Reverse phone lookup

Basic retail package

The retail package of the Nokia Lumia 2520 is basic. Inside the tablets box, you will find a charger, a tool for accessing the SIM and microSD slots, as well as some booklets.

The retail package and its contents
Much like the Microsoft Surface 2, the Nokia Lumia 2520 has an optional keyboard cover. Alongside the full QWERTY and trackpad, the keyboard cover packs an extra 2,027mAh battery and a duo of full USB ports.

The optional battery cover
The keyboard cover for the Nokia Lumia 2520 is essential for utilizing its massive productivity talents. Its two major downsides come from its price tag and its considerable weight. At $149 and 571 grams respectively, both add significantly to the tablets bottom line in both literal and figurative sense.

Design and build quality

The looks of the Nokia Lumia 2520 hold no surprises. The tablet follows closely the design language of the Nokia Lumia smartphone range. Thanks to its rectangular shape and rounded edges, the slate literally looks like a stretched out Lumia smartphone.

The Lumia 2520 looks anything but revolutionary
The above considered, the Nokia Lumia 2520 looks handsome in the flesh, if a bit too familiar. After all, the current Lumia family design language debuted back in mid-2011 with the MeeGo totting Nokia N9.
Like its smartphone relatives, the Nokia Lumia 2520 is available in a variety of colors, and matte or glossy finish. The colors on offer are black, white, cyan, and red. The black and cyan color schemes come with a matte finish, while the white and red are glossy.
The matte black version which we got to review can easily claim to be the most understated-looking tablet around. We also reckon that the matt finish is easier to live with on a daily basis, as it handles smudgy fingerprints much better that its glossy counterpart.
The measures of the Nokia Lumia 2520 are 267 x 168 x 8.9 mm, while its weight tips the scale at the relatively substantial 615 grams. The latter means that the Nokia Lumia 2520, while a tad more compact than the Microsoft Surface 2, is heftier than the high-end iOS and Android offerings it will compete with.

Nokia Lumia 2520 sized up against the Surface 2 and the iPad Air
Build quality is up to Nokias usual high standards. The Lumia 2520 is superbly put together and ready to tackle plenty of daily use and abuse - from the solid polycarbonate body, all the way to display covered by Cornings Gorilla Glass 2.

Display

The Nokia Lumia 2520 features a 10.1" Full HD ClearBlack IPS display with multi-touch support. The screen boasts enhanced outdoor visibility and an orientation sensor. Its pixel density is 218ppi.

The display of the Nokia Lumia 2520 is quite good
The contrast and viewing angles of the Lumias display are superb, as is its sunlight legibility. Nokia has been treating its top-end smartphones to high-quality displays for some time now, so we cant say we didnt expect one on the companys first tablet as well.

Taking a closer look at the tablets screen
Subjectively, the Nokia Lumia 2520 hands-down beats the screen of its Windows 8.1 RT sibling, the Microsoft Surface 2, in both contrast and viewing angles. Brightness is better too.

The Lumia 2520 has a better display than the Surface 2
Things however, take a downturn when Nokias offering goes head to head with the iOS and Androids finest. Apple, Samsung, and ASUS all offer tablets with significantly higher resolution than the Lumia 2520. To put things simply, 1920 x 1080 pixels is no longer considered cutting edge for a $500 tablet.

Controls

Above the display is where the 2MP front-facing camera and its indicator light can be found. An ambient light sensor and proximity sensor, as well as a microphone are also located there.

The view above the screen
Below the display, you will find the Windows start button. The tablets front-facing stereo speakers are there as well. They keep a pleasantly low profile.

A look below the display
The 3.5mm audio jack and the charging port are located on the left. They look quite alike at a quick glance.

The view on the left and the right of the Lumia 2520
The microUSB and the microHDMI ports are located on the right hand side of the tablet.

The right side of the slate
The power/lock key, the volume rocker, as well as the pop-out tray for the microSIM and microSD card are located on top. The tray is removed via the supplied ejector tool.

A look at the top of the Nokia Lumia 2520
The proprietary connector for Nokias keyboard cover sits alone on the bottom. There is nothing else there.

The bottom of the Nokia Lumia 2520
The back of the Nokia Lumia 2520 is home of the 6.7MP Zeiss camera, an NFC connectivity tag, and a couple of logos. Next to the camera sits a secondary microphone dedicated to noise cancellation.

The back of the tablet
Powered by a beefy 8,120mAh battery, the Nokia Lumia 2520 did quite well in our battery test. The Finnish slate bested its Surface 2 relative and scored highly in both the web browsing and video playback section.

Web browsing

Video playback

It must be noted that the web browsing test was conducted over a Wi-Fi network. Should you choose to surf the web over LTE, a drop in the battery endurance can be reasonably expected.
Handling the Nokia Lumia 2520 is a pleasure. The rounded edges of the slate make it easy to hold. Its considerable weight however, can potentially cause discomfort during prolonged use.

Handling the Nokia Lumia 2520 is easy
Overall, the Nokia Lumia 2520 deserves nothing but high marks for its build quality and ergonomics. Battery life is impressive too - it complements the tablets productivity credentials quite well.
Following next is a look at the OS of the Nokia Lumia 2520, as well as the manufacturers exclusive apps.

