Nokia Lumia 1320 Review

Introduction

For better or worse, the phablet category is no longer the exclusive domain of Android, as Nokia has made a noteworthy entry into the space. The 6-inch Lumia 1320 is the second and less-impressive of the company's two new phablets, as it's strictly a mid-range device. The 1320 actually serves to pretty much close what is perhaps that last gap in the Finnish company's product line, as it now has devices across all parts of both the size and price spectrum. So how does this $330-odd phablet monstrosity fare outside the lab? Let's find out.

In the box:

• wall charger
• microUSB to USB cable
• earphones

Design

The 1320 is a typical Lumia device – it feels sturdy and polished, and every bit a Nokia. A giant Nokia.

One could say that the 1320 is a Lumia device through and through, and it would be hard to make a passable argument. We're treated to the usual polycarbonate shell with a matte finish, and though it's profoundly plastic, it passed our initial assessment of quality – the phone looks sturdily made. And it is... for the most part. Unfortunately, the removable rear shell doesn't hug the back of the device very tightly, and there's a hollow spot in the middle which sinks in under some force. The power, volume and the two-step shutter buttons are all rather flush with the surface of the right profile of the device, though they actually feel reliable and provide good feedback. Our only grief was with the shutter key, which is so responsive that we kept accidentally clicking it without intending to whilst using the phone as we normally would.

On a slightly different note, the Lumia 1320 is a device of contrasts. So although the device's physical form is gargantuan (6.46 x 3.38 x 0.39 inches), elements like the speaker, camera, and speaker grill, are all downright tiny. This gives the 1320 an overly modest look that feels out of touch with its proportions. Lastly, this is likely one of the very heaviest 6-inch phablets out there, at 7.76 oz (220 g). It's heavier than just about every other phablet out there, including even the 6.44-inch Sony Xperia Z Ultra.

Display

The giant, 6-inch display is the defining highlight of the Lumia 1320. But it could use some more pixels.

The Nokia Lumia 1320 sports a 6-inch ClearBlack, IPS-LCD panel, good for a resolution of 720x1280, or the relatively low 245 pixels per inch. This may sound a tad underwhelming, considering the current climate, but the display is still adequately detailed. Moreover, colors are accurately produced, if slightly lacking in saturation in comparison with the best panels out there. Oh yeah, and don't worry about outdoor visibility, either – the screen is plenty bright and should do the job even under direct sunlight.

Guarding the display against superficial scratches is the latest Gorilla Glass 3 from Corning, so while dropping the heavy phablet is still something we'd suggest you avoid, the glass should stay fairly neat as the time goes by.

Lastly, while the Lumia 1320's display is touted as super sensitive, this only works if you go through the settings and set touch sensitivity to 'high'. Once that's done, the 1320 actually managed to register our touches accurately, meaning that you can use it even with gloves on.

Interface and functionality

The latest version of Windows Phone 8 still leaves something to be desired.

This budget phablet makes use of the latest Windows Phone 8 update, sometimes referred to as GDR3. Thanks to the larger form-factor, you get to play with an extra column of tiles. You can fit as many as six of the smallest WP8 tiles on a single row, which leaves you with quite some space to arrange your homescreen to your heart's content.

But despite the changes that the last update brought, the interface still is largely unchanged, in terms of both functionality and looks. This means that we're yet to be graced with a dedicated notification center and just a whole list of 'little' things that indicate the platform's relative immaturity. On the plus side, we're getting a kick out of glance screen, and we even had some (choppy) fun with Nokia Beamer – the app that allows you to mirror your screen over the web. Apps, such as HERE Maps and HERE Drive with offline navigation are also on board and to our taste, though we sadly didn't get the Nokia Pro Cam app out of the box – we had to manually download it.

Processor and Memory

The dual-core Snapdragon 400 will handle most of the mischief you may get up to with relative ease. But don't expect to go overboard and get away with it.

