Nokia Lumia 1020 Review
When talking about the Lumia 1020, it is somewhat difficult to decide whether to consider it a phone or call it a camera. What we do know is that it has a gorgeous 4.5 inch screen, a rather sleek build, a magnificent polycarbonate finish and last but not the least, the culmination of Nokia’s PureView technologies, a 41 megapixel imaging sensor and optical image stabilization. It’s a pretty neat little package, but is it just as spectacular a performer?
Build and Ergonomics
The Lumia 1020 is just as wide as the Lumia 920 was, but given that it’s considerably slimmer, it’s a lot easier to hold. It’s not as thin as the Lumia 925 though, but even so, the soft matte finish of the polycarbonate body coupled up with the slimmer form factor allows the Lumia 1020 to be used with just one hand. Of course, not everyone would be able to use it with one hand and some would barely be able to use it with one hand, but we found that resting the index and middle finger around the camera bulge around the back helps get a good grip on the phone.
The Lumia 1020 is just as wide as the Lumia 920 was, but given that it’s considerably slimmer, it’s a lot easier to hold. It’s not as thin as the Lumia 925 though, but even so, the soft matte finish of the polycarbonate body coupled up with the slimmer form factor allows the Lumia 1020 to be used with just one hand. Of course, not everyone would be able to use it with one hand and some would barely be able to use it with one hand, but we found that resting the index and middle finger around the camera bulge around the back helps get a good grip on the phone.
The back of the phone is plain polycarbonate, but the smooth surface is interrupted by a gentle rise towards the top. This bulge on the back is due to Nokia fitting a large 1/1.2 inch sensor, an LED flash and a Xenon flash along with all their circuitry and a 6-element Carl Zeiss lens with optical stabilization all into this tiny little space that measures about 2 inches in diameter. This bulge is the reason the Lumia 1020 doesn’t sit flat if you put it on a desk. The top and left side of the phone are devoid of any buttons (left if you’re staring at the screen of the phone), but the right side is where you can find the volume rocker, the power button and the dedicated shutter button, in that order from top to bottom.
All in all, the phone is much lighter than the Lumia 920, weighing in at just 158 grams compared to the 185 grams of heft on its older sibling. If you were to look at the two phones from the front (and they were the same colour), you’d have an incredibly tough time telling them apart. So if you’ve liked the way the Lumia 920 fit into your hands, you’re going to like the 1020 too. If you’ve never used the Lumia 920, then the Lumia 1020 might take a little getting used to, given the screen’s width and might even require two handed operation on the part of some users. If you’re not sure whether this phone will fit well in your hands, we strongly recommend going to the store and handling it for a while, especially the bulging part on the back.
Hardware
The Lumia 1020 runs off a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon chip, the same that’s available in the Lumia 920 and Lumia 925, but what’s different with the insides of the Lumia 1020 is that it houses 2GB of RAM, most likely to process the large amounts of imaging data the 41 megapixel sensor pushes through its circuits.
The Lumia 1020 runs off a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon chip, the same that’s available in the Lumia 920 and Lumia 925, but what’s different with the insides of the Lumia 1020 is that it houses 2GB of RAM, most likely to process the large amounts of imaging data the 41 megapixel sensor pushes through its circuits.
The imaging duties are performed by a 1/1.5 inch sensor with an effective resolution of 38 megapixels. While conventional sensors are in the shape of a rectangle, Nokia uses a round sensor with a total resolution of 41 megapixels, but due to the rectangular nature of the images, 3 megapixels are lost. The reason for a circular sensor are to optimize the light coming in from the Carl Zeiss optics. The design helps ensure that the light all falls on the active imaging area and eliminates undesired effects like vignetting. ThePureView 808 from Nokia that also boasted 41 megapixel worth of resolution had a slightly larger sensor (1/2 inches), but consequently, it also had a much larger bulge at the back. Nokia’s reduced the size of the sensor a little bit, kept the megapixel count the same, bringing the effective pixel pitch to 1.12 microns, something that most cellphone cameras can match. However, what’s unique about the Nokia sensor is that the software takes information from adjoining pixels to create one “super pixel” of sorts, and the sum total of this process yields a 5 megapixel image with impeccable quality and clarity.
Augmenting the 41 megapixel sensor is a 6 element Carl Zeiss lens, with optical image stabilization. OIS had originally been introduced in the Lumia 920, but gets refined for the Lumia 1020. Originally, the design used coils to move the entire lens assembly relative to the camera motion, to get a stable image. Nokia has now swapped out the coils for ball bearings, which seem to be more effective with more range of motions that the camera could be subject to. In case the low light situation is too daunting, Nokia’s also managed to pack in a Xenon flash tube to the back of the phone along with a small LED light that helps acquire focus and also is used as a video light.
If we are to look at the heart of the Lumia 1020, that is, the processor and GPU, they remain the same as those found in the Lumia 920 and Lumia 925. The RAM has doubled, the on-board storage is set to 32GB and cannot be increased because the phone lacks a microSD card slot.
Camera Performance
Nokia’s been hard selling the Lumia 1020 more as a camera than as a phone, and nobody can blame them. As a phone, it doesn’t bring anything revolutionary to the table, but as an imaging device, it’s quite a stunner. Who wouldn’t be impressed hearing about the fact that a camera phone has a 41 megapixel sensor? Well, to be honest, we were excited to see whether this sensor, which is smaller than the one in the PureView 808 can match the performance of its older, now defunct sibling.
