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Nokia’s First Phablet: The 6-inch Lumia 1520
Nokia has pulled the curtain and revealed its Lumia 1520, marking their first official venture into the phablet landscape. Let's do a recap of what we’ve heard about this new phablet.
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Nokia has gathered all its best features from their brand and stuffed them into a dramatically oversized device. The Finnish company has pulled the curtain and revealed the Nokia Lumia 1520, marking their first official venture into the phablet landscape. Previously known as the “Bandit,” the 1520 boasts a high-resolution screen, the new Windows phone operating system, and the company’s first quad-core processor. From these specs alone, it seems that Nokia is looking to sketch a competition with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. On that note, let’s do a recap of what we’ve heard about this new phablet.
Design At 6 inches, the phablet is made up of a polycarbonate casing, the same design approach made to the Lumia 920. Weighing 209 grams, the device is surprisingly lighter than the HTC One Max, despite the mounted wireless charging coil. All physical controls feel sturdy, as the phone’s right side is loaded with the power/sleep button, camera shutter, and the volume rocker.
Since it’s a Lumia device, we expect it to come in a myriad of colors, including yellow, black, red, and white. However, the selection of color definitely lags the Lumia 1520 behind Apple’s first “commoditized” handset – the iPhone 5C. While the latter may only feature a 4-inch display, O2’s iPhone 5C page said that it comes in more colors – blue, green, yellow, pink, and white. Fortunately, more colors are in store for the 1520, as the device was teased in a new Glance Background screenshot, revealing a cyan version.
Screen Display Arguably, the Lumia 1520 has the best screen among Nokia’s roster. It’s also the first Nokia phone to feature a 1080p full HD display, with a high pixel density of 368 ppi. Aside from the resolution, the company has also coated their screen with its custom Clearblack technology, giving the device a competitive edge in terms of outdoor visibility, viewing angles, and auto-adjusting screen brightness.
Nokia surely maximized the screen space, adding an additional column to the Live Tile home screen. As you perform a single or a multifinger gesture, you’ll see no signs of stumbling, as the graphics flow with strong colors with no motion blur.
Operating System The new Windows Phone operating system is all about furthering Nokia’s status in the mobile market. This is marked out by Lumia 1520’s impressive CPU, featuring a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, which is partnered with 2 GB of RAM. Across the Start Screen are six tiles, giving you a list of apps you want to easily access at a glance. The improved Hub, meanwhile, give more live tile options such as Friends and Photos. These tiles are automatically updated in large sizes. From the name itself, this new feature is responsible for road safety. While you’re behind the wheel, the technology automatically blocks incoming calls and messages to prevent distraction. In general, the Windows Phone OS is a joy to use, especially with the major addition of Instagram and Vine. However, the Windows phone marketplace is still lacking in certain aspects, an issue that would hold back the Lumia 1520.
Imaging According to the company, the Lumia 1520 is hoping to “push the boundaries” of mobile imaging. It may not sport the 41-megapixel snapper of the Lumia 1020, but the phablet still features a 20-megapixel PureView sensor, an auto-focus, and a Carl Zeiss lens. The handset’s PureView sensor is 50% larger than its siblings, allowing more light to enter. This is bundled with a 6-element quality optics, producing crystal clear images. The Lumia 1520 comes with the Nokia Rich Recording, an audio technology with four high performance microphones. The two pairs of microphones will capture directional stereo, while suppressing unwanted noise and echo. The Pro Mode compiles all the easy-to-use settings found on the Lumia 1020. Usually intended for professional photographers, these settings include shutter speed, white balance, editing, reframing, and zooming.
With Lumia 1520’s redefined imaging prowess and the new operating system, the device might just convince Android and iOS users to switch Windows Phones. It has both seen and unseen potential, which is enough to depose the capabilities of its top competitors.
What do you think of the Lumia 1520?
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