Four months after it was announced, we finally got our hands on Nokia’s most affordable Windows Phone 8 offering to date, the Lumia 520. Check out what this device initially has to offer by reading our first impressions below.
The Lumia 520 is Nokia’s Windows Phone 8 answer, and successor, to the WP7-powered Lumia 510. In comparison to its predecessor, the Lumia 520 has changed a lot in terms of looks. It now carries a squarish design which is more suited for a Windows Phone, also less chunky at 9.9mm (vs 11.5mm Lumia 510), and slightly smaller and lighter than the 510.
Like most Lumias, the Lumia 520 feels solidly built. It has a rounded back with a rubber-like finish which makes it feel really good in the hands. In addition, the 520’s rear shell can be interchanged so you can take advantage of the secondary shell included in the package.
In terms of internal hardware, the Lumia 520 still sports a 4-inch display with WVGA resolution and a pixel density of 233ppi. What’s good though is that it now has IPS instead of TFT and has a scratch-resistant glass to cover it with. CPU power was also increased to a 1Ghz dual-core processor, RAM is now at 512MB, internal storage was doubled to 8GB with microSD support, and a slightly larger juice tank at 1,430mAh.
Nokia Lumia 520 specs:
4″ WVGA (480 x 800) IPS LCD, 233ppi
Qualcomm MSM8227 Dual-core 1 GHz
Adreno 305
512MB RAM
8GB internal storage
microSD up to 64GB
5MP AF camera
720p video recording at 30fps
HSDPA, 21.1 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual band
Bluetooth 3.0
GPS with A-GPS support and GLONASS
Li-Ion 1,430mAh battery
119.9 x 64 x 9.9 mm
124g
Windows Phone 8
Php7,990 SRP
As far as our first impression goes, the Lumia 520 is looking good in terms of design and build. We’re yet to find out how it performs so stay tuned for our full review in the coming weeks.
Are there apps available in the Windows Store that allow users to download free music? I am sold on the Lumia 520, I just have some reservations regarding the availability of free music on the Windows OS. I hope you can respond to my query. Thank you!
i’m planning to buy L520 because it’s a budget friendly phone. but my friend told me that it’s too low-end (not that it matters to me). maybe she meant that the phone has no front cam and the battery life is not that good. but my friend is a techy girl and i am not. i am more concerned of the durability of the product. can it last for 5 years you think?
guys, kelangan ko lang talaga malaman kung umiilaw ba yung soft buttons nia (back, home and search).
thanks!
I have viewed some of its reviews on Youtube and they say na hindi umiilaw yung soft buttons.
520 is a great budget friendLy phone for starters. I bought one for my mom, and she enjoyed the experience, although it lack a front cam which is standard on most phones… what i was thinking is the long term support, very clear and crisp mic and speakers, very slick UI… so much on the list that you wont have to think of its weakness because it is a very friendLy phone and the OS is great too…
some of the weaknesses i see if we are going to consider my interest:
WP8
(-)
1. no torrent apps only remote apps for torrent
2. appstore is not upfront with its offerings, you need to type in keywords to see if its available. tingin ko may shortage sa apps but the essentials are there.
3. no pull down notification tray
4. shortcuts for setting on and off for settings
5. profile switching
6. plug and play on pc, needs a program to be installed.
7. no tab to separate contacts with numbers from with no numbers which is linked with facebook, making your contact lists so many.
8. copy pasting of numbers, i dont know if there is a way to copy it to dial pad.
9. when you are charging, it is always turned on, no way for charging it while turned off..
Hardware, package, Lumia 520:
(-)
1. no frontcam
2. i bought the phone for a promotional price of 7,149 and there is no extra back cover which made me think that that may be the cost why the price is slashed but the extra back cover is a plus if there is.
3. no led for rear cam, photos not really good with low light, pero ayos lang, budget friendLy nga dba… hihihi.
4. micro-sim, sana ung standard nalang, pero ok Lang, puede naman ipa trim pero problema nalang to pag switching with other phone while keeping same number.
(+)
1. very clear audio and mic, recommended for skype users who are always on wi-fi,
2. battery life is stunning which you can thank mostly the OS for that
3. simple lang ung design nia, elegant rin tignan for its price, may choice ka pa sa colours, and back cover is replaceable kung meron kang extra, as of now, wala akong makta sa mga stores kasi bago lang ung 520 sa pinas.. after few months, meron na rin sigurong accesories.
4. txting and calling, ayos na ayos xa… responsive ang screen kahit na sa tapping sa onscreen keyboard eh kahit maliit, makakatype ka ng mabilis, sanayan lang,
5. maps, offline…
6. playing music, watching movies, ayos na ayos, tapos sa youtube, maganda ung caching nia.
