1020 successor-How about a more practical upgrade rather than all the blue skying?

[BlackZeppelin]

Well as some of you know, I had a Lumia 1020 for a whole 2 wks before returning it because of battery issues. Correction, 2 Lumia 1020's, both of them the same battery issues. A 3rd one in the store right out of the box had again the same issue.

There is a lot of speculation about the 1020 successor. A supposed 1025, 1030, 1820 etc. With all this theorizing about grandiose features such as 3D gestures, lytro camera and such. What about Nokia, (or MS by then) do a more practical update of the 1020, addressing some key weaknesses?

Upgrade the poultry 2000mAh battery.
Upgrade the dual core processor to the latest quad core.
Upgrade RAM.
Offer removable micro SD storage.

These 4 upgrades without touching anything else would be a major improvement to the 1020, buying MS time to develop a completely new imaging flagship later on. Now don't get me wrong. I've been reading up on the Samsung S5 and the new HTC one M8 and other phones like OPPO Find 7. If the Lumia 1020 were upgraded as I suggest in these 4 areas, it would by no means be a device to compete with the latest offerings-except of course in terms of imaging.

But many of us would not bother waiting for the next completely new 1020 successor. I'm sure many would go out and buy one immediately. I know I would.

What do you think?

 

[DreadVenom]

I have a 1020 and though i understand your gripe, i have had no such issues with battery. Re the points of improvement, i really doubt that these areas wont be upgraded. As it stands the 1020 is really, if ppl are honest a beta for the camera tech and the wp os.

So i expect the 1020 successor to have quad core cpu, 3-4GB ram, 32GB on board mem w/ expansion and of course a larger capacity battery. The 1520 and icon are evidence of Nokia's work towards the next 1020.

 

[BlackZeppelin]

I have a 1020 and though i understand your gripe, i have had no such issues with battery. Re the points of improvement, i really doubt that these areas wont be upgraded. As it stands the 1020 is really, if ppl are honest a beta for the camera tech and the wp os.

So i expect the 1020 successor to have quad core cpu, 3-4GB ram, 32GB on board mem w/ expansion and of course a larger capacity battery. The 1520 and icon are evidence of Nokia's work towards the next 1020.

Thanks for the reply. I suppose what I'm arguing about is what about an upgrade versus a completely new successor model? I really don't think any Lumia 1020 owner would wish for a completely revamped new model as it was only released 9 mths ago. In the same way Apple does an Iphone, then upgrades it next year to an "S", then releases the following year a "new" phone. In their case, I do say new sarcastically.

I'm glad you don't have battery issues. But even on this forum, there are a lot of posts of poor battery life with this phone. Good or reasonable battery performance seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

 

[peachy001]

I would love the phone that you describe. Love my 920, but eager for a 1030....

 

[troylytle]

No battery problems here. If I need to make it an extra few hours past the 14-16 I usually get, I use the camera grip.

 

[troylytle]

I do think that it is killing the battery to run the hardware that long while processing an image, though. I think the benefits to speed outweigh extra battery with quad core.

 

[4everForever]

The Nokia 1020 is running buttery smooth...battery is still acceptable..
1 thing i don't really like is it takes quite long, about 1 second to save the picture after u capture the picture..

 

[mikebodo]

I went from a 900 to a 1020 and am impressed with how long the battery life is. I use my 1020 much more than the 900 because of the camera, however I find I don't have to charge it nearly as much. Very happy with my purchase (off contract) and provided it upgrades to 8.1 without any issues, I'll be happier than a pig in slop.

 

[TheCrazySwede]

I think Black Z and I are alone on this battery boat, because my phone sinks overnight when I'm not even using it....in Battery Saver Mode! My old iPhone 4 would last a few days between charges. I'm lucky if I can get my Lumia 1020 to last 24 hours.

I would love to have a Lumia 1020 "S" model, but I can only imagine that it would be difficult to sell. Apple gets away with it because they are Apple, but I fear that most people will just see the new phone as "just a 1020 with some changes." Personally, I love my 1020, and the only thing I don't like about it is the battery. If I could get an "S" model with a better battery and upgraded processor, heck, I don't see any need for a new phone for a while. By the time I do, the new Lumia flagship should be ready. Sign me up!

 

[BlackZeppelin]

I think Black Z and I are alone on this battery boat, because my phone sinks overnight when I'm not even using it....in Battery Saver Mode! My old iPhone 4 would last a few days between charges. I'm lucky if I can get my Lumia 1020 to last 24 hours.

