HTC 8X vs. Nokia Lumia 920: Battle Of The Windows Phone 8 Smartphones

By Anu Passary | Sep 21, 2012 01:05 PM EDT

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The battle for the Windows Phone 8 (WP8) market is heating up. The Sept. 19 unveiling of HTC's 8X follows close on the heels of two other much-touted WP8 smartphones: Samsung's ATIV S and Nokia's Lumia 920.

At first glance it would seem that the HTC 8X and Lumia 920 are physically identical and sport a unibody design. However, the smartphones pack more than meets the eye. Here is a look at how the two high-end WP8 devices stack up against each other.

Display

The HTC 8X features a 4.3-inch HD touch screen with 1280x720 pixels resolution. The Lumia 920, on the other hand, has a slightly bigger 4.5-inch curved glass WXGA LCD display with 1280x768 pixels resolution. Resolution on both smartphones will be similar, with HTC having a slight edge with its higher pixel density of 341 ppi versus the Lumia's 332 ppi. Additionally, the HTC smartphone employs LCD 2 display, whereas the Lumia 920 has the PureMotion HD+, which has a superfast refresh rate and according to Nokia, "is better than HD resolution." Lumia 920 users can access the touchscreen even while wearing gloves.

Weight and Measurements

At 130g, the HTC 8X is lighter than the Lumia 920, which weighs 185g. The HTC 8X is 0.39 inches thick when compared to the Lumia 920's 0.40-inch thickness. However, the Nokia handset measures 5.1 x 2.78 inches, compared to the HTC smartphone's 5.2 x 2.6 inches dimensions.

Operating System and Processor

Both smartphones run on the latest Windows Phone 8 OS complete with its interactive "Live Tiles" interface. Both the HTC 8X and the Lumia 920 pack in a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Processor with 1GB of RAM.

Camera
The Lumia 920 sports an 8.7-megapixel rear-facing camera with the much-touted PureView technology along with autofocus, dual LED flash. By contrast, the HTC 8X offers an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with a BSI sensor, autofocus, and LED flash. The HTC smartphone has a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, compared to Nokia's 1.2-megapixel one.

Storage
The HTC 8X comes in a 16GB model, compared to the Lumia 920's 32GB of on-board storage capacity, giving the Nokia smartphone a clear edge. Additionally, the Lumia 920 offers 7GB of free SkyDrive storage. Even though Microsoft offers SkyDrive storage for all WP8 devices, HTC did not make announcements that it would be offering the service for free. Neither phone comes with an expandable memory option via a microSD card slot.

Battery
The Lumia 920 has a 2000mAh battery, which Nokia claims is the biggest battery it has ever installed in a smartphone. Additionally, tech experts opine that Nokia's much-touted Qi wireless charging technology is likely to attract more consumers. On the other hand, a smaller 1800mAh battery powers the HTC 8X. However, given that the Lumia 920 sports a bigger screen than the HTC 8X, it will require more power when compared to the HTC offering.

Availability, Pricing, and Colors
The HTC 8X is available in California Blue, Graphite Black, Flame Red, and Limelight Yellow. The Lumia 920 will be available in yellow, red, white, gray, and black variants.

The HTC is expected hit the shelves in November and will likely sport a $199.99 tag and will be available on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Nokia is yet to announce the pricing and the carriers and rumors indicate that the Lumia 920 will launch either in October or November on AT&T in time for the holiday season.