The latest Windows Phone 8 flagship made by the Finnish company will be available exclusively on Verizon Wireless starting on February 20.
Thanks to the recent Windows Phone GDR3 update, smartphones running Microsoft’s mobile OS can now have large screens and 1080p resolutions, and Nokia Lumia Icon is a prime example of that. This 5-inch WP8 will come to Verizon in black or white on February 20, and pricing should start at $199.99. However, full retail or Edge pricing is said to be $550.
Ifi Majid, Nokia’s president of North American marketing, stated in an interview with The Verge that “We want people to really remember this product.” Even though it also has a number, namely 929, Nokia wants us to call this just Lumia Icon. Frankly, it certainly doesn’t look much different from its Lumia predecessors, so the only thing that could ever make this smartphone worth remembering is the internal hardware.
Nokia claims that Windows Phone 8 isn’t what it used to be, but even Microsoft, who considers bringing Android apps to WP, seems to think otherwise. Until WP 8.1 will be launched, Nokia is stuck with a poor app ecosystem that simply cannot be compared to Android or iOS.
In terms of remarkable features, Nokia Lumia Icon comes with an impressive 20 MP PureView rear camera whose shutter can be triggered either by tapping the screeen or by pressing the dedicated camera button. The 5-inch Full HD ClearBlack display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which should give users a bit of peace of mind. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset powering this device packs a Quad-core 2.2 GHz Krait 400 CPU and an Adreno 330 GPU. As far as memory goes, the Icon comes with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage that cannot be expanded in any way, since the device doesn’t have a microSD slot.
The 2,420mAh battery can be charged wirelessly, and in my opinion, all smartphones should carry this feature, not only flagships. The complete technical specs of Nokia Lumia Icon are available on GSMArena.
Lumia Icon is by no means a revolutionary device, but it’s a step forward for Nokia and Microsoft. Apart from the camera, every other specification can be easily surpassed by Android flagships. Speaking of Android, it will be interesting to see if Nokia finally decides to launch their Android-running Normandy at MWC, in Barcelona. The latest rumors claim that it will cost $110, so it will actually be a low-end Android device.
Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories such as this comparison between Samsung Galaxy S4 and Nokia Lumia 1020, and the Android-running Nokia Normandy that might be launched later this month.
