Nokia Lumia 1020 Review

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

Windows Phone Central's full review of the Nokia Lumia 1020, a smartphone with an advanced 41MP camera, now available on AT&T

Back in 2012, Nokia’s presentation during Mobile World Congress brought thunderous applause and cheers, the likes that are rarely seen at press events. The reason? The 808 PureView, a Symbian based smartphone sporting a technology-busting 41MP sensor. The device was reportedly in development for the previous five years and was the culmination of Nokia’s engineers and photography experts.

Unfortunately for Nokia, the most frequent question they received during the event was: When, for Windows Phone?

Fast forward to July 26th, 2013 and we finally have our answer. But Nokia didn’t just plop the 808’s technology into the Lumia 1020, instead they continued evolving it.

Has it been worth the wait? Should Lumia 920 owners upgrade? Is it worth the cost? We answer all of these questions in more in our full review of the AT&T Nokia Lumia 1020.

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Bold, eye-catching and the best smartphone camera available today. Lives up to the hype. Excellent build quality and small improvements in design make the Lumia 1020 the crown jewel of Windows Phone for mid-2013.
Expensive and niche, the Lumia 1020 will only appeal to those who are photography buffs. Though it improves upon the Lumia 920, it only does so in welcome but minor areas. Camera Pro app also needs some improvements. Design is a bit more awkward than previous Nokia efforts due to the large camera housing.

The Lumia 1020 with Windows Phone 8 is an outstanding contribution to the world of photography. It finally gives shutterbugs a reason to leave their point-n-shoot at home and lighten their load. With easy sharing of captured images, the ability to zoom-via-crop and the excellent image quality, the Lumia 1020 delivers on what it promises. Plus it's a really good phone.

Specifications

The Lumia 1020 sports nearly the same hardware as the Lumia 920, a device that it is closely based off of for design and aesthetics. Featuring a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU with 32GB of internal storage and a 4.5-inch (1280x768) display, it’s easy to confuse it with its flagship cousin from late in 2012.

Bottom: Laynard loop, microUSB and speaker

The device comes with an array of modern proprietary Nokia technology that our audience should now be familiar with, including:

  • PureMotion HD+ - High display refresh rate for smooth scrolling
  • ClearBlack – A dual-layer polarizer that helps filter reduce glare and make colors more pure
  • Sunlight Readability – The display ramps up to overdrive when in direct sunlight
  • Super Sensitive Touch – The ability to use the touchscreen when wearing gloves
  • Rich Audio Recording – Dual HAAC microphones, stereo recording
  • Nokia Glance – On screen clock

Likewise, the Lumia 1020 features other standard connectivity technology that is par for a 2013 smartphone including NFC, Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 3.0 (upgradable to 4.0 LE), 4G LTE bands for fast data speeds, USB 2.0, A-GPS/Glonass and a 2000 mAh battery rated at 13 hours talk time.

But like all Nokia releases, they are constantly fine tuning things based on experience, feedback from customers and new advancements that are available on the market. When compared to the Lumia 920, the Lumia 1020 features these hardware advancements:

  • 4.5-inch AMOLED display (vs. LCD)
  • 2.5D sculpted Corning Gorilla Glass 3 (vs. GG2)
  • Improved IHF speakers
  • 2GB of RAM (vs. 1GB)
  • Barometer
  • Aluminum buttons (vs. ceramic)
  • 41MP PureView camera with F2.2 aperture, six lens elements (ZEISS optics), image stabilization (OIS), a massive 1/1.5 inch BSI sensor and xenon flash

Except for the overhauled camera, the hallmark feature of the Lumia 1020, the changes may seem like small advancements but they each help to improve upon the original Lumia 920’s design and make the Lumia 1020 a tremendous device.

The Lumia 1020 comes with a useful wrist lanyard

The one missing feature is the inclusion of built-in Qi wireless charging, something that was a key feature of the Lumia 920. The reasons why it was dropped are numerous and range from AT&T wanting a thinner device to customer feedback to even cost considerations. The technology can be added back by the purchase of an accessory cover (Nokia CC-3066) and while it may disappoint some, we think it was a good move to keep the device’s weight down and thinner design.

The Lumia 1020 only comes in a 32GB version for internal storage with no expansion options (unless you consider the extra 7GB with SkyDrive or AT&T Locker, where you can get 50GB of online storage for free). There is a 64GB variant that is exclusive to Telefónica, however there are no immediate plans to bring that to the US at this time.

Is 32GB enough? After the OS and apps, the user has about 25GB actually available for use on initial startup. The full high resolution photos from the Lumia 1020 range between 9 and 15MB each, with the smaller oversampled one coming in at 3MB. While you won’t fill that space up overnight, you’ll probably not want to keep every photo on your device with every song that you must have. It’s not nearly as bad as having a device with 16GB and we think of most people 32GB will be okay, but depending on how you use your device, you may have to pay closer attention a few months down the road.

Look and feel

Feels nice in the hand, even with the large camera housing

Although at first glance the Lumia 1020 looks like the Lumia 920, upon closer inspection there are a few noticeable changes besides the massive camera. For one, Nokia has opted for a less slippery matte finish as opposed to the glossy one featured on some Lumia 920s. They chose this because of the “quality feel” that it offers, something for which we agree. They also added an anti-fingerprint and dirt resistant finish to the top layer, to make sure your device stays unsoiled.

Due to the removal of built in wireless charging, the Lumia 1020 is a smidge thinner than the Lumia 920, coming in at 10.4 mm thick (versus 10.7 mm). That extra bit may not seem like much, but it’s just enough to say that the Lumia 1020 is significantly thinner than its predecessor, so much that when you pick it up you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Likewise, it also weighs less, dropping almost 30 grams in weight. Picking up the Lumia 1020, the phone feels nearly hollow, which is a good thing.

First day thoughts on the Lumia 1020

The Lumia 1020 won’t win awards for the lightest or thinnest smartphone but these new dimensions negate the biggest complaint about the Lumia 920 from critics. It also makes the device much more accessible to new customers who are trying to get away from a heavy, secondary camera, aka the raison d'être for the Lumia 1020.

The upgrade to Gorilla Glass 3 and improved anti-fingerprint coating makes the Lumia 1020’s display one of the nicest to interact with. We noticed this with the new Lumia 925 as well (though it only has Gorilla Glass 2) and it makes sliding your across the display silky smooth, with minimal surface drag.

What does Gorilla Glass 3 gain you over version GG2? Announced earlier this year, Gorilla Glass 3 now features Native Damage Resistance (NDR), which reduces flaws and the appearance of scratches, while maintaining improved strength and durability. In real world terms, at least according to Corning, it should result in a 3x improvement in scratch resistance, 40 percent reduction in the number of visible scratches and 50 percent boost in retained strength after the glass becomes damaged over its predecessor.

Bold, iconic design with matte yellow and anti-fingerprint coating

The buttons for the traditional power, volume and camera, have been improved as well. The materials have changed from the shiny ceramic to the matte aluminum, the same material found on the camera housing. More importantly, the feel of the buttons has improved when pressing them. For instance, pushing in the power button results in a more discernable ‘click’. Or the camera shutter button, which makes using the half-press feature for auto-focus much nicer to use than on any other previous Windows Phone.  Like we said, not a game changer, but these little improvements are noticeable to us and have made our daily usage of the Lumia 1020 more enjoyable. After all, it’s that refinement of the small things that help make a great device.

