Nokia launches Lumia 720, Lumia 520 with Windows Phone 8

Besides launching the Nokia 105 and Nokia 301 entry-level budget phones, the company also officially announced the Lumia 720 and the Lumia 520 smartphones on the Barcelona stage that were rumoured earlier. The Lumia 720 is being positioned as a "trendy option" according to Marcos Ahtissari, Nokia's lead designer who presented the live demo of both the smartphones. The device sports a 4.3 inch display and is super sensitive like the Lumia 920. It claims to offer good viewing angles and decent readability under the sun. The Nokia Lumia 720 will be placed in the mid-range segment and promises to deliver a high-end camera performance. it features a large f/1.9 aperture with Carl Zeiss optics that are designed to deliver bright, clear pictures day and night, while the HD-quality, wide-angle front-facing camera for making the photography and video calling experience more enjoyable. The sleek and stylish smartphone comes with the latest high-end Nokia Lumia experiences, including Nokia Music, the HERE location suite, and the option to add wireless charging with a snap-on wireless charging cover. The device is also the first unibody design with SD Micro support. The Nokia Lumia 720 will come in five colours, with an expected starting price of 249 euros exclusive of taxes and subsidies. The smartphone will begin rolling out in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore in Q1 2013, before continuing into broader markets in Q2, including China as well as key markets in Europe, Asia, Africa and India. The Lumia 720 is engineered for non-LTE markets, which means that it is unlikely to launch in the US. Coming to the Nokia Lumia 520, it is being endorsed as "Nokia's lowest-priced affordable Windows Phone 8 smartphone". The device boasts impressive features such as the same digital camera lenses found on the flagship Nokia Lumia 920 (but not all the bells and whistles), Nokia Music for free music out of the box and even offline, and the HERE location suite. The device comes with a 4-inch super sensitive touchscreen which the company believes will make it competitive with other budget smartphones. It has a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera. Camera features include Smart Shoot, CinemaGraph and more. The Nokia Lumia 520 will feature interchangeable shells in five colours and will be priced starting 139 euros (exclusive of taxes and subsidies). The roll-out is planned to begin in Q1 2013 in Hong Kong and Vietnam, before reaching other markets in Q2 like Europe, Asia - including China and India - Latin America and Africa. The Nokia Lumia 520 is also planned to roll out in the United States with T-Mobile. NDTV