Considering the Nokia Lumia 1520

[nCogNeato]

I'm long overdue for an upgrade, still rocking the original Samsung Focus.

I'm locked into AT&T with my company contract, which I have no complaints about.

I want the best hardware available. I'm media-heavy on my phones (movies, music streaming, games, etc.), and want a phone that won't strain when running resource-demanding apps. The 1520 seems to be the obvious choice, but I have a couple questions before committing.

Question 1
I occasionally use USB tethering with my old Samsung Focus via the Diagnostics menu. Not often, but the few times I have used it it was life-saving. Does the 1520 also feature a similar workaround?

Question 2
I've seen some discussion regarding 16GB and 32GB models. From what I've read, AT&T currently only offers the 16GB model, but will offer the 32GB model in the future? Is this true? If so, does anyone know roughly when the 32GB model will be available? I could probably wait a couple months if it meant +16GB of storage. If it's going to be longer than that, I'm probably better off just grabbing the 16GB model now.
Also, to clarify, I am aware it has expandable storage, and I will be adding a 64GB Class 10 to it. I would still rather have 96GB than 80GB.

Question 3
Is there something better than the Nokia Lumia 1520 coming in the near future? I love the "future proof" specs of the 1520, but I wouldn't mind a slightly smaller model. Is there something comparable to the 1520 expected in early 2014, Nokia or otherwise?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[baseballbert]

I saw it advertised at frys for 79.99 in my local paper this morning.

 

[nCogNeato]

I saw it advertised at frys for 79.99 in my local paper this morning.

$79.99 is a sweet deal.
My company pays for my phone, so the price is not a factor for me. I'm really just concerned about the questions I posted above.

 

[pankaj981]

There is a rumored 5 inch device coming soon w/ specs similar to the 1520. If i were you then I would wait till CES

 

[05Paris]

The 5'' will be Verizon only

 

[sherwin892]

The next big announcement will probably either be at CES or World Mobil Congress early next year

 

[nCogNeato]

Thanks for the input.

CES will be January 7-10.
Mobile World Congress will be February 24-27.

I can definitely wait until January 10th to make my decision. If rumors are enticing pre-MWC, I may hold out until February 27th as well.

Thanks again.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

I think you'll enjoy it a lot(especially coming from a Focus and WP7)

though i seriously doubt we will hear too much from Nokia about any new phones aside from Verizon's 929 simply because there is really only so much Wow factor they can keep doing(IMO) till Microsoft releases WP8.1. Not to mention with the 1520 only being 2 weeks old, i doubt we'll hear anything anytime soon.

 

[JOHNGAETANO]

You will love the 1520!!

 

[Old_Cus]

Thanks for the input.

CES will be January 7-10.
Mobile World Congress will be February 24-27.

I can definitely wait until January 10th to make my decision. If rumors are enticing pre-MWC, I may hold out until February 27th as well.

Thanks again.

I'm thinking this might be your best option. I came from a 900 to the 1520 and I love it. With that said, waiting a month to see what comes out of CES isn't that long. Another thought is if your company will pay for it you might want to think about an unlocked RM-938 when it becomes available. With that you get all the 1520 features that AT&T crippled .

Either way it seems that waiting a month or two might be best for what you want.

 

[nCogNeato]

Does anyone know if the 1520 has a workaround for infrequent tethering?