Nokia Lumia 620 is cheapest WP8 phone to date

Nokia reveals the Lumia 620, the cheapest Windows Phone 8 device on the market. Priced at $249 (259EUR in Belgium) this device offers a 3.8" ClearBlack touchscreen display with 800 x 480 pixel resolution and a Qualcomm S4 1GHz dual-core processors. The phone features a 5MP digicam with LED flash and 720p HD recording, a VGA front camera, 8GB internal storage capacity, microSD memory card slot, NFC support, WiFi, WCDMA 3G, Bluetooth 3.0, 512MB RAM, and a 1300mAh battery. The phone has interchangeable covers and will be released in seven different color variations. Shipments will start in Asia-Pacific in January 2013, Europe and the Middle East will also get it in early 2013 but other markets may have to wait a bit longer.

Nokia today introduced the Nokia Lumia 620, the third and most affordable in its range of Windows Phone 8 smartphones. Alongside the flagship Nokia Lumia 920 and mid-range Nokia Lumia 820, the Nokia Lumia 620 offers a more fun, youthful appeal, and compact design.

The Nokia Lumia 620 uses a new dual-shot color technique to deliver a variety of striking color and texture effects. Dual-shot adds a second layer of colored, transparent or translucent polycarbonate on top of a base layer to produce secondary color blends and depth effects. With seven different exchangeable shells to choose from, people can adapt the look of their Nokia Lumia 620 to their own personal taste and style.

"We continue to execute on our strategy to reach new audiences and new markets," said Jo Harlow, executive vice president, Nokia Smart Devices. "With its innovative design, the latest Windows Phone 8 software and signature experiences from Nokia, like Nokia lenses, Nokia Maps and Nokia Music, the Nokia Lumia 620 is a highly competitive smartphone at this price point."

Among the features shared with the Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 820 are exclusive camera lenses that transform the creative power of the Nokia Lumia 620's five megapixel main camera and VGA front-facing camera. The Cinemagraph lens adds simple animations to still photographs, while Smart Shoot creates a single, perfect shot from multiple images, even removing unwanted objects from the picture.

The Nokia Lumia 620 also provides access to the world's best maps and location experience, including Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive, Nokia Transport and the exclusive Nokia City Lens. Nokia City Lens displays information about local surroundings overlaid onto buildings as seen through the camera viewfinder.

Making it easy to discover and enjoy new music, Nokia Music provides free streaming of ad-free tracks without registration or subscription and the ability to download playlists for listening offline.

With NFC support, the Nokia Lumia 620 can easily pair with NFC-enabled accessories like the JBL PlayUp Portable Speaker for Nokia. Open and secure NFC-connectivity makes it possible to share and receive content by tapping with compatible devices, or make secure payments using the Wallet application in Windows Phone 8.

Powered by Windows Phone 8, the Nokia Lumia 620 delivers a more personal smartphone experience. Adjustable Live Tiles update direct to the Start Screen. People Hub pulls together contact information from multiple address books and social networks into a single location, making it easy to stay in touch with friends and set up contact Groups and private Rooms for sharing. From the Me Tile people can check in to their location, post an update, set chat status, see what's new and monitor notifications across Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Windows Phone 8 also includes Xbox Live, Microsoft Office, 7GB of online SkyDrive storage and faster, safer surfing with Internet Explorer 10.

These features and capabilities are enabled by Qualcomm's Snapdragon(TM) S4 Plus processors.

"People can do more of the things they love when they choose a mobile device that has a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor," said Enrico Salvatori, senior vice president and president of Qualcomm Europe. "The Snapdragon S4 Plus processor is the heart of the Nokia Lumia 620, making it possible to multi-task, stream in HD and share content at super-fast speeds."