Nokia revealed the prices of its new Lumia 920 and 820 lines in Europe Thursday.
Lumia 920, which is a higher edition smartphone, costs $800 for the unsubsidized version. The unsubsidized Lumia 820 costs around $650. European pricing is higher in comparison to the U.S., tech website Wired reported.
"In Germany, Vodafone will sell the Nokia Lumia 920 for 649 euros. In Italy, the Lumia 920 will sell for 599 euros ($770). While in Sweden, Lumia 920 will sell for around 5,700 Swedish crowns ($860)," Reuters reported.
The pricing of Nokia's new devices will be in the same range as that Apple, Samsung and HTC. Nokia has been struggling to stay afloat in the market and has not been performing well, either. Lower pricing may have given the company a break.
"If Microsoft and Nokia want to see significant adoption, they must simply make the devices cheaper," Jake Poznanski, co-founder of Random Salad Games and developer of Windows Phone told reporters.
Lumia 920 and 820 run on Windows 8 software.
"There are two types of buyers: One that buys on price and one that buys on brand," John Pliniussen, business professor at Queens University told Wired. Windows 8 does not "have something that kills Apple or Android. It is just different," he added.
Nokia has been projecting its mapping as an area where it excels, clearly mocking Apple's "Maps," a "rare misstep" by the company, eWeek reported.
"We understand that 'pretty' isn't enough. You expect excellence in your smartphone mapping experience," Nokia's Adam Fraser wrote in a blog. "We believe that the best user experience comes indeed from precise data, robust processing of core platform functionalities like routing, geocoding and traffic, and by user-friendly apps. All this cannot be built overnight."
Lumia 920 has a feature called "City Lens" that offers navigation and place information on what you see with your camera. The device also has Nokia Drive that complements with Nokia Transport for better mapping services. It also offers maps offline, venue maps and live traffic information in 26 countries.
The smartphones will be available in November.
Microsoft has to market its products as being different and colorful. But the crucial question is, with its price being the same as rivals, does it have the necessary features that will push for better sales?
