Nokia Lumia 520 Specifications, Tests and Review

Display
4", 800 x 480
Main Camera
5 Megapixel
Operating System
Windows Phone OS 8
Storage
8 GB
RAM
512 MB
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus
Battery
1430 mAh

Get the key specs, technical data, ratings and full review of Nokia Lumia 520 all in one place. Compare your selected model with other alternatives and give your decision on the best phone a solid base with our comprehensive overview.

DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Nokia Lumia 520
Product Type Smartphone
Form Factor Touch
Height 120 mm Worse than 62 % of phones rated.
Width 64 mm Worse than 57 % of phones rated.
Depth 10 mm Better than 51 % of phones rated.
Weight 124 g Better than 65 % of phones rated.
Body Colour Black | Yellow | White | Red | Cyan
Waterproof (Water-resistant) -
SAR Value 1.09 W/kg
Connector Type Micro-USB - 5 pin Micro-USB Type B
Headset / AV composite out - mini-phone 3.5mm

The Nokia Lumia 520 has dimensions 120 mm × 64 mm × 10 mm. Its weight is 124 g.

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DISPLAY Nokia Lumia 520
Display Type LCD display
Display Technology IPS
Screen Size (Display Size) 4" Worse than 65 % of phones rated.
Screen Resolution (Display Resolution) 800 x 480 pixels Worse than 55 % of phones rated.
Colour Depth 16.7 million colours Better than 98 % of phones rated.

The screen size reaches 4" inches. Phones with smaller displays have the advantage of being easier to use with one hand. However, compared to phones with large screens, they provide a lower user experience. Nevertheless, if you don't plan to watch movies or play games on your phone regularly and just expect basic functionality, this size should be good enough for you. LCD displays are currently taking a back seat. This is mainly due to higher power consumption. In addition, they have the disadvantage of lower colour contrast, which can be reflected e.g. in the resulting photos. On the other hand, phones with LCD displays are in general cheaper than those with OLED technology.

Display Resolution of Nokia Lumia 520 is 800 x 480 pixels. A higher display resolution is a prerequisite for a sharper image. The standard for mid-range phones today is a Full HD resolution of 1920 × 1080 px. Cheaper phones, which usually have a smaller diagonal, have an HD resolution of 1280 × 720 px. Smaller resolutions can only be found in older models. Best phones, on the other hand, have a 4K resolution of 3840 x 2160 px.

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PROCESSOR Nokia Lumia 520
Processor Type (CPU) Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus
Processor Number MSM8227
Clock Speed 1 GHz Worse than 80 % of phones rated.
Processor Core Qty Dual-core Worse than 90 % of phones rated.
Graphics System (GPU) Qualcomm ADRENO 305

Nokia Lumia 520 is supplied with Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus. The number of processor cores is 2. It is a number of cores that plays an important role in evaluating the performance of phone as it is responsible for computing operations. Smartphones already commonly have a core count of around 4 to 8. Multi-core processors can perform better and reduce the processing time of a request to a minimum, which is reflected in the responsiveness of the phone, e.g. in the speed of opening applications. Another important parameter is the processor frequency, which indicates how many instructions the phone can process in one second. Similar to refresh rate, the higher the number, the faster the phone responds. Processor frequency of phone Nokia Lumia 520 is 1 GHz. As standard today, you'll find this value between 1.8 GHz and 2.8 GHz.

The processor also includes the graphics accelerator Qualcomm ADRENO 305.

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MEMORY Nokia Lumia 520
RAM 512 MB Worse than 78 % of phones rated.
Internal Memory Size (Storage Capacity) 8 GB Worse than 72 % of phones rated.
Supported Flash Memory Cards (Expandable Memory) microSDHC - up to 64 GB

One of the most important parameters for user´s decision is often internal memory capacity. The larger it is, the more apps, photos, movies and other files your phone can store. This phone has 8 GB storage. This memory capacity is ideal for those who have a few basic apps and a few dozen photos on their phone. If you don't expect to use your phone to play games or need to store high-resolution photos, this size should be sufficient. There is almost no probability you're likely to see this low capacity on new smartphones. The standard memory today is around 64 and 128 GB. The best phones have internal memory of 256 GB or more. Nowadays, you can usually find one phone model on the market with several different memory sizes. This allows each user to choose what suits them best.

For this model it is possible to increase the storage size by inserting a memory card.

Size of the RAM memory tells us how powerful the phone is. Nokia Lumia 520 is equipped with 512 MB. Commonly today you will find phones with 6 to 8 GB of RAM. This means that the phone can easily handle normal operation and more demanding applications or games. Higher RAM of 12 GB can be found in best phones on market and are ideal especially for avid gamers. On the other hand, operating memory below 4 GB is more of an issue with lower-end phones and older models. However, even they will find their fans among less demanding users, who don´t want to spend much on buying new phone.

