The pricing means that the Lumia 620 will be the first Windows Phone 8 device with a high street, SIM-free, under the €200 mark at launch. The UK SIM-free launch price is likely to be around £185 (unsubsidised price, plus 20% VAT). This puts it at the upper end of the PAYG market, but will also mean it will be available free on almost any contract tier (e.g. £15 per month). By way of comparison the Nokia Lumia 710 launch price was €270, the Nokia Lumia 610 launch price was €189, and the Lumia 510 launch price was €150.
A key design point in the Lumia 620 is the use of bold dual-colour removable shells. The shells are gently curved, giving what Nokia describe as a "cup-shaped unibody that has been moulded to make it a pleasure to hold in just about any size hand".
The shells use a "dual-shot" colour technique to deliver "a variety of striking colour and texture effects". In the process, a second layer of "coloured, transparent or translucent polycarbonate" is added "on top of a base layer to produce secondary color blends and depth effects". The full colour ranage for the Lumia 620 is magenta, yellow, cyan, white, black, lime green, and orange. The first five have a transparent overlay, the last two have a translucent overlay (e.g. lime green comes from combining cyan and yellow).
The 3.7 inch screen, which is protected by hardened glass, uses a combination of ClearBlack display technology and readability enhancements (linked to the ambient light sensor) to give excellent sunlight visibility. The screen size means the Lumia 620 is significantly smaller than Nokia's other Windows Phone 8 devices (115.4 x 61.1 x 11.02mm, versus 130.0 x 70.8 x 10.7mm for the Lumia 920 and 123.8 x 68.5 x 9.9mm for the Lumia 820). Most importantly the width of the Lumia 620 (61.1mm) is just about on the boundary for universal one handed usage (60mm).
As with other Lumia devices, Nokia's exclusive software is an important part of the offering. The Lumia 620 will ship with Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive+, Nokia Music, and Nokia City Lens pre-installed, and additional applications will be available via the Nokia collection in the Windows Phone Marketplace.
Talking about the product Marco Ahtisaari said:
"We knew there was room for something more compact in the Lumia family... and we wanted something that would take our pure colour story and give it a burst of playfulness and mix it up a bit... you'll also see how, from large screen to smaller screen, we are softening the radius of the device."
Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices, said:
"We continue to execute on our strategy to reach new audiences and new markets. With its innovative design, the latest Windows Phone 8 software and signature experiences from Nokia, like Nokia lenses, Nokia Maps and Nokia Music, the Nokia Lumia 620 is a highly competitive smartphone at this price point." "
More information can be found at Nokia Conversations, in this data sheet, or in the Lumia 620 Press Release.
Key hardware features
- 115.4 x 61.1 x 11.02mm, 127g in weight; monoblock touch form factor
- Touch slab form factor design, with a single plastic, swappable case and scratch resistant glass
- HSDPA and GSM connectivity: WCDMA (900/2100 or 850/1900), GSM (850/900/1800/1900).
- Processor: Dual-core 1GHz (Qualcomm Snapdragon S4) with 3D Graphics HW accelerator, RAM: 512MB
- 3.8" TFT touchscreen; 480 x 800 pixels resolution; ClearBlack display
- 5 megapixel auto-focus camera, with LED flash; front facing VGA camera
- GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity and ambient light sensors
- 3.5mm audio out (AHJ + WP controls); Dolby Headphone support; two HAAC (high quality) microphones;
- 1300mAh removable battery (BL-4J)
- WiFi: WLAN IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4Ghz + 5GHz); Bluetooth 3.0; NFC; microUSB (USB 2.0) for PC connectivity and charging
- 8GB mass memory, plus microSD card slot (supports up to 64GB), and 7GB of SkyDrive cloud storage.
- In box contents: Nokia Lumia 620 handset, Nokia Charger (AC-50), Nokia Stereo Headset (WH-108), Connectivity Cable (CA-190CD), Nokia Battery BL-4J, User Guide
- Available in five colours: Red, Yellow, Cyan, White, Black
Key software features
- Runs Windows Phone 8.0
- Nokia apps pre-installed include: Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive+, Nokia City Lens, Nokia Music (select markets), Smartshoot, Cinemagraph
- Additional Nokia apps available from Marketplace: Nokia Transport, Nokia Reading, and more...