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Review : Nokia Lumia 1020.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Nokia Lumia 1020 Windows Phone  ‘person on the Street ’  Review.

 

yellow 1020.jpg 

 

This is the first time in around 4 years that I have used a Nokia Mobile Phone due to losing confidence in how Nokia was evolving with its hardware and software. Horrified

 

And how Nokia have changed…. for the better in my humble opinion.  Bouncy

 

A big heads up to @Toby and @Anonymous and O2 for allowing me this opportunity once again to be involved in this Tech Review Programme.

 

Specifications from Nokia’s Homepage :

 http://www.nokia.com/gb-en/phones/phone/lumia1020/specifications/

 

Operating System.

Windows Phone 8 lives inside the Nokia Lumia 1020, and as I have never used a Windows Phone before, it was very unfamiliar to me, but after pushing on with it I soon got on with this platform, and really like it.

 

The 'live tile' system operates like butter to provide you updates on Weather and Social Sites, and any other useful info you might need and want to view. These tiles are also customisable in size, which is a very nice touch. So if you wish one can make them larger or smaller, and also you can arrange them into clusters when you reduce them down.

It did take a little time to get used to the tiles updating on the screen as i'm more used to a static screen.

 

In all I noticed no lag or stutter while using the UI.

 

Design and Features.

The Lumia 1020 comes in three colours which are Yellow, Black and White, each with a matte finish, and with a coating that’s purported to both be fingerprint- and dirt-resistant.

The variant i’m using is the Yellow version which is a little different  in colour to what I normally use.  Whistle   If I were to purchase this phone it would be the Black option. 

 

The quality of design is awesome and feels very solid in your hand, with polycarbonate being used for its body, and with the various buttons such as the volume rocker button offering a tactile feel and are also responsive, although I did find the volume kept being turned down from pressure on the rocker switch while it was in my pocket.

 

The corners do feel a little sharp as you move your hand around the phone, and as the camera is rather large if feels a little top heavy and un-balanced in the hand. Also due to the camera sticking out it will not lay on a flat surface, and rocks when trying to use the handset. I submit not a problem for everyone.

 

The Lumia 1020 display is a 1,280 x 768 pixel AMOLED screen with corning gorilla glass 3 protection, that provided ample clarity in all conditions I used it in. The Contrast is adequate and the colour reproduction is adequate too. 

 

One of the ways I gauge a phone is if it feels comfortable to use in one hand. This 4.5” handset display size was fine, and I could reach all the buttons and up to the far upper left-hand corner of the screen with my thumb at a stretch. The fonts are just the right size and very clear and crisp.

It may be me but the Lumia 1020 did not live up to the Retina screen I'm used to on my iPhone 5s.

 

The music functions are extensive and much can be achieved and to me offered all what I ask for in these devices ,which is an acceptable user experience whilst commuting.

 

I made several outbound calls and fielded several inbound calls and both were crystal clear. The loud speaker yielded the same clarity.

The audible alerts for incoming calls and notifications such as SmS and e mail etc were loud, which is what I need due to where I work. In conclusion I had No issue with the phones speakers at all.

 

Their is no option to expand the memory of the Lumia 1020 via a SD card so ensure you purchase a capacity that suits your immediate and future usage too. This puzzled me as everything about this phone shouts out CAMERA USE, so if one got a little trigger happy taking pics and downloading the usual data we all do nowadays such as music and videos, the on-board memory could soon fill up. Its good that various options such as Drop Box are available for example.

 

General Usage.

The handset had no issue providing me with full network signal and 3G and 4G was strong too.

WiFi usage had no dropouts while at home or in my local City Centre.

The keyboard is nicely spaced out for texting and sending e mails etc although the process of moving the cursor back into a paragraph is a pain to use as it jumps all over the screen.

 

Crazy 

 

Surfing the Internet on the 1020 provided a fluid experience and in my use I didn't come across any lag, stutter or crashes.  It was nice to again have the ‘Rich Editor’ function while creating posts on the Community Forum.  Dance

 

The native Mail App only allowed syncing as often as 15 minutes which could be a deal-breaker, as i’m used to having my e mails pushed to me from my server as soon as they are ready. To keep this phone I would have to download a 3rd party e mail app which would allow more often syncing. ie : Push like on my iPhone.

In this day and age I really would expect the stock e mail app to provide this as standard.

 

I had every spec I could find turned on and used it as my primary handset to push it to the limits ,and the Nokia Lumia 1020 easily attained a full days usage.

 

The phone had no problems dealing with the games which were Cold Space and Angry Birds and Six-Guns.

 

Camera.

The back of the Nokia 1020 is the most noticeable with its large camera module, Xenon flash, LED light and camera lens. The spec is 41mp with 38mb effective. As I mentioned earlier in my review It sticks out enough from the device that it never lays flat on its back.

I’m not sure I like this and could be a deal breaker as camera functions are not at the top of my wants and needs list in a mobile phone, and I found this protrusion to cause me handling issues.  I found myself picking it up and having to think about where to place my fingers around the camera.

I'm not knocking the specs of the camera and the quality of snaps that this phone offered up was the best user experience I’ve ever had, and provides all sorts of bells and whistles tucked away inside it.

 

Accessories.

As with any phone I buy into or review I want to know what I can buy to add to my user experience.

 

These caught my eye.......

 

Nokia Wireless Charging Cover. CC-3066. 

