Nokia Tries a Phablet and a Windows RT Tablet

The Lumia 1520 and Lumia 2520 are coming later this year.

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Nokia’s all about niches with its Lumia 1520 and Lumia 2520, respectively the company’s first jumbo phone and Windows RT tablet.

The Nokia Lumia 1520 (pictured below) has a 6-inch, 1080p display. It also has a 20-megapixel camera, a 2.2 GHz quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage, a microSD card slot and a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera. The phone supports wireless charging, and there’s a 3400 mAh battery built in.

Nokia has also put together a much cheaper variant, called the Lumia 1320. The screen size is the same 6 inches, but all the specs are a step or two down, with a 1.7 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage, 5-megapixel rear camera, 0.3 megapixel front camera, and microSD card slot.

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Nokia

Not long ago, Windows Phone makers couldn’t produce devices like the Nokia Lumia 1520, because Microsoft’s operating system didn’t support larger hardware. But a recent update to Windows Phone was specifically designed to be phablet-friendly. Microsoft tweaked the Start screen to offer an extra column of Live Tiles on larger devices, and added 1080p resolution and quad-core processor support. Third party apps will also be able to cram more information onto the screen. (The update includes some other general tweaks, such as an orientation lock option and an easier way to close apps from the multitasking menu.)

Unlike Samsung’s popular Galaxy Note line of oversized phones, Nokia isn’t throwing a stylus in with the Lumia 1520, but that feature has been somewhat gimmicky. It’d be nice, however, to see larger Windows Phones gain more tablet-like features, such as the Snap view in Windows 8.

Speaking of tablets, Nokia is trying its hand at one with the Lumia 2520. It’s a 10.1-inch tablet with a 1080p display, and it runs Windows RT, just like Microsoft’s Surface 2. That means you can’t install traditional Windows apps like Photoshop on it — all apps must come from the Windows Store — but it does include Microsoft Office.

Other specs include a 2.2 GHz quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage, a Micro-SD card slot, a Micro-USB jack, a 6.7-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front camera. Nokia is really pushing the camera aspect of the Lumia 2520, touting its Carl Zeiss optics and f1.9 aperture for low-light photography, so you can excel at being that guy. Nokia’s also selling a Power Keyboard cover, which wraps around the tablet and props it up like a laptop with a keyboard and trackpad. The cover includes its own battery for an extra five hours of power, plus two full-sized USB ports.

Nokia hasn’t given specific release dates for any of these devices, but says they’ll all be available this quarter. The Lumia 1520 phablet will cost $750 unlocked, but it’ll be available on AT&T for much less with a two-year contract. The Lumia 1320 will be much cheaper, at $339, but Nokia hasn’t announced any U.S. launch plans. The Lumia 2520 tablet will cost $500, plus another $150 for the Power Keyboard. AT&T and Verizon will both sell the tablet if you’re looking for LTE connectivity.