While some people have lamented the look of the Lumia 1020’s camera protrusion, in reality it’s a lot less noticeable than you would think. Visually, it stands out, but at least on the white and yellow variants it could be considered a badge of recognition. Something about seeing that Cyclops-like camera housing that screams ‘this device means business’. That’s not a bad thing either, as it helps solidify the brand.

Not perfectly balanced

Will you be aware of the camera housing? Yes, certainly. When placing the Lumia 1020 down, you can’t help but notice it propping up, giving it a little bit of wobble.  Though this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it keeps the front element completely off the ground, preventing potential damage to the precious camera.

Top: microphone, 3.5mm headset, microSIM door

Holding the phone in your hand, one surely feels the presence of the 41MP shooter and it is a tad awkward especially when compared to the curvy (but heavy) Lumia 920. Still, people will buy this device for the camera and knowing what it packs for technology, Nokia can be forgiven here for not being able to make it any svelter than it is. Otherwise, it’s akin to complaining that a sports car’s V8 engine is too noisy, or makes the car too heavy.  If you do that, you’re kind of missing the point.

In conclusion, the Lumia 1020 offers small but substantial improvements in quality over the Lumia 920. Judging the device on its own, the unibody polycarbonate body exudes quality, feels like a smooth pebble and has no creak or moving parts. Ignoring the inevitable awkward camera housing complaint and the Lumia 1020’s design is as good as you’re going to get with these specs.

Display

Caught on camera: The Lumia 1020's AMOLED display shows banding when viewed through a camera, in real life though you won't notice

The Lumia 1020 features an improved AMOLED display as opposed to the Lumia 920’s LCD variant. It’s still the same 4.5-inch design with a 1280x768 resolution and as mentioned above, it is upgraded to Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for improved scratch resistance.

Featuring all the bells and whistles from Nokia for screen technology, including a dual-layer polarizer, 60Hz refresh rate, touch sensitivity and brightness mode for outside, the Lumia 1020 gains from having an AMOLED screen and we’re happy to see it here.

AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) technology has its detractors but they are becoming fewer and fewer these days. The biggest complaint is the PenTile matrix design, which upon very close scrutiny, allows one to see the subpixel layout. It’s one of those things where once you see it can’t be unseen, but on such a high resolution display, the PenTile issue is mostly attenuated, especially when compared to Windows Phone 7 devices like the Samsung Focus.

So why do we prefer AMOLED? Glad you asked:

  • Deeper blacks – Black pixels turn off, resulting in better contrast
  • Better battery life – Because black pixels turn off, it consumers less power than LCD (though inversely, using the light theme it could actually use more than LCD)
  • Glance Screen – Nokia’s new on screen clock will use less battery on an AMOLED device than LCD and it’s such a wicked feature, we want it always on
  • Thinner – Due to the technology in how AMOLED displays are manufactured, they take up less space than an LCD one

AMOLED and the Windows Phone OS go hand in hand, in our opinion. The UX is bold, has high contrast and is visually catchy, which is what AMOLED offers in terms of hue and divergence.

The Lumia 1020’s display is bright, punchy, has virtually no glare and it just looks fantastic. It’s easily one of the best yet from Nokia (same with the Lumia 925’s display). Interestingly, if you don’t like the colors and contrast, Nokia has included their ‘Lumia Color Profile’ feature under Settings > Display + Touch where you can actually tone down (or increase) the saturation. It answers one of the biggest complaints about AMOLED, namely that “it doesn’t look natural”. Well, now you can fix that and set the display to how you like it.

Phone

This camera also has a phone built into it

Even though people will be buying the Lumia 1020 for the camera and video capabilities, we have to remember that this sophisticated piece of technology is still a phone too. So before you throw down your $299 for one, you may want to find out if it’s any good at that job.

Here, we are pleasantly surprised by the AT&T Nokia Lumia 1020. While Nokia always has above-average audio quality for their speakers, the Lumia 1020 steps it up a notch so much so that we have to emphasize it here. The Lumia 1020 is HD Voice Compliant and we believe (though have not verified) that AT&T is now actively supporting this in some areas. HD Voice offers crisper word clarity, more natural sounding speech and it is dependent on both the carrier and the phone hardware to work. AT&T is set to introduce HD Voice this year and may in fact already be doing so.

All we can say here is that people sound remarkably clear and vice versa for people on the other end. In fact, a few individuals have pointed out to us how much more clearly we sound than on previous devices. So if it’s not the HD Voice in action, then it’s just the stellar build of Nokia’s microphones and speakers.

Likewise with speakerphone. The speaker is loud and crisp and while speakerphone is always a so-so (but necessary feature), the Lumia 1020 is one of the best we’ve used both for listening and speaking to others.

You would expect that Nokia’s top tier device would provide some of the best audio quality around but the 1020 has gone above and beyond our expectations in this regard.

PureView Camera

Lumia 1020 with optional PD-95G Camera grip

The Lumia 1020 features what is probably the most advanced mobile camera found on any smartphone as of July 2013. It improves upon the discontinued PureView 808 and it even trumps what HTC or Samsung can throw at it. That’s not to say that someone won’t best it anytime soon, but let’s be clear: Nokia has implemented some radical and unique hardware in the Lumia 1020’s camera. And it works.

Let’s repeat the camera’s specifications:

  • 41 megapixel sensor
  • Back-side illuminated (BSI) for low light performance
  • Motor-driven barrel shift optical image stabilization (OIS)
  • 6-lens ZEISS optics
  • Xenon flash (secondary LED for video, AF light)

What does all of that get you in laymen’s terms? The Lumia 1020 can take sharper photos, both in regular and low light, than any smartphone out on the market—at least that’s the claim. A BSI sensor moves the wiring from the front to the back of the sensor, allowing more photons to be recorded—that means better low light performance and it was a feature missing on the 808 PureView (Nokia claims the technology wasn’t ready yet). Combined with the redesigned optical image stabilization (OIS), the Lumia 1020 allows users to take longer exposures at night while also avoiding camera shake and the resulting blurriness.

Sample: Handheld, Auto settings from the Lumia 1020, NYC

Many will gawk at the “41MP” number and surely there is advertising value to be had there as it is headline grabbing. But the feature is not a gimmick nor a pure marketing ploy. Instead, the camera on the Lumia 1020 works by taking two photos at once aka ‘dual capture’: 34 or 38MP and 5MP. The first series of numbers, dependent on aspect ratio (16x9 or 4:3), is the full high resolution image used for future editing. The second number is the oversampled 5MP image meant for sharing via email and social networks.

Dual capture is an impressive advancement in mobile technology and it was something that Nokia and Microsoft had to work on especially for the Lumia 1020 as Windows Phone 8 did not support this function at the time. The benefit to the consumer is you don’t have to choose either the 38MP image or the 5MP oversampled one—you get both for free, one to edit, one to share. (You can turn off the 38MP HQ image though and only shoot at 5MP oversampled, should you prefer it).

Oversampling is Nokia’s verbiage for taking a lot of pixels (roughly seven) and dropping them onto one “superpixel”. The result is a very high quality, sharp 5MP image with low noise that also saves space (~3MB each) as opposed to just saving the 38MP high-quality image (up to 15MB each). This technique is very useful because in digital photography, information is either lost during the photo capture (aliasing) or has to be interpolated via Bayer color filters.  Translation: a lot of cameras have to “guess” the surrounding pixels during processing. That problem here is attenuated via Nokia’s oversampling technique and it is a welcome advancement.

