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After giving the Lumia 925 a short stint at the top of the pack, Nokia has announced that the pixel-packing Lumia 1020 will launch in Australia on 17 September.
(Credit: Nokia)
The Lumia 1020 delivers everything you’ll find in the Lumia 925, with one dazzling extra feature: the PureView 41-megapixel camera. This monster phone camera delivers not just the pixels, but also some smart cropping tools to let you use those extra pixels as an effective zooming option for maintaining crisp pictures beyond the reach of mere mortal phone lenses.
Nokia has played it quiet on the 1020 in Australia, with the Lumia 925 having arrived in the local market in July. Nokia clearly wanted the 925, a svelte hardware update on the previous flagship Lumia 920, to have its moment without the distraction of the 1020 coming up fast behind. But we all knew the 1020 was hitting overseas markets at the same time, so we’d hoped the local launch wouldn’t be too far away.
Nokia has today declared that the Lumia 1020 will launch with Telstra and major retailers on 17 September at a retail price of AU$899. It will then hit Optus on 1 October.
The Lumia 1020 is a 4G device running Windows Phone 8. While it’s bigger than the Lumia 925, it is actually smaller than the older Lumia 920, weighing in at 158g. While it has everything any high-end Windows Phone can offer, it is a device firmly sold on its powerful camera technology.
The 41-megapixel sensor delivers 38-megapixel images, with a true Optical Image Stabiliser in the camera to give steadier pictures. The camera also saves 5-megapixel images for faster sharing options. Every image can be quickly viewed, zoomed and cropped for extra close up images out of the large original frames.
Video also takes advantage of the sensor, with 1080p video mode allowing 4x zoom during recording, and 720p allowing 6x zoom. The video also benefits from a microphone that manages loud sounds without distortion, a rarity in phone cameras when trying to shoot in crowds or at concerts.
The Nokia Pro Camera app is particularly high quality, offering deep controls over exposure, ISO, shutter speed, white balance and focus. It even offers a slick tutorial for users new to having so many control options available on a phone camera.
A special camera grip case will also be available in October, featuring a battery extender, a good hand grip, a two-stage shutter key and a standard tripod mount. It has an RRP of AU$89.95.
Only the black model Lumia 1020 will be available through Telstra and Optus, while the black and bright yellow will be available through Allphones and Dick Smith. Black, yellow and white will be available through Harvey Norman.
