Lumia 822 popular among Verizon customers, grey and red versions sold out

The Lumia 822 (or Lumia 820 for those of us outside the US) is a Nokia Windows Phone 8 device that sits comfortably next to the Lumia 920, albeit with a few features missing from the specifications sheet. The smartphone is exclusive to Verizon and the US mobile operator has also taken the opportunity to launch a red version of the device for Valentine's Day. This colour, along with grey are currently both sold out.

It's no surprise that consumers are taking to the Windows Phone. It's a solid looking handset with some serious horsepower under the shell. The Lumia 822 sports a 1.5GHz dual-core chip, 1800mAh battery, 4G LTE, 4.3" display, 16GB storage (with SD support), 8MP rear shooter and a front-facing camera for those Skype video calls. Should you be looking for a unique experience, but not a Lumia 920, the 822 isn't a sacrifice at all.

The Lumia 822 remains available in both black and white versions, which can be purchased for free when taken out with a two-year contract. As well as the cheap pricing, impressive specifications and attractive design, the Lumia 822 has strong feedback from consumers with 78% recommending the product to others - it has a 4.3 / 5 rating, just shy of the iPhone 5's 4.5.

We've covered in the past how the Lumia 920 and other Windows Phones were experiencing issues with stock levels in multiple markets. It's positive to see Verizon in the states suffer from similar problems. Whether or not this is related to a potential lack of stock coming out of the holiday season, we'd like to believe the handset has proven to be quite the popular choice.

Unfortunately, there's no word on when the colours will once again be available. Verizon is likely to pump more numbers into the warehouse before Valentine's Day hits.

Source: Verizon Wireless Store (red) (grey); thanks, Zach, for the heads up!

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.