Windows Phone 8 release date revealed: Nokia, Samsung, HTC handsets in focus

October 10, 2012 | Filed under: Business | Posted by:

Windows Phone 8 handset release date in US has finally been revealed. AT&T has said that it will start pre-orders for Nokia, Samsung and HTC Windows Phone 8 handsets on October 21

Microsoft Windows 8 will be launched in the market on October 26, just over two week’s time from now. The excitement is very high in the air and everyone seems excited to see and get a Windows 8 handset as soon as it is introduced in the market. The excitement is not without several valid reasons.

Windows 8 is going to be a magical OS that will transform the computing in the days to come. Though many people have tried to spoil the excitement by reasoning against its importance, but people by and large are excited as it will incorporate smartphone, tablet and laptos, PC into one OS. Tablets that are mainly used as extensions of iPods and smart-phones for viewing videos, sending mails and reading etc, will now be efficient to use the same way as we use our laptops.

So, on the go, you will be able to handle almost all your office work if you are carrying a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet. An iPad can never be used like a laptop, but Surface Pro will give you a portability that has been merely a dream for millions of professionals across the world. For a price just above iPad2, this is going to change the way we conceive laptops and tablets.

Windows Phone 8 is also attracting huge attention in the market with several great smartphone set to be launched by many top smart-phone manufacturers including Samsung, Nokia, LG and ASUS already revealing several handsets on Windows Phone 8.

Meanwhile reports suggest that pre-order for Windows Phone 8 handsets in the US will begin as early as October 21, merely two weeks’ time from now. AT&T has said that it will start accepting pre-orders for several smartphones including Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X on 21st October.

Here we discuss top Windows Phone 8 handsets already showcased by their respective manufacturers.

Finnish technology giant, Nokia seems to have found a new winner in Nokia Lumia 920. Put it simply, Lumia 920 is the WP 8 version of the company’s premium Windows Phone handset, the Lumia 900. That phone has been there for a while with Windows Phone 7.5 Mango. The new version has many fine features, however. In other words, Lumia 920 marks the Finnish mobile firm’s debut on Windows Phone 8. The handset has been announced at Nokia World 2012 with much fanfare. What are unique with the Lumia 920 is its PureView branded 8MP rear camera and a wireless charging method. The device boasts a 4.5-inch high-definition display with nice screen resolution. It is powered by a 1.5GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 processor and 1GB of RAM. It becomes the first Windows Phone handset from Nokia with a dual-core CPU. The previous Lumia versions have only single-core CPUs since Windows Phone 7 and 7.5 don’t support multi core chipsets.

Lumia 920 is further rich with integrated NFC technology, microSD slot for memory expansion and, above all, 4G LTE support for great web performance. The device is rumored to hit stores “in the second half of November,” according to Reuters.

Another great smartphone from Nokia is Lumia 820. Lumia 820 is a budget version of Nokia’s new WP 8 handset series. The gadget mounts a 4.3-inch AMOLED display. It brags Super Sensitive Touch capabilities and Nokia’s ClearBlack for better viewing of content even in sunlight. The 820 is also powered by dual core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor. The phone sports a 1,650mAh battery, microSD slot for memory expansion and advanced connectivity options. Unlike the Lumia 920, its younger sibling features a removable back shell. Nokia will also release a set of variously colored back plate shells for the device. The colors may include yellow, purple, red, gray, black and white. That is, users can enjoy some aspect of aesthetics with the handset. They can change the rear panel to match with the color of their cars or robes. The device is also expected to come late this year.

South Korean tech company that has become undisputed king of Android smartphones with its line of Galaxy S smartphones and Galaxy Notes is also prepared to launch its Windows 8 Phone handset ATIV S. The ATIV S is indeed the first announced Windows Phone 8 handset in the world. Samsung overtook Nokia to launch its WP 8 handset a few days ahead of the Nokia World 2012. The South Korean tech maker has produced its WP 8 handset borrowing some design cues from its top Android-based Galaxy handsets. Akin to the Galaxy S3, the ATIV S touts a large 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a 1.5GHz dual core processor inside. Indeed, the device will take HTC Titan’s title as the world’s largest Windows Phone handset.

Another great Windows 8phone handset is from Taiwanese company that is struggling right now despite some great products in its kitty. HTC 8x, comes with top specs and competes well in every aspect with Nokia’s Lumia 920. It comes with 1.5 GHz, dual-core Snapdragon S4 chipset and 4.3-inch 1280×720 display with 342 ppi. It also comes with LTE, 1GB RAM, a very impressive 8-megapixel rear camera, 2 MP front camera and NFC. Another plus with which it comes is Beats Audio enhancement. For people who don’t really like going for a huge screen, its 4.3 inch size may look very enticing given the fact that it comes loaded with numerous goodies.

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  • Ryan

    There’s no microSD in the Lumia 920. Please change that part.

  • SJC

    Agreed! The next 6 months will be very exciting. A PC freak, it pained me to buy my first iPhone and ipad all those years ago and even more so that they were such good devices. But immediately it struck me how good it would be if they could run windows, and I could do all the things I could on a PC. It was inevitable that windows would re-emerge for the mobile revolution and Ive enjoyed watching windows and Microsoft technologies evolve into the ecosystem we see today. I think we will see TVs and even fridges installed with windows and kinect technologies within the next few years. Awesome!
    And as Ryan pointed out ‘no microSD in the lumia 920′

  • Junior

    …I’m not sure, but is there microSD in iPhone? I was wondering, since the Lumia has quite a bit of internal memory, i’m wondering if that’s even necessary. I know it’d be a nice feature, but if there’s already enough storage space, then there’s really no point.