Discussion on:

Nokia Lumia 900 teardown reveals mediocre hardware, reasons for great price

As I outline in my Lumia 900 teardown, Nokia kept the handset's price down by going with good, but not cutting edge hardware. However in our real-world tests, the phone's overall performance is about the same as that of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Apple iPhone 4S.

When you're looking for a new phone, what tops your list of criteria--hardware, operating system, available apps?

What you just said does NOT equal "mediocre".
Not-cutting-edge equals Modest but Stable.
And if the engineering makes it equal to cutting edge devices, then that makes that a BIG plus.

Mediocre on the other hands creates the expectation of a BIG minus.

Remember that a lot of people only read the headline.

I just don't agree that the word "mediocre" conotes a "BIG minus". I equate mediocre as average, and I believe some of the hardware on the Lumia 900 is just average when compared to the competition--especially when Samsung releases the next Galaxy S and Apple releases the iPhone 5.

Mediocre is only ever used to denigrate. Where Average can be cast in a good light (= not bad), mediocre is only used for a negative spin (= not good), it also has distinct connotations of "lackluster", "half-baked" etc.
So, when people read "mediocre hardware" instead of "average hardware" or even "so-so hardware" or "lackluster hardware", they're going to get a mental image of a device made cutting corners, rather than what you describe, a device well made, but without "killer hardware".

Today, with only two players on this venue, any newcomer willing to succeed must place itself into the middle. From this perspective the "Middle Way" doctrine translated into the romanic word "mediocrus" may be the best approach for a company historically relying on the Gaussian distribution.

In english, if you noticed, you never used "mediocre" as a translation for "mediocrus".

If I call your argumentation mediocre, does that help you see my point?
After all, calling your argumentation "average" doesn't really sting, does it?

is the author of the blog post. Evident attempt to smear Windows Phone.

Since either that date is almost a year away, or already almost a month gone
by, I think you meant April 8, 2012...
Anyhow, your review was "OK". I don't have any plans to purchase a new
phone for myself, I still just use an aging Samsung Blackjack (5 yrs old).
My wife and daughter love the Samsung Focus phones I gave them for
Christmas though! They are snappy, battery life is pretty good, all day
with almost constant use.

Hmmmm, c'mon Bill...

I corrected the article and posted a note at the bottom about the corrected date.

I must have had my mind still stuck in March. That was a typo that has been fixed.

After all, a L-1000 would have to be more "killer" than a mere nine hundred.
Now they won't have to go with mimetic poly-alloy

Perhaps Ansu should look-up the meaning of "Mediocre" - nevermind, I did it for you:

mediocre (comparative more mediocre, superlative most mediocre)
Ordinary: not extraordinary; not special, exceptional, or great; of medium quality;
Ex: The WP OS is mediocre at best.

Looks like he nailed the title!

Apple shills should at least understand the marketing value of the above.

WinPho is optimised for lower hardware specs (regarding memory and CPU). Take for example, every app in windows phone starts in max 5 sec(this is a MSFT requirement-it's not optional-this is because the specs aren't a problem for the OS even for 0.8-1 ghz processors), where iOS apps start in 10 secs min.

Nokia didn't pack a dual/quad core because WP7 doesn't allow multicore processors yet. And the ram, 512 are enough.

The resolution isn't an issue, it's something iOS fans seem to need to point out, just because. Lets get serious.. 800x480 for a 4.3 is enough.. of course a bigger resolution would be great, but it's not a big problem.

Start judging correctly, Apple had its issues (ANTENNAGate, heating 4s, bad battery for iOS5, lack of 4g) for its phones but that didn't break the deal. Lumia 800/900 is a great phone.

And again, WP is set to have 100 000 apps by late May.

I have a few concerns with this article. It sounds like the writer is reviewing a different phone as he mentions an entirely different screen size - 3.7" - in the opening of the article but then switches to another resolution which is correct - 4.3" - later on. It sounds like it was intended to review the Lumia 800 but then the 900 was used; either way, the discrepancy there raised my eyebrow as I started to read.

