[Keith Wallace]

I couldn't help but notice that we didn't get to see a Lumia 929 at Nokia world. That makes sense, given the initial rumors that indicated the presence of just 6 devices (Ashas 500, 502, and 503; Lumias 1320, 1520, and 2520). Still, it's mildly disappointing to not see the 929 mentioned during the event.

In that same vein, that we have no 920/925/928 successor even RUMORED about is something which could easily be problematic. The majority of folks aren't going to want a 6-inch device. They're also not going to be excited about devices from late-2012 running hardware from early-2012, as the 92x devices out now do. Seeing them announce a 93x line soon, where we get refreshes in the 4.0-4.5" range is a must, in my opinion.

We also missed out on a new 52x device. This isn't as-big of a deal, given that the 520 and 521 are marketed towards the lower-end of the spectrum, which isn't a place where specs are big. Still, I hope that we see that well-received device get a Snapdragon 400-based refresh, like the 620 did with the release of the 625.

Finally, the announcement of Lumia Black for 2014 was a final disappointment. WPC reported (through The Verge) that Black is Bittersweet Shimmer, which is to be paired with GDR3. That means either The Verge is wrong (meaning Black goes with 8.1) or GDR3 is a 2014 release. Given that Elop mentioned Black during the address, but not Bittersweet Shimmer, it seems more-likely that we aren't going to get the late-2013 GDR3 update like we hoped.

Still, there was a lot on the software side to be glad to hear about (Storyteller, Beemer, Nokia Camera, Instagram, Temple Run 2, Vine, and so on). The hardware shown was impressive (with the exception of the 2520), it just seems like there is a GAPING hole about to open up with the initial line of devices (Lumia 520, 810, 820, 822, 920, 925, 928) all approaching a year old and needing refreshed.

[Chregu]

The hardware shown was impressive (with the exception of the 2520),

From the first hands-on reviews I've read, the 2520 is much more impressive than the gigantic 1320 with low-end specs. It's much more massive than the 1520 with much better hardware in it.

However I agree, a high-end smartphone with a smaller screen would be desirable. But maybe it's just too soon after the 925 for Nokia.

[dznk]

I was hoping to see the 525. Not that I want one, but as the 520 is the most popular WP in the world and pretty much unbeatable for the price, I was intrigued to know what improvements/upgrades they were going to do with it.

I would have also liked to see a new 4.0-4.5" phone. As it stands 920 owners who are looking to upgrade can go to a 925 or 1020, otherwise it's a 6" phone. However like me who will upgrade sometime next year, if they don't bring a new 4.0-4.5" out in the next 6 months or so, yes the 925 and 1020 are great phones but will some people see them as 'old'. I can see me getting a 1020 next year and I'd be more than happy with that, but some people like to have a 'new' phone when they upgrade.

I'm not sure with the Black update. I believe, if you want GDR3 now, then get it through the dev program through Microsoft, which I did. Otherwise, wait until Black, which I presume is GDR3+Nokia's new features/apps. 8.1 is not Black as I far as I understand it.

I think overall though, they shown off some very nice phones and I am genuinely impressed with the 1520.

[Panathas]

Missing for me:
-A 1020 with an 800 snapdragon processor and 1080p.
-The promise we will get all the 8.1 in the coming months

[marratj]

Missing for me:
-A 1020 with an 800 snapdragon processor and 1080p.
-The promise we will get all the 8.1 in the coming months

8.1 hasn't been announced even yet, just GDR3 last week, so why would they give any information about updates to an unannounced product?

[LMZR]

Where was that Nokia Guru?!

[Nogitsune Micah]

I don't see the negative in not announcing Lumia 920 like devices.

As someone said above, those who have a 920 can upgrade to the 1020....Same screen size with same ram as the 1320/1520 and with a much better camera(there really is no really reason for anyone to go from a 920 to 925, in fact with half of the memory it is a downgrade).

Wait till Spring 2014 and you could very well see the 2nd Gen refresh versions of Windows Phone 8 paired alongside the windows phone 8.1 update where they could very well announce an updated 920/925/928 device. It won't surprise me to see Lumia 520, 620 and 720 device refreshes next year as well.

This is the beginning of second gen WIndows phone 8 devices so i am not too worried....

