NOKIA Lumia 1020 Pro Reviews

The Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphone camera is almost certainly the best smartphone camera on the market currently. It produces high quality images that will easily surpass the output of nearly all smartphone cameras ... and even some fixed lens digital cameras. If you're an advanced photographer, the Lumia 1020 probably won't produce images quite good enough to replace your advanced fixed lens camera, and it certainly can't replace your interchangeable lens camera. But if you own a beginner-level point-n-shoot model, the Lumia 1020's high resolution images will impress you. The Nokia Lumia 1020's is a bit of a slow performer, runs Windows Phone 8 OS, and lacks a full HD touchscreen display, but the strong camera image quality makes up for these drawbacks.

Let's cut to the chase: the Nokia Lumia 1020 is the smartphone to beat when it comes to photography. Its camera is a serious bit of kit that, given the right conditions, will create exceptional shots. The caveat is that the best smartphone camera still isn’t always as good as a dedicated camera. In low-light conditions the higher ISO shots won't return true sharpness, which is where the 1020 falls just shy of perfection. There will also always be a tug-of-war battle as to whether the smartphone's design has been tailored towards camera functionality to excess. But there has to be ambition, and while that might spell out compromise for some, for us we think it's largely paid off. Since the Nokia Black OS update the 1020 camera system is better than ever. We love the raw file shooting more than we even thought we would from such a device, the optical image stabilisation saw us taking shots without flash that we'd struggle to get from a compact camera, and the continued growth of the "lenses" apps are all notable highlights. Whether you're on board with Windows Phone 8 or not, the camera in the 1020 is yet another dangled carrot from Nokia, and a tasty one at that. In our minds there's no doubt the Lumia 1020 is the king when it comes to smartphone cameras.

When we think of Windows Phones, there’s only one single name that comes to mind in an instant – Nokia. As we’ve seen countless times, the Finnish company has seemingly propelled Microsoft’s platform time-after-time with its diverse set of Lumia smartphones. In this particular comparison, we continue to see their commitment in expanding the platform’s reach, as both the Lumia 1020 and 1520 are lovable devices that have earned a lot of adulation from consumers and critics. Throughout it all, value is something that remains to be the driving force for everything. As we keep that in mind, it becomes obvious that the Lumia 1520 is the one to really capitalize on that front, seeing that right now it’s blessed with an impressive, yet super affordable on-contract price point of $99.99. Furthermore, it’s the first Windows Phone to be fitted with hardware befitting of a high-end device. Although it’s most known for its impressive camera, the Lumia 1020 is harder to like at the moment due to its higher on-contract price point of $199.99, which is down from its initial $300 offering, but still not enough to outclass the 1520 for having the most bang for the buck. Throw in the fact that it’s packing hardware that’s regarded as dated at this point, it’s really hard to recommend the 1020 over the 1520 – though, if snapping photos is more your kind of thing, then it’s an obvious decision to side with the 1020. If not, you’re better off saving some money in the process and picking up the 1520 instead.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is a very capable photo-taking device that delivers the best image quality of any smartphone. With slow shot-to-shot and startup times, though, it will suit those photographers who can afford to take a little more time with their images, and we'd like to see a few more camera features on what is after all a flagship smartphone.

Nokia raised many eyebrows in the tech world by announcing its Lumia 1020 would come with a 41MP camera as most smartphones tend to have cameras that range in the 5MP ~ 15MP range. As a result, Nokia has set a precedent by putting its camera at the forefront in its Lumia 1020. This smartphone certainly has a lot going for it, but one thing that’s holding it back is the Windows Phone 8 platform, which continues to struggle to make a dent in the mobile OS wars. We personally enjoy the Windows Phone 8 platform, especially its live tiles, but we know most people are hesitant to jump to a completely new mobile platform these days, especially a platform that doesn’t even have an official YouTube app. The bottom line is if you take your smartphone camera seriously, you should really consider the Lumia 1020 as you probably won’t be able to take pictures this highly-detailed with any other smartphone on the market as of this writing. Even though Windows Phone 8 isn’t popular right now, the operating system will still be able to perform many day-to-day tasks that most people experience on a daily basis. Just don’t expect a dedicated YouTube app yet.

We've been waiting a long time for the 808 PureView to get a Windows Phone counterpart with the same (if not better) imaging prowess. Finally, it's here. Now that we've had the opportunity to use the device, we can confidently say that the Lumia 1020 is the best Windows Phone device to date. If you're a WP8 user who enjoys crafting the best possible photographs, you need to make the jump, even if you are paying a premium for the camera. But what if you have to make the switch from another platform? That question is unfortunately much more difficult to answer. While Windows Phone has come a long ways since its days as a nascent OS, Android and iOS users -- many of whom likely content with the selection of apps and services currently offered to them -- will need to weigh the pros and cons carefully. Plenty of flagship phones have really good cameras. They just aren't this good. So is it worth leaving your comfort zone and forging a new path to imaging bliss? If taking fabulous glamour shots are that important to you, the decision to switch (or not to switch) has never been so tempting.

