The Lumia 2520 is Nokia's first Windows tablet -- and it may well be its last. By the time Nokia is ready to design a follow-up product, the Finnish firm might officially be a part of Microsoft. For now, though, the Lumia 2520 is about to go on sale worldwide under the Nokia brand, and will compete directly with Microsoft's Surface 2, the only other Windows RT tablet available right now. Like the Surface, it's a flagship-caliber device, with a 1080p, 665-nit screen and top-of-the-line Snapdragon 800 processor.
HARDWARE
I'm truly excited to see what kind of hardware Microsoft and Nokia come up with once their designers are working under the same roof. Because right now, their design sensibilities couldn't be more different (even if they are equally awesome). Whereas the Surface 2 is made of magnesium alloy, the 2520 is fashioned out of colorful polycarbonate plastic, just like most Lumia phones. And whereas the Surface 2 is all chamfered edges and blunt lines, the 2520 is fully contoured, with the exception of some surprisingly pointy corners. What's interesting is that because the Surface 2 has a boxier shape, it appears thicker than the Lumia 2520. In fact, though, both measure a slim 0.35 inch thick -- at least according to Microsoft's and Nokia's respective spec sheets.
That optical illusion aside, the 2520 is still easier to use in tablet mode -- for the most part, anyway. Certainly, it helps that the 2520 is substantially lighter (1.36 pounds versus 1.49). At the same time, the tablet's sleek, minimalist design sometimes works against it.
Now, this might be a good time to clarify that depending on which color you choose, the 2520 can have one of two finishes: either glossy (red or white) or matte (those are the white and cyan models). As it happens, I tested out the red version, which seems even slippier than the matte Lumia 1520 my colleague Brad Molen reviewed earlier this week. It's also more of a fingerprint magnet -- I had to give the lid a good scrubbing with a cheesecloth before I filmed that review video you see up there. It's a shame I couldn't have tested one of each: I would have liked to spend some time with the non-glossy version, though based on Brad's review of the 1520, it seems it's easier to keep clean, if also a bit tough to get a grip on.
Taking a tour around the device, you'll find quite a bit of painted-on branding around back. This includes "Zeiss" near the 6.7-megapixel rear camera in the upper-left corner, making clear that Carl Zeiss is behind the f/1.9 lens. Nearby, the NFC area is clearly marked, with the Nokia logo stamped in the middle. Further down, just below the Nokia label, are both "Verizon" and "4G LTE" logos. Obviously, that's just one carrier variant, though seeing as how the 2520 won't be sold as a WiFi-only device, you're probably in for some operator branding no matter where you buy it.
OPTIONAL KEYBOARD
Speaking of the sort, I had a chance to test out the keyboard cover, which sells separately for $149. To give you a quick rundown of the design, it's made out of a black soft-touch material -- a pleasant contrast to the smooth plastic on the tablet itself. All told, between the soft finish and the fact that it doesn't pick up fingerprints, it has a premium feel; it looks the part of a $149 accessory. What I like best is that the part of the case that props up the tablet attaches to the base with a satisfying magnetic thump. Once it's latched on and you've got the tablet standing up, you'd have to actively pull it away from the magnet to separate the two pieces. Likewise, when the case is shut, the touchpad flap folds over and attaches magnetically to the rest of the book.
Another nice thing about the design is that it leaves the top, left and right edges exposed, so you can keep your headphones or power cord plugged in as you're typing. Indeed, to charge the case you just need to have the tablet plugged in and connected to the AC adapter. Which is nice because it means you only have to remember to take one charger with you. As for those two USB ports, they're located on the back edge, at the base of the "kickstand" portion of the case -- not the easiest place to reach, but at least you can keep cables out of sight.
There's a bigger issue with the 2520's keyboard cover, though, and that's that it can be uncomfortable to use in the lap. Part of the problem is that the case's weight distribution is such that it's heavily stacked toward the back end, making it easier to topple over. Also, the tablet only props up in one position. Of course, it just so happens that the viewing angles on this thing are great, but even with that highly readable screen, this propped-up position doesn't feel very stable. Which is a shame, because it feels like Nokia is making the same mistake Microsoft made with the first-generation Surface, which could only be propped up in one fairly upright position. The whole reason Microsoft went with a two-stage hinge in the Surface 2 was to enable a more stable in-lap typing experience. It's frustrating that Nokia had to make the same first-time mistake, even after watching Microsoft come out with its first generation of products.
DISPLAY
Much has been made of the 2520's design -- that it's basically a Lumia phone, writ large. In fact, it's received so much attention for its colorful design that you might not be aware of what a gorgeous display it has. Like the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, the 2520 rocks a 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display, though because its screen measures 10.1 inches instead of 10.6, it has a higher pixel density of 218 pixels per inch. As we all know, though, pixel count doesn't tell the whole story and indeed, it's not the sharpness that makes this a better display (in fact, we can't even in good faith say the 2520's screen is noticeably crisper).
