Microsoft Adds To Smartphone Frenzy With Three New Lumia Devices

Microsoft completed its acquisition of Nokia for $7.2 billion in April and took to the IFA tech show in Berlin Thursday to unveil three Lumia smartphones: the Lumia 830, Lumia 735 and Lumia 730 Dual SIM.

The three new smartphones run on Microsoft's Windows Phone ’Denim’ update.

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At the show, Microsoft called the Lumia 830 its "affordable flagship" smartphone, saying it’s the thinnest and lightest Lumia phone yet, measuring at 0.33 of an inch thin and weighing 5.29 ounces.

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The smartphone runs on the latest quad-core Snapdragon processor at 1.2GHz and has a 5-inch 720p HD Gorilla Glass display. The device comes with 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage, and is upgradeable to 128 GB of additional storage. Microsoft, Redmond, Wash., also said the phone comes packed with 15 GB of OneDrive storage and Microsoft Office Mobile.

In addition to the device's wireless charging capability, Microsoft highlighted the smartphone's camera, saying the 10-megapixel Pure View camera's optical image stabilization system is coming on the thinnest Lumia phone yet.

The Lumia 735 and 730 Dual SIM smartphones, meanwhile, are built around Skype and selfies, according to Microsoft. They each have a front-facing, wide-angle, 5-megapixel camera and come with a three-month subscription to Skype Unlimited World.

Microsoft did not provide details on carriers nor on in which markets the smartphones will be available, but said it will release the information later this month.

One Microsoft partner said the announcement likely came in response to the unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge Wednesday and the expected Apple iPhone 6 launch Sept. 9.

"The announcement was a little thin on the details, and came off as kind of a makeshift announcement," said David Felton, founder of Canaan Technology, a Microsoft partner based in Norwalk, Conn. "I think that, if anything, it's a way to get themselves some press. Microsoft made this announcement because Apple is making their announcement on [Sept. 9], and Samsung slipped in their announcement yesterday, so Microsoft said 'me too.' "

PUBLISHED SEPT. 4, 2014