For the past several months, Nokia has been quite busy with announcing and releasing new gadgets on the market, including the Lumia 928 and the Lumia 925, as well as the camera-centric Lumia 1020. Nevertheless, we’ve all expected the Finnish manufacturer to announce several new gadgets by the end of the year, and previous rumors have suggested that Nokia was working on a phablet, as well as a full-fledged tablet.
Interestingly enough, these rumors have been proven correct, as Nokia recently announced its first 6-inch smartphone and 10-inch tablet. During an event that was hosted in Abu Dhabi, the company lifted the veil on a handful of gadgets, but the Lumia 1520 and Lumia 2520 were the stars of the show. Let’s take a look at what we can expect from these two iconic devices.
Nokia Lumia 2520 – Meet The First Nokia Tablet
While the majority of smartphone manufacturers have been eager to join the tablet market segment throughout the years, Nokia hasn’t been in a hurry. Nevertheless, with the mobile Windows platform becoming more popular, and with Microsoft acquiring Nokia, a tablet boasting the Finnish company’s logo on it seemed to be inevitable (even though a rumor claimed that Microsoft actually tried to stop Nokia from announcing and releasing its Windows RT tablet).
The Lumia 2520 is the manufacturer’s first tablet, and interestingly enough, it’s a direct competitor to the new Microsoft Surface 2 slate. The gadget is equipped with a 10.1-inch AH-IPS display boasting a resolution of 1080 x 1920, and 650 nits of brightness, promising excellent visibility in direct sunlight. The tablet is powered by a Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor clocked at 2.2 GHz, an Adreno 330 graphics chip, and 2 GB of RAM. There are 32 GB of on-board storage, expandable via microSD.
The 10.1-inch slate is also fitted with a 6.7 MP main camera featuring a Carl Zeiss lens and with a wide f/1.9 aperture. The sensor is virtually the same as the one found on the Lumia 720, and it’s accompanied by a 2 MP front-facing shooter. The package is being powered by a generous 8000 mAh battery, and it runs on Windows RT and there’s also LTE connectivity on-board (something that the Surface 2 is currently missing).
Much like Microsoft’s new tablets, the Nokia Lumia 2520 can be paired with a keyboard cover accessory, called the “Power Keyboard”. This module features 2 full-sized USB ports and promises a gesture trackpad as well as five hours of extra battery life.
The Lumia 2520 is going to be priced at $499, and as far as availability goes, reports claim that the slate will go on sale on the global market sometime in November. In the US, both AT&T and Verizon are expected to offer the 10.1-inch device.
Nokia Lumia 1520 – The First Nokia / Windows Phone “Phablet”
During the Abu Dhabi event, Nokia not only unveiled its first tablet, but the company’s very first Windows Phone-powered “phablet” as well.
Dubbed the “Lumia 1520,” the handset in question features a 6-inch display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920, a Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor with a frequency of 2.2 GHz, an Adreno 330 graphics chip, and 2 GB of RAM. This effectively makes the 1520 the first Windows Phone smartphone to feature full-HD screen resolution and a quad-core processor.
Additionally, the handset arrives with 32 GB of on-board storage, as well as a microSD card slot that allows the user to expand it by up to an additional 64 GB. The gadget runs on an impressive 3400 mAh battery that promises up to 25 hours of talk time and 11 hours of video playback.
On the back panel resides a 20.7 MP main camera with Carl Zeiss lens, optical image stabilization, and improved panorama capabilities. The module itself is a scaled-down version of the 41 MP sensor found on the Lumia 1020 and delivers 2x lossless zoom.
All of these features, including the oversized nature of the device, the large battery, and the fact that there’s a wireless charging coil underneath the back panel have increased the weight of the Lumia 1520 to 209 grams.
Software-wise, the device arrives with Windows Phone 8.1 out of the box, featuring a handful of proprietary Nokia software enhancements. These software additions will reportedly be made available on other Lumia handsets through an update sometime next year.
As far as availability and pricing goes, the 6-inch Windows Phone beast will hit the shelves in November and will cost $749 off-contract before taxes and subsidies. The gadget will go on sale in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Europe and various other markets. In the US, AT&T will most likely be the first to carry the 1520 on its network.
All in all, Nokia has been very busy, and the results are visible to say the least. The manufacturer seems determined to push the limits of the Windows Phone platform further, and that’s commendable. Without a shadow of a doubt, fans of the brand and the Microsoft ecosystem itself have something to look forward to in November. Are you one of them? Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
Vlad Andrici is editor for gforgames.com and writes about technology issues. Follow Vlad on Google Plus.