Nokia’s new flagship, the 1020 has already seen a lot of acclaim and some criticism at the same time. While its 41 megapixel camera has proven to be a killer feature, its subpar hardware has also drawn vilification.
So what really has changed in the new flagship? First, a comparison with its predecessor:
| Nokia Lumia 1020 | Nokia Lumia 920 | |
| Status | Announced | Available |
| Weight | 158g | 185g |
| Thickness | 10.4mm | 10.7mm |
| OS (pre-installed) | Windows Phone 8 | Windows Phone 8 |
| Display | 4.5 inch | 4.5 inch |
| Resolution | 768 x 1280 pixels | 768 x 1280 pixels |
| Processor | Dual-core 1.5Ghz Krait | Dual-core 1.5Ghz Krait |
| GPU | Adreno 225 | Adreno 225 |
| RAM, storage | 2 GB, 32 GB non-expandable | 1 GB, 32 GB non-expandable |
| Camera (rear) | 41mp PureView camera, 1080p video, OIS, Carl Zeiss Optics | 8mp PureView camera, 1080p video, OIS |
| Camera (front) | 1.2mp HD | 1.3mp HD |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 3.0, microUSB 2.0, NFC, Wifi, USB-OTG, GPS | Bluetooth 3.1, microUSB 2.0, NFC, Wifi, GPS |
| Battery | 2000 mAh | 2000 mAh |
From the simple table, it is clear that apart from the camera, nothing is substantially changed, and actually in the hardware side, everything is exactly the same. Windows Phone hasn’t got as strict hardware requirements as Android, but still, some apps might struggle.
And how about a comparison with other flagships?
| Nokia Lumia 1020 | Samsung Galaxy S4 | HTC One | Apple iPhone 5 | Sony Xperia Z | |
| Status | Announced | Available | Available | Available | Available |
| Weight | 158g | 130g | 143g | 112g | 146g |
| Thickness | 10.4mm | 7.9mm | 9.3mm | 7.6mm | 7.96mm |
| OS (pre-installed) | Windows Phone 8 | Android 4.2.2 | Android 4.1.2 | iOS 6 | Android 4.1.2 |
| Display | 4.5 inch | 5 inches | 4.7 inches | 4 inches | 5 inches |
| Resolution | 768 x 1280 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels | 640 x 1136 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels |
| Processor | Dual-core 1.5Ghz Krait | 1.6Ghz quad-core Cortex A15 and 1.2Ghz quad-core Cortex A7 | Quad-core 1.7 Ghz Krait | 1.2Ghz dual-core Apple A6 chip | Quad-core 1.5 Ghz Krait |
| GPU | Adreno 225 | PowerVR SGX 544MP3 | Adreno 320 | PowerVR SGX 544MP3 | Adreno 320 |
| RAM, storage | 2 GB, 32 GB non-expandable | 2 GB, 16/32/64 GB expandable | 2 GB, 16 GB non-expandable | 1 GB RAM, 16/32/64 GB non-expandable | 2 GB, 16 GB expandable |
| Camera (rear) | 41mp PureView camera, 1080p video, OIS, Carl Zeiss Optics | 13mp, 1080p video | 4 mp Ultrapixel, 1080p video | 8 mp, 1080p video | 13mp, 1080p video |
| Camera (front) | 1.2mp HD | 2mp Full HD | 2.1mp Full HD | 1.2mp HD | 2.2mp Full HD |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 3.0, microUSB 2.0, NFC, Wifi, USB-OTG, | Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, microUSB 2.0, USB OTG, Infrared, Wifi | Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, Wifi, optional NFC, Infrared | Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0, Wifi | Bluetooth 3.1, microUSB 2.0, NFC, Wifi |
| Battery | 2000 mAh | 2600 mAh | 2300 mAh | 1440 mAh | 2330 mAh |
So as you can see, except for the camera, the Lumia 1020 doesn’t really shine very brightly. Still, the good news is that if your primary purpose of using this phone is for camera, then it won’t disappoint you.