Nokia Lumia 520 vs Lumia 620

[kiddingguy]

My current Xperia Sola is slow as h**l and not really the catch I was hoping for...

Android has kinda done it for me, the iPhone (4S) is too expensive, so I am looking at Windows Phone and Nokia.

 

I came across the Lumia 520 and 620. Almost quite alike, but still with some (minor) differences.

I don't need these large screens (so between 3.5"-4" will do).

I use this phone 99% workrelated, so no fancy games and apps are needed and just receiving Exchange mail, WhatsApp messages etc will do.

 

Which phone do you think fits best my needs?

[Steven P. Administrators]

If you don't need it for games then the 520 will suffice, it's what I'm using now and I couldn't be happier with it for the price/features it gives. Plus it isn't an oversized screen. I would go to a store first and see if it really is sufficient. It's the same size as an iPhone 4. 

[InTheSwiss]

I was trying to make the same decision last week and picked up a 620 as it was only ?20 more than the 520. Both phones are quite similar. Both perform very well for the price. Sound quality is good although the music app is a bit crappy. Not many decent apps on Windows Phone as we all know. Almost no decent games. Considering the price the 620 is fantastic. It is very quick and smooth. I got it for email, texting (sms and whatsapp), some light web browsing (and reddit reading) and an mp3 player. It does all of these things perfectly. Camera is probably the weakest point but for the price you can't complain really. Overall I am very happy with the phone. I love the size (I wanted a smaller device) and build quality. Stick in a 32GB micro SD and it is a great iPod/phone replacement with some decent internet capabilities. If you want me to answer any specific questions just ask :)

[InTheSwiss]

Oh yeah the reason I picked the 620 over the 520 was because I preferred the screen on the 620, it has "clear black" whatever that really means I don't know but it looked better in person. Sadly it doesn't have the scratch resistent screen like the 520 has :(

[kiddingguy]

Today I was in a telco shop and there was the HTC 8S displayed. Also a nice phone. But given the specs it has 4GB memory whereas the Lumias have 8GB.

And given some Windows Phone 8 bug is (maybe was?) recommended - I ready in some review - to have the 8GB...

[kiddingguy]

Btw, I checked some differences between the HTC 8S and Lumia. Both phones have more or less the same internals, whereas I think HTC has the slighlty better phone I think... although the main difference is internal memory (4G HTC vs 8GB Lumia).

 

Is this difference is memory noticable and/or problematic for the usage I am planning to have... business, and running a couple of apps like WhatsApp and so on. Not really memory intensive games, pictures etc, just some mail, calling, texting etc.

[Roberticus]

This is a tricky one. How often do you travel outside of .nl? 620 has free global navigation whereas 520 has nl&belgium area navigation for free (or the region where phone is activated). 620 has gyro sensor where the 520 doesn't (means you can't use Nokia City Lens on 520).

 

One often overlooked feature that the cheaper 520 has that most smartphones don't: sensitive touch screen, means you can use the phone with gloves on during ass-freezing and finger-numbing winters! (atleast here in Finland the winters can get quite harsh)

 

I'd say when choosing between htc and nokia, go for nokia because of all the extra software.

[kiddingguy]

Thx Roberticus,

So basically it's back to the topic title?!

...and your preference has the 620, right?

[strekship]

I just picked up the 521 (T-Mobile 520). For $99 its probably the best smartphone deal around (assuming you don't already have a large investment in the Android/Apple ecosystem). I bought it as a backup for my iPhone 4S but have found myself using it as my primary phone. So far my only complaints are the lack of a built in stopwatch/timer. I do notice the lower resolution of the display, but given the price different between the iPhone and the 521 its fine. Next time I go to upgrade my phone I will probably go for one of the higher end Nokias just to get a better display and camera. Performance wise it feels much more fluid than my iPhone.