The Nokia Lumia 1020 is a groundbreaking device, bearing a 41-megapixel camera which is simply astounding. But is this enough to justify getting this model over the newly announced iPhone 5S or HTC One, both of which purport to have great cameras with much smaller megapixel counts? Read on for our in-depth review.
- Nokia Lumia 1020 summary
- Nokia Lumia 1020 design
- Nokia Lumia 1020 hardware
- Nokia Lumia 1020 battery life
- Nokia Lumia 1020 camera features
- Nokia Lumia 1020 Agent verdict
Pros
- Best camera in a phone, ever
- Keeps a sleek design
- Features some great specs
- Fantastic battery life
- Accessories are great
- Windows Phone 8 is as quick and responsive as ever
- Great connectivity options
- Nokia's updates and support are much welcomed.
Cons
- A little awkward in shape
- The camera lens assembly is rather large
- The Windows Store is still lacking a lot of apps
- Internet Explorer is clunky compared to browsers like Safari and Chrome
- Pro Cam app is too slow to capture immediate action.
DESIGN/FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Before diving straight into the reason we're all here , we'll take a look at how the device looks and feels. Keeping in line with the Lumia look, the 1020 sports a unibody polycarbonate shell, which it flat on the top and bottom edges but curved on the sides, so it sits quite nicely in the hand.
The front is almost completely dominated by the beautiful 4.5" AMOLED display, adorned at the bottom by the Back, Windows and Bing search keys. The right-hand side houses the camera key at the bottom, power key in the middle and the volume rocker at the top. You'll find the charging port at the bottom and the SIM tray and headphone ports on the top of the phone.
Then we come to the rear of the device. At the bottom you'll find a connector for accessories like the wireless charging and camera grip, and then nearer the top, that 41-megapixel beast. I say near the top, as the large camera assembly takes up almost a third of the space on the back and protrudes a good 3-4mm, which can be a issue when lying the phone down on a surface - but having tested it, it is not as bad as I thought it would be. It does mean the phone lies down at an angle with the top propped up by the lens assembly, but this isn't really a problem in most circumstances.
Our test device came in a shockingly bright shade of yellow, with the lens assembly and buttons in black. This colour certainly gives it some pop and will make sure the phone gets noticed within the crowds of dull black that most handset makers go for. However, for those looking for a subtler, sleeker-looking handset, the 1020 will be available in white and black too.
Size and weight
The Lumia 1020 is the traditional rectangular shape, measuring 130.4 x 71.4mm, with a thickness of 10.4mm. That makes it thicker than most high-end smartphones like the HTC One , iPhone 5 or Huawei P6 , but also adds a sense of robustness that is lacking from some ultra-thin phones.
At 158g, it's also considerably heavier than most of the aforementioned devices. However, I found that due to the size of the handset, the weight gets spread around very evenly, giving it a deceptively light feel. As a result, upon picking up the 1020 in one hand and the iPhone 5 in the other, the Lumia did not feel like it was 40% heavier.
HARDWARE
Display
As mentioned above, the display on the Lumia 1020 is a 4.5" AMOLED touchscreen, enhanced with Nokia's PureMotion HD+ which gives it a fantastic look, with great colour and fantastic readability outdoors. You can even tweak the colour profiles and sunlight readability within the settings to get the perfect balance for yourself.
Being AMOLED, the black colours on the screen are really black. This I think can be seen best on the device Start Screen, where all the live tiles are alive and active. The completely dark background just makes the tiles pop off the screen with colour and really draws the eye in.
The screen has a resolution of 1280 x 768, giving it a ppi of 332. This is just a tiny bit higher than the iPhone 5S which has ppi of 324, but way behind the HTC One with a staggering PPI of 468. The importance of all this is still widely speculated, but if we take Apple at their word that 300 ppi is perfect for a smartphone , then the 1020 is definitely in the sweet spot.