[tissotti]

Imo this is exactly where Nokia should go. Not banging its head to US market, but rather concentrate to its core markets where it actually sells its phones, and always has. Same that Sony is doing on Android and doing great at the moment. Those are also the markets where the future growth is coming, and include markets like China that is already world largest smartphone market. Let alone how huge it will be in couple of years.
These 6-inch phones are essentially for Nokia's strong markets, that also happen to be huge phablet markets where most of the near 30 million phablets per quarter are sold. Phablets are also the market that is growing at rapid rate.

Though naturally I can understand some here being gutted about no ~4-inch device. This does also highlight the importance of Lumia 1020. It will be Nokia's smaller screened device for a while as 1080 screens are geared towards 5-6-inch devices.

[LMZR]

I don't see the negative in not announcing Lumia 920 like devices.

As someone said above, those who have a 920 can upgrade to the 1020....Same screen size with same ram as the 1320/1520 and with a much better camera(there really is no really reason for anyone to go from a 920 to 925, in fact with half of the memory it is a downgrade).

Wait till Spring 2014 and you could very well see the 2nd Gen refresh versions of Windows Phone 8 paired alongside the windows phone 8.1 update where they could very well announce an updated 920/925/928 device. It won't surprise me to see Lumia 520, 620 and 720 device refreshes next year as well.

This is the beginning of second gen WIndows phone 8 devices so i am not too worried....

I'm worried since, Samsung hasn't bothered to release another device, HTC is in trouble, and Huawei is confusing and clueless.

Nokia/Microsoft will be the only OEM that will most likely release a device running Windows Phone 8.1...

[Chris_Kez]

What's missing are phablet-specific features. I'd like to see a little more than a bigger screen and some extra tiles.

[alv3st3r]

Accessories were missing.

[cuwe]

I couldn't help but notice that we didn't get to see a Lumia 929 at Nokia world. That makes sense, given the initial rumors that indicated the presence of just 6 devices (Ashas 500, 502, and 503; Lumias 1320, 1520, and 2520). Still, it's mildly disappointing to not see the 929 mentioned during the event.

In that same vein, that we have no 920/925/928 successor even RUMORED about is something which could easily be problematic. The majority of folks aren't going to want a 6-inch device. They're also not going to be excited about devices from late-2012 running hardware from early-2012, as the 92x devices out now do. Seeing them announce a 93x line soon, where we get refreshes in the 4.0-4.5" range is a must, in my opinion.

We also missed out on a new 52x device. This isn't as-big of a deal, given that the 520 and 521 are marketed towards the lower-end of the spectrum, which isn't a place where specs are big. Still, I hope that we see that well-received device get a Snapdragon 400-based refresh, like the 620 did with the release of the 625.

Finally, the announcement of Lumia Black for 2014 was a final disappointment. WPC reported (through The Verge) that Black is Bittersweet Shimmer, which is to be paired with GDR3. That means either The Verge is wrong (meaning Black goes with 8.1) or GDR3 is a 2014 release. Given that Elop mentioned Black during the address, but not Bittersweet Shimmer, it seems more-likely that we aren't going to get the late-2013 GDR3 update like we hoped.

Still, there was a lot on the software side to be glad to hear about (Storyteller, Beemer, Nokia Camera, Instagram, Temple Run 2, Vine, and so on). The hardware shown was impressive (with the exception of the 2520), it just seems like there is a GAPING hole about to open up with the initial line of devices (Lumia 520, 810, 820, 822, 920, 925, 928) all approaching a year old and needing refreshed.

I hope they will anounce new date for the Black updates .

[Rockstar760]

Do you guys think its possible that they'll release the lumia 929 and 525 thru a press release later this year?

[zinksilver]

Where was the Treasure Tag and new Bluetooth accessories though?

And the Lumia Black which supposedly brings BT 4.0 LE to the 920, 925 etc?


(where is this? I want it so much :/ )

[zinksilver]

Nokia Refocus revealed

Woooooooh! It looks like the 920 and 925 will get the Nokia Refocus lens app. It looks amazing! :D
I'm also excited for Nokia Beamer, but didn't see the live keynote and can't seem to find many information online. Will someone recap it for me?
(edit, sorry guys, just found it on the Windows Phone blog).

