Lumia 520

Overview

Nokia’s 2013 entry-level Lumia 520 combines a 4-inch IPS display, dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus, 512 MB RAM and autofocus 5 MP camera. Regional radios, cloud storage and later Amber/Cyan updates are kept separate.

Period and variants

Nokia introduces the Lumia 520 on 25 February 2013, planning March availability first in Hong Kong and Vietnam before other regions. Windows Phone 8, a 4-inch IPS display, dual-core 1 GHz Snapdragon S4 Plus and 512 MB RAM form its entry-level configuration. Interchangeable coloured covers, a removable battery and two-stage camera key provide physical controls. Super-sensitive touch supports gloves; the panel lacks ClearBlack, and generic hardened glass is not assigned an unverified Gorilla Glass brand.

Eight gigabytes is nominal internal storage, partly occupied by the system. The launch offer of 7 GB SkyDrive was a separate online service. Nokia specifies microSD cards up to 64 GB. The autofocus 5 MP rear camera records 720p at 30 fps, with neither flash nor a front camera. It is not 1080p recording or a multiple-camera system. Some contemporary apps and games had RAM requirements beyond this phone’s 512 MB.

Quad-band GSM is separate from two WCDMA configurations: 900/2100 or 850/1900/2100 MHz. The UK data sheet lists the former, without establishing a union for every handset. HSPA, Wi-Fi b/g/n and launch-specification Bluetooth 3.0 coexist with no LTE or NFC. Micro-USB handles charging and data; the 3.5 mm connector sits on top. The removable BL-5J is rated at 1430 mAh.

Launch Windows Phone 8 is distinguished from FM radio enabled with the later GDR2/Lumia Amber update, requiring a wired headset antenna, and subsequent Windows Phone 8.1/Lumia Cyan. The supplied photograph shows a later Russian Windows Phone 8.1 interface: it documents the handset, not launch software or regional radio bands. Historical software and cloud offers do not promise present-day service availability.

Sources

• Nokia — original Lumia 520 announcement, 25 February 2013
• Nokia — Lumia 520 Partner Portal UK data sheet
• Nokia — Lumia 520 user guide, Issue 2.0 EN-US
• Notebookcheck — Daniel Schuster’s own Lumia 520 review
• GSMArena — original Lumia 520 review, 16 April 2013
• GSMArena — Lumia 520 body and display test
• GSMArena — Lumia 520 controls and removable battery
• GSMArena — Lumia 520 still and video camera tests
• GSMArena — Lumia 520 connectivity test
• GSMArena — Lumia 520 media and later FM update
• Nokia — Lumia Amber rollout announcement, 15 August 2013
• Nokia — Lumia Amber questions answered, 30 August 2013
• Nokia — Lumia Cyan / Windows Phone 8.1 rollout, 15 July 2014

Image credits

Nokia Lumia 520 yellow front showing later Russian Windows Phone 8.1 — Enterely, CC BY-SA 4.0; source file unchanged by this archive.

Optimized display images on this page have been proportionally resized (maximum dimension 1600 px) and compressed to WebP, without cropping or retouching. Statements above about unchanged files refer to the preserved collected originals; attribution, sources and original licenses still apply. Originals: 1.

Images collected from the Internet.