Nokia Lumia 1020 vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: A Clash of Titans
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the clear winner overall, offering superior performance, a brighter display, faster charging, and a more versatile camera system. However, the Lumia 1020's exceptional image quality and unique appeal to photography enthusiasts shouldn't be dismissed.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Nokia Lumia 1020 | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - all versions | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - RM-875, RM-877 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 3, 7, 8, 20 - RM-875 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | - | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat3 100/50 Mbps | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 2, 4, 5, 17 - RM-877 | 1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2013, July 11. Released 2013, July 22 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic back, plastic frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 130.4 x 71.4 x 10.4 mm, 96.9 cc (5.13 x 2.81 x 0.41 in) | 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) |
| SIM | Micro-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 158 g (5.57 oz) | 234 g (8.25 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) Stylus (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 768 x 1280 pixels, 5:3 ratio (~332 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 4.5 inches, 57.6 cm2 (~61.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| PureMotion HD+ ClearBlack display | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 Plus | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 225 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Microsoft Windows Phone 8, upgradable to 8.1 | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 32GB 2GB RAM, 64GB 2GB RAM (Telefonica exclusive) | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| - | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon & LED flash, panorama | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | - | 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3", 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
| Single | 41 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/1.5", 1.12µm, AF, OIS | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Video | 1080p@30fps, 4x lossless digital zoom | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | - | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 1.2 MP | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 720p@30fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 4.0, A2DP, EDR, LE/ aptX after WP8 Denim update | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio, RDS | No |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | - | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Music play | Up to 63 h | - |
| Stand-by | Up to 384 h (3G) | - |
| Talk time | Up to 19 h (2G) / Up to 13 h 20 min (3G) | - |
| Type | Li-Ion 2000 mAh, non-removable (BV-5XW) | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Yellow, white, black, red (AT&T exclusive) | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition |
| Models | - | SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS |
| Price | About 400 EUR | € 549.90 / $ 454.99 / £ 433.00 |
| SAR | 1.23 W/kg (head) 0.97 W/kg (body) | 1.12 W/kg (head) 0.92 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.76 W/kg (head) 0.67 W/kg (body) | 0.96 W/kg (head) 1.40 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 61h | Endurance rating 126h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal), 2.103 (sunlight) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | Voice 69dB / Noise 66dB / Ring 72dB | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
| OUR TESTS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery | - | Active use score 13:24h |
| Battery (old) | Endurance rating 61h | Endurance rating 126h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal), 2.103 (sunlight) | 1274 nits max brightness (measured) |
| Loudspeaker | Voice 69dB / Noise 66dB / Ring 72dB | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) 3DMark: 3790 (Wild Life Extreme) |
Nokia Lumia 1020
- Exceptional image quality
- Compact size
- Unique oversampling capabilities
- Nostalgic appeal
- Outdated performance
- Short battery life
- Low resolution display
- Limited app support
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Blazing-fast performance
- Stunning display
- Versatile camera system
- Long battery life
- Fast charging
- Latest features
- Expensive
- Large size
- Software bloat (subjective)
Display Comparison
The S23 Ultra's 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1274 nits utterly dominates the Lumia 1020's 4.5-inch IPS LCD. While the Lumia boasts a theoretically infinite contrast ratio, the S23 Ultra's vibrant colors, sharpness, and outdoor visibility are unmatched. The S23 Ultra also supports HDR10+ for enhanced dynamic range.
Camera Comparison
While the Lumia 1020's 41MP PureView camera was revolutionary, the S23 Ultra's 200MP main sensor, along with its ultrawide, telephoto, and periscope lenses, offer far greater versatility. The S23 Ultra excels in low-light conditions and provides superior zoom capabilities. The Lumia's strength lies in its detailed images and unique oversampling capabilities, but the S23 Ultra's overall camera system is more advanced.
Performance
The S23 Ultra's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and Octa-core CPU leave the Lumia 1020's Snapdragon S4 Plus and dual-core processor in the dust. The S23 Ultra handles demanding games and multitasking with ease, while the Lumia can feel sluggish by modern standards. The S23 Ultra's RAM (8GB/12GB) also provides a significant advantage.
Battery Life
The S23 Ultra's 5000mAh battery and 45W fast charging provide significantly longer battery life and faster charging speeds than the Lumia 1020's smaller battery. The S23 Ultra consistently delivers all-day battery life, while the Lumia requires more frequent charging.
Buying Guide
The Nokia Lumia 1020 is for dedicated photography enthusiasts seeking a unique, compact camera phone with a focus on image quality and a nostalgic feel. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is for users who want a top-tier smartphone with a stunning display, blazing-fast performance, a versatile camera, and all the latest features.