As well, I'm not sure the author is familiar with the requirements of the Windows Phone system as outlined by Microsoft. There are only 2 resolutions permitted with WP7 - 480x800 and 320x480 (which I do not believe was ever deployed in a device). This was so developers would have standard screen resolutions to work with (I have a developer background and part of my business role is to understand that limitations and uses of various mobile devices). (Similar goal of the iOS devices, whereas Android is all over the board.) It should note that this is a WP7 requirement, not anything to do with the device itself, so implying that the OS restriction for resolution is a fault of the device is incorrect and should be excluded from this comparison. (And really, comparing anything to the retina display on the iPhone 4S is unfair to any other device...)

The battery life discussion is valid - it all depends on how you use it - but more time is spent on other devices vs. what is permissible. The article says "According to Nokia, the Lumia can provide up to 7 hours of talk time." OK, that's fine, but when doing an article about the device hardware, what is the result of an actual test? The author indicates he has actuvely tested the scenario with the other 2 devices being compared, but a real-world test on this device using the same kind of functionalities would be welcomed.

I feel that the article did not go into depth on the details of the device and provide the real experience of the device. The associated article mentioned for a business perspective provided a more realistic view. The video explained some of the elements in more detail with respect to the hardware, but the article should also be used to support the information in the video for those of us who are also looking on an iOS or WP7 device (which does not have Flash and cannot view the video).

CAVEAT: I am not a WP7 only guy, but I was hoping for a more balanced article that focused on the hardware and not talking about OS limitations which is a different beast. I do own a WP7 device, but also do I have an iPhone 4 (not 4S), 2 iPod Touches (2nd and 4th Gen), a BlackBerry Curve (which I loathe but am required to have for business), and an Acer Iconia Tablet running Honeycomb. Each device has strengths and weaknesses, but either it should be a full device comparison of OS/hardware combined compared or separate OS and hardware and compare those.

"Apple is all about choice with the iPhone, which comes in 16-, 32-, and 64GB versions."
I can't believe you wrote that! (Pretty much all other phones have microSD card slots, plenty of choice.)

So, if Windows Phone 7.5 runs this good on mediocre hardware, I think that shows how great an OS Windows Phone 7.5 is.

I read your article and here is your description of the Lumia 900:

Solid, sturdy feel.
Good build-quality.
Good nice display.
Very responsive and did not suffer any noticeable lag.
Given my experience, the phone has a chance.
Most affordable.
Slightly thicker, heavier (to me this is a positive considering how we treat/mistreat those phones).
Only 16GB (Why didn???t you mention the free 25GB in SkyDrive?).

The definition of mediocre (Merriam-Webster) is: of moderate low quality, value, ability, or performance. Your description of the phone does not reflect the meaning of the word mediocre.

At the end, 95%+ of the users will have a great experience. We already have the Samsung Focus S in the family and we are waiting to get the Lumia 900.

I am not a tech guy and I don't work for Microsoft or Nokia.

I am sorry to realize that the quality and objectivity of the tech industry reviewers/writers is getting more and more similar to the "reality TV" and "sensational news".

Have a great day.

Even the Spec sheet from Nokia says CLEARLY that it's a 4.3" display, as cited at the bottom of your post. Ever hear of proof reading or fact checking?

Nokia has not yet announce that this phone will get Windows Phone 8 when it comes out later this fall or early next year. Low phone price may be taking that into account, but I still think it would be a mistake for Nokia/Microsoft not to make their flagship phone (at least to this point) get Windows Phone 8 upgrade (unless this hardware can't support it). IF a bunch of users adopt the phone and then are shut out in the cold, it could kill any momentum that Nokia and WP might gain.

I don't have an iPhone, an Android phone or a WP7 phone. That's why I wanted to read this article - I wanted my next phone purchase to be informed.

This article didn't help. Errors and omissions don't really make for a great article, Bill, and tend to make the reader question the accuracy and quality of other aspects of the content, too. Battery life "up to" statements display a laziness on the part of the writer who obviously couldn't be bothered to use the devices in a constant real-world environment in order to get useful data.

I am surprised and disappointed at the quality of this article. The writer, as well as the editor who sanctioned it, ought to be ashamed.

You can't really insist that a device has a mid-range processor, RAM, battery, screen, etc. and yet simultaneously call it a high-end device. Once you consider that the Qualcomm S2's CPU, a slightly tweaked A8 design, actually slower than on Galaxy Nexus cores -- not to mention dual RAM buses on the Nexus and the 4S, this is not in their league.

