Windows Phone is the latest mobile operating system in use today. However, in just two and a half years, it has undergone a number of important changes. First of all, this concerns not the functionality, but the positioning of the platform. At first, devices of medium and high price categories were produced on its basis. Then Microsoft made a nod to the budget segment - Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh appeared with reduced requirements for smartphone hardware.
Due to the small amount of memory on such devices, it was not possible to run all applications. And although the “stripped down” models looked good in their price segment, users mostly preferred “state employees” based on Android. With the release of Nokia Lumia 520, everything can change. At first glance, for the price of a phone, users get a full-fledged smartphone based on the current OS, with a good IPS screen and without restrictions, such as reduced memory. There is even a microSD slot! Is the Lumia 520 so good and can it become a landmark device for Nokia? We will understand in a detailed review.
Design
The design of the Lumia 520 repeats the Lumia 510 model - in this case, the lid is also a kind of pelvis that covers not only the back of the smartphone, but also its ends. But the design has become stricter: the new product uses sharp corners instead of rounded ones, which makes the device related to the older models of the Lumia line of the 2013 sample.
Sharp corners and rounded ends are reminiscent of a chocolate bar, especially if you put your smartphone face down. In the hand, this design lies well. Perhaps some discomfort would be felt in the case of larger dimensions, coupled with a clearly defined rectangular shape.
The youth orientation of the smartphone is indicated by multi-colored interchangeable panels, like the Lumia 510. We tested the Lumia 520 in a white case. Matte plastic, a little rough. This texture is resistant to fingerprints, but is susceptible to dirt, which will be difficult to remove.
Unfortunately, Nokia again skimped on the oleophobic coating on the screen protector. The front panel instantly gets dirty and looks completely unpresentable. The first time you try to wipe the screen after each use of the phone. Then it gets boring, and you have to put up with a constantly stained display. It's a pity, because it is unlikely that the oleophobic coating is so expensive that it can significantly affect the final price of the device.
The assembly of the smartphone is solid, the body does not creak, the battery sits tightly, all the details fit well to each other. However, we had concerns that over time the cover may become loose - it is too easy to remove. All three hardware buttons, traditionally located on the right side, do not raise any questions: they are pressed clearly, they protrude from the case by a millimeter and a half, which makes them convenient for blind work. The camera key rises even more clearly, which is very good considering its two-way travel.
Despite the same screen size for Lumia 520 and Lumia 510, the developers managed to slightly reduce the novelty. In length and width, the smartphone has lost almost a millimeter. The thickness is 9.9 mm, which is one and a half millimeters less than its predecessor. The device weighs 130 g, so it does not weigh the hand and does not pull the shirt pocket, as, for example, Lumia 920.
Appearance Lumia 520 leaves a positive impression. Yes, there are no frills and unexpected solutions in the design of the smartphone, and it does not claim to be the most beautiful phone. But the model suits different categories of users, not only young people, it is distinguished by high-quality assembly and pleasant appearance. For a budget smartphone, this is very important.
Display
It was the screen that caused us the most complaints during our acquaintance with the Lumia 510. The use of a matrix displaying only 65 thousand colors caused associations with smartphones running Windows Mobile that had sunk into oblivion.
The Lumia 520's IPS display behaves much better and doesn't shock with a gradient with well-defined boundaries between shades, as was the case with its predecessor. The rest of the specifications remain the same: a 4-inch diagonal and a resolution of 480 × 800 pixels (about 235 ppi).
Speaking of image quality, the main thing to remember is that we are not dealing with a flagship model. There is no ClearBlack layer here, and the IPS-matrix does not belong to the top ones - the white color becomes dirty gray when the viewing angle is changed from the direct one, and the black casts purple. Still, for a smartphone in this price range, the screen is good. It does not misinterpret saturation and contrast, and there are no such problems with inverting colors as TN-matrices have.
With the behavior of the display in the sun, not everything is smooth. Firstly, the screen glares, and the lack of an oleophobic coating and, as a result, permanently appearing streaks make it even more difficult to see the image, although it remains readable. Secondly, the automatic adjustment of the display brightness does not work too diligently. If you trust her, the backlight in most cases will function at a low or medium level. This will have a good effect on the battery life of the device, but it will spoil the impression of the screen that has become dull. We advise you to set the maximum level of display backlight in the settings.
So far, this is irrelevant, but in autumn and winter, Lumia 520 owners will appreciate the opportunity to work with the touchscreen with “dressed” hands. Tested with leather and wool gloves, the controls are as responsive as the flagship Lumia 920.
Compared to the recently visited Huawei Ascend W1, which costs a little more than the Lumia 520, the screen of the Finnish device looks better. He is doing better with white balance, and as a bonus, "glove" control is provided.