That HD resolution also means that watching movies on the 1020 is a joyous experience. Whether they are from the Xbox Store or simply videos youíve taken on the phone itself, they all simply look incredible and as mentioned earlier, can be viewed outdoors with great ease too.
Processor and RAM
In terms of raw power, the Nokia Lumia 1020 boasts some great specs. With a dual-core 1.5Ghz processor on board the Lumia 1020 is not going to break any speed records if compared with the likes of the Galaxy S4 - but due to the optimisations in place within Windows Phone 8, there's not really any need for it to be super powerful.
Combined with 2GB of RAM on board, it is the most powerful Windows Phone made to date and you will not be disappointed at all by the performance. Windows Phone is a slick and fluid system that never slows, and the animations and transitions when moving between menus and apps are always silky smooth.
Connectivity
As you would expect, the connectivity options found within the 1020 are top of the range and plentiful. There is Bluetooth 3.0, which is to be upgraded to 4.0 with an update and dual band Wi-Fi so it can connect to virtually any wireless network.
There is also support for 4G, which comes perfectly timed with our UK networks starting a mass rollout. NFC is also built in, making it easy to connect to wireless payments , as well as making it easy to connect to Nokia's huge range of wireless accessories like speakers and headphones.
Charging and PC connectivity is accomplished via the standard microUSB port at the bottom of the phone, and if you intend to sync media from your PC, the Windows Phone software has come a long way and is improving all the time. Mac users can use the existing Windows Phone software that syncs with iTunes.
Battery Life
The battery included is a 2000mAh size, with battery reported to offer up to 384 hours of standby and 13 hours' 3G talk time.
The real world usage is certainly a tale of two halves - mainly dependent on how often you choose to use the camera. Under normal, average use, combined with the battery saver included with Windows Phone, I managed to get a staggering two and a half days out of the battery.
However, on a day out using the camera it finished the day with about 20% left, so you could still get a good day's usage even when using the camera. This is not too surprising really, considering we are dealing with 41megapixels' worth of data-processing on every photo, but may not be enough to keep you going for a full day's worth of photography. Nokia have planned for this though, and offer the Camera Grip as means to boost the battery - read more in the accessory section below.
Accessories
Nokia offer a few different accessories for the 1020, including the Camera Grip and Wireless charging case and plate. The Wireless charging case simply snaps on to the back on the 1020 and enables it to be used with Nokia's range of charging plates for a simpler way to get some extra juice into your battery.
The Camera Grip is much more interesting, and very unique in its functionality. Again, it snaps on to the back of the 1020, and adds bulky grip to the bottom of the phone, enabling it to be held in much the same way you would hold a standard DSLR. Within the grip section is housed an additional 1020mAh battery, taking the combined total battery power up to 3020mAh , which will give you plenty of power to keep on taking snaps throughout the entire day.
Also on the Camera Grip is a universal tripod connector, which means you can attach it to virtually any tripod in order to further enhance the photo-taking capabilities of that 41-megapixel sensor. The battery in the Grip charges via a standard microUSB port at the bottom and cannot be charged wirelessly.
Camera
So here we are then, the main event. Just how good is that 41-megapixel sensor? In a word - exceptional. It truly is remarkable to look at the pictures that come out from this phone, picking up detail and objects that you didnít even realise were in the shot. The actual pictures themselves also look fantastic, with very good colour representation, no blurring, and virtually no noise until you zoom in all the way. Frankly, they are easily the best photos I have ever seen, and my thoughts were confirmed by other members of the Geek Squad team.
The shot above was taken using the Lumia 1020's 41MP camera system.
The photos are not actually taken using all 41MP - but instead two images are made in a process called dual capture. One is a full size 38MP image, and the other is a 5MP shot. The reason being that due to file size limitations, it's much easier to share a 5 megapixel shot on Facebook than it is a 38MP one. Don't fear about losing quality on the 5MP though: the software uses a technique called 'oversampling', which combines the data from roughly 7 pixels into one - leaving a 5MP picture that still contains the data from all 38MP, producing a stunningly sharp and noise-free image.
