Nokia Lumia 1020: User Reviews

[patrikmore]

Just focusing on the camera, my review is a comparison between RAW picture developed in the more neutral way (the first one) and JPG delivered by camera (the last one). Colors in JPG delivered by camera are dull, almost grey, trees do not have the kind of green when sun is low, the green hue is as it was in the shadows. Nobody seems to care about poor color rendering. Do you agree with that? I have plenty of photos like that, when light is not perfect, allways in automatic.

 

[EssVeeEll]

I recently upgraded from my dinosaur of a 900 to a shiny new 1020, and I love it. The camera does not disappoint; the photos all come out in high-res splendor. Also, I like the size, as I have big hands. Also, the face that Otter Box makes 1020 cases is a plus. As far as the phone itself goes, I like it. Decent processing speed on the whole, despite some web site slowness and weirdness, and games and apps run well. Overall, a great phone.

 

[akike]

I love my 1020. The pictures are amazing and the lossless zoom when shooting video is very useful. With the 8.1 update it has gotten even better. The only minus is the slowness of the camera. Starting it from lock screen can take a lot of time and shot to shot time is not ideal (dual core processor only). I've found that you need to keep a couple of gigs free space on the phone to keep the camera operating decently fast (storing of images seems to slow down if storage space starts to run out). Until a new 41Mpx+ successor comes, I'll stick to my 1020

 

[David Guzman3]

There is no other phone better than the Lumia 1020. The world finds sharing pics the most important right now and there isn't a better tool than the Lumia 1020!

 

[blindpuppie]

My luck with Nokia has been less than ideal as stated elsewhere. I love Windows OS. I couldn't pass up the 1020 at $340! Within minutes arriving home I had to take the camera for a test drive! And all I can say is WOW!
I have have an HTC One M8 and recently and iPhone 6. Both wonderful devices. Neither could shoot the quality and detail of the 1020. I was expecting it to be better. But it was beyond just better. The quality is definitely noticeable. And that's with all these units on auto.
I have phones as large as the 1520 and as small as iPhone 5s. And we have Android, Apple and Windows all under the same roof with hardly any bloodshed. As an ol' fart my eyes and no so nibble fingers favor the larger real estate. My old paws are happier with the smaller phones. For what it's worth I personally haven't found a $500 + phone that I didn't like. I just like one more than another. As for myself something in that 4.5-4.7 screen range hits the sweet spot between real estate and portability. There will always be something else. Like Sony's Z3 Compact. For another time another forum. The 1020 flat works, has a great reputation for build quality with a camera that still can't be out done. Specs aside, isn't that what a timeless classic is about?

 

[Arup Roy Chowdhury]

I have a Xperia Z2 which I admire greatly and I have always used Minolta and then SONY photo gear. Am aware that SONY makes sensors for the top camera including Nikon D800 and its own top of the line 38MP A7R which is a beast in every department but needs costly Zeiss lenses to justify its MP. The Z2 is a fantastic phone with long battery life, sturdiest build quality and elegant design. It is the only one in the market with heat pipe technology to dissipate heat. The 20MP camera with updates is now the best ANDROID cam out there when used right but the NOKIA 1020 that I own many not be waterproof or as fast as the Z2 but it is the best camera out there undisputed. Nokia will always have the edge over the pixel count and if they keep working on the software front they will stay upfront but they need to be wary of SONY who is in a highly competitive mood now. Lets see what their next offering in Z4 aka curved sensor reveal.

 

[George Kyr]

Why would you run Dev Preview of Cyan when official denim has been deployed?
A developer preview would only make sense if you wanted to try windows 10 currently.
Roll out of the developer preview, install the latest official denim and you will see all you troubles go away...

 

[tiimothydadams]

Though it has many flaws but i love 1020 however after 1520 there are not many people using 1020...

 

[Chintan Gohel]

The browsing battery drain, can it be fixed via using a browser with night mode? aka all whites turns to black or gray..

L?hetetty minun GT-I9100 laitteesta Tapatalkilla

Try UC browser as it has night mode but I don't think it will help much.

 

[tharaka7nw]

I have been using Lumia 1020 for one and a half years. Overall it is a decent windows phone. But I'm not much happy with the camera even though it is the most unique feature of the phone. Finally, it seems to me that number of pixels has very little to do with quality of photos. The font camera is even worse than that and I have never taken a selfie with it.

 

[ramiusm]

Purchase

A decision was made to purchase a second-hand Nokia Lumia 1020 after I came across it's availability recently. To my pleasant surprise, it was a unit which, although purchased in 2013, had never been used at all, as the owner decided that the Android operating system suited him better.

So, after lightening my wallet for a very reasonable price, I took possession of a mint condition (still in shrink wrap) yellow Lumia 1020 with a black camera grip accessory.

Previous (recent) Nokia device ownership

As a person who is somewhat technical, I usually put technology first, brand second. To date, I've owned the Meego-powered Nokia N9, as well as the Windows Phone-powered Nokia Lumia 920, the first Windows-powered PureView phone (those who are well-read will remember the Symbian-powered Nokia 808, which debuted with a 41 Megapixel sensor array camera back in 2012).

Enter late 2015, and here I am with a two-year-old Nokia Lumia 1020.

