Here in the US, the only way to get a top notch Nokia device has always been with AT&T. That’s about to change with Verizon rumored to be getting two killer devices from Nokia. We’ve already covered some rumors in the past regarding Big Red and Espoo, but here’s another to get you stoked for the coming year.
The Verge is reporting that Verizon is going to receive a high-end variant of the Lumia 920. It is currently codenamed Laser. This device will receive an aggressive marketing push from all parties involved, including Microsoft.
No firm time frames for when to expect such a device. The only thing we know at this point is that it will be released later this year alongside a device codenamed Catwalk. That device is expected to introduce aluminum as its main build material.
We’ve already reported that Nokia has two main goals for this year: to introduce a variety of handsets and that they’re just getting starting in innovation and imaging. It’s almost as if we’re in the calm before the storm. Hopefully we’ll have some of these devices unveiled next month at Mobile World Congress.
Source: The Verge
Reader comments
Verizon Nokia 'Laser': A rumored Lumia 920 variant coming soon
Let's hope for a High end Nokia 9XX with a better camera and a MicroSDXC slot. That has been the biggest problem with high end WP8 phones, no MicroSD slot. The 920 would of been the perfect phone with a MicroSD slot but, that is the reason why I did not go over to AT&T.
I grabbed a 8X off contract and it's a nice phone. The only limit is 16gb. I need more space....even 32gb is not enough these days. I can't really add too much music or videos because I will always have to delete stuff to add new stuff.
So, if they release one, I need to see how much off contract is because I am not willing to lose my Unlimited data with Verizon...
I want... but I hope they take 2 design ideas from the 822 -- replaceable battery + microSD. I deliberated about jumping from Verizon to AT&T for the 920, but I'm really glad I went with the 822. Aside from the screen resolution (which I really don't care about) and a slightly inferior camera, I think it's just as good/better. That said, I added a 64GB microSD card and the wireless charging set me back about $80. I've had it since late November and I haven't been annoyed. Unfortunately, that's my barometer for smart phone happiness (thanks HTC Thunderbolt)... My wife's up for renewal in March. Hopefully she'll be happy with my hand me down 822. :-)
Awesome. Hopefully coming sooner than later. My upgrade is due on the 10th and been looking at 8x versus the 822. Thought the 8x was better, but Nokia exclusives looked pretty good. Definately will wait for Laser or 922 whatever it might be called.
But I just used my upgrade for a free Lumia 822 in red ...
"Here in the US, the only way to get a top notch Nokia device has always been with AT&T."
Interesting! Is it not possible To buy a 920 without a subscription in the USA?
Hello T-MO.. wake up
This sat. is my upgrade eligibility date. Just bought 822 for my daughters b'day & really like it. Now wonder how long should I hold out for the 920 variant. Really want WP8 high end device.
I'd love to get excited, but still just a rumor and the only time frame being this year. Remember how we dealt with Trophy teases for 5 months in 2011?
Plus I wonder if this will have the ridiculous subsidized prices that the 920 had on AT&T. As a grandfather unlimiter, I'm going to have to go full price on all my phones from here on out, so a price of like $400-450 would be a lot better than the usual prices of phones of this caliber.
Even worse? How could you buy the 92x/Laser if you know the Catwalk is coming and might have even better tech?
Ugh. This rumor is frustrating. And it probably won't get cleared up until Feb 25th at MWC at the earliest. I guess it's ok, as I'm broke as a joke right now anyway ...
Don't forget the rumored Nokia EOS WP8 phone that will supposedly have the 41MP PureView + OIS!
I'm always jealous of you grandfathered unlimited data users, lol.
An aluminium version of the 920 is going to be HOT! And by that I mean it is going to burn your hands while you play Civ Rev. That funny smell is your burning flesh...
As a Verizon subscriber I'm very excited to hear more about this. I've really wanted to upgrade from my Trophy to a Nokia for their high level of support, but I also wanted a high res screen. I'm kind of hoping that the laser has higher specs but with a polycarbonate body. I'm not as concerned about the weight of my phone as I am with its durability. I also hope Verizon lets them throw some color on these models at launch instead of at the next holiday. The color is another reason I'm a little afraid of the aluminum I do not want to have to pretend I like the scratched Cyan paint look on my phone when I take it out of the box like so many iPhone 5 users had to. Luckily I'm sure if any smartphone company can find a way to keep paint on aluminum it's Nokia.