Camera
The Lumia 520 photo module left an unexpectedly pleasant impression. Bearing in mind the terrible camera in the Lumia 610, we were afraid to see something like that, or, at best, counted on a quality comparable to the optics of the Lumia 510.
All three models use 5-megapixel cameras, but they differ from each other like heaven and earth. The “sky” in this case is the Lumia 520. There is no ugly “soapy porridge” like the Lumia 610, and noise is processed much better compared to the Lumia 510. Perhaps, we have one of the best photo modules among budget smartphones.
Pictures taken in daylight are especially good. The macro mode proved to be worthy. Noises appear in the twilight or in the room. There is nothing special to shoot in the dark - Nokia left the smartphone without a flash.
Functionality
The software capabilities of the Lumia 520 almost completely correspond to what we wrote about in the Lumia 920. Among the differences, it is worth mentioning, perhaps, the absence of an equalizer in the settings. By the way, even without it, in good headphones, the smartphone sounds decent, and, as it seemed to us, no worse than the flagship model.
Games, videos, interface, switching between applications, web surfing - everything works clearly, quickly, smoothly. This is a big advantage of the Lumia 520 over budget models running Android. The latter have similar technical characteristics, but slow down when flipping desktops and scrolling pages in the browser.
The smartphone received 8 GB of internal memory, of which less than 5 GB is available to the user. The benefit of multimedia content can be thrown on a memory card. The Lumia 510, recall, no microSD slot, besides, the amount of installed drive is limited to 4 GB. The Huawei Ascend W1 also received only 4 GB, but it supports memory cards, so we will consider it equal to the Lumia 520.
Battery Life
As sad as it is to admit, in terms of battery life, WP devices are starting to fail. The number of cores and the clock frequency of the processor are growing, the diagonal and screen resolution are increasing. Surely Windows Phone 8 has become more appetizing to consume energy, while the battery capacity remains the same.
The Lumia 520's 1430 mAh battery only lasted a full day of intensive use. The Skype application, notifications, about half an hour of games, some music, an hour and a half of browsing the Internet, several calls with a total duration of up to 20 minutes - in this mode, a smartphone charged in the morning turned off in the evening of the same day.
With less active use, the battery will last a day. If you still trust the auto-adjustment of the display backlight and turn on the battery saver mode, then you can probably squeeze a day and a half of battery life out of the Lumia 520. The Huawei Ascend W1 smartphone proved to be almost twice as hardy, the low-powered Lumia 510 also keeps more cheerful than its older brother.
Pricing
The success or failure of any phone is not least dependent on the price. This statement is especially true for Lumia 520, which is positioned as the cheapest WP8 smartphone.
In the US, the model can be purchased for as little as $150 without any obligation. This is an unprecedented low price that can turn the entire market of low-cost smartphones and finish off the still vibrant segment of regular phones costing $100-200.
With us, as is often the case with mobile devices, the pricing of the Lumia 520 is different. As soon as the model appeared on sale, it could be bought for $210. This is, of course, more expensive than in the United States, but not critical.
However, a few days later the cost of the device jumped up to $270 and is stubbornly approaching $300. This actually brings the Lumia 520 out of the category of budget models in the segment of inexpensive "middle peasants". In this scenario, the smartphone has to compete with HTC 8S, Huawei Ascend W1 and even Lumia 620.
Another option is to buy Lumia 520 from velcom. Subject to the conclusion of an additional agreement to use the company's services for six months, the device will cost approximately $230 in equivalent. It is still far from the American price, but in the Belarusian reality such an offer looks tempting - there are still no competitors. Unless you count last year's, from a technical point of view, hopelessly behind models running Android.
A series of phones developed by Nokia has been defeated day by day in recent years. The Microsoft Windows Phone platform did not become popular, all investments from Redmond, alas, went bankrupt. The picture is sad, but, oddly enough, in the post-Soviet space there were many zealous Nokia fans who remained faithful to the Finns, as well as those for whom the presence of Windows on all gadgets used was a key factor in choosing a device. Thanks to them, the budget segment of Nokia phones still survived, we will consider one of the representatives of the “genre” in this material. So, let's start the review of the Lumiya 520 smartphone: characteristics, main features and reviews of the owners.
Equipment
In addition to the phone in the box you can find:
- Charger for connection to the mains.
- Rechargeable battery.
- Cable for charging from the mains and connecting to a computer for data synchronization.
- Corporate stereo headset.
- Guide to setting up and working with the phone.
Housing, controls
Dimensions: 119 by 64 by 10 millimeters.