Nokia is attempting to create a "best of both worlds" scenario with the 1020's phone + camera configuration, but what it has created is a niche device that'll likely only attract a smaller segment of potential buyers -- particularly at the current asking price (though street prices can and likely will soften). Those who have already invested in the Windows Phone ecosystem are looking at an excellent upgrade, but the Lumia 1020 still doesn't offer enough to sway Android and iOS users. Perhaps in a few months, at a lower price point, the value proposition will shift a bit in Nokia's favor.

After a long period of resetting with Windows Phone, Nokia’s getting good, and fast. The 1020 is one of its best devices yet, and certainly the easiest to sell — if you really love cameras, you’ll really love the Lumia 1020. But a great camera wasn’t enough to sustain the 808 PureView, and even though Windows Phone 8 is a huge leap forward from Symbian it’s still a long way behind. There are plenty of compelling Windows Phone 8 options, from the gorgeous 925 to the feature-packed 1020, but they can’t change the fact that Windows Phone 8 itself just isn’t that compelling. Throughout my entire time with the device, I kept coming back to Stephen Elop. He told the Guardian that Nokia picked Windows Phone because it feared Samsung would come to dominate the Android market, and that Nokia wouldn’t be able to compete. I disagree. The 1020, plus all the sharing options and apps that Google’s OS brings, could be a ridiculously compelling phone. I’d happily carry a big phone that gave me a perfect camera, but right now with the 1020 I’m carrying a big phone running a third-place OS just for the imaging prowess. For Nokia’s sake, I hope Windows Phone 8 gets the apps it needs before HTC, Apple, or Samsung wakes up and builds a killer cameraphone to go with a killer ecosystem. But either way, I hope it happens soon – I hear Justin Timberlake’s coming back to New York this fall.

The Lumia 1020 isn't quite perfect. There should only be one camera app, not three, and the shot-to-shot time is a second longer than it should be, which, allied to the lack of a burst mode means you may miss some moments if shooting children, animals or sports scenes, for example. However only Nokia's own hard-to-get, and now discontinued PureView 808 takes better photos on a phone - and even if you find an 808, its legacy OS Symbian will struggle to perform on a par with the market standard today. While I personally preferred the shots taken using the 808, the 1020 wins out on versatility. In addition to extremely high quality camera shots the best, but the 1020's HD video and audio capture quality is unmatched by any smartphone. Given a steady hand, it can produce excellent results in low light, without a flash, where rivals are swamped by noise. The downside for punters already entrenched in the Apple or Android world who may be thinking of moving to the Lumia 1020 is that it means buying your apps all over again, and while the main apps are well represented the "long tail" of apps isn't comparable. If you really depend on (say) Sky and banking apps on your smartphone, you'll come up short, and will have to wait. Still, momentum is now with the platform and with Microsoft's billions backing Nokia, you can be reasonably confident that your Lumia 1020 will be better at the end of your two year contract than it is today. It's by a comfortable distance the most impressive cameraphone ever made.

The Lumia 1020 exists, again, as a vehicle for its PureView camera. Being able to say that your phone packs a 41MP shooter appeals to some folks, and if you’re one of them, then the 1020 is for you. But it’s the ability to back up the boasting with solid results, to walk the walk after talking the talk, that really captures the hearts of the masses. And fortunately, the 1020 delivers. Now, if a solid camera is a nice bonus but not your number-one concern, there are plenty of alternative devices at lower price points – including Nokia’s own Lumia 920 series. But if you’re someone who puts camera performance at or near the top of your priority list when it comes to smartphone shopping, you need look no further than the 1020. Nokia’s latest is no mere publicity stunt; this phone’s camera truly does demolish the competition. The smartphone surrounding that big Oreo is nothing special, really – but it doesn’t need to be. The entire mobile-tech landscape is littered with devices claiming to be the “biggest,” the “best,” the “boldest,” and so on; it doesn’t need another. The 1020 does most things competently, and one particular thing -taking photos- incredibly well. So well that its mere existence is almost guaranteed to accelerate advancement of the smartphone-photography world as a whole. In our view, that’s more than enough to justify the price tag.

