Some smartphones are so thin they slip from your hand like wet haddock. Not so with the Lumia 930, a chunky delicacy that’s more like gripping a heifer’s ankle. First thing you notice about the phone is the luscious 5-inch 1080p display. Games, text, video and images drip off the screen in high resolution. Some of the colours can appear over-saturated on the AMOLED screen. Switching between apps is smooth, thanks to a Snapdragon processor. The latest Wi-Fi technology makes browsing the web effortless.
The home screen is a line-up of Live Tiles – the call button is shoved away in the corner, which says a lot about today’s phones, but this can be customised. Windows Phone 8.1 is the best operating system on Microsoft phones so far. You can set wallpaper in the Live Tiles background (unheard of before) and you have your own digital slave. Cortana is a chip off Siri’s block. Unlike the iPhone’s resident monkey butler, Cortana makes an effort to get to know you - it remembers your details, and changes suggestions according to your likes. No one wants to talk to a machine. Unlike bank managers, Cortana actually listens.
Other apps include Nokia Beamer: a mobile projector that can show your phone’s screen on any device connected to the internet, whether a living room television, or a friend’s tablet. Nokia Storyteller creates stories from your photos, based on where and when they were taken. The camera is one of Lumia 930’s best assets. The addition of a dedicated shutter button allows you to take pictures on the hoof, rather than scurrying around for the appropriate tile. The 20 megapixel lens produces crystal-sharp images. Photos are brimming with detail and colour, even in low light conditions.
One of the best Windows phones ever made? No doubt about it.