Nokia Lumia 2520: Connectivity and features

Finally we come to an area where the Lumia 2520 can hold its head up high. Not only does it come with 150Mbps 4G connectivity as standard, but it also has a microSD card slot for cheap memory expansion – something you’ll need given only half of the advertised 32GB storage is available.

While the entry-level iPad Air costs the same £400 as the Nokia 2520 you’ll need to stump up an extra £160 to get the 32GB 4G model and you still won’t have expandable storage.  Add to that 3.5mm headphone jack, microUSB 3.0 for speedy data transfer (although, annoyingly, it requires and adapter) and a microHDMI port and you have one of the most connectable tablets on the market. 

In terms of wireless connectivity you get GPS, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi but, contrary to expectations not the faster 802.11 ac. That shouldn’t affect too many people as 802.11 ac routers are still reasonably rare. 

But wait, it doesn’t end there. When the Nokia Power Keyboard attachment becomes available it will add two full-sized USB ports to the Lumia 2520.

The only thing missing is the kitchen sink.

Nokia Lumia 2520: Battery Life

With a chunky 8120mAh battery powering the Lumia, it should have a fair amount of staying power, and it does. We managed to get more than 10 hours of constant use out of it including 6 hours of video streamed over Wi-Fi, 3 hours of emailing and web browsing, 30 minutes of word processing and an hour of app and benchmarking at about 50% brightness before it finally ran out. That’s a little more than the iPad Air, Surface 2 or Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 could muster but not so much as to make a huge difference to usage. 

Even better, when it does run out you can get 40% of the battery back with a 30-minute charge. That’s almost 5 hours. In addition, the Power Keyboard comes with an extra battery which provides yet another 5 hours of life. 

Quick charging is great but it comes at a price. The Nokia Lumia 2520 comes with a proprietary charger that means you better remember to take it with you on your travels are you will be in trouble. 

The Nokia Power keyboard adds a further 5 hours of battery life

Should I buy the Nokia Lumia 2520?

The Nokia Lumia 2520 is a solid first stab at a tablet for Nokia and would have won plaudits had it been released a year or two ago. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite match up to the best new tablets recently released by Amazon or Apple and it isn’t quite as flexible as the Surface 2 – that is until the keyboard goes on sale. In addition, Windows RT and the Windows Store just don’t offer the same ease of use and app selection as you will find on Android and iOS. 

That being said, if 4G and plenty of storage is a must and you primarily use your tablet for Netflix, browsing the internet, social media and occasional writing you’ll find the Lumia 2520 a good-value, and colourful, companion.

With bold styling and a strong screen the Nokia Lumia 2520 performs well as a tablet and comes with more connectivity than you can shake a stick. Unfortunately it’s severely let down by Windows RT and a lack of decent app support and some iffy build issues.

Need more help deciding? Try our tablet buyer’s guide

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