Microsoft shows off the #SustainableLumia 1520 in green with recycled back cover

By Rich Edmonds
last updated

Microsoft has released a new teaser for the Nokia Lumia 1520, the largest Windows Phone available to date. The video runs the viewer through the troubled life of the DVD, which is being replaced by cloud-hosted digital content and streaming. Towards the closing frames, it's shown how DVDs can be recycled as opposed to dumped, which brings us onto the Lumia 1520's recycled back cover. Not only that, but it's the bright green variant.

We had a quick play with the Lumia 1520 in green back at Build 2014, and as our Sam would put it: "Green Lumia 1520 is so green the Green Lantern would be jealous." It's rather green. Check out the video and let us know what you think of this latest teaser before we finally see the Windows Phone released in the highly anticipated color.

Who's stoked for the bright green Lumia 1520?

Rich Edmonds
Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

95 Comments
  • I wanted it so bad but it took too long and I decided to just get Pikachu yellow 1520, which is just as eye catching lol. Hopefully the mclauren or whatever it is called comes in green :)
  • McLauren? :D
  • Heh, same. Love the yellow too, but getting slightly tired with the colour (much like black and white) with a yellow 1020, etc. GIVE ME GREEN, YO.
  • Do you reckon the green will be sold as a replacement shell? On ebay for example?.. I have black but would love green!
  • I'm in the same boat. I've only had my yellow 1520 for a couple of months but I'm tempted to sell it and get the green one :P
  • you can (hopefully) buy a green body and replace thr yellow one! :D (so you have a green 1520, thats what im gonna do, since the netherlands only got the black and red variant :( )
  • You can go to Nokia care and have them replace the body just like I did with my 920 from yellow to cyan
  • Cost, how did you convince them?
  • They were actually happy to replace it right away although it took an entire day so i didn't have to convince them at all
  • Oh in my country it costs about 70$ I don't know about America
  • There are Nokia Care stores where you are?
  • Technically yes we have Nokia care in Jordan
  • Nice.. I guess the Microsoft Stores here in the US will offer the same services that they offer you over there.. Hopefully. They may already do. Not sure. I returned my original 1520,due to an update making it go haywire and they replaced it for free.
  • Thank you ahmedjan87.
  • Glad to help you
  • None of the new high end Lumias seem to be coming in the yellow anymore. Is yellow dead?
  • How many new high end Lumias are there?
  • Actually...only one lol! I just meant lumias in general. They all omit yellow! My purity pros are going to get very lonely when I next upgrade!!!
  • Or Cyan
  • +920 (Cyan!) +520
  • Removable
  • Non
  • I want it in Green *-* When is it available? And is it available worldwide? :O
  • Too damn big for me, color is besides the point when it comes to this behemoth.
  • That's what she said.
  • That's what they all said.
  • Sad, but true.
  • Yea I use to think that until I used it a few days now can't go back between cortana and Bluetooth I have no need to place on my face
  • That I'd exactly what I thought about it (BT and Cortana combined), but now I think it's a bit like owning a Humwee: Drive one and everybody knows the size of your equipment..
  • I would get this if I didn't already have a 1520. A recycled cover isn't exactly a feature. But its nice to support regardless, so yeah, if I didn't already have one, id definitely have bought this one to support a more eco friendly phone variant.
  • They need to start showing more and new phones, the 630 and the 930 are not enough to keep the market growing.
  • My carrier only has black nokias available. :( It's so sad but I don't have enough to shell out for a phone upfront
  • They could stop recycling 1520 and release 1530 already! Also, yellow for the win - forever and ever.
  • Nope its cyan for the win
  • My thoughts exactly. New flagships kthxplz
  • I just ordered the yellow one outright, I think its much better than the green one. Should last me until my contract on my 920 runs out and I can get the McLaren.
  • Could've sworn Nokia had the green and a cyan 1520 on their Facebook a month or two before this green one was announced. It'd be nice if cyan was an option too. Yup. Here it is. https://www.facebook.com/nokia/photos/a.338008237396.161268.36922302396/...
  • I really want this in green but I already have a 1520. Trouble is I still have issues with scroll/tap. Not sure if I want to risk those issues again.
  • Yea I wish they had released a statement or something regarding that issue. Its like they completely ignored it. Otherwise it's my quintessential perfect phone
  • Scroll/tap? The one that you want to scroll but instead it clicks/tap anything?
  • Sensitivity on the 1520 is a birch, it is literally the only negative I have with this phone (and a minor one at that) I do wish they'd fix it somehow though as if it was gone it'd be the perfect phone.
  • I sincerely hope they make a green back cover for the 1320 and 6xx series phones available. I got a black 1320, and I would love to have it green...
  • I wanted a black 1520 but they only had red. So I got red and I don't regret it :).
  • Yuck...what a ugly color IMHO
  • Looks good bring it to canada
  • Ha, they're seriously running out of ideas to promote their phones, especially a re-launch of an already existing device. Ok, well they're offering a new color, absolutely hideous in my opinion, and a recycled back? Could care less about a recycled back, seems to me that would drive the cost of the device up, hardly a feature of interest for many people.
