Nokia announces largest Windows Phone, first tablet

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Nokia unveiled six new devices alongside new accessories. The company introduced its first Windows tablet. (AP Photo/Nokia Corp.)
Nokia unveiled six new devices alongside new accessories. The company introduced its first Windows tablet. (AP Photo/Nokia Corp.)

At an event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Nokia unveiled some firsts: the first Windows Phone with a six-inch screen and the company’s first Windows-powered tablet.

The Nokia Lumia 1520 is the phone with the six-inch screen. A phone with a screen size such as that is called a “phablet” by some, or a cross between a phone and a tablet.

José Mojica, who will soon obtain his master’s degree in chemical engineering, currently owns a Nokia Windows Phone.

“I think it’s a well-built phone,” Mojica said. “I’ve had a good first-hand experience with mine. It’s just the size that would limit me from saying that I would want it. I’ve seen some people with big phones, but I’m not sure the size would be for me.”

The Lumia 1520 has a 1080p high-definition screen. Nokia advertises this screen as being ideal for outdoor viewing. The phone also features a 20 MP camera.

“It’s the mobile phone we now use to tell stories,” Stephen Alvarez, National Geographic photographer, said during the event. “The dynamic range is amazing — from the brightness of the sun to the depths of these shadows.”

The phone will initially be exclusively sold through AT&T in the United States. A release date and pricing have not been announced.

The Nokia Lumia 2520 is the tablet. It has a high-definition 10.1-inch screen and runs Windows RT, which is a version of Windows for tablets. Its screen is designed to cut down on reflection and improve viewing angles.

Some models will offer the ability to connect to Verizon’s or AT&T’s LTE networks.

“I think this would be one of the first Windows tablets to have that (LTE) capability, if not the first,” Mojica said. “It would be a nice convenience to write some emails.”

An exact availability date for the tablet has not yet been announced. It will be available for $499, but it is possible that it would cost less if AT&T or Verizon subsidized it.

Phones and tablets running Windows operating systems come with the ability to view and edit Microsoft Office documents.

Microsoft announced Sept. 2 that it intends to purchase Nokia’s hardware manufacturing business.

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