I would love to have a Lumia 1020 "S" model, but I can only imagine that it would be difficult to sell. Apple gets away with it because they are Apple, but I fear that most people will just see the new phone as "just a 1020 with some changes." Personally, I love my 1020, and the only thing I don't like about it is the battery. If I could get an "S" model with a better battery and upgraded processor, heck, I don't see any need for a new phone for a while. By the time I do, the new Lumia flagship should be ready. Sign me up!

I really do think that people who experience good battery life with the 1020 are the exception. Just Google "lumia 1020 battery drain" and see how many hits there are. As I said, just look at how many posts on this forum there are related to that topic. Considering the size of the phone, 41MP processing and OIS, 2000mAh is woefully inadequate. Plus a lesser processor for handling all that processing.

Heck, if Nokia did nothing else except put an over 3000mAh battery in it, I'd re-buy it again. I think the basic minimum upgrade would be battery and processor. The removable storage would not be a deal breaker for me as 32GB is plenty for me.

 

[BlackZeppelin]

CrazySwede, you state that the recommendations I make would be viewed by people as just another 1020 with a "few changes". I would disagree wholeheartedly. A new processor, 50% plus bigger battery and removable micro SD storage would not be just a few changes but a major upgrade.

Along with my original suggestions, I also think ditch the black polycarbonate color case and include a few more colors of choice, (red for eg). And maybe also a couple of Nokia imaging apps just for the 1020. The only thing that I don't like about Nokia camera app is that it doesn't give the 1020 exclusivity. So a couple of Nokia developed apps just for the 1020 would be awesome to differentiate it from all the other Lumias.

And maybe also an extra function to disable the OIS if you choose. That chews up battery and in many cases with a steady hand it is not needed, especially in bright outdoors.

 

[mikebodo]

I really do think that people who experience good battery life with the 1020 are the exception. Just Google "lumia 1020 battery drain" and see how many hits there are. As I said, just look at how many posts on this forum there are related to that topic. Considering the size of the phone, 41MP processing and OIS, 2000mAh is woefully inadequate. Plus a lesser processor for handling all that processing.

Below is a link to a battery life study done on a group of smartphones by GSM Arena, with the primary focus being on the 1020. Their findings mirror my own personal use experience.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 battery test - GSMArena Blog

I think the majority of the "battery drain" issues people report have more to do with background applications being stuck and not turning off more than anything. I had this issue today, as when I left my house around 10 AM my battery was fully charged and when I took it out of my pocket around 2 PM it was down to 30% without me having so much done anything on it outside of playing music in my car. When this occurs I know it's because of a stuck background process or app. The fix, unfortunately, is to power down and reboot the phone. However, once you do that everything is fine until the next occurrence, which I encounter perhaps once a month at most.

 

[BlackZeppelin]

Well as I said before in a previous thread, I researched all the battery saving tips under the sun. And running apps in the bacground as you state is a real culprit. Also, as I stated before, I applied all my battery saver tips to my Lumia 520 and I can go a week now on standby if need be.

In my case, the retailer just happened to have a bunch of Lumia 1020's with defective batteries. And I was totally confident that if I got a good one, basic use and standby would have been okay. But I also know that nothing could have been done to make the 1020 reasonable once taking pictures, videos and web browsing, owing to that small battery in a relatively larger phone and less than latest processor. For that reason, plus the fact that a whole swag of new phones are on the horizon including from Nokia, I decided to return mine and wait for a potential successor.

P.S. Just as well HTC persisted with their 4MP UltraPIxel. I know it's a very good camera for just 4MP, but seriously, if that same technology was put into say a 20MP camera, I'd be seriously considering that. Because it's avaliable now, offers an incredible amount of phone, SD and free cloud storage and is probably now the best phone multi media device on the market. Plus that bloody fantastic dot matrix case. But for me, just 4MP camera was a deal breaker. And the little time I had with my 1020 makes me crave for the successor model which should be a competitor in all aspects similar to the latest Samsung, HTC and anything else that comes out.

