Is the 1520 the best Windows Phone of all time?

[James Falconer]

Simple question - for 1520 owners, past owners, or just Windows Phone users... is the 1520 the BEST Windows Phone of all time? Sound off!!

 

[RJ Priest]

The short answer: YES! Absolutely.

- Beautiful, unique physical design with the unibody polycarbonate. It stands out from the crowd. It's not your generic round corner iPhone clone design.

- Flawless display, and the sunlight readability is second to none. My AMOLED Samsung ATIV S was extremely difficult to view outdoors on a sunny day. The 1520's display with the sunlight readability feature really works well.

- Although somewhat overwhelmingly large at first experience, you quickly get spoiled by that 6" display and can never go back to something smaller.

- The large battery provided unprecedented battery life at the time, and still holds up well today. I still routinely get 1.5 to 2 days between charges. Back at the start of the New Year, I had to disable all background tasks for a period of time when "Restore Data" was running wild on my phone, and the battery life was even better.

- The Snapdragon 800 is a non-issue unless you obsess with CPU specs. My old ATIV S delivers just as smooth of an experience with Windows Phone 8.1.

- The only weakness of the Lumia 1520 is the f2.4 camera. It gets pretty grainy in low light. I believe that Nokia went with f2.4 to improve daylight sharpness (remember Lumia 920 owners complaining about f2.0 softness), but if the 1520 had an f2.0 lens, this phone would be flawless.

This phone is now 3 years old, and can still go toe to toe against any phone from 2016 / 2017 in terms of user experience (performance), camera (other than low light), and battery life.

I love my Lumia 1520, and as I've said in other posts here, "..from my cold, dead hands!" I will keep using my Lumia 1520 with Windows Phone 8.1 for as long as it continues to last. There is nothing else on the market that I'd rather have.

Counterpoint:

- The number of people with "Phantom touch" issues.
- Poor availability: Never released in Canada, etc. Although I'm glad to have got my hands on one up here in the Great White North.

 

[James Falconer]

You make some amazing points. Totally agree.

The one big thing (as you pointed out as well) is availability. I don't know what I've EVER seen one in-store or out in the wild up here (in Canada). Very unfortunate.

 

[RJ Priest]

I've been shocked to see two others out in the wild here in Canada. Most recently back in the summer when I saw a woman walking and talking on a yellow Lumia 1520 out in public. The odd thing is that mine and the two others that I've seen have all been yellow 1520's.

I wanted the gloss red, or white, but beggers can't be choosers, and I've grown to love the yellow colour.

 

[James Falconer]

I'm actually a fan of the yellow. Not sure why, think it has grown on me as well.

 

[RumoredNow]

Proud owner of a Yellow 1520.3 since August of 2014.

I will say yes, 1520 is the best Windows Phone of all time. Now some astute readers might have seen me in the sister thread in the Alcatel Idol 4S forum proclaiming that phone as the new best all-around champ. So let me clarify a little.

I think there is definitely a division. Windows Phone sits in the middle (meaning WP 7 up to WP 8.1) with Windows on Mobile (begun as CE to 6.5 and starting back again with W10M) bookending either side. As we all know there are several contiguous versions that are not continuous.

When it comes to the 1520 it towers over the Windows Phone 8 (+Black) and 8.1 (+Denim) landscape like the colossus it is. RJ has it right. The many strengths of this phone have made it legendary and justly so.

I had my 1520.3 on W10M for a time, but I came to my senses and reverted it to 8.1 and retired it to camera and travel companion duty (translate, maps/nav, music and video for passenger entertainment...).

This device just shines on Windows Phone 8.1. I'm not sure it holds up as well under W10M or will continue to be as relevant under the new return to Windows on Mobile. The times have moved beyond the 1520.3, as is only right with tech. The 1520 remains a highly important bookmark in the journey and is unsurpassed, IMHO, as a Windows Phone from the days when market share was actually visible and had reached double digits in several countries.

 

[James Falconer]

I can't argue with you on any points. @RumoredNow - you know your stuff.

 

[aximtreo]

Absolutely... There is another post here asking what the favorite phone they would buy if it was available now. My favorite would be the 1520 with modern hardware enclosed. It was way ahead of it's time. Sadly, that type of innovation died when MS bought and systematically destroyed NOKIA.

 

[fatclue_98]

You won't get any argument from me. There have been nicer designs (925 & One M8), better spec'd (Idol 4S & HP x3), better cameras (1020) and arguably nicer displays (Ativ SE). But as a complete package​, the 1520 has no equal.

 

[anon(50597)]

Love the enthusiasm for the 1520!

Sent from my Alcatel Idol 4S

 

[Sedp23]

Nope phone was too big and plagued with the phantom touch bug. Had one of the best batteries tho

Sent from Idol 4s

 

[Loriquero]

I had a HTC One M8 until two moths ago, but it felt in the pool and now is resting in phones heaven.

