Nokia has announced four new smartphones – the Nokia Lumia 720, Lumia 520, Nokia 105 and Nokia 301 – at the ongoing Mobile World Congress (MWC) and has said it will strengthen its cooperation with Microsoft in the enterprise sector to bring more business customers to Windows Phone.
"The momentum behind Nokia is gathering pace. The launches today reflect our commitment to broadening our devices and services portfolio to meet the demands of people and businesses around the globe," said Stephen Elop, president and CEO of Nokia.
The Nokia Lumia 720 comes with a f/1.9 aperture and Carl Zeiss optics in a HD-quality, wide-angle front-facing camera, plus 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 Lumia 720 comes in five colors, with an estimated starting price of EUR249 (US$331) before taxes and subsidies. Rollout is planned to start in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore in the first quarter of 2013, before continuing into broader markets in the second quarter, including China as well as key markets in Europe, Asia, Africa and India.
The Nokia Lumia 520 is equipped with the same digital camera lenses found on the flagship Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Music for free music out of the box and even offline, and the HERE location suite. It has a four-inch touchscreen.
The Lumia 520 comes in five colors, with an estimated starting price of EUR139, before taxes and subsidies. Roll-out is planned to begin in the first quarter of 2013 in Hong Kong and Vietnam, before expanding broadly in in the second quarter to markets in Europe, Asia – including China and India – Latin America and Africa.The Lumia 520 is also planned to roll out in the US with T-Mobile.
The Nokia 105 is meant for the first-time phone buyer, with essentials like FM radio, multiple alarm clocks, speaking clock, a dust and splash-proof, pillowed key pad, and a flashlight. It has a 35-day battery life, the vendor said.
The Nokia 105 is available in black and cyan for a recommended price of EUR15. It is planned to start rolling out in the first quarter of 2013 and is expected to be gradually expanded to in China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Russia, Vietnam and other markets in Africa, Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Europe.
The colorful Nokia 301 delivers elegant design and a bold color palette, with 3.5G Internet connection and Nokia Xpress Browser preloaded for up to 90% more data efficiency, the vendor said. It offers video streaming and smart camera features.
The Nokia 301 is available in cyan, black, magenta, yellow and white for a recommended price of EUR65. It is planned to start rolling out in the second quarter of 2013 and is expected to be available in more than 120 countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, Middle East and Latin America.
Nokia and Microsoft are sharpening their focus on bringing business customers from competitor platforms to Windows Phone using the combined strength of Windows Phone 8 and the popular appeal of Nokia Lumia smartphones, Elop said. In addition to announcing recent business wins, Nokia has confirmed operators including Everything Everywhere, Elisa, Orange, Telstra and Vodafone are ranging Nokia Lumia smartphones as their business hero devices.