Mid-Range Device: Nokia Lumia 830

The Lumia 830, which we just reviewed, is at the top end of the Nokia mid-range smartphone lineup. Armed with the same SoC as the other mid-range devices, it trumps them with a more premium feel and a surprisingly decent PureView camera. The five inch display also has the mid-range specs of 1280x720, and it has LTE support.

The one major downside to the Lumia 830 is the SoC though, which is underpowered compared to other devices in this price range. It does not stop Windows Phone from being quick to respond and fluid in motion, but it can hamper app loading times and performance within apps. The Lumia 830 has seen a quicker than normal worldwide availability though, which is a bonus. Prices can vary from region to region, from $0 to $100 on-contract pricing. Off-contract pricing can vary as well, but it is available at or around $360 outright from the right retailers. There are a couple of variants, so be sure to get the one that supports your local frequencies if purchasing from anyone other than your cellular provider.

  Nokia Lumia 830
SoC MSM8926 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 400
RAM/NAND 1 GB LPDDR2, 16 GB NAND + microSD 128 GB
Display 5.0” 1280x720 IPS ClearBlack LCD Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Network GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSPA/LTE up to 150 Mbps
Dimensions 139.4 x 70.7 x 8.5 (mm)
Weight 150 grams
Rear Camera 10MP, 1.1 µm pixels, 1/3.4" 16x9 CMOS, f/2.2, 26 mm focal length, LED Flash
Front Camera 0.9MP wide angle, f/2.4, 1280x720 video resolution
Battery BV-L4A 2200 mAh, 3.8 V, 7.04 Wh
OS Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim Firmware
Connectivity 802.11 a/b/g/n + BT 4.0, USB2.0, DLNA, FM Radio
Location Technologies Cellular and Wi-Fi network positioning, A-GPS, A-GLONASS, BeiDou
SIM Size Nano SIM

If you are not someone who craves the latest and greatest SoC, the Lumia 830 is a great choice with a good in-hand feel, a thin body,  and light design. The removable back also has Qi wireless charging and gives access to the replaceable battery and microSD slot.

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  • Zizy - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link

    I wouldn't grant flagship win. Both have serious drawbacks I find unacceptable in flagships - one lacks camera, the other misses battery. Either might not be an issue for you, but for a flagship this is a rather large compromise.
    Budget - if 4" is too small, get Blu Win HD. Lumia 535 if you live in India. 6xx make no sense, except if you really want that better graphics in snapdragon 400.
  • Flunk - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link

    Blu Win HD is twice as much as the Blu Win Jr. In fact, the Blu Win Jr was on sale for $49 at the Microsoft store with no contract a few days ago.
  • SeleniumGlow - Thursday, December 4, 2014 - link

    The Blu Win HD has been launched as the LAVA Iris Win1 in India (Both have the same body design, SoC, RAM, display and battery). It costs about INR 5000 ~ $90.

    I wonder who the ODM is for Blu and LAVA...
  • garretelder - Thursday, December 4, 2014 - link

    Why get a Windows phone in the first place? Why not get a REAL phone? /Garret at http://www.topreport.org/phones/
  • Gunbuster - Thursday, December 4, 2014 - link

    So the site you're advertising claims the HTC One M8 is the best phone. You do know the M8 comes in a Windows Phone model right?

    Derp Derp Derp.
  • lithium451 - Thursday, December 4, 2014 - link

    "Why not get a REAL phone?"

    That "gag" was old 2 years ago. In light of comparisons between wp 8.1 and android 5.0 not only is it old, it's dumb.
  • JoBalz - Wednesday, January 7, 2015 - link

    Lithium451. I'm in complete agreement with you after having actually used Windows Phone 8.1 for several days. And that's not even taking into account Cortana, which I feel is the crown jewel of the OS. I'm already finding it very useful, it's provided accurate info for EVERY question I've thrown up to it, and I can see it's a useful feature that I WOULD like to see MS carry over to Windows 10. The OS is fast, I find it intuitive to use, and from a personal standpoint I find the UI beautiful. I've spent a couple of hours playing around getting my tiles just the way I like them so that live tiles providing news and weather info as well as phone and camera functions are the first thing I see when I move from the lock screen. I think the "losers" are the ones that refuse to ever even consider trying WP 8.1 a "test drive".
  • JoBalz - Wednesday, January 7, 2015 - link

    I find WP 8.1 a REAL phone. It does the job I want it to do and does it well. I've found all the apps I want for it so that's not a problem. While I hated the Metro look on the desktop, I actually like it very much on a phone. It's already proving very useful with the weather reports and adviseries on the live tiles during the deep freeze we're going through this week. And surprisingly I find WP 8.1 much more intuitive to figure out how to use than Android (and I absolutely refuse to pay the Apple tax for an overhyped iPhone). If droid or iOS work for you, fine, but your condescension against Windows Phone OS is simply your personal opinion, not backed up by any facts, just a bash-Microsoft canned response.
  • Drumsticks - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link

    I'm still disappointed in Microsoft, even though I'll give them a few months to make things right. The decision to not ship the 830 with something like a snapdragon 610, and also not even having a hint of another high end Lumia for the holiday season is just frustrating.

    Unfortunately, I think personally that the UI and general use is way better than Apple or Android. So I'll give them a few months past my upgrade to impress me.
  • Luc K - Wednesday, December 3, 2014 - link

    There were several hints of new Microsoft flagship phones including 9xx and the 1030 with supposedly 30 mp camera. But yes not for this year. Reason I think is upcoming windows 10. That will be a big change and will consolidate all devices into 1 OS with larger app compatibility. That will take until next year but should be interesting (if you can wait that is...).

    Not sure if faster chip would be something to wait for. I don't think that's an issue with the 830. But a nicer display and 1020 camera would be great.

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