Sample: Handheld, Auto settings from the Lumia 1020, NYC

[Need more science? Read Nokia’s full white paper (PDF) on the technology behind the Lumia 1020’s camera]

Does the Lumia 1020’s camera live up to the hype? Absolutely. In comparison shots with the Lumia 920 and Lumia 925, both with outstanding cameras for their class as is, the Lumia 1020 was obviously sharper and provided more detail as expected. What’s more, things like white balance, color saturation and exposure were overall better than previous Lumias. That’s partially due to the forthcoming Amber firmware update that is already found on the Lumia 925 and Lumia 1020.

The one grumble would be that Pro Cam, Nokia’s baked in software with advanced camera controls settings, is still obviously a version 1.x. As such, we’ve had the app crash on us when entering settings (only once) and there is a noticeable delay in launching the camera with Pro Cam. That delay means it takes about five seconds from a cold start (start holding the shutter key to launch the camera) until you are ready to snap a photo. That’s roughly twice as long as the default camera app, so clearly there is a trade-off for going down the Pro Cam route at this early stage.

The 41MP camera's lens covers up when not in use

Besides the startup delay, there is also processing after image acquisition, which adds another two seconds before you can take a subsequent photo. Luckily, if you need to take rapid fire photos, you can use Microsoft’s BLINK or Nokia’s Smart Cam, which are amazing solutions to this problem.

Likewise, Pro Cam and Smart Cam, when set as the default camera app (something new to Windows Phone 8.0 GDR2), cannot bypass the PIN lock screen like the native Windows Phone camera UI, adding even more delay to the process should you chose to lock your device.

Sample: Handheld, flower-macro, Auto settings

These are by no means deal killers because the tradeoff in image quality is certainly worth it—trust us. But it does show that Nokia has some improvements left to complete on the software side of the Lumia 1020.

Luckily, apps like Smart Cam and Pro Cam (allows manual control of the camera, including ISO, white balance, exposure, etc.) can be updated via the Windows Phone Store at any time. In theory, there’s no reason why Pro Cam, like most software, cannot be optimized for speed with later iterations and due to Nokia’s excellent support history, we expect continued development down the road. Indeed as we were writing this review, Pro Cam received an update with bracketing functionality.

Nokia's Pro Cam software offers full manual control over the camera

For those curious, if you chose to just use the native Windows Phone 8 camera UI instead of Pro Cam, you will still snap photos with the quality of the oversampled 5MP images, you just don’t get the high resolution version for cropping and zooming.

Another drawback for some will be getting those 34 and 38MP images off of the device. As of now, you cannot back them up to the cloud via SkyDrive. You can only save and share the 5MP ones instead. The reason for that is most likely on Microsoft’s backend for upload support rather than a purposeful limitation. Still, it means that if you want to backup the full high quality pic, you need to use a USB cable to plug into a PC and then drag and drop the files. It’s a solution but not an ideal solution. (AT&T customers can at least use their AT&T Locker app, which does allow cloud-saves of the full HQ image).

We’ll be following up this review with a more in-depth one of the camera itself. For now, the take away is this: Nokia has delivered on the promise of being the best in mobile photography. The Lumia 1020 rivals some point and shoot cameras and it is an easy choice for those with photography on the mind. Things like focus lock, bracketing, shutter delay, full manual control over camera settings and the quality of the hardware make this the most compelling option for mobile digital photography. We’re also confident that Nokia will continue to improve upon it with subsequent software releases.

More on the Nokia Lumia 1020 Camera:

Accessories

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is launching with two major accessories:

  • Camera Grip (PD-95G) – Provides an extra 1020 mAh battery, tripod mount and heartier shutter button, the camera grip is a must-have add on if you’re going to be doing extending shooting. It makes holding the phone much easier due to the contoured grip and the extra battery life will add hours on to the device’s usability. Retail: $79. AT&T Stores: $59
  • Wireless Charging Cover (CC-3066) – For those who desire to add back the missing wireless charging (Qi standard), you can purchase the wireless cover to add some back protection to your device and the convenience of wireless charging. The cover comes in yellow, white or black and in terms of size, brings the Lumia 1020 back up to the Lumia 920’s dimensions. Still, it’s super easy to snap on and off, meaning you can use it only when needed plus it protects those vital but delicate polycarbonate corners. Retail: $39 (est)

The Windows Phone Central Store (opens in new tab) will also be stocking up on Lumia 1020 accessories as soon as they become available. Those who live near an AT&T Store can also pick up various cases from Speck, Incipio, iFrogz and Ballistic for added protection.

The Lumia 1020 is compatible with micro USB 2.0 cables for syncing, Bluetooth 3.0 devices for pairing (though it should be upgraded to 4.0 LE in the coming months) and will work with NFC pairing devices like Nokia’s JBL PowerUp wireless charging speaker (MD-100W).

Wrapping it up

Nokia set the bar with the PureView 808 and Lumia 920 back in 2012 for mobile imaging, but they weren’t a home run. The PureView 808 was released on a dying platform and the Lumia 920 had mixed reactions from critics who complained about its weight and soft images. It was an advancement but not quite reaching the level of awe-inspiring. All of that though it addressed with the Lumia 1020—from its 41MP sensor to the added sixth-lens element for sharpness to the improved software, Nokia is clearly hitting their stride on Windows Phone, listening to their critics.

Who should get the 1020? Anyone who owns a DSLR and contemplates whether or not they should lug their camera around when heading out for the day. Likewise if you carry a Canon PowerShot or similar camera around with you for events. The Lumia 1020, for all intents and purposes, makes having to carry an extra camera around with you nearly a thing of the past. While the image quality is not as good as those cameras, it’s almost good enough at this point. Throw in the convenience of immediately posting to Instagram (Oggl Pro, Instance), Facebook, email or whatever network you want and the Lumia 1020’s advancements are obvious.

What if you currently own a Lumia 92x? This question is more difficult as first and foremost, your financial situation is a big consideration. If money is not a concern, then yes, you’ll be very happy “upgrading” to the Lumia 1020. The only downside is you will lose the built in wireless charging, though you can add it back via a charging cover for the device. If you’re on a contract though and the Lumia 920 is “good enough” for you in image quality (plus it will improve with the Amber/GDR2 update that is forthcoming), then you will want to wait for the next-generation Lumia. There’s no doubt that support for 1080P displays and new Snapdragon processors is right around the corner and you’ll have to decide which is more important: perceived performance improvements and display quality or the Lumia 1020’s camera? Remove the Lumia 1020’s camera and it’s a welcome, but minor improvement over the Lumia 920.

For us, it’s not a question though as we’re hobbyist photographers. The Lumia 1020 is our only option and although newer, 1080P Lumias and phablets are approaching, there’s little doubt that Nokia will ‘Osborne’ the Lumia 1020 with a radically advanced device in the next six to twelve months. Unfortunately for consumers, companies like Nokia are releasing more and more devices with newer technology faster than the typical two-year cycle, which means you will now have to constantly make these hard decisions. The price of progress.

Regardless, between the reduced weight, the thinner design and the quality of the hardware, the Nokia Lumia 1020 stands on its own as the best camera phone on the market. You could also make the claim that it’s the best all-around Windows Phone in 2013, though we would easily toss the Lumia 925 into that category as well (read our full review).

As we said above, Nokia is clearly hitting their stride with hardware and software on the Windows Phone platform and the Lumia 1020 is an exceptional example of their continued work. Highly recommended.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is available starting today, July 26th from AT&T (opens in new tab) for $299 on contract ($659 no contract). It is expected to launch worldwide in other markets in August/September of 2013.

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.

