Nokia is hoping to get back in the leading cellphone maker race by targeting what it always managed to be good at – low priced phones. Nokia hopes to outrun Samsung but truth be told – this will be really tough, provided that Android’s far more popular than Windows Phone is. But the price is appealing for the Lumia line and the quality is satisfying, so the single question is – will consumers be lured in?
Nokia Lumia 520: looks, specs and availability
The Lumia 520 will retail for 139 euros (around 180 dollars), being almost twice the price of its bigger sibling, the Lumia 720. Thus, Nokia Lumia 520 becomes company’s cheapest Windows Phone yet. The 520 model is a moderate improvement over the 510 one. One the software part, it’s replacing Windows Phone 7 with the latest one – Windows Phone 8. Even if this is a low end device, it does come with microSD support, which is actually a great plus. Also, even if the Lumia 520 might seem like a device aimed at emerging markets, such as Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America or some parts of Asia, it will retail in the United States, as well, under T-Mobile’s umbrella. But there are actually appealing features to be found in the 520. One of them is the digital camera lenses, which is the same as in the flagship Nokia Lumia 920. It will also come with Nokia Music and the HERE location suite. Another big selling point might be the size of the screen – Lumia 520 has a 4-inch super sensitive touchscreen that is able to please many at this price. What many consumers liked about the Lumia line was the high diversity in colors – yellow, red, cyan, white and black. The initial roll-out is will begin in Q1 2013 with Hong Kong and Vietnam. In Q2 it will expand to markets in Europe, Asia (China and India included), Latin America and Africa; later one it will start the retail offering in US. Let’s have a look at what other specifications and features the Lumia comes with:
512 MB RAM 8 GB mass memory support for microSD cards up to 64GB 7GB free SkyDrive storage 4” IPS LCD WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) 16M colors 2D hardened glass Super sensitive touch for fingernail and glove use 1 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon Camera: 5Mpix autofocus, video recording HD 720p 30fps Weight: 124 Bluetooth 3.0, Integrated A-GPS, 3.5 mm audio connector, Micro USB with charging, USB 2.0 High Speed Battery: 1430mAh: talk time: up to 9.6 hours on 3G; standby time: up to 360 hours Audio: single digital microphone, 3.5mm AV connector, MP3 player
Nokia Lumia 720: specs and availability
The Lumia 720 is Nokia’s proposition for the middle range market – being priced at 249 euros at launch, it does come with trademark futures that could just make the difference. You might not have enough money to buy the flagship one and you really don’t want a low-end phone, so the answer to your need is the Lumia 720. At least that’s what Nokia hopes to achieve. Slightly bigger than the 520, at 4.3 inch, Lumia 720 comes with an 1.0 dual core Ghz Snapdragon, 512 of RAM and 8 Giga Bytes of mass memory: all the same like the 520. Nokia says that the Lumia 720 has the best camera amongst all middle range smartphones, which is a 6.7-megapixel one with a f/1.9 aperture. It’s not PureView, but still, it is improved. The Lumia 720 comes with the same color range and personalization freaks couldn’t be much happier! Just like the Lumia 520 has “borrowed” some features from its more expensive siblings, so di the Lumia 720. On the Lumia 920 we found enhanced sunlight readability and super sensitive touch, they are now on the Lumia 720 as well. Glam Me is a new app that lets you play with pictures taken with the front-facing camera and Place Tag adds location, date and time to your pictures that you took with the bigger, the rear camera. Let’s have a look at the detailed description of the Lumia 720:
CPU: MSM8227, 1.0 GHz RAM: 512 MB 8 GB + microSD Card Slot Display: 4.3” ClearBlack WVGA LCD, 2.25 D Glass, Super Sensitive Touch Camera: Back: 6.7 MPIX, BSI, Auto-Focus, Carl Zeiss, LED flash, HD 720p @ at 30 fps Front: Skype HD wide angle (1.3Mpix) Connectivity: NFC, A-GPS+GLONASS, USB, BT 3.0, 3D Accelerometer, Proximity, Magnetometer, Automatic Light Sensor. (No Gyroscope) Battery: 2000 mAh battery + Wireless Charging Cover Accessory; standby 520hrs, talk time 13.5hrs Audio: 2 HAAC (high-amplitude audio capture) mics, HD Voice (wideband audio, noise cancellation) Size: 127.9 x 67.5 x 9mm Weight: 128g
Check out our hands-on (pictures and video) with the Lumia 520 and 720.
