Lumia 1520 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 3

[Fishfam4]

I've been recently researching phones, as my contract is up in a few months and I want to switch from my iPhone 4 to... Pretty much anything else. One reason I want to switch is because of the darned tiny screen of the iPhones. Even the 5 is small, and I don't like the locked in OS. Anyway, I am looking for something over 5.5", and the two phones I like are the Nokia Lumia 1520 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. I'll break down the two smartphone's specs.

Processor:
Both phones have the same quad-core Snapdragon 800.
WINNER: tie.

RAM:
1520 has 2GB, GN3 has 3.
WINNER: GN3

Storage:
In the US, the 1520 is only available with 16GB of storage, expandable up to 128GB. (MS says 64GB, but shouldn't the 128GB SanDisk Ultra Super ?ber Whatever microSD card fit?) The GN3 starts at 32GB (for a higher price) with microSD up to 128GB.
WINNER: GN3

Display:
Both displays are 1920x1080, but the 1520's 6" screen means less ppi than the GN3's 5.7"er. On the flip side, outdoor reading is easier on the 1520.
WINNER: 1520

Design:
The 1520 looks cool and fun in any color, whereas the faux leather of the GN3 is more executive, especially in black. Still, I prefer the 1520's look a tiny bit more.
WINNER: 1520

OS:
I prefer Android's OS because it has a larger selection of apps, open source and a great personal assistant. While WP8 looks very minimalisic (synonymous with awesome, IMO), it is hindered by lack of apps. Cortana is awesome, though.
WINNER: GN3

Cameras:
While I rarely take photos at all, both phones have great cameras. The 1520's 20MP camera is slightly better, though.
WINNER: 1520

Price:
The 1520 is $200 less than the GN3, which is nice as it's still a great phone.
WINNER: 1520

Extra Features:
While the 1520 has wireless charging (although in the US you have to buy a flip cover in order to use it), the GN3's stylus is something I'd personally use every day.
WINNER: GN3.

OVERALL WINNER: Tie. D:

Well, that didn't help much.

Please help! One dealbreaker for the 1520 is the OS. It it as atrocious as most people say it is?

Thanks for your time!

 

[Paul May]

The deal breaker may be that the 1520 is available in the US with 32GB storage, but only in the black color. Which brings that category to a tie and give the 1520 the slight win.

 

[Jose_Rey]

"Please help! One deal breaker for the 1520 is the OS. is it as atrocious as most people say it is?"

Don't know why people say the OS is "Atrocious," but for me, it is one of the main reasons I've been with WP since its inception. It's fast, fluid, and most importantly, extremely stable. I will admit that most of the people have a problem with the app selection of WP. But we're getting there. Other than that, I think it is very cool, especially with that new 8.1 update that's a coming.

 

[TechAbstract]

Add battery life in there. Lumia 1520 is rated at #1 in battery life according to gsmarena test. I would go to store and play with both first. I prefer Windows Phone because it works 99% of the time, always fast, and I can do most of the stuff I want to do already. Android may give me tons of features but it's not reliable enough for me to use as daily driver.

 

[Ahmad Barakji]

Battery life. If you want a phone that'll basically "be there for you", go for the Lumia.

I had the same dilemma when the 1520 came out, but ultimately, the camera, screen and battery got me here. No regrets.

 

[Xpider_MX]

RAM:
1520 has 2GB, GN3 has 3.
WINNER: GN3

I guess you don't know the memory management on Windows Phone 8, probably that 2GB on the 1520 will run better than that 3GB on the GN3.

 

[Zacharyw70]