SOFTWARE
APP SELECTION
Because we just reviewed the Surface 2 a few weeks ago, we've recently had reason to take stock of the Windows Store, which is where all your apps will come from (this being a Windows RT device and all). As I said in that review, the selection is still hit-or-miss across the board, but the catalog has also made significant progress -- and continues to grow like a weed. For instance, when we reviewed the original Surface, we named 20 apps that weren't available in the Windows Store. Of those, nine were in the store by the time we reviewed the Surface 2 a year later. Even in the weeks since then, we've crossed one more off the list: Literally the day after our Surface 2 review went up, Nokia announced that Flipboard was coming to the Lumia 2520. Now, a few weeks later, it's available for all Windows 8 devices. So, as much as I'd like to see apps like Instagram, Tumblr, Rdio and Spotify, I'm increasingly hopeful they'll eventually make their way to the platform -- perhaps sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, I still sometimes wish Windows RT tablets could, in fact, run traditional x86 apps. Not heavy-duty apps like Photoshop, mind you, but lightweight apps, like HipChat or Pidgin. IM applications, basic photo editors. The app I normally use to resize a bunch of photos all at once. I have no doubt that tablets are now powerful enough to run such lightweight programs, and I also think we'll eventually see versions made specifically for the Windows Store (HipChat, for instance, is available on other mobile platforms, just not Windows). Until then, though, if these apps aren't in the Windows Store, and the tablet can't run legacy applications, there's not much of a workaround except to find a new app that does the same thing.
If nothing else, hopefully we can agree on this: It's a marvelous thing that Windows RT tablets come with Microsoft Office installed. I imagine of all the desktop apps someone could possibly want, this is the most popular. So it's a good thing it's installed right out of the box.
NOKIA APPS
In addition to all the new apps that come baked into Windows RT 8.1 (Bing Food & Drink, Reading List, et cetera), Nokia also added a few applications of its own. On board, you'll find Nokia Camera, which we'll discuss in more detail in the camera section (long story short: It introduces tap-to-focus, a feature you won't find in the stock Windows 8.1 camera app). There's Nokia Storyteller, which makes its debut on the 2520 and 1520. Basically, it's a fancy photo viewer that arranges your geotagged photos according to where you shot them.
CAMERA
The 2520 has a 6.7-megapixel BSI sensor, Carl Zeiss lens and f/1.9 aperture -- the same camera module used in the Lumia 720, according to Nokia. Indeed, performance hasn't changed here, though what's merely average for a smartphone is actually quite good in the world of tablets -- just because tablet cameras are rarely any good. After pressing the shutter, you'll need to wait a second or so for the photo to process, but this will really only be an issue if you're photographing moving objects.
Speaking of Nokia's camera app, it's worth noting the differences between that and the stock Windows camera app, which you can also use if you prefer. Though Nokia's app is missing a panorama mode, you might want to use it anyway because of that tap-to-focus feature. Just keep in mind that whereas the stock Windows app lets you snap a photo by tapping anywhere on screen, with Nokia's app, you have to hit the shutter button, specifically.
PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY LIFE
| Tablet | Battery Life |
|---|---|
| Nokia 2520 | 13:28 (WiFi) |
| Microsoft Surface 2 | 14:22 |
| Apple iPad Air | 12:45 (LTE) |
| Apple iPad mini | 12:43 (WiFi) |
| iPad mini with Retina display | 11:55 (LTE) |
| Apple iPad (late 2012) | 11:08 (WiFi) |
| Apple iPad 2 | 10:26 |
| ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime | 10:17 |
| Apple iPad (2012) | 9:52 (HSPA) / 9:37 (LTE) |
| Nexus 7 (2012) | 9:49 |
| Microsoft Surface for Windows RT | 9:36 |
| Apple iPad | 9:33 |
| ASUS Transformer Prime Infinity TF700 | 9:25 |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 | 8:56 |
| Sony Xperia Tablet Z | 8:40 |
| Hisense Sero 7 Pro | 8:28 |
| Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 | 7:38 |
| HP Slate 7 | 7:36 |
| LG G Pad 8.3 | 7:19 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 | 7:18 |
| Nexus 7 (2013) | 7:15 |
| RIM BlackBerry PlayBook | 7:01 |
Just like the new Lumia 1520, the 2520 runs Qualcomm's latest and greatest processor: a quad-core, 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 chip, paired with a quad-core Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Until recently, we've mostly seen the 800 used on Android devices, with the Lumia 1520 being the first Windows Phone device to make use of it. Likewise, this is the first Windows RT tablet we've seen with an 800 chip, though admittedly, the only other RT device is the Surface 2, which has Tegra 4. At any rate, we now have proof that the 800 is just as capable of handling Windows RT as it is Android and Windows Phone. Programs launch quickly and it's easy to navigate menus and cycle through open apps. Occasionally, the display didn't respond when I used a single finger to tap an on-screen object, like a backward-navigation arrow. Thankfully, those hiccups were the exception, not the rule.
PRICING AND CONFIGURATION OPTIONS
Curiously, Nokia says it currently has no plans to release a WiFi-only version of the 2520. That means if you're going to buy it, you're going to buy it with LTE. Unsubsidized, the price is $499 with 32GB of storage, putting it well below the price of a 32GB iPad Air with LTE ($729, to be exact). Even so, a WiFi-only version would have been nice because it would have driven the price down even lower -- a helpful thing when the keyboard dock costs an extra $149. That said, the 2520 with LTE will come as a relief to many a Windows fan: After all, this is the only Windows RT tablet with a cellular radio, so even if you would have paid more for a 4G Surface 2, this is your only option.
Source : Engadget
Image Credit : Engadget
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