229 Comments
  • Bring on the u.k release :D
  • Second that...although I am getting a little bored constantly reading about this phone now, lol! I hope when I get it my passion reignites!!!
    Seriously though, I can't wait to start taking the most amazing pictures ever on a windows phone...erm...scratch that...on a phone, PERIOD!!!
  • Be interesting to see how this sells
  • Well, got it this morning, Yellow
  • I'm a bit stunned that the 34/38 MP shots aren't backed up to SkyDrive.  A bit ridiculous.  I'm sure they'll solve that issue later.
  • Yeah, and with only 32 GB onboard and no microSD it'll run out of space pretty fast.
  • Get the 50gb att locker storage. Also, if you're a shutterbug just offload them to a PC. Even with a 920 I do that. There are tons o' options. :D
  • What's the price in India Folks........
  • They haven't announced for India yet. But I'm guessing it's going to be near the 35k mark... at least.
  • I think it might be 40 K +. How much was 808 ? 
  • 33k right ?
  • Yeah I think the 808 was around 33k at launch. So I suppose the 1020 might be nearer to 40k considering all the additional taxes since the 808 launched :/
  • 700$ is 42k today....dont expect this to start selling below 42k at least initially.....and cmon if bbry can sell their crap q5s at 30k, you cant expect to get this at the same price range.
  • til I saw the paycheck which had said , I be certain that my neighbours mother realey earning money part time on-line.. there mums best friend had bean doing this for under fifteen months and resently took care of the loans on there cottage and bought a new Dodge. we looked here, ............. Rich6.comm  
  • heey maria,
    I dint think evn for a mument abut opning dat site but considuring your pretty profil pic I fully beleeve dat your intenshions war vary noble.. Y dunt u take up that offur yurself and mak muney aand finally go to a school so u can impruuve ur spalling and grammar and inglish. And if you really care please send sum muney ovar t mee tooo.. you see i want to go to school and improove my inglish too, but too lazy to do wark and arn maney, so i simply comment on online forums and beg others to click on spammy sites for mee .. ;)
     
     
     
  • LOL
  • bahahahaha
  • Should have been released on all carriers simultaneously and then I believe the phone would sell extremely well.
  • I think the ProCam is slow to launch and operate is because at the end of the day it's a 3rd party app; where as the default camera app is a first party app (built into the OS)
  • Excellent review. I hate everyone who go theirs today! Jk, I will get mine tomorrow :P.
  • If it had an sd card slot I'd have been all over but it doesn't so my 920 will do for now. I'll wait for the upcoming phablet announcement (hopefully that's sooner rather than later) and decide my path then.
  • +1 :(
  • Well.. Maybe microsoft will see one day that there home market should not be their top priority in EVERYTHING
  • Good review, Mr. Rubino. Logical and thought-out.
  • I am now of the mind that Nokia is releasing too many phones. They kind of have to for their comeback but the software is still the same more or less. Imagine if MS kept up with Nokia with all these releases.
  • Nokia covers more markets than any other manufacturer, they kinda have to release as many phones as possible to cover every budget.
  • +1020
  • Only a few days late, mobile tech review had a full review two days ago. :(
  • So don't read it. The phone is only available to purchase starting today and we've been posting mini-reviews up to this point all week. I'm also guessing they didn't spend more than 24 hours with it.
  • i REALLY REALLY dont get why people complain on these comments with garbage like that or when they complain because somethinhg was misspelled. You guys do an awesome job and i come to this website multiple times a day.
     
    IF YOU DONT LIKE THE ARTICLES SIMPLY DONT READ THEM
  • You did it just right Dan.  There have been some terrible reviews, from people who seemed not to even have heard of the phone before someone dropped it in their hands, and said gimme 1,000 words on this, now.
    I concure with most of what you've said so far, but haven't had as much time with mine.  I am still not sure about oversampling in the native app though.  The pics don't look the same in my testing.  Similar, but color difference, and they just seem less detailed.  Could be placebo, though.
     
    Keep it up!
  • Sucks that we have to even bother justifying it all with a response.
  • butt hurt much? 
  • Only people who care are those that always say first like it means anything...
  • I dont think Daniel ever made a promise to have the first review out. And even then, why does it matter MattLFC
  • Matt,
    Don't contradict any thing the editor says, he doesn't respect opinions other than his own.  Also the other Nokia / WPCentral fanboys will flame you mercilessly for opposing anything the "Dear Leader" says.  The shame is it's one of the best WP sites on the net if you ignore the other comments and don't cross the DB Editor!
    Dell Gonzales
  • LOL!
  • Oh come on, let's be sensible here. Yes Daniel can come down pretty snarky on folks, but this comment right here is ridiculous. Truly who gives a flying fart whether Daniel was FIRST with the review? it's honestly the best review for the 1020 I've seen yet
  • Dell Gonzales, you are really messed up. Go take your med and take some rest.
  • Daniel Rubino is a jerk.
  • God forbid the review is 2 days later than the rest. How are we going to live now?
  • Dan needs to type faster on his IBM Selectric.
  • so that is not even a review then. nobody has it two days ago. what they did was a preview. not a review.
  • Yes, they had the phone, and the woman who did it is extremely good at her job, and knows both the windows and Nokia platform in particular, very well. WP Central are always late to the party, its not news, if its two days later than everyone else. Daniel, you really need to ask your employers for some social media training, like seriously, if i wasn't aware of the character you are already (blunt but good at your job, witty etc), you'd have just lost a "customer" so to speak. I just don't understand why generic sites like MTR can have a full, very well written, researched and constructed, also unbiased but full of praise review, of a flagship device, two days or more, ahead of a fan site that seems to have some respect within the WP fold and clearly had the phone prior, but simply wanted to "tease" people in the hope it would boost footfall. I didn't bother with the wpcentral review because id already seen two, which covered everything i wanted to see about the device. So your plan backfired. Maybe Daniel has annoyed one too many Microsoft/Nokia execs with his attitude problem, and thus got the phone later than other sites...
  • so you didn't bother and yet here you are complaining.
     