Rationale

Why would someone bother with acquiring a two year old smartphone (obsolete by today's standards - most folks upgrade their handsets every twelve months), and worse still, an almost obsolete operating system, due to be phased out by Windows 10 Mobile?

Simple - I wanted the absolute best photography experience on a camera phone. Having had the experience with Lumia Camera, the PureView technology and superior lens on the Lumia 920, I was eager to get my hands on the 1020. In Singapore (as with the rest of the world), the Lumia 1020 was very expensive during launch date in 2013 - then again, I'm amazed that the Apple iPhone series now costs significantly more than the 1020.

Package

The 1020 I obtained came with a black Nokia camera grip, which came in handy on a recent holiday trip overseas. A pair of yellow Nokia earphones and AC charger with USB rounded off the package. The box is typically minimalistic Nokia - efficient and well-designed.

I also managed to acquire an original wireless charging shell for the 1020, and that works superbly on my older Nokia wireless charger.

Design

The 1020 uses the Fabula design language, inherited from the Meego-powered Nokia N9, and carried on throughout various iterations from there. I have always liked the minimalistic design language, and really enjoy the use of polycarbonate employed in the 1020.

Overall a clean design, and one that stands out in a sea of white/grey metal phones that dominate the mobile phone landscape today.

Aesthetics

This is a particularly subjective area - what's beautiful to one may not necessarily lend itself to another.

I prefer the feel of the Nokia Fabula design language to that employed by Microsoft (current 550 & 950 devices), and also to Apple's iPhone designs.

The 1020 feels very solid, and the reduced weight (compared to the previous flagship, the 920), is a very welcome addition. It makes the phone a lot more 'pocketable' and less intrusive when carried in the front left pocket of trousers or jeans.

I have never enjoyed the feel of the Samsung Galaxy A or S series in the hand, and I would always worry about having the iPhone 6 slip out of my hands - bad design and the wrong use of materials, in my opinion.

Software

At the time of writing, the optimal software for the Lumia 1020 remains Windows Phone 8.1. I have, however, installed Windows 10 Mobile on it, and am happy with it thus far. Sure, it has its fair share of bugs and niggles that accompany any operating system that is still in development. A better experience is expected when the operating system is optimised for the 1020, expected in Q1 2015.

Ease of use

In 2016, using a 4.5" smartphone puts one in the realm of the "antiquated"! But there is something to be said about the usability and efficiency that accompanies the use of the 1020. For my use case, which involves the following:

? Reading PDFs and eBooks
? Reading, composing and replying to emails
? Instant messaging (Whatsapp, WeChat etc)
? Texting via SMS
? Photography
? Watching a video
? Listening to music

All of the above perfectly suits the 1020, although some may argue that one really needs a 5.5" device in order to watch videos comfortably. Works out well for me, though.

Camera

Enough has been written about the camera on the 1020. I won't expand on it, except to say that the 1020 takes brilliant photos. Nothing beats it, except a real DSLR.

And don't get me started on the latest iPhone (6s+) camera comparisons - whilst the 6s+ has a decent camera, it still pales in comparison to the 1020. Same for the Sony Z5. The only other formidable / comparable camera phone is the LG G4.

Portability & Practicality

Due to the small-ish (by today's standards) size of the 1020, I much prefer it to the gargantuan phablets of today. The size works well for me, and screen resolution is good enough for what I use the device for. I usually also set the 1020 to GSM 2G mode, with Data switched on, in order to minimise battery drain. When I need to browse the Internet, I switch it manually to 3G. This helps with the battery life (see below).

Battery life

On Windows 10 Mobile (Build 10.0.10586.36), battery life isn't great - I'm looking at around 6 hours whilst on 3G mode, with medium to heavy usage. An external battery pack is necessary when I'm out and about, or if I'm travelling, I make use of the camera grip, with its 1000mAH capacity, to help keep the unit topped up. I don't usually switch Mobile Data on when travelling, so that helps with the battery life - plus the fact that I take a lot of pictures with the 1020 during travelling.

That's it - hope you enjoyed reading this.

 

[nailzer]

Personally, I like the lack of apps, how many apps (on other OS) do you install, then get rid of them because they didn't meet your needs.
This isn't a kids phone , even though you can turn it into your own XBOX (eat that others). I really like the "maturity" of this phone.
Many complaints are from a childish prospective (sorry to/if I offend).
But really, it's a phone for grown ups, not showing off silly apps that are never used in private, they are only used to show friends (usually when drinking).
Anyone who doubts this phone, I just show them a picture taken with this phone.
I explain to people who don't understand.
This is a camera with a phone installed, not a phone with a camera installed ........ that usually shuts them up.
There is nothing worse than taking a great picture, but it prints out in such a limited size. We (as 1020 users) will never have this issue, hell, you can print the pictures out in such a quality that you can make posters, or even use them to wallpaper a whole wall ...... you can actually separate the images into the different resolutions saved, but the phone only shows the one (so you don't have double images showing in the photo app) When you upload ans store in the cloud, you can see the full high res picture (it's the one with the bigger file size) and you can manipulate that file as you see fit.
We are so lucky to have this beauty in our hands.

 

[ramiusm]

Hmm. Good points there. The 1020 isn't well appreciated simply because it doesn't run iOS or Android. I'm glad to have one, and hope that it will last for many years to come, with Windows 10.