My #LumiaVoicesTrial*

When Microsoft contacted me to trial out the Lumia 930, of course I jumped at the opportunity. I have always been an iPhone girl and never really considered anything else, so I thought this would be an interesting product to review! Within a few days I had a parcel through the door and I won't lie, I danced with excitement. Now this won't be a technical review, it will be a review from a normal everyday girl. I won't be using advanced vocabulary, I'll just be chatting about how this phone fitted into my every day life. 

FIRST IMPRESSION

I was firstly met with a very slick and modernly designed box which instantly gave me a good first impression. Opening the box I found the phone, a usb charger, plug adapter and to my surprise, a wireless charger! I immediately turned the phone on and followed the simple start up instructions on screen.

LAYOUT.

The first huge difference I found with the Lumia 930 is the layout of the home screen. I am used to a macbook and iPhone so I was not familiar of this layout! At first the transition was hard to get used to but after a while I really started to appreciate the minimalist layout, a style that I try to apply to all aspects of life. The geometric design of the square tiles really satisfied me as I love things to be in line and look tidy, I also loved the ability to change the layout with no particular effort at all. I like that the phone offers two layouts in a way, you can have the tiles, or, you can slide left and view all of your apps in a long alphabetical list! 

CAMERA.

So let's talk camera. The camera presented within this phone is absolutely brilliant. The amount of detail picked up in the photos is like nothing I have experienced with a phone before. This said, the editing software available on the phone is also good for adding background blurring and basic edits to the highlights, shadows and tone. I found that I could take extremely clear photos and by clear I mean  you can zoom right in and the quality remains. I liked the camera options such as iso and focus, you don't usually get these advanced options on other phones. 

APPS. 

In terms of apps I was impressed with in built apps such as HERE Drive+ which was brilliant for directions. The calendar app is lay out in such a perfect way, I love the design of it as it's again minimalist yet still gives you all the information you need about appointments. One major app that I was oddly enthusiastic about was the alarm! For some reason the alarm tones on this phone woke me up gently and I didn't feel startled every morning! It seems odd to mention this but as a sufferer of anxiety, being woke up suddenly leaves me shaky for most of the day! 

SOCIAL APPS

As a blogger, I highly value social media tools such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. I was able to download all of these apps on the Lumia 930, however, I do prefer them on the iPhone. The Instagram app on the Lumia is a beta version and does not allow you to use the full set of editing tools that are available on apple devices. I was not used to the layout of the twitter app and Facebook app, however, this wasn't a problem to me. Although the Instagram app was not what I was used to, I do believe it will improve in the future, as do all apps. 

CORTANA

Wow, so Cortana was my best friend for two weeks. In a comparison to Siri, it felt way more advanced. The flow of the speech is so impressive, it sounds like a friend on the phone. I found myself asking her to remind me to pick up certain ingredients when I reached the local shop, so when I got there I would receive a notification with my shopping list! Very impressive stuff! I also took advantage of the "Hey Cortana" tool which allows you to activate the app simply by saying those words! I like that the phone is always on call and you don't even have to touch it to use it, you could literally ask for a reminder to be made and it's done within seconds. 

SIZE

I enjoyed the size of the phone, it was useful for say taking photos and watching videos. I found it hard to get used to as my iPhone is much smaller and I can easily use it one handed. I unfortunately never got used to the size as it didn't fit in my coat pocket and again could not be used by just one hand. I do prefer a smaller phone, however, that is simply down to personal taste. 

SCREEN

The screen of the phone feels so durable, it doesn't feel like it's about to break or smash like my iPhone!! There are multiple options for screen adjustment in terms of colour tone and brightness which is a nice added detail, I like that this phone really has thought of every little thing to make a phone your phone. 

APPEARANCE 

The phone itself looks gorgeous as an accessory. At first I felt the bold choice of orange was quite a scary step, but I love it! It's different and it certainly does stand out, that's what I love about it. The phone has something very fashionable about it, the sleek finish, the materials and even the charger looks good!

CHARGER

Firstly, the charge on this phone is amazing it really does last all day. The charger is convenient as the pins move together on the plug to make transport easier. I absolutely love the wireless charger! It is really such a brilliant addition! It's perfect for popping on your bedside table or even your coffee table so that when you place your phone down it charges! The phone had a battery saving mode so that if the battery happened to be low, you could preserve the charge and make your phone last longer. 

NAVIGATION

I liked that there are three touch buttons at the bottom of the phone, as opposed to the one button found on my iPhone. The little back button proved a useful for retracing my steps. I liked the search button as it meant that I could find something out within a matter of seconds, it is so useful for when I am at university. 

CONCLUSION

I genuinely loved this phone. I found that I became very organised and felt on top of everything when using it. It has such a wide set of tools to help you conquer many aspects of your life. I would definitely buy this phone due to it's endless possibilities, it felt far more advanced than your average phone. I have to say, I miss Cortana so much! she was a brilliant addition to my everyday life! I also miss the camera, it was fantastic for capturing moments and taking Instagram photos for my blog! I was so sad to see the phone go after my trial, it will be deeply missed! 

*Although this product was gifted to me, all opinions remain my own