Weight: 124 grams.
The entire line of smartphones, developed under the auspices of the updated Nokia, is available in similar cases. One feels a single design vision, attentive attitude to the exterior of gadgets. The classic "sandwich", consisting of a black front panel and colored polycarbonate, is also used in this model. The case of the smartphone is collapsible, under the cover there is a battery, a slot for a memory card and a SIM card.
On the front panel of the phone you can find only a display, touch control keys (buttons: back, menu and search) and a speaker, neatly inscribed in the very top of the case, at the junction with the cover. On the back of the smartphone there is a section of the main speaker, the manufacturer's logo and a camera. On the right side of the smartphone there are traditional Lumiya controls (camera shutter, power button and volume rocker). The left half is empty. At the bottom end is a micro-USB input for recharging and connecting to a computer. On the top is a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.
Thanks to its compact size, the phone will easily fit in any hand, and the matte plastic will not allow it to slip out on the go. Ergonomics at the highest level. The phone comes in five colors: red, white, black, blue and yellow. There are almost no traces and minor damage on the back cover, so a case for the Lumiya 520 is unlikely to become a necessity, in this regard the design is quite practical.
Display
It’s worth mentioning right away that we are talking about a budget smartphone, so you should not expect any revelations regarding the screen. Phone "Lumiya 520" is equipped with a compact display, the diagonal of which is only 4 inches, and a resolution of 800 by 480 pixels. Even at small sizes, attentive (picky) users, no doubt stand alone pixels and the overall graininess of the picture will be noticed. In everyday use, this drawback does not cause discomfort. Many will also be disappointed by the lack of exclusive ClearBlack technology, which is used in other, more expensive gadgets of the company. It is pointless to hope for high-quality color reproduction when exposed to sunlight, the screen "blinds". On the other hand, the screen has an IPS matrix, which means that potential owners of the gadget will be able to enjoy the widest possible viewing angles. Residents of cold regions will appreciate the ultra-sensitive display, which is able to recognize touches even when wearing gloves.
Processor, memory, performance
"Lumia 520" is far from being a flagship gadget, and first of all it is aimed at people whose requests are below average, so there is no need to talk about serious "iron" equipment, which, in general, is not a problem, given the level of system optimization , but gamers will be affected. The smartphone, like most Windows Phone devices, uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip. The clock frequency of this beast reaches 1000 megahertz in each of the cores. Even with this chip, the phone runs very fast, smoothly, and the system is always responsive. The main performance limiter is the small amount of RAM, it reached only 512 megabytes, which automatically makes a number of complex programs inaccessible to this baby.
Among other things, the device found space for 8 gigabytes of main memory, of which only 5 are available to the user. Fortunately, the situation can be corrected with an additional physical array (microSD memory cards are supported).
Camera
One of Nokia's strengths has always been its special photography capabilities, head and shoulders above the competition. In budget solutions, alas, everything is according to the standard. The reviewed gadget has a single 5 megapixel lens, no flash. The pictures are very mediocre even in good lighting, not to mention the photos taken indoors. In principle, the camera performs rather a utilitarian function.
To brighten up the lives of the owners of the Lumiya 520 smartphone, Nokia decided to keep all the software features of the camera, including all kinds of filters, processing tools and exclusive features like creating “animated” photos.
There is no front camera at all, so selfie lovers will either have to put up with it or develop the skill of shooting “selfies” on the main camera.
autonomy
To date, the operating time from a single charge of any smartphone is no more than a day (with regular use), the same truth is true for the Lumiya 520 smartphone. The characteristics of the device are not the most rosy anyway, but here the autonomy also fails. Blame the battery with a capacity of only 1430 milliamps. According to the manufacturer, the smartphone is capable of:
- Live more than 10 hours of talk time in 3G networks.
- Play music in the background for about 60 hours.
- Play HD video for about 6 hours.
Of course, some of these indicators are just skillfully conducted, sparing tests that are very different from real life. Even a point setting of the system will not help to significantly increase the operating time, therefore, you will have to put up with the fact that even before the end of the working day the phone will ask to be connected to the outlet.
Communications
The smartphone, unfortunately, is not able to boast of the presence of modern wireless interfaces and contactless data exchange technology.
Of the wired ones, the phone has only a micro-USB port. The list of wireless interfaces includes: Wi-Fi that supports the 802.11 frequency and third-generation Bluetooth. The vaunted NFC could not be found. The phone has a GPS module. An extensive list of supported cellular networks is also an important feature of the Lumiya 520.
Characteristics of the software platform
Many users, upon the release of Lumiya smartphones, identified a lot of similarities that connect them with the iPhone, including a unique operating system that follows similar principles and ideas.
