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In the ever-expanding phablet category, the Nokia Lumia 1520 is currently the biggest of them all, with its 6-inch display winning the spec battle over the 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Apple's new 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. (Sony's Experia Z Ultra is larger, at 6.4 inches, but you can't buy it in the U.S. from any carrier.)

I've had a chance to tinker with the 1520 over the past few months, but recently purchased one of my own and got my hands on a review unit supplied by Microsoft. Having two of these gargantuan devices in the house meant that my wife and I could both set aside our regular phones and use these beasts for a while.

What follows are personal impressions from roughly a week of hands-on experience, along with some thoughts about the unique nature of the Windows Phone experience.

Although it's tempting to focus on the distinctive 1520 hardware (did I mention it's really big?), it's impossible to talk about a modern mobile device without considering all its component parts: the hardware and the operating system and apps. And, of course, the carrier, because for better or worse the relationship between the Lumia 1520 and its exclusive carrier is a story in itself.

The hardware

The 1520's 6-inch Full HD display makes a dazzling first impression. And that satisfying impression persists over time.

I am not entirely sure what ClearBlack is, but the technology in this IPS display sure makes it easy to read in a broad range of lighting conditions. That's true even in sunlight, where other non-Lumia smartphone screens, including the otherwise exemplary HTC One M8 (Android and Windows versions) are basically invisible. (The Lumia Icon is also an extraordinary performer in bright environments, I should note.)

At 368 pixels per inch, text and pictures alike are extremely sharp. You really notice the difference in clarity when you switch back to a device with a more conventional display. If you normally need reading glasses for a smartphone display, you might be surprised to find this one big and sharp enough to read without assistance. Neither of us experienced fatigue even during long sessions of reading.

Source: www.zdnet.com