We've launched our new website, we would love to hear your thoughts & feedback.

Close X

[Editorial] Why the Lumia 920 trounces the iPhone 5

posted on Sep 12th 2012 at 6:43pm by Ashley King

Oh how far the great have fallen. Today’s iPhone 5 announcement was interesting to behold not because of any new innovative features that Apple has come out with, but because of just how lackluster the new device actually is. Everything the Cupertino company hailed as revolutionary has already been done in one form or another and people are starting to notice it. Even die-hard critics of Windows Phone are suddenly looking at the Lumia 920 as something fresh and innovative on the market, where as just a few years ago holding out for the new iPhone was a trend.

So what happened? Apple started playing catch up. The company releases only one smartphone in a year, when major Android manufacturers and even Nokia will have released two. The Lumia 900 debuted in April of this year, with the Lumia 920 scheduled to hit shelves some time in November. That’s just under six months of innovation when Apple has had over a year to get things right, yet it’s still missing crucial things that most Android and Windows Phones have.

So what’s innovative about the iPhone 5? It has a 4″ screen. The Lumia 920 has a 4.5″ screen. The Lumia 900 and the Lumia 800, released a year before it had 4.3″ and 4″ screens respectively. With the added screen real estate, Apple were able to add a fifth row for icons. You know, that row of icons that sits on your screen doing nothing but occasionally offering a red bubble with a number in it. Those. Another row of those.

It also has a camera infused with sapphire-based technology, or so I’ve heard. Apple had a good jab at Nokia after displaying images taken by the new iPhone and the iPod Touch, but I have a feeling we’ll see PureView stabilization wins out over what the new iPhone 5 has. Nokia had a severe misstep in not being upfront and honest about their OIS stabilization presentation, but once consumers get the devices in their hands, the technology will speak for itself.

With the new screen size, Apple has willingly introduced fragmentation into its walled garden that it previously touted as having just one resolution and screen size to worry about. Suddenly all the vitriol the company was hurling Google’s way looks a bit hypocritical. Amidst all this, Apple announced an update to iTunes and iOS 6 and that’s it. No extra apps, no extra innovation. Nokia announced several new apps including the innovative City Lens pictured above. That’s just one of the apps Windows Phone 7/8 users have in their arsenal.

Suddenly, Apple is looking a lot less significant in this Game of Phones.

  • http://www.2girls1game.com Sarah

    I’ve never been an Apple fangirl, so I admit I’m rather amused watching Apple play catch-up after years of so-called supremacy. The Lumia 920 truly seems like a revolutionary device and it’ll be interesting to see what happens once these devices get in the hands of consumers for some up close and personal compare and contrast.

  • Pookiewood

    I think this is hilarious that Apple showed little improvement over last years model. With that being said, they will have a device out in a few weeks. Nokia unfortunately won’t. Not saying it’s Nokia’s fault, MS needs to get a move on WP8. Delays happen but this is a critical moment since Apple took a mistep here.

  • Joe_Fedewa

    Game of Phones. Nice lol.

  • http://davidvkimball.com/ David V. Kimball

    Since the 4S, iPhone’s innovation has sort of come to a standstill…
    Windows Phone 8 is going to become a force to recon with.
    Now’s your chance, Microsoft and Nokia! Show ‘em what’s up!

  • http://twitter.com/EShy EShy

    It’s all true and somehow I get the feeling the iPhone 5 will outsell the Lumia 920.
    When the 4S came out, it was just a spec upgrade and it’s their best selling iPhone. the 5 will be out in three weeks, with a standard price and nothing else in the carrier stores next to it that has the best OS, WP8, running on it for users to compare, it will have a big launch.
    And just like blockbuster movies, once it sells a few millions in the first week, people would assume it’s a good phone since everyone is getting it.
    Microsoft’s plan, a launch event on a Monday (10/29) with the devices in stores on the following Friday (11/02) is great, assuming they can create some buzz at that launch event (which would’ve been easier if they didn’t have Samsung, Nokia and HTC showing off their phones so early). The windows 8 launch (including the Surface RT and OEM tablets) on the Friday before would also help. They just need to get the phones to stores right next to the new tablets (Best Buy, Target, Walmart, etc.)

  • http://twitter.com/EShy EShy

    I remember when the 4S came out, the story was that Jobs wasn’t as involved with that one, since he was already very sick and preferred to concentrate on something else. at the time people assumed it was the iphone 5 and that it would be a big change but now it looks like maybe it was the Apple TV (the set-top box replacement, not what they have out now). of course that product will never see the light of day if cable companies have anything to do with it (and they do)

  • http://twitter.com/YanivC Yaniv C

    Im starting to think the whole “Nokia got caught” was a hoax. You know what they say… any press is good press! I cannot simply see where Nokia would have let that happen. As the article says, the PureView technology speaks for itself. They didn’t NEED to do it…. AND THAT is where I see this as a hoax. Simply because they didnt need to. Just a hunch is all Im sayin :)

  • http://www.gamesobscura.com/ themizarkshow

    I think the point we are all missing in this is that Apple started the revolution and despite not having the largest market-share, leads the App charge and tablet market. They don’t have to innovate as heavily each revision. They have their users hooked into their ecosystem (going as far back as the iPod) and leaving would be expensive.

    Nokia HAS to innovate to be relevant. Apple, at this point in the mobile game, does not.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1368032580 James E. Burkett

    No I don’t think that was his point at all. His point was simply that while Apple continually talks of innovation, they utterly failed to innovate in this iteration of the iPhone.