The Lumia 1020 is no doubt a remarkable achievement on Nokia's behalf. One only other smartphone, also made by Nokia, can claim to have a 41-megapixel camera that offers such incredible focus and detail when zoomed in. That the PureView imager is now available in a Windows Phone device should give fans of Microsoft's smartphone platform plenty to be happy about. It’s worth pointing out again that the Lumia 1020 is a very large and heavy phone. The screen looks great, but should be bigger for a device with this much girth to it. The 1020 performed well on AT&T's network, but speakerphone performance left a bit to be desired. The phone offers exceptional battery life. Nokia's applications and services are really what brings life to the Lumia 1020. The new Nokia Pro Cam app is a leap forward for photogs, and the results of the PureView imager almost live up to the hype. Throw in Nokia's HERE mapping apps, Nokia Music, and it is plain that Nokia is working hard to earn your support. For shutterbugs looking for the ultimate in terms of control over their smartphone camera, the Lumia 1020 is the only choice. The biggest drawback, perhaps, is the $299 price point. For some, the extra money could be cash well spent.

It's a brilliant cameraphone but the smartphone isn't without its issues. The camera shot-to-shot time is rather appalling, the screen has only average sunlight legibility, the battery is not exchangeable and you cannot expand the internal storage with a microSD card. Yet, these are things you can live with if you get something in return, something to make up for these inconveniences. And the Nokia Lumia 1020 delivers.

The Nokia PureView 808 was a serious camera in a smartphone, and arguably one of the best cameras in a phone ever produced, however due to the use of a dated operating system, and rather large form factor, it was not considered a great success. The Nokia Lumia 1020 improves on the camera with a bright f/2.2 lens, optical image stabilisation and improved camera software, as well as offering a thinner more smartphone like form factor, as well as the much more modern Windows smartphone operating system. If you have no ties to Android or iOS, then the Windows powered Nokia Lumia 1020 makes an excellent smartphone with simply the best camera on any phone available today. The low light performance is significantly better than other smartphones, thanks to the Xenon flash, optical image stabilisation and bright f/2.2 lens. The Nokia Lumia 1020, not only provides the highest resolution digital camera, this side of a medium format Digital SLR, for significantly less money, but also includes a number of unique features such as a Xenon flash (rare in a smartphone), optical image stabilisation (not so rare these days), as well as providing 3x zoom in stills photo mode (at reduced resolution), and an impressive 6x zoom in Full HD video without quality loss. While others include optical image stabilisation, but no Xenon flash, the Lumia 1020 combines it all, without the large size associated with a real optical zoom lens, such as on the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom. or the alternative attachable Sony Cyber-shot QX10.

This is the first ever smartphone with such a high camera resolution. Previous attempts from other manufacturers, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, have not sold very well. But the Lumia 1020 has a lot more to offer than just its enormous 41 megapixels sensor (albeit nothing which is not already known from the Lumia 925). The amount of RAM has been doubled to 2 GB, but this doesn't go along with any improvements in terms of performance as can be seen by a quick glance at our benchmark results. The main camera with its Carl Zeiss optics proves to be a great addition, although Nokia does cheat a bit with the number of truly available megapixels. The Xenon flash delivers especially superb results, leading to homogeneous and lifelike illumination of almost any subject. Luckily, the Lumia is not poised to remain a niche product since it remains a fully functional smartphone without any restrictions (apart from its thickness). But if one deems taking photographs to be unimportant and if one doesn't see any differences between the pictures taken by the Lumia 1020 and any ordinary smartphone camera with 5 megapixels, then it might be better to have a look at another model within the Lumia range. After all, with an RRP of 699 Euros (~$945), the Lumia 1020 is certainly no bargain.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 was a pleasure to use during the time that I had with it. The OS took some adjustment but overall I had no issues with it. The Best part of the Nokia Lumia 1020 was the camera, the pictures turned out great and it was extremely easy to use!

A simply stunning photos make the Lumia 1020 the ultimate cameraphone

The Lumia 1020 has an amazing camera, the best in a smartphone, and will tempt most smartphone photographers. However, it's expensive for what is essentially a now out-of-date Lumia 920 with a better snapper. Poor battery life and a lack of good apps for the OS put us off significantly.

A superb camera and a highly competent smartphone – the best Windows Phone 8 smartphone yet

Ah yes, pricing always has some sway with all comparisons. In terms of cost, the newly available LG G2 is sporting that golden price of $200 on-contract, which is easier in the pockets than the expensive $300 on-contract cost of the Nokia Lumia 1020. Frankly, all the obvious reasons are here in this comparison that point to the LG G2 as THE handset that offers the most bang for the buck. Not only is it packing all the latest hardware, but LG has done enough tinkering on its own with the experience to pull it ahead of what the Lumia 1020 has to offer with its Windows Phone 8 experience. Come to think of it, the Lumia 1020 is still notable for being the device to go with when it comes to shooting photos and videos, but the LG G2 isn’t trailing too far behind with its quality. Most of all, you’re going to be saving $100 by simply going with LG’s flagship, which is pretty substantial when you let that price difference really sink in. Who doesn’t want to save a cool $100, even more when you’re going to get something that undoubtedly has the superior specs and hardware?

