Nokia Lumia 1020chat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

Commenters repeatedly marvel at the 41-megapixel sensor's zoom and detail retention, calling it a landmark that took nearly a decade for other phones to match. Photos still impress viewers watching old footage years later.

@taurus0486

I really love this phone simple design but powerful and sturdy. The image and video quality is still better than most of today's smartphone. The image's detail and color are realistic and gets even better when post processed. The dual flash can even trigger an external flash for dslr.launch

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December 26, 2023

@HarmonicVector

Took us nearly a decade to finally compete with this phone's camera. A testament to how legendary PureView was.launch

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September 12, 2023

@bendik_s

Thanks for a sweet walk down memory lane, Michael! Having used several excellent phone cameras from Huawei, HTC and now Google (Pixel 7 Pro) through the years gone by since Windows Phones tragic demise, I hands down still hold my good old and very yellow Lumia 1020 as my favorite! One of many things I really miss from my Lumia phones (the whole OS experience of course being at the top of the list), is the Windows Phone camera UI! It was by far the best and most effective way of controlling the settings and conditions of every shot that I have ever experienced.launch

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January 27, 2023

@WinstoneSmith

I never enjoyed a camera as much as the Nokia 808 (the multi aspect ratio was another engaging feature). Look how refreshingly natural the video footage is (and how good it sounds!). Thank you. As a regular Pixel user what I really miss is that, in my view, there's not a single instance today of a camera whose processing I would not describe as way too over sharpened or over processed in general. And the options to tune that (saturation, contrast, sharpening etc.) before shooting have also disappeared from everywhere for some reason as well. There's a lot of competition yet paradoxically very little variety regarding image processing.launch

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January 21, 2023

Many commenters describe deep personal attachment, keeping the phone for years or even a decade, and crediting it with sparking hobbies in photography. It's frequently called one of their all-time favorite phones.

@bendik_s

Thanks for a sweet walk down memory lane, Michael! Having used several excellent phone cameras from Huawei, HTC and now Google (Pixel 7 Pro) through the years gone by since Windows Phones tragic demise, I hands down still hold my good old and very yellow Lumia 1020 as my favorite! One of many things I really miss from my Lumia phones (the whole OS experience of course being at the top of the list), is the Windows Phone camera UI! It was by far the best and most effective way of controlling the settings and conditions of every shot that I have ever experienced.launch

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January 27, 2023

@Asher-193

I owned a 1020 back in 2015 and though it wasn’t the best phone, it was the one I remembered the most. I had some of the best camera moments with this phone. It was fun, it wowed everyone and it definitely made a statement. \n\n\nSadly the 1020 was a great camera but not such a great phone and that’s the reason why I eventually gave it up and switched to Android. The battery left was horrible and I experienced some heating issues while doing some basic stuff like reading articles. \n\nGood to see another 1020 video again. These were some good days.launch

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January 23, 2023

@rudolfh3881

Thank you for making this tribute video of 808 and 1020. I'm glad you're still keeping WP so close to your heart. As someone who bought into the WP ecosystem as early as WM 6.1, the end was a tragedy I could never accept. Lumia 950 was the last WP I bought and is still used to this day to capture RAW stills. It's a Pureview phone too, the last generation. \n\nI'm looking forward to your video on the demise of WP platform. I know you'll do it justice as a longtime WP fan yourself.launch

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January 21, 2023

@ShafiShootsTarin

I just wanted to say thank you Micheal. Your reviews of the Lumia 1020 at Pocketnow (as well as the comparisons you did of the 1020 against other phones at the time) are the reason why I'm a professional photographer today. I bought the 1020 10 years ago because how much you raved about it, which ignited a passion I never knew I had. Learned and shot almost exclusively in manual mode on it, and from there, I've never looked back. So I just wanted to say thank you for being a huge influence on my life in a way that you may not have even known. 🙏🏽launch

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January 21, 2023

The bold colors, comfortable plastic body, and sharp edges are described as timeless and confidently unique, standing out even years later. Owners also praise the phone's toughness surviving drops and rough conditions.