The Lumiya 520 does not require complex pre-configuration, all that is needed for work is to create an account, after which you can immediately start working with the phone.
First of all, the user is greeted by an ascetic lock screen, which displays notifications, as well as information about the date and time. It is immediately followed by a minimalistic, innovative interface developed in-house by Microsoft called Live Tiles. Actually, the entire interface is built on blocks with information, which are also shortcuts for applications. Its main idea is that a person, without opening programs, can get the maximum of the necessary information.
The system is quite nimble, does not irritate with minor errors and visual artifacts. There are rarely more serious problems associated with errors in third-party software that tightly “hang” the gadget. In such situations, there is nothing left but to restart Lumiya, this is done by holding all three control keys (physical, located on the right side of the phone).
The most important problem of the system is the shortage of third-party "software", because the manufacturer has not been able to force developers to release applications for the newly minted platform.
"Lumiya 520": reviews
At first glance, the device from Nokia is significantly inferior in many criteria and does not look very attractive compared to its closest competitors. Nevertheless, it has found a whole army of fans who scour the market for something affordable and as practical as possible. The practicality of the phone is emphasized by the majority of users, saying that it is easy to connect a smartphone to a computer, that there is a hot-swappable SIM card, as well as access to the battery. Lumiya repairs also cost pennies, which will please those who buy a phone for a schoolboy. Many note high performance and autonomy in comparison with budget phones based on Android. All these and many other factors noted by ordinary users create a completely new image of the Lumiya 520 smartphone, the characteristics of which are rarely full of positive statements from professionals. The image of a strong state employee in the best traditions of Nokia. The only question remains: how much does Lumiya 520 cost? The recommended price for the device in Russia varies within 8,000 rubles.
Windows Phone is an operating system that is installed only on Microsoft products. It was this company that took over the assets of the well-known and popular Nokia brand. Although the interest of buyers in this product began to decline rapidly, the manufacturer still launched a series of mobile phones called Lumia on the market. Surprisingly, it quickly sold out, and in considerable circulation. Therefore, these devices can be safely considered a kind of trump card of Finnish products.
According to most buyers, the Nokia Lumia 520 is an affordable option. If you pay attention to its hardware, you can see that it is fully up to date. It is impossible not to notice that the interest of users is also attracted by Windows Phone 8. What are the features of this smartphone model? What features will delight buyers of the Lumia 520? The answers to these questions, and more, the reader can find in this article.
Packing and scope of delivery
At first glance at the box in which the smartphone is transported, you can predict its attitude to the budget segment. The design of the packaging container looks inharmonious. The designers obviously went too far with the image of the phone, providing it from different angles. It was this that introduced a certain imbalance into the design of the box. Of course, on the packaging there is information about the brand and the name of the model. The main color remains the same - blue, and the text is printed in white. The rear panel provides IMEI and WLAN data, as well as the firmware that is used on the Nokia Lumia 520. Instructions with detailed information about the gadget are included. The warranty card is printed on the last pages of this booklet. What else will the buyer find inside the box? You should immediately pay attention to an important point - an entry-level device. For this reason, it makes no sense to count on a unique set of components, the manufacturer has collected everything you need in the kit. The kit includes a USB cable (CA-189CD), which is designed to connect the device to a PC and other equipment. Without fail, the smartphone is equipped with a BL-5J battery and a charger (AC-20). Also included is a WH-108 headset.
A little later, we will discuss what emotions such a package aroused, and what it lacks, according to buyers.
Design
Externally, the Nokia Lumia 520 is not much different from other devices in this line. The manufacturer has introduced many color options on the market. For connoisseurs of the classics, there are copies with a black and white case. For those who prefer bright colors, red, blue or yellow are suitable. It is important to understand that the variety of colors is carried out only at the expense of the rear panel. It is made of soft-touch plastic. The material itself is quite high quality. Scratches and mechanical damage on the surface are practically not formed. However, according to most owners, to preserve the primary appearance, you still need to use a cover. As for the soiled surface of the back cover, everything will depend on the color. The black version picks up fingerprints the most. The most practical case turned out to be white.
Now let's look at the design features of the Nokia Lumia 520 smartphone, the characteristics of which are presented in this article. The front panel is designed quite typically. Most of it is taken up by the screen. Under it there is a touch control panel consisting of three buttons. They use common symbols: the Windows icon, the magnifying glass (search) and the arrow (back). Only the speaker used for calls and the Nokia logo are displayed above the screen. On the right side there are mechanical buttons. There are three of them: volume swing, camera control, blocking. Wired headphones can be connected via the audio jack located on the top end. There is a USB port on the bottom. The left side face is completely free from functional elements. The back cover served as a platform for removing the camera lens. It is typically located in the upper part of the case. The login is printed along the cover. There is a speaker output hole in the lower right corner. By the way, we note that it emits a rather loud sound.
