Nokia Lumia 1020 is the best camera smartphone ever built in this market. It’s not an Android phone and that’s the main reason not to buy it. Because if it was an Android device it would not have problems such the dual core processor. Of course it is a professional tool for photographers and we are going to compare this device to Android devices.
SCREEN
The screen is great, 4.5 inches, the size is not as big as in Android premium smartphones (with 5.0 inches plus screens) but it is AMOLED with 332 pixels per inch and is great for videos, photos and browsing. Nokia left the LCD panels it used to adopt the AMOLED technology that gives more vivid colors, “blacker” black and better viewing angles. Of course the 332PPI screen of Nokia Lumia 1020 cannot be compared to the majestic screens of HTC One (4.7 inches – 469PPI) or Google Nexus 5 (5 inches – 445PPI) or Huawei Ascend D2 (5 inches – 443PPI) or Samsung Galaxy S4 (5 inches – 441PPI). So Nokia has a lot of job to do to offer the best screen of the market. Compared to the 4.5 inches devices, there are also other Android devices with 330+ pixels per inch like Huawei Honor 2 (with 326PPI) or Sony Xperia T (with 323PPI). These of course are not premium phones any more.
CAMERA
The Pureview technology is really great if you are a professional photographer. The 41MP camera gives you a lot of options. The phone can take 34MP photos or 38MP in 4:3. The Nokia Pro Cam app gives you a lot of choices as you can select the flash, the white balance, the focus, the ISO, the shutter speed and the exposure and all these in real time. So if you know how to take a picture, the phone gives you a lot of options. If you don’t know, the phone has a great tutorial to let you learn how to make perfect shots. On the back there are two flashes, a LED one and a Xenon. If you take shots at night the phone will use the Xenon flash but if you want to light your videos, there is the LED one to make the videos better at night. The stabilization technology is very helpful because you can take better videos and photos. You can shoot videos at 1080p at 30 frames per second and the final video is really great. You can see a sample below.
The only problem here is the speed of the photos. The dual core processor is not enough. It takes more than 4 seconds to take and store the photo before letting you take another one. If you have a great Android camera phone like all these 13MP phones (Samsung Galaxy S4, LG G2) or the 20.7MP Sony Xperia Z1, you can take more than 5 shots at the time Nokia Lumia 1020 takes just one. So don’t take this phone to a wedding photoshooting, it will only take some shots and if you make wrong decisions on ISO or shutter speed, you will end the wedding with just one or two photos. Speed in photography is something very important and Nokia Lumia 1020 is too slow.
PROCESSOR
The dual core processor is not enough. The phone is ok with the menu but when there are such powerful quad core phones in the market, buying a dual core phone is something you should think about. Of course there are no quad core Windows Phone devices so if you want a really fast device you need to take an Android phone like Samsung Galaxy Note 3 which is the fastest smartphone today. Google Nexus 5 is also very fast and also LG G2, Sony Xperia Z Ultra or Sony Xperia Z1 or get one of the 15 quad core Android smartphones.
BATTERY
Nokia Lumia 1020 has a 2000mAh battery that is not user replaceable. There is also an app to help you save the battery and last longer. The biggest battery right now is on Huawei Ascend Mate with 4050mAh. There are Android smartphones with bigger batteries at 4.5 inches like Huawei Honor 2 (2230mAh) and Sony Xperia SP (2370mAh).
SOFTWARE
Windows Phone 8 is not like Android, you don’t have the same options and the Windows Store has less apps than Google Play. But there is an advantage on this phone and it is called Here Drive+. It’s a full GPS program that will help you find your route. It’s free, pre installed and you can use your device as a full GPS device without access to the internet. Of course if you want the latest Android version, there are other phones like Google Nexus 5 with Android 4.4 or some phones with Android 4.3 like Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
SIZE & DESIGN
Nokia Lumia 1020 is a big heavy device. Even if the screen is not that big, the big lense on the back gives extra volume to the device. So the 158g are more than other 4.5 inches screen Android devices. Lumia 1020 is the heaviest device at 4.5 inches compared to Android 4.5 inches phones. Compared to other phones with bigger screen, it remains heavy enough. For example Samsung Galaxy Round weights 154g (less than 1020) and it has a big screen of 5.7 inches. Nokia Lumia 1020 is not very thin either. The thinnest device is Huawei Ascend P6 with 6.2mm and it’s 4.2mm slimmer than Nokia Lumia 1020 (10.4mm).
VIDEO REVIEW
VERDICT – should I buy this device?
Nokia Lumia 1020 has a great camera. Of course you need time to learn it and knowledge to take great photos as this is a professional tool. So do you need a professional photo tool on your phone? If not, there are plenty of Android choices with overall better specs than Nokia Lumia 1020. The rating gives this device 57.2 points and it is far from the top. It has the same rating as smaller Android devices like Samsung Galaxy S4 mini at the price of premium devices like Samsung Galaxy S4. I love the GPS app, it gives you a free solution but overall this device is not one of the best and is only great for a bunch of amateur photographers who want to take professional shots and cannot afford a great DSLR or they need a more portable device.
1. If you want the better camera on a smartphone, buy Nokia Lumia 1020
2. If you want the best phone your money can get, buy Samsung Galaxy Note 3
3. If you want the best Android camera phone, buy Sony Xperia Z1