@ssccvvsscc

I had lumia 920 when it just released. Honestly it was a spectacular phone back then. The lack of apps was a bit depressing, but also quite refreshing, because it basically had everything I needed and I didn't need to worry about the trendiest things on the app store. Very sleek UI, stylish and customizable. Great photos for that time. Battery lasted me for the entire day. A design so bold my relatives from USA didn't believe it was a phone. It served me well for 5 years untill it eventually became obsolete. I still miss my yellow brick of \"I bet you haven't seen a phone like this!\launch

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December 28, 2023

@Davidesrajohn

The Lumias truly had a timeless design. Despite the bezels, they still look modern and chic today. Quality doesn’t age. I can’t think of a phone with a stronger visual identity. The bold colors being evocative of Bauhaus. The edges being confidently sharp. You could put this on a pedestal in your house next to a Louis Poulson lamp and it would work.launch

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January 21, 2023

@MelvinTheHugger

I remember two things about the Lumia I owned:\n1. To date it was the most comfortable phone I’ve ever held. Whatever plastic they used on the back was absolutely incredible, and it felt designed to be held by a hand rather than be a brick.\n2. Windows phone os was the smoothest os as well as the most customizable. Being able to not only put icons where I want but resize them was so amazing for young adult me that it feels like a barely remembered dream.launch

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January 21, 2023

@izitprod-stylarprod94

Nokia windows phone never disappointed me. I loved the durability and the look that slightly made them so special and unique from all the other brands. Wish nokia could have made these quality phone but in android version and it would have been great. If nokia would relaunch that design but in android version, it would be definitely be my next phone. You can be sure. I'm the kind of guy that when it comes to phone, would definitely not owning same and monotonous brands as the others. If in my family, there is 99% made of huawei, samsung, xiaomi,, oneplus or i don't what the f***ing brands, i would be the 1% using a nokia. Love nokia💕💕💕launch

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February 26, 2022

Users describe the OS as buttery smooth regardless of specs, with resizable live tiles offering a level of customization and efficiency they haven't found since. Several call the keyboard and UI among the best they've ever used.

@Lucius4992

My sister had this phone and it was gorgeous. I got the Lumia 925 instead (slim, some aluminium, 8Mp camera) and it already wiped the floor with flagships of that time, I remember people with much more expensive phones would ask me how the hell I send them pictures that look so good. Also, the store wasn't that bad, but yes it was badly sabotaged by other companies who didn't want to put very popular apps in. I remember snapchat was one of them, youtube (google) removed their app, and also pokemon go never arrived, so people stayed away from WP. The OS was amazing, very fast no matter the time, use or even the specs. The UI was super efficient despite not being attractive for a lot of people, you would get to every app and option quickly and Microsoft was way better that its competition with the included apps. There's much to highlight!launch

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December 28, 2023

@angkorian_tarzan

Id chose it over any smart phones any day if there were app support and continued support from Microsoft and Nokia. I love the windows phone os (specifically 8.1) so much because of its difference.launch

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December 27, 2023

@Roomyverse

Loved my 720, 800, 925 and 1520. WP rocked, and the earliest iterations let you browse and interact with every social feed of everyone you knew without ever leaving the contacts app. Loved, too, the dynamic flash feature, where you could adjust the applied level of flash in post. Mostly, though, I loved how it leveraged the Zeiss partnership to produce some truly stunning landscape photography - no one captured skies better than Nokia back in the day. Thankfully I can still live the WP life on android with the windows launcher - live tiles were always so much more fun than dull old iOS icons.launch

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January 21, 2023

@fiend606

Thank you for doing this video! Honestly still miss the Windows Phone OS all these years later, swear I've never used a better keyboard. And so true about Nokia & Windows Phone being first to so many things. I remember getting notifications from Cortana telling me how long to get to and from work straight on the home screen all those years ago. And (I'm pretty certain) Nokia were the first ones to do \"live\" photos through a lens called motion photos! RIP Nokia & Windows Phone 😢launch

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January 21, 2023

Multiple reviewers and users single out the sliding manual camera controls as the best camera interface ever made on a phone, even compared to modern devices. It gave fine-grained control that shaped some users' photography careers.

