Nokia 1520 review by a long time android user

[Gary Parker]

So I bought a used Lumia 1520 off Blinq. It was mint condition but it had the screen touch issue that so many have experienced. So I returned it after about 2 weeks. Other than the screen issue here are my pros and cons compared to my Nexus 5 and Moto X2.

Pros
Beautiful large screen that is excellent in sunlight
Windows 8.1 user interface is better than android in my opinion. Love tiles.
Great battery life. About 1 1/2 to 2 days.
Better apps for my Microsoft Band (fanband).
Better integration with my Windows desktop and XBOX ecosystem.
Fast processing
Universal apps in Windows 10 should be great for developers

Cons
Ghost touches on screen (ugh)
Missing some minor apps I use (dunkin donuts, cartwheel, sywr, hdhomerun view, google drive)
Slower to resume apps after sleep (noticed this for Spotify)
Hard to use in one hand when multitasking.

Overall I really like Windows 8.1 and will seriously consider a 640XL when available. My Moto X2 seems small and inadequate after 2 weeks with the 1520. Unfortunately I could not put up with the touchscreen and Blinq has a great return policy. I have no affiliation with Blinq.

Also, I love my Microsoft Band and highly recommend it.

 

[worldspy99]

Thanks for posting this. Much appreciated.

 

[zkyevolved]

Good small review. The one thing that really bugged me was the lack of true multitasking. It made uploading files a nightmare. ... I love the 1520. I sold mine, but I am thinking of getting the 640xl. Just to keep around the house and play with. There are some tools that really are better on a windows phone. This coming from a note 4 user.

Sent from my Note 4 using Tapatalk

 

[Gary Parker]

Good small review. The one thing that really bugged me was the lack of true multitasking.

Good point.

 

[Ian Legarda]

I have the opposite experience. My 1520 broke so I went ahead and picked up a Note 4. Two weeks later, I returned the Note 4 and sent my 1520 to Palco for repairs.

I couldn't live with the lag on Android. Not from a device like that and for that price. I guess I expected more and the Note 4 didn't deliver. Wp8.1 and the 1520 do have their issues, but I guess I can live with (put up with) them more than the issues I had with the Note 4.

To each their own I guess...

 

[zkyevolved]

Every OS has its issues. You just need to find the one that works for you.

 

[ScrubbyXD]

I bought a G1 back in the day and had always been an android apologist up until last year. I had seen the Windows Phones and never really considered them for the simple reason I went with what I knew. And as we progressed from 2 to 4 it was becoming standard practice to have a task killer,a battery monitor, and quick toggles for radios to make it through the day on a single battery charge. The lack of real standards on apps caused memory leaks everywhere and just generally poor performance (which continues into 5).

I was venting fustration one day and a good friend of mine suggested I pick up a 521 on ebay and repair it. Then use it for two weeks. Challenge Accepted!

Looking at the specs I expected disaster. Dual core 1ghz, 512 ram, 8 gig ram, and a tiny 1850MHA battery. On Android 4 this would be the doggiest of dogs and run like utter crap. I was expecting this very thing. I bought a broken screen one for $10 and a new screen for $13 determined to not spend to much money on a certain failure. Parts arrived and I was pleasantly surprised to find the repair simple. So in my sim card went, put in my hotmail account and waited for the worst.

I decided to NOT turn off radios and let it sink or swim. Found the UI to be very smooth and loved the podcast app. loaded up multiple things at once and while it was multitasking things slowed down some but not bad at all really. I actually went and verified the specs at this point, I could not believe a dual core was handling this load like a champ. I also noticed (and this impressed me) that while on wifi the phone shut off 4g, went down to standby mode 2g, and routed calls through my WiFi! BY ITSELF! This lead me to the discovery it was actually turning not only cell radios on and off as needed but GPS and bluetooth also! My first day with the 521 consumed 22% battery of a tiny 1850mah. :shocked:

Day two I decided to punish it, loaded Pandora and let it run until my lunch break. Surely it will be at half battery or lower by then, so I brought my trusty backup battery pack (a must have for android useres) to top it up while I ate. Lunch came after six hours and...wtf 70% battery after SIX hours of constant cpu and 4g drain? Unreal!

By the end of the two weeks I had a shiny new 1520 and my greatest friend had a case of beer and a case of wine. The android flagships have come and gone and the specs keep growing but Android is still what it is; an amalgamation of open source and bloated google apps that will never get the best out of the hardware it runs. I had thought iOS was the only place to find a system that "just works" but no, Windows Phone does too. Best of all its there at every price point, for everyone, if they just give it a chance.

You'd have drag me kicking and screaming back.

 

[jege41]

I found that without a proper case thus insulating the volume, camera and power buttons I would not have been able to tolerate the accidental toggling of the soft touch buttons. Now that I have the case its like a new phone.

 

[smunro622]

I would have to agree with gary, i have been a long time android user and switched from a note 4, biggest issue is apps from my opinion.
I use speedway gas station and has no app, guess this is a speedway issue not a MS issue. I do miss true multi tasking, and firefox browser.
As for one handed operation issue not a problem. I am hopefull windows 10 fixes most of these issues.

 

[aximtreo]

I bought a G1 back in the day and had always been an android apologist up until last year. I had seen the Windows Phones and never really considered them for the simple reason I went with what I knew. And as we progressed from 2 to 4 it was becoming standard practice to have a task killer,a battery monitor, and quick toggles for radios to make it through the day on a single battery charge. The lack of real standards on apps caused memory leaks everywhere and just generally poor performance (which continues into 5).


Good review and really good read. Should be required reading for all the carrier sales people.

I was venting fustration one day and a good friend of mine suggested I pick up a 521 on ebay and repair it. Then use it for two weeks. Challenge Accepted!

Looking at the specs I expected disaster. Dual core 1ghz, 512 ram, 8 gig ram, and a tiny 1850MHA battery. On Android 4 this would be the doggiest of dogs and run like utter crap. I was expecting this very thing. I bought a broken screen one for $10 and a new screen for $13 determined to not spend to much money on a certain failure. Parts arrived and I was pleasantly surprised to find the repair simple. So in my sim card went, put in my hotmail account and waited for the worst.

I decided to NOT turn off radios and let it sink or swim. Found the UI to be very smooth and loved the podcast app. loaded up multiple things at once and while it was multitasking things slowed down some but not bad at all really. I actually went and verified the specs at this point, I could not believe a dual core was handling this load like a champ. I also noticed (and this impressed me) that while on wifi the phone shut off 4g, went down to standby mode 2g, and routed calls through my WiFi! BY ITSELF! This lead me to the discovery it was actually turning not only cell radios on and off as needed but GPS and bluetooth also! My first day with the 521 consumed 22% battery of a tiny 1850mah. :shocked:

Day two I decided to punish it, loaded Pandora and let it run until my lunch break. Surely it will be at half battery or lower by then, so I brought my trusty backup battery pack (a must have for android useres) to top it up while I ate. Lunch came after six hours and...wtf 70% battery after SIX hours of constant cpu and 4g drain? Unreal!

By the end of the two weeks I had a shiny new 1520 and my greatest friend had a case of beer and a case of wine. The android flagships have come and gone and the specs keep growing but Android is still what it is; an amalgamation of open source and bloated google apps that will never get the best out of the hardware it runs. I had thought iOS was the only place to find a system that "just works" but no, Windows Phone does too. Best of all its there at every price point, for everyone, if they just give it a chance.

You'd have drag me kicking and screaming back.