Just as we had expected, Nokia revealed a new smartphone today alongside Microsoft at its Nokia World event in New York. The Lumia 920 will kickstart the new Windows Phone 8 software and Nokia’s second generation of Windows Phones.
The new Lumia 920 will replace the current Lumia 900 as the flagship phone in Nokia’s Windows Phone range, and it looks very impressive indeed. For those who have been following the rumour mill, it is indeed the bright yellow prototype Nokia that leaked a while back. The phones are still machined from a single piece of material, although the new model is finished glossy rather than matte, as with the Lumia 800 and 900.
Due to be available in the same very bright Yellow, Slate Grey, and Red, the Lumia 920 boasts Nokia’s latest and greatest display technology in a 4.5-inch size with a curved glass on top. They’re calling it ‘Puremotion HD+’, and apparently it will have a resolution that’s better than the current 720p HD standard. The screen will also be able to automatically adjust both tone and brightness in response to sunlight, making it nice and easy to view at all times. Finally, and perhaps this will become a key selling point come Winter; the screen includes technology called ‘Super Sensitive Touch” which means the touchscreen can be operated even when wearing gloves.
We recently reported that the Lumia 920 could include wireless charging, and it does. Nokia is working with accessory maker Fat Boy to produce wireless charging pads, and demonstrated one at the event called the Fat Boy Pillow. They’ve also hooked up with Virgin Atlantic to put wireless charging docks on flights, and with Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in America to put the same into coffee shops, which we think is a great idea.
As has become the standard with Nokia, it’s using Carl Zeiss camera technology on the back. It’s also bringing the impressive Pureview camera tech to the Lumia range, meaning that the camera will be able to detect and respond to the slightest hand movement by adjusting the lens to suit your scene. Nokia also claims that the shutter will stay open that extra bit longer to make the perfect shot, and that this Lumia offers a better photo and video quality than any other smartphone.
Inside the phone sits a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and a 2000mAh battery, and Nokia says that the efficiency of the processor coupled with the big battery will make the phone “enough to get anyone through an average day”.
With Microsoft also at the event, there was a big focus on software to compliment this impressive-sounding hardware. Windows Phone 8 is on board with its resizable tiles and new features, and Nokia is bolstering it with some software of its own. New software called City Lens mixes augmented reality with mapping and navigation to show you cafes, restaurants and other points of interest on a map around you – all you need to do is ‘lift up’ the phone to see.
Nokia Drive is deeply integrated into Windows Phone 8 on the Lumia 920, and will work right out of the box, even offline. Nokia insists that you won’t need to connect to Wi-Fi to calculate a route and save it for going outside – it will just work without any connection, which is great.
We’re currently awaiting the release date and pricing for the new handset from Nokia, but will update this post when we get it. In the meantime, let us know what you think of the Lumia 920.
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