Following this, the Lumia 920 would frequently be listed among the "elite" group smartphone during its time, otherwise populated by heavyweights from Apple and Samsung.

Many features such as the super-sensitive capacitive screen and wireless inductive charging were popularised by the device and were found in later high-end Android phones.

The Lumia 920 has a 4.5-inch (114 mm) curved Gorilla Glass display with a resolution of 1280x768 (WXGA) and an aspect ratio of 15:9, using enhanced IPS screen technology which Nokia calls "PureMotion HD+".

[22] The screen has ClearBlack polarisation filters and an automatic adaptive system for adjusting brightness, colour and contrast details to compensate for lighting.

[21][22] The Lumia 920 has Nokia's PureView technology on the rear camera,[23] featuring an optically stabilised 8.7-megapixel BSI image sensor (1/3.2" sized, much smaller than the previous Nokia 808 Pureview) with a f/2.0 Carl Zeiss Tessar lens, short-pulse high-power dual-LED flash and 1080p HD video capture.

As with other Lumia devices, the 920 includes Nokia-exclusive apps, such as Nokia City Lens, an augmented reality software that gives dynamic information about users' surroundings using the camera.

[29] It also includes Nokia's HERE suite of apps, which provide offline maps, worldwide turn-by-turn voice-guided navigation and public transit information.

[49] In Germany, the Lumia 920 is available from all major mobile phone retailers including Vodafone, O2, Deutsche Telekom and E-Plus.

CNET rated it 4 stars out of 5, praising the screen, attractive design, great Nokia-exclusive apps and an enjoyable OS, while the negatives were the unimpressive battery life and heavy weight.

[55] Laptop Mag rated it 4 stars out of 5, praising the colourful design, superb camera, HD screen and inductive charging, as well as the useful Nokia apps.

[56] Dan Nosowitz from Popular Science wrote: "I spent a long time with the Lumia 920, longer than I usually spend with review units of phones.

It's not a bad phone; when you're swiping away through a gorgeous weather or news app, you completely forget its shortcomings, and it's nicely priced.

The hardware, the screen, the camera, the sound quality, the video stabilization, and Nokia's custom apps are all extremely impressive.

"[58] David Phelan from The Independent wrote "This is arguably the best smartphone Nokia has built, and probably the most advanced phone available.

"[62] Dieter Bohn [de] from The Verge wrote: "The software and hardware tradeoffs inherent in the Lumia 920 could be worth it if you've bought into the Microsoft ecosystem, but for most people I don't think it's a sure bet.

"[64] Initial sales reports and positive reviews of the Lumia 920 and 820 caused Nokia's shares to rise over 40% in December 2012, although analysts warned that the number of phones sold would fall far behind market leaders like Apple and Samsung.

[67] On January 10, 2013, Nokia released preliminary financial information for Q4 2012, saying that it had sold more than 4.4 million Lumia devices in that quarter.

[68][69][70] In the United States, Lumia phones sold out very quickly due to limited shipments rather than significant demand.

[71] On Amazon's bestseller list, the Lumia 920 has, as of November 2012, become the best-selling phone of the week, with different colour options taking the number one, two and four spots.

[73] On its October 15, 2012 release, it topped the charts in France, beating the already-available iPhone 5, LG Optimus L3, Sony Xperia U and Samsung Galaxy Ace.