Lumia 520

[lordofthereef]

It's a shame the previous thread was locked due to trolls (wasn't my thread, just found it via searching). Anyway... I am going to paste my review from target here. They are selling the phone clearanced for $35.

Target.com Review
I bought this clearanced for $35, but even at the suggested $60 it is the best value in a brand new smartphone I have ever seen.

To start, it lets you update to windows 8.1. What does that mean? Among other things, you get Cortana (think Google Now and Siri competitor) and it works phenomenally well. I gave it a shot asking questions like I would ask siri. While it was slightly slower, this is a $60 phone compared to my 5S, which retails $650 for the base model.

There is 8GB onboard storage and you can expand that, should you want to. I bought this phone to get into window phone 8.1 a bit more, so I probably won't expand memory just yet. But it's nice to know that it's an option.

Two cons that I found, and they are minor (especially considering I got this thing for $35) is that there is no LTE and there is no flash on the camera. LTE you can live without. The camera, unless you are in really ideal conditions, will leave you wanting in picture quality. Then again, I am unsure if you could even find a point and shoot for $35 these days.

Again, the value is unbeatable, and if you were wondering, this will work just fine on an AT&T contract line. I literally grabbed this at Target, took it to an T&T store, they activated another sim (the 5S takes a different sim and the sim inside the box of this phone is a gophone sim only) and I was on my way in about fifteen minutes.

Did I mention value? Incredible. I have half a mind of buying another one of these just to have around in case I need a backup phone for some reason. Internet, navigation, emails, texting, phone calls, for $35??? That's about what you pay a month on AT&T next to have an iPhone. Insanity!!! End

I should add that I bought the 521 to try out TMO a few months ago and ultimately returned it (mainly due to lack of TMO service here). The difference between 8.0 and 8.1 is night and day. As silly as it seems, just the notifications bar and springboard wallpaper are enough to make it feel totally new. Pretty damn please with this device.

Having used a Lumia 820 and 920 I honestly don't know how they managed with this device. Unless I was really set on a bigger screen I am not sure I could really justify paying the premiums for the higher end Lumias; this thing just runs so smoothly. MS finally has a competitive OS IMO. But nobody knows about it.

 

[Lloydbm41]

It's a shame the previous thread was locked due to trolls (wasn't my thread, just found it via searching). Anyway... I am going to paste my review from target here. They are selling the phone clearanced for $35.

Target.com Review
I bought this clearanced for $35, but even at the suggested $60 it is the best value in a brand new smartphone I have ever seen.

To start, it lets you update to windows 8.1. What does that mean? Among other things, you get Cortana (think Google Now and Siri competitor) and it works phenomenally well. I gave it a shot asking questions like I would ask siri. While it was slightly slower, this is a $60 phone compared to my 5S, which retails $650 for the base model.

There is 8GB onboard storage and you can expand that, should you want to. I bought this phone to get into window phone 8.1 a bit more, so I probably won't expand memory just yet. But it's nice to know that it's an option.

Two cons that I found, and they are minor (especially considering I got this thing for $35) is that there is no LTE and there is no flash on the camera. LTE you can live without. The camera, unless you are in really ideal conditions, will leave you wanting in picture quality. Then again, I am unsure if you could even find a point and shoot for $35 these days.

Again, the value is unbeatable, and if you were wondering, this will work just fine on an AT&T contract line. I literally grabbed this at Target, took it to an T&T store, they activated another sim (the 5S takes a different sim and the sim inside the box of this phone is a gophone sim only) and I was on my way in about fifteen minutes.

Did I mention value? Incredible. I have half a mind of buying another one of these just to have around in case I need a backup phone for some reason. Internet, navigation, emails, texting, phone calls, for $35??? That's about what you pay a month on AT&T next to have an iPhone. Insanity!!! End

I should add that I bought the 521 to try out TMO a few months ago and ultimately returned it (mainly due to lack of TMO service here). The difference between 8.0 and 8.1 is night and day. As silly as it seems, just the notifications bar and springboard wallpaper are enough to make it feel totally new. Pretty damn please with this device.

Having used a Lumia 820 and 920 I honestly don't know how they managed with this device. Unless I was really set on a bigger screen I am not sure I could really justify paying the premiums for the higher end Lumias; this thing just runs so smoothly. MS finally has a competitive OS IMO. But nobody knows about it.

Only real downside for me was the 512mb of RAM. Certain apps need 1gb of RAM to function. But it is by far the best 'cheap' phone on the market.

 

[lordofthereef]

Only real downside for me was the 512mb of RAM. Certain apps need 1gb of RAM to function. But it is by far the best 'cheap' phone on the market.

Which apps? I tend to avoid apps since, unfortunately, they seem to basically be the webapp version of most stuff. Windows Phone is certain lacking in those regards.

But seriously, 35 bucks... lol. I am incredibly impressed.

 

[Lloydbm41]

Which apps? I tend to avoid apps since, unfortunately, they seem to basically be the webapp version of most stuff. Windows Phone is certain lacking in those regards.

