That’s 40% less than it did 5 months ago went it sold for as much as 34k!

Considering what you’re offered for that price range – 8GB internal memory, 512 MB RAM and a better than average 4 inch LCD screen – the Nokia Lumia 520 is more than a decent smartphone for that price.

For perspective, consider the competition within that price range – basically all mid-range Tecno devices. Take the Tecno P5, for example, which retails for 17k. Aside the fact that it runs on Android and has half the internal memory allocation, the P5 and Lumia 520 have very similar in specs. They both spot a 4 inch-screen and run on a 1 GHz dual core processor and  512 MB of RAM. Looks like a stalemate but it sin’t exactly so.

First, Android multitasking sucks on anything less than 1 GB RAM.  Windows Phone has way better RAM optimization than Android. Yeah, Google have promised we’ll notice some improvements on Android 4.4 KitKat but, if any old devices are going to be getting KitKat updates, don’t hold your breath on the Tecno P5 being one of them.

There’s also huge difference in screen quality. The Lumia 520’s LCD screen vs the Tecno P5’s TFT. Huge, huge difference. LCD has better viewing angles and emits less heat, which translates to better battery life (however small the difference).

And in the looks department, the Nokia Lumia 520 easily trumps the competition, thanks to its amazing build quality.

The Nokia Lumia 520 easily has the best multitasking, battery life, screen and build quality, for its price range, and will make a good end-of-year gift for a friend, cousin, or even ones self as a backup device.

Muyiwa Matuluko Author

Get the best African tech newsletters in your inbox