What happens when you happen to have two of the hottest new mid range Windows Phone devices on hand ? You pit them against each other to find out which one comes on top ! That’s what we’ve done here with the Nokia Lumia 820 and the HTC Windows Phone 8S. Having a tough time deciding which one to go for ? Read on ahead to make a more informed decision.
Software
Both the Nokia Lumia 820 and HTC Windows Phone 8S run on the latest version of Microsoft’s smartphone operating system called Windows Phone 8. Where the difference lies is in the additional software provided by Nokia which quite literally blows away HTC’s software package. Nokia Music, Nokia Drive for turn by turn navigation and the range of camera lenses built into the Lumia 820 definitely make the device feel like a premium product with more a lot more value added into it.
Processor
The HTC 8S is powered by a 1Ghz Snapdragon processor coupled with 512MB of RAM. Its not too hard to reach the limits of the combo. In comparison, the Lumia 820 runs on a 1.5Ghz dual core Snapdragon processor with double the amount of RAM. The Nokia Lumia 820’s extra processing power is noticeable as everything loads just that much quicker.
Display 
The HTC Windows Phone 8s has a 4inch screen with resolution of 800×480. This results in a fairly acceptable pixel density of 233ppi. The Lumia 820 on the other hand is equipped with a larger Super AMOLED ClearBlack display with the same WVGA resolution. The pixel density is slightly lower but the display itself is significantly more vibrant with great sunlight visibility. Nokia has another trick up its sleeve with the Lumia 820. An inbuilt option lets you switch to high sensitivity mode letting you operate the touch screen even while wearing gloves.
Storage
One of the biggest difference is in the internal storage provided on the two handsets. While Windows Phone 8 added support for microSD cards, applications can only be installed on the internal memory which means that you’ll want to have a sufficient amount. Unfortunately the 8S is a bit of a disappointment in this regard with 4GB of storage built in and just about half of it available to users. The Lumia 820 has 8GB of storage and close to 5GB of that is available to the end user.
Camera 
While we weren’t expecting much from the cameras on these two devices, the Lumia 820 ended up being a pleasant surprise. The Carl Zeiss optics and 8MP sensor help in achieving image quality that impresses. Megapixels don’t matter much but the 5MP sensor on the HTC 8S just isn’t as good. The Lumia 820 most definitely wins this round. In terms of video capture, the HTC 8S tops off at 720p while the 820 can shoot 1080p videos just fine. We’ve got camera samples from both the phones in our Nokia Lumia 820 review and the HTC Windows Phone 8S review.
Design 
Design is quite subjective but the general consensus is that the HTC 8X looks better than the Lumia 920. In terms of dimensions the 820 is bigger than the 8S and we weren’t fans of the slippery plastic back. A trick going in the favor of the Lumia 820 is its addition of replaceable shells. We still prefer the lighter and more snug feeling HTC 8S.
Miscellaneous
As mentioned above, the Lumia 820 has a trick up its sleeve in the form of replaceable shells. What this entails is that users are not bound to a color and can easily switch out to another of their choice. Its also possible to equip the handset with a wireless back panel to use it with one of Nokia’s new wireless charging pads.
Conclusion 
Unless a smaller device or better looks are your primary concern, the Nokia Lumia 820 is hands down the better option due to the value offered by the Nokia exclusive software package and hardware quality. The camera too is significantly superior to the one on the HTC 8S. To read up more about the Nokia Lumia 820 and the HTC Windows Phone 8S do check out our reviews !