Today, Nokia unveiled two Windows Phone devices, the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710. The former is the “hero” device, or the flagship, and brings to Windows Phone many of the design sensibilities that they debuted with the MeeGo-powered N9.
First, the specs: 1.4Ghz single-core processor, 512MB RAM, 8MP Carl Zeiss-powered camera, 3.7″ 800×480 ClearBlack AMOLED curved display. It’s an undisturbed, machine-cut piece of polycarbonate, available in three colours (black, magenta and cyan) and it feels absolutely amazing in the hands. It has a non-replaceable battery with up to 8 hours of talk time, and uses a microSIM slot to keep size down.
There is a quad-band HSPA radio in there, and there should be AWS variants at launch, but it has not been confirmed by Nokia.
Stephen Elop, during the keynote address, claimed it to be the first “real” Windows Phone, and after picking it up, it doesn’t seem too far from the truth. While hyperbolic, it combines the excellent Mango features with Nokia Drive, the first free turn-by-turn navigation software for WP7, along with Nokia Music, a service that provides custom radio mixes based on genre preference with free full-length songs.
The Lumia 710 is a mid-range device with similar specs but for a lower-quality camera, and a more rounded design. It will debut in both black and white with interchangeable back covers and a slightly less sharp 3.7″ ClearBlack LCD display.
The Lumia 800 will be shipping in early November in the UK, Italy, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, which makes it about 8 months from initial design to announcement. Both devices are expected to debut in North America in early 2012, with extensive carrier and retail partner support.
The Lumia 800 can be pre-ordered now from Nokia for $585US.
Stay tuned to more hands-on details and videos soon (we’re dealing with really spotty WiFi here).