I've been comparing these two phones a LOT recently because my contract is up and I'm looking at getting a new phablet styled phone. Here's my impressions on them both.
Galaxy Note 3 Pros:
S-Pen looks really cool, I'm not sure how often I would use it in the everyday scenario but using it in the store has been fun every time I stop by.
Google Play app-store is a LOT larger than Windows Phone, and while I don't need a ton of apps I do like apps like Vudu, or TD Ameritrade that WP doesn't have.
Galaxy Note 3 has a lot better Fitness Device support, and I'm really liking the look of Smart Watches, but unfortunately Windows Phone doesn't have any support for them, and nobody has been announcing support for the platform. Also I have a Fitbit and since there's no official app for it my device wouldn't auto-sync with the L1520.
Samsung has a lot of really nice Phablet software features like Split-Screen which looks really cool. Again I don't know how often I would use it everyday, but it's something that looks like a lot of fun to use.
Galaxy Note 3 Cons:
Updates: Unlike Windows Phone Update Support will be all over the place, and you may get dropped down the road. Additionally as I've read over at Android Central, a lot of users have had a TON of issues relating to the KitKat update, and that's because Carriers release broken updates. With that in mind you're at their mercy until they decide to release a fixed up version, and that could be months down the road. Of course you could always say "Root It, or Flash it" but then you lose S-Pen functionality and I just don't want to have the kind of hassle rooting, and flashing brings with it.
Cost: This isn't a huge con if you can afford it but the Note 3 will be at least $100 more than the 1520 ($30 if you get the 32GB 1520) and I'm not sure the premium price is worth it given how high quality the 1520 is.
Touchwiz: While I did say Touchwiz offers some great features, in the end it bogs down the phone and uses resources (Especially RAM) a lot more than WP8 would. While the Note 3 has 1GB more ram than the Lumia 1520 Touchwiz and Android as a whole needs more memory to keep itself stable and lag free. Additionally I hear many stories about how Android phones get bogged down, and become laggier as time goes by on them.
Samsung: I'm listing this as a fault with good reason. As it stands I have NEVER heard a good thing about Samsung's customer service in recent years. I feel they've gotten too big and don't care enough about their customers, while Nokia is active and definitely shows care towards it's fans, Samsung doesn't have that same appreciation. I've heard a lot of horror stories of people trying to deal with Samsung over phone or tablet issues.

That's it as far as I can say about the Note 3. Now I'll show some attention to the Lumia 1520.
Lumia 1520 Pros:
Camera: One thing I have to say right away is the camera looks amazing. I've heard a ton of positive reviews between Youtube reviewers, or sites like TheVerge, Cnet, and MobileTechReview. As someone who LOVES taking pictures on my phone, and often taking quite a lot of them a good camera is a HUGE plus for me.
Build Quality: The 1520 looks like it has a very attractive design. I like the curves it has, and the overall feel in the hand it gives off, I also really like the color options it gives, as it can really give off some attention. While it is still plastic, the Premium plastic Nokia uses looks gorgeous, and honestly it has that very "Premium" look to me, that I would even daresay its as attractive as the HTC One is.
Screen: Again I haven't heard a bad thing about this display. It looks gorgeous and one thing I really like hearing is how good the sunlight readability is. The blacks have also been said to be really good, and overall it looks an amazing display. The Size while large won't likely be a hindrance if you really want a Phablet, and it does really help you consume content like videos, and games really well.
Windows Phone 8: Honestly I really like Windows Phone. I've used both Android and iOS, as well as BB10 and Windows Phone feels really fresh to me. Having used Live tiles, I just don't care for the regular icons and multiple home-screens the other OS's present. Additionally Windows Phone is a sleek and beautiful OS and it really comes together on the huge display. I don't know what "Hate" you've been hearing but it may just be coming from people who assume the app situation is horrible and bash every other aspect of the OS regardless. Windows Phone is an amazing OS. It's sleek to look at, stylish to use, extremely smooth and fluid, and everything just "Works" really well. It makes me feel like I'm using an Iphone in a way because everything is smooth, and there's never an issue to be had, that's a lot more than what I can say about Android where I had a ton of issues constantly with the numerous phones I had (LG G Pro, Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S4).

Sorry that last one was pretty long but I cannot overstate how much I like Windows Phone, and from someone coming from an Iphone I feel it's a lot more of a "Stable" and smoother OS than Android would provide. I won't bash Android and say it's overall terrible, but I feel the OS is too inconsistent, and phones can run into a ton of issues on it, mostly caused by poor updates that the carriers run.

As it stands I'm really feeling the Lumia 1520. I love the Windows Phone 8.1 experience on my Lumia 520 and that's encouraging me more to move towards a higher end device. For what it's worth I'm currently using an iphone 5.

Lumia 1520 is $99 at Amazon for 16GB or $180 for 32GB. Where as Galaxy Note 3 is $199 at Amazon.

 

[Zacharyw70]

Annnnnd that turned into a long wall of text. :sweaty:

 

[nzrocketman]

I just brought the 1520 coming from 5s. It's a monster of a phone


Sent from my iPhone using WPCentral Forums

 

[mike13ftw]

Is the Lumia 1520 a lot bigger than note 3 ;

 

[Ahmad Barakji]

Is the Lumia 1520 a lot bigger than note 3 ;

Not by much in terms of real life standards. My brother has a Note 3 and I have a 1520, they're both about the same.

 

[SwimSwim]

I like that you've already taken care of the breakdown, really helps us help you.