 

yellow charge cover.jpg

 

Nokia Portable Wireless Charging Plate. DC-50.

 

yellow charging plate1.jpg

 

{More details ref specs/prices can be found on Nokia Homepage}

 

I also looked at some 3rd party cases on auction sites and the High-Street and their is the usual affair of different styles made out of different materials which start from a few pounds upwards. 

 

The Good.

Excellent Camera.

Nice Slim down design and solid build quality.

In my view very good battery life.

Colourful Vibrant Screen.

 

The Not so Good.

No expandable memory SD Slot.

Windows app’s and the games selection is a little light on the ground at the moment.

Native Mail App restrictive.

Un-balanced and top heavy.

Curser not easy to navigate with.

Can not lay it on a flat surface to use.

 

Conclusion.

I was pleasantly surprised on how Nokia have moved on from the earlier versions I used many moons ago which is fantastic, and has re ignited my interest in them.

 

Would I buy this as a secondary handset. 

 

..................Yes.

 

I looked on the O2 Online Shop and found some nice deals here : 

https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/phones/nokia/lumia-1020-black/

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my review.    Thanks! 

 

16 Comments
captainprice
Level 6: Acolyte
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Nice review pity it didn't have wp 8.1 on it there are a few new additions which I thinked you would appreciate,but none the less a good unbiased review
Anonymous
Not applicable
Thanks for that BoB.

I've only had experience of Windows on a PC and, to be honest, it put me off a Windows phone so it's interesting to hear your opinions. I don't have my emails set to push so that wouldn't be a deal breaker for me although.

I like having a decent camera on my phone but again it wouldn't stop my buying the phone as I like to have a decent 'normal' camera. I did wonder what the picture quality would be like though as trying to put too many megapixels on a small sensor doesn't work as I've found to my cost in the past!

Obviously I'm not looking to change my phone but I do like knowing what's out there!
Anonymous
Not applicable
Hi @captainprice

You said "Nice review pity it didn't have wp 8.1 on it there are a few new additions which I thinked you would appreciate,but none the less a good unbiased review"

I did look at the info on WP8.1 and yes it would have been nice, but as the device is not mine I'm sure you can appreciate why I chose not to upgrade the firmware on it.

Thank you for your comment. It really is a superb phone.
Anonymous
Not applicable
You're welcome @Anonymous slight_smile

I too lost interest in Windows on a PC for a few reasons and moved to OS X Mavericks on a Mac.

Saying that I'm always open to all software including Windows. I still use a Laptop and Netbook with windows on them.

I'm going to add a few examples of pictures in a while. I didn't want to add them to my main review. The picture taking on the Nokia Lumia 1020 are awesome (I'm no David Bailey !! ) , and even with the reservations I talked about in my review on how the protruding lens affected my usage ,I would still have this phone or maybe @Toby will let me keep it ~ { hint hint wink }

I'm really pleasantly surprised on how Nokia have come along from when I decided to move to Apple.

I receive approx 200 e mails per day so 'push' is a must for me ,or I would lose control and miss things, even more than I do now wink

Thank you again for your comments.
Toby
Former Staff
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Fantastic review as ever BoB! What would you give it out of 10 if you had to? wink
Anonymous
Not applicable
Easily 8/10 @Toby

slight_smile
Cleoriff
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Excellent and informative review BoB. It is good to know that this one time giant of the mobile phone world

is attempting a comeback (as it were)

You know my technical expertise is limited, however this did not stop me enjoying the review.

I remain totally against the colour however!! wink

Anonymous
Not applicable
Thank you @Cleoriff for your comments ,and I certainly concur about the handset colour.

At work as part of my job I drive a ForkLift Truck, which happens to be the same colour !

The amount of ribbing I'm getting from the lads and tradesmen, asking if I'm now into accessorising and colour matching. slight_smile lol.
Anonymous
Not applicable

So here are a couple of snaps I took whilst out and about in my City Centre this morning.

 

Please take into account i'm no good at picture taking Crazy and the weather was dull and raining. Whistle and converting them over onto the forum will degrade the quality a little.

 

Dont judge me I was hungry and only have one of these in a blue moon !  Whistle

1st pic to use.jpg

 

The front entrance to one of the biggest shopping malls in my City Centre.

2nd pic to use.jpg

 

How did that one get in here..........  Whistle

last pic to use.jpg

aldaweb
Level 26: Upbeat
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Nice review BoB slight_smile

Was yours the 64GB version? It's needed if you intend a lot of photography but as you say it wasn't your priority in a phone.

Glad I didn't get the yellow one though wink

Anonymous
Not applicable
Hi aldaweb

Yes it is the 64gb version.

Anonymous
Not applicable
Today I posted this handset back to O2 😞 and can say I really liked it.

Their was so much this phones offers to all levels of user no matter what their tech ability is. slight_smile

Nokia have definitely redeemed themselves in my eyes.

jonsie
Level 94: Supreme
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You just get the phone set up and customised to your liking and then have to send it back. The only downside to the loan device trials slight_frown

Anonymous
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Definitely.

The post office had to prise the Jiffy bag from my grasp !!
Anonymous
Not applicable
I take it you didn't like it then BoB lol. I have asked for the 1020 as my next DLT and after your comments plus some from friends who have other nokia handsets I am looking forward to it.
Anonymous
Not applicable
I'm still wiping away the tears.

I want my live tiles back !!