Nokia Lumia 1520 vs HTC One max

Introduction

If you haven’t noticed it yet, many of today’s “phablets” look eerily similar to their flagship brethren – almost to the teeth in some instances. Despite the similarities in design, these giant sized smartphones tend to get some additional love in the form of added software and/or hardware tweaks, just to give them some sort of superiority over their beloved flagship siblings. Low and behold folks, that’s exactly what we see with two of the newest ones on the scene right now – the Nokia Lumia 1520 and the HTC One max.

They’re big, they’re massive, and they’re aiming to hit it big with the masses, literally. On one side of the arena, the Nokia Lumia 1520 is fresh on the scene tearing things by being the most specs heavy Windows Phone smartphone to grace the platform since its inception. And on the other end, we have the HTC One max, a maximum sized behemoth that carries HTC’s beloved line into the phablet segment. Two entrants come into the arena, but one can only stand supreme in the end. Which one of these valiant competitors will rise to the occasion? Let’s find out people!

Design

Now if you happen to be all about good looks, you won’t be disappointed by either device – just because they have that perfect blend of having solid constructions, premium finishes, and intriguing designs that will no doubt raise a few eye brows. It’s a hard decision to say the least, really, but in the end, we’re going to side just a little bit more with the Lumia 1520. Indeed, they’re close to one another in dimensions and weight, but there’s just something much more refreshing with the tapered design of the Lumia 1520. Who knows, maybe it’s simply how those tapered edges help to make it look sleeker than what it says on paper? Also, it helps that its design is slightly different from previous Lumia smartphones – whereas the One max’s design replicates the One to the teeth.

However, when it comes to the in-the-hand-feel, we’re going have to go with the HTC One max, mainly due to the fact that its curved rear casing makes it feel more ergonomically correct. In comparison, the Lumia 1520 is wider and has pointy corners that don’t make it agreeable as we’re trying to hold it with a single hand. Don’t get us wrong, they’re both ginormous and almost clunky at times, but we’re better able to handle the One max a little more.

As we look around the edges of both smartphones, not only do we realize that they pretty much pack the same ports and buttons, but they’re also positioned in the same locations as well. Specifically, they include the power buttons, volume controls, 3.5mm headset jacks, microphones, and microUSB ports. Adding value for some people, the inclusion of an IR blaster on the HTC One max means it doubles as a universal remote. And we also can’t forget to mention its finger print reader too, which we can map different fingerprints to launch specific apps. Finally, they both offer expandable storage via their microSD slot – though, it’s a lot more convenient to access on the One max.

Display

Big used to describe phablet screens, but in this day and age, phone manufacturers have been able to increase their sizes considerably to the point that they’re within the boundaries of being tablet-like. Looking at the Nokia Lumia 1520, it’s outfitted with the ever so slightly larger 6-inch 1080p IPS LCD display – giving it a pixel density count of 368 ppi. Well, it’s not larger than its rival, but close enough, seeing that it’s packing a 5.9-inch 1080p S-LCD 3 displays.

Naturally, they’re detailed and sharp to give even the most miniscule of text plenty of clarity – even as we inspect them very closely. Regardless, we do notice that the color production is more lively looking, though still slightly off, on the HTC One max, seeing that its delivers the warmer color tones. Moreover, it offers wider viewing angles, and a stronger brightness output. Taking all of the factors into consideration, we’re leaning towards the HTC One max with this one.

Interface and Functionality

Time after time, Windows Phones offered the same exact thing – a consistent and uniform experience. On the surface, the Lumia 1520 looks, acts, and feels like other Lumia branded smartphones we’ve seen already, but it’s one of the few out right now to be graced with the GDR3 update. Having that in tow, it delivers plenty of pleasing enhancements that are otherwise unavailable to other rival Windows Phones, but even with this latest version, it still doesn’t match the authority, comprehensiveness, and power that we gain from the Sense 5.5 UI that’s running on top of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean in the HTC One max.

