Yesterday in New York, Nokia lifted the curtain on their first Windows Phone 8 devices, the Lumia 820 and Lumia 920. They’re fast, beautiful, and packed with new technology, so here is a summary that you'll find useful – exciting times ahead!:

The Nokia Lumia 820

The smaller of the two devices is the 4.3” 820. It’s a very natural evolution of the great design language that Nokia kicked off with the Lumia 800 (rugged but beautiful polycarbonate) and with the Lumia 710 (interchangeable backplates). Inside is an improved 8MP Carl Zeiss camera alongside a dual-core Snapdragon processor and 8GB of storage, and the display uses the same ClearBlack technology as the Lumia 900 and Lumia 800. The interchangeable backplates are what stand out for me with this phone; you can get them in seven colors (white, black, red, yellow, cyan, purple, grey), and there’s an option to add an accessory backplate that adds wireless charging. Just snap it on, drop it on a charging station, and you’re ready to roll. Pretty awesome.

 

The Nokia Lumia 920

It’s a big phone with a 4.5” WXGA (i.e., better than 720p) display that uses Nokia’s new PureMotion HD+ screen tech. It’s twice as responsive (and way, way brighter) than any other phone display on the market, and that makes for zero lag and smooth, fast scrolling. Couple that with the same dual-core Snapdragon processor as the 820, 1GB of onboard RAM, and a whopping 32GB of storage, and you’ve got Nokia’s biggest, baddest, most beautiful smartphone so far. They’re coming in yellow, red, white, black or grey. Oh, and did I mention that the 920 has wireless charging built in?

The single most impressive feature on the 920 is the camera. Nokia’s integrated their incredible PureView technology to deliver a wicked fast 8MP camera that takes the best photos of any phone. It delivers in low light – a backlit sensor and Nokia’s proprietary software mean you get clear, bright photos, without a flash, even in near-darkness – and Nokia’s unique OIS (optical image stabilization) technology basically eliminates vibration, meaning you can take a clean, crisp photo while walking, running, riding a bike, standing on the train, etc.

Here's a short hands-on video of the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 so you can get a better feel for how they look side-by-side, and to show how OIS works. View it here: http://youtu.be/JKWRI9RoxN0

Wireless-tastic! – Wireless charging Accessories coming from Nokia

Place your phone on a Charging Plate and watch its battery go up. There’s no need to align it carefully – the charger will work as soon as it senses your Lumia on top.

Nokia Wireless Charging Pillow by Fatboy.
Put your phone to bed.

When you go to bed, your phone can too. Just rest it on its Fatboy pillow to start charging. They even come in bright colours to match your Lumia.

Nokia Wireless Charging Stand.
Charging for multi-taskers.

Want to keep using your Nokia Lumia while it charges? Place it on our Wireless Charging Stand so the screen’s easy to see. You can even pre-set the stand to open apps on your phone – like an alarm, Skype or SkyDrive.

JBL PowerUp Wireless Charging Speaker.
Charge while you listen.

Listen to the tunes you love with high-quality sound. And charge your Nokia Lumia wirelessly at the same time. The JBL PowerUp Wireless Charging Speaker has NFC built-in, so one tap is all it takes to connect your phone. Then while you enjoy the music, just rest your phone on top of the speaker to charge its battery. Simple.

Expect more exciting news from Microsoft and Nokia to come over the next few months :)

In the mean time, for the latest mobile news start following us on twitter @MSAdvertisingUK.

Nik

Nik Dewar, Microsoft UK Mobile Advertising Lead