Nokia Lumia 1520 vs Nokia Lumia 930/Icon

Windows Phones with less powerful dual core processors run consistently and quickly because of the excellent software optimization of Windows Phone. As a result the 1520 with the first quad-core processor for Windows Phone runs just as smoothly but quicker.

The 1520's display is pretty close to perfection. The screen is 1080p with a dense PPI of 367. Colors are bright and vibrant. The display is super sensitive and can be used with gloves. The viewing angles are fantastic and the whites are truly white. The colors (temperature and saturation) can even be adjusted in Nokia's color profile application. The display is also protected by Gorilla Glass 2. Lastly Nokia's ClearBlack technology allows for better outdoor readability with built-in polarization filters.

The camera on the 1520 is fantastic even if it is a little bit overshadowed by the 41 megapixel camera on the 1020. The camera uses Carl Zeiss optics and has OIS (optical image stabilization) for photos in low light conditions and minimal vibration during videos. Image capture responsiveness is somewhat slow but the overall image quality is excellent. Nokia's camera apps also offer powerful levels of manual control and even RAW support.

The massive size of the Lumia 1520 allows for a massive, 3400 mAh battery. As a result the 1520 easily makes it through the day but because of it's powerful specifications any more would be difficult. Unfortunately though the battery is non-removable.

The 1520 comes with either 16 or 32GB of internal storage but also for MicroSD card support. With the upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 update applications will also be able to be installed on the MicroSD card.

The 1520 supports wireless charging with the optional accessory cover.

Like the design the display size of the Icon is less polarizing than the outrageous and unconventional six inch display of the 1520. The 5 inch size of the Icon is a perfect medium for a range of people and the size allows for a full three rows of tiles on the Start screen. The OLED display is fantastic as well. The PPI is a dense 441 PPI. The colors are rich and the display has great viewing angles. The Icon also includes Nokia's sunlight readability, super sensitivity settings, and the color profile app.

With a top of the line quad core processor and a lightweight operating system like Windows Phone, the Icon screams. The Icon has no problems navigating the OS or running processing processor intensive games.

The Icon shares the same camera as the Lumia 1520. The 20MP Pureview is one of the best smartphone cameras available. Nokia offers extensive manual controls in the Nokia Pro Camera app and overall image quality is very impressive.

The Icon features wireless charging built in.

With the Lumia Icon, Nokia evolved the bold designs of the Lumia 1520 and 1020 into a more traditional approach. The Icon's design is by no means boring, it just lacks the daring form of it's AT&T siblings. The Verizon Icon uses an attractive rectangular design with excellent build quality but it breaks no conventions. The Icon is available in the traditional black and white color choices.