2014-01-30-0837Nokia entered into the ‘big-sized phones’ better known as Phablets market with the launch of Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1320. It took some time for them to launch Phablets. but when Nokia did it, they went really big, with monstrous 6-inch displays on both Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1320. So, while for enthusiasts with deep pockets, Lumia 1520 is the flagship Lumia Phablet to go for, many would love to consider Lumia 1320 for its pricing and features. Our review of Lumia 1320, titled “Monstrous ambitions” aims to put the comparably mid-range Nokia Phablet into perspective.

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Hardware:

Design wise, it may not be one of the most beautiful Lumia devices ever created, but still looks well-built and beautifully designed. It gives a feel of robustness and reliability when you hold it in your hand. The back has rubbery Matt finish which makes it joy to hold. Nokia quality all the way!! The 720p display is really vibrant and with Nokia’s PureMotion (60 Hz refresh rate)  and CBD enhancements looks has really wide viewing angles and one of the best outdoor visibility. Then there are a lot of options provided in settings to customize it according to one’s taste. It is not very light but weight is evenly distributed and it looks and feels sleeker than it actually is because of its design. The screen has 60 Hz refresh rate and being super-sensitive can be used with gloves, pencils, nails etc.

2014-01-30-0832 Software:

The Lumia 1320 comes pre-loaded with Nokia Black update and is as smooth and responsive as we expect a Windows Phone device to be. It has been rock solid as my daily driver and I have never seen it freezing or restarting even once during my long usage period. The browser is really fast with best-in-class panning and zooming even while rendering web pages on a 6-inch display. Apps open really fast and everything runs without lag. Though we still have some complaints like lack of easy settings navigation, a file manager, separate sound controls which we know will be taken care by Windows Phone 8.1 update. Lumia 1320 in India comes with some freebies like free Flipkart eBooks, My movies etc. So, that makes the experience all more enjoyable for adopters.

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Apps:

The apps and games scene has never been so good for owning a Windows Phone as it is now. Major official apps like Instagram, Vine etc have come to Windows Phone and other wise have very capable 3rd party alternatives. Many major games have come to Windows Phone in last few days along with their iOS and Android counterparts. So, with Lumia 1320 you can really install any of the games and apps available on store and have a blast. With MicroSD card support you can really stretch the storage to your liking and store as many pictures, videos and music as much you wish. But, with the constraint of not being able to install apps on SD card you can face issues with install of very big games if you already have many apps installed. We faced issue with Asphalt 8 Airborne. This is also something which will be taken care by Windows Phone 8.1 update as the leaks suggest.

Nokia exclusives experience:

Nokia has left no stone unturned, since it adopted Windows Phone in ensuring best possible experience for Lumia owners. The Lumia exclusive apps and services fill the gaps left by slow development of Windows Phone and some of them like Here Maps and related services apps, Transfer my data, Nokia Music aka MixRadio are life savers. Some of them like Nokia Camera, Nokia Refocus, Photo Beamer bring unique rich experience for Lumia owners . This list doesn’t end here and there are many 3rd party apps which Nokia has brought to Lumias in collaboration with developers. Anyways, that’s where a device like Lumia 1320 is required for taking full advantage of these exclusives.

2014-01-30-0844Camera:

We have tested Lumia 1320′s camera in various conditions and it certainly has a solid 5 MP camera on-board. We have reviewed its camera separately and you can click here to read our full Lumia 1320 camera review. You can also read our video capture impressions. Lumia 1320 features a 5 MP camera sensor with F/2.4 aperture and sensor size of 1/4″. It has a 4X digital zoom which is certainly not the lossless zoom, we have on bigger Lumias. None of these specs look intimidating. So, how does it perform? As we have seen in case of video capture, it is one impressive 5 MP shooter. Here is what I found impressive about the camera,

  • Captures good details and sharp images especially when lighting is good.
  • In low light, the famous Nokia Camera algorithms make it capture brighter images without flash.
  • Macro Mode capture with Nokia Camera is a breeze and Lumia 1320 impresses.
  • One thing that certainly impresses about Lumia Black update and Nokia Camera is the improvement in color fidelity of Lumia smartphone cameras. Lumia 1320 images come out vibrant, yet don’t loose their natural subject color. We will see one compared with similar sample from 808.
  • It has one HAAC mic which helps in capturing rich-audio something usually absent from competitor mid-range phones.

What I didn’t like is,

  • The not so impressive flash though it still captures better images than its close competitors with flash. But, Nokia could have packed it with better flash
  • Why the 6.7 MP camera sensor didn’t make it to Lumia 1320. This is a puzzle for me? Lumia 1302 is more expensive device than Lumia 720 and don’t tell me that specs don’t matter. They matter a lot for marketing!!

Music, Video Playback and Gaming:

Lumia 1320 display really shines in stuff like Video Playback and Gaming and the below hands-on demo video is a good example of this. It has a pretty loud speaker at the back and music output quality is excellent. If you use a headphone then you can enjoy the rich Dolby output, which is again one of the best from any phone. Video playback and gaming takes advantage of that 60 Hz screen refresh rate and dark blacks due to Nokia’s Puremotion tech. The colors pop up and video and gaming graphics look beautiful on the screen. You can also watch our video review below to experience the music output quality.

You can watch our hands-on demo of gaming, movie watching, ebook reading on its beautiful 6-inch display.

Battery life:

Lumia 1320 has 3400 mAH battery and I am getting 40 hrs of battery life with heavy “blogger” usage of the device which involves lots of browsing, apps testing and daily chores. Consider it beyond 44 hrs for a moderate to heavy use an, that is really impressive. Though for better battery life you may like to give our earlier posted tutorial a try. Frankly speaking, it is great for a device with such large display and that may be one more deal-maker for many.

2014-01-30-0835Conclusion:

Negatives

  • May be big for people with small hands
  • Usual Windows Phone 8 quirks like lack of quick access shortcuts for settings like Bluetooth, WiFi, Cellular data, NFC on home screen. Syncing should be improved
  • I simply dislike the fact that volume controls are not separate for various functions, but this will be taken care by Windows Phone 8.1

Positives

  • Well-built and joy to hold if you have big hands.
  • Beautiful 6-inch display for that price
  • Solid camera which shines in both imaging and video capture. One of the best in its range
  • Windows Phone 8 is really joy to use. Addictive smooth!
  • Kid’s corner still remains one of my most liked features on any Windows Phone

Final words:

Lumia 1320 presents itself as a strong option for anyone looking for a Phablet or even someone going to by a 7-incher mini Tablet. It has Nokia quality hardware and great software which keeps it smooth under trying usage conditions.  That 6-inch display is the best you get for this price and you would love to take it outdoors. It has an impressive 5 MP camera and truly shines in audio, video playback. For those who love to read ebooks on their smartphone and don’t want to break the bank, look no further.

While Lumia 1520 is a no-brainer, if you have money to support and you are in market for a Phablet, but if money is a constraint, Lumia 1320 is what you can go for without worrying much. When compared to the competitor devices like Galaxy Grand 2, it outclasses most of them with larger & much better quality display and beats them in camera department even after having a lower resolution camera than them. Nokia may have a winner on their hands here!!

Video Review:

You can also enjoy our video review of Lumia 1320 below or by going to our YouTube channel.

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