Using the Lumia 1520 in 2017- (yet another) Experience.

[LVBNR5]

Saw meattray post and seeing as I'm in the same situation I thought it would be cool to share my thoughts. My 1520 arrived in the mail 3 days ago. Sturdy, a little heavy, but boy howdy if it doesn't scream "Nokia" just by touching it. It feels robust and good, despite being plastic. Turned it on, still on 8.1. Updated to 10 after fiddling around for a minute, I have to say, I liked a lot the previous 8.1 interface. It just seemed more... Fun. Download update after update (4 years to catch up aren't a joke), not a single issue. It does get a little too warm but considering the operations it has to performs I don't mind. Calls are better than my previous device (a Nexus 6P) and despite the fact that there is only one speaker it does sound much louder compared to the Nexus' double front facing ones. It's colder though.
As for the system... Well, Windows 10 Mobile is great! The OS itself out-of-the-box is amazing, beautiful and innovative. Live tiles are simply too good, and the UI feels a lot better. The similarity to my PC is good too, so I can seamlessly pass from one to another and feel just at home (besides, the fact that my Windows pc notifies me when there's a notification is a bliss!).
Keyboard is amazingly fast but it's different so it'll take a while to get used to it.
The only, really, the ONLY groundbreaking fatal wound this OS has are apps. There are VERY few apps that works, and even less are optimized. Big shots don't update since a year (looking at you, Spotify) and this brings their apps to be unusable. Plus, even if they work, there are a lot of important features missing (Facebook messenger doesn't allow you to call people, same with Telegram.). If this platform got even as much as half the support iOS and Android have, it would rise so quickly it would dethrone Apple and Google from the mobile market. And about the latter... Why there are no Google apps in the store? The only one is the crappy Google Search app that doesn't even work properly!
Overall, despite being a 2k13 phone, I still prefer it to my Nexus 6P (that I still have around for games and stuff). Is it worth to buy one in 2017? The phone itself is more than worth, it's still a flagship for me. The problem is the OS. So the question is; is W10M worth in 2017? Well, that's up to you. I can only say that I don't regret a single buck I spent on it and besides, Groove Music has double the songs Spotify has ;P
Cheers, LVBNR5 out. Lemme know your thoughts or some cool apps I can download.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Hi and welcome to Windows Central.

I'm glad you're enjoying your 1520.

 

[meattray]

Good stuff. I can't wait to see some more impressions.

 

[LuxuryTouringZone]

And yet another 2017 Lumia 1520 shopper! Shows how passionate the fans are for large, Windows-powered phablets.

 

[Veehementia]

Update: turns out the Lumia I bought overheated not because it had a lot of things to do, but because the guys that sold it to me on Amazon "forgot" to say that it wasn't working properly... So my refund is on the way. Pretty much sure i'll buy another one, tho. The experience I got from this device is impressive to say the least.
One thing that really surprised me is that even with the overheating issues, battery held out pretty well (not very good, but good nonetheless) and the OS never, EVER froze. This phone is bliss. If Microsoft made a V2 version of this now, i'd buy in less than a minute.

 

[raycpl]

Just return a red year-old 1520 to its rightful owner, my bro who is a die-hard OnePlus One fan. It should be interesting to be get some comparison of camera performance from him. Maybe the OPO has the edge on those long exposure night shots. The 1520 is a beast with video, it still holds up in 2017. I think the dials used on the Lumia Camera UI is the best and least fiddly. One thumb operations, that's the gold standard!!
With the red 1520 gone, my wife took my spare 3yr old yellow 1520. The battery was replaced recently, so it performs just like new. I was thinking of getting a 950/950XL for her. That's the only "upgrade" available here for WP, cash & SIM-free.
Will see how it goes....

... !!

 

[meattray]

Update: turns out the Lumia I bought overheated not because it had a lot of things to do, but because the guys that sold it to me on Amazon "forgot" to say that it wasn't working properly... So my refund is on the way. Pretty much sure i'll buy another one, tho. The experience I got from this device is impressive to say the least.
One thing that really surprised me is that even with the overheating issues, battery held out pretty well (not very good, but good nonetheless) and the OS never, EVER froze. This phone is bliss. If Microsoft made a V2 version of this now, i'd buy in less than a minute.

That's cool that you're enjoying the phone. It's definitely an interesting beast. Takes some great photos.

