For a long, the big-screen phones segment has been dominated by Android, with Samsung topping the charts- thanks to its Note series. And with changing trends and market demands, there is no doubt that players like Nokia have been left behind when it comes to technology and a power-packed device that can woo consumers. However, the Finnish handset maker (Nokia), seems to finally have realized late that it had missed out on the frenzy. The result? Well, they are calling it- Lumia 1520.
The Nokia Lumia 1520 not only features a 6-inch screen, it is also the first Windows Phone 8 device to sport a full-HD display and house a quad-core processor. Cool eh? Interestingly, it is the first device that runs Windows Phone 8 GDR 3 or Black (Nokia’s build of the OS), the latest iteration of the mobile operating system. But does it have the potential to challenge the Android phablets out there? Let’s figure that out, shall we?
What it looks like
At first glance, there is one thing that is hard to ignore. And that is- Nokia has joined the league of the likes of Sony Xperia Z Ultra and the HTC One Max, for being one of the largest phones available in the market at the moment.
The Lumia 1520 sports a quality polycarbonate chassis. It is safe to say that the premium polycarbonate used in the phone’s body is accentuated by the phone’s matte finish. The phone’s edges are rounded, but the corners are not curved, making the shell look more rectangular, giving the phone a sharp look.
The front of the phone is dominated by its 6-inch full-HD ClearBlack IPS LCD panel. The display panel bevels at the edges. Nokia has deployed Gorilla Glass 2 to protect the display against scratches. The three capacitive touch buttons for Back, Start and Search are placed below the display.
Similar to other phones in the Lumia range, the right edge of the phone has three hardware buttons, namely the volume rocker, the power key and the camera shutter key. Thanks to this placement, it is easy to access the power button. All the keys offer good tactile feedback.
The back of the phone looks similar to that of the Lumia 925, with the big 20MP camera lens slightly protruding out, and the dual-LED flash located right above it. The Lumia 1520 features four microphones, two at the front and two at the back.
Hardware
The Lumia 1520 runs Windows Phone 8’s GDR 3 build, the latest iteration of the OS. Nokia calls it Black, adding its own software enhancements. The build brings support for full-HD (1080p) displays and quad-core processors.
There are not many significant changes in terms of the user interface and functionality, compared to the Amber build (GDR2) of the OS. For a full review of the Windows Phone OS, read our Nokia Lumia 1020 review. It is powered by a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and Adreno 330 GPU. It is undoubtedly the most powerful Windows Phone device available at the moment.
The Lumia 1520 comes with 32GB internal storage that can be expanded with the help of a microSD card (supports cards of up to 64GB). External storage support is a big plus compared to earlier Lumia devices.
Coming to battery life, the 3400mAh giant battery of the phone helps in achieving a respectable backup. With the phone’s brightness set to automatic and intermittent use of WiFi and 3G, the phone lasts more than a day, which is a fair deal for a smartphone of such quality.
Our take
There is no doubt that Nokia has not been doing that well in the league of heavy-duty smartphones, but this is one of the finest phones that Nokia has come up with in recent times. Sure it is an expensive buy, but with what it has to offer and the longevity that Nokia phones normally come with, it might not be a bad buy at all!
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