The new Nokia Lumia 520 offers compelling evidence of Nokia’s philosophy that buying an affordable smartphone shouldn’t mean compromising on the experience.
In our humble opinion, this Windows Phone 8 device delivers the best overall experiences of any smartphone in its range.
It is the perfect choice for people looking to upgrade to Lumia and to Windows Phone and wanting a taste of some of that high-end innovation.
Digital Lenses for fun imaging
The Nokia Lumia 520’s five-megapixel autofocus camera adds a touch of fun to taking pictures with Nokia’s digital camera lenses.
Cinemagraph brings pictures to life with animation and allows you to easily share the fun with friends on Facebook, Twitter or via email.
Smart Shoot takes multiple group pictures with a single click allowing you to choose the best expression for the perfect shot or even remove people altogether.
The Panorama lens provides an easy way to capture super-wide-angled photos of any beautiful scene.
With 8GB internal memory – double most smartphones in this price range – and support for micro SD cards up to 64GB you can be sure to have more memory for storing all the great pictures you’ve created.
The Lumia experience at a great price
The Nokia Lumia 520 is the first affordable smartphone to come with the same super sensitive touch technology found on the Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 820.
That means you can tap and scroll on the touchscreen using your nails, car keys or even wearing gloves. If you’re just using your fingers, it makes the four inch display much more responsive.
This phone also demonstrates the same colour and design language that has made our other Lumias stand out from the crowd.
It comes in yellow, red, cyan, white and black, and if you can’t decide which you want, the shells are exchangeable so you can change to a new colour whenever you fancy.
Of course, it also comes with Nokia Music, which means free unlimited streaming of playlists chosen by our local teams of expert musicologists, or you can make your own.
There’s no registration and no advertisements – just great music playing instantly, and if you are worried about data charges – Nokia Music even let’s you download up to four playlists for free.
If you want more than that, upgrade to Nokia Music+ for unlimited downloads, track skips and lyrics streamed with the music for only €3.99 a month.
Not forgetting, of course, the location and navigation tools with HERE Drive, HERE Maps and HERE Transit so that you’ll never get lost again.
No compromises
Mikko Kahlos, the lead product manager for Nokia Lumia 520, said his brief was “to give people more value without compromising on quality.”
We think you’ll agree, he met his brief!
All these great experiences come at an estimated starting price of €139 before taxes and subsidies.
If you can’t wait to get your hands on the Nokia Lumia 520, it’s planned to start shipping in March – arriving first in Hong Kong and Vietnam, but it will quickly start to reach more markets around Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.
It will even be coming to the US with T-Mobile and to China with China Mobile as the latest smartphone from Nokia to be sold by the world’s largest mobile operator.
Tech Specs
Operating System: Windows Phone 8
Networks: WCDMA 900/2100, 850/1900/2100, GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
Speed: 3G HSPA+ (21Mbps)
Memory: 512 MB RAM, 8 GB mass memory, support for microSD cards up to 64GB, 7GB free SkyDrive storage
Display: 4” IPS LCD WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) 16M colors,
2D hardened glass, super sensitive touch for fingernail and glove use
Processor: 1 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon™
Camera: 5Mpix autofocus, video recording HD 720p 30fps
Size: 119.9 x 64 x 9.9 mm* (*volume thickness)
Weight: 124g
Connectivity: WLAN IEEE802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, Integrated A-GPS, 3.5 mm audio connector, Micro USB with charging, USB 2.0 High Speed
Battery: 1430mAh
Audio: single digital microphone, 3.5mm AV connector, MP3 player
Colours: Yellow, red, cyan, white and black
Operating times
Talk time: up to 9.6 hours (on 3G)
Standby time: up to 360 hours