As much as we sometimes continue to be amazed with awe by how dynamic Windows Phone 8 looks, we come back to that realization that it’s something we experience with all devices running the platform. Therefore, that’s what makes the Sense 5.5 UI so breathtaking on its own, just because of the way HTC has been able to mask the usual Android experience. Visually, it’s delectable thanks to the HTC BlinkFeed, which intricately tucks away the usual Android home screen.



Much like other comparisons we’ve covered, it doesn’t surprise us by how they handle multi-tasking and notifications, seeing that the One max benefits more – thanks in part to being Android, of course. Multi-tasking is carried out by their respective multi-tasking menus, which works in getting us in-and-out of apps, but notifications easily goes to the One max, due to having a centralized area where it’s all populated. Additionally, we’re greeted with several other secondary functions.

Beyond the baseline functions of each experience, we know that the One max benefits from having a deeper selection of quality apps – that’s essentially due to Android’s longer development. In contrast, Windows Phone 8 still doesn’t have the same breadth of apps as its rival, but nonetheless, it continues to grow with a diversified portfolio.

Out of the box, there’s not one that has more of an encompassing set of productivity features. Sure, we absolutely appreciate that we get the full Microsoft Office experience out of the Lumia 1520, but the One max is preloaded with Polaris Office 5 to give us something similar.

Visually, the two platform experiences really shine with their thought out designs and features, but seeing that it has more personalization, the deeper ecosystem of apps, and additional secondary features, the Sense 5.5 experience of the One max might win over more people. On the flip side, though, there are some enticing elements in tow with the Windows Phone 8 experience of the Lumia 1520 – more so when it lays claim to having several of those useful Nokia-branded apps, and all the enhancements put forth by the GDR3 update. For the power user, they best stick with the Android experience, well, that’s unless they want to experiment with Windows Phone 8.

Processor and Memory

This one surely has us itching and wondering a lot, especially knowing that these two smartphones were released in the same time frame. For being a new member on the scene, some will be taken back by the HTC One max’s choice of opting to go with a quad-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, which is an older piece of silicon than the Lumia 1520’s mightier quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU. At their core, they’re both fast and responsive with generally all operations, but there’s more consistency with the fluidity of the Lumia 1520. Essentially, we sleep at night knowing that it’s packing hardware that’s befitting of a larger-than-life smartphone.

Thankfully, the two are packing 32GB of internal storage, which can be supplemented thanks to their microSD card slots. Like we mentioned earlier, it’s just easier to access with the One max, since it’s just a process of removing the rear cover with a latch – whereas, a SIM removal tool is needed to access it on the Lumia 1520.

Internet and Connectivity

Well folks, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, seeing that they both feature 4G LTE connectivity, detailed screens, and peppy performances. With all of these qualities in tow, these two are just simply awesome when it comes to the web browsing experience. Sure, the stock and Chrome browsers of the HTC One max offers a few extra goodies over Internet Explorer, but nevertheless, the core functions between the two are intact.



It’s a beautiful thing being cutting-edge devices, which these two are no doubt obviously. Having that notoriety, they’re blessed with the same set of connectivity features, which consist of 4G LTE connectivity, aGPS, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC (not available with the AT&T version of the Lumia 1520), and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. Adding a useful element to the mix, we really appreciate that an IR blaster is incorporated into the HTC One max – basically turning it into a handy dandy universal remote.

Camera

Cameras get a lot of love with these two, which they should, especially when we’re talking about being big here. Interestingly enough, they go in the opposite directions in how they approach it. Going on the side with bigger is better, the Lumia 1520’s beefy sized 20-megapixel PureView camera is sure to cause a ruckus with its larger sized sensor (1/2.5”), dual-LED flash, f2.4 aperture Zeiss lens, and optical image stabilization module. Conversely, HTC continues to put its money on its “UltraPixel” technology, which amounts to having a 4-megapixel snapper, f2.0 aperture lens, and LED flash. As for their front-facing cameras, it’s a 1.2-megapixel one in the Lumia 1520, and a larger 2-megapixel one in the One max.



