Well, it happened. We finally got to see Nokia’s mid-range handset the Lumia 820 and the company’s flagship Lumia 920. The Finnish company unveiled many compelling features to both its Lumia devices that’ll hopefully grab mind share away from Android and the iPhone. Our editors took the time to give their reactions and thoughts on what Nokia showed off today at its New York event.
Kelly Hodgkins
Nokia used its NYC event to announce two new handsets with technology that ups the standard for mobile devices. The Lumia 920 delivers high-quality photos and videos with its PureView camera technology. It also has a strong ceramic outer shell, a super touch-sensitive display that works even when you wear gloves and wireless charging. While I am excited for the phone, I can’t help but be disappointed by an ambiguous launch date. The same sentiment applies to the Lumia 820, which looks to be an excellent phone for a new smartphone owner.
Why am I disappointed? It’s not about me being impatient, it’s about a company being able to deliver a product in a timely manner. A company foolishly introduces a lot of uncertainty when it unveils a product months before it is ready for consumers. I hate to say it, but I think Nokia will be lose some ground when other manufacturers introduce their holiday lineup and start selling their handsets immediately.
Charles West
This event in New York was to be Nokia’s defining moment as a true player in the smartphone market, and the Finnish phone maker didn’t disappoint. At this point, I feel it’s now or never for both Nokia and Windows Phone, as the company just made its best case to consumers. Today Nokia seem to have done everything right; it released a mid-level and high-end phone to please those either entering the smartphone market for the first time or those looking for their next daily driver.
That being said, let me tell you where Nokia fell short. The company announced two new products without a price or launch date — like really Nokia? Are you still doing this? These phones won’t be ready for the public for weeks. In the end, Nokia runs the risk of being overlooked by a slew of handsets coming out during this holiday season. HTC, Motorola, and Apple among others will make their best pitch to consumers as well. We expect the Lumia 920 to land only on AT&T, which will hurt Nokia from truly spreading its wings to all consumers on different carriers. These are just too many negatives before the damn phone even launches.
Anthony Domanico
Nokia and Microsoft have created a true flagship for the compelling Windows Phone 8 platform. The Lumia 920 is a stellar phone, with an amazing camera, Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, and a killer display. It’s an awesome phone, though the success of the Lumia 920 is heavily tied to the success of Windows Phone 8.
Anyone who loves Windows Phone would be proud to call the Lumia 920 their own, making the decision on which phone to buy next a no-brainer. The problem is that the general public simply hasn’t warmed to Windows Phone just yet. The operating system has garnered only a 3.6% market share and has a limited number of compatible applications compared to Android and iOS. Adding insult to injury, the Lumia 920 will be pigeon-holed to the AT&T network. The iPhone was a device people would switch to AT&T to purchase, but the Lumia 920 will not compel people to jump ship the way the iPhone did before it.
That said, I’d love to get my hands on a Lumia 920, and Windows Phone is certainly worth a trial. It will certainly make for an interesting holiday season as we prepare for the launch of the next iPhone and a handful of compelling Android-based devices.