Nokia gears up for Windows Phone 8 launch: Lumia hardware rumors, photos, and more

Crammed in among one of the busiest product announcement weeks of this year, Nokia is looking to make a splash with its latest round of devices running Microsoft's Windows Phone platform. Does this represent the company's last real chance for survival as an independent company? It's hard to say — there have been pundits predicting the wayward Finnish giant's doom for years now — but there's no question that the urgency for Nokia to score a global, hugely profitable smartphone hit or two grows with each new generation of handsets. Let's take a look at what we can expect.

The festivities kick off at the midway point on Wednesday, where we expect Microsoft and Nokia to fully unveil the Windows Phone 8 operating system and two Lumia handsets. We've heard the rumors and speculation around Phi and Arrow devices previously, and it now appears that those will become the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820, respectively.

Nokia's big launch event tomorrow is expected to feature the brand new Lumia 920 Windows Phone 8 handset, which should come with PureView branding, just like the 808 PureView. Unlike its Symbian brandmate, however, the Lumia 920 is not anticipated to feature an enormous 41-megapixel sensor, raising some questions about what the PureView brand on the new phone will actually mean. In a series of tweets this week, Damian Dinning, Nokia's man in charge of cameras, has explained that PureView is about the overall camera performance, including optics, software, and image processing, and not the simple megapixel count.

You might say he's preempting the disappointment many people will experience when they see the PureView name attached to a sensor with a lower pixel count, but then, if his words are indeed correct and the Lumia 920 delivers image quality that's anywhere even close to the 808 PureView, does the pixel count really matter?

Nokia will introduce its latest Lumia 820 handset at a special event with Microsoft on Wednesday September 5th, we have learned. Images of the Lumia 820 leaked last week and we have been able to confirm them with multiple sources. The 4.3-inch Lumia 820 will be Nokia's new mid- to high-end Windows Phone and will feature some of the same impressive hardware specifications that its big brother (Lumia 920) also includes.

Like the 920, wireless charging on the Lumia 820 will be available too — allowing users to charge the device on a specially designed pad without cables. However, we undertand that owners will need to purchase an additional cover to enable the functionality. One unique aspect to the Lumia 820 is the ability to change the rear covers of the device. We understand that, like the 710, owners of the 820 will be able to purchase additional colors for the device.

Both the Lumia 820 and 920 — expected to be announced at an event in New York this Wednesday — are believed to feature wireless charging, and the evidence grows this morning with the leak of an image showing the models on their charging pad. The pad looks to be nearly as long as the phone itself with a single cord trailing off into the distance (presumably connecting to a USB port), but if rumors of Qi compatibility are true, it's conceivable that owners of the phone will be able to use a variety of pads from other manufacturers as well; Verizon, for instance, offers Qi wireless charging on a number of its smartphones.

We'll know more in two days' time.

Nokia will introduce its latest Lumia 920 handset at a special event with Microsoft on Wednesday September 5th, we have learned. Images of the Lumia 920 leaked last week and we have been able to confirm them with multiple sources. The Lumia 920 will be Nokia's new flagship Windows Phone and will include some impressive hardware specifications to match. According to sources familiar with the company's Windows Phone plans, Nokia is packaging wireless charging with its Lumia 920.

Lumia 920 wireless charging support will be provided via an inductive method — lining the device up to the contacts on a charging pad. We're told it will support the Qi wireless power standard — making it compatible with other wireless charging products. Aside from the charging aspect, Nokia's Lumia 920 will also include 32GB of device storage, 1GB of RAM, and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. We have also been able to confirm that it will include a 4.5-inch HD display.

Nokia's Lumia 820 got an early debut in render form earlier today, and now images of a prototype version of the same device have leaked out. Posted at We Love Windows Phone HK, the images show what looks to be an early version of the Lumia 820 with a slightly different camera housing. Interestingly, the Lumia 820 is shown in white — which backs up the multiple colors we saw earlier today.