I'd say that Nokia would use anodised aluminum again, like they did with their N8 and E7. This is extremely durable and has the colour fused into the metal rather than painted on top.
See, I knew I could put my faith in Nokia to bring a better and more innovative take on aluminum. Maybe I don't have to worry about all those catwalk reviews find so much to nitpick at in order to put windows phone down again.
Red 822? When did this happen?
Valentine's special
Couldn't wait and got the red 822 today.
Relax? I've been a cool customer since the launch of WP7. First AT&T launched first with the best device (Samsung Focus) and Verizon was the last to launch a device the Nothing Special HTC Trophy. I carried that for almost 2 years until the Nokia 900 came out and almost switched becuz it didn't come out on Verizon. Then when WP8 came out the 920 was missing again from Verizon. The Nokia on Verizon was OK, and the 8x was decent but both IMO were red headed step children compared to the 920. I was fed up with Verizon's weak ass support of WP and paid my ETF to jump to AT&T. Don't regret it at all. I've been there for WP since day one and I don't see Verizon doing jack compared to what they've did for Droid.
If this were true you would of been on tmobile years ago. The real WP supporter. Lol. I can see a bunch of people that jumped ship to at&t raising a ruckus now. Verizon doesn't support WP blah blah blah. I've seen just as many, of not more 8x and 822 commercials as I have droid.
TMobile isn't available where I live we only have Verizon and AT&T. I'm glad that Verizon is getting (supposedly..I won't hold my breath) device, and am more than happy with my 920. I want WP to grow and I've always been a huge proponent of WP. Verizon has been pathetic IMO and history shows they're probably not going to do a 180.
It's going to be the Lumia 940. And it should be available in spring. A Verizon salesman informed me of this.
My buddy is pissed. He jumped ship to at&t for the 920. His service sucka and his phone is pretty glitchy. This is a life lesson. Choose the carrier with the best service because phones always come in waves. My Trophy is more than capable and I will hold out for the laser.
Damnnmn This is what we call.. The RETURN OF THE KING!!
GOOD JOB WPCENTRAL..
Damn...too bad Verizon. I got tired of your crap phones and jumped to a carrier that gives a shit about WP, AT&T. I call BS on Verizon heavily promoting WP, they've been Android bitches forever and I don't expect them to change their clear ass bias towards promoting Droid.
That's about to change dude.. Relax will yah
dust in the frontfacing camera is such an eye sore. Makes me want to tear the phone apart and clean that dust out.
Yeah, that bothers me quite a bit. I have sat with a can of compressed air and tried to blow the dust out, to no avail. I'm kind of hoping the proximity sensor starts messing up again so I can get a warranty replacement from AT&T (hoping the employees are too dumb to know that compressed air will fix the problem), in the hopes that a warranty replacement will have a bit better build quality on that front.
hmmm seems like the US 920 had some design issues (or at least a batch of them did). Both me and my father have a 920 and no sign of any dust on the ffc. I can´t even imagine how dust could possibly get there
My speaker seems a little on the dusty side as well (the one next to the camera, not the speakers at the bottom). I'm wondering if there is a tiny opening under the speaker that comes out by the camera or something.
My bet is that Verizon gets the 920T with the upgraded SoC and better/upgraded video chip.
So, it will support Verizon's network as well as have better video and 3D gaming performance vs. the AT&T 920.
The product already exists and is shipping on China Mobile.
If that's the case, I might legitimately look into finding an excuse for a warranty replacement of my Lumia 920, then sell the pristine replacement on eBay and get this unlocked from Verizon and use it on AT&T.
The core specs of the 920T SoC are identical. No change. Not updated. Just a different modem.
Double post deleted
Guess the question now is: Which color do i get?
I just jizzed in my pants. But this does raise a few questions. Will they improve from the design flaws in the 920 (i.e. dust in frontfacing camera)? And how different will the design be? How many features will remain? Will it change as much as the 822 did from the 820?