For consumers, the GPU also matters, and the 900 's Adreno GPU doesn't even best that of the iPhone 3GS. Sure, OS makes a small difference, but ultimately it's the app vs. your hardware. I know most Windows Phone apps are simpler than iOS or Android apps today, but if WinPhone is successful, or if these move to Windows 8, the big apps and bigger OS will get here quick.

And while it's fun to take stuff apart, this article didn't reveal much that wasn't clear from the spec sheet. And sure, low cost is a way for Nokia and Microsoft to find a niche without the need to compete with "superphones". Thing is, this isn't all that competitive with other $99 phones. Like tge iPhone 4 or Galaxy SII, Motorola Droid Bionic or RAZR, HTC Vivid, all sorts of not-quite super but still very capable devices. Competition is kinda crazy. If you must have Windows Phone, the Nokia is a good choice. But that's the only reason... it really doesn' t compete on specs

The one thing that surprised me on the 900 was the GPU. Microsoft has pretty thrown their business users under the bus to end Windows Mobile (which still outsold Windows Phone in 2011), they revamped the UI to be maybe too simple but very much a consumer-pointed platform, they seem to be risking their whole desktop franchise to push mobile. The 900 may not be high-end, but it is flagship -- and the first flagship out of the Nokia/Microsoft "special relationship". And the most satisfied of all Microsoft customers? X-Boxers. So why is this the worst gaming phone yet released in 2012?

C stands for CRAP !

BUT, who expected any different?? Bomber sends over his hand-pick automaton to gut Nokia...tries to make the world believe that Microshaft was going to produce a superior product to anyone else.. AND FAILED.!!!

This is new news for Bomber?? I don't think so... ALL of his endeavors have been failures..Even HE is a failure...

If " ..... Lumia???s overall performance on par with the other two phones" then what is "Mediocre" other than the editor's title?

I was a Microsoftian until I tested Linux and its variants (OpenSUSE, Ubuntu, Debian and so on), including Android of course. The Open Source Operating System is really thin and efficient. My question is: ??Why Microsoft is lag compared with the competition on the smartphone market? and Why Microsoft is losing share on the Backend computing market?. It's not exactly because of its OS efficiency. I don't think Bill Bates is losing Billions of dollars (as opportunity costs) daily in the smartphone market because "strategy" or "Marketing" reasons. Don't waste time, It's because its OS inefficiency. By the way, I congratulate Microsoft software engineers. Its not easy to fit a Mammoth inside an smartphone. Regards.

New Zealand the 800 is $899NZD so may need a mortgage for the 900

Nokia got Nokia drive/maps included. And some other nice stuff to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNiXANtFMC0

"As for battery testing, we are always given enough time with a device to perform complete run down tests and sometimes have to rely on the manufacturers estimates--such was the case with the Lumia 900. "

Seriously, you have to get someone to proofread your stuff, because it seems you don't. In trying to explain your own errors, omissions- particularly ommissions, etc, you write this??? Need I provide an explanation of my point? Not. Imagine how much grief you could spare yourself if you took that extra minute or two.
There seems to be a bit of a discussions on semantics going on here re 'mediocre'. For my two cents' worth (though since we're getting rid of the penny up here, I guess down the road, two cents' worth will actually become even more worthless than it is now), I tend to side with the majority of the contrarians to your word of choice. Not a deal breaker for me, though. Since I mostly use my phone as a (gasp!) phone and for work related email, and my life doesn't revolve around having an electronic toy in my hands 24/7, this puppy sounds like a pretty good fit for me. Have to see who's providing them up here.

thanks for this bill, i enjoy these tear downs
how come no comparison of the camera?

Bill,
I am trying to replace a shattered screen. I can't seem to get to the front locking pin using the SIM tool "at an angle." Do you have video or tips on that part of the operation?

Does anybody know which of these components would be the vibration motor?

i have had the lumia 900 since july and it is an amazing phone. i am on it so much every day and just as long as i charge it up everynight i am good to go. the hardware issue with bing and tellme popping up is the only thing from saying it is the best phone from ever existing