Nokia Lumia 1320 review: Playing by the book

Introduction

Large displays are all the rage these days and a phablet with the right price is strategically set to win big. Nokia certainly sees the Lumia 1320 this way, aware of the need of a capable midranger to stand next to the premium 1520.
The Lumia 1520 was the latecomer that went on to steal the show, but not all Nokia had to say in phablets in 2013. The door was left open and the Lumia 1320, which is probably more important to Nokia in the long run, didn't need a second invite.

Nokia Lumia 1320 official images
The Nokia Lumia 1320 is toned down version of the Lumia 1520 and is tailored to fit both the needs and budget of its potential customers. We are more than used to seeing Lumia smartphones do well enough on far from stellar hardware, and Nokia's choice of the trusty Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset and a 5MP camera, seems to make sense on a device like the Lumia 1320.
Here's what the Nokia Lumia 1320 is all about.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Quad-band 3G with 42 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support
• Penta-band LTE Cat4 support, 150Mbps downlink, 50Mbps uplink
• 6.0" 16M-color ClearBlack IPS CLD capacitive touchscreen of 1280 x 720 pixels; Corning Gorilla Glass 3; Nokia Glance screen
• 5MP sensor, 1/4" sensor size, LED flash
• 1080p@30fps video recording
• VGA front-facing camera
• Windows Phone 8 GDR3 OS with Nokia Black
• 1.7GHz dual-core Krait 300 CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, 1GB of RAM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band
• GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS support
• 8GB of inbuilt storage
• microSD card slot, up to 64GB
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
• Built-in accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port
• Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP and file transfers
• SNS integration
• Xbox Live integration and Xbox management
• Digital compass
• Nokia Music
• FM radio
• Excellent battery life
• Exchangeable back covers

Main disadvantages

• Non-user-replaceable battery
• No system-wide file manager
• No lockscreen shortcuts
• No NFC

The Nokia Lumia 1320 is a Déjà Vu of sorts - both on the inside and out. We've seen this particular hardware configuration in a handful of Lumia family members, and the similarities on the outside are hard not to notice either.
But if it ain't broke, why fix it, right? The Lumia 1320 is nothing out of the ordinary in terms of build and finish - but one can turn that around and say it's actually quite pleasant and friendly. A bright-colored polycarbonate back cover folds around the inner body, which holds a 6" 720p display.

Nokia Lumia 1320
The good news is that we're talking a massive phone here, so there's quite a lot of room for a battery and Nokia made good use of it. 3,400mAh is a lot and it's a promise this Lumia will run as a happy puppy for extended periods of time, while the dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset should ensure smooth sailing for Windows Phone 8 OS.
All the pieces of the puzzle tie nicely together when looking at the Nokia Lumia 1320 from afar, but a closer look may reveal the compromises that had to be made to reach this price point. We're all here for the close-up, aren't we? Let's start our journey with a thorough inspection of the Nokia Lumia 1320's exterior.