Windows Phone 8 Devices – List of Smartphones

Windows Phone is a comparatively new entry into the world of mobile operating systems and is gaining momentum with the new version, Windows Phone 8, set to launch this fall. Yes, we know Microsoft isn’t new to the mobile OS game, but we’re considering Windows Phone 7.5 as the start of this trend, Windows Mobile is pretty much a completely different platform that has been replaced. Devices with Windows Phone 7.5 hit stored in September 2011 to positive reviews. It’s hardly been a year and Windows Phone 8 is set to launch. Windows Phone 8 devices will come with more powerful hardware and has features Windows Phone 7.5 devices didn’t, like NFC, expandable memory, support for HD screen resolutions, multi-core processors and more. Best part is, it shares the kernel with Windows 8, so apps can be made for on platform and ported to another very easily. There’s also UI changes and more built in functions. The bad news is that none of the current Windows Phone 7.5 devices will get this update, no matter how new it is. Only new phones will ship with Windows Phone 8. However, older phones get an update called Windows Phone 7.8 that will include some new features including the UI customization. So if you’re interested in Windows Phone 8 devices and want to know which devices are coming out with Microsoft’s new mobile OS, read on!

Note: This list will be updated as more devices are announced.

Windows Phone 8 Devices – Nokia:

Nokia was the first manufacturer to introduce a Windows Phone 7.5 device, the Lumia 800. Even though this time it isn’t considered the “flagship” of Windows Phone 8, Nokia’s new handsets pack more than a punch and are really innovative. The first wave of Nokia Windows Phone 8 devices include the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820. The Lumia 920 is the higher end of the bunch, with a brilliant HD+ screen, PureView camera and classy unibody design. The Lumia 820 will fill in the mid range slot and replace the Lumia 800, it features expandable memory unlike its bigger brother though. Here’s the specs of these smartphones:

Update (5/12/12): Nokia Lumia 620 has been announced as the budget Windows Phone 8 device and will retail for 249$.

Update (1/3/13): Nokia Lumia 720 and Lumia 520, two more budget Windows Phone 8 devices announced.

Nokia Lumia 1020

• SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960
• CPU: 1.5 GHz dual-core Krait
• GPU: Adreno 225
• RAM: 2 GB RAM
• Storage: 32/64 GB, not expandable
• Screen: 4.5 inches PureMotion HD+ ClearBlack AMOLED screen with Gorilla Glass 3, 768 x 1280px (332 ppi)
• Camera: 41MP PureView rear facing camera (1080P video recording), 1.3 MP wide angle lens front facing camera (1080P video recording), Xenon + LED flash
• Connectivity: Bluetooth v4.0, NFC, Wi-fi, MicroUSB 2.0 slot, 3G, 4G LTE
• Battery: 2000 mAh

Nokia Lumia 920

• 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 v3.0, NFC, Wi-fi, MicroUSB 2.0 slot
• Battery: 2000 mAh

Nokia Lumia 820

• 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 64 GB via MicroSD slot
• 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 v3.0, NFC, Wi-fi, MicroUSB 2.0 slot
• Battery: 1650 mAh

Nokia Lumia 720

• SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8227
• CPU: 1 GHz dual-core Krait
• GPU: Adreno 305
• RAM: 512 MB RAM
• Storage: 8 GB, expandable upto 64 GB via MicroSD slot
• Screen: 4.3 inches TFT LCD screen, 480 x 800px (217 ppi)
• Camera: 6.7 MP rear facing camera (720P video recording), front facing 1.3MP camera (720P video recording)
• Connectivity: Bluetooth v3.0, Wi-fi, MicroUSB 2.0 slot
• Battery: 2000 mAh

Nokia Lumia 620

Windows Phone 8 Devices – HTC:

This time around, the Taiwanese manufacturer gets the right to make “signature” Windows Phone 8 devices. The devices themselves will feature the OS name in their nomenclature and sure look promising. Again, there are two models to choose from, the Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S. Amongst them, the 8X will be the higher end one. While the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 share CPU, GPU, RAM and such, the 8X and 8S feature different hardware. HTC has taken a cue from Nokia and made both phones in funky colors and of course, there’s Beats Audio included. Both these devices are touted to be less expensive than their Nokia counterparts. The 8X features pretty much the same SoC as the Lumia 920 and 820, it’s the 8S that’s a little different. Here’s the spec sheets:

