Nokia Lumia 521

3802 reviews

Apr, 2024

Positive
price (1270)
usability (1057)
portability (959)
performance (675)
camera (255)

Negative
reliability (170)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 3802 reviews of Nokia Lumia 521. The average rating for this product is 3.7/5, compared to an average rating of 4.1/5 for other Cell phones for all reviews. Comments about the camera and performance are overall positive. The portability and usability also get good feedback, but there are some negative views about the reliability. Reviews are divided on the reception.

price, usability, portability, performance, camera

reliability

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Cell phones the Nokia Lumia 521 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 84/100 = Very good quality.

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Review analysis

(Based on 3802 reviews)

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User Reviews

Review Ratings

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Features

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Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Nokia Lumia 521

alaTest has collected and analyzed 3660 user reviews of Nokia Lumia 521 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 3.7/5, compared to an average user rating of 3.8/5 for other Cell phones on Amazon.com. People really like the camera and performance. The portability and usability also get good feedback. Comments are divided on the reception, and some have doubts about the reliability.

price, usability, portability, performance, camera

reliability

75% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.ca)

Amazon.ca review summary for Nokia Lumia 521

alaTest has collected and analyzed 1 user review of Nokia Lumia 521 from Amazon.ca. The average user rating for this product is 3.0/5, compared to an average user rating of 3.9/5 for other Cell phones on Amazon.ca.

100% of the reviews on Amazon.ca give this product a positive rating.

Apr, 2024

Expert review by : K. T. Bradford (digitaltrends.com)

Nokia Lumia 521 Review

Cameras are usually a big deal in the Nokia Lumia line but this budget model doesn't get to share in that love.

The Nokia Lumia 521 is the kind of budget phone that really feels like one. It has some nice aspects – speedy performance, decent design, good call quality – but they’re overshadowed by the mediocre display and slow mobile data speeds. Plus, Windows...

Jun, 2013

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Expert review by : Patrick Austin (pcmag.com)

Nokia Lumia 521 (MetroPCS)

Nokia's Lumia 521 is a solid Windows Phone smartphone for just under $100, but it's missing key features like LTE and a camera flash, which are found on competing Android devices.

Inexpensive. Minimal, elegant design. Adequate internal storage. Above-average call quality. Growing selection of Windows Phone apps.

No camera flash. No LTE. Slower than other Windows Phone devices.

Conclusions A few months ago, the Lumia 521 would've been the go-to budget phone on MetroPCS. And if you're looking for a solidly built phone that makes great calls, this is it. For a few dollars more, the $129 Huawei Vitria packs in a lot more in a...

Nov, 2013

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Expert review by : Jessica Dolcourt (cnet.com)

Nokia Lumia 521: One of the best bargains around

A surprisingly decent camera and $150 off-contract price tag make T-Mobile's Lumia 521 a go-to budget smartphones for any platform, unless you crave LTE.

Nokia's ; packs in a better camera and more software features than you might expect for its $150 off-contract price tag.

No LTE, poor screen quality, and no camera flash remind you that the 521 wasn't built to be a premium smartphone.

Nokia's Lumia 521 is one of the best bargain smartphones on any platform, but skip it if LTE is of paramount concern.

May, 2013

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Expert review by : Alex Colon (pcmag.com)

Nokia Lumia 521 (T-Mobile)

The Nokia Lumia 521 for T-Mobile is a good smartphone for a great price, as long as you don't mind Windows Phone's lack of apps.

Good call quality. Comfortable design. Inexpensive.

No camera flash. Weak app selection. No LTE or HSPA+ 42.

Multimedia, Camera, and Conclusions You get 4.61GB of free internal storage. Luckily, there's also the aforementioned microSD card slot under the back cover that worked with both my 32 and 64GB SanDisk cards. Windows Phone has fairly robust multimedia...

May, 2013

Partner Source

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Expert review by : Vivek Gowri (anandtech.com)

Nokia Lumia 521: Quality Smartphone on an Extreme Budget

Microsoft is in a difficult place with regards to the smartphone market. After delivering a very innovative interface and overall promising platform with Windows Phone 7 in late 2010, the platform stagnated, with mediocre hardware, slow updates, and...

While I enjoy the visual style, I’ve long been critical of Windows Phone as a platform, particularly when it comes to high-end devices. I really, truly believed in it when it launched in 2010, and actually spent a fair amount of time on a few different...

Aug, 2013

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Expert review by : Chris Burns (slashgear.com)

Nokia Lumia 521 Review

If you thought the Nokia Lumia 520 was good, boy are you going to have a great time with the Nokia Lumia 521. Essentially the same device as you'll be getting internationally, this T-Mobile iteration of the entry-level Windows Phone 8 device brings the...

The Nokia Lumia 521 isn’t the nicest Windows Phone 8 device on the market – and it’s certainly not the hottest Nokia machine out today – but it’s not meant to be. Working to be the cost-cutting entry level to the Windows Phone 8 universe with the good...

Jul, 2013

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Expert review by : Adam Z. Lein (pocketnow.com)

T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 521 Review: Smartphone deal of the year

Check out our review of the Nokia Lumia 521; one of the most popular Windows Phone 8 smartphones of the year.

Very inexpensive ; Removable, inexpensive, easy-to-find battery ; Micro SD card expansion for extra photos, videos, and music ; Comfortable ergonomic form factor & design ; Wi-Fi calling ; Nokia HERE Suite (Offline GPS navigation for USA = worth the...

No flash ; only 8GB of storage available for apps ; Low resolution screen with mediocre outdoor visibility ; No compass for augmented reality apps ; 512Mb RAM means some apps won’t run ; No wireless charging option ; Nokia HERE Drive license only...

Our final rating is going to be an 7 out of 10. While there are a lot of limitations and areas that are lacking with the Lumia 521, the big draw for it is its pricing. Given the crazy low price, there is a huge amount of value included with this phone...

Aug, 2013

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Expert review by : Chip Chick (chipchick.com)

Nokia Lumia 521 Review: The Best Affordable Prepaid Smartphone

Years ago, Nokia made a name for itself by pumping out great affordable phones, but somewhere along the way they lost their way, especially in the U.S. Fortunately, the Nokia Lumia 521 brings back that heritage. Sure, there is no front facing camera or...

Amazing value for the price, tough build quality, HD Voice makes calls sound really clear and loud, you get many of the same great bundled Nokia apps that you would get on Nokia’s more premium handsets, quite a durable phone, very good performance,...

No LTE support, no front-facing camera or flash, backplate is tricky to remove

Aug, 2013

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Expert review by : phonedog.com (phonedog.com)

Nokia Lumia 521 Video Review

Jun, 2013

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Expert review by : George Ponder (windowscentral.com)

Review: T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 521

Windows Phone Central's review of the budget-conscious Nokia Lumia 521, exclusively on T-Mobile US While Nokia has been busy unleashing the Lumia 520 Windows Phone to various global markets, T-Mobile has landed an exclusive variation, the Lumia 521....

Jun, 2013

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