Nokia Beamer

Share your experience and ideas easily and instantly with friends or colleagues by projecting your phone screen to any HTML5-enabled screen. You can also beam your phone’s screen to someone far away by sending them a link by email, SMS or via social media. Documents, maps, locations details, or even your camera viewfinder will be shown as you can see it, live and real.

Also, Lumia Black seems to be rolling out early 2014 with Nokia Beamer, Storyteller, Nokia Camera and updated Glance Screen.

[alv3st3r]

Here's the refocus demo: Nokia Refocus

There's an app in the store that does the same thing: Refocus | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)

[Donut Y]

As a Verizon user, I'm very, very, very disappointed at the lack of a 929 announcement.

Was also hoping for a Snapchat announcement, but that was just dreaming.

[gapost]

Yes, as a 928 user, I was hoping for a bit of an upgrade for Verizon. I understand that Nokia needs to focus on where they have market share, but would have been nice to see a 4.5" device upgrade. But still, I love my 928.

[jmshub]

Nokia is not apple. We shouldn't expect an arbitrary spec upgrade on the year. Honestly, I think its fine to wait a little longer to refresh to x30 series... The processing power built into the current generation runs every app I've thrown at it without any issue.

[Marva Solomon]

I am disappointed there is not a Nokia 929 as well. I was planning to get one in November. I do not want to buy the 928 that is already half a year old right now. I'd go for the 1020, but it's AT&T.

Why do they even do that exclusive crud anymore? That is sooooo 2002.

[Keith Wallace]

From the first hands-on reviews I've read, the 2520 is much more impressive than the gigantic 1320 with low-end specs. It's much more massive than the 1520 with much better hardware in it.

However I agree, a high-end smartphone with a smaller screen would be desirable. But maybe it's just too soon after the 925 for Nokia.

The 2520's build seems good, but I still have no respect for ARM tablets. If this was a Bay Trail device, I'd feel differently, but this is another RT device lacking loads of software support from x86 Windows. With the current state of the Windows Store, the x86 software is the only strong leg-up Windows tablets can have against iOS and Android. $500 as the starting price is a disappointment as well, especially since we're AGAIN talking about a pre-keyboard pricing. It's tough to be impressed at the thought of $650 when that ASUS T100 is $350+ with the dock included, and even the Surface 2 is $580 with the Type Cover (I know that the 2520's cover is a power one, but meh).

As for the 1320, I think that it's a good idea. It's a mid-range device, but it allows those who don't have $750 to throw down to get in on the big-screen trend, so it's a decent example of Nokia's willingness and ability to hit a plethora of form factors and price points.

I also cannot think for a second that the 925 is too soon. It STILL runs on that Galaxy S III chip. It basically launched with year-old hardware inside, and it's in dire need of a refresh. The sad part is that if I was up for an upgrade right now (got my 920 last November though), I'd probably be avoiding ANY device for a while. None of what has been announced is for the regular consumer, and the current 92x devices are running what is likely a lesser SoC (MSM8960) than the Snapdragon 400 found in the "low-end" 1320.

[Keith Wallace]

I was hoping to see the 525. Not that I want one, but as the 520 is the most popular WP in the world and pretty much unbeatable for the price, I was intrigued to know what improvements/upgrades they were going to do with it.

I would have also liked to see a new 4.0-4.5" phone. As it stands 920 owners who are looking to upgrade can go to a 925 or 1020, otherwise it's a 6" phone. However like me who will upgrade sometime next year, if they don't bring a new 4.0-4.5" out in the next 6 months or so, yes the 925 and 1020 are great phones but will some people see them as 'old'. I can see me getting a 1020 next year and I'd be more than happy with that, but some people like to have a 'new' phone when they upgrade.

I'm not sure with the Black update. I believe, if you want GDR3 now, then get it through the dev program through Microsoft, which I did. Otherwise, wait until Black, which I presume is GDR3+Nokia's new features/apps. 8.1 is not Black as I far as I understand it.

I think overall though, they shown off some very nice phones and I am genuinely impressed with the 1520.

Truth be told, the 920-1020 devices were all old the day they launched. Their specs (except for the cameras, of course) all match up almost identically with the Galaxy S III, which was launched in May 2012. They're definitely old NOW, considering the plethora of Snapdragon 600 and 800 devices roaming around now with Android on-board. It would be tough to convince someone to upgrade to a device running hardware that's 18 months old when you're talking about a 2-year commitment.

