Nokia India has announced the Lumia 520 for the Indian market, just a few days after the Lumia 620 was launched, and will hit stores in seven days. The Lumia 520 has been given an approximate price of Rs. 10,500, quite a bit cheaper than its expected price, of Rs. 12,000-13,000. This certainly makes it an even sweeter deal than we previously reported. The company said it will give an exact price at the time of the phone's launch, but we don't expect it to be very different. Interestingly, Flipkart has already listed the phone for pre-order, at Rs. 10,499, and quotes a first week of April availability.
Nokia first unveiled the Lumia 520 at MWC earlier this year, and it being made official in India so quickly after announcement, could make it one of Nokia's fastest Indian launches in recent times. The company also announced that the Lumia 720 will be launching in mid-April in India, but did not give approximate pricing. The 249 Euro MSRP the Lumia 720 carries means that it would cost little under Rs. 20,000 when launched. Read more about the Lumia 720 here.
The Lumia 520 is Nokia’s newest budget Windows Phone 8 device, featuring a 1GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 processor coupled up with 512MB of RAM. It also sports 8GB on-board storage, which can be expanded to 64GB via the means of a microSD card slot. The display on the Lumia 520 is a 4-inch LCD with WVGA resolution (480×800) which pegs the pixel at about 233 ppi.
With Nokia officially confirming a mid-April availability of the Lumia 520, users will now have the choice between the Lumia 620 and the Lumia 520. The two phones are absolutely identical in terms of their processing prowess, but just differ in their form factor and imaging aspects. While the Lumia 620 has smooth curves to give it a smooth look, the Lumia 520 employs sharp corners to give it a more modern look. In terms of camera specs, the sensor on the two phones is the same, a 5megapixel slab of silicon, but the Lumia 620 has a flash to assist in low light shooting while the Lumia 520 does not enjoy the luxury. The Lumia 520 also lacks the front facing camera found on the Lumia 620.
While some may be deterred by the lack of substantial imaging features on the Lumia 520, we would consider this phone to be an excellent choice for anyone looking to buy a smartphone on a budget. Microsoft has optimized Windows Phone 8 so well that it delivers the same user experience across all devices, regardless of the price, meaning, that if you buy the Lumia 520, you will get the same smooth, fluid user experience found on the Lumia 920. You can read more about why the Lumia 520 may be a better deal than the Lumia 620, in our feature: Nokia Lumia 520 coming soon; a sweet deal in the budget smartphone category.
