Nokia Lumia 830 Review: Can a Flagship Be Affordable?

Nokia Lumia 830 Review: Can a Flagship Be Affordable?

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We review the Lumia 830!

The Lumia 830 was met with a lot of resistance when it was announced a few months ago by Microsoft. Announced as a value flagship, the Lumia 830 was unique in the world of flagships as it didn’t pack flagship-level hardware. The spec sheet of the Lumia 830 reads something like a mid-range smartphone would bear, but as we find out in this review, hardware isn’t always everything.

Nokia Lumia 830 Spec Sheet

  • 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor
  • Adreno 305 GPU
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 5-inch, IPS ClearBlack display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, 720 x 1280 resolution
  • 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 128GB
  • 10-megapixel rear camera with PureView technology, Carl Zeiss optics, OIS, AF and LED flash
  • 0.9-megapixel front camera
  • WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC
  • 3G, LTE
  • Microsoft Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim update
  • 2200mAh battery
  • SRP: Php 18,990

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Takes a page out of the 930’s design and makes it better

The Lumia 830 is quite similar to its bigger brother, the 930 when it comes to design. You’re still getting a smartphone with a beautiful aluminum frame, but the back is now removable, unlike the one on the 930. That means you’re able to supplement the 16GB of storage that’s built-in to the device. Take note that the 830 uses a nano-SIM, so you’ll probably be cutting your SIM if you’re not coming from an iPhone.

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Like the 930, the 830 feels really solid and the quality of the build is top notch. Lumia devices are generally high quality smartphones and the 830 is not an exception. The 830 actually does one better than its bigger brother – it’s somewhat thinner and less chunky, which makes it more manageable. And while it’s still pretty hefty, it feels a bit lighter as well. You’re also getting many of the features that made the Lumia 930 great, which includes NFC and wireless charging.

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All the physical controls are located on the right of the device, which includes the volume rocker and power key. The Lumia 830 also has a hardware camera shutter located on the lower right side, a few mm below the power key which makes it easier to take snaps with the phone’s 10.1-megapixel rear camera.

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The 5-inch display is topped off by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 solution. The glass on the panel is actually a bit higher than the aluminum frame surrounding it, though it tapers down gently where glass meets aluminum, a design feature also present on the Lumia 930.

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As far as the actual display goes, the 5-inch HD ClearBlack IPS display does a good job, though people pining for the saturated colors of the AMOLED panel on the 930 may be disappointed with the 830. Still, the color reproduction and saturation on the 830 is pretty good, and has more than generous viewing angles, which isn’t a big surprise.

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Windows Phone has come of age

We’re not going to go into detail about Windows Phone 8.1 since we’ve covered it before in other reviews that we’ve done in the past, suffice to say that the OS has matured enough to the point that it has roughly the same core features of both Android and iOS. For the 830, you’ll also be getting a couple of cool features including the Lumia Selfie app, as well as the Lumia Glance screen. The Glance screen is noteworthy because it gives you information about messages and reminders straight on the display without having to unlock your device.

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Of course, apps selection is still challenging, though a lot of key Android apps (like Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, etc.) is now on Windows Phone. Android faithful hesitant to leave the fold because of contact transfer hassles (and email sync nightmares) can now connect their Gmail accounts and contacts list straight to the OS without any issues.

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Not so flagship hardware

The Lumia 830 uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 400 processor paired with 1GB of RAM. While Qualcomm’s processor managed to power through the Windows OS with little to no lag, things get a bit interesting when it comes to gaming. Some games, Like Gameloft’s rather simple Asphalt Overdrive felt smooth, with little to no instance of lag. The developer’s more intense title, Asphalt 8, was a different story. While it never felt laggy to the point of frustration, there’s certainly some lag when there’s a lot of visual elements on the screen, which is a stark reminder that the hardware is still mid-range, even if Microsoft positions the 830 as a value flagship.

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Microsoft’s PureView tech on decidedly mid-range hardware

One of the big changes that we’ve seen with the 830 is that while the image sensor is far below what we’d call high-end, Microsoft has still opted to put in their Pureview tech to improve the overall image quality. It’s not all about pixels after all – sometimes image stabilization and software improvements go a long way to improving overall image quality.

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In this regard the 10-megapixel camera did great, in both brightly lit environments and low light. Of course when the lights go down you’re going to have a bit of trouble in regards to noise and loss of detail, but it’s not unusable at all especially if it’s simply going to go to either your Facebook or Instagram. In short, the Lumia 830 has a pretty kick-ass camera even though it’s saddled with a relatively low-resolution sensor.

All-day battery life

If there’s one thing Windows Phone-powered devices are known for, it’s impressive battery life and the 830 is no exception. On our battery loop test, the 830 managed to run for an impressive 10 hours and 13 minutes before dying which is actually over Microsoft’s estimated video run time for the 830 (and making it one of the more boring loop tests we’ve done). In actual use, the 830 lasted for around a day, with a little bit more left in the tank when we woke the next day, which is impressive.

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Verdict: an affordable alternative to high-end devices

Whether you’re sold on the idea of “value flagships” or not, one thing is certain – the Lumia 830 presents an excellent value proposition, especially when you consider what’s in it. Sure, it’s not the bleeding edge when it comes to specs, but processor and hardware is just one of the factors that make smartphones great. The Lumia 830 is greater than the sum of its parts, and whether or not you believe what Microsoft says, it’s one of the better smartphones out there.

The Microsoft Lumia 830 retails for only Php 18,990.

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