It might have a head start, but the Nokia Lumia 1020’s $300 on-contract starting price point is still tough to swallow – you’ll save a cool $100 picking up the base mode of the Moto X for $200 on-contract. Putting things into perspective, the biggest thing going for the Lumia 1020 is its superior 41-megapixel PureView camera, which is still unrivaled in the photo and video taking departments. Although it doesn’t make drastic strides in one particular category, the Moto X manages to capture our attention for its balanced performance and offerings. It still takes some sharp looking photos and videos to contend admirably, but when we take into consideration the practical enhancements found with its customized Android experience, it really makes us gravitate to its worth over what the Lumia 1020 has on the table with its Windows Phone 8 experience. To top it off even more, Android as a whole has a deeper ecosystem than Windows Phone 8.

After taking four of seven rounds, the Nokia Lumia 1020 comes out on top as the best camera phone in the land. Not only is the 1020′s design less obtrusive than the bulky Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom’s, but Lumia’s camera performance is head and shoulders above the Zoom’s, too. And with a battery that won’t leave you flat when you need it, the Nokia Lumia 1020 is a winner in our book.

The incredible camera on this phone would benefit from apps that are found on iOS and Android, but missing on Windows Phone 8. Apps like Instagram, Snapseed and Vine would be terrific additions to Windows Phone 8, and it would really help this camera shine. But with the lack or slow development of those types of apps, there is more incentive to go with Android or iOS. We would recommend this phone for those who don't spend too much time in apps, and find themselves messaging and e-mailing and browsing the web more than playing around in apps. In terms of the camera, we can't say this will replace your point-and-shoot or compact camera. However, if you're looking for incredible smartphone camera photos and the flexibility of huge image files while making a few concessions by switching to Windows Phone 8, we might be able to recommend this phone for you. Except it's $299 on contract and that's just a tough price point to justify for the Lumia 1020.

There’s a big price disparity between these two flagships, seeing that the Nokia Lumia 1020 and HTC One are priced respectively at $300 and $200 with a 2-year contract. If we’re to look at the two from a specs standpoint, we’d make a good case for why the Lumia 1020 is such a pricey investment – and that’s despite having a superior camera on board. Looking at the two more intently, the specs are without question more drool worthy on the HTC One, as it features a larger display, higher resolution screen, a quad-core processor, and a built-in IR blaster.Ultimately though, you’ll want to gravitate towards the Nokia Lumia 1020 if taking photos and videos is most paramount to you. If it isn’t, then the HTC One will surely be the choice to stick with, since it’s an all-around contender that has the more premium design and deeper platform experience. Indeed, it doesn’t come close to matching the Lumia 1020’s quality with photos and videos, but the HTC One still delivers shots that are nonetheless still acceptable to use for 4” x 6” printouts.

Pricing is one of those things that become deal breakers for some, and if we’re to look at these two flagships, there’s going to be some concern when people look at the $300 on-contract price of the Nokia Lumia 1020. Considering that it’s packing 32GB of storage and that immense 41-megapixel PureView camera, it’s pretty much justified, but some will still find comfort in the $200 on-contract pricing of the Samsung Galaxy S4. Yet again, if photo and video quality is most paramount to you, then there’s no denying that the Lumia 1020 is the choice to go with. It basically adheres to the needs of those who are quite particular in this specific category. Now if we look at the bigger picture, the overall performance and experience, we’ll mention that it’s the Samsung Galaxy S4 that takes the checkered flag. Sure, it might not have an imposing camera and all, but when you factor in the depth of its TouchWiz experience, combined with its high performing qualities in all categories, it’s still one flagship that you'll want to keep in the back of your mind.

We also thought a lot about how the 1020 compares to the DSLRs from Canon, Nikon, etc. It certainly has many of the manual settings, creating a DSLR/phone-like combo for consumers. Therefore, in that sense alone, the 1020 is an ideal option for people who look at the camera as the most desirable feature in a smartphone. However, is it ideal for professional photographers? In our experience, photographers are rarely seen without a DSLR hanging from their neck. We also highly doubt that this specific Windows Phone 8 camera phone would suddenly allow them to leave - or even want to leave - their precious DSLRs at home. This phone is for that small niche of people out there who either aren't OS-specific or prefer Windows Phone 8 to iOS and Android. Because, lets face it, you either want a Windows phone or you don't - and a 41-megapixel sensor isn't going to change that for anyone. So, if you want a Windows Phone 8 device and desire the ability to capture mammoth, high-resolution photos, than the Lumia 1020 is the smartphone for you.