The Tech behind the camera
So what technology is behind all this? First there is of course that enormous 41MP sensor, but that is only the start. The camera contains six lenses, produced in conjunction with Carl Zeiss to ensure good picture quality. They have a unique Optical Image Stabilisation system that uses a ball bearing system that allows the sensor to move slightly to compensate for your hands shaking whilst taking photos.
This also helps with low-light photography, and combined with both an LED flash and a Xenon Flash , means even in almost pitch-black you should still be able to take a great shot with a tonne of detail. To enhance this even further, the sensor is a back side illuminated sensor, which means all the wiring and mechanics are placed behind the sensor rather than in front , meaning there is nothing blocking the light getting to sensor.
Nokia Pro Cam and Smart Cam
Included with the 1020 are two camera software packages from Nokia designed to help you get the most from your pictures. The first is Nokia Pro Cam, which is the main one you will use for taking photos and contains a myriad of adjustable options for the taking of shots.
The layout is fantastic: along the top is a series of buttons that you can click to adjust settings such as ISO speed and Exposure Value, but these buttons simply cycle through and can be a bit cumbersome. Instead, if you flick the on-screen shutter button slightly to the left, you will be presented with all of those options arranged in a series of arcs. In the middle of each arc is a little button and to adjust the options, you simply slide the button up or down along this arc to the required value. This is a simple, easy way to adjust settings and is presented wonderfully.
The Pro Cam app is also the only way to view those full 38MP snaps on the device itself, and allows you to actually reframe the shot. It also comes with a very unique feature called 'un-zooming'. When taking a photo on the 1020, if you zoom in, there is no loss of detail of fancy optic tricks at play; it simply crops a portion of that massive photo, but it still actually saves all the data. Un-zooming then, allows you to go back and adjust where you zoomed in so that in theory you could create an entirely different photo than what you did originally. This is similar to another feature called re-framing - where again you can go back and adjust the angle and focus of the shot as all 38MP worth of data is saved.
Nokia Smart Cam is a app that takes a 'burst shot' of photos and allows you to apply some effects to them in order to create some pretty amazing shots. You can apply effects such as motion blur, or as a series of shots is taken, remove background objects. You can also combine all the photos into one, capturing motion in a single frame.
The Downsides
Are there any downsides to this 41MP behemoth? Unfortunately, there are a couple that let the phone down slightly. Almost all of these revolve around the speed of being able to take and process images. First there is the next-photo lag, which is the time it takes from taking one photo to the phone being ready to take another. Unfortunately I found this to be a good 4-5 seconds, which doesn't sound like a lot at first, and in most cases where your subject is still won't be an issue, but for quick snaps and spur of the moment photos, it can mean missing important action.
Now this is understandable given we are processing a massive picture, and I believe is more due to the lower-end processing hardware than anything else. What surprised me is that while the RAM has been doubled compared to the Lumia 925, which has only a 8.7MP camera, the processor found in the 1020 is exactly the same speed . While it is true that Windows Phone 8 is so well optimised it can run well on considerably lower-powered hardware, I think a bump in the processor speed or ideally a dedicated image processor would have made the camera experience much, much better.
I encountered similar issues with the Smart Cam app, wherein the processing of the images could take up to 10 or more seconds to complete, which compared to the smooth, quick nature of Windows Phone is a slight disappointment.
Don't be put off though. As I said, in a lot of situations you may find that the subject of your photo will be still so the processing time in between images shouldn't be much of an issue. Also, the lag mentioned is only encountered with Nokia's camera apps; using the standard Windows Phone Camera app is as quick and snappy as ever, with the downside of missing out on those great features within the Pro Cam app. Also, Nokia are meant to be releasing some updates to increase the speed of image processing, so this may only be a problem with the current software on our early build of the device.
