Most of us don’t know it, but Nokia actually tinkered around in the
mobile computing space before – several years ago to be exact. Remember
the Nokia Booklet 3G, an underpowered netbook-like thing that ran
Windows 7? We won’t be shocked if you can’t, just because it was a short
lived thing that proved to be nothing more than a test in futility.
Besides its premium construction, everything else about it was a total
wash – seemingly ending the Finnish company’s presence in the space.
Well,
that was four years ago, and since that time, Nokia has gone through a
transformation of its own. Having its efforts invested in all things
Microsoft, the company is finally making its appearance in the
competitive tablet market. Unlike the Booklet 3G, the Nokia Lumia 2520
is one serious tablet from the get-go that’s aiming to hit it big with
the masses – just like its line of high-end Lumia smartphones. Already
having to contend with several big named tablets on the scene right now,
does the Lumia 2520 stand a chance in coming out on top?
The package contains:
- Wall charger
- SIM removal tool
- Get started guide
- Warranty information
Design
Yet
again, Nokia shows us that it’s capable of crafting such attractive
products that shine above the typically designed slates out there. And
that’s what simply gets our attention right from the onset - its design.
Clearly the Lumia presence is well established here, as the tablet
employs the distinctive design cues of Nokia’s smartphone line. Thanks
to its tapered design, the tablet appears thinner than it is, since it
starts off having a skinny profile from its sides (0.35-inches), and
gradually thickens towards the center of the casing. The effect is
subtle, but enough to give it a consistent streamlined construction.
Throw in the curved nature of its trim, and it feels very comfortable to
hold. Its weight of 615 grams complements it, as it is lighter than
most Windows RT tablets (Surface 2, we're watching you) yet it is
heavier than rival Android tablets and the iPad Air.
Utilizing
the same polycarbonate materials used by its Lumia smartphones, the
tablet exudes a pretty decent amount of sturdiness with its
construction. With our particular unit, the plastic has a glossy finish,
much like the white version of the tablet, which is notorious for
attracting smudges and fingerprints very easily. Conversely, the cyan
and black versions have a matte finish – allowing them to maintain a
cleaner appearance. Needless to say, both finishes have their own
attributes, but it’s just wonderful to see that color variety is
something that’s available with this. Indeed, we’ve seen several
attractive tablets this fall already, but the Nokia Lumia 2520 has a
flashy look of its own that undoubtedly comes off as being fresh on the
scene.
In being a Windows RT 8.1 tablet, it sports a capacitive
start button just below its display – transporting us back to the start
screen when it’s pressed. Above the display, we have its 2-megapixel
front-facing camera, light sensor, and an LED light that kicks on to
indicate the camera(s) is in use.
For having such a skinny trim,
it’s comforting that the Lumia 2520 is outfitted with all the usual
ports and buttons – and then some! Along the right edge, we have a
microHDMI port for easy video-out functionality, and a microUSB 3.0
port. Meanwhile on the left side of the tablet, it first looks as though
it’s packing two 3.5mm headset ports, but in fact, one of them is the
unit’s proprietary charging port. And yes folks, it wields dual speakers
too for stereo support – and they’re located on the bottom left and
right edges of the display.
Both the power button and volume
control are too flat to distinguish with our fingers, and at the same
time, their responses are a bit subdued. Well, it’s wonderful that it
packs a microSD card slot to supplement its internal capacity, but the
slot itself is a part of the SIM tray. Meaning, if we need to access it,
we temporarily cut its wireless connectivity at the same time.
And
finally, the bottom edge features several pin connection ports that are
used to connect the optional keyboard accessory to the tablet.
In
the rear sits a healthy sized 6.7-megapixel auto-focus camera, which
features a Zeiss lens with an aperture of f.1.9, and 1080p video
recording. Obviously, it’s nothing close to the camera gear in some
recent Lumia smartphones, but nevertheless, it’s a fitting one for a
tablet.
Display
When you’re new to the scene, you need to have a
display that’s on par to the competition. Thankfully, the Nokia Lumia
2520 is armed with an attractive one. Specifically, it flaunts a
10.1-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS LCD display, which equates to having a pixel
density count of 218 ppi. Certainly, it’s a sharp looking thing that
delivers crisp details from all angles – so there are no concerns about
fighting over miniscule text with our eyes. Additionally, there are
several elements that complement its beauty – like its potent brightness
output, average viewing angles, and a vibrant color reproduction. With
the latter, it tends to exude a warmer tone. Although it might not
produce the most realistic colors tones, its iridescence helps to keep
our eyes affixed to its glow.
However, there are two distractive
things about the display. First, it’s just notorious for attracting
smudges and fingerprint – much like its plastic body. Unfortunately, it
doesn’t seem like the display is treated with any sort of
anti-fingerprint properties, so we’re constantly rubbing it down with a
cloth. And secondly, we notice just a little bit of subtle bleeding
around the edges of the display, which is most noticeable when the
screen is displaying the color black. Despite those issues, everything
about the display is predictable in giving it a high end reputation.
Nokia Storyteller: Using photos
and videos captured by the Lumia 2520’s camera, Nokia Storyteller
arranges the content into various “stories” that offer a richer viewing
experience. It’s merely an enhanced organizational tool, as it’s able to
categorize things based on time and location.
Nokia Video Director:
If you’re all about video editing on the go, you’ll surely appreciate
Nokia Video Director, since it’s a simple app that seemingly puts us
into the director’s seat. In just a short time, we’re able to compile a
polished video on the Lumia 2520.
Nokia Camera: Initially, we
thought that Nokia was bringing the same Pro Cam app on its Lumia phones
to this, but sadly that’s not the case. Instead, the Nokia Camera is
just as basic as the standard Window RT 8.1 camera app – with the
exception that it offers us touch focus.
Processor and Memory
Unlike the Surface 2, which relies on
NVIDIA’s latest piece of silicone, the Lumia 2520 favors the gear from
Qualcomm’s camp instead – a quad-core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 SoC
featuring the Adreno 330 GPU, coupled with 2GB of RAM. In general, it
rarely exhibits any strain with its operation, as it delivers a snappy
response with most things, even processor intensive things like 3D
gaming titles. However, it’s not without its faults, as we sometimes
experience some delayed operations when we have several tabs opened in
the web browser – while multi-tasking with another app.
Stuffed
with 32GB of internal storage, it’s a healthy tally we can accept for
its price point. Better yet, its capacity can be supplemented thanks to
the availability of its microSD card slot.
