Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 Preview – First Look

After much deliberation, Nokia has finally announced it’s two big Windows Phone 8 devices. First up though, no pricing and release details have been revealed, so we really don’t know when we can get our hands on them. But for now, let’s just be content with some solid information about the two new phones. There’s some big changes, there’s some pretty new stuff going on, yet the Lumia devices retain their signature design. Which isn’t really a bad thing, we think the Lumia range was clean, functional and quite attractive. So here’s our Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 preview!

Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 Preview – All We Know:

Nokia Lumia 920 – Specs and Features

The Nokia Lumia 920 PureView will be Nokia’s new flagship Windows Phone 8 device, replacing the Lumia 900. It comes with some pretty cool stuff. Since Windows Phone 8 now supports multi-core processors, expandable storage, HD screens and more, the Lumia 920 PureView comes with some sweet new hardware. There’s a dual core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Krait, the very same used on LTE versions of Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X. It also comes with 1 GB RAM and 32 GB of storage which is unfortunately not expandable, to keep the unibody design intact. Before the launch, we also came to know that wireless charging would be supported, because of the wireless charging pad leak. The three big new features making their way to the Lumia 920 are the PureMotion HD+ screen, the PureView camera and the Nokia City Lens.

Wondering what PureMotion HD+ screen is? Nokia has crammed in a lot of pixels in the 4.5 inch screen, at a resolution of 1280 x 768, which is higher than HD resolution. This results in a super sharp screen with a pixel density of 332 ppi, which is higher than the iPhone 4S Retina Display screen. That’s not all, Nokia claims that the screen is 25% brighter than any other smartphone screen and automatically adjusts colors in sunlight for the best viewability. Furthermore, it’s supposed to refresh images on the screen faster which results in better media playback and it has an odd aspect ratio of 15:9.

The PureView camera in the phone might come as a disappointment to many though, the Lumia 920 doesn’t come with a 41MP camera, but a regular 8.7MP camera with special lenses and software for the best picture quality. Nokia claims that it can capture between 5 to 10 times more light than any other smartphone camera which results in better quality pictures. Sure it isn’t a big number like the expected 21MP camera, but supposedly picture quality is actually something special. A lot of the media software isn’t complete yet, so not all camera features have been revealed. Next up are the apps, Nokia has included its own Maps, Drive and more, but the highlight is City Lens. It’s an augmented reality app that gives you information upon pointing the phone at places or paths. For example, pointing it at a certain shop can fetch you information about it, the ratings and much more. It’s an exciting app, but we doubt it will work in India. Finally, the Lumia 920 also supports NFC and comes in some pretty funky colors like red and yellow, apart from black, white and grey. The only change is, unlike the matte body finish of the Lumia 800, it now comes with a matte finish. So here are the specs:

• SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960
• CPU: 1.5 GHz dual-core Krait
• GPU: Adreno 225
• RAM: 1 GB RAM
• Storage: 32 GB, not expandable
• Screen: 4.5 inches PureMotion HD+ ClearBlack IPS LCD screen, 768 x 1280px (332 ppi)
• Camera: 8.7MP PureView rear facing camera (1080P video recording), 1.3MP front facing camera (720P video recording)
• Connectivity: Bluetooth v4.0, NFC, Wi-fi, MicroUSB 2.0 slot
• Battery: 2000 mAh
• OS: Windows Phone 8

Nokia Lumia 820 – Specs and Features

The Lumia 820 is the smaller brother of the Lumia 920 PureView and will be bracketed as the mid range Nokia Windows Phone 8 device. It houses the same processor and RAM like the 920, but comes with a lower resolution screen, lower storage memory and a non PureView camera. Apart from this, it interestingly has a few features the 920 doesn’t have. For instance, it has interchangeable covers and for the first time, a removable battery as well. The onboard storage is a meagre 8 GB, but it has a MicroSD expansion slot which supports cards upto 32 GB memory. So basically it’s a downgraded 920, aimed at the mid range price. Again, the body has a glossy finish unlike the matte finish of the Lumia 800. Here’s the specs:

• SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960
• CPU: 1.5 GHz dual-core Krait
• GPU: Adreno 225
• RAM: 1 GB RAM
• Storage: 8 GB, MicroSD expandable upto 32 GB
• Screen: 4.3 inches AMOLED screen, 480 x 800 px (217 ppi)
• Camera: 8MP rear facing camera (1080P video recording), 0.3MP front facing camera
• Connectivity: Bluetooth v4.0, NFC, Wi-fi, MicroUSB 2.0 slot
• Battery: 1650 mAh
• OS: Windows Phone 8

So that was our Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 preview, the long awaited follow up to the well received Nokia Lumia 900 and 800. Do let us know what you think of the article, are these devices enough to counter the upcoming iPhone 5 and numerous Android devices?