Nokia Lumia 1520 review: the best Windows Phone device yet
Windows Phone has never looked this good. The latest update to Microsoft's mobile operating system, known as Update 3, added support for 1080p displays, large smartphone screens and state-of-the-art processors.
Context & Ripple Effects
The verdict closes a loop that opened in September, when a leak showed Nokia preparing a giant 1080p Windows Phone, and extends an arc running back to 2011, when early Nokia Windows Phone hardware drew 'absolutely stunning' praise that never translated into a flagship reviewers crowned outright. What changed is software: Windows Phone Update 3 adds support for 1080p displays, large screens and current-generation processors, removing the platform ceiling that previously capped Nokia's hardware ambitions.
The timing matters beyond the phone itself. Nokia's Lumia 2520 tablet lands at AT&T on November 22nd for $399.99, and Microsoft's Xbox One launches the same day — a coordinated push across devices that this review positions as the handset anchor. It follows the Lumia 1020's July arrival at AT&T for $299.99, making AT&T Nokia's consistent US launch partner.
First-order effects
- Nokia finally has a reviewer-endorsed halo device: after two years of incremental PureView flagships, the Lumia 1520 is being called the best Windows Phone made, giving Microsoft's platform a credible answer on spec-driven flagship shelves.
- Windows Phone Update 3 unshackles Nokia and any other OEM from the mid-range screen tier — large, high-resolution hardware is now officially supported rather than off-road.
Second-order effects
- AT&T deepens its position as the de facto exclusive US showcase for Nokia flagships, concentrating marketing and shelf-space leverage with one carrier just as the Lumia 2520 tablet arrives on the same network.
- Microsoft's simultaneous Office Remote launch — letting Windows Phone 8 handsets drive Word, Excel and PowerPoint — pairs the new flagship with an enterprise pitch, pushing the phone-tablet-PC bundle against rivals' productivity stories.
Third-order effects
- If a genuinely best-in-class device still has to be framed as 'best Windows Phone yet' — the third time in as many years reviewers have reached for superlatives about promise rather than market position — the structural question shifts from hardware parity to whether flagship quality alone can close the platform's ecosystem deficit.
- The November 22nd convergence of phone, tablet and console launches points toward Microsoft betting its mobile relevance on ecosystem coherence rather than any single device category.
The trend: Windows Phone hardware has caught up to the flagship standard by late 2013, leaving Microsoft's platform challenge concentrated where it started: convincing developers and buyers that great devices are reason enough to switch.