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Nokia Lumia 1020 - 41MP PureView Comes To Windows Phone 8

By James Lu - 6 Sep 2013
Launch SRP: S$999

Nokia Lumia 1020 - 41MP PureView Comes To Windows Phone 8

Lumia 920 + 808 PureView = Lumia 1020?

In many ways, Nokia's new Lumia 1020 is just a Lumia 920 with the camera from an 808 PureView wedged into the back of it. Not that that's a bad thing. Like peanut butter and jam, or bacon with anything, sometimes you can make a better product by combining the right things together. But is there more to the Lumia 1020 than that? Let's find out.

N.B. Our review is based on a U.S. unit, however, it will be identical to the local model (minus the AT&T logo). Exact local availability and pricing has not been announced yet, but the phone is due in Q4 this year.

First, here's a look at the some of the Lumia 1020's Key Highlights:

Nokia Lumia 1020 Key Highlights
Nokia Lumia 1020
  • Windows Phone 8 Lumia Amber
  • 4.5-inch AMOLED, 1280 x 768 pixels (332 ppi)
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core 1.5GHz
  • 2GB RAM
  • 16GB internal storage (non-expandable)
  • 41 Megapixels PureView rear camera, 7712 x 5360 pixels, Carl Zeiss Tessar lens
  • 1.2 Megapixels front camera, 1280 x 960 pixels
  • 4G LTE (2600 / 2100 / 1800 / 900 / 800MHz)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC
  • Micro-SIM
  • 2,000mAh battery (non-removable)
  • Dimensions: 130.4 x 71.4 x 10.4mm
  • Weight: 158g

Here's how the Lumia 1020 compares to the Lumia 925, Lumia 920 and 808 PureView.

Comparing the Nokia Lumia 1020, Lumia 925, Lumia 920 and 808 PureView
  Nokia Lumia 1020 Nokia Lumia 925 Nokia Lumia 920 Nokia 808 PureView
  Nokia Lumia 1020 Nokia Lumia 925 Nokia Lumia 920 Nokia 808 PureView
Operating system
  • Windows Phone 8
  • Windows Phone 8 (with Lumia Amber update)
  • Windows Phone 8 (upgradeable to Lumia Amber)
  • Symbian Belle
Processor
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core 1.5GHz
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 dual-core 1.5GHz
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 dual-core 1.5GHz
  • Single-core 1.3GHz
Built-in Memory
  • 2GB RAM
  • 1GB RAM
  • 1GB RAM
  • 512MB RAM
Display
  • 4.5-inch / 1,280 x 768 resolution / AMOLED
  • 4.5-inch / AMOLED / 1,280 x 768 pixels (332ppi) / 16M colors
  • 4.5-inch / IPS LCD / 1,280 x 768 pixels (332ppi) / 16M colors
  • 4-inch / 640 x 360 resolution / AMOLED ClearBlack Display / 16:9 nHD / Corning Gorilla Glass
Camera
  • Rear: 41-megapixels with Carl Zeiss Tessar lens, xenon flash and optical image stabilization
  • Front: 1.2-megapixel
  • Rear: 8.7MP / Autofocus / dual-LED flash / optical image stabilization / Carl Zeiss optics / six-lens construction
  • Front: 1.2MP
  • 1080p recording at 30fps
  • Rear: 8.7MP / Autofocus / dual-LED flash / optical image stabilization / Carl Zeiss optics / five-lens construction
  • Front: 1.2MP
  • 1080p recording at 30fps
  • 41 megapixels Nokia Pureview Pro imaging technology and Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon flash with operating range up to 3.5 m depending on conditions
Connectivity
  • Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v3.0, NFC, micro-USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio connector
  • Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, DLNA, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC, micro-USB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, DLNA, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC, micro-USB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with UPnP support, Bluetooth v3.0, DLNA, HDMI, NFC, USB 2.0, microUSB, 3.5mm Nokia standard audio connector with TV-out
Storage Type
  • 32GB internal storage
  • 16GB internal storage (non-expandable)
  • 32GB internal storage (non-expandable)
  • 16GB internal storage
  • microSD support up to 48GB
Battery
  • 2,000mAh
  • 2,000mAh (non-removable)
  • 2,000mAh (non-removable)
  • 1400mAh
Dimensions
  • 130.4 x 71.4 x 10.4mm
  • 129 x 70.6 x 8.5mm
  • 130.3 x 70.8 x 10.7mm
  • 123.9 x 60.2 x 13.9mm (17.95mm at camera)
Weight
  • 158g
  • 139g
  • 185g
  • 169g
Network:
  • 4G: LTE Band 1 (2,100MHz) / Band 3 (1,800MHz) / Band 7 (2,600MHz) / Band 8 (900MHz) / Band 20 (800MHz)
  • 3G: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1,900 / 2,100MHz
  • 2G: GSM 850 / 900 / 1,800 / 1,900MHz
Standby / Talk time
  • 2G: Up to 460 hours standby time / 18.6 hours talk time
  • 3G: Up to 460 hours standby time / 10.8 hours talk time
  • Music Playback: Up to 74 hours
  • Video Playback: Up to 6 hours
  • Browsing: Up to 9 hours (Wi-Fi)