    for me a review is a "review". there are too many constraints to consider to have a good "full review". i'm not an expert on this but i do believe that to be able to meet a high quality full review that you want, you have to wait.
    for those audience and costumer out there that posts and doesn't know how "review" works, then i guess it will just be another "impatient rant" for me. i believe what you are looking for is a full preview of the product prior to its release. a full tech review, per say, is a revisit on a certain product after it hits the market.
    i read pre market reviews but i consider it to just be a preview of the device since some or most in-and-out problems of the device hasn't surfaced yet. and most of the time a lot of pre market reviews start flame wars and confusion because most of the time they were not updated after a lot of people experience the device and see opposite to what the author said on the review (or preview before the device was released).
    so, as a customer, be thankful there are sites that you could go to and read previews and reviews of the products that you like. if not then to-each-his-own.
  • Amen! I'm looking and looking for a good WPcentral alternative: If anyone here has any suggestions, please reply to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is not a reliable and objective source of information at all. Just a bunch of fanboys patting each other on their shoulders, so to speak.
  • Well. If you want, just go away. I'm no-so-fanboy of WP, but I DID appreciate the review here.
  • UK release please, my upgrade was may been rocking an Huawei W1 (brought simfree), really want this phone
  • I just want to say thanks for listing the camera as having a lens with six elements instead of six lenses. Its been driving me crazy everytime I read about a phone with supposed interchangeable lenses.
  • Daniel,
    How do games like Batman and Spiderman run on 2gb of ram? Any improvements on the graphics department?
    Thanks for the excelent review!
    Regards
    Márcio Cattini
  • It seems a tad smoother for loading, but it's pretty negligible. 
  • So its still using the same graphics chip? Adreno 225?
  • Yes it is :(
  • If I can choose between ProCam/default camera app, Could I install ProShot and set that as my default app?
  • If/when ProShot utilizes Nokia's APIs from the SDK, yes, you could.
  • Not sure if its a 'feature', but when I press the camera button, Camera Pro opens and not the default wp camera app, which is fine by me!
  • I am slightly disapointed with the camera. It takes AMAZING picture but when zoomed in the pictures are no where as clear as what they wer during the nokia presentation
  • So is it true, that you c an't upload full res to skydrive wifi or not?  yet you can upload to the att locker full res?
  • That question is clearly answered in the review
  • Sooooooo, no?
  • Can you switch the default camera app that opens when you press the camera button? Ive always pressed the button as I'm taking the phone out of my pocket so its ready for the shot. I have a lock screen so to unlock and then select the pro app would take too long and me no like!
  • Yes. For now you can use Smart Cam, Pro Cam or default. Apps using Nokia's camera API may be able to be added as well, with an update from the app.
  • So if I was to press the camera button, it could launch pro cam?
  • You can, but you won't get the 38mp file. You will just get the 5mp oversampled file.
  • What is that cool weather app on there?
  • I was under the impression the oled screen on this was not pentile, as the screen on the 928 was supposedly not pentile, and this uses the same screen correct?
  • Honestly, it's not clear. Nokia only specifies it as 'AMOLED' without Samsng's verbiage of Plus, Super, HD, etc. So it's unclear what generation it is.
  • Yea its annoying Nokia doesn't specify and they've released oled phones with pentile (Lumia 800) and without pentile (Lumia 900) in the past. I seem to remember it being confirmed the 928's screen was not pentile, but I don't remember where I got that info.
  • It is pentile.  GSMarena posted microscope pics.  Honestly, I would not have know without seeing them.  The screen is gorgeous.
     
    http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_1020-review-952p2.php
  • Oh gosh.. Thats a huge review...
  • It's shorter than Rich's review on prostitute 925.
  • Prostitute? O_O
  • I think that has been debunked as my Spanish speaking friends clearly and emphatically say that it does not mean prostitute.  The PR and internet machinery of Nokia's rivals are clearly having a hard time derailing the 1020's media narrative and are resulting to name-calling and attempting to associate it with a prostitute label.  I've seen a concerted effort to insert this term in the comments section about nokia phones thru seemingly innocuous comments by annonymous commenters but are in reality cold-bloodedly thought of by PR depts.  They're also attempting to associate Lumia with Pe*nis.  We should not let ourselves become unwitting agents of anti Nokia PR by spreading these terms around.  Luckily the campaign  has no traction so far, so I guess they'd have to tarnish the 1020 based on merits instead.  and they'll have a hard time doing that with this41mp smartphone.
  • I'm spanish, and I never heard of the word Lumia before Nokia released the 800. If you must know, the usual term is Puta, anything else is BS.
  • So, what's the official word on in-store availability? I've heard conflicting information, some people saying they can pick one up, but others being told it's an online-only phone.
  • I walked into my local store and got one.
  • Yellow?
  • They only had yellow and black at the store I went to, no white in stock.
  • Yeah I walked into the Microsoft store about an hour after they opened and got mine no preorder.
  • If you can't one in official store, go into approved 3rd party store and get it there. They also got stock and people tend to forget about these places.
  • Woo got mine 39 dollars out the door using AT&Ts Next plan
  • Excellent review. I can't wait for the UK release. I might struggle to hang on to my 925.
  • I stopped into my local AT&T store at lunch to have a look. It's an amazing phone and I was truly surprised at how the camera bump was such a non-issue. When I walked into the store, the salesman approached and I said I'd like to see the 1020. "The 1020?" he said, with a blank look. He had no idea what I was talking about. I found the display and he then had the nerve to ask if I had any questions. Disappointing...
  • The crazy...I went to AT&T two days ago to get my wife a 920 and the sales rep was trying upsell me to the 1020 - she had one in hand to show me and let me play around with...she did note that she couldn't actually sell me the phone until today.
  • They were holding training sessions for employees. I guess this one didn't attend. I guess it's like any business. You have some excellent employees who try hard and you have slackers who do a half-ass job.
  • I had a similar experience, and since I have shot sample photos with my 920 compared to the iPhone 5, and Galaxy S3 I like to "show them something". They're usually quite blown away - much as I was on a particular shot where you can see the deep blues of the night sky, versus the black sky on the others. If anything, it would at least make the sales guy look twice at the Nokias. We need to reprogram these Android/iOS guys that there is a better alternative out there.
  • I would get this phone in a heart beat if it's coming to T-Mobile ^_^
  • +100
  • $199 sure - $299 no thanks. As much as I like WP8 there are many OS improvements needed before plunking down $299.
  • If I could buy this (I am on Verizon), it would be a replacement for my phone and my point-and-shot camera.  If you look at it that way, then it is a great deal.  If you are not looking for a good point-and-shot, then the 920 is probably a better option for you.
  • Beautiful phone and a nice introduction into the Lumia 10xx series.
  • So there it is....FOLKS...wait until the next phone come out unless you love photography. I'm going to get one though as my 920 has served me well. I'm still upset about the "Other" storage issue though. My 920 has 6.2 GB of "Other" and Daniel said he had 2.6 GB with only a week of use. That's terrible!!
  • ive realised something about the other issue since i installed nokia's storage check when you go to details and go on "apps" then click details that "app data" is is counter in the "other" on the phone itself plus the maps are also counted as "other" if you have any files that the phone cannot play like mkv, those are also counted as "other" if you have the lumia storage checker app you can verify for yourself in the default "phone storage" it says i only have 3.77gb off apps and 2.01gb of "other" but in the "lumia storage checker" it says i have 4.9gb of apps and 648mb of "other' i guess the "other" is just everything the phone cannot read download the lumia storage checker and delete files your phone cannot open my advice
  • zomg, just noticed that it has AC for the Wifi, assuming that's what it means in Wifi a/n/g/b part that is, can someone verify? I have to upgrade my wifi at home to AC soon (range issue with my current single radio N) and this would spell awsome to me (did 920 have this too? didn't notice that before, if not, i would add that to the upgraded list)
  • No, Wireless A is not the same as AC. It hasn't been used in ages and I have no idea why anyone would bother supporting it anymore. 
  • hm, so it should say wireless ac/n/g/b  if it has ac? bummer
  • Support for 802.11a is a bonus included with support for 802.11n on the 5Ghz band.  Backwards compatibility is a requirement of the spec.
  • Would be nice if they also release some gloss verions.
  • Will the pro camera app work like the version in 1020 or the software /hardware restrictions in 920 be a problem?
  • I disagree with things you consider an "improvement" like the aluminium buttons but anyway it's a matter of taste.
    I think no one with a 920 should waste money on the 1020 even those of us with money to burn. However for people still with WP7, it's worth it if you don't mind the awful aesthetics of the phone because of the camera. The rest...let us just wait for WP9 and the devices it'll bring
  • It is all down to personal preference but I agree with Daniel that the buttons feel a lot better and are an improvement over the 920. I don't feel the aesthetics of the phone are awful but they do take a little getting used to. The phone feels better in my hand but it feels a little top heavy at times.
  • Went to store today to purchase because I thought I had an upgrade available (was going to use the AT&T NEXT program anyway. Dude told me I had to wait until september 1st. drats....
  • That's a lot better than having to wait until 4/2013!! I got the Lumia 900 when it first came out.
  • I think you meant 4/2014! I am under contract with Verizon until 12/2014! I am going to have to pay full price if I want to get the Verizon variant, whenever that will becomes available. Let's hope it is not the same 7 months it took from the time the 920 was released until the 928 came out. I have the 822. I really like have the micro-SD and replaceable battery. I really hope Nokia starts putting micro-SDs in the higher end models too.
  • Yeah I meant 2014...that's how mad AT&T has me lol. I'm actually looking at the budget to see if I can do without $700 over the course of a year.
  • The Wireless Charging shell will only be in Black or Yellow as confirmed on the Nokia UK Site. White is only for the camera grip
  • Literally in the store buying one now. Too bad I didn't have time to read the review :(
  • Amazing phone with amazing lady named amber, i hope i can bang that amber lady on my lumia 920 soon
  • Go get Nokia #Lumia1020  Irresistible. Unbreakable. Sisu. Now you are unstoppable!
  • I got my 1020 in the mail yesterday and I have had almost 24hrs with it. The improvements in the OS are great and I'm loving how smooth everything is with the 2GB ram. Daniel said its negligible but I feel its very noticeable, especially on big games like Order and Chaos and Spiderman. The camera takes awesome pictures and videos. Great upgrade from the 920.
  • I agree. I have modern combat 4 and the dark knight game. Both seem to be much smoother on the 1020. To bad I have to start them all over. Windows needs to work on that. Game data/saves backed up so if the game is deleted /reinstalled or new phone purchased, gamer can continue where they left off on the new device.
  • Also if anybody is wondering about how to acquire a camera grip, you can order it at the AT&T store and it will get shipped to your house when it become available.
  • Might bite the bullet & add a line. Yes, I'm that crazy
  • I can't do it. AAL & att next plan will cost me an extra $73 a month for 2 years. I can't justify it even though I've tried to....
  • lol that didnt last long
  • Lol I know, but I had to check
  • Why wouldn't you just purchase at full retail price if you were *almost* willing to spend $1752 on the phone via an extra line.
  • I had the 920 and now rockin the 1020. My bro in law has taken hundreds pics for a local paper and was even published in the NY Times a few weeks ago. He couldn't believe the pictures that this phone took. He was impressed and it is hard to impress someone who takes pics all day for a living.
  • Yes even Peter parker would use this
  • With great power comes great pictures
  • As for me i will stick to my 920, and wait for either blue or wp9, maybe they will have made the one with
    1) more storage space (64-124Gb), or with SD card.   - Nokia
    2) separate volume controls - Microsoft
    3) customable sms tones  - Microsoft
    4) able to create playlist on the phone without the aid of a PC. - microsoft
    And one more thing, THIS EXCLUSIVITY IS THORN IN THE FLESH FOR THOSE NOT ON AT&T AND THOSE NOT IN USA.
     