Nokia Lumia 520: screen characteristics
Considering the characteristics of the screen, do not forget that the model was released in 2013. Naturally, the indicators will not be very high. The choice of the display was also influenced by the device belonging to the class of inexpensive devices. So, a screen made in compliance with IPS technology is installed on the smartphone. Its 4-inch size fully corresponds to the resolution of 800 × 480 px.
What can you say about the image quality? Colors don't look bright enough. According to the owners, the contrast level is too small. Many users have noticed that black does not appear naturally. It appears gray on the screen.
Multi-touch is able to recognize up to five touches made at the same time. But in fact, after the third phone starts to get confused. This can be safely called a significant disadvantage. Note that adjusting the Nokia Lumia 520 (screen calibration) does not solve the problem.
As a protection, the manufacturer used special glass. The film is not provided in the factory. There is no oleophobic type coating, which greatly upsets the owners, since a lot of fingerprints quickly accumulate on the screen.
CPU - Hardware
Few people were surprised to learn that the manufacturer installed a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor on the Nokia Lumia 520. The characteristics of the S4 MSM8227 model will consist of rather modest indicators. It is based on two cores. The chipset will not be able to cope with most modern tasks. These are resource intensive applications. However, if you use the phone for its intended purpose, then problems will not arise. Computing modules of the processor are capable of overclocking up to 1 GHz when the load increases.
An entry-level video card, Adreno 305, was chosen as a graphics accelerator. Its characteristics are also low, but they will be enough for simple toys.
Memory
What do I need to save applications on Nokia Lumia 520? Of course, the storage of built-in memory. You can also use the potential of an external drive. In this model, the manufacturer has chosen 8 GB of integrated memory, which is complemented by a microSDHC flash drive. The maximum capacity is 64 GB.
But what do the sizes of RAM mean? This characteristic affects the operation of applications. In the Lumia 520 model, it is only 512 MB. This is no longer enough to work with modern software.
Pictures for memory. Camera Feature
Only one camera is available in Nokia Lumia 520. The optical performance is limited by the capabilities of the 5-megapixel matrix. There is no flash. The developers have provided a fourfold zoom. It, of course, allows you to increase the area in the picture, but the quality is greatly degraded. Photos can be taken in the maximum resolution, which is 2592 × 1944 px. Video mode operates at 30 frames. Shooting is carried out in low quality - 720p (1280 × 720).
autonomy
When choosing a smartphone, it is very important to pay attention to the characteristics of the battery. Every buyer knows that Finnish products have always had a long battery life. Is the Lumia 520 an exception?
The developers installed a battery made using modern lithium-ion technology on the gadget. Its resource is 1430 mAh. The manufacturer claims that charging the Nokia Lumia 520 to 100% will take about 2-2.5 hours.
Now consider the characteristics of autonomy. According to the information in the instructions, the device will last 10 hours (3G) and 15 hours (2G) in talk mode. Putting the phone in standby mode, you can count on 15 days of work. Under the condition of medium load, the user will charge the battery no more than once every 48 hours.
Platform and Interface
The advantage of this device is the operating system. The phone runs on its original OS - Windows Phone. It has many undeniable advantages. First of all, it differs in stable work. Compared to Android, Windows Background is much more reliable. Many applications have been developed for this operating system. However, they all operate on 32-bit computing. But in defense of this phone, let's say that in 2013 there were no devices running on a 64-bit system.
The platform performance is excellent. That is why many users choose Nokia Lumia 520. Errors are not peculiar to the device. The smartphone supports all modern standards. These include Wi-Fi, GSM and 3G networks, bluetooth, GPS and A-GPS navigation.
The main screen is decorated with rectangular tiles. It is proportionately adjusted to the size of the display. All important functions are in quick access: calls, contacts, Internet browser and others.
Finally, the novelty has arrived! In this review, I will talk in detail about the Nokia Lumia 520 - the second generation of the previous Nokia Lumia 510 smartphone. The 520 model is the most affordable Windows Phone 8 smartphone. Is it worth the money? Should I buy it? Who will like it and who won't?
