and grey. Two gorgeous phones, and it’s a draw, really, as you can’t choose between the two.

Price: An AT&T Nokia Lumia 920 is $99.99 on a two-year contract. The iPhone 5 starts at $199.99 for a 16GB model, then it’s $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB. The Nokia wins again.

The Nokia Lumia 920 won five categories compared to two for the iPhone 5. So it’s looking good for the Lumia. However its reach is limited as it’s only out on AT&T and it doesn’t have the reputation of the iconic iPhone. So while this is far from being an iPhone killer, it is a good start and will no doubt build Windows Phone rep over next year. And you should remember that even the first iPhone started out like this, it was an AT&T exclusive with a very small App Store, and look at it now!