Windows 8.1 RT at your service

Windows RT is a relatively new OS - its only been around for an year now and it is different from both the regular Windows and the Windows Phone OS you may have seen elsewhere. RT (short for Runtime) is made to run on ARM processors (like the ones in todays smartphones and tablets) instead on the regular Intel and AMD processors that we use in our computers.
Windows RT relies only on the Windows Store for apps and you cant install any legacy software. None of your Windows Vista/7/8 apps are directly available on Windows RT, unless their developers release a compatible version and Microsoft claims that making one is pretty easy.
Another important difference is that Windows RT is only available pre-installed on devices and its not available directly to end users - only OEMs have access to it. After the initial enthusiasm, the OEMs in question have started moving away from the platform.
Right before the Lumia 2520 was announced, there were even rumors that Microsoft will be scrapping the project altogether. So far (November 2013), there is no official announcement on the matter.
The exact version which the Nokia Lumia 2520 boots is Windows 8.1 RT. The latest version of the ARM-based OS is not a major update, though it still brings some welcome changes to the table.
You can see the Lumia 2520 with Windows 8.1 RT in action below.

The Start menu is comprised of live tiles just like on Windows Phone. The difference is that the live tile grid is scrollable horizontally rather than vertically, which makes sense given the default orientation of the screen.

Windows 8.1 RT UI
A pinch gesture on the screen shrinks the grid of tiles, which is particularly handy if youve got a lot of tiles and you are starting to get lost.
A swipe from the top or bottom of the main screen reveals the context menu. This gesture is enabled in every app, as well as on the Start screen. When in the latter, it reveals the "Customize" menu.

The context menu has been simplified
To select a tile you need to do a vertical swipe on it - mass selection for unpinning and uninstalling is also available. This works on all sorts of files in Start - pictures, documents, etc.
Live tiles can be resized just like in Windows Phone - there are four sizes available now as opposed to three in Windows 8 RT. An option to turn live tiles off is also available. Some tiles are nothing more than static icons even after you make them bigger but others (like Calendar) help bring more information right on your homescreen.

Some of the customization options
Swiping up from the Start menu reveals the full list of installed apps. A pinch gesture reveals an alphabetical grid which lets you quickly search the list of apps.

The full list of available apps
Switching between apps is done by swiping from the left edge of the screen towards the center. Theres an alternate way of doing this - a short swipe from the left edge of the screen and then quickly back displays a vertical thumbnail grid of the recent apps. If youre using a conventional keyboard with your Windows 8.1 RT, a simple Alt+Tab gets the job done just like it has for ages now.

Switching between apps
Split screen mode has been greatly revamped in Windows 8.1 RT. It now allows users to view apps side by side in equally-sized windows, as opposed to a large and a small one in the previous version.

Viewing windows side by side has been greatly improved

Charms menu

The Charms menu is available across the OS. Its accessible via a swipe from the right edge of the screen and gives access to search, share, Start, devices and settings.
Devices detects every device in your networks Home/Workgroup - if youre logged on to one that is. You can send content to these devices through this menu. Share does the same, but using different apps to share depending on the type of content.

The Charms menu
The settings menu gives you quick options for Wireless, sound, screen, notifications, power and keyboard.

A look at the settings
There are sliders to adjust the brightness and volume of the device.

Screen brightness and volume
You can also select which keyboard to use and choose to restart, shut down or sleep using the quick toggles.

Keyboard and power options
Theres also a shortcut to the detailed settings menu here. From there you can personalize the look of Windows 8.1 RT. You can choose lockscreen wallpaper, select apps that can run in the background and show notifications or detailed statuses on the lockscreen - for instance the Calendar will display your upcoming events.
The next option is the Start screen. You can choose a color scheme and background. There are many options in every color you can think of but you cant use your own picture as wallpaper - you have to select one of the preinstalled ones.

Personalize settings
Theres an option to change your account photo as well. It is done by tapping on the top right corner where the user account information is located.
You can add multiple users on Windows 8.1 RT, just like you can in Windows 8. Users can have their own tile grid, apps, preferences, etc. If you have more than one Windows 8 or RT device you can enable settings sync between them.
Notifications can be disabled on the lockscreen altogether and you can switch off the sounds. You can also configure which apps can push notifications to your lockscreen. However you cannot control the way notifications are presented, only switch them on and off.

User and notification settings
Users can choose which apps to use while searching. Theres the handy option to delete the search history too. Sharing settings are very limited. Currently you can only share via Mail, People and SkyDrive.
The general settings handle time, spelling, screen automatic brightness, language options, reinstall Windows, etc. The Devices section handles the PCs and devices in a Wi-Fi Home/Workgroup. You can add new and connect with existing ones.
Windows 8.1 RT lets you choose which settings you wish to sync with SkyDrive or disable the feature. Your personalization, passwords, app, browser settings and more can be synced between your PCs.
Modern UI is really fluid and responsive. All UI transitions and animations are buttery-smooth and we didnt notice any lag. This is hardly a surprise, as the Snapdragon 800 SoC is one of the speedier around.