On the point of RAM, I personally would say it's a tie. Why? Because yes, the Note has 1GB more than the 1520, but one must consider the fact that the 1520 is running WP8(.1), which is much less demanding of such resources.

Granted, this means that Windows Phone has lesser capabilities in some regards (such as a lack of "true" multitasking), it does help ensure that everything runs smoothly and that you get great battery life. Really, it's a choice between a clean, worry free experience that limits capabilities in the name of simplicity, or a more powerful and customizable experience that is much higher maintenance.

Now, for your last point: Well, I'm not sure what reviews you're reading, but even the most anti-Microsoft tech sites that still review all major ecosystems (CNET comes to mind), typically all agree that Windows Phone is a smooth, modern, fast and extremely stable OS. In previous versions, lack of features was an often cited complaint. Now with 8.1, the only major complaint is the app gap.

Windows Phone has to be perhaps the fastest, most secure mobile OS out there. I'd also argue that perhaps Apple's iOS could claim this title, but Windows Phone does fair wonderfully. Small issues and bugs here and there, but what operating system doesn't have these issues? I must warn you that with 8.1, games and music are a mess. Hopefully upcoming updates will help alleviate these issues, but it's worth considering. Overall, however, after seeing how WP performs: You'd never believe it's made by the same company that pushed out Vista.

As for the app gap: It holds different significance for different people. I personally don't really need apps for services like banking or insurance, but others rely on them dearly. I don't care too much about trending apps, and am willing to sacrifice hopping on the next app bandwagon in favor of using the OS I love. But others are very social, so keeping up with the times is vital.

Your choice, it depends on how much you value apps. But seeing as you're coming from iOS, I must warn the sudden drop in available apps could be quite the shock.

Finally, ecosystem is worth considering. Where do you want to keep your data, which holds more value to you? Microsoft is embracing the new One Microsoft philosophy, so if you're already invested in Microsoft via OneDrive, Windows (especially if you're running Windows 8.X), Bing, Office, Xbox, etc., then Windows Phone will fit in nicely. Likewise, if you're heavily invested in Google, by means of Google Search, Google Docs, Google Drive, etc., then you'll probably want to go with Android.

Do note that Windows Phone 8.1 now adds native support for syncing with iCloud, while Android relies on third party solutions. So if you've been storing your stuff in iCloud (seeing as you're an iOS user), this allows you to natively sync contacts, calendar and email (no photo stream support, however).

As you can see, the factors worth considering stem far beyond simple specs. Chose wisely for what works best for you, because you'll be stuck for two years. Both devices are rather further proof in terms of specs. Updates are shaky, because while Windows Phone devices are now upgradable via the Developer Preview, Microsoft has a bad habit of abandoning products and starting over from scratch (they mostly seem to be done with that, but still worth being careful about). But Android often gets slower with every update, that is if it ever gets an update at all.

So yes, lots of things to consider and look into. Think hard, and don't pick Wondows Phone just because you're on a pro-Microsoft site. Chose what will work best for you and best for /your/ lifestyle. Don't let people pressure you.

Good luck!

P.S: Get the Lumia, and we'll throw in a free cookie. But no pressure. ;P

 

[Fishfam4]

The deal breaker may be that the 1520 is available in the US with 32GB storage, but only in the black color. Which brings that category to a tie and give the 1520 the slight win.

That sucks, as I really like the red color, but would like all the storage I can get.

I guess you don't know the memory management on Windows Phone 8, probably that 2GB on the 1520 will run better than that 3GB on the GN3.

I'm aware of this, but I was planning on getting a custom skin so I could free up some RAM.

 

[Fishfam4]

"Please help! One deal breaker for the 1520 is the OS. is it as atrocious as most people say it is?"

Don't know why people say the OS is "Atrocious," but for me, it is one of the main reasons I've been with WP since its inception. It's fast, fluid, and most importantly, extremely stable. I will admit that most of the people have a problem with the app selection of WP. But we're getting there. Other than that, I think it is very cool, especially with that new 8.1 update that's a coming.

Ok, I haven't really tried WP8 out, but I've heard it's pretty stable/fluid. I don't really need that many apps.

One problem I might have is that I want to jump onto the werables bandwagon. I was planning on getting a Samsung Gear 2 Neo and Google Glass (once Glass comes out as a consumer product), but neither are supported by WP. Actually, Pebble isn't either, which pretty much crushes all my wearable-related hopes and dreams.

(I do like WP 8.1, though.)

