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Nexus 5 vs Nokia Lumia 1020 low-light camera comparison

posted by Daniel P. / Nov 04, 2013, 2:57 AM

Nexus 5 vs Nokia Lumia 1020 low-light camera comparison

Google's Nexus 5 sports an 8 MP optically stabilized sensor with f/2.4 aperture and 1.4 micron pixels. It's been pitted against Nokia's powerhouse of a cameraphone - the Lumia 1020 - in low-light scenarios where the OIS tech present on both handset would give them an advantage against regular non-stabilized phone cameras.

As you can see in the shots below, where first is the test image, then there are crops from the same cut from the Lumia 1020 (on top) and Nexus 5, Google's phone holds up fine against the huge sensor and superior OIS suspension of the 1020.

Pics from it are, naturally, noisier and not as detailed as from the 1020, but they seem to be as good as the ones from the LG G2, which we already pegged in our camera comparisons as one of the best Android cameras out there. Regardless, the verdict in this quick comparison unsurprisingly favors the 1020:

Even without touching the PureView zooming or the Xenon flash, both unique selling points for the Nokia Lumia 1020, it's clear that basic 'as is' photos are better coloured and with less noise and more detail, when compared to the results from the Google Nexus 5. The 1020's huge sensor, plus the oversampling system, is the main reason for this, of course, since the Nexus 5 has a typical 1/3" class sensor.

Nexus 5 compared to Nokia Lumia 1020 in low-light photography

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source: AAWP

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PhoneArena Rating:

9.5

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User Rating:

9.4

Based on 88 Reviews

Display 5.0" 1080 x 1920 pixels

Camera 8 MP / 1.3 MP front

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, Quad-core, 2260 MHz

Storage 32 GB

Battery 2300 mAh(17h talk time)

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PhoneArena Rating:

8.5

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User Rating:

9.1

Based on 20 Reviews

Display 4.5" 768 x 1280 pixels

Camera 41 MP / 1.2 MP front

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus, Dual-core, 1500 MHz

Storage 32 GB

Battery 2000 mAh(13.3h 3G talk time)

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51 Comments

1. lalalaman

Posts: 638; Member since: Aug 19, 2013

Lumia 1020 camera ftw...oh yeah!

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:03 AM 23

9. boosook

Posts: 1442; Member since: Nov 19, 2012

If 5mp are enough for you...

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:23 AM 1

14. noler

Posts: 326; Member since: Aug 19, 2013

If not, you can use the 38MP +5 MP mode.

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:45 AM 21

29. apple4never

Posts: 1064; Member since: May 08, 2013

its still a great camera none the less, you cant compare it to the lumia

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 6:37 AM 9

36. dickwyn

Posts: 621; Member since: May 07, 2012

yeah have to agree, quite adequate low light shots

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 7:18 AM 2

50. lalalaman

Posts: 638; Member since: Aug 19, 2013

Nexus 5 is gud for the 8mp and price...1020 is a complete diff story....but still u can compare the low light feature, which n5 has lost also

posted on Nov 05, 2013, 3:09 AM 0

43. Commentator

Posts: 3723; Member since: Aug 16, 2011

Kind of an absurd comparison, of course the Lumia's going to win. Why not compare the Nexus to something its own size, like the S4, iPhone, or Xperia Z1?

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 10:05 AM 4

44. Pedro0x

Posts: 271; Member since: Oct 19, 2012

Only in 5MP but in 38 MP it sucks. Also I think the colours are better on nexus 5 but I could be mistaken, I need to see a photo from a professional camera to really judge the photos.

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 10:16 AM 0

45. akki20892

Posts: 3902; Member since: Feb 04, 2013

oh com'on we even can't compare 808 and 1020 with all smartphone's camera, because they are the legend.

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 12:03 PM 2

2. mr.techdude

Posts: 571; Member since: Nov 19, 2012

Yeah it does, 1020 is the camera beast but that'swhere its adadvantages end as a comparison to nexus 5 and other big android devices. Totally craps on iPhone's all around that's for sure.

