Microsoft and Nokia have made a historical breakthrough with the Lumia 1520. And it’s not just the colossal size of the 6” beast. The Lumia 1520, essentially, marks a new beginning for Windows Phone, and especially for Nokia. It is a first in many things. The first Windows Phone phablet. The first Windows Phone with GDR3 and Lumia Black, bringing support for its monstrous 1080p display, 2.2Ghz Quad core Snapdragon 800 processor and 2 gigs of RAM, and (finally) the ability to close apps. The Lumia 1520 is here folks, so join us with the unboxing video after the break.
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The Lumia 1520 arrived in a traditional Nokia Lumia retail box, albeit a much larger one than I’m used to, but that’s necessary for housing the colossal device resting inside. Inside, you’ll find the Nokia Lumia 1520 handset (ours dressed in a handsome yellow), a SIM door opening tool, a Nokia stereo headset, USB charger, data cable and the Lumia 1520 product information booklet and quick guide.
Turning the device on, we are greeted with 3 columns of (medium-sized) live tiles, instead of the traditional 2. Nokia has made clear that the number of columns depends on the screen size of the device, and not the resolution, so the Lumia 1320 (which will be launching here in January) will have 3 columns, despite having a poorer resolution. After playing around with the device a little bit, I couldn’t help but notice the impressive screen resolution. This is the first Windows Phone with a 1080p display, and everything on it looks crisp and crystal clear, especially next to my Lumia 820, which has a measly 217ppi.
Despite not being AMOLED, the screen is extremely pleasing to the eye. Colours look vibrant, and blacks still look (almost) as black as on AMOLED screens due to Nokia’s ClearBlack technology. Of course we’re not surprised – we’ve seen the phone in bright sunlight next to the iPhone 5s and Note 3, and it completely trumps them.
Apart from the screen, the other thing that was noticeable about the device was its weight. At 209g, it isn’t exactly very light for a phone, though when compared with other phablets such as the Note 3 (168g), the One Max (217g), and the Xperia Z Ultra (212g), its weight is still acceptable. (The Note 3 is extremely light for a phablet I must say.) And to be honest, I was expecting the phone to be much heavier, and was surprised when picking up the device for the first time.
Somehow, despite its weight and sheer size, it feels extremely good in the hand. Awkward, yes, considering that I’ve never owned a phablet before, but the form factor of the device – at just 8.7mm thin – made it feel more comfortable (and lighter) than you’d expect.
There’s no hiding that this device was built to impress, and first impressions are great so far. Let’s see if it will keep up this level of impressiveness as I spend more time with the device for the next couple of weeks. Be sure to look out for our full in depth review, which will be coming in the following weeks.