Nokia Lumia 520 vs Nokia Lumia 620

Introduction

The Nokia Lumia 520 came and changed the Windows Phone landscape. Nokia somehow managed to make a 4-inch device packing a powerful dual-core chip and a 5-megapixel camera, that was also extremely affordable. It was the second time the company widened the outreach of Windows Phone. The first time was with the Nokia Lumia 620.

Now, it’s time to compare the two affordable and cute, compact Windows Phone 8 handsets. Both are colorful and fun on the outside, and have identical chips inside. But could there still be a sea of difference that would tip the scales in favor of just one? Let’s find out.


Design

Both the Nokia Lumia 520 and Lumia 620 are made out of plastic and come in different colors adding a lot of youthful energy to them. Actually, the colorful plastic shells they are nested in are easily removable and you can swap color and style easily.


The Lumia 520 is larger - it’s a bit wider and longer despite having only slightly bigger display. The one on the 520 is 4 inches in diameter, and the 620 has got a 3.8-inch screen. That makes the latter more pocketable and while both are convenient for single-handed use, the 620 is friendlier to one-hand operation.

None of them strive for a slim waistline. The 520 compensates for its larger footprint with a thinner 10mm body, while the 620 has an 11mm profile. Both are very light, around 4.4 ounces.

The two devices share the same plastic and easy to press physical buttons on the right with the volume rocker on top, a lock key in the middle and a camera button in the bottom.


If we had to name a winner, we’d pick the Lumia 620, but the 520 is a close runner-up.



Display

The biggest difference between this pair of Windows Phones is the display. The rich, vibrant colors on the Lumia 620 make a striking difference when compared to the dull, dim tones on the 520.

The Lumia 520 is just not bright enough. While you can use both effortlessly indoors, outside you’d have a lot of trouble reading the display on the 520. In technical terms, the 620 has a nearly twice as bright display with its 590 nits of brightness, and the 520 only around 280 nits.

The resolution on both screens is a middling 480 x 800 pixels. That however paired with their relatively small displays makes for a good pixel density and ultimately both displays look sharp.

Viewing angles on both are comparable. An interesting technical fact is that the inferior Lumia 520 actually has an IPS screen while the 620 does not.

Summing up, we’d easily give this to the Lumia 620. It has a great display with rich, vivid colors, nothing like the disappointingly dim screen of the 520.



Interface and Functionality

Both devices feature Windows Phone 8 which means a virtually identical experience. Windows Phone 8 is best described by the dynamic looks of ever changing Live Tiles, and a smooth overall experience. Nokia adds to that with some awesome applications like’s Nokia HERE Maps suite and Nokia Music with free music streaming by way of Mix Radio. Office comes baked right in and it’s a great productivity tool.


Speaking of Windows Phone, we ought to mention the outstandingkeyboard. The typing experience is quick, fast, easy to learn.


Windows Phone might not have all the customization options of Android, but you can pick the color of Live Tiles and the background. You can actually match the colorful back plate of your Lumia to the color of Live Tiles, a neat effect.

Processor and Memory

The Lumia 520 and 620 run on the same chip, have the same amount of RAM and the same internal storage. No wonder then that performance on both is identical and buttery smooth throughout. For tech pedants, both have the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8277 with a 1GHz dual-core Krait processor and 512MB of RAM.

That amount of RAM is critical as some games require a full 1GB to start. Good news is that more and more games are getting optimized for 512MB and Temple Run is one of the latest for instance.

Both Lumias feature 8GB of internal memory of which around 4 gigs are available to the end user. Good news is you can further expand that storage via microSD cards of as much as 64GB.

Internet and Connectivity

Since we are talking Lumia and Windows Phone, browser choice on the 520 and 620 is limited to just one browser and that’s Internet Explorer. Luckily, Microsoft has polished the rough edges out of it and it is quick and easy to use. Scrolling and zooming around is smooth.

Both devices have Wi-Fi connectivity support and run at 3G speeds of 21.1Mbps on the downlink. NFC, GPS and Bluetooth 3.0 round up the connectivity package.

Camera

Neither the Lumia 520, nor the Lumia 620 have any cameraphone ambitions. Sure, both of them feature 5-megapixel auto-focus rear cameras (the Lumia 520 lacks flash, and the 620 has a single LED flash), and those perform decent in well-lit conditions.

Comparing images from the two, we see that the 520 resolves sharper detail but has slightly dull colors on some occasions, but overall images captured on it are good, especially for its very affordable price. The 620 did comparably well. It manages to capture more vivid colors in some occasions, but also lacks a bit in detail.



Call Quality

The ultra affordable Lumia 520 surprised us with decent call quality. We heard voices clean and loud in the earpiece, and on the other end of the line our voice was just a bit distorted.

The Lumia 620 on the other hand fared much worse. Our callers had trouble hearing our words, voices sound muffled and on our end of the line voice appears a bit dry and hissy.

Battery

The Lumia 620 and Lumia 520 both have relatively small displays that do not consume a lot of energy. Yet, they also feature modest batteries - a 1300mAh one on the 620 and a 1430mAh juicer on the 520. This will easily last you a full day and even go into the second with modest use.

The smaller screened 3.8-inch Lumia 620 will play back video longer - for 6 hours non-stop against 4.8 hours on the 4-inch 520.

Conclusion

The Nokia Lumia 520 and the Lumia 620 are devices that are very similar yet differ in key areas. While both are affordable the Lumia 620 is nearly 50% more expensive and it comes as no surprise that it has the far superior display. That’s a hugely important advantage and the display on the Lumia just lacks brightness and vivacity.

Yet the 520 brings a lot of little pleasant surprises. It captures decent image stills comparable with the 620, and actually beats it in terms of sound recording and call quality.

If you have the extra money, you should go with the 620 for its better screen, but the 520 is a very close runner-up and both are great value for the money.