Nokia Lumia 1320 vs Lumia 1520 - Big phones, bigger differences.

Nokia’s range of Lumia smartphones have done well to break through Android’s stronghold on the mobile phone market, with its Windows Phone operating system wowing the critics.

So with the launch of not one but two 6-inch phablets in the form of the Lumia 1320 and the 1520, how can we tell the difference between these impressive devices?

Appearance: can you spot the difference?

The first, and most obvious, thing to note is that the two Nokia phablets look remarkably different. Yes, they both have the same sized screen and that familiar Nokia touch, but look closer, and you’ll see that the 1520 and 1320 are far from identical.

The Lumia 1320 has a softer look about it, with smooth, rounded edges, rather like a colourful pebble.

The Lumia 1520, on the other hand, looks more similar to Nokia’s premium flagships such as the Lumia 1020 and Lumia 925. It has sharper, square edges, with the traditional sloping Nokia casing, which makes it sit perfectly in your hand.

In many ways the Lumia 1520’s square edges give it more of a high quality corporate feel, whereas the Lumia 1320 looks like a much more fun device that you can slip into your pocket.

The Lumia 1520 beats the 1320’s screen resolution hands down

When it comes to specs beneath those 6-inch screens, it looks like the two phablets couldn’t be much different either.

The Nokia Lumia 1320 sports a decent 720 x 1280 pixel display with 245 pixels per inch. This puts the 1320 on a par with other Nokia smartphones such as the Lumia 925 or the popular Lumia 1020.

On the other hand, the Nokia Lumia 1520 blows all these handsets out the water with its 1080 x 1920 pixel display and whopping 367 pixel per inch ratio. This, in Nokia’s own words, creates the perfect canvas on which you can showcase your finest photos, messages and apps.

Nokia’s Cameras: PureView, megapixels and Smart modes

One thing that’s more or less guaranteed with all Windows Phone 8 phablets is that they are sure to sport an impressive camera.

And while the 5 megapixel lens on the Lumia 1320 might not blow you away on paper, its range of smart camera apps definitely will. The Smart mode on the bespoke Nokia Camera allows you to get creative with motion blur effects and sequence shots, while the Creative Studio and Cinemagraph apps allow you to edit your photos to a professional standard.

However, there’s no denying that a key difference when it comes to the Nokia Lumia 1320 vs Nokia Lumia 1520 has got to be the latter’s camera.

With a huge 20 megapixel PureView lens with Carl Zeiss optics, the Lumia 1520 offers an incredible camera on top of the usual Nokia camera features.

So for smartphone fans who consider themselves a bit of an amateur photographer, the Lumia 1520 is sure to impress, beating the likes of the iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy S4 hands down.

Lumia 1520 is a powerhouse compared to the Lumia 1320

When it comes to the largest Nokia smartphones, you’d expect both devices to sport a healthy set of specs under the hood, which is true of both the Lumia 1320 and 1520.

The Nokia Lumia 1320 features a dual-core 1.7GHz with a Snapdragon S4 chipset, again much like any other mid-range smartphone on the market.

However, the Nokia Lumia 1520 sports a mighty powerhouse under its smooth polycarbonate casing and 6-inch display. With a quad-core 2.2GHz processor and Snapdragon 800 chip, the 1520 lets you fire up a number of apps simultaneously.

What’s more, the Lumia 1520 offers double the RAM compared to the Lumia 1320 at 2GB vs 1GB, making multitasking effortless.

Price: Nokia Lumia 1320 vs Nokia Lumia 1520

So when it comes down to it, both the Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1320 might well be 6-inch Nokia smartphones sporting Windows Phone 8, but look further than that and you will discover how different the two devices really are.

The Nokia Lumia 1320 is perfect for a fun, stylish-looking phablet which lets you catch up on the latest films and games to your heart’s content. On the other hand, the Lumia 1520 offers a more serious-looking handset with an equally serious set of specs.

And all of this is reflected in both phablets’ price tags.

For a SIM free handset, you can pick up the Nokia Lumia 1320 for as little as £299, or from just £34.99 on a pay monthly contract.