Nokia has launched the Lumia 520 in India, just as it had promised, labeling it the company’s most affordable Windows Phone 8 device at a purchase price of Rs. 10,499. The first time we saw the handset was when press shots were leaked ahead of this year’s MWC along with those of the 720 variant. At the end of February it was made known that the devices would find their way to UK retailers beginning on April 1.
Sticking to the WP8 phone at hand, let’s focus a bit on Nokia Lumia 520 device’s specifications. It has a 4-inch WVGA (800 x 480p) TrueColor IPS display which falls in the Goldilocks zone of screen sizes. This employs super-sensitive touch technology and offers a nice 235 pixels per inch density, all contained within dimensions of 119.9 x 64 x 9.9 millimeters. The entire package is supposed to weigh about 124 grams.
The device operates on a dual core 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, but calls upon just 512MB of RAM, giving it a mix of mid-range and slightly higher mid-level capabilities. Meanwhile, the 8GB of internal storage can be taken further, to an additional 64GB using a microSD memory card. Plus, users will also get 7GB of free could storage.
Delivering power is a 1,430mAh battery, which the company claims can give as much as 9.6 hours of talk time on 3G or 360 hours of 3G standby. Users who stick to 2G networks will get a talk time bump up to almost 14.8 hours per charge. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 3.0, A-GPS with GLONASS and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, but it drops the NFC and wireless charging capabilities of its larger siblings.
For the technically challenged, or those who prefer not to read too much into pure hardware jargon, the phone has a 5MP camera on the back panel, capable of auto focus. Sadly, it doesn’t tag along any sort of flash. The snapper can capture video in 720p and at 30fps, but that’s getting technical again. And that’s pretty much it for the handset.
Many online retailers have the Nokia Lumia 520 up for sale in India at the said price, some even offering a host of color choices which include white, black, red and yellow, with cyan on the way. Most also throw in an 8GB microSD card, while Saholic ups the ante with a 16GB card for free with the purchase. The phone comes with a 2-month Reliance Communications offer, giving new and existing GSM customers 1GB of 3G data per month as well as unlimited Facebook and WhatsApp data.