Nokia Lumia 920 with Windows Phone 8 ‘raises the bar’, say analysts

FOLLOWING THE LAUNCH of Nokia's debut Windows Phone 8 handset, the Nokia Lumia 920, analysts have been quick to pitch in their two cents about the Finnish phone firm's flagship smartphone.

While the company's shares have dipped following the announcement, analysts seem positive about Nokia's upcoming top-end Lumia phone that was unveiled an event in New York today.

Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg said that thanks to Nokia's unique features, such as Pureview technology and its augmented reality City Lens app, the firm has managed to differentiate itself from Android, which could help it to stand out in the overcrowded market.

Gartenberg said, "No one will ever confuse Windows Phone with Android or IOS. The challenge is can Nokia and Microsoft explain how different is better.

"There is no doubt these devices stand out from the crowd. That will help at retail quite a bit. Nokia has clearly raised the bar in terms of core hardware features. Visible differentiation is there. Now they need to tell consumers."

Carolina Milanesi, who also works as an analyst at Gartner, seems to agree with her colleague, saying that Nokia's foray into individual apps shows it has confidence that it can succeed. She said, "Nokia ecosystem is growing. This is important in showing confidence in what Nokia can deliver.

"If you look at Nokia's business as a whole Maps will be a big revenue driver going forward on top of a differentiator on their devices."

Not everyone is quite so positive, though. Tony Cripps, principal analyst at Ovum said that while the launch event shows confidence, the possible success of the Nokia Lumia 920 is in the hands of Microsoft, which needs to draw more attention to its upcoming mobile operating system.

"Nokia's decision to unveil its second generation Lumia devices in the US is extremely significant for the Finnish handset manufacturer, which has always struggled to make an impact in the country, even before the advent of Apple's Iphone.

"But this is also a notable launch for Microsoft, which needs to pull out all the stops to guarantee greater awareness and demand for Windows Phone 8 devices, among consumers, business users and carriers."

Set to be released later this year, the Nokia Lumia 920 features a 4.5in HD touchscreen, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, an 8MP Pureview camera and a 2,000mAh battery with wireless charging. µ