Under the massive hood of the Lumia 1320, we're treated to a 1.7GHz, dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor by Qualcomm. Complimented with 1GB of RAM, the 1320's UI runs pretty smoothly for the most part, but we still wish some apps had less of a wait time attached when starting up. Unfortunately, this type of configuration is showing its age, and even medium-heavy games like Minion Rush run with random spikes in frame rate, though they're far from unplayable. So, to put this plainly – if you're a heavy gamer, the Lumia 1320 may not be the best choice out there, but it's adequate and should prove capable enough in great many scenarios.

Camera

Underwhelming as the 5-megapixel may sound, it actually manages to pull its weight just fine.

Before we get to the quality of snaps, lets talk specs. The Lumia 1320 has a 5-megapixel rear camera unit with an f/2.4 aperture and a 1/4'' sensor with fairly large, 1.4-micron pixels. An LED flash is available, and so is the aforementioned two-step shutter key on the lower right profile of the phablet. Up at the front, we have a lowly 0.3-megapixel VGA snapper with an f/2.8 aperture, good for nothing more than the occasional selfie and video call.

As you can expect, a 5-megapixel camera is nothing to get truly excited about. It offers decent amount of detail, but no more than expected. However, it is actually fairly good with its automatic exposure settings and image reproduction – stills look very close to what we were seeing with our own eyes, if a tad darker. The shooter is sometimes prondgment, though, and some snaps came out with a severe yellow tint to them. Equally as tricky were low to medium light scenarios, in which the snapper often used its not so potent flash to brighten up the scenes. Also, the amounts of digital noise can sometimes get out of hand.




On a positive note, 1080p video capture was satisfying to say the least, and we were especially content with the auto focus capabilities of the phone – it is blazing fast. Speaking of speed, this also applies to the time it takes the Lumia 1320 to snap a photo, commit it to its memory, and prepare for another one. Good stuff all around.

Multimedia

Your very own, pocket-sized media hog. That's what the Lumia 1320 truly is.

The Lumia 1320 is a pretty capable multimedia device, and not just thanks to that massive 6-inch glass. The Qualcomm chip inside manages to power through 1080p clips from a wide variety of encodings (no .mkv, though), and the tiny speaker at the back is more capable than its looks suggest. Its audio fidelity is nothing to write home about, but it's a nudge above average. The built-in audio and video players are quite basic, though, and don't offer much in the way of customization and fine-tuning. Lastly, the music bugs among you can make good use of your Xbox Music subscription, as access to the Xbox Music Store is conveniently integrated into the Music+Videos app.

Call Quality

Under perfect conditions, the Lumia 1320 managed our call quality tests very well. The speaker can be very loud, but clear, and the other side will hear you actual, natural voice without straining to make out what it is you're saying. Unfortunately, the tiny ear-piece is quite problematic, as more often than not, it doesn't perfectly align with your ear hole. Simply put, this means that you'll often muffle the speaker with your ear, and will not be enjoying its full potential.

Battery

As goes with phablets, the Lumia 1320 is equipped with a pretty big, 3400mAh cell. The battery proved to be quite the endurance champ in our time with the handset, easily lasting us through a day of heavy usage. The relatively frugal chipset, and the low amount of pixels it has to push definitely help, of course, but we are definitely impressed with the phablet's independence from its charger.

Conclusion

As much as one may try to twist facts, there's no denying – the Nokia Lumia 1320 is a mid-range offering. On a positive note, the 6-inch phablet is sturdily-crafted and has a polished look. It presents well, as the internals are capable enough to provide an adequate user experience without nasty hang times or stutters. Lastly, both battery and call quality, while not top notch for certain, still leave little to desire. On the other hand, this is quite a burdensome device in terms of its weight, even in its category, and the camera sure could use a little push. Again, and as we pointed out already, design elements feel understated and modest, and not in a good way.

So how does the 1320 compare to its competition? Pretty well, actually, thanks to its aggressive price tag of about $340. Availability is still scarce, unfortunately, and at this point we're unaware of plans to get the phablet stateside – just Europe and Asia. Put next to other phablets in its price class, like the Alcatel OneTouch Hero, the 1320 manages to hold its own, though it's a shade less impressive overall. But, if you're a WP8 convert and have taken a shine to Nokia products, there's basically nothing else out there for you if you're on a budget.