Nokia Lumia 2520 review :
Nokia Lumia 2520 official photos
Nokia Lumia 2520 live photos
The retail package and its contents
The optional battery cover
The Lumia 2520 looks anything but revolutionary
Nokia Lumia 2520 sized up against the Surface 2 and the iPad Air
The display of the Nokia Lumia 2520 is quite good
Taking a closer look at the tablet's screen
The Lumia 2520 has a better display than the Surface 2
The view above the screen
A look below the display
The view on the left and the right of the Lumia 2520
The right side of the slate
A look at the top of the Nokia Lumia 2520
The bottom of the Nokia Lumia 2520
The back of the tablet
Introduction
As the Finnish company's first Windows tablet, the Nokia Lumia 2520 cannot complain about lack of attention from both brand loyalists and industry pundits. Announced alongside the Lumia 1520 phablet, the slate expands Nokia's product lineup beyond smartphones, thus allowing the company to compete with the heavyweights in yet another highly-lucrative segment of the consumer tech market.
Nokia Lumia 2520 official photos
Just like in the case of its latest generation Windows Phones, Nokia has opted for using some of the most capable hardware available around for its tablet. The Nokia Lumia 2520 packs a stunning 10.1-inch IPS LCD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset, LTE connectivity, and a 6.7MP camera with Carl Zeiss lens. Not to mention the usual host of Nokia's proprietary apps and services.
Here goes the full list of Nokia Lumia 2520 features, followed by some of its disadvantages we found after using the tablet for a while.
Key features
- 10.1" 1080p (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) ClearBlack IPS touchscreen; Gorilla Glass 2
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 SoC; quad-core 2.2GHz Krait 400 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU
- Touch-optimized Windows 8.1 RT with deep Microsoft services integration
- 2GB 800 MHz LPDDR3 RAM; 32GB of in-built storage (around 17.5GB user available)
- Micro SD card slot, up to 64GB supported
- Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity with Wi-Fi Direct
- HSDPA 42mbps and LTE 150Mbps connectivity
- MicroUSB port, USB 3.0 host functionality
- Bluetooth 4.0
- NFC connectivity
- HDMI port
- Accelerometer, compass and three-axis gyro-sensor
- 6.7MP main camera with F/1.9 aperture and Carl Zeiss optics; 1080p@30fps video
- 2MP wide-angle front-facing camera, 720p@30fps video
- Built-in stereo speakers
- Superb build quality and ergonomics
- Full version of Microsoft Office available out of the box
- Exclusive HERE Maps with available offline navigation out of the box
- Nokia Storyteller; Nokia Camera; My Nokia; Nokia Music; Nokia Video Director apps are exclusive to the tablet
- 8,120mAh battery with impressive endurance
- Available optional battery keyboard dock with a duo of USB ports
Main disadvantages
- Windows RT app availability is still confined to the Windows Store
- Limited amount of good-quality apps available for the RT platform
- Heavier than most other 10" tablets
- Display resolution falls behind the competition in the same price range
- There are compelling options with the full-blown Windows 8.1, some at a lower price
- The keyboard dock adds considerably to the tablet's price and thickness
A quick look at the key features reveals that, as far as specs go, the Nokia Lumia 2520 is well-equipped to go head to head with the finest tablet offerings available on the market. The Lumia's display resolution falls slightly behind its top-end iOS and Android rivals', though Nokia has made up for the pixel shortage with superb contrast, sunlight legibility, and viewing angles.
Of course, just like in the case of the Microsoft Surface 2 we recently reviewed, we can't help but be a tad skeptical about the presence of Windows 8.1 RT as the OS of choice on Nokia's first tablet. The new wave of affordable, Intel Atom based touchscreen tablets running the full Windows 8.1 questions the very existence of the ARM-centric branch of the OS. The same goes for the obvious lack of hardware vendors willing to utilize the lightweight Windows version in newly developed products.
In a manner taken straight from its Windows Phone playbook, Nokia has countered the limitations of the OS by adding a number of useful, exclusive apps to the Lumia 2520. They include HERE Maps, Nokia Camera, Nokia Video Director, and Nokia Storyteller.
Nokia Lumia 2520 live photos
As always, we will kick the review off by unboxing the tablet, followed by a close look at its design and hardware.
Editorial: You might notice that this review is shorter than usual and doesn't include some of our proprietary tests. The reason is it has been prepared and written far away from our home office and test lab. Still, we think we've captured the essence of the device in the same precise, informative and detailed way that's become our trademark. Enjoy the good read!
