Nokia unveils 3 Windows Phone 8.1-powered Lumia smartphones

MANILA, Philippines –  Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s phone business might have been delayed, but that did not stop the latter from unveiling 3 new Lumia smartphones at Microsoft’s Build conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, April 2 (Thursday in Manila).

The Nokia Lumia 630, 635 and 930 will be among the first phones in the world to run the new Windows Phone 8.1 operating system.

Featuring a 5-inch Full HD OLED display and an image stabilized 20-megapixel PureView rear camera with a Zeiss lens, the Lumia 930’s form factor is almost iPhone-esque with a chamfered-edged metal band that frames the Gorilla Glass 3 display and its polycarbonate back plate.

The new flagship phone shares the same specs and appearance as the Lumia Icon, a US-only Verizon-exclusive model, which boasts of a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and wireless charging. However, unlike the Icon, the Lumia 930 will sport a wider set of colors, including bright green, orange, black, and white.

Along with the Lumia 930, two low-cost models were also unveiled. The Lumia 630 is the first Lumia phone to come with a dual-SIM model, while the Lumia 635 is its LTE-capable variant.

Both budget phones have 4.5-inch screens. Specs include a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon S400 processor, 512MB RAM, and 8GB of storage.

All phones come with a 7GB One Drive cloud storage account and Microsoft Office.

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 update will include new UI enhancements, a faster Swype-style keyboard, and virtual assistant Cortana.

The Lumia 930 will be available in June for about $600 off-contract, while the Lumia 630 and 635 will hit the shelves this May. The single and dual SIM Lumia 630 will cost $160 and $170 respectively, while the Lumia 635 will be priced at $190. – Rappler.com