But seriously, 35 bucks... lol. I am incredibly impressed.

There are quite a few apps that can't be used on a 520. I can't recall off the top of my head but there are some.

 

[Cnasty]

I almost got the 520 before I pulled the trigger on a 635 as it was a budget phone but also had a couple enhancements over the 520.

$35 is an absolute steal for that phone and a step up at $99 and may be able to find cheaper is the 635.

 

[TacticalDesire]

While the 520 is a great phone for the price I found it uncomfortable to hold. Between the shape and the sharp corners I just found it unwieldy for some reason. And it's nearly the same size as my Moto X. Mine also creaks a lot. But I paid $60 for a it so I can't complain.

 

[lordofthereef]

I almost got the 520 before I pulled the trigger on a 635 as it was a budget phone but also had a couple enhancements over the 520.

$35 is an absolute steal for that phone and a step up at $99 and may be able to find cheaper is the 635.

Yeah, they had the 635 for $99. Truth be told, I came in just wanting something cheap and found this, figured it would be ok since I tried on TMO. With windows Phone 8.1 it exceeded my expectations in every way.


I used GPS today and, while I don't think I like the software as much as Apple or Google maps, I must say, it got me where I needed to go (and I used Cortana to tell me to get there).

And then I think back and remember it was $35... I am overpaying for all of my bleeding edge hardware lol.

----------

While the 520 is a great phone for the price I found it uncomfortable to hold. Between the shape and the sharp corners I just found it unwieldy for some reason. And it's nearly the same size as my Moto X. Mine also creaks a lot. But I paid $60 for a it so I can't complain.

It is a bit strange. I actually jammed it into an iPhone 5 (silicone) case because my son loves playing with phones, but when he drops them, especially this one, the battery flies out. It was actually too big, slightly, to fit well, which surprised me a bit, since looking at it it looks smaller than an iPhone.

 

[bnmcj1]

I bought Lumia 520 yesterday for fitness, backup and GPS use. I tell you, Windows Phone 8.1 is amazing. It is the first time I have tried anything as good as iOS, and I have owned a lot of flagships.

Funny thing is. I wrote this on Lumia 520. I enjoy the interface that much.

 

[Cnasty]

I tell you, Windows Phone 8.1 is amazing.

I don't think the OS gets enough credit with how good it is because not many people have ventured into WP.

 

[yinz]

To the OP, I have to agree when he implied that WP is great at the low end. It is so great at the low end that the high end is hard to justify.

I think Nokia is doing a great job optimising their devices to run on the OS. I think with higher end WP, they really have to try harder to differentiate themselves. For my aunties and uncles, I think Lumia 520 is all they'll ever need. What a great deal.

If I didn't already have an old phone I'm using as a second phone, I'd definitely pick up one of these new. They seem great! I hope they keep optimizing their OS for the low end and don't add bloat to it.

 

[Jessica Lares]

$35!!!!

Incredible. I got mine like a month after it came out for $99.

It is a nice phone, I wish I knew where I put mine so I can play around with the new updates and apps.

There are some gems in the store. Today I was looking around and I found this cool new notes app that looked pretty polished. Put all the differences aside and focus on what you like and not what it isn't, and you'll enjoy it more.

The update cycle is pretty crazy too. I don't know if it'll get Windows Phone 9, but they're doing well with keeping it fresh with new stuff. What impresses me most is that some developers do actually port down to 512MB eventually.

And oh yeah, gotta love the keyboard. I think it's a lot easier to type on than the iOS one.

It held up pretty well in the snow and rain too. As for no flash, I tried the iBlazr on it before they had an app, and it automatically fired off with some of the camera apps. That is cumbersome to deal with of course, but it definitely worked well.

 

[lordofthereef]

There are quite a few apps that can't be used on a 520. I can't recall off the top of my head but there are some.

I actually went and tried to find something useful that I would use that wouldn't work (discounting games... I am not even going to consider gaming on something I boguht for $35). I couldn't find anything that wouldn't work.

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To the OP, I have to agree when he implied that WP is great at the low end. It is so great at the low end that the high end is hard to justify.

You hit the nail on the head with this lol. I had some mentions of 512mb being a limitation for apps. I have tried, but I haven;t come across them (again, games aside).

I am still sitting here wondering how this is a profitable device. I couldn't get a brand new iPhone 4 for $35, and it certainly wouldn't run as smoothly as this sucker does.

 

[Cod3rror]

$35 is a steal.

I'd definitely get it for that price.

 

[Altis]

That's a phenomenal price.

I'm going to be travelling in the states next week... Might pick one up for travel use. Roaming charges are absurd.

I really like WP 8.1 too. It's a shame they don't seem to bring any of them to canada.

EDIT: Any link to the $35 deal? Shows as $119.99 online for me.

