We still don’t know how many Windows Phone 8-powered smartphones Nokia has sold since it started selling WP8-powered Lumias in the U.S. and Europe, back in November, but the once Mighty Finn is continuing to expand availability of the range — launching scheduling the launch of the 920T in China for the end of last year (albeit now delayed until this month — possibly down to supply constraints, discussed by Nokia on a conference call today). Despite supply issues affecting its flagship Lumia 920, Nokia also today announced the handset will go on sale in India tomorrow, in “select retail stores across major cities”, along with the mid-range Lumia 820.
The local prices for the Lumia 920 and 820 in India are Rs. 38,199 ($698) and Rs.27,559 ($504) respectively — so these two handsets at least won’t be posing much of a threat to Android on the affordability metric. However Nokia said it will also be bringing its cheapest WP8 Lumia — the Lumia 620 — to India early next month, meaning its entire WP8 range (not counting carrier variants such as the Verizon 822) will be up for grabs in the country.
When Nokia unveiled the 620, at the LeWeb conference in Paris in December, it said the device would ship in January to Asia-Pac, Middle East and Africa first, with Europe and Canada following “soon thereafter” — so there may have been a slight delay in its schedule. Nokia confirmed that India will be the first market to get the Lumia 620.
It’s unclear what the local price for the Lumia 620 in India will be. Nokia said pricing will be announced when the handset launches. Still, when it comes to affordability, Nokia also offers devices from its S40-powered Asha range in Asia, and has also previously launched Windows Phone 7-powered handsets in the region. It launched its cheapest WP7 handset, the Lumia 510, in India in the fall — with a price tag of less than Rs. 11,000 ($201). Other WP7 handsets Nokia has been offering in India to-date are: the Lumia 610, 710, 800 and 900.
Speaking at the launch, Vipul Mehrotra, Director & Head of Smart Devices, Nokia India said in a statement: “We are working with partners across the board to take the Lumia experience to more and more consumers faster. The roll out of not two, but three devices marks not just our intent and agility, but also reflects our commitment to our consumers in India.”