Sooooo confused between Nokia Lumia 1020 and Nokia Lumia 1520

navidee

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Honestly, I've had a 1020 since last September and I wish I would have waited on the 1520. The camera is awesome, but im sure the 1520 will be just fine for your needs. The only thing im in love with on the 1020 is the camera grip with option for tripod. I'll miss that when I finally upgrade. It really makes a difference taking awesome pics.
 

ChristianKing

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I have the AT&T 1020 and the 1520.3 so here are some things to consider.

The 1020 is unrivaled when it comes to photos. If you take a lot of photos, the 1020 blows the 1520 out of the water in any conditions. Don't let the dated processor scare you. Outside of slightly longer shot times the 1020 is still smooth as butter even with the older processor. The 1020's ability to zoom in without loosing quality will change the way you take photos. Now I just snap pictures non-stop and go back later and find the exact photo I want. I can't stress to you how awesome this really is for a camera phone. Low light and distance are things I laugh at with my 1020.

The 1520 takes good photos in great light, but it's night photos and night time video is closer to what you'd see on an iPhone. It does still give you 2X Lossless Zoom though so you'll still be able to zoom in and have great pictures and video when everyone else cant.Supposedly the CYAN update improves the picture and video quality of the 1520. It also supposedly improves the 1020, which means it's still no contest. It's a good camera but only slightly better than what you'd find in an iPhone of LG prior to the CYAN update. I can update my response after the update comes out.

Pictures aside, the 1520 is my daily driver and while it's size can be a bit much (you'll need two hands to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome, lol), its a glorious device to use. Viewing Pictures, Video and playing games on it are like having a mini tablet. I can't stress how great this is enough. It's a magical experience using device this size.

The battery life of the 1520 is 2 or 3 times that of the 1020. By that I mean that in a 12 hour period of heavy use (Social media, streaming music and using Bluetooth headphones, sending a couple hundred IMs, playing games for about 10 minutes and taking about 10 pictures), I still have 30% left before hitting the charger.

The LCD Screen on the 1520 is better than the AMOLED Screen on the 1020 in my opinion. The AMOLED display oversaturates all colors so sometimes you can't really tell how awesome or bad of a photo you've really taken when viewing them on the 1020. But once you pull it up on your computer you will be amazed. With the 1520, what you see is what you get, which is good if you take a bad shot. The LCD on the 1520 is also more viewable in bright sunlight with Nokia's display tech. the Touchscreen is better on the 1020 however. the 1520 spazzes out every blue moon.

The Qualcomm 800 Processor makes a noticeable difference in the 1520. The 1020's processor is good enough, but the 1520's processor blows it out of the water in every aspect. That's to be expected because of the age difference. Games, loading web pages, shot times, video ...etc, it's a noticeable difference if you have both devices side by side. If you only have one device, you won't feel like you're missing out choosing one or the other.

Pictures are my thing so even when my 1520 is re-gifted I'll still have my 1020. There's nothing else that comes close to it. The camera grip gives it the battery life of my 1520 and even my friends with iPhones, Galaxy devices and SLR cameras marvel at the photos. They have designated me as the picture taker with my yellow phone. Lol.

If you can only get one and iPhone quality pictures are good enough, get the 1520. For every scenario outside of Pics, it's the best Windows Phone Device available today. Warning, once you use it for a week, going back to a smaller phone is going to be very difficult. Your eyes get very comfortable seeing everything so clear and big. Instagram and Flickr are like watching Porn. Lol!! App developers are even making 1080P apps that make great use of the extra screen space. The New WPCentral app is one example.

I hope this helps.
 
Sep 16, 2013
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Honestly, I've had a 1020 since last September and I wish I would have waited on the 1520. The camera is awesome, but im sure the 1520 will be just fine for your needs. The only thing im in love with on the 1020 is the camera grip with option for tripod. I'll miss that when I finally upgrade. It really makes a difference taking awesome pics.


Don't worry about the tripod.... I seen 3rd parties on ebay selling them for ALL Lumia phones :) quite cheep as well so you will be covered in that *smiles*
 
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I have the AT&T 1020 and the 1520.3 so here are some things to consider.

