Dubai: The Lumia 1020 is Nokia’s flagship smartphone and the first in the Windows series to feature the PureView imaging technology. Nokia launched this technology on Symbian platform last year. The technology features a large image sensor (41 megapixels) that allows for higher quality images and greater zoom levels with little loss in quality.
The camera is definitely the Lumia 1020’s hero feature but let’s take a look at the rest of the hardware. The 1020 retains the Lumia’s candybar form factor. It looks similar to the 920 — full screen on the front with three soft touch buttons (back, home and search).
It may not seem important, but the placement of buttons on the Lumia phones is very well thought out. The dedicated camera button is a great idea in theory but it does take a few seconds to go from standby to taking the picture. The bottom speaker grill means your sound will never be muffled — surprisingly many manufacturers get this wrong. There is a bulge on the back because of the camera so you device will never sit flat. However the camera and flash are recessed so you don’t have to worry about scratching them.
The device is heavier than many other smartphones (158g) but it feels solid in the hand. The Lumia 1020 has a smooth matte finish which is a welcome change from the glossy back the Lumia 920 featured.
Ecosystem
The phone is powered by the newest update of Windows Phone 8 (Amber). The OS is fluid and very responsive, and its tile-based interface is a refreshing change from the icon-based interface we have seen on iOS and Android. However the OS, and more importantly the phone, is marred by an ecosystem that can be described as scanty — apps such as Instagram and Dropbox are missing from the ecosystem, as are many local apps. Microsoft will need to do more to get popular apps on the Windows Phone 8 if it wants users to move platforms.
The device allows you to take a 34MP picture and a 5MP picture simultaneously. You can always go back to the 34MP picture and zoom in to take a reframed 5MP shot without any loss in quality — you have a 6x digital zoom in your hands. The camera performs really well in low light too, with an aperture of f/2.2.
The output quality of images and video is outstanding — the pictures are clear, the colours are vivid and even the sound in videos is clean. Nokia’s bundled Pro Cam app is an excellent execution with a lot of customisation — manual focus levels, shutter speed, white balance, ISO levels and more.
The Lumia 1020 has a plethora of connectivity options (LTE, NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi). It can do all of this and still not finish its battery in a day. It is however held back by the application ecosystem — its Achilles heel really. It is priced at Dh2,699.
