The Finnish company Nokia is one of the recognized leaders in the global mobile device market. Traditionally, this brand is perceived by Russian users as a supplier of devices with the highest build quality, stable operation and easy to manage.
Among the most prestigious devices released by the brand is the Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphone. What are its main features? What are the undeniable competitive advantages? Can we say that this phone fully reflects the brand's inherent quality and comfort of use?
Many experts who have tested the smartphone, express the opinion that the characteristics laid down by the manufacturer in the Nokia 1020 allow us to talk about the emergence of a completely new type of device - a "camera phone". Why this is so, you can try to understand just by looking at the device. A huge and functional camera is located right in the middle of the case. It has unique characteristics in terms of resolution level, as well as the quality of the parts used - lens, stabilizer, shutter.
However, the brand-manufacturer has something to brag about, not counting the equipment of the phone with an impressive eyepiece. What exactly will surprise us with the Nokia 1020 gadget? At leastthe fact that the device supports most of the communication standards that exist today. And because the specialization of Nokia 1020 can not be called narrow. This is a multifunctional Windows device designed to become a worthy competitor to products from the leaders of the global mobile device market.
Design
The phone comes in several basic colors: black, white, and yellow. But the device controls (such as power keys, volume controls, and shutter buttons) are all black in color. The shape of the smartphone case from a geometric point of view is most similar to a parallelepiped. The corners are elegantly rounded. The back of the case is almost perfectly flat.
The main camera of the smartphone stands out very strongly against the background of the body. But there is nothing surprising in this, since this hardware component of the device is thoroughly “stuffed” with additional electronics. We are talking, in particular, about an optical stabilizer and a mechanical type shutter. Especially for photography lovers, Nokia has introduced a special design element - the Camera Grip holder. By activating it, the smartphone owner can give his device a shape that is as close as possible to the design of a classic camera. The holder is equipped with a mount on which you can fix the tripod.
Most experts note the highest quality of materials used in the manufacture of the smartphone case. The design itselfexperts also praise. There is no similarity of backlashes, inconsistencies of edges or some elements that would not fit into the design of the case. The smartphone, according to experts, fits perfectly in the hand.
Next in line is the next most important item of our Nokia 1020 review today - specifications.
Performance
The smartphone is equipped with a powerful dual-core processor chip Snapdragon S4, operating at a frequency of 1.5 GHz. The device has 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of standard flash memory (there is no support for additional modules, though). The parameters, according to most experts, are impressive, which is consistent with the tasks assigned to the device. There are opinions that the pre-installed amount of flash memory is not enough. But there is a counterargument to this thesis: the device has more than a wide range of communication capabilities. At almost any time, you can rewrite photos to an external PC drive, external hard drive or other mobile gadget.
Windows reigns supreme?
With its main task - processing photos in maximum resolution - the smartphone, as the testers found out, copes perfectly well. There are no slowdowns or freezes at work. The launch of most applications is carried out without any special overlays. This, experts believe, may be to some extent due to the architecture of the Windows Phone OS, which has some advantages in terms of using hardware resources over other platforms (primarily Android).
Camera
The Nokia 1020 smartphone is equipped with a camera with a hugewith a resolution of 41 megapixels, capable of taking photos of the highest quality. This hardware component of the device has a powerful xenon-type flash, LED backlight, and a mechanical shutter. The camera installed in the Nokia 1020 is made by one of the world's most famous manufacturers - Carl Zeiss.
Just think, the amount of graphic files saved from the camera can be up to 20 megabytes! To understand how much this is, let's remember that even the best quality photos saved in social networks (Vkontakte, Facebook or Odnoklassniki) barely reach 1-2 MB. The camera can also record 1080p video.
The phone is also equipped with a Rich Recording module, which provides very high quality sound recording in almost all keys and ranges. When shooting a video, you can be sure not only of the perfect picture, but also that the sound will be on top.
The device is also equipped with a front camera. It, in turn, is not so powerful, moreover, it is inferior in terms of resolution even to some budget smartphone models. This parameter of the front camera of the device is only 1.2 megapixels. But this hardware component, experts believe, is far from defining in terms of Nokia Lumia 1020 functionality. The characteristics of the additional camera are a secondary issue.