"dust in frontfacing camera" no idea what you are talking about... never had that issue with my 920, or any other desing issue for that matter.
I also have no dust in my front camera.
Sorry, I read an article somewhere that reported this issue on some 920s. I remember it saying that the owners sent them back and received new ones. For some, the issue came back, but for others, they had no problem again.
I'll try to find the article (might be on wpcentral). I love the design and I think it's the best, but I was just concerned about any possible minor defects.
This made me horny !!!
The "Big Red" reference? That did it for ya?
Explain.. Big ass? Is that what did you for a hot one? Lol!
Does anyone know of a app or anyway I can see my data usage in real time?
Are you on Verizon or ATT? Bing DataSense
Well, obviously I can't use datasense, so yes I'm on at&t.. And, the myatt app doesn't show data usage in real time.. I want to know how much data I just used 2 minutes ago.. Does anything do this??...
And still T-Mobile sits in the corner with me telling me its gonna be okay. -_-
It's gonna be ok. We have a new entry level phone coming soon.
Oh yea? Do tell! This is news to me!
Lol.....
I'm a troll who's been banned numerous times for swearing and harassing members on this site. I won't go away.
Does the cover color rub off in your pocket?
My son has the red 8x and yes if you put in your jeans back pockets the corners will wear off. :'(
I put mine in my coat pocket and I bought the doubleshot case.
Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme!
Shit just got real...Big Red made Android. Would be nice to see WP8 get the Verizon marketing treatment...
That's what they said they would do, last spring.
Verizon needs this phone now not later this year.. For real..
Jesus Christ! About freaking time!
Maybe now all the Nokia hate will stop?
As long as there are haters there will be hate.
Damn you Nokia. Everytime I think this is THE phone I want to get you rumor to make an even better one.
Sadly to say..like computers...there is always one better. :-S
Will Verizon disable the group text feature like they did for the 8x & 822?
actually, it was not disabled. its just located in a different location. go to the People tile, swipe to the left to "together". there you will see "rooms" and "groups". groups is what you're looking for.
I can't think of what to say, besides I'm going to pee myself out of excitement.
So you guys are sporting HTC Trophy at the moment? lol, If so, you will be pleasantly shocked when you upgrade to Lumia 92x.
I'm actually on an 8X at the moment - first WP device. My wife wouldn't let me switch us to AT&T, so instead she's allowing me to use HER upgrade to get this 92x when it drops.
I was on the trophy until a few months ago. My daughter dropped it and the LCD broke. (It already had a cracked digitizer) So i am now using a *Gasp* gen 1 Moto Droid. My contract isn't up until April, so Hopefully this is out by then. I'm not too optimistic though. Everything Nokia announced last year at MWC didn't show up until summer.
Do you mean your upgrade is in April? Usually they let you upgrade before your contract is out.
I'm guessing you had the Trophy. I got a Lumia 920 (free AND off contract from Nokia DVLUP developer program) and this thing is a massive upgrade over the LG Quantum I had. The camera, screen, sound quality, design, everything is just better except the lack of a keyboard. I think you'll really be in for a surprise with the Lumia upgrade and services (Nokia Music especially) are just incredible.
Only thing keeping me from the Big Red is the fact I can't use data & talk at the same time.
Same. I use these two in unison constantly!
On 4g that only effects the iPhone. My DROID 4 has no problem talking on my headset and surfing or using my Google navigate. You are absolutely correct on 3g.
The Lumia 822 CAN use data and voice simultaneously if you're on 4G. Not if on 3G, though.
Actually, it would be 2G data because of current CDMA coding used by Microsoft on WP8 devices
Incorrect. I have an HTC 8X on Verizon and I can surf on LTE while talking on the phone.
He's not talking about LTE.
Quite a few Verizon phones can do voice and data at the same time on 3G, namely Samsung and HTC phones. All can do voice and data on LTE except the iPhone 5.
I can do voice and data on my hd7 from T-Mo on 3g.
TMo is not a CDMA carrier so it really doesn't fit in this discussion.
