Posting from Las Vegas: Microsoft and Nokia are betting big on the Lumia 900, the Windows Phone officially unveiled here this week at the Consumer Electronics Show. It’s a big phone, with a 4.3 inch screen, coming to AT&T’s 4G LTE network.
So what’s it like? The devices were literally tethered to the belts of the Nokia reps at the company’s booth here, for security purposes, but I was still able to hold one and get a feel for it for quite a while this afternoon. Here are the two things that stood out most to me.
1. It feels great in the hand. Yes, it’s a big phone, but it doesn’t seem heavy, and the weight distribution is good. This might sound odd, but the best way I can describe it is that it felt like holding a gigantic second-generation iPod nano.
2. That tiny ridge around the edge of the screen is going to take some getting used to. I did my best to capture it in the picture above. (Click for a larger version.) The smaller Lumia 800 has a curved screen that makes for a more seamless edge, but the larger screen of the Lumia 900 makes that more difficult. The ridge is not a deal-breaker, but it affects the overall aesthetic. I’m not sure if I like it.
Here’s a picture comparing the size of the Lumia 900 to an iPhone 4S.