Nokia Lumia 520

30 reviews

May, 2013

Positive
Value for money (23)
Screen (14)
Responsiveness (7)
GPS navigation (5)
Design (3)

Negative
Features (3)
Apps (1)

General overview
Price comparison
Product Specifications

alaTest has collected and analyzed 32 reviews from magazines and websites. Opinions about the GPS navigation and battery are overall positive. The responsiveness and screen are also appreciated. Some have doubts about the apps and features. There are some mixed comments about the camera.

value for money, screen, responsiveness, battery, GPS navigation

features, apps

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Cell phones the Nokia Lumia 520 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 94/100 = Excellent quality.

See all Nokia Cell Phones

Review analysis

(Based on 30 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(23% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (59% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews (18% of reviews)
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(no reviews)

Features

Value for money
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Screen
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Camera
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Battery
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Responsiveness
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Showing 23 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

Showing 1 - 10 of 23 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (9)

Expert review by: Roydon Cerejo (tech2.in.com)

Nokia Lumia 520 Review

The thing about the Windows Phone platform is that if you've seen one, you've seen them all. This is good since you get the true feel of the OS no matter which phone you pick. However, this can also be viewed as a negative, since the platform lacks...

Most of your movies will have to be converted if they aren’t in MP4 as the video codec support is a bit limited as well. The good news is that 1080p MP4 files play just fine without any stutter, which is mighty impressive for an entry-level smartphone.

Apr, 2013

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Expert review by: Chris Davies (slashgear.com)

Nokia Lumia 520 Review

It's Nokia's cheapest Windows Phone 8 device, takes the company's latest range to five models, and borrows some of the style from its bigger siblings, but can the Lumia 520 compete with cheap Android? Unveiled alongside the Lumia 720 at Mobile World...

If low-cost is your guiding star, though, the Lumia 520 is impressive for the price, and the value-add of Nokia’s software and services isn’t to be sniffed at either.

Apr, 2013

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Expert review by: GSMArena team (gsmarena.com)

Nokia Lumia 520 review: Best buys

The Lumia 520 completes the roll call for Nokia's second generation of Microsoft-powered smartphones. Statistically, this means that every step of their product line, from 5** all the way to 9**, has been backed up by a fresh WP8-rocking alternative.

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support ; Quad-band 3G with 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support ; 4.0" 16M-color IPS LCD display of WVGA resolution ; 5 megapixel autofocus camera with 720p@30fps video recording ; Windows Phone 8 OS ; 1 GHz dual-core Krait...

Common LCD lacks the punch of CBD ; A few prominent apps still missing, some apps incompatible due to 512MB RAM ; No FM radio ; No front-facing camera ; No LED flash ; No system-wide file manager ; No lockscreen shortcuts ; Voice-guided SatNav license...

Apr, 2013

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Expert review by: Daniel P. (phonearena.com)

Nokia Lumia 520 Review

Nokia seems to have nailed the ultra low-end of Windows Phones with the Lumia 520 on paper. Coming in a variety of jolly colors, it hits the sweet spot of price and productivity, employing a decent display, dual-core processor and a 5MP camera, all at...

Good all-around value for the money ; Free offline voice-guided navigation ; Screen can be operated with gloves

Subpar call quality

If you don't mind the sketchy call quality, Nokia has hit the nail on the head with its most affordable Windows Phone handset to date. It runs the newest version of Microsoft's mobile OS, has a zippy processor, expandable storage, and produces decent...

Apr, 2013

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Expert review by: Clinton Jeff (zomgitscj.com)

Nokia Lumia 520 Review

The budget segment of the smartphone market share is becoming increasingly important in emerging markets like here in India. Many people are just looking for...

There is honestly, no Android phone in the same price range as the 520, that is even remotely as quick and enjoyable to use. Atleast none from a major OEM, because I know some of y’all are going to count random Chinese manufacturers as well.

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Expert review by: James Rogerson (techradar.com)

Nokia Lumia 520 review

Windows Phone 8 goes low end but not low rent

Super cheap ; Large, expansive screen ; Loads of innovation

No front-facing camera ; Average battery ; No NFC or compass

May, 2013

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Best Buy!

Expert review by: Ross Catanzariti (goodgearguide.com.au)

Nokia Lumia 520 Windows Phone

The Lumia 520 packs in a wealth of features for its low asking price

Outstanding value for money ; Long list of features ; Compact design

512MB of RAM won't run all games ; No front-facing camera ; Battery life could be better

If you can live without a front-facing camera, the Nokia Lumia 520 is the best value for money smartphone on the market. It packs in a wealth of features for its low asking price and sacrifices very little in the process.

May, 2013

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Expert review by: Marie Brewis (pcadvisor.co.uk)

Nokia Lumia 520 review - a cheap Windows Phone 8 smartphone with a lot to offer

Next page: Our original hands-on review by Chris Martin.

If you're looking for a cheap smartphone, you may have just found it. The Nokia Lumia 520 doesn't tick all the boxes on our features wishlist, but it capably handles those that are most important. Windows Phone 8 is a beautiful operating system, but it...

May, 2013

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Expert review by: (expertreviews.co.uk)

Nokia Lumia 520 review

The Lumia 520 is Nokia's cheapest Windows Phone 8 handset, and is a bit of a bargain all round. You can buy it for £150 SIM-free, £110 on prepay and it's free on a £7.50-per-month contract with 250MB data. This makes it comfortably cheaper than the...

A good phone for the price, but we'd save up for the posher Lumia 620

Apr, 2013

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Expert review by: Andrew Hoyle (cnet.co.uk)

Nokia Lumia 520 review

The Nokia Lumia 520 offers useful Nokia apps, a decent screen and a dual-core processor -- the same specs you'll find on the much more expensive Lumia 720. Unless you crave a better camera, the 520 is a total bargain.

Affordable price ; Excellent screen ; Decent bundled apps, especially sat-nav ; Colourful changeable covers ; Expandable storage and swappable battery

Lacklustre rear camera ; No front-facing camera ; Unimpressive battery ; Windows Phone app store still lags rivals

With its processor, screen resolution and added Nokia apps matching those you'll find on the much more expensive Lumia 720, the 520 definitely packs an impressive punch for the money. Its bold display is one of the best I've seen in the low-end market...

Apr, 2013