Nokia is apparently convinced that Samsung owes some of its smartphone success to bigger screen sizes; today the company launched a new Lumia with a 4.7 inch screen. The Lumia 625’s WVGA display is almost as big as that of the Galaxy S3 (the S4 is bigger) and is the same size as the HTC One’s display. Although these Android smartphone makers have introduced smaller versions of their flagship devices, the larger screen sizes are clearly attracting attention and imitation. Just yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is testing a larger display for an upcoming iPhone.
The Lumia 625 is a Windows 8 phone powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor. Nokia describes it as an “accessibly priced” smartphone, but unlike many lower-priced phones it is LTE-ready. The company has not said when the 625 might launch in North America; during the coming months it will launch in China, Europe, Asia Pacific, India, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Nokia estimates the retail price at EUR 220 (about $285).
Although the 625 has a modest 5 megapixel camera, the company says it includes many of the integrated camera apps found in its flagship Lumia 1020. Photos can be turned into short videos with Nokia Cinemagraph and unwanted objects (or people) can be removed from photos.
A midrange LTE phone launching in emerging markets could be a good move at a critical time for Nokia. The company dominated the mobile phone landscape before the smartphone revolution, but has had a hard time gaining traction with its Windows phones. Meanwhile, its core feature phone business is eroding in many parts of the world due to competition from low-cost Android phones. By launching a midrange Windows smartphone that may look and feel like a higher-end model, Nokia may be able to attract first time smartphone buyers to the Windows operating system.
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