Basic retail package
The retail package of the Nokia Lumia 2520 is basic. Inside the tablet's box, you will find a charger, a tool for accessing the SIM and microSD slots, as well as some booklets.
The retail package and its contents
Much like the Microsoft Surface 2, the Nokia Lumia 2520 has an optional keyboard cover. Alongside the full QWERTY and trackpad, the keyboard cover packs an extra 2,027mAh battery and a duo of full USB ports.
The optional battery cover
The keyboard cover for the Nokia Lumia 2520 is essential for utilizing its massive productivity talents. Its two major downsides come from its price tag and its considerable weight. At $149 and 571 grams respectively, both add significantly to the tablet's bottom line in both literal and figurative sense.
Design and build quality
The looks of the Nokia Lumia 2520 hold no surprises. The tablet follows closely the design language of the Nokia Lumia smartphone range. Thanks to its rectangular shape and rounded edges, the slate literally looks like a stretched out Lumia smartphone.
The Lumia 2520 looks anything but revolutionary
The above considered, the Nokia Lumia 2520 looks handsome in the flesh, if a bit too familiar. After all, the current Lumia family design language debuted back in mid-2011 with the MeeGo totting Nokia N9.
Like its smartphone relatives, the Nokia Lumia 2520 is available in a variety of colors, and matte or glossy finish. The colors on offer are black, white, cyan, and red. The black and cyan color schemes come with a matte finish, while the white and red are glossy.
The matte black version which we got to review can easily claim to be the most understated-looking tablet around. We also reckon that the matt finish is easier to live with on a daily basis, as it handles smudgy fingerprints much better that its glossy counterpart.
The measures of the Nokia Lumia 2520 are 267 x 168 x 8.9 mm, while its weight tips the scale at the relatively substantial 615 grams. The latter means that the Nokia Lumia 2520, while a tad more compact than the Microsoft Surface 2, is heftier than the high-end iOS and Android offerings it will compete with.
Nokia Lumia 2520 sized up against the Surface 2 and the iPad Air
Build quality is up to Nokia's usual high standards. The Lumia 2520 is superbly put together and ready to tackle plenty of daily use and abuse - from the solid polycarbonate body, all the way to display covered by Corning's Gorilla Glass 2.
Display
The Nokia Lumia 2520 features a 10.1" Full HD ClearBlack IPS display with multi-touch support. The screen boasts enhanced outdoor visibility and an orientation sensor. Its pixel density is 218ppi.
The display of the Nokia Lumia 2520 is quite good
The contrast and viewing angles of the Lumia's display are superb, as is its sunlight legibility. Nokia has been treating its top-end smartphones to high-quality displays for some time now, so we can't say we didn't expect one on the company's first tablet as well.
Taking a closer look at the tablet's screen
Subjectively, the Nokia Lumia 2520 hands-down beats the screen of its Windows 8.1 RT sibling, the Microsoft Surface 2, in both contrast and viewing angles. Brightness is better too.
The Lumia 2520 has a better display than the Surface 2
Things however, take a downturn when Nokia's offering goes head to head with the iOS and Android's finest. Apple, Samsung, and ASUS all offer tablets with significantly higher resolution than the Lumia 2520. To put things simply, 1920 x 1080 pixels is no longer considered cutting edge for a $500 tablet.
Controls
Above the display is where the 2MP front-facing camera and its indicator light can be found. An ambient light sensor and proximity sensor, as well as a microphone are also located there.
The view above the screen
Below the display, you will find the Windows start button. The tablet's front-facing stereo speakers are there as well. They keep a pleasantly low profile.
A look below the display
The 3.5mm audio jack and the charging port are located on the left. They look quite alike at a quick glance.
The view on the left and the right of the Lumia 2520
The microUSB and the microHDMI ports are located on the right hand side of the tablet.
The right side of the slate
The power/lock key, the volume rocker, as well as the pop-out tray for the microSIM and microSD card are located on top. The tray is removed via the supplied ejector tool.
A look at the top of the Nokia Lumia 2520
The proprietary connector for Nokia's keyboard cover sits alone on the bottom. There is nothing else there.
The bottom of the Nokia Lumia 2520
The back of the Nokia Lumia 2520 is home of the 6.7MP Zeiss camera, an NFC connectivity tag, and a couple of logos. Next to the camera sits a secondary microphone dedicated to noise cancellation.
The back of the tablet
Powered by a beefy 8,120mAh battery, the Nokia Lumia 2520 did quite well in our battery test. The Finnish slate bested its Surface 2 relative and scored highly in both the web browsing and video playback section.
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