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CAMERA Nokia Lumia 520
MAIN CAMERA
Number of Main Cameras 1
Sensor Resolution 5 Megapixel Worse than 60 % of phones rated.
Lens Aperture F/2.4 Worse than 89 % of phones rated.
Focus Adjustment Automatic
Minimum Focal Length (Focal Distance) 28 mm
Digital Zoom 4x Better than 57 % of phones rated.
Camera Modes Landscape/portrait mode, Smart Shoot
White Balance Automatic, presets
Still Image Resolutions 2592 x 1936
Video Resolutions 1280 x 720 (720p)
Camera Features (Functions) Auto exposure
FRONT CAMERA
Number of Front Cameras 0

The rear camera of the Nokia Lumia 520 has only one lens. Single lens is more typical for older phones or lower-end phones with lower quality cameras. The rear cameras of modern phones nowadays are usually equipped with two, three and sometimes even five rear camera lenses. The resolution of main lens is 5 Megapixel. Nonetheless, resolution alone does not necessarily mean a good photo. Therefore, you should look at other parameters such as lens aperture or pixel size. Another important factor is the aperture, which in this case is F/2.4 and determines how much light passes through the sensor. Best phones have an aperture of up to F/1.5. But the most common lenses today are F/1.8 to F/2.2. In this case, the lower the number after the slash, the higher the photo quality.

Digital zoom in this case offers zooming up to 4x. Of course, the higher the lens value, the more distant object can be zoomed in. Nonetheless, the disadvantage of digital zoom is that the quality and sharpness of photo deteriorates when using it.

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BATTERY AND CHARGING Nokia Lumia 520
Battery Capacity (Battery Size) 1430 mAh Worse than 67 % of phones rated.
Standby Time 360 hours Better than 53 % of phones rated.
Talk Time 888 minutes Better than 68 % of phones rated.
Run Time Details Talk (GSM): up to 888 min
Talk (WCDMA): up to 576 min
Standby (WCDMA): up to 360 hrs
Playback (Music): up to 61 hrs
Continuous browsing (WCDMA): up to 6.7 hrs
Continuous browsing (Wi-Fi): up to 6.2 hrs

The battery size of Nokia Lumia 520 is 1430 mAh. Nevertheless, battery capacity is not the only factor that affects the phone's battery life. For example - the size of the display, the performance of the processor, the use of data functions and, of course, the intensity of use of phone in general all have a significant impact on battery life. Standard for most smartphones today is a battery capacity of around 4500 to 5000 mAH. Phones with this battery size usually guarantee a phone life of at least 1 day. Older or cheaper smartphone models can then reach battery capacities typically around 2500 mAH and below. With this capacity, you may find that if you use your phone heavily, you may need to recharge your phone during the day.

The standby time for this phone is 360 hours and tells us how long the phone lasts on a single charge when you're not actively using it. The phone Nokia Lumia 520 will last one charge with constant phone calls 888 minutes.

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CELLULAR Nokia Lumia 520
Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
Mobile Broadband Generation 3G Worse than 64 % of phones rated.
Operating System Windows Phone OS 8
Navigation GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS

Standard 4G connectivity is currently being replaced by 5G, but is still the preserve of the latest phones. Nokia Lumia 520 supports 3G. 3G connectivity is now only found in the oldest phones. The operating system in the case of this model is Windows Phone OS 8.

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COMMUNICATIONS Nokia Lumia 520
Data Transmission GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+
2G Band 850 GSM, 900 GSM, 1800 GSM, 1900 GSM
Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth Bluetooth 3.0
Bluetooth Profiles HFP, OPP, A2DP, AVRCP, PBAP
WLAN Security WEP, WPA, WPA2, TKIP, AES
Communication Features Mobile Email client, Internet browser
Messaging Services Windows Live Messenger (MSN Messenger), Skype, Facebook Chat, Twitter IM, LinkedIn IM, SMS, MMS

Bluetooth 3.0 must not be missing from the basic package. It makes it easy to connect wireless headphones to your phone, connect your phone to your TV, tablet, speaker and more.

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MEDIA Nokia Lumia 520
Supported Digital Audio Standards WMA, AAC, ASF, AMR, MP3, AAC-LC, AAC +, eAAC+, M4A, HE-AAC, WMA 10 Pro, WMA 9
Supported Digital Video Standards VC-1, AVC, AVI, MOV, MPEG-4, WMV, ASF, 3GP, H.264, H.263, WMV9, M4V
FEATURES Nokia Lumia 520
Phone Functions Speakerphone, voice control, call timer, conference call, flight mode, voice dialing, vibrating alert
Sensors Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor
Personal Information Management Calendar, synchronization with PC, calculator, reminder, alarm clock
Additional Phone Features TTY compatible, Text-to-Speech (text recognition), Kid's Corner
OTHERS Nokia Lumia 520
Included Accessories Data cable, stereo headset, power adapter
Compatible with Windows 7 "Compatible with Windows 7" software and devices carry Microsoft’s assurance that these products have passed tests for compatibility and reliability with 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7.

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