Finally, the novelty has arrived! In this review, I will talk in detail about the Nokia Lumia 520 - the second generation of the previous Nokia Lumia 510 smartphone. The 520 model is the most affordable Windows Phone 8 smartphone. Is it worth the money? Should I buy it? Who will like it and who won't?Let's start with the most pleasant. Outside April 2013 - the height of spring. Nokia Lumia 520 just (about two weeks ago) went on sale on store shelves. Naturally, at the start of sales, the price of a smartphone will be slightly overstated. Now stores are asking for 8,000 rubles (2,000 hryvnias or $250) for the device. Not bad, considering that the closest competitor - HTC 8S costs $ 75 more.
As always, my reviews begin with me looking into the box and evaluating its contents. The box from the Nokia Lumia 520 is no different from the boxes of the top Nokia Lumia smartphones. It's just as pleasant to the touch, small (I personally don't like it, I miss the suitcase box from my Nokia N73) and bright. On the outside of the box on its bottom, brief specifications and features of the smartphone are applied, and on the sides - the production date, stickers with the IMEI code, RM type and model. Nothing new. We open the box. Inside we find the smartphone itself (we have a bright yellow - lovely, worth noting), a USB cable, a charger (separately, and not together with a USB cable, although the smartphone is charged via a USB port. What motivates this decision is unknown) , the headset is the simplest. If you like listening to music with headphones, I advise you to carefully put the standard headphones in a box, and put the box on a shelf and go to the store for normal headphones. In addition, the smartphone is supplied with "on-board documentation" - a brief instruction and a warranty card.
Let's move on to the smartphone and its appearance. Picking up the phone, I immediately drew attention to the construction of the rear panel. The completely straight corners combined with the smooth lines of the back panel left me with the best impressions. The phone is very comfortable in the hand, ergonomics are not satisfactory.
The back panel is made in the likeness of my Nokia Lumia 620. The only difference is that there is no camera bezel - just a round hole for the camera eye. There is no flash here, which is very sad news for photography lovers. The speaker hole is also located on the bottom right. The smartphone turned out to be not the thinnest - there is almost a centimeter (9.9 millimeters). This is not a minus, but rather a plus - the golden mean, thanks to which representatives of both large and bulky male hands and small, delicate female hands will work comfortably with the phone.
As always, in Nokia Lumia smartphones, the left side is freed from any controls, all physical keys are moved to the right side - the volume rocker, the screen lock / smartphone power button, the camera shutter button. At the bottom there is only a micro-USB port, and at the top there is a 3.5 mm output for listening to your favorite music through headphones and connecting a headset.
Let's turn the phone to the top and look at the top panel. On top of the earpiece, the inscription Nokia and the proximity sensor. The Nokia Lumia 520 does not have a front camera, so forget about Skype - except for voice calls or chatting. The entire front panel is occupied by a large 4-inch screen, the resolution of which is classical - 800x480. The pixel density is 233 per inch. Quite good results, although in this case I prefer a smaller diagonal screen (Lumia 620 - 3.7 inches), which gives better detail and density.
The screen is made using TFT technology - this is the most ordinary matrix, without the use of various bells and whistles. But stop! I forgot about one extremely useful and nice feature! It is support high sensitivity mode. This means that the screen can be controlled by your favorite items. But still, I advise you to refrain from playing Fruit Ninja with a knife or keys, because the smartphone screen is covered with ordinary glass, not Gorilla Glass, so handle the smartphone carefully and carefully. But high sensitivity will allow you to use your smartphone in any gloves in the most severe frost. Due to the use of a standard matrix, the screen cannot boast of strong saturation and brightness of color reproduction. Also, the lack of an oleophobic coating (a la ClearBlack) affected the quality of the picture. But nevertheless, in the sun (if high brightness or automatic setting is enabled), the image remains fully readable and no discomfort occurs. If you still don’t like something, switch your smartphone to high contrast mode (Settings - Accessibility) and turn on the white theme.
Nokia Lumia 520 runs on Windows Phone 8 and received a dual-core, modern Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with a frequency of 1GHz. This ensures a perfect and completely bug-free operation of the system. Paired with Internet Explorer 10, surfing the Internet will be as convenient and comfortable as possible. The amount of RAM is 512 MB, which is enough to run all applications from the market, including Asphalt 7. The only exceptions are extremely heavy games, which are few in number - Amazing Spider Man, Dark Knight Rises and Modern Combat - Zero Hour, Temple Run and more several. The smartphone can work in 2G and 3G networks. There is no 4G/LTE support here. To do this, buy a 720 model or 820/920. There is no NFC chip here either. For data transfer, you are provided only with a usb port and bluetooth of the third generation, which, thank God, can transfer files without any programs. Thanks to Windows Phone 8, synchronization with the computer is also carried out without the use of additional applications (the hated by everyone Zune is a thing of the past). Just connect your smartphone to your computer and download content.