     
  • I agree with those four points... Especially #1. I'm not sure how exclusivity effects those not in the US. For me most phones are available with multiple carriers and from 3rd parties on release day so it's a non-issue for me.
  • I can make playlists on my phone without using a pc..just go to music history, play a song then after that while the song is still playing go to your list of songs then long press a song you want to be added to your playlist, it will provide options add to now playing, then after your done go to now playing then it should be there and save it as playlist..easy!!clearly u dont know ur phone ..take that #4 complain down...
  • In regards to #4, this YouTube video helped me figure out how to make playlists: http://youtu.be/j2MNVHoU84k
    Basically you create playlists by adding songs to now playing and then save the now playing as a playlist. It's semi tricky in that you basically need to know the order of the songs you want ahead of time and add them in reverse chronological order.
    Also you have to use the 'Music & Videos' app as opposed to the Nokia music app -- which sucks if you like the Nokia app offline mixes
  • thanks, 
  • Looks amazing. I love what Nokia is doing with their phones. My only drawback is I fee with Nokia you have to make a compromise, you can have amazing optics and fast hardware, or you can have good middle of the road hardware with good optics and expandable storage. I know OEMs are getting away from sd cards, but they are nice for additional storage of music and videos; I could careless about app storage space, I only use about 3-4 addional apps. I am thinking of getting the Ativ S, for my usage its a good no compromise solution.
  • Yeah, it's mindboggling that we have to compromise on the top-end phones. Completely baffles me with this camera-centric phone that it doesn't have microSD
  • 4.5 inches is about spot on for windows phone. I hardly need to reach the top if the screen thanks to metro/modern UI design, so that's not a problem.
  • I have 0 doubt in my mind about getting this 1020. Its like carrying around an amazing camera that you can call,text,email and use apps with.
  • The next Lumia will be a big upgrade. Not that that camera isn't enough but I don't feel like I'm missing out on enough to upgrade. Besides I cant upgrade till next year
  • at&t "next"
  • He can't upgrade until next year meaning AT&T Next only allows you to participate if you're upgrade-eligible.
  • Open a new line lol
  • Sweet phone, if you are looking for a high end camera with a nice phone attached.  It reminds me a little of the Samsung Galaxy Camera, except much better (obviously).   If I were to buy a Windows Phone 8 device, I'd still stick with the Lumia 920, since I am on AT&T.
  • Daniel, what of you're still on the Lumia 900. AT&T is telling me I can't upgrade until 4/2014...
  • at&t "next". Mention that!
    It's available starting today!
  • I did but the fine print that they don't tell you is that your line has to be already eligible for a full upgrade which for me isn't until 4/2014
  • Really? At the store? Most sales reps would bend over backwards for a new sale.
  • My wife is getting this :( not me
  • Good for her. Remember happy wife = happy life!
  • Haha :D
  • I think my next Lumia will be a 5 inch variant that's 1080p with a 41 MP (or similar) camera that has a smoother/flatter backing that includes Qi wireless charging.  I'm guessing summer of 2014 hopefully.
     
     
  • I totally agree with you. The 1020 screems for a more powerful SOC. I totally appreciate what Nokia has squeezed out of the S4 but this beast could do much better with the S800 crunching the massive camera output.
    Looking forward to 2014.
     
     
     
