Windows Phone revived: Tech Enthusiast "upgrades" Lumia 1020 with full-fledged iOS

The Lumia 1020 is the center of a new post on Reddit! No, you haven't fallen through a time portal or accidentally clicked a link from back when we were Windows Phone Central. A passion project by an enthusiast has flung the Lumia 1020 to the forefront minor relevance. Reddit user OceanDepth95028 made what they call the "NokiApple LumiPhone 1020 SE." The device is so cool that one of the mods of the hackintosh subreddit left the post up despite not being about a hackintosh device. 9to5Mac first reported on the phone.

The NokiApple LumiPhone 1020 SE is not actually a Windows Phone running iOS. I'll burst that bubble right away. Instead, it is essentially the parts of an iPhone SE (Gen 3) crammed inside the case of a Lumia 1020. But OceanDepth95028 did more than wrap a new phone in an old case. The project involved making the iPhone internals work with a fingerprint reader placed on the back of the device, adding a custom SIM card slot, and making a Lightning port look like a micro-USB port.

Despite being a hacked project that smashes two phones together, the resulting device functions. It even supports 5G and has a working fingerprint sensor on the back.

The A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone SE is still relatively new and is capable of running modern apps. While the phone is a one-off project, according to its maker, you could theoretically use the NokiApple LumiPhone 1020 SE as an everyday device. The only features that don't seem to work are Apple Pay and wireless charging. I suppose it's fair that Apple Pay refuses to work on a device like the NokiApple LumiPhone 1020 SE, since someone could make an insecure device using similar methods.

Some buttons had to be moved around to fit the iPhone SE parts into the Lumia 1020 case, such as the fingerprint reader being on the back of the phone. The camera button on the device can act as either a volume key switch or a shutter button as well. "Why? No idea, but it's there," said OceanDepth95028.

The NokiApple LumiPhone 1020 SE receives OTA updates, which makes sense considering it uses genuine iPhone parts.

What was the best Windows Phone?

The Lumia 1020 was one heck of a phone. Some would argue it was the best Windows Phone ever, though it only earned the third spot in our poll among readers. Regardless, the Lumia 1020 featured a stunning design that epitomized the Lumia brand and showcased the best Windows Phone had to offer. It was also perhaps the best-known Windows Phone due to a popular ad campaign by Microsoft that centered around the phone's 41 MP camera. In fact, it was that very ad that got me interested in Windows Phone, which ultimately led to me writing for Windows Central.

While the Lumia 950 XL may have been a better device than the Lumia 1020 in some technical aspects, I'd argue the Lumia 1020 was a better medium for the spirit of Windows Phone. The Lumia 1020 came out around the peak of Windows Phone popularity, had a truly standout feature in its camera, and actually had backing from Microsoft's marketing department. In contrast, the Lumia 950 XL felt like it was announced as an afterthought by Panos Panay.

Since Windows Phone is dead, it's rare that we get to relive the glory days of Lumia. Shout out to OceanDepth95028 for making the NokiApple LumiPhone 1020 SE.