Nokia’s 2520 is a 10-inch, $499, polycarbonate-coated slice of Windows 8.1 RT
This is Nokia’s first ever tablet.
Think about that: Nokia, a company that has produced phones for decades, has never made a tablet. Until now. The Lumia 2520 is the first tablet from the Finnish company, and it brings everything we could possibly expect from a tablet sharing a name with Nokia’s Lumia handsets.
Beautiful, polycarbonate build? Check. Multitude of vibrant colors? Check. Powerful? Check. Great camera? Check. An excellent screen? Check. Windows RT? Che- wait. What?
Yup, Nokia’s Windows 8.1 tablet is filled with the lesser-brother of Microsoft’s tablet ecosystem, the ARM-powered Windows RT. Now, Windows RT isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just confusing. It has a desktop, but can’t run legacy desktop apps. It relies entirely on apps from Microsoft’s Windows Store, but that store is still missing several key apps. It also relies on the same processors as other smartphones and tablets, here running a diluted desktop OS. Unless the processor is up to the task, it can occasionally be a laggy affair.
Ignoring Windows RT’s shortcomings in comparison to full-fat Windows 8.1, the Lumia 2520 gets a lot right. It’s coated in Nokia’s trademark polycarbonate build, which means a high-quality feel, and is available in white, red, cyan and black. On the front, you’ll find a 10.1-inch, 1080p screen coated in Gorilla Glass 2 and capable of producing 650 nit brightness. On top of that, Nokia is boasting 5 percent reflectance — the 2520 should be visible indoors and out, regardless of lighting conditions. Above that screen, there’s a 2MP camera for Skype and obligatory selfies, and around the back there’s a 6.7MP, f/1.9 Carl Zeiss lens. Also on-board is a micro-USB 3.0 port, LTE connectivity (this is an optional extra, natch), and an 8,000 mAh battery to power your estimated 11 hours of usage. That battery can be charged up to 50 percent in just 40 minutes, which is handy. Keeping everything running is a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 — much like the just-announced Lumia 1520 smartphone — which should be able to keep on top of Windows 8.1 RT.
Echoing its Surface cousin, the Lumia 2520 is available with a cover that includes its own keyboard, though here it offers extra battery, two USB ports and sections that fold into a stand to prop your 2520 up.
The Lumia 2520 launches in Q4 of this year for $499. and both Verizon and AT&T are expected to carry LTE models.
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