Nokia Reveals Lumia 920 & 820 WP8 Smartphones With SLR-Like Camera & Wireless Charging

Nokia has announced its first Windows Phone 8 smartphones, the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820. The Lumia 920 features Nokia’s new PureView camera, claimed to take SLR-like quality photos, while both phones feature wireless charging capability for maximum convenience in a variety of locations.

The PureView camera takes better pictures, especially at night, since it can capture five times more light than competing smartphones and without using the flash. It also has a floating lens, which compensates for hand movement, helping to take sharper pictures.

“Nokia PureView continues to deliver cutting-edge technology to make it possible for a smartphone camera to take the kind of images usually only seen on a standalone SLR camera,” said Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices. “With the Nokia Lumia 920 we have made it possible to shoot pictures and video at home, outdoors, in a restaurant or even at night, and come out with professional-looking results.”

The Nokia Lumia 920 also comes with Nokia City Lens, the latest addition to the Nokia location suite. By pointing the camera at a city street, City Lens overlays information about restaurants, shops, hotels and more on the surfaces of buildings, for the most intuitive way to explore surroundings. Nokia City Lens is the start of a new augmented reality experience that also enhances Nokia Maps, making it possible to move between maps view and augmented reality view to help people check their direction and surroundings. Along with enhancements to Nokia Drive and Nokia Transport, the Nokia location suite of services represents the most comprehensive, integrated mapping experience of any smartphone.

The Lumia 920 also comes with Nokia’s largest ever battery, at 2000mAh, for extended operation between charges.

The Lumia 820 is the Nokia’s midrange phone, delivering high performance at a more affordable price. While the Nokia Lumia 820 has the same unibody look and feel as the high end Lumia smartphones, it comes with an exchangeable shell design. Exchangeable shells not only make it possible to select from a range of colors, but also to add wireless charging. Beneath the shell is room to insert a micro SD memory card.

Nokia has cut deals with various wireless charging partners, to create some great wireless charging solutions. For example, the Fatboy Recharge Pillow provides a fun way to recharge, while JBL introduced the JBL PowerUP, a wireless charging docking station with high quality audio in retro styling.

Deals with Virgin Atlantic to put wireless charging stations in the London Heathrow Clubhouse lounge and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to put charging plates on tables in some of their cafs, were the first of many deals Nokia intends to sign to take wireless charging outside the home and office.

The Lumia 920 comes in yellow, red, grey, white and black, while the Lumia 820 comes in red, yellow, grey, cyan, purple, white and black. Both phones will be available in pentaband LTE and HSPA+ variants and are expected to start shipping in select markets later in the year. Nokia will announce pricing and specific roll-out dates country by country when sales are due to begin. Full details and specs are available at the link below.