Canadian review / user experience with the 1520.3 (RM-938 variant)

[Michael M Maslowski]

Hi folks,

As a follow-up to my previous message, I have decided to post a quickie containing some photos testing Bandit's 20MP PureView shooter.

The gallery is available here .

Everything was shot using the standard/auto settings.

Thanks.

 

[MrGoodSmith]

Hi folks,

As a follow-up to my previous message, I have decided to post a quickie containing some photos testing Bandit's 20MP PureView shooter.

The gallery is available here .

Everything was shot using the standard/auto settings.

Thanks.

Great looking photos! The image quality makes them look professional. I haven't used the camera for serious shooting yet. I am thinking about doing a 15KM hike along the Don river here in Toronto this coming weekend, so I will probably take some location-enabled photos along the route.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Michael M Maslowski]

Great looking photos! The image quality makes them look professional. I haven't used the camera for serious shooting yet. I am thinking about doing a 15KM hike along the Don river here in Toronto this coming weekend, so I will probably take some location-enabled photos along the route.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, mate, I appreciate the kind words. Make sure to share the photos that you intend to take!

If there were anything that would make the experience better, it would be this: the image processor tends to under-expose shots. Naturally, that is an easy fix.

I am surprised by the overall quality of images with default settings in place. I do have to admit that the image format ration and the PureView rendering technology play strongly in Lumia's favour. Landscapes and video considered with good ambient lighting, the Lumia edges the iPhone 5s, no doubt (speaking from first-hand experience). That being said, the ease of shooting the panoramas of the iPhone is unparalleled as of now.

Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase.

 

[MrGoodSmith]

Here are some pictures I took yesterday with my Lumia 1520. It was cloudy so not much light, yet many pictures came out better than my expectation:

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=1C1C84732284BD24!7650&authkey=!AGKtbsE5C37vUlo&ithint=folder,

There is a short 1080p video as well, but you might want to download it to see it in full clarity.

 

[Michael M Maslowski]

Here are some pictures I took yesterday with my Lumia 1520. It was cloudy so not much light, yet many pictures came out better than my expectation:

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=1C1C84732284BD24!7650&authkey=!AGKtbsE5C37vUlo&ithint=folder,

There is a short 1080p video as well, but you might want to download it to see it in full clarity.

Excellent shots, mate. The photos are rich in details, and while slightly underexposed, they have great clarity and seem to portray great dynamic range. Nicely done!

 

[MrGoodSmith]

Excellent shots, mate. The photos are rich in details, and while slightly underexposed, they have great clarity and seem to portray great dynamic range. Nicely done!

Thanks to you and to the Lumia 1520. I still need to find another opportunity to shoot some pictures in a sunny day to see the full potential of the camera.

 

[lsquare]

I don't see the DT-900 in MS Canada's online store. How did you ordered it? How much did you paid?

 

[Michael M Maslowski]

I don't see the DT-900 in MS Canada's online store. How did you ordered it? How much did you paid?

Hi,

Weird... Regrettably the stock does not appear to have been supplied; while the DT-900 is advertised on the Windows Phone Accessories page, it is not available for purchase. I purchased the accessory exactly through the Canadian Microsoft Online Store at the end of April this year for $49.99, as advertised. I remember being blown away by the time it took to ship the product from California to Atlantic Canada - less than 48 hours.

I suppose you could consider acquiring it through Expansys. I was considering that myself until I found MSFT's store.

Sorry that I could not be of help here.

 

[BaritoneGuy]

I don't see the DT-900 in MS Canada's online store. How did you ordered it? How much did you paid?

If you can somehow get into a physical store I have seen them there on numerous occasions. Hard for most in Canada though. I am lucky to have 2 within 12km of my office.

 

[lsquare]

Hi,

Weird... Regrettably the stock does not appear to have been supplied; while the DT-900 is advertised on the Windows Phone Accessories page, it is not available for purchase. I purchased the accessory exactly through the Canadian Microsoft Online Store at the end of April this year for $49.99, as advertised. I remember being blown away by the time it took to ship the product from California to Atlantic Canada - less than 48 hours.

I suppose you could consider acquiring it through Expansys. I was considering that myself until I found MSFT's store.

Sorry that I could not be of help here.

If you can somehow get into a physical store I have seen them there on numerous occasions. Hard for most in Canada though. I am lucky to have 2 within 12km of my office.

What is so special about the DT-900? Seems a bit expensive for a Qi charger.

 

[lsquare]

No other comments?

 

[p_j_o]

So as a fellow Canadian looking to migrate to the 1520, I have been following this thread in particular...

One question I have though... why is no one looking at getting an 1520 from the American Microsoft Store without contract? Is it still locked - just without contract? That would be sweet if it is unlocked... I am probably an hour from one of those stores :smile:

 

[tsobol]

So as a fellow Canadian looking to migrate to the 1520, I have been following this thread in particular...

One question I have though... why is no one looking at getting an 1520 from the American Microsoft Store without contract? Is it still locked - just without contract? That would be sweet if it is unlocked... I am probably an hour from one of those stores :smile:

It's locked - you get it AT&T branded...

 

[p_j_o]

:crying:

 

[luv2skipow]

Ordered from Omegacell on the weekend and hopefully will be here this week (Calgary).
I am on Rogers. Any tricks to get internet sharing working?