The 1020 is unrivaled when it comes to photos. If you take a lot of photos, the 1020 blows the 1520 out of the water in any conditions. Don't let the dated processor scare you. Outside of slightly longer shot times the 1020 is still smooth as butter even with the older processor. The 1020's ability to zoom in without loosing quality will change the way you take photos. Now I just snap pictures non-stop and go back later and find the exact photo I want. I can't stress to you how awesome this really is for a camera phone. Low light and distance are things I laugh at with my 1020.

The 1520 takes good photos in great light, but it's night photos and night time video is closer to what you'd see on an iPhone. It does still give you 2X Lossless Zoom though so you'll still be able to zoom in and have great pictures and video when everyone else cant.Supposedly the CYAN update improves the picture and video quality of the 1520. It also supposedly improves the 1020, which means it's still no contest. It's a good camera but only slightly better than what you'd find in an iPhone of LG prior to the CYAN update. I can update my response after the update comes out.

Pictures aside, the 1520 is my daily driver and while it's size can be a bit much (you'll need two hands to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome, lol), its a glorious device to use. Viewing Pictures, Video and playing games on it are like having a mini tablet. I can't stress how great this is enough. It's a magical experience using device this size.

The battery life of the 1520 is 2 or 3 times that of the 1020. By that I mean that in a 12 hour period of heavy use (Social media, streaming music and using Bluetooth headphones, sending a couple hundred IMs, playing games for about 10 minutes and taking about 10 pictures), I still have 30% left before hitting the charger.

The LCD Screen on the 1520 is better than the AMOLED Screen on the 1020 in my opinion. The AMOLED display oversaturates all colors so sometimes you can't really tell how awesome or bad of a photo you've really taken when viewing them on the 1020. But once you pull it up on your computer you will be amazed. With the 1520, what you see is what you get, which is good if you take a bad shot. The LCD on the 1520 is also more viewable in bright sunlight with Nokia's display tech. the Touchscreen is better on the 1020 however. the 1520 spazzes out every blue moon.

The Qualcomm 800 Processor makes a noticeable difference in the 1520. The 1020's processor is good enough, but the 1520's processor blows it out of the water in every aspect. That's to be expected because of the age difference. Games, loading web pages, shot times, video ...etc, it's a noticeable difference if you have both devices side by side. If you only have one device, you won't feel like you're missing out choosing one or the other.

Pictures are my thing so even when my 1520 is re-gifted I'll still have my 1020. There's nothing else that comes close to it. The camera grip gives it the battery life of my 1520 and even my friends with iPhones, Galaxy devices and SLR cameras marvel at the photos. They have designated me as the picture taker with my yellow phone. Lol.

If you can only get one and iPhone quality pictures are good enough, get the 1520. For every scenario outside of Pics, it's the best Windows Phone Device available today. Warning, once you use it for a week, going back to a smaller phone is going to be very difficult. Your eyes get very comfortable seeing everything so clear and big. Instagram and Flickr are like watching Porn. Lol!! App developers are even making 1080P apps that make great use of the extra screen space. The New WPCentral app is one example.

I hope this helps.


Fantastic review. You got it spot on. Personally I di t have the 1020 so I was only comparing on specs but glad you have both to go more into detail. I like to also add that I have the cyan update now. The camera in low light improved so much. Same as video. Not perfect but wow..can see the difference
 

chmun77

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Actually, with human eyes, you CAN see the differences between photos taken by 1020 and 1520, especially the night ones. Even for the day photos, 1020 ones are much more sharper and crisp than 1520.

However, if you are not really into photography much, 1520 is a better device for day-to-day operations. Everything just run simply quicker than 1020. The hardware of 1020 is simply old as compared to hardware nowadays. I have both devices, and 1020 launches apps slower by a sec or so. 1 sec may be nothing you think. But imagine you need to repeat the 1 sec for every operation on the 1020, it will not be nice anymore.
 

Timbre70

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Between 930 and 1520, if you taking pics frequently, has lotsa apps, music, etc....., 1520 is a better choice as storage is expandable via SD card. IPS LCD is a huge bonus too.
 

girishN

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I have the AT&T 1020 and the 1520.3 so here are some things to consider...

iPhone quality? That camera is way too normal, I had to use reduce noise in pictures taken at the time of sunset, when objects were facing the sun. And don't know what's wrong with its lens, things near the edges get stretched oddly.
Yet to see a picture from a 1020 or 1520 tho.
 