7. pansin ko, malakas ung sagap ng wifi connection ng Lumia 520 ko kesa sa nexus 7 and other phones like galaxy y , parehas sila ng distance sa wifi hotspot ko. even with our wifi-modem-router from pldt.. very smooth and silky ang browsing…sa android, may delay at minsan hirap magconnect sa network. greyed out then blue, sa lumia, instant, connected kagad…
8. charger, earphones… tingin ko durable, very comfortable naman sa ears. sa charging, compact ung design, hindi buggy at hindi na tuLad ng naunang chargers ng nokia na kelangan may ikabit pang separate plug para maging compatible sa standard socket.
9. ung package naman, very fit xa, hindi mo problema na mag gulong gulong ung box kac fit na fit ung tray ng phone sa lalagyanan, ang maririnig mong tumutunog eh ung chargers, earphones kac malaki ung space sa ilalim. may manuals din naman, simple lang. stable sa part ng lalagyanan ng phone… meron kacng packaging na pati ung phone umaalog sa loob. additional note, d mo kelangan ng cutter sa unboxing…at hindi xa super tight pero hindi loose, sakto lang… hindi tulad ng iba na after unboxing, gutay gutay na ung ibang part ng package.
10. stress free sa handling ng apps and whole phone experience, no lags… eh karamihan sa android phone, time after time, it lags.
11. back cover design and weight, very comfortable sa handling. pati sa bulsa, saktong sakto.
12. screen brightness, ok lang din.
13. future proof ung OS
*i hope makatuLong to sa mga naghahanap ng phone.
*basta masasabi ko, this is really a good phone for its price…
*in terms of OS, half-baked ang WP8, pero un ang ka-abang-abang sa wp8… it may be late but still, it will be soon at par where the android and iOS are now… if you want to try other OS and you dont want to spend that much, get this Lumia 520 to try it out first before spending to a high end phone… buti nalang, hindi 920 binili ko, saka na muna, tingin ko magtatagal to kay mama, kac nokia to, quality is not sacrificed for being budget friendly, ung dual sim basic phone ko na c2-00 from nokia which costed 2800, hanggang ngaun, buhay pa.
LUMIA 520: specs and price justifiable by brand and QUALITY. value for the money rating: 4.5/5, d ko ginawang 5, although close na rin…
*Para sa mga taong gustong maka-experience ng pagkakaroon ng smartphone under tight budget but not sacrificing ung quality, get this one.
*android fan ako, i only have the nexus7 at na-impress din ako kahit papaano sa wp8 at the same time, sa lumia520. eh paano nalang kung marami na features ang wp8 tapos nasa mid-range to high class na… well… hopefully. :))
salamat talaga dito haaa….
san po ang pwesto ng LUMIA 520 sa DAGUPAN ??
Yea, Where is the second shell?
I agree. There is no extra shell included. At least those coming from the Sun Plan 600.
@Sean, @dj0502,
Hmmmmm. Thanks for pointing that out. The box we received was fitted to carry a second shell. Will ask Nokia about this. Thanks guys!
would you know kung pwede maunlock/openline yung Lumia 520 from Sun Plan 600? Para pagkatapos ng contract, ipapaunlock para magamit sa globe.
I’ve been using it for about a month now.
The only problems I’ve got is WP8 is still buggy. Most WP8 phones have problems when it comes to music from the SD card. It would show duplicates in the music app. Then another problem is the lack of customizing message alerts and repeat alerts. It also lacks the ability to install apps on the SD card. The last that it’s lacking for me is the ability to find updates for apps.
But what secondary shell are you talking about? I didn’t get one.
Got it.
The only problems I’ve got is WP8 is still buggy. Most WP8 phones have problems when it comes to music from the SD card. It would show duplicates in the music app. Then another problem is the lack of customizing message alerts and repeat alerts. It also lacks the ability to install apps on the SD card. The last that it’s lacking for me is the ability to find updates for apps.
But what secondary shell are you talking about? I didn’t get one.
windows app is automatically updated. those apps will show up when you’re connected to wifi/internet. click the windows store from time to time. it will indicate those apps that needs to be updated.
tip: change your region to US. para all apps and games available sa store. ^__^
..Android fanboy here, pero ever since sinubukan ko ‘tong Lumia 520, i’ve decided na eto na lang yung primary phone ko; and a separate android device for gaming na lang.
..WP8 is social network – centric; you actually don’t need to open separate social apps (facebook,twitter,etc) to access them kasi integrated na within the phone’s various functions mismo.
..overall, if you’re just a casual smartphone user without the urge to tinker with the phone’s features very much, dito ka na. :)