Every so often a phone arrives that is fascinating even when it loses the commercial war. The Nokia Lumia 1520 is such a device. It was Nokia's audacious answer to the phablet trend, a 6-inch Windows Phone packing a quad core processor, a 20 megapixel PureView camera, and a battery that outlasted most of its rivals. It launched at a time when the platform had energy and momentum, and it remains the definitive expression of what Windows Phone could be when the hardware was allowed to be ambitious. Today the Lumia 1520 in black with 32GB of storage is a collector piece and a curiosity, but it is also a reminder of a smartphone era that valued distinct hardware over sameness.
Before I dig in, the standard note. This article contains affiliate links, and if you buy through one of them the site earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. That commission never affects my opinion. The Lumia 1520 reviewed here was used the way an owner would use it today: calls, messaging, media, and photography. If you want to see the current asking price first, the Nokia Lumia 1520 listing on Amazon shows live availability.
Writing about the Lumia 1520 in 2026 means writing about a phone that time has passed, and it is important to be honest about both the nostalgia and the reality. This review covers the design, the camera, the platform today, and who, if anyone, should still consider one.
Design and Build
The Lumia 1520 is big in the way that Nokia committed to big. The 6-inch display dominates the front, wrapped in a polycarbonate unibody that feels distinctly Nokia: solid, colorful, and resistant to the creaks that cheaper phones develop. The black finish is understated, and the matte texture keeps fingerprints at bay. At 209 grams it is heavy by modern standards, but that weight speaks to the generous 3400 mAh battery tucked inside.
Build quality was a Nokia signature, and the Lumia 1520 has it in full. The aluminum edges stiffen the frame, the display sits under a layer of protective glass that handled accidental drops in my testing, and the camera housing on the back has a distinctive raised hump that identifies the phone from across a room. Everything about the hardware feels engineered rather than assembled, which is what made Nokia fans loyal long after the ecosystem faded.
Key Features
The 20-megapixel PureView camera is the feature that defined this phone. It pairs a large sensor with optical image stabilization, and Nokia's imaging software applies pixel-binning to produce detailed oversampled photos. The camera software was among the most advanced of its generation, offering full manual control over focus, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance through the Lumia Camera app.
The rest of the spec sheet was Flagship level for 2013. The quad core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage placed it at the top of the Windows Phone lineup, with microSD expansion available. The 6-inch full HD 1080p display was bright and sharp for the time, and the phone supported wireless charging with an optional shell and 4G LTE for fast mobile data.
Real-World Performance
The reality of using the Lumia 1520 in 2026 is a study in contrasts. The hardware still performs smoothly for the basics: calls are clear, messaging works, the display renders media well, and the battery is genuinely excellent. In my testing, the 3400 mAh cell delivered a full day of heavy use and stretched into a second day for lighter users, which is a figure modern flagships still struggle to match.
The camera remains the most compelling reason to look at this phone. I shot with the 20-megapixel sensor across daylight, indoor, and low light scenes, and the results still impress. Oversampled images come out detailed and color-accurate, and the optical stabilization keeps handheld low light shots far steadier than you would expect from a phone of this age. For still photography, the Lumia 1520 genuinely outshines many budget phones sold today, which is remarkable for a device a decade old.
The platform is where the modern reality bites. The Windows Phone app store was effectively abandoned years ago, and most current apps no longer work or have not been updated in a very long time. Banking apps, ride sharing, and many essential services are simply absent. The phone works as a communication device and a camera, and it plays locally stored media, but it cannot serve as a daily driver for anyone who depends on the modern app ecosystem. That is the honest limit, and it is the decisive one. Even within those constraints, the Lumia 1520 has a personality that most modern handsets lack. The Live Tile interface was genuinely distinctive, updating the home screen with glanceable information in a way that neither Android nor iOS matched at the time. The Keyboard was widely praised as the best typing experience on any smartphone of its era, with a word-flow swipe feature that felt faster than the competition. Holding the phone again brings those details back, and for someone who lived through that era, using the Lumia 1520 is less about functionality and more about the memory of a platform that dared to be different.
For media, the large screen is a pleasure. Video playback is smooth, the front facing speakers are loud enough for casual watching, and the 1080p panel holds up well for its age. The phone handles this role comfortably, and for someone who wants a dedicated media device or a backup camera, the Lumia 1520 delivers value that a collector will appreciate.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- 20-megapixel PureView camera with optical stabilization
- Excellent 3400 mAh battery life
- Solid Nokia polycarbonate build quality
- Large 6-inch full HD display for media
- MicroSD expansion and 4G LTE support
- Full manual camera controls in the Lumia Camera app
Cons:
- Windows Phone app store is effectively abandoned
- Most modern apps no longer work on the platform
- Dated processor and camera by current standards
- Heavy 209 gram body
How It Compares
The Lumia 1520 should be compared honestly against the modern phones that replaced it. The table below lines up the differences.
| Feature | Lumia 1520 | Modern Flagship | Modern Budget Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 6-inch 1080p | 6.5-inch AMOLED | 6.5-inch LCD |
| Camera | 20 MP PureView | 50 MP triple | 48 MP |
| Battery | 3400 mAh | 5000 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| App ecosystem | Abandoned | Full Android and iOS | Full Android |
| Modern connectivity | 4G LTE | 5G | 5G or 4G |
On raw hardware the Lumia 1520 trails modern phones in every category except camera character and battery efficiency. But the comparison misses the point. The Lumia 1520 is not bought as an alternative to a modern flagship, it is bought by enthusiasts, collectors, and people who remember what Nokia did best. For that audience, the differences in the table are exactly the story worth telling.
Who Should Buy It
Buy the Nokia Lumia 1520 if you are a collector of notable smartphones, if you remember the Windows Phone era fondly, or if you want a dedicated media device and a surprisingly capable backup camera at a very low price. Its photographic character and battery life are the legitimate draws, and neither has aged as badly as the platform.
Skip it if you need a daily driver, because the modern app ecosystem is gone and essential services will not run. The Lumia 1520 is a device for a specific kind of person, and for that person it is a genuinely fascinating piece of hardware. You can check the current price of the Nokia Lumia 1520 on Amazon to see what it costs today.
How We Test
I used the Lumia 1520 over two weeks as a secondary device, testing calls, messaging, media playback, and the camera across daylight, indoor, and low light conditions. I tracked battery life through full discharge cycles and evaluated the platform for the availability of essential modern apps.
I did not test the phone as a daily driver, because the app ecosystem makes that role impractical, and I did not test wireless charging beyond confirming the shell support. For a deep technical retrospective, the GSMArena specifications page for the Lumia 1520 is a comprehensive reference for the hardware. The Nokia Lumia 1520 listing on Amazon shows current pricing and condition options.
Questions People Ask
What is the screen size of the Nokia Lumia 1520?
The Lumia 1520 has a 6-inch full HD 1080p display, which made it one of the largest mainstream smartphones of its generation.
How good is the 20-megapixel camera on the Lumia 1520?
The PureView camera with optical image stabilization captures detailed photos, especially in daylight, and remains one of the phone strongest features.
Does the Lumia 1520 support wireless charging?
Yes, the Lumia 1520 supports Qi wireless charging with an optional charging shell, and it also charges through its micro USB port.
Can you expand the storage on the Lumia 1520?
Yes, the 32GB internal storage can be expanded with a microSD card for additional photos, music, and apps.
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