Affordable Nokia Lumia 620 Expands Windows Phone 8 Range

Nokia has announced its third Windows Phone 8-based smartphone, the affordable Nokia Lumia 620, which it hopes will appeal to a youthful audience. The phone will cost $249 (£155) without a contract and will hit shelves during the first quarter of 2013.

The Finnish manufacturer promises that although the device is relatively low-end when compared to the flagship Lumia 920 and mid-range Lumia 820, it still “packs a punch”.

The Lumia 620 is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 512MB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory, which can be expanded to up to 64GB through a microSD card slot.

Affordable Nokia Lumia 620

The 3.8-inch TFT display boasts the same sunlight readability enhancements as the Lumia 920, while it also uses Nokia’s exclusive Cinemagraph and Smart Shoot camera lenses for the five megapixel camera. In addition it also has Near Field Communication (NFC) compatibility.

Evidence that Nokia is chasing a youthful market is provided with the dual-shot casing, which combines two layers of polycarbonate to produce new colour blends and depth effects. Colours can be changed by using one of seven exchangeable shells.

Further proving that Nokia is attempting to be “down with the kids”, is the inclusion of free streaming of ad-free tracks through Nokia Music. Other Nokia services such as Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive and Nokia City Lens are included.

“We continue to execute on our strategy to reach new audiences and new markets,” said Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices. “With its innovative design, the latest Windows Phone 8 software and signature experiences from Nokia, like Nokia lenses, Nokia Maps and Nokia Music, the Nokia Lumia 620 is a highly competitive smartphone at this price point.”

Nokia released an affordable Windows Phone 7 device earlier this year, the Nokia Lumia 610 for those keeping track with Nokia’s confusing nomenclature. However it was noticeably inferior to the Finnish manufacturer’s flagship devices and was even unable to run Skype due to the paltry 256MB of RAM.

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