Nokia Lumia 520 vs Sony Xperia E1

A spec-by-spec comparison of the Nokia Lumia 520 and the Sony Xperia E1, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.

Head to head

Nokia Lumia 520Sony Xperia E1
Price$2,999$2,922
Our rating7/105/10
Battery1,430 mAh1,750 mAh
Storage (max)64 GB32 GB
Screen size4 in4 in
Main camera5 MP15 MP
Weight (lower is lighter)124 g120 g
ReleasedApr 2013Mar 2014
Summary: Nokia Lumia 520 is ahead on our rating, storage (max). Sony Xperia E1 is ahead on battery, main camera, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Sony Xperia E1 is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.

Display

Nokia Lumia 520Sony Xperia E1
TypeIPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colorsTFT capacitive touchscreen
Size4.0 inches4.0 inches
Resolution480 x 800 pixels480 x 800 pixels
ProtectionScratch-resistant glass (not Gorilla Glass)Not specified
FeaturesSuperSensitive touchscreen (works with gloves/nails)—
Pixel Density—233 ppi

Platform

Nokia Lumia 520Sony Xperia E1
OSMicrosoft Windows Phone 8, upgradeable to 8.1Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.4.2 (KitKat)
ChipsetQualcomm MSM8227 Snapdragon S4 PlusQualcomm MSM8210 Snapdragon 200
CPUDual-core 1.0 GHz KraitDual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7
GPUAdreno 305Adreno 302

Memory

Nokia Lumia 520Sony Xperia E1
Card slotmicroSDXC (dedicated slot), up to 64 GBmicroSDHC, up to 32 GB (dedicated slot)
Internal8GB 512MB RAM4GB, 512MB RAM
User available storage—Approximately 2 GB

Main Camera

Nokia Lumia 520Sony Xperia E1
Single5 MP, f/2.4, 28mm (wide), autofocus3.15 MP
FeaturesNo LED flashHDR, smile detection, 4x smooth zoom, geo-tagging, image stabilization, panorama (fixed focus, no flash)
Video720p@30fpsNot specified (does not shoot 720p videos)

Selfie Camera

Nokia Lumia 520Sony Xperia E1
SingleNoneNo

Battery

Nokia Lumia 520Sony Xperia E1
TypeRemovable Li-Ion 1430 mAhLi-Ion
Stand-byUp to 360 h (3G)Up to 498 h (2G) / 454 h (3G)
Talk timeUp to 14 h 48 min (2G) / 9 h 42 min (3G)Up to 9 h (2G) / 8 h 13 min (3G)
Capacity—1750 mAh
Removable—Yes

Body

Nokia Lumia 520Sony Xperia E1
Dimensions119.9 x 64 x 9.9 mm (4.72 x 2.52 x 0.39 in)118 x 62.4 x 12 mm (4.65 x 2.46 x 0.47 in)
Weight124 g (4.37 oz)120 g (4.23 oz)
SIMMicro-SIMMini-SIM
BuildPlastic body, removable back shellsPlastic body

Comms

Nokia Lumia 520Sony Xperia E1
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspotWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth4.0, A2DP, LE (after Lumia Amber update)4.0, A2DP
PositioningGPS, GLONASS—
USBmicroUSB 2.0microUSB 2.0
GPS—Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS
NFC—No

Launch

Nokia Lumia 520Sony Xperia E1
AnnouncedFebruary 2013January 2014
StatusDiscontinued (2015)Released March 2014

Frequently asked questions

Which has the better battery, Nokia Lumia 520 or Sony Xperia E1?

Sony Xperia E1 — 1,430 mAh for the Nokia Lumia 520 versus 1,750 mAh for the Sony Xperia E1.

Which is lighter, Nokia Lumia 520 or Sony Xperia E1?

Sony Xperia E1 — 124 g for the Nokia Lumia 520 versus 120 g for the Sony Xperia E1.

Which is newer, Nokia Lumia 520 or Sony Xperia E1?

Sony Xperia E1 — Apr 2013 for the Nokia Lumia 520 versus Mar 2014 for the Sony Xperia E1.

Is the Nokia Lumia 520 or the Sony Xperia E1 rated higher?

We rate the Nokia Lumia 520 7/10 and the Sony Xperia E1 5/10.

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