Gadgetory

so the same thing always happens when our new device launches the media gets review units ahead of the official launch and we get to use them while we write our review then the press embargo lifts every outlet posts their reviews and videos at the same time writers and commenters go back and forth and it's a huge frenzy of opinion and buzz for about a day and then it all goes away sure there's some follow-up coverage but after that initial blast almost no one revisits the device to see how well it's aged because we're all on to the next big thing already so let's do something about it let's kick off the first smartphone re review of 2014 by taking another look at the best camera phone of 2013 i'm michael fisher with pocket now this is the Nokia Lumia 1020 and this is episode 27 of after the buzz even before Nokia's acquisition by Microsoft the two companies fates were inextricably intertwined so it's impossible to talk about how well the Lumia 1020 is aged without talking about how well Windows Phone has aged this part of the story has its ups and downs and some of which we covered in our after the buzz for the Lumia 925 on the downside some features like the social hubs don't work nearly as well as they used to thanks to the networks they rely on having evolved more quickly than Windows Phone and while the platform's flat minimalistic interface was still reasonably fresh when the 1020 launched back in the summertime it's starting to feel a little stagnant next to iOS and Android both of which have seen significant look-and-feel upgrades in the time since thankfully Nokia and Microsoft used that time to improve other more important aspects of the software experience the Windows Store featured 100,000 apps at the time the Lumia 1020 launched a number which has since doubled and the revised count isn't just filler long-awaited titles like Instagram vine and snapchat have given Windows Phone more legitimacy while Nokia's excellent suite of custom apps have also seen regular updates and the new Lumia black and GB are three enhancements have made everything from multitasking to notifications to the glance screen just little more useful well we'd have liked a few more aesthetic tweaks these improvements are welcome and they run very well on the 10 20 updates like these have also arrived often enough to make us confident that Nokia isn't just going to abandon 10 20 users now that it's no longer the newest to Windows Phone on the block it says to us that this flagship was built to last the hardware says the same thing Taylor Martin goes into detail on this and his durability report for the 1020 but it's enough to say that you should feel quite comfortable carrying the device without a case tailors Gorilla Glass 3 shows some scratches on its top level coating after six months but our Boston test device is in near pristine condition despite never having been given any protection and despite having been locked into an out of Nokia's camera grip more than a few times a case that's none too gentle on the polycarbonate we still wish a cyan option was available in the States but the phone's yellow color should you opt for it still catch his eyes on the street and it still prompts people to ask if it's that Nokia with the insane camera of which of course it is we called the Lumia 1020 s 41 megapixel camera the best smartphone shooter of 2013 and despite the fact that competitors have continued upping their game with enhanced low-light performance and optical stabilization it's probably a safe bet that the 1020 s camera will remain untouchable through much of this coming year nokia has continued to enhance its software bringing the smart cam and pro cam together under one app and bundling in some automatic shooting modes to make it a little easier to use for amateur photographers we've also seen the addition of RAW format support for the pros out there and also the fun Nokia refocus app for those sitting somewhere in-between the camera isn't perfect its output is still a little noisier than it should be it can still fall victim to a too shaky hand and even PureView technology has trouble with very dark situations the camera app itself is also still slow to open and slow to save but used with care its performance in most situations is just out Stan and the manual controls are more intuitive than any other smartphone camera here's some of the best of what we've been able to capture with the 1020 over the past few months with the possible exception of the 808 PureView it's still the best camera we've ever used on a mobile phone performance elsewhere is just what you'd expect from a well made product just like it was back in the summer voice quality is excellent speaker phone is loud the display vibrant beautiful and almost no lag has crept into the day-to-day software experience also in the u.s. the 1020 s exclusive carrier AT&T has given us nothing but excellent data speeds over LTE in the Northeast in fact the only way this phone hasn't aged well maybe in terms of battery life we've had inconsistent luck with Windows Phone in this area and the 1020 is no exception it's unclear if a particular app is at fault or if we're just taking too many photos every day but it's been tough to get through a full day without the camera grip and it's additional battery juice your mileage as always may vary with the arrival of the monstrous Lumia 1520 which we reviewed not long ago the 1020 is no longer the king of the Windows Phone Mountain at least in terms of specs and assuming it's not delayed by the Microsoft Nokia deal the ten twenties replacement might arrive sometime next summer but does that mean you should hold off on buying the Lumia 1020 if you want a best-in-class camera experience on your modern smart phone from what we can see not at all despite a few hiccups the Windows Phone platform is as healthy as it's ever been pure view camera technology is in no danger of being eclipsed and despite its legacy internals the 1020 still handles the day-to-day job of being a mobile phone with a plum at the price the phone is going for with a contract we think smart phone shutter bugs will be very well served by the Lumia 1020 and we're happy to continue to recommend it to Windows Phone buyers everywhere I hope you enjoyed the first smartphone we review of 2014 if you're interested in tablets Taylor Martin just completed episode 26 of after the buzz on the new Nexus 7 go check that out at pocketnow.com or here on our channel page and don't forget to like this video if you did enjoy it leave a comment down below follow us on social media if you want to see more from pocket now especially in the week ahead as we'll be covering CES 2014 live from Las Vegas in the meantime this has been michael fisher with PocketNow want to thank you very much for watching this video and we'll see you very soon you