Nokia Lumia 830

“The Nokia Lumia 830 is the affordable flagship Microsoft is pitching it as. It's got top-notch specs in every key aspect of the phone and comes with a competitive mid-range price. We get a solid build with metal frame plus a curved protective screen glass and a matte finish on the back. There is the 5 IPS display of excellent quality, enhanced with ClearBlack tech as well. The Snapdragon 400 chipset runs buttery smooth on that 720p resolution, too. And, of course, let's not forget the 10MP PureView camera with ZEISS optics and optical image stabilization.”

“Here's where things get weird: The Nokia Lumia 1020 is currently at a fire-sale price of $49 from both AT&T and the official Microsoft Store. The Lumia 1020 has a better camera, more storage, and similar performance for $50 less than the Lumia 830, so I genuinely can't figure out why you'd get this one instead of that one.The Lumia 830 is also pincered between the $0.99 Lumia 635, which is a better entry-level device with decent performance, and the $199 HTC One (M8) for Windows, which has far superior app performance. (We haven't reviewed those phones on AT&T yet, but we've reviewed them for other carriers.)That's three phones we recommend over the Lumia 830, and that's just AT&T Windows Phones. At a similar $99 price point, you can also get the spectacular 2014 Moto X$0.00 at Amazon, with a better display, better body, and a wider range of Android apps, or an Apple iPhone 5s, which is tiny, but has a better camera and a far better third-party app and game selection.”

“Nokia's Lumia 830 sets sail under the old flag one last time. The design strongly resembles that of the Lumia 930, and pleases with high-quality materials and an excellent build. This impression stretches over every detail. For example, both the SIM and micro-SD slot feature an eject mechanism, although they are not integrated into the frame. We have never seen anything like this before. The phone really feels like a flagship device when held in the hand.However, compromises are found in the details. The screen actually made a decent impression, and is satisfactory with its pleasing brightness and outstanding color reproduction. But the intense IPS glow in flat viewing angles was sometimes annoying, and the increased black level ruined the impression a little. The weak SoC is currently adequate, but what that will look like after the next major update of Windows Phone is difficult to forecast. In addition, the installed speaker is simply inferior.However, Microsoft has done many things right with the Lumia 830. The 16 GB storage is comparatively generous since 8 GB is still standard for mid-range smartphones. It can also be expanded by up to 128 GB - this is rare in this price range. The camera also made a good impression, and copes well, even in more difficult light conditions. The GPS receiver is also satisfactory with its decent performance.”

“While a very decent Windows Phone device, the Nokia Lumia 830 has a steep hill to climb against midrange Androids with its current price bordering on 300 USD or EUR. Windows Phone 8.1 is now a better mobile OS, and the Lumia 830 is promised for a Windows 10 update, too. We certainly can't complain about the out-of-the-box software that comes with the handset, but the ecosystem still lacks in terms of app count, so if you are coming from an Android handset, or an iPhone, some applications you know and love might not be there.The biggest advantages of the Lumia 830 against said Androids are the excellent sound recording ability that the three high-amplitude mics bring about, and the color-accurate display. Also, not many phones at that price point come with optical image stabilization for smooth and flawless videos. On the minus side, the earpiece call quality is not that good, flash shots are murky, and the chipset might stall at heavy 3D gaming.At this price point you can find many a formidable Android competitor, like the LG G2 and Huawei's Honor 6 with 1080p displays, faster chipsets, and a lighter build, while a Benjamin more would get you the LG G3 now, for instance. The arrival of Windows 10 might change things for the Lumia 830, but for now, unless you need quality video sound recording on the go, we'd advise to wait for the inevitable price drop.”