The phone's standard memory allows the user to store up to 8 GB of content. Subtract from these 8 GB about 1.5 GB that the system takes, it turns out that no more than 5 GB will be available to you. This is not critical, since the Nokia Lumia 520 supports micro-SD cards, the volume of which can be as much as 64GB. If this is not enough for you, Microsoft will kindly provide you with free 7GB of storage in the cloud. Please note that applications can only be installed in the phone's memory, so when buying a device, immediately buy yourself a memory card to save content (videos, pictures, music, documents).
Remove the back cover (this is not easy to do). To access the battery compartment and ports for a memory card and a SIM card (note that micro-sim is used here), you need to press the camera lens and pull the cover towards you (exactly like on the Nokia Lumia 620). If you have big fingers, you will have to suffer a little. A 1430 mAh battery perched under the cover (a point in favor of the Nokia Lumia 520 against the Nokia Lumia 620), and underneath it are slots for a SIM card and micro-sim. Slightly increased battery capacity will allow your pet to work in moderate use mode up to 3 days. This is a very good result. The smartphone is charged by simply connecting to a power outlet - there is no wireless charging.
If you love photography, think twice before buying this model. Let's give credit - the camera in the Nokia Lumia 520 is not the worst. The 5MP resolution with autofocus in good light can allow you to take good pictures at 2592x1944 pixels. This is enough for comfortable printing in 10:15 format. Detailing, of course, does not shine, but I think that for a smartphone for $ 250 this is not bad.
The situation worsens when you have to take pictures in low light conditions. You will have to brighten the picture only with hardware capabilities (by increasing the ISO settings - do not be afraid of noise, at ISO 800 - the maximum value - noise is not noticeable on the smartphone screen, or by adjusting the exposure), since there is no flash in this smartphone. The photo below is taken at night. The photo speaks for itself. But the camera can capture HD 720p video at 30 fps.
The phone is equipped with an A-GPS and GLONASS sensor. If you like a variety of trips and travels, then you will surely appreciate the navigation capabilities of this smartphone. By downloading the maps to your smartphone beforehand (for example, Ukrainian maps weigh about 350 MB), you can use them without connecting to the network both in the HERE Drive app and in the HERE Maps app. Please note that maps can only be downloaded for one country (HERE Drive limited, unlimited available on HERE Drive+ - Nokia Lumia 620, 820 and 920). Also, due to the lack of a built-in compass, the HERE City Lens app will not work.
Results. With the release of Nokia Lumia 520, the nearest competitors - HTC 8S and Huawei Ascend W1 - started having problems. Indeed, for 8,000 rubles you will receive a smartphone in which (pros):
- dual-core processor Qualcomm S4 1Ghz;
- support for memory cards up to 64GB + 8GB built-in;
- exclusive applications and navigation services;
- beautiful body and bright performance
- super sensitive screen
Since this is a budget model, we need to remind you about the limitations of the Nokia Lumia 520:
- 512MB RAM
- no ClearBlack and Gorilla Glass
- no compass
- no wireless charging
- relatively small battery
- no flash
- no front camera
wp-seven opinion: Nokia Lumia 520 will be a great choice for those who are switching from Windows Phone 7 to Windows Phone 8 or just starting to get acquainted with the OS. This device will also come in handy for those who do not particularly pay attention to the camera and bells and whistles like NFC or wireless charging. For other needs - listening to music, surfing the Internet, playing games and watching videos - Nokia Lumia 520 provides all the necessary features. I liked the smartphone, but I won’t say that I fell in love with it, as I fell in love with the Nokia Lumia 822.
The Nokia Lumia 520 follows the looks of the other Lumia phones - and that's a good thing. While most cheap smartphones look rather repulsive, the design of the Lumia 520 is pleasing to the eye and comfortable in the hand.
On the front side there is a touch screen with three typical and obligatory Windows Phone buttons below it.
All additional buttons are on the side (including power - which is convenient). Pleases and that there is a separate button for the camera.
The buttons, however, are not signed in any way, but to figure out where what, in fact, is possible without a hint.