 

[bnmcj1]

I use my Lumia 520 as daily driver until my iPhone 6 arrives. Just sold my iPhone 5s for a quite high price considering its age and scratces. Needed to let it go now to get something for it.

I have had every iPhone, SG3, SG4, Note 3, Nexus 5, Moto G and tried many more phones. I just like to try something new. Sometimes it costs a little and sometimes not. Anyways. Every time I tried Android, I always missed iOS very much. Windows Phone is so simple and clean, that I can easily use it and enjoy. Thanks to a cheap Lumia 520, I can be without iphone for a time and not run be frustrated because of os and stability . Great backup phone.

 

[Altis]

...Anyway... I am going to paste my review from target here. They are selling the phone clearanced for $35.
....

Any idea if they're still offering this, or how to get it? Doesn't show up online.

Thanks!

 

[Jessica Lares]

Any idea if they're still offering this, or how to get it? Doesn't show up online.

Thanks!

Amazon has it for $48.93. Remember, these are the versions tied to AT&T and not unlocked.

http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Lumia-5...id=1410712015&sr=8-1&keywords=Nokia+Lumia+520

But you can totally find it at Walmart and Best Buy. You might have to get them to price match a little though.

 

[lordofthereef]

Any idea if they're still offering this, or how to get it? Doesn't show up online.

Thanks!

Amazon has it for $48.93. Remember, these are the versions tied to AT&T and not unlocked.

http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Lumia-5...id=1410712015&sr=8-1&keywords=Nokia+Lumia+520

But you can totally find it at Walmart and Best Buy. You might have to get them to price match a little though.

It wasn't something that was online with Target (when I went to get it). Truth be told I wanted to price match Walmart AT $60 when I went to Target and found out they were clearanced.

I do know they still had the TMO version (Lumia 521, same phone, just for TMO) for $99.

If you are looking for the $35 steal, I would just go into your local Target and ask. The first Target I went to said they had two in stock but couldn;t find them anywhere. Since it was clearance they didn't have a specific location in their system (or so they claimed). The second Target I went to had four in stock, but they were hanging on one of those security tags that need to be unlocked and they were on the wrong tag behind another (also $35 clearanced) phone. I was ready to grab that phone when the guy from mobile pulls it off the hook for me and I see the 520 sitting behind it with that beautiful clearance tag.

It is locked to AT&T, but from the consumer laws I read coming into place, after 12 months of purchase/use you can get it unlocked. It also comes with a sim for $45 unlimited talk, text, and 2.5GB of data, which is a pretty good deal, should you choose to go that route.

The AT&T stores also had it for $60 (with the same prepaid offer). I only know this because when I went into AT&T needing a new sim, the guy offered to set the phone up for me and mentioned they had it there too, except not in a "stupid clamshell box". He mentioned they were $60, and I joked that "as annoying as clamshells are, I am happy to open one for a $25 savings".

 

[Max(IT)]

Only real downside for me was the 512mb of RAM. Certain apps need 1gb of RAM to function. But it is by far the best 'cheap' phone on the market.

Mainly only games need 1 Gb of ram to run ...

----------

$35!!!!

Incredible. I got mine like a month after it came out for $99.

It is a nice phone, I wish I knew where I put mine so I can play around with the new updates and apps.

There are some gems in the store. Today I was looking around and I found this cool new notes app that looked pretty polished. Put all the differences aside and focus on what you like and not what it isn't, and you'll enjoy it more.

The update cycle is pretty crazy too. I don't know if it'll get Windows Phone 9, but they're doing well with keeping it fresh with new stuff. What impresses me most is that some developers do actually port down to 512MB eventually.

And oh yeah, gotta love the keyboard. I think it's a lot easier to type on than the iOS one.

It held up pretty well in the snow and rain too. As for no flash, I tried the iBlazr on it before they had an app, and it automatically fired off with some of the camera apps. That is cumbersome to deal with of course, but it definitely worked well.

When it came out the official price was 199€ here in Europe, and it was a good price for a cheap but really valid smartphone.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Mainly only games need 1 Gb of ram to run

Asphalt 8 works flawless on this phone.

 

[dba415]

Windows Phone can capitalize on the budget type phones. Their OS is optimized enough so it can perform pretty well on budget specs unlike Android.

 

[Max(IT)]

Windows Phone can capitalize on the budget type phones. Their OS is optimized enough so it can perform pretty well on budget specs unlike Android.

Partially true, but the 520 wasn't really a budget phone like the 530 or 630 nowadays .... It was launched at a midrange price of 199€ and it had every feature needed at the time: a good CPU, sd card support, led flash and so on ...
It became a good deal over the time, when its price dropped below 99€ ....

 

[albertfallickwa]

My Lumia 521 is still an incredible bargain relative to my iPhone LOL. I really dig its features a lot and use it as a backup phone.

 

[Cnasty]

Currently using my 635 as I just sold my OPO and waiting for my new IP6+ and forgot how good this phone is every time I use it.

I keep it under my bed for emergency use and when in between phones and it never lets me down.