I am a 620 owner but have just bought a 520 as the 620 has a few issues that need repairing. Rather than being without a Lumia, I thought I'd get a 520 as they're dirt cheap at the moment.
My initial Impressions are very very good.
There are some downsides versus the 620 - no front facing camera for things like Skype, no compass (so the City Lens type view doesn't work), no Here Drive + that allows free navigation in other countries, no Dolby Audio, and a supposedly inferior screen.
Apart from that, they're very similar in spec and performance.
In terms of the form factor, the 520 actually feels nicer. I thought the 620 was perfect for fitting in the hand, and it still is, but the 520 feels nicer, lighter and less chunky. In terms of design it is like a WP8 version of the Lumia 800, being of a similar size and shape, except with plastic cover. While this cheapens it a little, it still feels nice and looks like a premium phone, whereas the 620 is cheap and looks like a cheap phone. There is certainly nothing wrong with this though.
In terms of navigating the OS, the 520 feels nicer too. The 620 has a quirk of the whole phone vibrating if you press any of the buttons at the bottom, whereas the 520 does not do this. The 520's performance also oddly feels a little smoother. E.g. When pressing the back button on the 620 there is sometimes more of an animation, whereas with the 520 the transition is almost immediate.
The screen is much maligned in reviews but I notice that this is often because the reviewer is comparing the screen side by side with another phone. Yes, it is ever so slightly more washed out than the 620's when looked at side by side, but on its own it looks damn good, better than previous WP7 iterations like the 710's and very very acceptable. The 800, whilst a lovely phone, also had a screen with a bluish tint to it, and I prefer the 520's screen to this.
I haven't encountered any negatives apart from one freeze, and the back cover being a bit creaky on the button side, but I see this is a common thing and it isn't an issue at all really. Overall it feels like a great phone and I am gobsmacked that iPhones cost 4-6 times as much. Having used iPhones I am perfectly happy with the lower end Lumias; they give incredible value for money and I now think the 520 gives the most value for money of them all. Seriously, if Skype and certain games like Modern Combat aren't important for you to have in a phone, then this is an absolutely incredible bargain.
My initial Impressions are very very good.
There are some downsides versus the 620 - no front facing camera for things like Skype, no compass (so the City Lens type view doesn't work), no Here Drive + that allows free navigation in other countries, no Dolby Audio, and a supposedly inferior screen.
Apart from that, they're very similar in spec and performance.
In terms of the form factor, the 520 actually feels nicer. I thought the 620 was perfect for fitting in the hand, and it still is, but the 520 feels nicer, lighter and less chunky. In terms of design it is like a WP8 version of the Lumia 800, being of a similar size and shape, except with plastic cover. While this cheapens it a little, it still feels nice and looks like a premium phone, whereas the 620 is cheap and looks like a cheap phone. There is certainly nothing wrong with this though.
In terms of navigating the OS, the 520 feels nicer too. The 620 has a quirk of the whole phone vibrating if you press any of the buttons at the bottom, whereas the 520 does not do this. The 520's performance also oddly feels a little smoother. E.g. When pressing the back button on the 620 there is sometimes more of an animation, whereas with the 520 the transition is almost immediate.
The screen is much maligned in reviews but I notice that this is often because the reviewer is comparing the screen side by side with another phone. Yes, it is ever so slightly more washed out than the 620's when looked at side by side, but on its own it looks damn good, better than previous WP7 iterations like the 710's and very very acceptable. The 800, whilst a lovely phone, also had a screen with a bluish tint to it, and I prefer the 520's screen to this.
I haven't encountered any negatives apart from one freeze, and the back cover being a bit creaky on the button side, but I see this is a common thing and it isn't an issue at all really. Overall it feels like a great phone and I am gobsmacked that iPhones cost 4-6 times as much. Having used iPhones I am perfectly happy with the lower end Lumias; they give incredible value for money and I now think the 520 gives the most value for money of them all. Seriously, if Skype and certain games like Modern Combat aren't important for you to have in a phone, then this is an absolutely incredible bargain.
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