I could do talk and data at the same time with my old 3g Galaxy S on VZW
If you were on WiFi. The CDMA spectrum doesn't allow both at the same time. GSM does. It's as simple as that. LTE and CDMA are two different radios and therefore there isn't a limitation.
Ugh, I can upgrade in a few days. I don't know if I can wait.
OK now my mouth is watering .... I am ready to upgrade as soon as 26th. I am willing to wait.. :-)
Lol, so you were a day 1 trophy owner too huh? I've been debating buying an 822 on eBay to hold me over until a new hero device is released.
I figured I'd stick with 7.5 Trophy hoping to get 7.8 soon until I see a 920 or ATIV-s. Trophy is a decent phone, just want LTE coverage so bad
I was thinking about getting an 8X, but if an aluminum WP is on the way, I might just have to wait. Luckly I like my Trophy enough to wait.
Well, my Trophy's screen is cracked, so that's another reason I'm considering the 822.
I had a Trophy (loved it) and I have the 822 right now. I knew this year they'd be getting an updated 920 and I just couldn't wait. I LOVE the 822, although I might just pay the extra money to get one of these when they come out. But the 822 isn't a bad phone at all. :)
Day 1 Trophy owner here, too. Unsure what I'll do. 822 doesn't have a good enough screen for me. 920 is too damn big. 8X is more reasonable, but I'd prefer a better camera.
Really, really not sure how I'll do this. I'd love a 4" Nokia with a great camera and great screen, but doesn't seem in the cards.
Whenever someone is torn between devices, I always suggest looking at the apps that Nokia has been pulling in. They're doing some good work to bring in quality apps and when they do they're typically Lumia exclusives for a while.
That's what I did with the Trophy. I wanted WP pretty quickly after WP7 was released, but the Trophy wasn't released to VZW so I went with a feature phone. Upgraded to the Trophy by finding a used model to tide me over till my upgrade in December to the 822.
I was very happy with the Trophy. It toasted my brother's dual core Android Moto Razr Maxx in a lot of things despite being dated on the technology front. The major issue was just the lack of LTE.
Yeah Trophy owner and I read today that HTC may not release the 7.8 update until late Feb. early March, that sucks. I wish they would release a date when this might get released. To think I might have to wait 6 months for this...it really sucks. If 7.8 came sooner it would make it easier.
Do you have a source on that?
There are alternate ways of getting 7.8 on your Trophy. See xda-developers for details.
Now the question is when will they be introduced...very exciting for Verizon customers
It's about time verizon because you are about to lose me and my girlfriend as customers. I hate Verizon so much I can taste the blood in my mouth. Maybe I should start flossing?
Given that Verizon seem to be including fully unlocked GSM SIM slots on their high end devices AND the new law preventing carrier unlocking which will affect AT&T it seems like Verizon might be the place to get your off contract phones in the future.
What law are you referring to?
The DMCA Law: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/unlocking-your-smartphone-will-soon-be-illegal-and-other-new-dmca-rule-insanity/
The DMCA law makes it illegal for owners to unlock their cell phones while under contract as of the end of this month without carrier permission. Here: http://www.technewsdaily.com/16514-unlocking-cellphones-becomes-illegal....
Thanks for sharing, have to look into it, if true, more reason to switch to prepaid when my contract is done
You can unlock, when your contract is done.
problem is when you need to go out of country, that would make your phone useless...
It uses GSM, so actually it should work around the world, just remember to switch SIM cards.
I never understood why I'm not allowed to unlock my phone whenever I want. As long as the carrier gets the money needed to pay for the phone, either by me staying on their network or by paying an ETF, who the fuck is anyone to tell me what to do with the phone?
BC until the contract period is up or etf paid you don't own the phone. It's like a mortgage on your house. Bank owns the house until it's paid off fully.
Yeah, but I can do pretty much what I want with the house before it's paid off; I can extend it, reorg the rooms, paint the walls...anything but sell it. Not a lot of flexibility with a locked phone
To be clear, you can even sell your house while it is mortgaged; most people do. The reason phone locks exist is plain and simple. It allows the cell company to leverage the customer, and there are no laws against it (except some specific ones as mentioned here) in the United States.