Nokia Lumia 1020 vs. Sony Xperia Z1: How Do They Stack Up?

As a prelude to the Diwali season, global smartphone makers like Samsung, Sony and LG launched their flagship models in India just weeks ago. Now Finnish handset maker Nokia has released its marquee camera-phone Lumia 1020 in the subcontinent, intensifying the battle in the niche high-end smartphone market.  

Among the main rivals of Nokia's 41-megapixel Lumia 1020 would be the Xperia Z1, which houses a 20.7-megapixel camera with Sony's patented G-Lens and BIONZ technology which are found in expensive DSLR cameras.

Here is the brief comparison of Nokia Lumia 1020 and Sony Xperia Z1:

Display and build quality:

Nokia's flagship smartphone sports a 4.5-inch AMOLED WXGA (1280x768p) display with PureMotion HD+ technology having a pixel density of 334 ppi (pixels per inch). It features a tough polycarbonate body and the screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 shield.

Sony Xperia Z1, on the other hand, sports a bigger and superior 5.0-inch TFT full HD (1920x1080p) display featuring TRILUMINOS with X-Reality screen technology and Sony BRAVIA Engine. Users can also take the phone under water (up to five feet for 30 minutes) as it comes with water-proof and dust-resistant (IP55/IP58) certifications.

Processor, RAM and Storage:

In this aspect, Xperia Z1 wins hands down with its powerful Snapdragon 800 series CPU which clocks a speed of 2.2GHz. In comparison, the Nokia phone packs a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset.

Both Sony and Nokia house 2GB RAM, but differ in the storage capacit. Xperia Z1 comes with 16GB memory which can be expanded up to 64GB, while Nokia ships with non-expandable 32GB memory.

Operating System:

Like all Android phones, Sony Xperia Z1 (v4.2.2 Jelly Bean) too has an edge over Lumia 1020 as Android is currently the second biggest OS ecosystem in the market, boasting close to million applications and games. Nokia Nokia users, on the other hand, have just 160,000 plus apps to choose from the Windows Phone store.

Camera:

Both smartphones come packed with high-end specifications and are rated as the top two camera phones in the industry.

Lumia 1020 houses a stunning 41.0-megapixel PureView camera boasting of six physical lenses (Carl Zeiss Tessar optics) with OIS (Optical Image stabilizations), f2.2 aperture and 3X loss-less zoom. It features two separate types of flash support - Xenon flash for still images and a separate LED light for videos.

The Nokia phone comes pre-loaded with dedicated camera applications and tools such as Nokia Pro Camera, Cinegraph, Nokia Smart Camera, PhotoBeamer, Panorama and Nokia Glam Me Lens. On the front side, the Lumia 1020 packs a 1.2-megapixel wide angle HD camera with 1280x960p resolution.

On the other hand, Xperia Z1 also sports a really good 20.7-megapixel CMOS Exmor RS camera sensor (f1/2.3-inch aperture) with Sony G-lens (27 mm wide angle and bright f2.0 aperture) and a separate BIONZ image processor engine. However, Sony lets down its fan by not including OIS feature

Like the Lumia phone, Xperia Z1 too houses loads of camera applications. It includes superior auto and manual options, time-shift burst, Sweep Panorama, Social Live, Info-eye feature and AR Effect feature, which allows users to put 'Augmented Reality' scenarios on to a picture to make short-video clips. It sports a 2.0-megapixel Exmor R camera with1080p video recording ability.

Despite boasting of top-of-the-line features, Sony Xperia Z1 lacks the OIS feature losing the battle (in terms of camera specifications) to Nokia Lumia 1020.

Price:

Nokia Lumia 1020 is already available in the market for ₹49,999, whereas the price of Sony Xperia Z1 is hovering around ₹40,000, almost ₹10,000 less than the Nokia phone.

Considering their specification aspects, the Sony phone pips Lumia 1020 in terms of power, build quality and price wise. However, the feature-rich 41.0-megapixel camera in Nokia phone which is touted as the best camera phone in the industry is sure to find takers in India, especially among amateur and professional photography enthusiasts.

Key specifications of Nokia Lumia 1020 and Sony Xperia Z1: