Nokia Lumia Unveiled by Nokia

                    Nokia Lumia

The first Windows Phone devices of Nokia (NYSE:NOK) were unveiled recently by the company, the Nokia Lumia 710 and Nokia Lumia 800. The Nokia Lumia 710 is a reasonably-priced Windows Phone which features a 1.4 GHz microprocessor and a ClearBlack AMOLED touchscreen measuring 3.7 inches. These features are also found on the second Windows Phone offering of Nokia.

The Nokia Lumia 710 Windows Phone also features an 8GB internal memory, which is expandable to 16GB, and a 5MP camera. In comparison, the Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone will feature a 16GB internal memory and an 8MP camera.
The 8MP camera of the device will feature a Carl Zeiss lens and it is capable of recording 720p HD videos. The Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone is dubbed as the first authentic Windows Phone which has a sturdy body made of polycarbonate plastic.

Similar to the Nokia Lumia 700 Windows Phone, this device also features the 3.7-inch ClearBack AMOLED touchscreen with a resolution of480 by 800. Free storage on the SkyDrive service of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) worth 25GB will also be made available to users of the Windows Phone. Both Windows Phone devices will come with a number of pre-installed apps including the Nokia Drive, Nokia Music, Mix Radio, and the ESPN Hub.

The color options for the Nokia Lumia 710 include white and black although options are available in customizing the device through the replaceable back covers. The Nokia Lumia 710 will likely be available within the year in Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Taiwan, and Russia. On the other hand the Nokia Lumiz 810 will enter the markets of the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and France.

The price tag for the Nokia Lumia 710 and the Nokia Lumia 810 is at around $376 and $585 respectively.
These upcoming devices from Nokia may not be offered in the United States market until next year. According to Stephen Elop, the CEO of Nokia, the Windows Phone lineup of the company will be offered in the US sometime in 2012 although no details were given on whether the Nokia Lumia 710 or the Nokia Lumia 810 will be included by the company.

Nokia Lumia 800 vs. iPhone 4S vs. Nexus Galaxy

Nokia is betting its future on Microsoft’s mobile OS, and on Wednesday introduced its first Windows Phone 7 device, the Lumia 800. If the Lumia 800 looks familiar, that’s because it’s similar to the Nokia N9, which runs OS (MeeGo) soon to be ditched. The Lumia 800 brings a few improvements over its relegated sibling, including a faster processor, but compared to the big boys, the iPhone 4S and the latest Android Galaxy Nexus and Droid RAZR, Nokia’s flagship is still falling behind.


The Lumia 800 has a smaller curved 3.7-inch screen than the N9, which had a 3.9-inch display -- a change needed to accommodate the three hardware buttons Windows Phone 7 OS requires under the display. Lumia’s display is slightly larger than the 3.5-inch screen on the iPhone 4S, but significantly smaller than the huge 4.65-inch display on the Galaxy Nexus.

Nokia’s phone also has the lowest display pixel density at 800 by 480 pixels, a far cry from the Nexus Galaxy’s resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels, or the Retina display on the iPhone 4S, which has the highest pixel density in the comparison.

Nokia can’t brag about how slim the Lumia 800 is. At 12.1 mm, it’s the thickest phone in the line-up. It’s also the heaviest, at 142 grams, a hair more than the iPhone 4S and the Nexus Galaxy.

On the inside, the Nokia Lumia does not feature a dual-core processor: it has a 1.4GHz single-core processor with 512MB of RAM. In comparison, the iPhone 4S runs on a 1GHz dual-core chip with 512MB of RAM and at the top of the line there’s the Galaxy Nexus with a 1.2GHz dual-core chip and 1GB of RAM.

The Lumia 800 is a mixed bag in the camera department. It has an 8-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens on the back, like the iPhone 4S, but unlike Apple’s phone, it doesn’t record 1080p HD video, only 720p. Even Galaxy Nexus’ 5-megapixel-camera records 1080p video. Surprisingly, the Lumia 800 doesn’t feature a front-facing camera for video calls, which makes it the only phone in the comparison without one.

Overall, Nokia’s Lumia 800 could be an interesting proposal for those who want a smartphone that’s not an iPhone or Android, with solid guts and shiny looks. But when compared to its competitors, the Lumia 800 does not have anything extraordinary to offer: it’s not the thinnest or fastest of phone, nor has it the best camera or extra features (no expandable storage, no secondary camera, no HDMI, no NFC).

Nokia didn’t say which US carriers would sell the Lumia 800. The phone becomes available in November for around $584 unlocked.