The Lumia 820 pictured is said to be running on Windows Phone 8 build 8.0.9735.0 with 335MB of RAM and you can clearly see the proto.nokia.com branding on the handset. No other specifications are available, but we're expecting to see the Lumia 820 at a special Nokia and Microsoft event in New York next week.

An image of the Nokia Lumia 820 has been leaked by Twitter user evleaks. The 820 apparently has a 4.3-inch display, and if you squint you'll make out "Carl Zeiss" on the camera lens, but not much more is known at this point. It looks though this is the mid-range "Arrow" handset we reported on last week, which is set to launch on AT&T and T-Mobile in the US. A variant codenamed Atlas is bound for Verizon later on. Nokia has a press event on September 5th where we're expecting it to unveil the Lumia 820 alongside the just-leaked flagship, the Lumia 920 with PureView.

Nokia's new flagship Windows Phone 8 device has been leaked today, revealed as the Lumia 920. Posted to Twitter by @evleaks, the Lumia 920 appears to include a PureView camera that the company has been hinting at in recent weeks. Codenamed the Phi, Nokia's Lumia 920 is said to include a 4.5-inch display and will likely be available in a number of colors judging by the leaked image.

Other details on the handset are not available, but leaked images of the Lumia 820 also surfaced today — previously known as the Arrow. We expect both devices to be unveiled at a special event with Microsoft in New York next week, where we'll learn all the official details of Nokia's new Windows Phone 8 handsets.

While Nokia has scheduled a joint press conference with Microsoft for September 5th, we're only expecting two Windows Phone devices right now. A new video from Nokia's official YouTube channel hints that the company could be preparing a big announcement on September 5th. The video, which appears to be shot on a camera phone, shows a bike ride with the text "things are about to change." An accompanying description notes the change will occur on September 5th.

It's not immediately clear from the video if the footage is shot from a Nokia Windows Phone or even an anticipated PureView Windows Phone, but it follows rumors of a third Nokia Windows Phone for September 5th. Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin, who has a varied history with Nokia rumors, claims the Finnish company will introduce three Windows Phone 8 devices on September 5th. Coupled with a relaunch for Nokia's main store in Finland, and an evening public Nokia event in New York on September 5th — it looks like the company might have something special to share with the world next week.

Earlier today we reported that Nokia would be revealing two new Windows 8 devices for US carriers — the "Arrow" and the "Phi" — at a press event early next month. So far we've seen various parts and even a prototype of one of these new handsets, and now LiveSide has unearthed a Nokia design patent issued earlier this week that's likely for the Phi. While the sketches bear a large resemblance to the Lumia 800 and 900, it's clear from the thinner bezel and the speaker's size and location that the phone depicted is neither of these models, but closely matches the new prototype that surfaced earlier this month. So far we haven't seen any clues as to the design of the mid-range Arrow handset, which means Microsoft and Nokia will have a least one surprise in store for their joint event on September 5th.

Nokia is planning to unveil two new Windows Phone 8 devices at a joint event with Microsoft on September 5th. Sources familiar with the two companies' plans have revealed that Nokia is working on an "Arrow" Windows Phone 8 device that is set to be announced alongside a "Phi" handset. Both the devices are said to be part of Nokia's Lumia range, with the Arrow and Phi codenames serving as temporary monikers.

AT&T will stock Nokia's Phi handset initially as an exclusive hero device, expected to feature a large curved glass display as the successor to the Lumia 800 and 900 range, complete with the typical polycarbonate body. The Arrow Windows Phone 8 handset is said to be a mid-range one that will be available on AT&T and T-Mobile in the US. An almost identical variant, codenamed Atlas, will also be available on the Verizon network — but its announcement is likely to come later. A prototype device and parts for Nokia's Windows Phone 8 devices have leaked to the internet in recent weeks, but Microsoft and Nokia will unveil the final design of both handsets next month.