Microsoft isn’t saying much so far about its latest Lumia smartphone, but the company at least is teasing users with the announcement that it will release details about the device on Nov. 11.
The date was unveiled by the company on the Microsoft Nokia blog on Nov. 6, along with a close-up photograph of a corner of a shiny and sleek orange-outlined smartphone. “Microsoft is delivering the power of everyday mobile technology to everyone,” reads the post’s terse message. “Come back on November 11, to find out more! #MoreLumia.”
Of course, that’s not much to go on, but when has that ever stopped the swirling rumor mill?
So far, the first “leaked” details about the upcoming low-end Lumia device say it will feature a 5- inch HD screen, a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 200 chip, dual-SIM slots, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, a 5MP rear camera, a VGA front camera and a 1,900mAh battery, according to a Nov. 4 report by WMPoeruser.com. The phone will reportedly be available in black, white, gray, blue, orange, blue or green and will sell for $100 to $149 without a contract, the report stated.
In early October, Microsoft released the low-cost Lumia 530 smartphone for $79.20 without a contract through T-Mobile, according to an earlier eWEEK report. The 530 runs on the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system and includes a 4-inch LCD touch screen, a quad-core processor, dual-SIM capabilities and a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera. Also included is 4GB of storage.
Microsoft’s Lumia smartphone line appears to represent the future of the company’s mobile division and strategy, according to a July eWEEK report. The Lumia 530 is not intended to take on Apple’s iPhone, but is aimed at carrying the Windows Phone flag into emerging markets and growing the worldwide market for Windows Phone devices.
Also in October, Microsoft announced that it is rebranding its Nokia nameplate as Microsoft Lumia after acquiring Nokia’s mobile handset business for $7.1 billion in April.
The Lumia line of Windows-based phones, despite being generally well-received by critics, has barely made a dent in unseating Android and iOS from the top of the smartphone market.
In September, analysts at ComScore named Android the top smartphone operating system for July 2014 with 51.5 percent market share. Apple placed second with 42.4 percent, while Microsoft claimed a distant third place with 3.6 percent.