 

[buxz777]

battery life for me is normal/good until I use the camera which really drains it , web browsing can hurt it too due to the white pages , I wish the browser had a white/black option for us with amoled screens ....... however I think releasing a 1020s is a waste of time in my opinion ...... just a bigger battery , better cpu , upgrade ram and add micro sd slot isn't worth making a 1020s

my 1020 battery life is easily as good as my old s4 if not better and that didn't have a huge camera and loads of processing of high quality raw/34mp and 5mp images to do so I really don't think the 1020 battery is that bad unless some of you are leaving things like the camera open which will drain the battery uber quick

for the 1020 upgrade I would like something like this

# bigger sensor either 808 sensor or even bigger
# optics improved even if its just the build of the optics so we don't get side softness like on some 1020s
# variable xenon flash
# nd filter
# 32gb/64gb models with micro sd slot
# 1080p 5" amoled screen so photos look better on the screen
# faster cpu to help with processing times , snapdragon 801 maybe
# same design language of the handset but in more colours , cyan , green , yellow , matte red etc
# 3gb ram
# mhl connection through usb allowing pen drives to be connected and tv out to be achieved via mhl wired connection
# screen mirroring
# camera grip attatchment with a 52mm thread around it so you could add external lenses and filters if you wanted
# 3000mah battery or as close to the 1520 battery as you can get even if it makes the device a little thicker
# waterproof via nano coating so it can be used in the rain or underwater without worrying about it
# anti scratch coating applied to the screen and phone hosing so it is very hardy and doesn't scratch easy
# most of all though bigger sensor and better optics to make the camera even better

if your going to upgrade a camera phone you need to upgrade the camera ...... you cant just release a re-hashed 1020 with bigger battery and micro sd slot ...... its pointless and users and media will demand more ..... I am expecting big things from the 1020 successor and I hope nokia/Microsoft provide them ;-)

 

[BlackZeppelin]

battery life for me is normal/good until I use the camera which really drains it , web browsing can hurt it too due to the white pages , I wish the browser had a white/black option for us with amoled screens ....... however I think releasing a 1020s is a waste of time in my opinion ...... just a bigger battery , better cpu , upgrade ram and add micro sd slot isn't worth making a 1020s

my 1020 battery life is easily as good as my old s4 if not better and that didn't have a huge camera and loads of processing of high quality raw/34mp and 5mp images to do so I really don't think the 1020 battery is that bad unless some of you are leaving things like the camera open which will drain the battery uber quick

for the 1020 upgrade I would like something like this

# bigger sensor either 808 sensor or even bigger
# optics improved even if its just the build of the optics so we don't get side softness like on some 1020s
# variable xenon flash
# nd filter
# 32gb/64gb models with micro sd slot
# 1080p 5" amoled screen so photos look better on the screen
# faster cpu to help with processing times , snapdragon 801 maybe
# same design language of the handset but in more colours , cyan , green , yellow , matte red etc
# 3gb ram
# mhl connection through usb allowing pen drives to be connected and tv out to be achieved via mhl wired connection
# screen mirroring
# camera grip attatchment with a 52mm thread around it so you could add external lenses and filters if you wanted
# 3000mah battery or as close to the 1520 battery as you can get even if it makes the device a little thicker
# waterproof via nano coating so it can be used in the rain or underwater without worrying about it
# anti scratch coating applied to the screen and phone hosing so it is very hardy and doesn't scratch easy
# most of all though bigger sensor and better optics to make the camera even better

if your going to upgrade a camera phone you need to upgrade the camera ...... you cant just release a re-hashed 1020 with bigger battery and micro sd slot ...... its pointless and users and media will demand more ..... I am expecting big things from the 1020 successor and I hope nokia/Microsoft provide them ;-)

Surely you're not serious? That in order to upgrade the 1020, you have to "upgrade" the camera? The 1020 was released well under a yr ago, and in all that time it has been the numero uno in imaging on a phone. And even with all the rollout of HTC M8, Samsung S5, Oppo Find 7, the impending iphone 6 etc, it still is the best camera on a phone. Do you seriously expect an upgrade of such a revolutionary camera on a phone in less than 1yr? No other manufacturer does that as you suggest. Rather, small, incremental improvements. Just look at the iphone series.

The camera is at the top of the field and will continue, left untouched, for quite a while. There is no need to "upgrade" the 1020's greatest strength. Rather, it's weaknesses should be upgraded, and there is definately room for improvement.

It has nowhere near the latest processor.
It has one of the smallest battery sizes for its size and functionality.
There is a trend now towards removable storage.

