NOKIA Lumia 1020 Pro Reviews

Let’s take a quick look at pricing, since it’s always a major factor for any buying decision. From the onset, the Lumia 1020 is sporting a pricey $300 on-contract cost, which might be a concern for some people. Yes, it’s an expensive price point, but when you think about how it’s sporting 32GB of internal storage, it’s actually the same price as the 32GB iPhone 5. Well, you still can pick up the 16GB model for less at $200. Besides cost, the second thing you need to ask yourself is whether or not photo quality is highest on your list. If that’s absolutely the case, then it’s a no-brainer decision to go with the Nokia Lumia 1020, as it’s undeniably the class leader in this particular space. However, the iPhone 5 still has that all-around appeal that we crave with a flagship device. Not only does it have a beautiful design and performs admirably in all areas, but iOS has that rich ecosystem that puts Windows Phone 8 to shame at the moment.

The Lumia 1020 lives and dies by its camera, and that camera is as amazing as Nokia claims. If you value high-quality shots above all else and you’re on AT&T, we recommend you pick it up. There are a few downsides. The battery life isn’t great, you will have to put up with areas where Windows Phone lacks, and that bump on the back isn’t going away. This will never be a supremely comfortable phone to hold. Oh, and the price is high. This will set you back $300 with a two-year contract and $660 without. That’s a high premium, especially when you can get the Galaxy S4 Active – which is more powerful, waterproof, and also has a decent camera – for $200, or $595 without a contract. And there’s always the iPhone 5, which is never a bad decision. There’s really one question you need to ask yourself: Do you feel lucky? Because with any other camera, you’re going to need a little luck to end up with a good shot. Nokia’s PureView ups your odds.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is a nice upgrade to the Lumia 920 and a big upgrade to most smartphone cameras. However, its enhancements don't warrant the higher price tag unless a customer can't walk away from the striking photos and videos it?s capable of catching. The Lumia 1020 is a tough sell at $299, but the actual device sells itself for anyone willing to pony up the extra money.

With so much versatility behind it, like its various shooting modes and useful lossless zoom, it’ll be hard for consumers to not consider this handset. However, its $300 on-contract price point slows its momentum down, seeing that it’s still widely viewed as a pricey thing – and that’s despite the fact that the 32GB iPhone 5 is priced the same. If we had to best describe this, it’s essentially a Nokia Lumia 920 with a 41-megapixel camera. Sounds pretty accurate, right? Camera aside, its specs sheet would make anyone yawn, but that’s why its 41-megapixel PureView camera is the star of the show. We can argue that you can pick up the Lumia 920 and a really good point and shoot camera, which would amount to probably less or near the same cost as the Lumia 1020. But why carry around two devices when you can have the best of both worlds?

The first viable 41-megapixel camera phone, the Nokia Lumia 1020 for AT&T is an impressive feat, but it's big, expensive, and doesn't run Instagram.

If you're deciding between the S4 Zoom and the Lumia 1020, you're investing in a pricier-than-usual two-in-one device either way. Hold out for our Zoom review if you think you may prefer this Galaxy S4 version's optical zoom. Ditto if you value preset shooting modes for common scenarios, like night mode, and don't mind a smartphone the size of a point-and-shoot camera.

It’s clear that the Lumia 1020 isn’t for everyone. The size of the phone, although considerably improved over the 808, is still more of a pocket-filler than the flagships running iOS and Android, and while the PureView system itself is impressive, not everybody needs the flexibility that it offers. Yet it’s a legitimate halo product for Nokia, and a fitting device to bear the PureView brand. Where the Lumia 92x series spurred arguments over whether they were “true” PureView, given their more mainstream sensor sizes, the Lumia 1020 has no such crisis of identity. Fire off a frame at the right time, and the phone is capable of simply superlative shots, easily embarrassing just about every other smartphone camera out there on the market today, not to mention many point-and-shoot compacts.