Being camera centric and all, it perfectly makes sense why the camera app of the Lumia 1520 closely mimics that of a normal point and shoot – where we’re given fine controls to modify certain elements. Even though the One max also lays claim to several manual controls, it doesn’t have the ability to manually adjust the focus on the fly like the Lumia 1520. However, its camera app incorporates the many shooting modes that give some people plenty of time to fool around with – whereas with the Lumia 1520, we’re required to rely on other apps, namely the Nokia Studio Creator app, to apply various filters and effects to our shots.With outdoor shots, you’ll be surprised to know that the One max puts up some good results that rivals the quality from the 5-megapixel samples out of the Lumia 1520 – albeit, it doesn’t match the awesome detail superiority put forth from those beefier full-sized 19-megapixel samples.

Under lower lighting situations, however, the Lumia 1520 really puts its foot forward by coughing up the sharper shots, which is attributed to the optical image stabilization feature of the Lumia 1520 keeping things steady so it’s able to capture the clearer shots. In comparison, the HTC One max’s low lighting performance seems to be more over-exposed and more prone to blurring – with diminished detail quality, obviously. Lastly, it’s worth noting that the Lumia 1520’s dual-LED flash is more potent than the single one from the One max.


Crazy to believe it, but it’s actually HTC’s phablet that wins in the 1080p video recording quality department. Out of everything, it’s simply the toned down details of the Lumia 1520’s results that distracts us so much – to the point where it looks extremely subdued in comparison to the One max’s videos. Additionally, there’s more noise present in the Lumia 1520’s low lighting video performance. Naturally, the results are better with the HTC One max. Well, except for its overly sharp audio recording quality. Aside from that, we’re pleased with everything else it brings to the table.

Multimedia

We’ll admit, we’re totally in love with the music players on both devices, just because they have very animated interfaces. With the HTC One max, it’s able to supplement its visuals by being able to display accompanying lyrics to songs – giving it a very karaoke-like experience. Impressively, the single speak of the Lumia 1520 is able muster up the same commanding volume tones pumped out by the One max’s dual-firing speakers with HTC BoomSound.



Blessed with ginormous displays that are rich with detail, further complemented by smooth performances, it’s hard to make a decision on which we like more when it comes to watching high-definition 1080p videos. Knowing that they also offer support for various video codecs out of the box, we’re going to have to call it a tie.

Call Quality

Aided by the stronger volume output of its earpiece, phone calls are better handled by the HTC One max. Sheesh, even at the middle volume setting it easily eclipses the weak volumes tones put out by the Lumia 1520’s earpiece. Then again, at least voices sound natural in tone with the Lumia 1520 – though, we’re constantly finding ourselves mashing the earpiece so closely to our ear under noisy conditions.

Battery

Size is everything with these two, so it shouldn’t shock people to know that they’re carrying along beefy sized batteries to appease their hunger – a 3400 mAh battery in the Lumia 1520, and a 3300 mAh one in the One max. Thankfully, both are more than equipped at providing at solid one-day of heavy usage, easily getting power users with enough juice throughout the day – and even into the next. However, in our experience, it’s the HTC One max that gives out just a smidgen more battery life in the end.

Conclusion

Pricing, it’s the deciding factor for many people, as some people are more inclined to go with a device which will save them some much-needed cash in the process. So far, the trend seems as though phablets are graced with higher-than-normal prices, but that’s where the Nokia Lumia 1520 comes screeching onto the scene, as it impresses us with its aggressive on-contract price of $99.99 through AT&T. That’s some serious savings folks, especially knowing that it’s packing a newer piece of silicone under the hood, and a beefier camera that’s meant to capture the moment.

On the other end of the spectrum, the HTC One max is being made available through a couple of US wireless carriers right now for $299.99 with a 2-year contract. Then again, the software experience really shows its worth, as Android as a whole has certain advantages that adheres to the needs of power users.
Ultimately though, if you want a high-spec’d smartphone that won’t cost you an arm or a leg, then the Nokia Lumia 1520 will absolutely suffice. If money isn’t a concern, you can still get by with the HTC One max – though, the date piece of silicon under the hood, combined with its underwhelming photo snapping performance might make some people reconsider.