Boxy phones are so 2009. Windows phones, if they ever were a thing, had their heyday during some brief moment in history that historians can not agree on. Nokia, however, boldly spits in the faces of those who hold these opinions by releasing a boxy Windows phone in 2014. And some people love it.
The Nokia Lumia Icon looks as if you must take your time before placing the phone to your face lest the sharp corners bruise your cheek. The interface has a distinct Windows look to remind you just who’s running this here smartphone. The screen is only 5 inches, and the phone is 9.9mm thick and weighs as much as a Galaxy Note 3, which is a tablet-phone, or “phablet,” if you’re really with it. Either way, the aesthetics of this phone seem very out of date, and very unnecessary. It’s as if the Nokia team just came home from seeing Inglourious Basterds (at the movie theater!) and discovered some leftover smartphone shells and decided to make some use of them.
Consumer Reports rejects this superficial rant by commending the apparently excellent features of the Nokia Lumia Icon. The Icon’s camera interface is outstanding with high-powered auto settings for a great picture, and the vivid display has been touted as one of the best seen on any phone. The use of the Gorilla Glass 3 is always a good thing; there is way less of a chance of being a part of the Cracked Screen Team with the proven endurance of this brand’s quality. The phone also carries a high-powered Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 2.2GHz chipset with 32GB of storage, but doesn’t have a microSD card slot. The battery might not make it through the whole day, but its wireless charging capabilities make that slightly more bearable.
All in all, whether or not you will like the newest Nokia Lumia is really up to your preferences. If your smartphone is an accessory to your outfit, you are likely to pass this one up for a sleeker phone with similar capabilities. If you are loyal to the Windows brand, the Icon might be the phone for you– its insides are definitely souped up, and its smaller size enables you to finally fit your phone back in your pocket again.
Image via NDN