I was about to buy a LG G5, but my boss gave me a 1520 he bought two years ago and just used it like a month or so. Now I have an almost new 1520 rocking W10M and I'm fairly happy using it. I just don't like the size. Is hard to handle it with just one hand. I have a spare Xiaomi 3 for some android specific apps, but for the main stuffs the Lumia 1520 is quite good. The camera of the One M8 was faster, but in daily use I note not major differences between these two phones on W10M.

The battery is a lot better also than the One M8 on Windows 10. I can't stand WP8 anymore because many WP8 apps are outdated.

I think I will use the 1520 as my main phone for two years or so, then I will finish my windows phone adventure and go back to Android.

 

[nycny]

Yes.

 

[mtbmike24]

Have both used a 1520 for nearly 2 years before I got my 950xl. Good things about the 1520 with 8.1. Constance better than any phone I have ever used it just works, sun light readability and auto adjust brightness I have yet to see it's equal, Cortana works almost 100% of the time with the 1520 running 8.1, battery life phenomenal, camera was great for it's time not so great compared to today display is fantastic. I have a 950xl now and things that keep me from going back to the 1520 are the size, camera( yes its that much better ), and wireless charging/quick charging. Auto adjust brightness on the 950xl is atrocious and when it is in full sunlight mode it's not near as good as the 1520 it must be a hardware thing because when I had w10 running on my 1520 auto adjust brightness it works great much better than the 950xl. Hey Cortana sucks on the 950xl works half the time . Battery life is ok on the 950xl it's a little better than the 1520 running w10. Wp8.1 definitely has it's disadvantages when compared to w10 but if you don't have alot of needs 8.1 is fantastic no nonsense . I don't have near the issue some have with the build quality of the 950xl I happen to love plastic phones and the fact the the 950xl is so light is something I happen to really like about it. Plus I have a nice case on it which actually gives it a top quality feel and look to it. So with that said Is the 1520 best wp ever made? I don't think this is too hard to answer I think the short answer is yes. The build quality is defiantly well made and the snapdragon 800 was a great chip set in that it rarely got hot the screen of the 1520 is better Imo than anything in it's class adding the sd card Imo beats out the 930 and also because of lack of glance screen. the HTC one 8 is also missing key features that 1520 has so it doesn't beat it either. I would not hesitate for a second to buy another 1520 if I had to. It really is that good so is it the best wp ever made? Like I said yes it is imo.

Sent from mTalk

 

[Ryujingt3]

I would most likely still have my 1520, if I hadn't dropped it and it coincidentally started having phantom touch issues. I switched to a 640XL and now to a 950XL. My 1520 lives on with a friend, who loves it, probably more than I did. It really was a great phone and I have no regrets trading in, at the time, my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 for one.

 

[jlzimmerman]

I've owned several WP's, including my current 950XL. IMO, the 1520 is the best of all time.

 

[MDK22]

YES, aside from the phantom touch issues (repaired by Palco) ...
would still be using it (it upgraded to WM10 well) if not for battery dying.
Had the Ferrari Red AT&T version, missed wireless charging, but ...

 

[mmcpher]

In its time and for its time, yes. Even with the dumbed down ATT version, which cut the storage from 32 to 16 gb and stripped out wireless charging. Some sort of strategy thing. That gorgeous display made it a pleasure to browse, read or write emails, view complex documents, view and take photos, and videos! It was THE phone that allowed me to break my old Blackberry physical keyboard need. The OS seemed full of promise. I was able to pack so much updating detailed information on the homescreen. I did find that the screen and digitizer were a little fragile though. I think today the HP Elite x3 is a better phone but adjusting for age and for nostalgia. . . .

 

[fatclue_98]

I think today the HP Elite x3 is a better phone but adjusting for age and for nostalgia. . . .

You bring up a very valid point. We often see Top 10 shows regarding athletes and the biggest issue is always the "so and so couldn't play in today's era" argument. Personally, I don't think Mickey Mantle could ever catch up to a Nolan Ryan fastball but.......

 

[LikeLumia]

Yes it is as long as you stay clear of the evil 1520 ghost or annoying failing microphones issues. (yes, the shim between connector and motherboard sometimes work but not always!!)

OEM displays are still available but cost way more then the average used 1520.

The official microphone spare part has been End of Life quit a while now and on ebay you cant trust ANY chinese or USA seller. They all sell mics pulled from (faulty) phones. Phone Parts seller that have the OEM microphone in stock and actually being factory new are extremely rare.

Due to phantom and mic buying a second hand 1520 is Russian Roulette. Both problems can occur intermittent so buying one in person even can be tricky! Once you own a good one treat it like a baby and enjoy one of the coolest phones ever (Next to Nokia 8850 obviously )

Sent from mTalk