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:07 AM 2

12. rd_nest

Posts: 1656; Member since: Jun 06, 2010

Camera (phone) beast. A huge difference! iPhone is still a very good phone, no doubt about it. Apple always had very good hardware. Their software now is not so-good though. Same can be said about Lumia/WP. From my limited experience with Lumia 720/620, I wasn't too impressed by the software and apps. But hardware is pretty decent.

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:38 AM 0

3. TechBizJP08

Posts: 495; Member since: Mar 25, 2013

Not even close..

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:10 AM 12

34. shahrooz

Posts: 792; Member since: Sep 17, 2013

like the price and other specs ;)

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 7:05 AM 5

4. android_hitman unregistered

not a fair comparison, nexus 5 is no match for 1020 and in fact no other phone is a match to the lumia 1020

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:12 AM 31

37. dickwyn

Posts: 621; Member since: May 07, 2012

for the price, the no other phone is a match to the Nexus 5

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 7:20 AM 8

46. akki20892

Posts: 3902; Member since: Feb 04, 2013

write another article about prices.

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 12:04 PM 4

5. bugsbunny00

Posts: 2264; Member since: Jun 07, 2013

doesnt make sense 8mp to huge 41mp cam.i still choose nexus over 1020,with its kitkat 4.4 UPDATED:photo enhancer can edit if needed hangouts and more..

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:14 AM 4

6. scriptwriter

Posts: 396; Member since: Nov 13, 2012

This is clearly not a fair test. Of course the Nokia is going to look better. 41MP vs 8MP

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:16 AM 5

17. vincelongman

Posts: 5692; Member since: Feb 10, 2013

I think its the difference in sensor size is more important. The Lumia 1020's 1/1.5'' sensor is over 4x the size Nexus 5's 1/3.2" sensor.

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 4:02 AM 0

18. x_maly_x

Posts: 72; Member since: Jun 01, 2013

You blind??? PA use 5Mpx from 1020....

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 4:03 AM 6

19. scriptwriter

Posts: 396; Member since: Nov 13, 2012

They have to on the 1020, because a 41MP will take forever to render and upload onto a PC. The camera resolution options on the 1020 are as follows anyway: 5MP, 5MP + 36MP

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 4:10 AM 3

7. haneef4u

Posts: 40; Member since: Sep 06, 2012

not bad.. not really bad for nexus 5....this comparison can be treated as a bench-marking with the top tier lumia 1020...for real test i want to see iPhone 5s vs Nexus 5

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:21 AM 3

8. boosook

Posts: 1442; Member since: Nov 19, 2012

No guys, no. You're comparing 100% crops of an 8mp camera vs. 5mp. You should either start from 41mp on the 1020 and resize to 8mp or resize the 8mp output of the N5 to 5mp. It's clear that, looking at your crops, the 1020 images will be sharper. But resize the N5 output to 5mp and check again...

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:23 AM 1

10. VJo003

Posts: 365; Member since: Mar 11, 2012

Camera is 1020's strong point for sure. But then again its $650 Unlocked as compare to $449 for Nexus 5 You Choose!!!

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:30 AM 2

15. sks1969

Posts: 108; Member since: Mar 04, 2012

What about availability? If Google just manufactures 10,000 units and shut up, no point. In my country I ordered the Nexus 4 online and I had to cancel because the waiting period increased from 2weeks after 2 weeks it became 3 weeks and after another 3 weeks it became 3 months, and Now I can buy the Nexus 4 when Nexus 5 is out. Wake up, Google is not a hardware manufacturing company it simply does not know how to, it relies on LG, why should LG do something which hurts it's own product line. Now You Choose !!

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:45 AM 1

27. fanboy1974

Posts: 1345; Member since: Nov 12, 2011

The price for the N5 is $349 for 16gig and $399 for 32gig. You can buy a 32gig N5 and a 16gig N7 and still come out $20 cheaper than the 1020.

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 5:57 AM 1

11. jjjsong

Posts: 76; Member since: Dec 27, 2011

This test shows that high MP shots have more details than lower MP shots, especially zooming in after cropping!

posted on Nov 04, 2013, 3:32 AM 0

13. darkskoliro

Posts: 1092; Member since: May 07, 2012

Id say it was more of a benchmark than a versus. Its good to know what the best of the mobile industry can offer for optics, and then compare it to how much the N5 can stack up against it.