  • I have black, white and yellow but I'm not so sure about the green. I would have got a red as well but I'm not a fan of the gloss.
  • Mines black, but I reckon my missus would love a green 1520 to replace her white 920
  • New phones will come out soon enough I'm just glad that other OEMS are releasing Windows phones and tablets.
  • Nah...I still prefer Batman over the Green Lantern.
  • Agree, I prefer Black as well
  • Why do OEMs release handsets incrementally? I'd like to have all the choices available to me from the start. Are Microsoft Samsung I disguise?
  • ialsowantone  
  • Verizon needs more WP's. I want a phablet on Verizon and this fits the bill.
  • They have it... The Lumia icon is the same of Lumia 930... Awesome phones... Fully supported.... I want l live in US just for buy his phones....
  • At&t only all else need not apply the WP nightmare of high end exclusives
  • Buy an amzer- like cover in green
  • May be nice for many people but personally I prefer classic colors... either Black or White.
  • In the end, it almost doesn't matter. If you get a case, they never color match, you get a flimsy hard shell and it cracks like an egg. There is nothing much in the way of nice covers. I have a red one, love red, its always hidden in a black case.. There are a couple of clear plastic cases, the clear TPU case makes gloss look like its sweating, or you could use full sticker type armor.....then there is always bareback. Options suck nuts. So do mainstream case manufacturers like Spigen or otter box who ignored this model.
  • Would love to but already have a Yellow 1520 and love every bit of it :)
  • I'm still waiting for Rogers to get this thing.
  • I got my black 1520 just 5 or 6 weeks ago! I really hope there's a way to switch the black for green when it comes out.
  • Nope.
  • :(
  • They really should just sell all Lumia phones with a rainbow selection of optional colors.
  • This.
  • Is it me or does this green look to glow some?
  • I think the camera is trying to squint because of the brightness so the photo comes out funny.
  • Nope give me it in the black variant... Green no way hose.
  • Hate the green colour, in my opinion red looks much better!
  • Very cute ad :)
  • I would like to see more sustainable devices... And not only with a recycled back, but with most of the phone being environmentally friendly.
    I would also like to see Microsoft itself being more environmentally friendly.
  • I wonder if the green 1520 will have the same matte texture as the black?
  • Don't ya agree this color stuff is racist? One color trying to outdo, or in this case outshine all other colors? Where is the NAACP?
  • Omg, she's gonna be mine one day! Not very soon though...
  • Now were getting sexist. (Throws the phone)
  • apologies, not my intention. Ships are also being referred to as "she" not to mention LumiA sounds feminine by itself.
  • I'm just playing...your ok.
  • thanks for sparing me ;)
  • Is orange coming as well????
  • Matches the shirt I am wearing today perfectly. Lol.
  • Still prefer the lime green of my Lumia 620. :|
  • i m in a dilemma...my old lumia 620 broke and i am looking for a new phone..should i get the lumia 1520 or wait for the so called mclaren?? i cannot get the 1520 now and return it and get the mclaren when it is released coz in india its not that simple to switch a high end phone..my parents wont get me another phone within a few months...i m currently using a stupid android phone as a temporary device...i really like the 1520 bt will mclaren be worth the wait??
  • When will it become available??? I've been waiting for this!
  • Where's Ms.Blu-Ray? Before I watched the video I thought Ms DVD was going to be literally melted and transformed into a Green 1520. ....Nevermind I see Blu-Rays are used as Ms HD Stream's bike tires. 
  • The phone looks radioactive. Oh, and I will never get on the c cloud m media tend, I like having a collection, I like box set, extra goodies, special features and Easter eggs hidden in my menus. Streaming media can get recycled for all I care.
  • Come on MS - how about some actual news on release date or availability? Would be much more interesting than a silly video :p
  • Man that looks beautiful...
  • I little too late.
  • Personally, I don't like the colours they are using right now. I like darker shades of the same colours, not those so-bright-i-might-burn-your-eyes ones.
  • This was shown last year, it's being teased now and still no launch date... I hate how slow Microsoft is!
  • purple would be nice not puke green. but what's it all matter anyways since you need a case to protect the phone because the phone's shell and glass can't take an impact on hard surfaces... ?
  • I don't think so, no. I've never used a case with a Lumia and I don't think it's necessary (unless you take pictures while mountain biking). People come to Lumias from their experience with more fragile phones like Samsung and Apple manufactures. My Lumia 920 is rugged and solid, it would take more than a bad fall to crack it.
  • Release the friggin' phone already. Why does it takes ages for Nokia to release a phone. Here where i live the 1020 and 925 are the stellar devices. I contacted Nokia to ask info of the 1520 and the 930 and they told me to replace my 920 for the 1020. I was so pissed. NOKIA/Microsoft must have faster releases !!!
  • I have the impression that this re-launch entails hardware revisions, minimal as they might be. Or at least it would be a good time to tweak some of the things that may have not be working perfectly (I've read some reports about the 1520 where stuff doesn't work perfectly). Still, I'd get one, it's hard to choose a Lumia right now because the next generation is barely arriving. I guess I'll wait and then make my choice (unless the 1520 becomes dead cheap).