  • Aluminum buttons sucks! Will prone to scratch and discoloration. I prefer the zirconium button and emblem like what we have in 920.
  • I would absolutely love to have this phone if only it was on tmobile. My only question is why do windows phones always have such huge bezels? Ughh
  • I don't mind the bezel at all. I would always make accidental taps on my Note2. This was a mix of the size (base of my thumb on reaches) and the small side bezel (overhang of skin when gripped tightly), and was really annoying.
  • i want
  • The Verge video review of the Nokia Lumia 1020 was horrible. I like going to other sites to see what they think of the phone but The Verge just seems to hate that Nokia chose Windows Phone over android.
    Every compliment The Verge gave sounded like a criticism...
  • I dont' waste my time going to the "Verge" that site is garbage.
  • I usually don't but when its something this big like a 41mp Nokia phone... I get curious and start visiting sites I normally wouldn't.
    The Verge's review by far was the worst and the most judgmental out all of them.
  • People at the "Verge' has Android robots coming out of their asses. If you want to visit different sites try this
    mynokiablog.com, conversation.nokia.com, and Nokiapoweruser.com. You will get an unbias review with videos and pictures like WPCentral. Sometimes I visit "pocketnow.com" but I got band, because I trash talked Jaime Rivera that Android "F".  I don't like pocketnow anyway. Sorry if some of my words offend you.
  • Yeah
     Micheal Fisher at Pocketnow does very good reviews and comparisons.
  • Yeah but Michael Fisher at Pocketnow does some great video reviews and comparisons.
  • I like Adam too and he gives good reviews also.
  • Verge's review boils down to "we have no more hardware complaintsand we grudgingly admit that the camera is astounding but since it's a WP it's an instant fail".
  • The Verge is so deparate to have a Nokia that's running Crapdroid.
  • I want but money is tight right now since I'm getting married in September,I need my money for wedding related things.... I still love my red 920 and looking forward to getting gdr2 and amber update and the pro cam app. I'll wait until the fall to see what Nokia releases.
  • After the wedding, you'll be left with fading memories that were never very great anyway.  After buying a 1020, you'll have the best phone on Earth for months and one of the best phones on Earth for about two years.
  • Can some1 test CamSpeed score for Lumia 1020?
  • I think Lumia 920 owners really should think about if that oversampling tech is really worth it for them. The ability to reframe shots, and have immense amount of detail doesn't really benefit most people.
    what I hope is that this causes the price on the 920 to go down so I can snag one cheaper... :(
  • I got to play around with a 1020 today, and I was really suprised by how slim and light it felt. The size of the 920 never bothered me, but the difference between the 920 and the 1020 is very noticeable. And, it may just be me, but i don't think pictures on the internet do justice to how negligible the camera bump is.
  • can be connected in some way the phone to a TV Overhead? example in the mini hdmi 808, or by n8 headphone socket
    en castellanos...
    se puede conectar de alguna forma el celular a una televicion? ejemplo en el 808 esta el mini hdmi, o en el n8 por el conector de los auriculares 
  • You can use PlayTo or PhotoBeamer to wirelessly send to a WiFi TV (or one with a PS3/Xbox 360)
  • Cable wonder
     
  • One thing that I'm curious about...why does the 1020 have 2 contacts for the wireless charging cover while the 925 has 3?
  • Has anyone's Microsoft Store order shipped?
  • Nokia the best.. Wp the best...
  • Went to the newley remodeled at&t store. First, whoever is incharge of instore display for the 1020 should be fired. The sales associate and I walked to the display, I pick up the beauy and turned her over to look,at the bump and said wow! the sales associate said, I know its pretty big. I took it as a negative. She didn't know I was a fanboy. Anyway, the hardware is awesome, I was so nervous. I am qualified to upgrade , but they want $59 for the camera case. I'll wait 'till the price drops.
  • Always pays to wait. In a few weeks they'll throw it in for free :P
  • Great review. It's the quality I've come to expect and appreciate from WP Central.
  • This phone is just the combination of art work with technology enhancement. Nokia is the best.
  • I'll take 2 when they come to Canada. We are supposed to be moving from 3 year contracts to 2 year contracts come December 2013. So, best not to buy early.
  • they have to implement it by Dec 2013. Bell already did it and everyone will have done it by the end of August. I don't have specifics but I read it all this morning on Mobile Syrup. Also I don't know when it will come to Canada but I was on Windowsphone.ca and the 920 is missing from the list of phones. Lets hope the 1020is coming soon.
  • I'm surprised to see so many 920 owners considering this phone for upgrade. If i had a 920, i would wait because ProCam is coming in Amber. But I'm confused at how so many are eligible for upgrade? Makes me wonder what the hell did I do wrong when I signed up for AT&T to get the 900???
  • Dude I just added a second line and going to buy out my 920 contract. Still works out to paying more than 299$ but a geek must go what a geek must do.. That's how I did it
  • Got mine this morning, love it.
  • Are the pics really that good? Is the zoom really lossless or does it still look blurry like the 920? Thanks!
  • I was at ATT store 30mins ago. Took same pic with 1020 vs 920. There is notably more detail in 1020 with minimal blurr. But 920 can hold its own. With some updates and tweaks to 920 cam/pic process algorithm, I think 920 would be on par. Would be nice upgrade? I'll leave it up to you. Though amoled screen and light weight truly amazing!
  • "I think 920 would be on par."
    Definitely not on par. Don't get me wrong, Amber will help but without that sixth-lens element, sharpness will only improve so much. Having said that, the 920 (and even more with the 925) are "good enough" for most people, which is fine. But the 1020 is certainly more sharp and provides more detail.  Your reaction to the 1020 just depends on how much you value imaging.
  • Like I said, with some upgrades and tweaks, it might be possible. They did it with the Nokia upgrade couples months back. Though I could be wrong or maybe I I'm. Again " I think".
  • Need RAW format needed... Then perfect.
  • As a 920 owner, there's better value in waiting for EoS.
  • Well, like Homer Simpson would say D'oh! I upgraded to an ATT 920 exactly a month ago. Had a Titan, couldn't deal with it any longer! I'm seriously thinking about getting this. I keep reading comments about people waiting for the next device. Here's the thing, where are these phones you're waiting for gonna land. I'm just bringing this up for debate. You guys that are more knowledgeable of the industry, please chime in.
    It seems like Nokia is painting themselves into a corner. They have released 3 flagships in about 3 months. The 1020's price is a turn off for some. Every rumor tells us the next Nokia will have 1080p and bigger screen and 41MP. How much will this cost? Secondly where can you release this phone? I mean you're talking a 2-3 month turn around on all the US carriers. I've never see anything like it. At that point it would seem that they would be competing against themselves. Not too mention you'll start to train people to sit out your releases because they'll expect something in the next month.
  • Progress won't stop in this industry though. Nokia will release one high profile device every quarter going forward. At some point, you'll just have to decide what's important. For the 1020, it's really cut and dry if you're into photography. I don't care about a 1080P screen as much as that camera ;)
  • I cannot believe how beautiful and light this thing is! Irresistible!
  • "Expensive and niche, the Lumia 1020 will only appeal to those who are photography buffs." That's pure speculation.  With how many people who aren't photography buffs did you discuss the 1020? I take fewer than ten pictures per year, but I still switched from an unlimited plan on Sprint to an extremely limited plan on AT&T just to get the 1020.  I'll never be a photography buff, but I like the idea of having a high-resolution camera that works well in low light just in case.  I like the 2 GB of RAM and the sunlight readability.  And let's get real: $300 is about one week of full-time work at minimum wage.  Nobody in America considers the Lumia 1020 to be expensive.
  • "Nobody in America considers the Lumia 1020 to be expensive."
    Wait, how many Americans did you talk to for that conclusion? If you're going to accuse me of "pure speculation", you can't do the same damn thing in the same paragraph, I mean, c'mon. Furthermore, I'm paid for my knowledge of this industry, market and expectations from the consumer level, thru the carriers up to the OEMs. I ask them these questions directly. Some value my opinion, others don't. Doesn't bother me either way. Regardless, your counter example (yourself) is purely anecdotal.
  • Believe me, once you have a top class camera within arm's reach all the time, you will become a photography buff. From my experience, the number of pgotos you take will definitely go up.
  • Seriously Daniel, so proud of this early yet in depth review. Way to step the game up in the leading place for Windows Phone news!
  • I'm beginning to think that the at&t 8x is HD voice compliant.. My GF got a 8x a few weeks ago, and everytime I talk to her she sounds amazingly loud, and clear, and much warmer.. This is no small deference, it's huge❕... There's no way the 8X can sound that much better than her old Focus,, right❔
  • My wife can sound different everytime from the same phone. It all depends on her mood...lol and no technology can change that :)
  • You can do a review of the 1080 but, you cant do a review of the 928 ???
  • 928 doesn't need a review since its exactly the same as 920.
  • Really ? You think so ?
  • Man all he did was mumble and mumble. i could barely understand a word he was saying. On the video review
  • What's that, I couldn't understand you...
  • Idk if anyone has pointed this out but when you hook your 1020 up to the wp sync tool for win8 the app recognizes your phone as a 909,
    just thought I'd share.8/
  • can it take pictures simultaneously during video recording.
  • Is it worth getting if you have the Lumia 920/925/928? Nope
  • It depends on what matters the most. I would trade my 920 for 1020 in a heartbeat.
  • Can you select to save JUST the 5mp version of a pic (i.e. disable the saving of the 34MP version)?
  • yes, pretty sure I mentioned that
  • Oops, sorry! :) I actually thought I had seen before that this the case, but wanted to make sure because someone on MyNokiaBlog was complaining. This I do know and hope you did not mention: when you turn off full redo one, does saving yourself of the pic get faster (and as such the shot-to-shot time shorter)?
  • Great Review Dan .
    While I have no interest in the Lumia 1020 , I wish Nokia would've used a different design ...
    I loved the original N9/Lumia 800 design, but now its getting stale ...
  • Hey Dan, I know the camera on this phone has fixed aperture. Does it mean aperture could change by changing shutter speed, like shutter priority in SLR's? Do you think it is a software thing and Nokia can enable variable aperture sometimes in future?
  • Another good device worthy of an upgrade however this sticks in my mine everytime I see new candy being dangled in front of me by Nokia or well any WP maker, besides dealing with the choices and wondering which to upgrade too, I'm faced with yet another decision of, what apps am I using today that magically won't be working on this new device. Case in point, unofficial NEST Thermostat disappeared from the store, I have it on my 920 however soon as I upgrade I loose it. There is no way to carry this forward. Youtube App, and few other apps that are now listed as "no longer available" are gone, thus I have to make the decision if upgrading is worth it, is the new device so much better that living without theese apps that once functioned on my old device. It's sad that I can't simply look at new hardware and make a choice. I'm assuming the issue with most closed systems including iOS. Even if I can download the XAP, without SD card, it aint gonna happen. /firstworldproblems
  • +1020
  • This phone is very minor upgrade over 920.Nokia must stop making too many phones in the same segment and confuse the buyers.I am debating whether my next phone will be an Android or WP but looking at how WP8 is still not upto the mark and at the same level as Android id go for Android.I like freedom to do what i want and WP is still a very restricted and closed platform.
  • Wow!  I was amazed to walk into our local AT&T store (Pinnacle Mall, Rogers, AR) to find a 1020 on display.  The AT&T rep who snagged me was an iPhone guy, but actually spoke highly of the Lumia 1020.  They also actually had several cases for the phone in stock and on display.  I was somewhat shocked.  He actually spent a good 5 minutes trying to talk me into getting the device on the new AT&T upgrade plan of 33 dollars per month, which I know is somewhat of a ripoff, albeit a manageable one..  I was really, really, really, really tempted, but feel like I should wait until November.
    Anyway, I was very impressed with the local AT&T store here.  Posters of the 1020 in the windows and on the walls...good on them.  I hope they are selling there....the effort is there.
  • By the way...I have a Lumia 920.
  • Nice review, thank you, but please write them a bit more professionally. Less than half a millimeter difference in size is by no way significant in this case. I fully appreciate what Nokia achieved here. But please keep in mind that writing in this style gives whole review less weight (some will even laugh at it).
  • Sorry, but no. I meant what I said and anyone who compares a 920 to the 1020 will sat the same thing. I stand by my assertion.
  • My wife and I visited the Houston MS store this past Saturday - she had previously seen and held the 920 and thought it was too heavy for her...
    I was pleasantly surprised when she held the 1020 and said it was thin and light! So thats from a real world user...and she does want the phone now...Aesthetically she prefers the 925, but she wants that camera :)
    And in my opinion there is a big difference in the feel when holding the 920 vs holding the 1020 - the 1020 just feels so much thinner...regardless of the actual dimensions...so yes, i agree with Daniel
  • don't bother with suggestions: they are not welcome on this site. Everything here is perfect!
  • So is the delay between shots still there if I use the default windows phone camera app?
  • No idea why they opted to make the camera bezel circular instead of square.  If it were square you would avoid the "wobble" affect DR mentioned in the article when laying it down on a table and trying to type.  Also, it would have just looked better esthetically since the device itself is square.  Don't understand the logic here. 
  • Square on square does not look better at all. Draw it on a piece of paper and you will feel that is wrong. Nokia did the right thing (remember, they got designers who knows stuff like this. I myself work with design), even if it wobbles a bit.
  • The 808 has a square bezel protuding from the case and it looks fine to me.  Regardless, it's not the esthetics so much.  That's subjective.  I would just think it would be better to have it stable on a table.  The incline isn't even a big deal and is actually a nice "feature" if you think about it.  but the wobble is a negative, sorry.
  • The 808 looks a lot different though, and on that I think the square one looks nice. I sure understand that some might find the wobble irritating, but for me it's a position that I almost never operate a phone in.
  • What is that inbox app you have in the beginning of the Display section?  Does it consolidate emails better than linking accts together?
     