[Keith Wallace]

Imo this is exactly where Nokia should go. Not banging its head to US market, but rather concentrate to its core markets where it actually sells its phones, and always has.

Though naturally I can understand some here being gutted about no ~4-inch device. This does also highlight the importance of Lumia 1020. It will be Nokia's smaller screened device for a while as 1080 screens are geared towards 5-6-inch devices.

Thing is, they didn't do that. If the DID, then we would have seen a 525, or whatever you'd call the 520 successor. The 1520 is certainly not aimed at emerging market,s and when we're talking about the popularity of the low-cost 520, it's questionable how popular the 1320 will be in the Mexico, India, and China markets, considering it's more than twice the price of the 520 ($330 vs. $150). On top of that, Windows Phones have sold rather well in several European markets, where you'd see a solid number of devices in the 920-1020 range sell well. Those markets would be well-served to get a successor to the 920/925/928, or AT LEAST that 5-inch 929. A 4.5" 930 would have made a lot of sense.

[Keith Wallace]

Nokia is not apple. We shouldn't expect an arbitrary spec upgrade on the year. Honestly, I think its fine to wait a little longer to refresh to x30 series... The processing power built into the current generation runs every app I've thrown at it without any issue.

Problem is, while my 920 will run things, it also gets hot on something as simple as Tetris Blitz! or NBA Jam. They need improved hardware for better battery life as well, because if I was to estimate it, I'd say that the battery life on Tetris Blitz! would be about 3 hours, and that might be optimistic. You can say that they are not Apple, but you're pretty much kidding yourself there. It's only logical to see annual hardware refreshes. You see it with the new Intel Haswell processors inside loads of new laptops and desktops. You see it in the Bay Trail-based Atom devices like the ASUS T100. You just saw the annual refreshes of the Surface and Surface Pro. You get it with Android, where we saw the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 launch. You see it with Apple's iPhone 5S, and you'll see it here shortly with the new iPad releases.

On top of that, we're talking about replacing hardware that was bordering on old when it was new. The guts in the 920-1020 devices wasn't cutting-edge when it released (hence why there was a bit-better 920T released in China). The chip is around 18 months old because Nokia does a fall release, while Samsung releases stuff with the same parts in the spring, meaning stuff is dated upon arrival (though not badly). From what we've seen SO FAR, Windows Phone stuff is a fall affair, and you simply CANNOT expect to wait until next fall for a refresh. Maybe they go the Lumia 900 route and launch in the spring, but that means a wait of about 18 months for a refresh, which is a long time to wait with technology.

[zinksilver]

Truth be told, the 920-1020 devices were all old the day they launched...

What about the iPhone 5? It was old the day it launched, if we judge it from what you just said (?).
What I mean is, no, they were not "all old the day they launched". My Lumia 925 runs anything I throw at it, doesn't get hot at all (just a bit in Halo SA) and the battery life has been perfect for me (with moderate to heavy usage).

Also, you say they "were old when launched" but you're only referring to specs, I guess? I've seen Galaxy S4s (and etc) lag a lot with no apparent apps running in background and they had Snapdragon 800s - so, at the end of the day, what device is already old when it launches?

1. The one that has a dual-core CPU but runs anything smoothly and there's no lag + some real innovations, like the Clearblack + gloves sensible, Glance screen, the Pureview optics, etc.
2. The one with octa-dual-corium 2000 that lags + just some software gimmicks and an OS that becomes a mess (OEMs) + device is refreshed 3 times in a year and you stop getting updates for your just bought ex-flagship.

*Imho*, the Lumia 920 and the Lumia 925 are not old, not yet (in terms of functionality and even specs; I just wish people would stop the spec war! Warning: I don't want to offend you neither I want to star a 'fight' here)
I have the 925 and it feels beast, premium, innovative and fresh. It not also feels, it is.

ps:

Originally Posted by jmshub
Nokia is not apple. We shouldn't expect an arbitrary spec upgrade on the year. Honestly, I think its fine to wait a little longer to refresh to x30 series... The processing power built into the current generation runs every app I've thrown at it without any issue.

^this

AND

On top of that, we're talking about replacing hardware that was bordering on old when it was new

Isn't that exaggerating a bit? o-o