At the bottom is a micro-USB connector, and at the top - a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Screen
The Lumia 520 uses a 4-inch capacitive touch screen with a resolution of 480x800 pixels. The screen supports multitouch with recognition of up to 5 touches simultaneously. The most interesting thing is that the sensor reacts not only to fingers (and even fingers in gloves), but also to some (not all) other objects - for example, metal ones. At the same time, the screen is capacitive, not resistive.
| Model
|
Nokia Lumia 520
|
| Screen |
IPS, 4'', 480x800 pix. |
| CPU |
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8227, 2 cores, 1000 MHz |
| GPU |
Adreno 305 |
| RAM |
512 MB |
| Built-in memory |
8 GB |
| Memory cards |
micro-SD(SDHC, SDXC) up to 64 GB |
| WiFi |
802.11a/b/g/n |
| Bluetooth |
3.0
|
| rear camera |
5 MP, autofocus |
| Front-camera |
No |
| Additionally |
GPS, GLONASS, digital compass |
| Dimensions |
61.1 x 115.4 x 11mm |
| Weight |
127 g |
| Battery |
1430 mAh (up to 14.5 hours in GSM talk mode, up to 61 hours in music mode) |
| Price |
8000 rub. |
The screen quality is at a good level - there are no complaints about color reproduction and clarity, only the brightness in the sun is not enough.
Also, there is no oleophobic coating, which is why you have to periodically wipe the screen with a cloth so that dry dirt does not remain on it.
Software
The phone runs on Windows Phone 8.0, the main features of which are a single interface for all phones of any brand, as well as smooth animation of the interface, regardless of the installed processor. If inexpensive Android smartphones often slow down and use them is not always comfortable, with Nokia Luma 520, despite the price, this will not happen. If a game or application is launched on this phone (due to the small amount of RAM, 512 MB, not all three-dimensional games will work here), then most likely, unless the developers screwed up something, there will be no problems with them in further work .
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In general, thanks to the integration of Windows Phone with social networks Twitter and Facebook, as well as a rich set of programs from Nokia, you can use Lumia 520 even without installing anything at all. However, it depends on the preferences of the owner. If you need Skype or a client for ICQ, Jabber, social network VKontakte or photo social network Instagram - all this can be found in the application store.
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But let's see what the Lumia 520 offers out of the box.
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First, it is worth noting the mobile office from Microsoft. This application allows you to create and edit documents in Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, Power Point. SkyDrive cloud storage is supported - so, if you have the Internet, you don't even need to upload documents to your phone separately.
Secondly, as I mentioned, the social networks Facebook and Twitter are supported. You can follow the status of your friends, as well as post messages (including those containing images) without resorting to other applications. The LinkedIn network, which is not very popular with us, is also supported, plus services (primarily mail) from Google, Yandex, Yahoo, Rambler and Mail.ru.
Thirdly, a full-fledged Nokia navigation is available on the smartphone absolutely free of charge: this includes HERE Maps and HERE Drive voice navigation and the HERE Transit public transport directory.
In HERE Transit, by the way, there are quite a few Russian cities - so the program will be useful not only to Muscovites and St. Petersburg residents.
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Fourthly, Nokia offers a lot of interesting camera utilities, among them: "Smart Photo" - a program that allows you to take several pictures of a single scene (for example, a group photo), and then combine the best moments of all the pictures into one. So, if someone blinked in one picture, and someone in another, and in the third picture they put horns on someone, it doesn’t matter.
"Panorama", as you might guess, is designed for shooting panoramas.
The Live Photos application is used to create so-called cinemagrams (or "gifs"): photos in which one element can move. For example, these:
However, there are many examples of really interesting cinemagrams on the net.
There is also a Photo Studio application that allows you to apply various effects to any photo taken with one click.
Multimedia
The smartphone can be used both as an audio player and as a video player (HD-video is not a problem for it). The sound is slightly worse than that of the flagship Nokia Lumia 920, but if you are not a music lover, you might not notice the difference. The main thing is that thanks to support for memory cards up to 64 GB, it is unlikely that in the foreseeable future the question of a lack of memory may arise.
The camera here is quite ordinary - it's not a flagship, but it's not "cheap". For posting on social networks, photos will do just fine, although they will visually lose to more expensive phones - especially the Lumia 920.
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Battery
Nokia Lumia 520 is an unpretentious smartphone, so in normal use it can live two days (or even three) on a single battery charge. But even with the most active use, if you don’t put it in your pocket at all, it will definitely live until the evening. Well, the best part - 61 hours of music declared by the manufacturer (which is close to reality) - not every player is capable of this.
Total
Cheap and still good. If you are not interested in gigahertz and you don’t care how many cores are in a smartphone, in general, if you need a modern smartphone, but without frills, then this is probably just the Nokia Lumia 520. What else can you get for 8 thousand rubles? Numerous android phones from unknown Chinese manufacturers, or from well-known ones, but with constant "brakes" and "lags" of the interface. In any case, few brands like Nokia will sell a new smartphone with a 4-inch screen at this price.
Of course, it is worth considering that the camera in the Lumia 520 is far from the flagships, modern three-dimensional games, most likely, will not start, and there is no oleophobic coating on the screen. But if none of this scares you, then you are unlikely to be disappointed in this smartphone.