Display
The screen of the device has an average size of 4.5 inches. It was made according tomodern AMOLED technology. Display resolution - 1280 by 768 pixels. It is clear that in the best quality, photos will be visible on larger screens (those equipped with PCs or tablets). But the technology to improve the clarity of the picture used in the manufacture of the display (such as, for example, ClearBlack), squeeze the maximum out of what is possible, experts say. The screen surface of the Nokia 1020 is protected by high-strength Corning Gorilla Glass in one of the latest versions - 3rd.
Some experts believe that the AMOLED display technology has advantages over IPS-based solutions. In particular, in the Glance Screen mode, the Nokia 1020 screen consumes very little battery power. It is believed that IPS has the best color reproduction. But there are also counter-arguments, one of which is based on the fact that Nokia recently released the GDR2 plug-in, which allows for maximum personalization of on-screen color reproduction. It is unlikely, experts believe, that the Nokia Lumia 1020 brand manufacturer did not think through such a nuance as the ratio of the performance of the main camera and the quality of the display. Engineering tests have probably shown that an AMOLED screen is just the right solution.
Battery
The battery installed on the phone has a capacity of 2 thousand mAh. This resource, as experts have found out, is enough in practice to watch video at a resolution of 720 pixels for about 8 hours. This is a very good result (however, for such a battery it is quiteexpected). The battery, as in many other devices of the Lumia line, is non-removable.
Marketing Perspectives
It will be useful, when compiling a review aimed at a comprehensive study of the Nokia 1020, to delve a little into the economic side of the issue. What are the chances of a smartphone to take its rightful place among the best-selling devices in its class? Many experts are sure that the phone is unique for the market. For Nokia 1020 devices, the Android platform, experts believe, is definitely not a competitor. As for Apple devices, brand rivalry is possible only in certain market segments.
At the same time, the target group of buyers of the device is also quite narrow. Owning a smartphone is highly likely to be wanted mainly by people involved in professional photography, as well as active travelers. In addition, the phone has an excellent chance of carving a niche in the market structure due to its unique combination of features and high performance.
Among experts there is a thesis that the distribution of this smartphone can be facilitated by Microsoft, which releases an operating system for it. One of the possible methods of promoting the device is "aggressive marketing". In particular, there is a version that Microsoft is going to organize a campaign in the United States, within which it will offer owners of mobile gadgets on Android and iOS platforms to exchange their devices for free for Nokia Lumia smartphones. Of course, the modification that we are talking about now can be included in the number of such devices. And thistaking into account the fact that the price set by the manufacturer for Nokia 1020 can significantly exceed that for Android and iOS devices.
Communication
The smartphone supports cellular networks in almost all existing standards, including 4G. There is support for high-speed data transfer Band 7 (this standard is one of the most common in Russia). The smartphone is equipped with modules within a very wide range of communication options. This includes GPS, GLONASS, and, of course, Wi-Fi. There is support for Bluetooth version 3, as well as NFC - technology for fast contactless data transfer (in practice, it is most often used at modern cash registers in stores). There is a built-in radio operating in the FM band. Most of the experts who reviewed the Nokia 1020 speak of the smartphone as a high-quality device that copes well with communication functions.
What users are saying
Most smartphone users describe it as a great product. Many call this camera phone the best in its class, which has no worthy analogues. The device receives laudatory reviews, including from people who are engaged in professional photography. That is, we can say that Nokia was able to please the target audience.
Users praise the smartphone for speed, user-friendly interface, comfortable synchronization with other devices. Many people note a wide range of functionality that is not directly related to the main task assigned todevice (that is, with photographing). We are talking, for example, about browser speed, performance when working with various applications.
Nokia holds its own
Users, as well as experts, note that the device shows the traditionally high quality of communication functions for Nokia phones. The device keeps communication well in any standards. The voice of the interlocutor is transmitted in excellent quality. In addition, Nokia phones are famous for their high build quality. In this regard, the camera phone also confidently holds the brand, the owners of the device believe.
Nokia discounts
Many users highlight one interesting marketing feature that is typical for smartphone sales. The fact is that the price of the device tends to decline dynamically. Some buyers noted an interesting fact: when launched on the market, the gadget cost about 27 thousand, and after just a few months - already about 22 thousand. The characteristics laid down by the manufacturer in Nokia Lumia 1020, users believe, fully justify the price of the device.