SOFTWARE
The Lumia 1020 comes rocking the latest version of Windows Phone 8, and is, as always, a joy to use. The speed of moving between menus, the zipping in and out of apps is present here and makes you appreciate just how good Windows Phone is. The integration with Facebook, Twitter and more social networks also makes sharing those stunning photos quick and painless.
Also on board are all the Xbox features such as Xbox Music for streaming over 30 million tracks and some exclusive Xbox Live games. As a system, Windows Phone is practically perfect, only let down by one thing - apps, or the lack thereof.
Woe the apps
Admittedly, the Windows Store is better than ever, and the number of apps is increasing all the time, but there is still a long way to go from 100,000 apps before reaching the 900,000 in the Apple App Store or the million+ on the Google Play Store. The problem though is not just in the numbers, but in the names. There are still a few big names that have yet to make an official app for Windows Phone, though where there is no official app there is almost always a third party one.
I decided to do a small test on this myself, comparing the apps on my iPhone to the apps available for the 1020, and those available on the Google Play Store. Of the 65 apps that I had currently installed on my iPhone, only about half were available on the Windows Store, whereas near 80% were available on the Play Store.
I did include unofficial apps in the count, but there were some pretty big names I found without an official app for Windows Phone - such as BBC News, Dropbox and Instagram. Now, third party solutions do provide the functionality of these missing big name apps, but the fact that the companies haven't committed to Windows Phone is still a bit disappointing. For a person who relishes apps, this is the biggest stumbling block. However, for the average person who only uses a few apps, this may not be as important.
Nokia apps and Support
One thing that is fantastic about Nokia has been their commitment and continued support of Windows Phone. In the Store youíll find a Nokia apps section packed full of utilities, games and all manner of content exclusive to Lumia owners.
They also provide regular updates and are consistently pushing the boundaries of what can be done with their devices. There are also the accessories - the ones mentioned above are great additions but there is a whole range of them that Nokia produce to simply enhance your use of the product.
To be honest, for once it is simply nice for a manufacturer to put their devices out there and not immediately forget about them and move onto the next one.
WHO IS THE PHONE FOR?
Obviously the Lumia 1020 is aimed at people who like to take photos, lots of photos. Lots of very, very good photos. The device offers a lot of compelling features in a great looking device. For anyone who does not want a phone purely for the camera, there is little else on offer to compel a person to get this over the Lumia 925, for example. The 925 will also take great photos, offers all the same features and is extremely similar in terms of power and internal specs. However, having such a good camera always on hand is a unique experience. Simply put, this is the best camera on a phone so far ever made, and if you want the best pictures you can get, then you should get this phone.
If you just need a phone that can take pretty good pictures, then mobiles such as the iPhone 5 series, HTC One or Sony Xperia Z will provide this, and as mentioned, Nokia's own Lumia 925 takes great pictures. Really, the 1020 is only necessary if you want a full-on camera experience, combined with the camera grip and a tripod. If that's the case, this thing could easily replace your standard point and shoot camera.
PRICE
The price of the Nokia Lumia 1020 is expected to weigh in at around £550 .
RELEASE DATE
The Nokia Lumia 1020 is expected to hit UK stores sometime in September. A specific date has yet to be announced, but keep checking back with Geek Squad for more information about the handset as and when we get it.
AGENT VERDICT
I found the Lumia 1020 to be a thoroughly good phone. The Windows Phone OS is great to use, battery life is fantastic and it really is a great-looking device for something with a 41MP sensor inside of it. The camera itself it simply the best I have ever used and the level of detail it picks up, even objects that may be hundreds of metres away, is simply astonishing. The Nokia Pro cam interface is likewise easily the best I've used on a smartphone, even with the lag in between pictures. The only downside is the lack of apps for Windows Phone, which for me personally may be a deal breaker as I use a good deal of apps on daily basis. If apps are not as important to you, then there is simply no reason not to get the 1020.