 

[bh626]

Expansys has a good price on an unlocked 1520 with wireless charging and 32gb. Why did you guys not buy this phone? Nokia Lumia 1520 (Unlocked LTE, 32GB, Yellow) #AP_LUMIA1520_YLW - EXPANSYS Canada. I had this chat with Expansys

ME: What version is the Lumia 1520 you are selling in Canada? Is it RM-937, 938, etc.?
EX: Rm-937, International Unlocked
Me: Do you know if that will work on Bell mobility LTE?
EX: not with LTE, it will only be HSPA+ with downloads up to 42 Mb downstream
Me: That's not bad at all. Does it come with a wireless charger?
EX: not the charger but it has the built in QI interface, so all you need is the plate or charger
Me: Thanks. What sort of warranty is available? I have read about some tap / swipe issues on the 1520. Do you know how prevalent that is?
EX: It is not very prevalent on the newer stock. It comes with 6 month assistance on the International Warranty, but we recommend andditional warranty
Me: Ok, with the add'l warranty where would I send it if trouble arose?
EX: I believe currently on the Unlocked unit is is NJ if you get the full coverage warranty
Me: Thanks. Last question. Aside from the LTE bands, is there any difference between the 937/938. If you sold both which would you recommend for me?
EX: we do not have access to the 938, but the 938 has a US based warranty instead of international. But currently the 938 is locked only not factory unlocked
Me: Thanks, I appreciate the help

 

[Michael M Maslowski]

Expansys has a good price on an unlocked 1520 with wireless charging and 32gb. Why did you guys not buy this phone? Nokia Lumia 1520 (Unlocked LTE, 32GB, Yellow) #AP_LUMIA1520_YLW - EXPANSYS Canada. I had this chat with Expansys

ME: What version is the Lumia 1520 you are selling in Canada? Is it RM-937, 938, etc.?
EX: Rm-937, International Unlocked
Me: Do you know if that will work on Bell mobility LTE?
EX: not with LTE, it will only be HSPA+ with downloads up to 42 Mb downstream
Me: That's not bad at all. Does it come with a wireless charger?
EX: not the charger but it has the built in QI interface, so all you need is the plate or charger
Me: Thanks. What sort of warranty is available? I have read about some tap / swipe issues on the 1520. Do you know how prevalent that is?
EX: It is not very prevalent on the newer stock. It comes with 6 month assistance on the International Warranty, but we recommend andditional warranty
Me: Ok, with the add'l warranty where would I send it if trouble arose?
EX: I believe currently on the Unlocked unit is is NJ if you get the full coverage warranty
Me: Thanks. Last question. Aside from the LTE bands, is there any difference between the 937/938. If you sold both which would you recommend for me?
EX: we do not have access to the 938, but the 938 has a US based warranty instead of international. But currently the 938 is locked only not factory unlocked
Me: Thanks, I appreciate the help

Hi,

I think you have answered your question already. The RM-938 has the right LTE bands for Canadian mobile carriers. Why not to use if & when you can? When you live in an area where LTE coverage is prevalent (I will be soon), lack of thereof becomes a quite pronounced issue.

Shelling out extra $$ was not an issue, as I typically use unlocked/unbranded devices; but that is my preference.

Continuing on, I do not think that the RM-938 has the US warranty. It all comes down to the destination market that the unit was intended for. The OmegaCell one is Latin & South America. I ran my S/N against the MyNokia app and it confirmed that I was out of warranty for Canada.

Lastly, I can confirm that the RM-938 works flawlessly on Telus' LTE and is fully unbranded & unlocked. The seller currently has a stock of black, white, and yellow units.

Cheers!

 

[bh626]

Thanks for the reply Michael. That brings up an interesting point. Do any of these 1520's have warranty support in Canada, LTE or not? Personally I would take a 937 with Nokia over a 938. If I can get 40 MB/s with a 937 then LTE just isn't that important - I mean how fast do you need?
If you get the add'l warranty with OmegaCell where do you send the phone if an issue arises?

 

[Korlon]

Bh, I just ordered the 937 from expanses this past saturday, once I have a sim installed I'll let you know how its working. I'm with you re: LTE, (and the 700mhz band soon to open up) the speed just isn't that important to me and shelling out the extra, in my case $300, for a six month old model which could be updated with a new model in the next 8-12 months just didn't seem worth it.

As for my experience with expanses, I ordered the b stock 1520 on saturday and as of now they still haven't shipped it or withdrawn the money from my account. I expect it by weeks end hopefully as it seems to be coming from the US.

 

[MrGoodSmith]

But currently the 938 is locked only not factory unlocked

bh626 , I am not sure what that rep from Expansys meant. The RM-938 I got from Omegacell wasn't locked nor branded. It didn't come with any apps or logos or anything related to a particular carrier or country. It was only preset with Spanish and Portuguese language and keyboards which can be removed.

Personally I would take a 937 with Nokia over a 938. If I can get 40 MB/s with a 937 then LTE just isn't that important

LTE bands is not the only reason why I picked the RM-938. If I wanted to switch to a carrier like Wind and Mobilicity (which I am considering in the future) the RM-937 will certainly not work there. The 1520.3 will give me the peace of mind and freedom to roam anywhere I want