How could Nokia upgrade the camera anyway in such a short time as you suggest? And what do you envision for such an upgrade? 51MP? Something else? Some of the stuff you mention is fine tuning only and other stuff I can't understand why to be honest? A bigger sensor? This phone already has a very large sensor for being a camera in a phone. And the 808 which had a little bit bigger sensor was quite a bit thicker and bulkier. This is the reason why the sensor was scaled down marginally. In the age of slim phones we have now, no one would want a thick phone like the 808 as you suggest just for that slightly larger sensor size.

 

[Angel Fernandez1]

I was thinking something like this (In July, or close to the mid-year):
Camera: 41 MP (Or more, maybe?) improved Pureview with 4K video recording and 5 MP frontal.
Flash: Xenon and dual led (Not single as the 1020)
Screen: 5,3'' 1080p/2K IPS/AMOLED (If 2K is the thing for then...)
RAM: 3 GB
CPU: Snapdragon 805 @2,5 GHz (Could be a 801, but 805 it's better for photography)
Storage: 32/64 GB with MicroSD
Battery: 3000 mAh, or much as they can.
Thinkess: No more than 10mm.
Waterproof: If you want to take some shots in the rain.
Maybe it's too good, i know, but i would love to see it. I wish the 1020 has a quad-core, WP doesn't need it, but 41 MP really does.

 

[Angel Fernandez1]

How could Nokia upgrade the camera anyway in such a short time as you suggest? And what do you envision for such an upgrade? 51MP? Something else? Some of the stuff you mention is fine tuning only and other stuff I can't understand why to be honest? A bigger sensor? This phone already has a very large sensor for being a camera in a phone. And the 808 which had a little bit bigger sensor was quite a bit thicker and bulkier. This is the reason why the sensor was scaled down marginally. In the age of slim phones we have now, no one would want a thick phone like the 808 as you suggest just for that slightly larger sensor size.

Nobody says more MP. Maybe "Pureview 2.0", improved low light with hardware and software, more manual options (In video, essentialy), and making it a excellent phone with an excellent camera, not just a excellent camera with a good but not-so-great phone in some aspects.

 

[buxz777]

jeese calm down dude , everything I have listed is available now it is not a dream it is just a case of nokia putting it altogether in one device ...... a better sensor has been out for nearly 2 years now ...... the 808 sensor is bigger and allows bigger pixels which in turn let in more light , ask anyone who has used a 808 and 1020 and people will tell you that the 808 sensor would be seen as an improvement even people who haven't used the 808 would tell you the same as its bigger and its just the law of physics ..... this would make the camera better straight off ...... the factory process of the lens and optics should have also been improved in the 6 months the 1020 has been out now meaning that optics could also have been improved in that short time

so people wouldn't want a slightly thicker device that had a bigger sensor and also allowed space for a bigger battery?? your shouting my ideas down but yet you want a bigger battery , how do you expect that without making the device bigger? if your making the device bigger why not squeeze the 808 sensor in it or and try and be the 1st to put a 1" sensor in a phone with the same 41mp lens set up so that the pixels are bigger and let in more light and then have the 5mp oversampling going on to equal a really really pure image?? like I say your shouting down other peoples ideas yet wanting something yourself that would also mean a thicker/bigger device?? I don't understand that myself but hey ho lol

the 1020 has a great camera but it could be made better and the minute the 1020 was in motion the development team should have been thinking of ways to make it better and to get even more pure images from it , bigger sensor is one of them things and if the 1020 successor has the same size sensor as the 1020 and doesn't match the 808 size I for one will be disappointed as I like too see things get better

so you can shout down my ideas all you want but you want but everything is out there now for nokia to build a better device and not just add a faster cpu , bigger battery and micro sd slot if they do that its a kop out .... a waste .... lack of innovation and development ....... yes the 1020 has a great camera does that mean that nokia should just sit and wait for others to catch up??? nope they should carry on , invent more patents , make this field theirs , this usp theirs , ....... I am glad that we haven't all got your way of thinking or nokia would have stopped at the n8 in terms of camera development which many manufacturers haven't even caught up to that standard yet lmao

sorry I don't agree with your opinion and think a 1020s is just a waste of time , but I think many users would much prefer a proper upgrade , if nokia bring out a 1020s with your spec I aint upgrading I have the 1020 64gb , why would I upgrade to a 1020s with a slightly bigger battery and micro sd slot and faster cpu?? my phone runs any app at the minute , it does run out of battery but I can easily carry a 5000mah external battery which will charge my 1020 twice and with 64gb memory a sd card would be nice but I wouldn't upgrade my phone for one

