Two 41MP Camera Phones - The Nokia 808 PureView Vs. The Nokia Lumia 1020

Mobile phones are incredible. Being able to be in constant contact, as well as having the internet in the palm of your hand pretty much wherever you go has meant that most of us have become reliant on having a decent mobile. Plus, of course, many of us are giving up that expensive home land line phone which is rapidly becoming unnecessary. However, a good new mobile phone is going to cost you at least a few hundred pounds, making it a big investment for a lot of people, so you do want to make sure that your money is being well spent. And how exactly are you supposed to do that? Ideally, you're supposed to compare the spec lists for the phones that you're interested in to see how they differ. But since most spec lists are loaded down with technical data and language, the average shopper can find them difficult to understand, making it hard to know exactly what you're getting for your money and what exactly the best mobile phones are. And that's where we come in. We're taking some of the hottest new releases on the mobile market and taking a close look at their specs and features. We then match phones up in head to head battles so that you can see precisely how two models compare and which one makes the better buy. Want to know which phone is the winner today? Then read on to find out all the info you'll need to make the right decision for you.

Battle of the Camera Phones...

A camera is standard on a smart phone these days, and more and more people, even professionals, are becoming interested in mobile photography. But if you're serious about your mobile picture taking, then today we're looking at two of the biggest camera phones out there, the best mobile phones with cameras around. Both these devices sport huge 41 MP in built cameras, the highest resolution available on the current market, and both of them are produced by Nokia. Nokia are one of the biggest names on the mobile market, and a true innovator of mobile technology and design. However, with companies like Samsung and Sony producing high end, feature laden devices at great prices, Nokia have been losing customers since the early 2000s. A partnership with Microsoft to produce high quality Windows phones has now become a direct take over, and it looks likely that the vast majority of Nokia phones from now on are going to be Windows devices. But one thing that Nokia do still have a great reputation for is making amazing mobile cameras. The two devices are the Nokia Lumia 1020, a Windows 8 phone, and the Nokia 808 PureView, which uses the proprietary Nokia Sybian Belle operating system. Both have great cameras, both are expensive, but which is better?

What You'll be Paying...

With cameras like these you're obviously going to be paying a fair amount of cash. The Nokia 808 PureView is going to cost you around five hundred pounds, whilst the Nokia Lumia 1020 goes for about five hundred and fifty. If you're looking to get a contract phone with a mobile operator, then unfortunately none of the major UK operators are currently offering either the Lumia or the PureView on contract. So, is it worth paying the extra fifty pounds for the Lumia 1020?

Why the Nokia Lumia 1020 is Better...

Frankly, that extra fifty pounds gets you a lot, the Nokia Lumia 1020 has tons of advantages over the 808 PureView. It runs the faster processor, coming with a 1500 MHz model over the 1300 MHz model on the 808, so the Lumia is faster, more powerful and more responsive to input as well. The screen is larger on the Lumia, measuring in at four and half inches versus just four inches on the PureView, which is a pretty big difference, especially when it comes to typing on the pop up on screen keyboard. And that screen is better quality too. The Lumia has around four and a half times higher screen resolution and about eighty per cent more PPI (pixels per inch), meaning that the display is noticeably brighter, sharper and clearer than that of the 808. Also, the Lumia has double the amount of internal storage, coming with a 32 GB internal memory versus the 16 GB internal memory on the PureView, so you've got double the space to store your music, photos, games and other data. Battery life on the Lumia 1020 is vastly improved, it averages around double the amount of talk time per battery charge cycle than the 808 does, getting about thirteen and a half hours of active use versus just six and a half hours. The Lumia 1020 is a 4G capable device, meaning that it can access far faster mobile internet speeds for faster downloading and web page opening, smoother video streaming and even high end online game playing. You will need to be with an operator that has a 4G network and specific 4G data plans in order for this to work though. And finally, even though the Lumia has the larger screen, it's still the smaller device. It's around thirty per cent thinner than the PureView, as well as being about ten per cent smaller overall and ten per cent lighter. So the Lumia is the more portable device and is easier to carry around with you.

Why the Nokia 808 PureView is Better...

How can the Nokia 808 PureView compete with specs like that? To be honest, it really can't. The only advantage that the PureView has over the Lumia is that it has a built in FM radio, and that's hardly a necessity these days since there are so many great radio apps available to download.

Which to Buy?

The obvious answer here is that you should absolutely buy the Nokia Lumia 1020. Sure, you'll pay an extra fifty pounds, but look at how much more you get for your money. A bigger and better screen, more internal storage, a better battery and faster processor all mean that the Lumia 1020 is a far better phone than the Nokia 808 PureView.

The best mobile phones were changing all the time and Phil Turner wanted the latest information. It took almost no time at all on sites like uSwitch to find what he needed.