 

[Fishfam4]

Add battery life in there. Lumia 1520 is rated at #1 in battery life according to gsmarena test. I would go to store and play with both first. I prefer Windows Phone because it works 99% of the time, always fast, and I can do most of the stuff I want to do already. Android may give me tons of features but it's not reliable enough for me to use as daily driver.

Battery life. If you want a phone that'll basically "be there for you", go for the Lumia.

I had the same dilemma when the 1520 came out, but ultimately, the camera, screen and battery got me here. No regrets.

Battery life is one of the things I've heard about the most from reviewers. The GN3's battery is removable, which means that I could carry battery (or batteries) around with me, at least doubling it's battery life.

 

[Fishfam4]

I've been comparing these two phones a LOT recently because my contract is up and I'm looking at getting a new phablet styled phone. Here's my impressions on them both.
Galaxy Note 3 Pros:
S-Pen looks really cool, I'm not sure how often I would use it in the everyday scenario but using it in the store has been fun every time I stop by.
Google Play app-store is a LOT larger than Windows Phone, and while I don't need a ton of apps I do like apps like Vudu, or TD Ameritrade that WP doesn't have.
Galaxy Note 3 has a lot better Fitness Device support, and I'm really liking the look of Smart Watches, but unfortunately Windows Phone doesn't have any support for them, and nobody has been announcing support for the platform. Also I have a Fitbit and since there's no official app for it my device wouldn't auto-sync with the L1520.
Samsung has a lot of really nice Phablet software features like Split-Screen which looks really cool. Again I don't know how often I would use it everyday, but it's something that looks like a lot of fun to use.
Galaxy Note 3 Cons:
Updates: Unlike Windows Phone Update Support will be all over the place, and you may get dropped down the road. Additionally as I've read over at Android Central, a lot of users have had a TON of issues relating to the KitKat update, and that's because Carriers release broken updates. With that in mind you're at their mercy until they decide to release a fixed up version, and that could be months down the road. Of course you could always say "Root It, or Flash it" but then you lose S-Pen functionality and I just don't want to have the kind of hassle rooting, and flashing brings with it.
Cost: This isn't a huge con if you can afford it but the Note 3 will be at least $100 more than the 1520 ($30 if you get the 32GB 1520) and I'm not sure the premium price is worth it given how high quality the 1520 is.
Touchwiz: While I did say Touchwiz offers some great features, in the end it bogs down the phone and uses resources (Especially RAM) a lot more than WP8 would. While the Note 3 has 1GB more ram than the Lumia 1520 Touchwiz and Android as a whole needs more memory to keep itself stable and lag free. Additionally I hear many stories about how Android phones get bogged down, and become laggier as time goes by on them.
Samsung: I'm listing this as a fault with good reason. As it stands I have NEVER heard a good thing about Samsung's customer service in recent years. I feel they've gotten too big and don't care enough about their customers, while Nokia is active and definitely shows care towards it's fans, Samsung doesn't have that same appreciation. I've heard a lot of horror stories of people trying to deal with Samsung over phone or tablet issues.

That's it as far as I can say about the Note 3. Now I'll show some attention to the Lumia 1520.
Lumia 1520 Pros:
Camera: One thing I have to say right away is the camera looks amazing. I've heard a ton of positive reviews between Youtube reviewers, or sites like TheVerge, Cnet, and MobileTechReview. As someone who LOVES taking pictures on my phone, and often taking quite a lot of them a good camera is a HUGE plus for me.
Build Quality: The 1520 looks like it has a very attractive design. I like the curves it has, and the overall feel in the hand it gives off, I also really like the color options it gives, as it can really give off some attention. While it is still plastic, the Premium plastic Nokia uses looks gorgeous, and honestly it has that very "Premium" look to me, that I would even daresay its as attractive as the HTC One is.
Screen: Again I haven't heard a bad thing about this display. It looks gorgeous and one thing I really like hearing is how good the sunlight readability is. The blacks have also been said to be really good, and overall it looks an amazing display. The Size while large won't likely be a hindrance if you really want a Phablet, and it does really help you consume content like videos, and games really well.
Windows Phone 8: Honestly I really like Windows Phone. I've used both Android and iOS, as well as BB10 and Windows Phone feels really fresh to me. Having used Live tiles, I just don't care for the regular icons and multiple home-screens the other OS's present. Additionally Windows Phone is a sleek and beautiful OS and it really comes together on the huge display. I don't know what "Hate" you've been hearing but it may just be coming from people who assume the app situation is horrible and bash every other aspect of the OS regardless. Windows Phone is an amazing OS. It's sleek to look at, stylish to use, extremely smooth and fluid, and everything just "Works" really well. It makes me feel like I'm using an Iphone in a way because everything is smooth, and there's never an issue to be had, that's a lot more than what I can say about Android where I had a ton of issues constantly with the numerous phones I had (LG G Pro, Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S4).