 

[Veehementia]

Just return a red year-old 1520 to its rightful owner, my bro who is a die-hard OnePlus One fan. It should be interesting to be get some comparison of camera performance from him. Maybe the OPO has the edge on those long exposure night shots. The 1520 is a beast with video, it still holds up in 2017. I think the dials used on the Lumia Camera UI is the best and least fiddly. One thumb operations, that's the gold standard!!
With with the red 1520, my wife took my spare 3yr old yellow 1520. The battery was replaced recently, so it performs just like new. I was thinking of getting her a 950/950XL for her. That's the only "upgrade" available here for WP, cash & SIM-free.
Will see how it goes....

... !!

I ain't really too keen on the 950/950xl. Be it because i prefer 8.1 to 10, or simply because the designers of those devices didn't really learn anything at all from the Lumia as a whole, it just looks and feels cheap. It doesn't scream "hey, look out, i'm the flagship for Windows Phone, and you can see that!". Nokia always put a unique look to their phones that still makes them recognzable and even more original that the current flagship. Would you recognize a s6 from an s7? Or an Iphone 6 from and Iphone 7? But every Lumia is special and unique. The plastic feels good and not cheap. I've had alluminium phones that felt cheaper than this 4yrs old plastic device. I just don't like them. I'm thinkin' about a 930, since i barely use my phone nowdays for things outside of the usual stuff and i always wanted to experience a smaller screen (i never went under 5.5 inches, so maybe ir's time to try out.) Besides, for the price they're sold, i could actually buy the both of them

 

[Veehementia]

That's cool that you're enjoying the phone. It's definitely an interesting beast. Takes some great photos.

That's 100% true . But if you want some real camera quality you're forced back to 8.1. Windows 10 Mobile it's so aggressive on post processing that the image it's actually ruined. And the whole camera software experience is much better on 8.1, easier, snappier. Pictures are crisp and clear, where the excessive post processing of Windows 10 Mobile makes them look like they're took from and old 8 MP phone camera. You can get 'round it by playing some serious time with tweaks and corrections, but it ain't worth it.

 

[raycpl]

I ain't really too keen on the 950/950xl. Be it because i prefer 8.1 to 10, or simply because the designers of those devices didn't really learn anything at all from the Lumia as a whole, it just looks and feels cheap. It doesn't scream "hey, look out, i'm the flagship for Windows Phone, and you can see that!". Nokia always put a unique look to their phones that still makes them recognzable and even more original that the current flagship. Would you recognize a s6 from an s7? Or an Iphone 6 from and Iphone 7? But every Lumia is special and unique. The plastic feels good and not cheap. I've had alluminium phones that felt cheaper than this 4yrs old plastic device. I just don't like them. I'm thinkin' about a 930, since i barely use my phone nowdays for things outside of the usual stuff and i always wanted to experience a smaller screen (i never went under 5.5 inches, so maybe ir's time to try out.) Besides, for the price they're sold, i could actually buy the both of them

I do get where you're coming from with the Lumia design language. I've had had the 920, 720, 830 before, but I do like the feel of the 950XL (I use mine naked, ie no casing/jacket but just a nano-screen protector) I feel right in my hand.
The things that matters for me is the superb camera (+dedicated camera button) c/w clear sharp screen. How a phone looks is personal taste I know, but its better have a great screen cos that's what we really look at when we use a phone.
Can you still find new 930? The 1520 is really the sought after model amongst the Lumias... used or old used ones..

... !!

 

[Veehementia]

I do get where you're coming from with the Lumia design language. I've had had the 920, 720, 830 before, but I do like the feel of the 950XL (I use mine naked, ie no casing/jacket but just a nano-screen protector) I feel right in my hand.
The things that matters for me is the superb camera (+dedicated camera button) c/w clear sharp screen. How a phone looks is personal taste I know, but it better have a great screen cos that's what we really look at when we use a phone.
Can you still find new 930? The 1520 is really sought model amongst the Lumia... used or old i used ones..

... !!

Well, given their age, it's quite impossible to find a Lumia 930 or 1520 brand new... The best you can hope for is a refurbished one. Or a lightly used one.
I get what you're saying with the screen, and that's right. But i think something like a flagship should be great in all aspects. Besides, it's nice to pick the phone in hand from time to time and take a moment to appreciate the build... Which is something that i just wouldnt do with the 950.