the next upgraded 1020 will have what you want , it will come with a faster cpu , a better gfx chip , a bigger battery , so why not take things further and try and make the 1020 selling point even better , it can easily be done by using tech on the market and if we have the 930 as a mainstream flagship with slim build , no xenon etc etc then why cant we have a niche device that is slightly thicker , with bigger sensor , bigger battery , water proofed , bigger xenon flash with variable settings , nd filter , mhl connection ,

if nokia release a 1020s with a just a bigger battery , micro sd slot , faster cpu ...... it will get slated I think as people are expecting more ...... and no I wouldn't just up the mp to 51mp like you said ..... I am not a moron and do understand how camera tech works ..... doing that with the same sensor would in turn make the pixels smaller and the images would contain more noise and it wouldn't perform as well at night ...... sorry I just expect the 1020 successor to be more of an upgrade then you have listed , it is just my opinion , its is also my opinion that tech is on the market right now that would allow nokia to build a proper 1020 upgrade tomorrow if they wanted to ...........

 

[mikebodo]

the next upgraded 1020 will have what you want , it will come with a faster cpu , a better gfx chip , a bigger battery , so why not take things further and try and make the 1020 selling point even better , it can easily be done by using tech on the market and if we have the 930 as a mainstream flagship with slim build , no xenon etc etc then why cant we have a niche device that is slightly thicker , with bigger sensor , bigger battery , water proofed , bigger xenon flash with variable settings , nd filter , mhl connection

I think you and BZ just have different expectations. Where BZ would be satisfied with incremental improvements you want a full-fledge upgrade. The one thing I really like about the 1020 is its relatively light weight and slimness (sans the hump) compared to the 920. I wouldn't want to lose that aspect with any upgrade and were you to beef up the battery (adding weight) and make the phone thicker to accommodate the larger sensor, adding even more weight, I'm not sure I'd like it as much. At that point it really would become more of a camera than a phone and to top it off you still may have the "hump", which really doesn't bother me in the slightest, but I know is a turn-off to many.

What it really boils down to is what is it you can and can't live without, as something's got to give in order to accommodate improving the guts of the device. If Nokia/MS can add a sensor on the scale or slightly smaller than the N808, utilize a top of the line CPU, increase the battery and screen size and add a micro SD slot while maintaining the physical characteristics of the current 1020 (in otherwords, not making it thicker and or a lot heavier while increasing its overall size), they'll have a home run on their hands. If in order to cram everything certain 1020 users want in the housing means coming out with a brick thicker and heavier than the 920, It'll never sell on the scale of the current 1020 and will be a niche device at best.

 

[Bahamen]

I've grown accustomed to the expectation that every successor to Nokia's camera flagship will have something revolutionary. However, here I agree with the OP that for the next upgrade it is sufficient to just focus on "practical upgrades". However, I'm not talking about better processor, RAM or display just to keep up with the market for the sake of keeping up. The main focus should be on making sure that the camera startup time, and shot-to-shot time are drastically improved. My expectation is that the 1020's camera speed should be at least as fast as the current 1520, and the 1520's camera speed should be on par with the fastest cameras in the market (e.g. iPhone 5S). This may come down to a hardware solution (Snapdragon 805?) or further optimization in the algorithm. In terms of image quality, the 1020 is currently still very comfortably ahead of the competition, I would expect this lead to persist for at least another year. Or possibly longer considering the slow pace of improvement in the new generation phones from Apple, HTC, Samsung, Sony etc.

There are also plenty of other software-based improvements that will keep a 1020 (or its successor)'s owner happy. For example, HDR mode, additional customization options (e.g. saturation/contrast) in the camera UI, or even an improved Photosynth.

With regards to battery. My 1020's battery life has been quite adequate, lasting around 16 hours with moderate use, or more than 24 hours with light use. In fact, when I put on the camera grip the battery life is significantly extended to 24-36 hours. And I only charge it once a day, compared to many others (iPhone/Galaxy owners) who charge their phones throughout the day and are always seen with a power bank. So to me the 1020 is quite good compared to other 4.5" phones today. So I don't think battery life is an issue, and putting a large battery would have added to the weight/bulk. Perhaps they could put a bigger battery into the camera grip.