ChristianKing

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iPhone quality? That camera is way too normal, I had to use reduce noise in pictures taken at the time of sunset, when objects were facing the sun. And don't know what's wrong with its lens, things near the edges get stretched oddly.
Yet to see a picture from a 1020 or 1520 tho.

Any camera will struggle taking a photo if you point it directly at a light source like the sun. The iPhone actually takes great photos in good light. Apple uses good lenses and their algorithms are pretty impressive. At night, the quality dips because the iPhone doesn't use a hardware based form of stabilization like the 1020, 1520, or 920. But its not a bad camera. I have an iPhone, the 1020 and the 1520 and while I'd declare the 1520 better over all, its not hands down significantly better like the 1020. The 1520 does provide lossless zoom however and that's a significant advantage. I love taking photos so I tinker with all 3 constantly trying to optimize them for photography.
 

BilalSoomro17

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Photography is my thing but That 6" screen seduce me :p I mean it looks great and 2X lossless zoom is enough to make my friends jealous because if you ask me by the reviews I have seen 1520 is better than IPhone in everything more I will see when my 1520 arrives today :Jumps excited: :p thanks alot Christian for your review its amazing made me decide
 

eliranz

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After I had all the "flagships" in recent years
(IPHONE 5, NEXUS 4, LG G PRO, GALAXY NEXUS, and more ...)
I moved to WP, first to LUMIA 920 and then to LUMIA 1020, after 8 months with the -1020, moved to 1520.
To this day, without any doubt, the best device I had was the LUMIA 1020. The camera just crazy, out of this world. And with all due respect to the good camera itself, of the 1520, it's a whole different world.
Furthermore , the device compact, comfortable grip and use, loud and clear sound , high-quality screen, and more.

On the other hand the 1520 has a big screen (it's also a disadvantage), a huge battery that keeps on going , much more powerful specs (mostly superb for gaming, but not limited to), an excellent multimedia device.

If you ask me, I enjoyed more with the 1020. But the question is mainly how much weight you give to the camera, if the camera is 70 percent of the content you are looking for mobile device (like me) - the 1020 is the device for you. If the camera is a little less important than that, and you can "settles" for the camera on the 1520 (excellent camera too ) , and earning on the road a large screen and powerful specs + legendary battery - take the 1520.
 

Blacklac

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Guys, MP's aren't everything. The 1020 is clearly a superior camera. I own a 1020 and a 1520. If you're not taking a majority of picture in bright outdoor light, the 1520 will be noticeable worse.

That said, I prefer the 1520 as a phone, no question. I have my 1020 as a camera/vacation phone though. ;)

You really gotta pick best camera vs better at everything else. 1520 battery is amazing compared to the 1020 as well.
 

blue1k

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Guys, MP's aren't everything. The 1020 is clearly a superior camera. I own a 1020 and a 1520. If you're not taking a majority of picture in bright outdoor light, the 1520 will be noticeable worse.

That said, I prefer the 1520 as a phone, no question. I have my 1020 as a camera/vacation phone though. ;)

You really gotta pick best camera vs better at everything else.

I agree. I have both. In some situations I find the 1520 better (continuous autofocus for faster focusing) but for quality nothing beats the 1020.

But with that said I barely use my 1020 anymore. The 1520 is that good.
 

Blacklac

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I agree. I have both. In some situations I find the 1520 better (continuous autofocus for faster focusing) but for quality nothing beats the 1020.

But with that said I barely use my 1020 anymore. The 1520 is that good.

Yeah, that continuous autofocus is a huge plus for the 1520's camera. Really hope it makes its way to older devices. Can't tell you how many times I've had to retake macro shots cause I slightly missed the focus or I moved a tiny bit.
 

JamesPTao

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The 1030 is coming. Probably late fall or early spring. It wont be cancelled, that is why the 1020 end of support was announced prematurely compared to other phones. My guess is early spring as I am sure they are toying with how bed to implement the tech there using from canon with their new partnership on cameras. They've kept it pretty hush hush as far as rumors go. My bet is the deal was for Nokia (Microsoft) to be able to use canons digic four processor to process the 41 mp to keep the main processor available and to save on battery life. The effect for camera speed and ability would be huge.
 

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