@bendik_s

Thanks for a sweet walk down memory lane, Michael! Having used several excellent phone cameras from Huawei, HTC and now Google (Pixel 7 Pro) through the years gone by since Windows Phones tragic demise, I hands down still hold my good old and very yellow Lumia 1020 as my favorite! One of many things I really miss from my Lumia phones (the whole OS experience of course being at the top of the list), is the Windows Phone camera UI! It was by far the best and most effective way of controlling the settings and conditions of every shot that I have ever experienced.launch

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January 27, 2023

@ShafiShootsTarin

I just wanted to say thank you Micheal. Your reviews of the Lumia 1020 at Pocketnow (as well as the comparisons you did of the 1020 against other phones at the time) are the reason why I'm a professional photographer today. I bought the 1020 10 years ago because how much you raved about it, which ignited a passion I never knew I had. Learned and shot almost exclusively in manual mode on it, and from there, I've never looked back. So I just wanted to say thank you for being a huge influence on my life in a way that you may not have even known. 🙏🏽launch

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January 21, 2023

@ziginox

Oh man, the glasses-era Michael Fisher PocketNow videos! Has it really been that long?!\nI appreciate the small webOS mention! I'm surprised you didn't mention the shutter button! That was one of the big things with the Nokia phones had back then, and we are sadly void of in 95% of phones these days\nIt's a shame that Windows Phone went the way of the dodo. While it wasn't my platform of choice, I could see it had potential, and the competition would have been great for pushing other OSes forward. My old boss absolutely loved the UI, and I honestly can't blame him.launch

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January 21, 2023

@DaMDizzy

That camera UI was hands down the BEST ever made! It takes so many tabs on phones even from today to get to all of those settings at once.launch

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January 21, 2023

Owners highlight features like xenon flash, wireless charging before the iPhone had it, MicroSD slot, FM radio/transmitter, AMOLED display, and Gorilla Glass as well ahead of their time for a 2012-2013 device.

@utterlee

I had both the 808 and later on the 1020. Friends laughed at me persevering with phones that had arcane and then under-supported operating systems, but I loved both phones for their fantastic cameras and other unique features. Across both phones there were things like Micro SD card slot, FM radio, FM transmitter, proper xenon flash, Nokia Maps which could be downloaded in full to the handset, wireless charging years before that came to the iPhone, Amoled display, MicroHDMI out, loads of things that other phones didn't have. They were really very clever devices and it's a shame they were both effectively developmental dead ends.\n\nMy iPhone 13 Pro now takes better photos and works in a very seamless way with the rest of my digital set-up, with access to every app I can dream of, but it's in no way as charming or fun as these two Nokia phones were.launch

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January 24, 2023

@Roomyverse

Loved my 720, 800, 925 and 1520. WP rocked, and the earliest iterations let you browse and interact with every social feed of everyone you knew without ever leaving the contacts app. Loved, too, the dynamic flash feature, where you could adjust the applied level of flash in post. Mostly, though, I loved how it leveraged the Zeiss partnership to produce some truly stunning landscape photography - no one captured skies better than Nokia back in the day. Thankfully I can still live the WP life on android with the windows launcher - live tiles were always so much more fun than dull old iOS icons.launch

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January 21, 2023

@ailinegrazziotin1361

Hi there! Thanks for the amazing video! I just thought to mention that Lumia 1020 has a xenon flash in addition to the LED and it's really powerful. 43 megapixels cristal Carl Zeiss lenses and 4K stereo video and so many professional edition features with a variety of modular appliances including \"learning, recognizing and I.A.\" linked technology fitting Lumia Denim. Graphical processing operating independent of main processor. Gorila glass display. Worldwide projection also independent of any destination specific software. Up to 60GB built in memory, voice control and wireless charging. And it's just a snippet because even besides the most powerful devices it uses about 20% of processing capacity when the new ones starts to freeze up. Why it was prohibited to continue to be manufactured? Why a 2012 smartphone bothers till today? I think anyone who handles one and really take a time to explore its potential could feel exactly what motivated me to comment here. Thanks again. You're not alone.launch

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January 21, 2022