Nokia Lumia 1520 vs Nokia Lumia 1020

Introduction

Boy it must be great being an AT&T customerif you’re the kind of person that takes fancy in Windows Phones, seeing that the carrier lays claim to two of the best ones out right now. Earlier in the fall, we were mesmerized by the carrier’s introduction of the Nokia Lumia 1020 – a device revered by many as being the best camera phone to launch this year. With its insanely large 41-megapixel PureView camera, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be tested much in the camera snapping department any time soon.

Not to be outdone, the carrier was recently blessed with yet another fantastic offering that most people believe to be the best from the Finnish company this year – the phablet styled Nokia Lumia 1520. Brandishing a more modern hardware set, combined with a respectable 20-megapixel PureView camera, it’s no doubt the beefiest spec’d Windows Phone to date. Best of all, its $100 on-contract price from the onset wows many for its spectacular value. It’s the battle of the Lumias, so let’s find out how they duel against one another!

Design

Well, they’re distinctively Lumia devices, as they employ those unique design elements that have been a staple with the series for as long as we can remember. The only difference here is that the Lumia 1520 relies on a tapered design, which helps it to appear skinnier than what it says on paper. Furthermore, the Lumia 1020 features flat surface top and bottom edges – whereas it’s a little bit more rounded on the Lumia 1520. Overall, we find the design of the 1520 just a smidgen more appealing, despite the fact that they’re both available in different colors and have sturdy constructions.

What’s most apparent here is the size disparity, seeing that the Lumia 1520 is by far the beefier device between them. Due to its larger dimensions, it naturally has a wider figure, which doesn’t make it as comfortable to hold in the hand – more so when its pointy corners dig into our palms. Conversely, the 1020 is more form fitting in the hand, but the huge hump in the rear makes it top heavy and a bit awkward to hold in the hand when typing.

Taking a tour around the sides of both phones, they feature the same set of buttons and ports, which include their power buttons, volume controls, shutter keys, microUSB ports for charging/data connectivity, speaker grills, various mics, 3.5mm headset jacks, and SIM slots. However, the 1520 packs along an always-useful microSD card slot to increase its internal storage capacity.

Display

This one is a no-brainer, as one of them hosts the first 1080p resolution display to ever grace a Windows Phone. With its ginormous 6-inch 1080p IPS LCD display, not only does it impress us with its overall size, but it easily overshadows the smaller 4.5-inch 768 x 1280 AMOLED panel of the 1020. Yet again, we have to emphasize the 1080p resolution of the 1520’s display, mainly because it’s a first in the Windows Phone camp. This results in 368 ppi pixel density, compared to 334 ppi for the 1020's smaller display.


Seeing that they rely on two different display technologies, they have their particular strengths and weaknesses. Flaunting an IPS-LCD panel, the 1520’s display produces the more realistic colors tones, has the higher brightness output, and proves to have the superior outdoor visibility. On the other end, the 1020’s AMOLED panel catches our attention with its saturated color reproduction and wider viewing angles. However, it’s easily washed out under outdoor settings when the sun is present. At the end of the day, we can’t help but to give points to the 1520’s display.

Nokia Lumia 1520 360-Degrees View

Nokia Lumia 1020 360-Degrees View