Sorry that last one was pretty long but I cannot overstate how much I like Windows Phone, and from someone coming from an Iphone I feel it's a lot more of a "Stable" and smoother OS than Android would provide. I won't bash Android and say it's overall terrible, but I feel the OS is too inconsistent, and phones can run into a ton of issues on it, mostly caused by poor updates that the carriers run.

As it stands I'm really feeling the Lumia 1520. I love the Windows Phone 8.1 experience on my Lumia 520 and that's encouraging me more to move towards a higher end device. For what it's worth I'm currently using an iphone 5.

Lumia 1520 is $99 at Amazon for 16GB or $180 for 32GB. Where as Galaxy Note 3 is $199 at Amazon.

I'd use features in the GN3 like the stylus and split-screen every day, and I already do on my teacher's GN3. (When I ask to use it, she's always like "But you have your own phone." And I counter "But it's a tiny little iPhone." Then she lets my use her phone. ) I could, of course, live without them, but I'd really like to use them regularly. And the lack of wearable support irks me... But WP8.1 just looks so darn GOOD! Guess I'll beg to go to Best Buy this weekend so I can compare both phones.

Annnnnd that turned into a long wall of text. :sweaty:

LOL, yeah.

 

[SwimSwim]

Ok, I haven't really tried WP8 out, but I've heard it's pretty stable/fluid. I don't really need that many apps.

One problem I might have is that I want to jump onto the werables bandwagon. I was planning on getting a Samsung Gear 2 Neo and Google Glass (once Glass comes out as a consumer product), but neither are supported by WP. Actually, Pebble isn't either, which pretty much crushes all my wearable-related hopes and dreams.

(I do like WP 8.1, though.)

I'm genuinely not disappointed by the smartwatch thing. Android Wear is really close, but all the current-gen smartwatches fail to impress me. Guess we have to wait until Apple takes the concept, and truly weaves it into something awesome, harnessing its true potential. That's what Apple does best: taking what others have tried, but failed, to do, then making it great. I.E: iPod to the MP3 player, iPhone to the smartphone, iPad to the tablet, etc.

Things like those fitness bands that use BT 4.0 low-energy seem pretty cool, and I think some of the bigger names are pushing out apps for them in the next few months or so, so that's good.

If you like the current-generation smartwatches, and feel they could really enhance and add benefit to your life, then by all means: take the plunge. I'm just personally of the opinion that they don't do much other than being overly-glorified notification centers. The concept and potential for smartwatches is indeed great, but it just hasn't been realized yet.

But I know some people who bike or jog a lot, and having notifications on their wrist is much better than pulling their device out of their pocket. They like their smartwatches, so good for them. If people like them, power to the people. While I of course have my own biases and of course do try to persuade people to join the Microsoft encampment (the more the merrier!), my overall philosophy is do what's best for you.

 

[rdubmu]

U can't install apps on the SD card on Android 4.4.2 on windows phone 8.1 you are able to

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

 

[SwimSwim]

U can't install apps on the SD card on Android 4.4.2 on windows phone 8.1 you are able to

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

Yes you can, actually. Kit-Kat just changed things up to actually make installing apps to the SD, erm, SECURE. Prior to Kit-Kat, if an app was installed to the SD card, it got free reign. It could read and write as many folders as it wanted, anywhere on the SD card.

This was problematic, as it meant apps could read the data of other apps, it wasn't secure at all. If an app was on the SD card: it was a complete free for all. Private photos, contact info, even financial info being stored in a banking app was all in plain sight for any and all apps on the SD card. It was a mess, and a security disaster.

So I applaud this decision. Kit-Kat now installed apps to the SD card in the exact same way that Windows Phone 8.1 handles it, by requiring apps be sandboxed to their own environments, and encrypting the SD card to help prevent data theft.

 

[Michael Alan Goff]

!

I'd use features in the GN3 like the stylus and split-screen every day, and I already do on my teacher's GN3. (When I ask to use it, she's always like "But you have your own phone." And I counter "But it's a tiny little iPhone." Then she lets my use her phone. ) I could, of course, live without them, but I'd really like to use them regularly. And the lack of wearable support irks me... But WP8.1 just looks so darn GOOD! Guess I'll beg to go to Best Buy this weekend so I can compare both phones.



LOL, yeah.

Which custom ROM has split screen and good stylus features? I thought the good things about the GN3 came from TW.