Design & Hardware

Our Lumia 1020 has AT&T's logo in the upper left corner as this phone is an exclusive to the network in the US.

While Nokia tried a monochrome polycarbonate/aluminum combo build for its Lumia 925, the 1020 brings the Lumia range back to its colorful, full polycarbonate roots and is available in white, black or yellow. Each color has a silky smooth matte finish, which is also highly resistant to both fingerprints and smudges (after a few days of testing, even our white review unit remained remarkably clean).

In hand, the phone feels very similar to the 920 with almost identical dimensions and the return of the unabashedly sharp top and bottom edges. On paper, the 1020 is actually 0.3mm thinner, but Nokia doesn't include the 1020's huge camera bump in that particular measurement. The side edges do feel slightly more rounded than the 920, which makes it a bit comfier to hold in hand, and it's also noticeably lighter, weighing some 30g less at 158g.

Having said that, the 1020 is still not what we would call a sleek phone. Compared to other flagship models like Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy S4, both of which are less than 8mm thin, not to mention ultra thin models like Huawei's 6.8mm P6, the 1020 looks downright chunky in comparison.

As expected from the Lumia range, build quality continues to be top notch, and the phone feels sturdy and solid.

As usual, the power button, volume rocker and camera shutter button are all located on the right edge.

While the micro-USB port was shifted to the top of the phone for the Lumia 925, it's found its way back to the bottom for the 1020. The 1020's speaker can also be found here.

On top, you'll find the headphone port and Micro-SIM tray. Like previous Lumia phones, there's no Micro-SD card slot, which is a pity considering the phone's imaging capabilities and the fact that the 808 Pureview did include one. As you can see, the 1020's rather large camera bump doesn't let the phone lie flat on its back.

Display

The Lumia 1020 uses the same 4.5-inch, 1280 x 768 pixel resolution, AMOLED display found on the Lumia 925 - an upgrade over the IPS LCD display found on the 920. Colors are very vibrant, with super-deep blacks and superb contrast. In fact, the blacks are so deep, they're virtually indistinguishable from the screen bezel, which makes the display feel a bit more expansive than its 4.5 inches. The screen is also very bright and easily legible even under bright sunlight. Viewing angles are also quite generous.

The 1020's AMOLED display boasts vivid colors, deep blacks and excellent contrast, making it perfect for watching movies.

While the display isn't Full HD (Windows Phone 8 still doesn't support it, so you can blame Microsoft for that), its 332 ppi pixel density is more than sufficient and puts it on par with the iPhone 5 (326 ppi) and LG Optimus G (320 ppi) for clarity. Compared to a Full HD display (we put it side by side with a Sony Xperia Z), there is some slight fuzziness if you look very closely at the edges of text, but honestly the difference is negligible in everyday usage.

As with previous Lumia phones, the screen is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 2, which should help it withstand everyday knocks and drops.

Audio

Audio on the Lumia 1020 comes from the smartphone's single speaker, located at the bottom edge of the device. While it's not fantastic - and somewhat lacking in depth - sound quality is passable if you just want to listen to some music or watch a movie, with enough volume to comfortably fill a quiet room.

OS

As the Lumia 1020 uses the same Windows Phone 8 Lumia Amber OS, previously covered in our review of the Lumia 925, so we'll skip this part of the review and head straight onto the 1020's star attraction, it's 41-megapixel PureView rear camera.

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8.5
  • Design 7.5
  • Features 9
  • User-Friendliness 7.5
  • Performance 9
  • Value 7.5
The Good
Incredible camera performance
Gorgeous AMOLED display
Solid build quality
Smooth browsing experience
The Bad
Average battery life
Windows Phone 8 still lacking compared to alternatives
No microSD card slot
Chunky design with huge camera bump
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