Nokia’s been hard selling the Lumia 1020 more as a camera than as a phone, and nobody can blame them. As a phone, it doesn’t bring anything revolutionary to the table, but as an imaging device, it’s quite a stunner. Who wouldn’t be impressed hearing about the fact that a camera phone has a 41 megapixel sensor? Well, to be honest, we were excited to see whether this sensor, which is smaller than the one in the PureView 808 can match the performance of its older, now defunct sibling.
Nokia Camera (Pro Cam + Smart Cam)
Nokia’s taken their its with this phone and it shows. It’s not just about developing a sensor, but also about creating software that can leverage the full potential that resides in this sensor. Since Microsoft does not allow the in-OS apps to be altered in any way, Nokia created the Pro Cam app, that is capable to squeezing out the most from this camera’s sensor, but we’re here to wonder just how much there is to squeeze out of it.
Nokia’s taken their its with this phone and it shows. It’s not just about developing a sensor, but also about creating software that can leverage the full potential that resides in this sensor. Since Microsoft does not allow the in-OS apps to be altered in any way, Nokia created the Pro Cam app, that is capable to squeezing out the most from this camera’s sensor, but we’re here to wonder just how much there is to squeeze out of it.
We shot most of the photos for this review using the Pro Cam app, which is actually quite a marvel in of itself. It offers full manual control over every aspect of creating a photograph such as shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation, white balance and even offers the ability to manually focus the lens. Of course there is no aperture control because the opening on the Lumia 1020’s lens is fixed at f/2.2, which is plenty for shooting in low light, but can be a little tricky to work with in bright daylight.
Now in our test, the very first experience with the Lumia 1020 ended up being an incredibly annoying one. When you press the dedicated shutter button on the right to kick the phone into camera mode, it takes a whole second to a second and a half before it is ready to shoot. This can be super annoying for anyone who’s looking to get off a few quick shots of a passing moment. As we woefully experienced, the slow startup time caused us to lose out on shooting some precious moments. However, there is a fix, but at a cost. If you don’t want to mess with the settings, you can set the stock camera app to open with the press of the shutter button, instead of Nokia’s Pro Cam. This opens much faster and can shoot much faster too, even between shots. Nokia Pro Cam takes another second and a half between shots as it saves a 5 megapixel version of the image you just shot along with a full resolution 38 megapixel image. This too can be changed, as you can choose to only save 5 megapixel images instead of both, saving not just space, but also shaving time between shots.
Now in our test, the very first experience with the Lumia 1020 ended up being an incredibly annoying one. When you press the dedicated shutter button on the right to kick the phone into camera mode, it takes a whole second to a second and a half before it is ready to shoot. This can be super annoying for anyone who’s looking to get off a few quick shots of a passing moment. As we woefully experienced, the slow startup time caused us to lose out on shooting some precious moments. However, there is a fix, but at a cost. If you don’t want to mess with the settings, you can set the stock camera app to open with the press of the shutter button, instead of Nokia’s Pro Cam. This opens much faster and can shoot much faster too, even between shots. Nokia Pro Cam takes another second and a half between shots as it saves a 5 megapixel version of the image you just shot along with a full resolution 38 megapixel image. This too can be changed, as you can choose to only save 5 megapixel images instead of both, saving not just space, but also shaving time between shots.
The app, as we said, gives full control over the photo taking experience. You can either tap on individual icons on top to open their respective setting, or just pull them all out by dragging the shutter button upwards (towards the earpiece). All the settings will now be on the screen and a thumb is all it takes to move them around. While the settings are pretty straightforward, it does take some getting used to the symbols. For example, the shutter speed icon’s symbol does little to convey what it is, until you actually pull it out and see the setting for yourself. Another little bit of the camera that you have to get used to.
BENQ MONITOR
As far as imaging goes, the camera app will give you the option to either save just the 5MP image or the 5MP plus the original 38MP image. If you choose to save just the 5 megapixel image, you won’t have any scope for recomposing later. However, you will still be able to use the lossless zoom feature to shoot your photos. If you also save the 38 megapixel images, you can creatively recompose your shots at any later time.
The perfect monitor at the perfect price is something all of us want. We hear of the glory of IPS and cringe at the thought of the price tags. The BenQ GW2250 almost exactly fits the bill for someone on a decent budget who’s looking for a monitor that is just right for regular home or office use.
It’s a 21.5” monitor that supports 1080p, the bare minimum that any PC user expects from a PC monitor. The build quality of this monitor is pretty decent; it’s not stellar, but the quality is more than passable and it should last. Of particular note are the buttons and OSD (On-Screen-Display) which you will use to navigate the menus that this monitor gives you access to; the buttons are among the easier ones to press and the menu is very approachable and comprehensive enough to allow for a decent level of customization.
The preset modes on offer are the standard fare and while we don’t recommend anything more than the standard picture mode, the other options are available if you want to experiment. When it comes to performance, the monitor’s VA panel proves its superiority to TN panels in the same class by offering a contrast ratio of 888:1 (using our Spyder 3 Elite test apparatus). This contrast ratio easily surpasses its nearest competitors by almost 30%.
This monitor is a great all-rounder and one that we would heartily recommend to anyone who’s on the lookout for a monitor in this price-range and size. It is a little shy on features, even lacking a USB-hub and only offering a DVI and D-Sub port for connectivity, but the image quality and price tip the balance in its favour. We would have liked to see HDMI support, in-built speakers and even a better stand, but we can’t have everything we suppose.
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