 

[Veehementia]

Well, i've done it. Sent back my defective Lumia 1520 and got from a friend for 130 bucks a shiny new 930. Which it's what I'm using right now. I never loved under-5'5 inches screens, but holy hell how Windows scales well on both large and tinier devices... Lovin'it so far.

 

[greedo_greedy]

That's 100% true . But if you want some real camera quality you're forced back to 8.1. Windows 10 Mobile it's so aggressive on post processing that the image it's actually ruined. And the whole camera software experience is much better on 8.1, easier, snappier. Pictures are crisp and clear, where the excessive post processing of Windows 10 Mobile makes them look like they're took from and old 8 MP phone camera. You can get 'round it by playing some serious time with tweaks and corrections, but it ain't worth it.

Use ProShot Classic or Lumia Camera Classic.

It retains the old WP8.1 camera algorithms

ProShot Classic - $2.99 but absolutely worth it
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/proshot-classic/9wzdncrfhxmq

Lumia Camera Classic
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/lumia-camera-classic/9wzdncrfhww0

 

[Veehementia]

Use ProShot Classic or Lumia Camera Classic.

It retains the old WP8.1 camera algorithms

ProShot Classic - $2.99 but absolutely worth it
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/proshot-classic/9wzdncrfhxmq

Lumia Camera Classic
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/lumia-camera-classic/9wzdncrfhww0

Man, you saved my photo experience. Thank you.

 

[derrieger]

The things that matters for me is the superb camera (+dedicated camera button) c/w clear sharp screen.

That is a big thing for me, too. The presence of a dedicated camera button can hardly be overestimated. Especially when one has only one hand free that needs to hold a 5.7 inch phone and hit the shutter button simultaneously. You don't even have to unlock it. And it's quick.
My previous 640XL took ages to save photos and even crashed/stalled losing the picture. Which was the main reason for me to ditch it in favour of a 950XL. Both cameras are quite good and the 640 is way cheaper, but the 950XL makes (not only) the camera fun to use.

 

[greedo_greedy]

Man, you saved my photo experience. Thank you.

You are welcome
Lumia 1520 user for almost 3 years now.

 

[TechJunkie81]

I bought my yellow 1520 a couple months ago. As soon as I opened the package it came in I knew it was a purchase I would not regret. Big, bold, beautiful. That camera, just WOW. Remembered how beautiful WP 8.1 was, then put Win 10 Mobile on it. It worked decent but it didn't have the smoothness of 8.1, sometimes the camera would get stuck on "Saving" after taking a pic and the pic would just vanish, the flash would forget it's on or off. Other times the phone would get so hot you could cook a steak on it, and that was from doing things that were fairly mundane.

Last week my 1520 got affected by that fiasco of builds MS accidentally released, woke up to my 1520 being a brick. WDRT took care of it and of course had to go back to WP 8.1. After having it on 8.1 since I've decided to not put Win 10 Mobile back on it. It is just too much of a downgrade. I have an old Lumia 920 with 10 installed so I will use that for Win 10 stuff but for my 1520 I have to say WP 8.1 + Denim > Win 10 Mobile.

I might get another 1520 just to have. It is the King.

 

[scionluna]

Absolutely. I'm looking at either buying a new one or replacing the battery and case on my 1520. It's a hard phone to beat.

 

[TechJunkie81]

Use ProShot Classic or Lumia Camera Classic.

It retains the old WP8.1 camera algorithms

ProShot Classic - $2.99 but absolutely worth it
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/proshot-classic/9wzdncrfhxmq

Lumia Camera Classic
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/lumia-camera-classic/9wzdncrfhww0

ProShot Classic is a boss. Loved it on my 920. After my 1520 got affected by the accidental insider build release fiasco last week I restored my 1520 to WP 8.1, went to reinstall apps and ProShot Classic wants me to pay for it again. Not cool.

 

[dov1978]

Just saw a red 1520 going for next to nothing on my local ads site. All it needs is a new sim card tray which is easy enough to get. Seriously considering getting it as I remember the battery being so much better than my current 950xl and I miss the old Nokia camera apps too. I'd likely keep it on 8.1 but does the new Facebook app etc work on 8.1 or do you still have to use the old Microsoft version?