Nokia takes the phablet route

The Lumia 1520 has features to die for, but to be a proud possessor of the smartphone would mean burning a hole in your pocket

It is tough to define a 'phablet'. The classical answer - it is a portmanteau word (phone plus tablet). In technological terms, it is an amalgamation of a phone and a tablet. Phablets tend to offer users the best of both worlds.

And, Nokia, lately, has taken the phablet route by introducing the Lumia 1520. This chic-looking device is pleasing to the eye but can it please the average user?

Design & build
The 1520 comes in four vibrant colours. Our review device had a glossy red finish and the polycarbonate shell gives it a nice feel. The three capacitive touch buttons and the front camera occupy the front side of the device, giving the screen a spacious look. All the physical buttons of the 1520 are located on the right, so you will take some time to get used to their positioning. A 20MP camera and flash, along with the speaker, are located on the back. The 3.5mm jack is present on the top, with a micro-USB slot at the bottom. A nano-SIM holder and a microSD card holder are placed on the left.

Nokia Lumia 1520

• Price: Rs 46,900 onwards
• Screen: 6 inches
• OS: Windows Phone 8
• RAM: 2GB
• Processor: 2.2GHz, Qualcomm quad core
• Memory: 32GB internal, expandable upto 64GB
• Camera (rear/front): 20MP/1.2MP
• Battery: 3,400mAh

Display
One of the biggest plus points of the 1520 is its six-inch full high-definition (HD) display. That's 15.24cm of pure performance. Coupled with the ClearBlack display technology, the screen is a delight to look at - with clear viewing angles. The screen is clear and crisp under the sky because of the sunlight-readability enhancements. Corning Gorilla Glass 2 adds some steel to the screen, making it less prone to scratches and smudges.

System stats
The 1520 runs Windows Phone 8. Users can now have three columns of Live tiles because of the big screen. The functioning of Windows Phone 8 gets even smoother because of the 2.2GHz Qualcomm quad core processor and 2GB RAM. The 1520 comes with inbuilt storage of 32GB.

And, if that wasn't enough, there is - wait for it - the provision of a memory card slot that is expandable up to 64GB. So technically, you have ample space to play with.

In terms of performance, the 1520 runs away with it. There were no lags or freeze moments at all during our review.

The six-inch Lumia is perfect for frequent gaming and videos. Also, any fears of the power backup of the 1520 being the same as its predecessors have been allayed with a massive 3,400mAh battery. Albeit non-removable, it gives you enough juice to run effortlessly for a day and a half.

Camera-licious experience
Here, we'll let the numbers do the talking. A 20MP PureView main camera and a 1.2MP secondary one with an impressive resolution of 1,280x960 pixels. Despite lacking the prowess of the Lumia 1020, the 1520 would surely satisfy your appetite for photography and recordings. Capturing HD videos on the 1520 is even better.

The sound quality is immaculate, with four microphones receiving your subjects loud and clear.

Final low-down
It's big, beautiful and a tad bulky; a delight to look at, but cumbersome to carry. The asking price - Rs 46,900. There's every chance that the price might come down but you could still end up paying at least Rs 45,000 for this six-inch Lumia.

It is undoubtedly bringing a lot to the table in terms of performance but then you do have to look at other options. Why wouldn't someone go for an iPhone or a Nexus? So, while the 1520 bags the performance aspect, it stumbles at the price hurdle.