Nokia unveiled four new mobiles on Monday at the Mobile World Congress 2013 being held in Barcelona; including two additions to the Lumia family of Windows Phone 8 powered devices. Stephen Elop, the chief executive of Nokia, said that their goal is bringing the same smartphone experience to more price sensitive markets.
Joining the Lumia portfolio are the Lumia 520 and Lumia 720. The Lumia 720 features a 4.3 inch ClearBlack display with 480×800 pixel resolution. Like the flagship Lumia 920, the 720 is clearly pushing its camera function with lenses from Carl Zeiss having wide aperture and a 6.7 megapixel sensor. Video calling is supported with the 1.3 megapixel camera on the front of the device. It is one of the first handsets from Nokia to feature a unibody design and also support storage expansion through microSD cards. Nokia aims to bring elements of their high-end flagship devices to more price ranges and therefore to more people, and the Lumia 720 is a sleek expression of the best parts of the Lumia family, the company stated.
The Lumia 720 will cost around €250 before taxes and subsidies, and it is expected that the phone will arrive in Asian markets in the first quarter of 2013. The Lumia 520, which Nokia claims is the most affordable among the range of Windows Phone devices available, is also set to be available in Hong Kong and Vietnam soon, and will be seen in the United States and parts of Europe by Q2’13. The Lumia 520 will also support new camera features like Cinemagraph usually seen in higher end devices, and also includes popular Nokia services such as Nokia Here and Maps for Windows Phone. The devices share a unified design approach, described by Nokia as “pure, human and advanced”.
Also joining the portfolio, but as a part of the Asha family, are the Nokia 105 and Nokia 301. The Nokia 301 comes in a variety of colors and will include a camera features usually seen only on expensive Lumia devices. The 301 comes in single- and dual-SIM options and features high-definition voice features. The Nokia 301 is expected to be available in over 100 countries during the second quarter and is priced at an affordable €65. The Nokia 105, a basic handset set to succeed Nokia 1280 which sold over 100 million units in its lifetime, features FM radio, flashlight, splash and dust proof keypad and a phenomenal one month battery life. The Nokia 105 will go on sale in the Middle East as well as Asian markets shortly and will cost just €15.