  • Some websites say the 808 has a better camera, which I know it isn't true. But are there certain things in the 808's camera that is better?
  • Whens that double tap feature coming to the 920 again ? Cant recall
  • As a happy owner of a L920 I think the upgrade to L1020 is a little meaningless at this moment. I'm gonna wait a few months and then make purchase when price will be more affordable. I'm using a Fat Boy charging pillow and a few weeks ago I bought CR-200 car holder. From my perspective it's a BIG minus for Nokia for loosing ability of Qi charging in stock device. Spending 40$ for special cover case is a bad move. For price nearly 700$ for the device its should be included in it. And availability of colours is poor (only black and yellow). 
  • You Won't Buy Nokia Lumia 1020 Because You Love Photography                                You Will Love Photography because you Baought Nokia Lumia 1020
  • I'm going to be shallow for a second and say that I'm not too enamoured with the design.  I think the more squared off camera housing of the 808 looked better.   Otherwise I want this phone so bad.  Just sad it's a ATT exclusive for the near future. 
  • Great review.  I don't think I'll be getting this though, even though I like taking photos.  The cost and the fact that it's only on one carrier right now.  I'll wait to see if more phones come out.
  • Although i love the quality of the pictures and how versitile the phone is i woke up this morning to the nokia lumia 1020 not working  theres no battery to pull out and the power button didnt do anything.  after an hour the phone turned on and started to work again ..  
     
  • Daniel,
    Do you think the delay between successive shots using Pro Cam app can be improved upon by Nokia's app updates, or is it more of a hardware limitation/excessive image processing?
    Is this delay noticeable in 5 MP mode too? Is BLINK image quality in 5 MP mode same as otherwise?
  • Nokia Lumia 1020 is the best Windows Phone smartphone which you can get.
    When you  get used to WP I'm sure you will not want to go back to other mobile systems.
    The main disadvantage of this phone is that you cannot expand the memory more than 32G what is more than enough.
    The main feature of this mobile phone is its almost perfect camera that can be the main and only reason for buying this product.
    People who travel frequently will use this phone as a replacement for the camera.
    Take a look at this comparison at nokia lumia 1020 review site and You will see comparison to HTC One and iPhone 5. Anyone considering purchasing this Nokia needs to see the information in this chart.