Nokia has unveiled what it describes as its "first ever large screen Lumia smartphone", the Lumia 1520. Featuring a 6in, full HD display and powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, the Lumia 1520 also includes a 20-megapixel PureView camera.
Nokia was rumoured to be working on an extra large smartphone for quite some time, and the result is certainly large. Weighing 209g and measuring almost 86mm wide, the Lumia 1520 immediately becomes one of the biggest smartphones on the market. While many users will appreciate the 6in screen, it definitely comes at a cost of size and weight.
Thankfully, the Lumia 1520 retains a similar, polycarbonate design to previous Lumia phones. It features ceramic keys on the side and will be available in white, yellow, red and black colour variants. Nokia says the black version is made from recycled materials.
The 6in, Full HD display on the Lumia 1520 is a significant inclusion for both Nokia and Windows Phone. The operating system was previously limited to a maximum resolution of 1280x720, so the addition of a 1920x1080, Full HD panel brings the device into line with major competitors.
The extra pixels now means there's room for a third column of Live tiles on the home screen, and six tiles across the screen instead of four. The software upgrade (officially called General Distribution Release 3 or GDR 3 for short) also allows the Lumia 1520 to take advantage of a faster processor, in this case Qualcomm's 2.2GHz, quad-core Snapdragon 800. It's the same chip used in devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the LG G2 and the upcoming Google Nexus 5.
Also new to the Lumia 1520 is expandable memory through the addition of a microSD card slot. Most existing Lumia phones (and most Windows Phones) lack expandable storage, so it's somewhat of a surprise, but a welcome addition nonetheless. The phone will come with 32GB of internal memory.
The Nokia Lumia 1520 comes with a 20-megapixel PureView camera with optical image stabilisation. The technology is a lower-resolution version of the Lumia 1020's 41-megapixel PureView sensor, but still allows users to zoom into a photo after it is captured without losing image quality. Zoom is 2x rather than the Lumia 1020's 3x, however. The front-facing camera has a 1.2-megapixel sensor but can record 720p wide angle video.
The Lumia 1520 is the first phone to ship with Nokia Camera, which combines Nokia's previous Smart Cam and Pro Cam apps. The app provides quick access to Windows Phone's multitude of lenses, which previously weren't accessible in Pro Cam. Nokia is also debuting a Storyteller app, which automatically integrates geotagged pictures and creates a chronological timeline on a map.
The Lumia 1520 includes a large, non-removable 3400mAh battery and has integrated wireless charging based on the Qi standard.
The Nokia Lumia 1520 will be available is expected to start shipping in Q4 2013, but Australian pricing and release details have yet to be announced.
A promotional video of the Nokia Lumia 1520 can be viewed below.
