[James Falconer]

In your opinion is the 1020 the best Windows Phone of all time? Expecting some strong opinions here. Let me know what you think. If it's not the 1020, what phone is the best of all time in your books??

[nwnjjim]

My wife is still using her 1020, mine died a while back and I replaced it with a 950. I believe the 1020 had and still has the best camera. The camera software and processor are the only issue with the 1020. When it was released there was some criticism that the processor was under powered and Nokia should have gone with a newer prorocessor. I think that was an accurate criticism. The camera took too long to open and post processing caused shot to shot times to be too long. This resulted in too many missed shots. The 950 camera opens in less than a second and post processing is a non issue. The 1020 still takes better pictures, in my opinion.

[James Falconer]

You're right. The one thing I remember vividly about the 1020 is how amazing the camera was. Was killer.

[nwnjjim]

I use my wife's 1020 from time to time and it is buttery smooth on 8.1. She won't let me upgrade it to 10 but she is happy with it and if I ever screwed it up I would never here the end of it.

[RaRa85]

The 1020 should've been but it was released too early and underpowered and lacked key features. In my opinion it has to be the 1520 because of the updated Snapdragon processor and it was right in the sweet spot of having the more advanced features like Lumia Capture and 4k video. Also it was one of the few flagships of old that had a microSD slot. Plus that look was iconic. I still have the Lumia 1020 because of that sensor and the classic feel of the camera but the 1520 is arguably the best if all time. I would go so far as to say the HP Elite X3 if it had the camera though.

[patrikmore]

I agree. I'm owner of my second 1020, and I'm still waiting for a phone with the same great camera.

[Guytronic]

Glad that I had a chance to own an unlocked 1020 for a short while.
At times I wish I hadn't sold it off.

Of the 6 WP's I've had it was the most fun. Can't say it was the best all around.

Far as I'm concerned it's 2 separate devices. A camera first and a phone second.

Best Nokia Lumia for me covering all aspects was the T-Mobile branded Lumia 925 on LTE with Wi-Fi calling.

[James Falconer]

The camera was (is) amazing, no doubt. Were there any other killer features you wish they'd built into newer phones?

[dov1978]

Best all rounder no and I was always dropping mine as it was so top heavy. Best camera phone? Hell yes! I forever regret selling mine and still look around for a cheap used one to use purely for photos and sharing.

[Guytronic]

Were there any other killer features you wish they'd built into newer phones?

The hardware camera button is what I miss on many of the newer phones.

A lot of us have become used to not having it anymore, yet I often wish it would make a comeback.
Also a remote shutter option on WM would be great.

Not to be however.

[dov1978]

I still have the dedicated camera button on my Lumia 950xl but have to admit I don't use it as often as I used to other than to launch the camera from sleep quickly. I also use a Bluetooth remote shutter that has an Android or iOS button on it but the Android one works fine with my Lumia when I use a mini tripod for long exposure shots etc.

[SL2]

If only looking at the specifications for the 1020, it's only the camera, flash and camera RAM(?) that differs from the 920, right? Minus the charger.

[RumoredNow]

If only looking at the specifications for the 1020, it's only the camera, flash and camera RAM(?) that differs from the 920, right? Minus the charger.

Here is a side by side look at the 920 and 1020: Nokia Lumia 920 vs. Nokia Lumia 1020 - GSMArena.com

920 is IPS LCD and 1020 is AMOLED
920 is Gorilla Glass 2 and 1020 is GG3
1020 adds Digital Dolby + audio enhancement

And as you said, way different rear camera specs and the 1020 sacrifices Qi.

So it really does look like a 920 refresh, just as the 925 and 928 are. Nokia Lumia 920 vs. Nokia Lumia 925 vs. Nokia Lumia 928 - GSMArena.com

[slivy58]

Used mine mostly for its camera abilities (photo & video) and also wish we hadn't sold it, was mint. A smaller camera hump would have been welcomed but overall really did like the design and feel. It gets my nod as the best Windows Camera Phone to-date even though it lacked a few amenities of today's phones.

[SL2]

The 1020 came in July 2013 and used the Snapdragon S4. The Snapdragon 800, which I think is two generations newer, showed up in phones only two months later. The Geekbench Android single core benchmark gives the latter two times higher score compared to the former.
The SD 800 is used in the 930 and the 1520, and that's why they're much faster than the 1020, obviously.

[theefman]

Best camera phone, still have mine with camera grip for serious photo taking. As for it being under powered, you can thank Microsoft for not supporting newer chipsets quickly enough so Nokia went with what they had. Best WP overall for me is the 920, all rounder that was bursting with innovation when it was introduced and no phone since has had that combination of 1st's in a phone IMO.

[SL2]

As for it being under powered, you can thank Microsoft for not supporting newer chipsets quickly enough so Nokia went with what they had.

You're right, I had forgotten about that. At a time when MS was really into making a phone OS you'd think that adding one single chip a year wouldn't be too much to ask for.

[davede]

Here is a side by side look at the 920 and 1020: Nokia Lumia 920 vs. Nokia Lumia 1020 - GSMArena.com

920 is IPS LCD and 1020 is AMOLED
920 is Gorilla Glass 2 and 1020 is GG3
1020 adds Digital Dolby + audio enhancement

And as you said, way different rear camera specs and the 1020 sacrifices Qi.

So it really does look like a 920 refresh, just as the 925 and 928 are. Nokia Lumia 920 vs. Nokia Lumia 925 vs. Nokia Lumia 928 - GSMArena.com

Digital Dolby was already in L920. 1020 has extra 1GB RAM more and the camera can record a movie with stereo sound.

[RumoredNow]

Digital Dolby was already in L920. 1020 has extra 1GB RAM more and the camera can record a movie with stereo sound.

Sorry, I never had a 920 so I went by the guide I linked. Seems that they both have Dolby Headphone, but 1020 adds an extra amount of Dolby Enhancements...




If my original post was in error, I apologize.

I am, however, open to taking donations of every Windows Device ever made (in working condition) so that I can make these comparisons directly in future.