MWC 2013: Nokia unveils the low-end Lumia 520 and the mid-end Lumia 720

Nokia has added two more phones to its Windows Phone 8 line-up. The Lumia 720 and the Lumia 520 are both mid-range phones, with the latter set to be the company’s most affordable Windows Phone 8 handset yet.

Nokia seems to have targeted shutter bugs with the Lumia 720, which looks like it’ll have quite a good camera. The primary camera is a 6.7 megapixel one that has a f/1.9 aperture and Carl Zeiss optics, while the 1.3 megapixel snapper at the front is described as a “HD-quality, wide-angle” camera that makes “taking pictures with friends and video calling easier.” The smartphone comes with the latest Nokia Lumia services, including Nokia Music, the HERE location suite, and an optional snap-on wireless charging cover.

The Lumia 720 is the bigger of the two devices with a 4.3-inch screen

Here are some of the highlighted features of the Lumia 720:

• 4.3-inch ClearBlack LCD display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
• GPS with GLONASS
• NFC, Bluetooth 3.0
• 6.7 megapixel camera with BSI sensor and 720p video recording, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera with Skype HD wide angle
• 8GB internal memory expandable up to 64GB via microSD

The Nokia Lumia 720 comes in five colors, with an estimated starting price of EUR 249, which roughly translates to Rs 17,700. Rollout is planned to start in the first quarter of the year, before continuing to broader markets in Q2, including China as well as key markets in Europe, Asia, Africa and India.

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The Nokia Lumia 520, on the other hand, is set to be Nokia’s most affordable Windows Phone 8 smartphone, delivering experiences such as the same digital camera lenses found on the company’s flagship device—the Lumia 920—Nokia Music for free music out of the box and even offline, and the HERE location suite. It sports a four-inch touchscreen display.

The Lumia 520 is a budget device and lacks a front-facing camera

Here are some of the highlighted features of the Lumia 520:

• 4-inch ClearBlack LCD display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels
• 3G, EDGE/GRPS, Wi-Fi
• GPS with A-GPS
• Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP
• 5 megapixel camera with 720p video recording
• 8GB internal memory expandable up to 64GB via microSD

The Lumia 520 comes in five colors, with an estimated starting price of EUR 139 (about Rs 9,900). Much like the Lumia 720, the rollout is planned to begin in Q1 2013, before expanding broadly in Q2 to markets in Europe, Asia—including China and India—Latin America and Africa.

On the flip side, there is yet to be any word on the release of the Lumia 620 in India. We had earlier discussed how the enigmatic delay of the Lumia 620’s launch in India could play into the hands of Android-based rivals. Even our grey market sources don’t seem to know when the phone will be hitting Indian shores. Earlier, we had contacted the company and a Nokia representative said information on the release of the phone in India will only be revealed later this month. While there is no doubt that Nokia is working hard towards getting Lumia 620 out to the market, there could be any number of reasons for the delay of the phones, including issues with importing the handset.

Given a choice between an upcoming WP8 handset and an Android one that’s currently available, the choice for most people is quite simple. Android has many more apps and games in the Play Store, whereas Windows Phone 8 is still playing catch up despite having over 1,75,000 apps in its store.