Windows Phone 8X by HTC (HTC 8X)

• SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960
• CPU: 1.5 GHz dual-core Krait
• GPU: Adreno 225
• RAM: 1 GB RAM
• Storage: 16 GB, not expandable
• Screen: 4.3 inches Super LCD 2 screen, 720 x 1280px (342 ppi)
• Camera: 8 MP rear facing camera (1080P video recording), 2.1MP front facing camera (1080P video recording)
• Connectivity: Bluetooth v2.1, NFC, Wi-fi, MicroUSB 2.0 slot
• Battery: 1800 mAh

Windows Phone 8S by HTC (HTC 8S)

• SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8627
• CPU: 1 GHz dual-core Krait
• GPU: Adreno 305
• RAM: 512 MB RAM
• Storage: 4 GB, expandable upto 32 GB via MicroSD slot
• Screen: 4 inches Super LCD screen, 480 x 800px (233 ppi)
• Camera: 5 MP rear facing camera (720P video recording)
• Connectivity: Bluetooth v2.1, Wi-fi, MicroUSB 2.0 slot
• Battery: 1700 mAh

Windows Phone 8 Devices – Samsung:

Earlier, information had leaked about high end and mid range Samsung Windows Phone 8 devices, but as of now only the high end Samsung Ativ S has been announced. It takes most of its design cues from the Samsung Galaxy S3 and has basically the same internals as the US LTE version of the S3. It was the first Windows Phone 8 device announced, and is the only one as of now that comes in different storage variants. Featuring a brushed aluminium finish, the Ativ S is in stark contrast to the bright phones from both Nokia and HTC. It doesn’t have a killer feature as such, but the Ativ S will appeal to the business end of the market with its quiet elegance. Not to mention, there’s a huge battery to keep things going on for long. Spec sheets follow:

Samsung Ativ S

• SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960
• CPU: 1.5 GHz Dual-core Krait
• GPU: Adreno 225
• RAM: 1 GB RAM
• Storage: 16 GB/32 GB, expandable upto 32 GB via MicroSD slot
• Screen: 4.8 inch Super AMOLED HD screen, 720 x 1280px (306ppi)
• Camera: 8MP rear facing camera (1080P video recording), 1.9MP front facing camera
• Connectivity: Bluetooth v3.0, Wi-Fi, NFC, MicroUSB port
• Battery: 2300 mAh

Windows Phone 8 Devices – Huawei:

Huawei is the last manufacturer that is releasing its smartphone in the first wave of Windows Phone 8 devices. Unlike others, there is only one phone announced, which will cater to the budget/mid range segment. The Huawei Ascend W1 is supposed to go for around 320$ unlocked, which quite honestly is a great price for what it’s offering. There’s not much information about the Ascend W1, but from what we know, it could be a good choice to enter the Windows Phone 8 ecosystem. For those people who think Windows Phone 8 still doesn’t justify high end phone price tags, this could be the phone for you!

Update: Huawei Ascend W1 is detailed at CES 2013!

Huawei Ascend W1

• SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8230
• CPU: 1.2 GHz Dual-core Krait
• GPU: Adreno 305
• RAM: 512 MB RAM
• Storage: 4 GB internal, expandable upto 32 GB
• Screen: 4 inch WVGA LCD capacitive touchscreen, 800 x 480 px (233 ppi)
• Camera: 5 MP rear facing with LED flash, 0.3 MP front facing
• Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, MicroUSB v2.0 slot, NFC
• Battery: 1950 mAh

This is by no means a comprehensive list, the specs, details and more will be updated as we know about more Windows Phone 8 devices, so keep an eye on this space! There’s still smartphones yet to come, the second wave will include more manufacturers like ZTE and the first wave manufacturers are also sure to unveil more offerings. Also make sure to check out our Windows 8 review. As always, do drop us a line if you want to be heard. Any queries, comments or suggestions are welcome!